Mouthwatering Tapas/Small Plates in New York

The Bazaar By José Andrés

★★★★☆ 4.1 (89) • $$$$

"Perfect experience. Order Jose's Creative Experience tasting menu with beverage pairing and you won't regret it. We've enjoyed some well-regarded meals this year including Central & Maido in Lima. Bazaar was more enjoyable in terms of food and service. The tasting menu featured so many memorable dishes with notable standouts including the wagyu air bread, bluefin tuna & fried egg, wild black cod, A5 miyazaki, honey-miso eggplant, and pineapple kakigori.What really made the experience for us, however, was the service. Sometimes the staff is so personable you just feel like you know them. It doesn't happen often, but the Bazaar team achieved that. We happened to meet the beverage director in the elevator and he kicked the experience into action as we connected on long-ago Jose Andres tasting menu memories. He later hung out with us during the meal and shared fun stories about Jose. Our server & sommelier were personable, knowledgable, and made some creative adjustments for us. The manager Cristina really brought everything together and made us feel like part of the family. We walked away feeling uplifted and will definitely stop in again next time we're in town. 100% recommend."

Petite Dumpling

★★★★★ 4.5 (46) • $$

"Love it! Park slope finally has decent homemade authentic Chinese food! The noodle and dim sum dishes brought back childhood memories for me. They may not be fancy but taste homemade. We had mala cucumber salad, Sichuan Ban Mein, crab and pork dumpling and coconut curry noodle. I thought all were very good and flavorful except for curry noodle which needs more salt. Daoxiao ("knife shaved") noodle is a specialty of the Shanxi province. It is thicker and chewer in middle and thinner on the sides. I love the texture. Order is easy - you scan the code on table and order via your phone. I wish they allow you checkout on the app too. Anyways, will definitely go back."

aRoqa

★★★★☆ 4.1 (450) • $$

"I've been intrigued by aRoqa for quite a while, so one night, when I was craving Indian food, we came in. No reservations needed for a Tuesday evening. aRoqa is definitely an upscale Indian restaurant, with a smartly decorated interior and nice bar. We ordered chicken biriyani, butter chicken, and garlic naan (basic, I know). The chicken biriyani was a modest portion, and I was pleasantly surprised to see an addition of crunchy caramelized onions on to (reminds me of a Mediterranean dish). This dish is bone in, and the chicken is very moist, but there were some chicken bits (tendon?) that I found myself biting into that somewhat soured the experience. The raita was much thicker than I'm used to, more of a creamy sweet addition than the usual thin, refreshing raita. This dish was just ok to me. Butter chicken was amazing. Obviously this dish is always good, but it was really delicious here, we surprisingly finished off the entire dish and I found myself licking the spoon at the end. The chicken chunks are large and juicy, but you'll need to cut them with a knife. Garlic naan was delicious - crispy, brushed with butter, incredibly flavorful. Just wish there was more to soak up the delicious butter chicken sauce. Service was very attentive, our waters were filled very quickly. Overall, solid meal. I'm not sure the slight elevation of Indian food is worth the hike in prices, but your options are somewhat limited in the area. I'm not dying to go back, but it definitely hit my Indian food craving."

Ways & Means

★★★★★ 4.6 (29)

"I had brunch at this little gem and the bottomless drinks are well worth your money!! You can get mimosas, certain cocktails and even some beers. I don't write reviews often but the service here was absolutely phenomenal and I wanted to give them a shout out. Thank you to the manager (or owner?) here who brought us a variety of hot sauces when we asked for a kick in our omelettes.I'll definitely be coming back for the comedy club tucked in behind the restaurant."

Fernando’s Hideaway

★★★★★ 4.6 (17)

"Would return to NYC for these cocktails over and over again -- "only fans" has to be my favorite martini in the city. You won't regret the visit here!"

The Dickens

★★★★★ 4.6 (131) • $$

"Last night I check out the upstairs martini bar at The Dickens... this is a must try!!The martini bar is down the hallway to the left of the upstairs bar. They make a mean martini and the best part is that you get bottomless fries all night with the purchase of a martini! The fries were hot and salty and the perfect pair to my dirty martini. This is the ultimate girl dinner spot!We got a seat at the bar with no problem around 8PM on a Thursday. It definitely got more crowded later on after the broadway shows let out, but this would be a great post-theater spot if you can snag a seat!"

Benemon

★★★★☆ 4.3 (737) • $$

"Benemon is a Japanese restaurant located on the Lower East Side. It's located a few blocks from the F train. The restaurant is a cozy place you can take your friends or a date to for a meal or sake based cocktails. I came here since it was my friend's birthday and appreciated the food they had to offer. The salty pork belly was soft and worked very well with the sauce. The tofu fire was a little spin on agedashi tofu, except it was thicker and created with a chili sauce. It had a slight kick to it but was not spicy at all, despite the name. The karaage was perfectly seasoned, and I liked the sauce that came with it, but eating it by itself was also delicious.For the entree, I chose the Yakiniku Don. It's basically a Gyudon, which is made from thinly sliced beef and created with a sweet soy sauce base. The portion was decent, and I had some leftovers to take home.Staff were friendly and checked up on us to see whether we needed anything many times. If I'm nearby, I would like to visit again to try the other dishes and cocktails they have to offer."

Mémé Mediterranean

★★★★☆ 4 (425) • $$$

"This is my first time eating here. I ordered royale with moroccan spices, amba, tahini, pickled eggplant, black lentil, and tabouli. Their food tasted flavorful. This restaurant is a casual and lively ambiance with outdoor seating, making it a popular choice for groups. The restaurant provides vegetarian options, takeout, and delivery, and its menu features a variety of flavorful tapas, entrees, and brunch dishes made with fresh ingredients and Moroccan spices. Great service."

Elder Greene

★★★★☆ 4 (86) • $$

"My wife and I had our weddings after party here. We really wanted somewhere that was in our neighborhood that we frequently went to. The Elder Greene crew crushed it! They handled the massive amount of guests perfectly, no one waited long for a drink, all the cocktails were delicious, all the food came out quickly and we had a great time. 10/10 recommend!"

Mokyo

★★★★★ 4.6 (407)

"Typically when I go to these more expensive restaurants, I do a lot of research. But then for some reason this placed appealed to us enough on Google Maps to want to go and I'm so glad we did because it's now one of my favorite restaurants in NYC. We made a reservation beforehand on a weekday night and I think that is a bit of a must as there was quite a bit of people inside.We ordered 6 dishes for 2 people and it turned out to be a lot of food. I feel like 5 dishes could've been enough. I have noted them down based on my favorite (corn dumpling) to my least favorite (steak).- Corn Dumpling - Suprisingly this was my favorite thing of the night. I didn't really care for the sauce or the breading of the dumpling as I thought it was too thick, but the filling was to die for. It was a bit sweet with a lot of corn flavor. It really was just something I've never had before which is quite rare. I would eat the filling inside straight up.- Gumbo - I feel like this is a really weird thing to like but I actually loved their gumbo. The flavor profile was almost a combination of tomato soup, which I loved. On top of that, there were so many ingredients inside, especially crawfish. For a high-end restaurant, I was really happy that there was a dish that would both fill me up and also taste great.- Noodle - I don't know what they did to this noodle. In fact, these noodles don't even have any sort of protein inside it but I absolutely loved that they were super garlic-y but also had a kick of spice.- Berkshire Rib - This was my boyfriend's favorite dish of the night! The first bite was marvelous as not only were the ribs incredibly tender but the smoky flavor was present throughout the entire rib. I feel like a lot of BBQ restaurants claim that the flavor is in their meats but this one was probably the most I ever resonated with that statement. After a while of eating this, I felt that the rib was a bit much and wish there was some sort of pickle or whatnot to cut through the meaty-ness.- Lobster Roll - I actually really liked the bread of this dish, but I still like the more traditional lobster rolls more. I did enjoy the pickled celery a lot though!Steak - I thought this was actually one of the weaker dishes of the night. The steak's raw parts were a bit tough, and the mushroom sauce cracked a little, which was interesting.Overall, fantastic eat and I will be back to try more of their foods. Also, I really am excited now to try their sister restaurant, Thursday Kitchen, to see what is the difference."

C as in Charlie

★★★★★ 4.5 (355)

"Tapas Style fusion cuisine!Definitely a must to get at least 2-3 dishes per person to feel satisfied with the meal. It's more so elevated simple dishes, but great set of options.I highly recommend the shrimp toast and the bibimbap. Service of the food is very quick as well, sake shot on the house is also given."

Aura Bar & Kitchen

★★★★★ 4.8 (45)

"My boyfriend and I stopped here completely by accident- we were trying to go to a place a couple doors down, however, they were closed temporarily for a private event at the bar. With a little disappointment, we decided to walk down the street to find somewhere else to get the drinks we wanted so badly. This is when we stumbled across Aura Bar & Kitchen. The bar is small, and it was pretty busy considering it was a Saturday evening! A man (the owner) named Jesse immediately greeted us and coaxed us to two seats at the very end of the bar and made us feel extremely welcome at his establishment. To get to the main part of the review, we started off our time there with the Toscana Bruschetta and a couple of drinks. I ordered the Seratonin cocktail (even though I usually don't enjoy blue curacao) and my boyfriend ordered his go-to, an Old Fashioned. Toscana Bruschetta: Delicious and refreshing appetizer that did not disappoint whatsoever. It was the perfect size for the two of us and the flavours worked very well together to create the perfect bruschetta that made my palette sing. 10/10 recommend this appetizer to anyone that enjoys bruschetta!Seratonin Cocktail: Beautifully done drink with a gorgeous blue-green hue that tastes as good as it sounds. Despite there being two ingredients I don't tend to care for (blue curacao and tequila) I can genuinely say that I loved this drink as a starter to the evening and didn't even notice the things I don't like, that's how pleasant the cocktail is. Old Fashioned: Crafted using Four Roses Bourbon as the well, my boyfriend is notoriously picky about his Old Fashioned drinks and said that this bar makes the best one he has ever tasted in his life. You can tell that Frankie (the bartender) really knows what he's doing with this drink (and all of the drinks that he crafts). After that rockstar start to our journey, we ordered the Fried Calamari and two more drinks. I got the Purple Dream and my boyfriend got the Espresso Martini. Fried Calamari: Calamari is one dish that is always hit or miss at restaurants I've noticed. Luckily, Aura is one of the places that absolutely does not miss and knocked the poor calamari into orbit. It was crisp, fresh, not too oily, and the tzatziki we ordered rather than the marinara sauce (in Canada we commonly serve calamari with tzatziki and NOT marinara) was phenomenal. The tzatziki tasted like it had just been made within the past ten minutes, and not like it had been pre-made hours before and then served at a later point. Espresso Martini: By far the smoothest espresso martini I've had the pleasure of trying. We watched them prepare the espresso shots right from our seats so we know it was not JUST a coffee liquor used in the cocktail as a lot of other bars and restaurants will do (a cheap parlour trick on other bars if you ask me). Purple Dream: My favourite drink I've ever tasted in the 25 years I've been alive. Let me tell you, this drink is absolutely dangerous. It's smooth, it's delicious, it's refreshing, it's fruity, and it's subtly strong and that's the recipe for getting me way too wasted in one evening. The drink is served with a skewer of fresh blueberries which I loved eating once the drink was (sadly) finished. I was already very drunk after my two drinks (fuck being short and having a very low tolerance for alcoholic beverages!) so I didn't get any other ones, but my boyfriend got a third drink called The Luna. Throughout the evening, Jesse also provided us with these delicious black pita chips that were flaky and tasted amazing when dipped in the tzatziki we'd gotten with the calamari. The Luna: My boyfriend can't remember but he did love it! I don't recall trying this one, however, it came from Frankie and Aura so I'm going to go ahead and recommend it anyways! :) Jesse took great time and pride in speaking to us throughout the evening and truly made us feel like family and friends while we drank and ate at his business throughout the evening. A lot of time, love and care has clearly gone into this business. Jesse uses top of the line products not only in his drinks and food, but the environment in general is well thought out and executed. He uses high quality decor, and I know this is going to sound silly but I was even impressed that in the bathroom he uses the Simply Human brand of trashcan. It's all about the details, okay?To wrap this up for people that don't like to read novel length reviews...Drinks: Phenomenal and out of this world delicious. Fairly priced as well considering everywhere in NYC is insanely priced for, in my opinion, cheap tasting, shitty drinks that don't even taste good.Food: Scrumptious and had me craving more and more. Also very fairly priced and high, high quality. We will for sure be back the next time we visit the Big Apple and highly recommend this restaurant and bar to anyone that has never been; you will NOT be disappointed with your visit here, guaranteed."

Terasa North Ninth

★★★★☆ 4.1 (88)

"Hate to give away my secret places...Buddy had branzino, fantastico...I had salmon...even better...tried a side of gnocchi...incredible.Had Sospca salad to start (not pictured) highly recommended.My spicy margarita was amazing and loved the sancere by the glass...This is my gift to you...just dont ask for my table!"

Osamil

★★★★☆ 4.3 (842) • $$$

"Yum!! The perfect place for late night small bites and some drinks (we had soju). The daenjang foie gras mousse was the highlight and they gave quite a lot of it so we ordered an extra side of toast! This helped with how the dishes are a bit on the smaller size in terms of portions."

Snack Taverna

★★★★☆ 3.8 (389) • $$

"We LOVE Snack Traverna and while there are thousands of restaurants in New York City, we. Will often meet our dearest friends for special occasions at Snack Traverna when we want to impress them with our wisdom at picking a restaurant where everything they serve is absolutely delicious! This evening we invited our friends to celebrate a special birthday. We started with their 4 Dip Sampler ( served with their homemade pita) and their Beet Salad.Then we had their Spinach Triangles and their Zucchini Fritters. We also ordered their phenomenal Haloumi Skewers and their Saganaki! For dessert we shared their delightful chocolate cake and their homemade and awesome rice pudding!"

Barn Joo 35

★★★★☆ 4.2 • $$

"Located in Midtown Manhattan along 35th street. Barn Joi 35 is the place to be if you love Korean food and pair it with your favorite drinks. They have an intensive drink list - cocktails, soju. Upon entering the restaurant, you're greeted by the hostess and seated to your table. The ambiance is cool and chill, perfect for group dinners, family night out and date nights. The drinks! I love love it!!Try the Midtown Forsynthia or better get the four soju taster combo. Also recommend the Matcha, such a refreshing drink with hint of pineapple and not so sweet. We tried some of their appetizers which I truly recommend. The soft shell crispy crab, the soy garlic wings, the calanari with nuts and the fried dumplings! For main dishes- we tried the bulgogi hot bowl and new york strip entree. Absolutely delicious. And presentation was excellent! Overall, the experience was incredible. Such a cool spot to have a great time."

21 Greenpoint

★★★★☆ 3.9 (143) • $$$

"What an intimate and fun spot! This is a small space so highly recommend making a reservation. We went on a Sunday evening and it was easy to get a table. I will say the menu is limited but everything we ordered was tasty and good portion size. We started with the nachos without chicken, which I was hesitant about ordering but it turned out being a hit. It has a slight kick to it, which I enjoyed. I'm glad they put black beans for protein. We also got the spiced nuts, which tasted like they had some Cajun flavors. I got the spaghetti as my entree and it was so simple but flavorful, which is exactly what I wanted! We were too full to order desert but want to check it out next time!"

Big Tiny

★★★★★ 4.5 (95) • $$

"Looking for lunch and found this tiny cozy spot. It was sunday and they served brunch. Had a nice oyster special! Turned out to be really nice. The prices were reasonable, but the dishes were small as well. Service was good. The only "down side" to the place would be the tables are small so it doesn't have room for all the plates, cups and utensils. Would come back."

Xixa

★★★★☆ 4.4 (714) • $$$

"Unbelievable. We had a party of 9 on a Saturday night at 830 PM. Because of the party size, we had to do a set tasting menu. We had 1 veg, 1 allergy to fish, 1 dairy free.Xixa delivered! The drinks and service were quick, attentive, and fun! Our first course, a fried fish taco, came out around 850 and it was the best fish taco I've ever had. Light, airy, meaty, perfect accoutrement, house made tortillas, and just an absolute hit. The veg/non fish got a fried eggplant taco that they raved about too! I won't list every course, but they were all incredible, unique in a familiar way, and very sizable. I was so full at the end and we even got a double dessert because we were celebrating some events. My favorite dish was the crispy pork osso buco taco, but everything was exceptional. We got 9 of us fed 11 courses, multiple drinks, and great service the whole way in about 2.25 hours. I hope I get the honor to go back again soon. Thank you Xixa (Shiksa)!"

Nemesis

★★★★★ 4.5 (105)

"Led by the team behind Antidote, Nemesis is a trendy upscale restaurant weaving Southeast Asian culinary styles. It spotlights traditional dishes from Thailand, Malaysia, Singapore, and Indonesia with a modern twist. Their food and drinks were so delicious that I wanted to give a star to everything I got. Attentive service and sophisticated atmosphere. This could be a great choice to bring a friend visiting NYC to enjoy a multicultural dining experience. ＊Grilled Iberico Pork Belly $23 *The pork belly was flame-grilled and well-marinated. Every bite was juicy and bursting with a savory, tangy flavors. The edges were slightly charred which gave some smoky aroma. It had a good meat-to-fat ratio so it wasn't greasy at all. ＊Heritage Chicken Satay $16We were pleasantly surprised to see chicken satay in meatball shape. It was so flavorful with the peanut butter satay sauce. The cucumber, red onion and cherry tomato made it more refreshing as a starter. ＊Crying Angus Steak $39 ***We were so OBSESSED with this crying angus steak!! The angus ribeye were marinated in thai sauce and chimichurri. Each piece were cooked perfectly to medium rare and thinly sliced. 10oz was A LOT and my Asian instinct told me it would be great with jasmine rice. The mixed roasted fingerling potatoes and sweet tomatoes on the side were aromatic and very enjoyable. ＊Tom Yum Seafood Fried Rice $35 *We got their most viral bone marrow tom yum fried rice. The bone marrow was melt-in-your-mouth fatty. It was 100% insta-worthy though the bone marrow didn't really add much flavor to the dish. The scallops were cooked to absolute perfection and the prawns were very bouncy. Wish it could be a tad spicier. ＊Lychee V $10 *＊Sky High $19Worth to mention they have an impressive selection of cocktail and wine menu. The aesthetics and Asian-inspired flavors are spot-on. Sky High waz a picture-perfect cocktail with cotton candy, with a base of rum, pineapple, lychee, lemon and four season tea. It didn't taste too alcoholic so it was right up my lane. While Lychee V was a mocktail with lychee, oolong tea, jasmine tea syrup, yuzu, lime and tonic. Loved the tea flavors and it wasn't too sweet."

Cafe Camellia

★★★★★ 4.5 (34)

"The best meal I had in NOLA on my last trip was not anywhere in the French Quarter or even in up-and-coming areas like Bywater, but rather at an understated restaurant called Mondo in the suburban Lakeview district. My experience at Cafe Camellia reminded me of that meal - while they made the Times 100 list last year, they're located on one of the most dull retail strips in all of Williamsburg, and the decor is nothing to write home about. But they serve bold Gulf Coast flavors, and the butter pecan toddy is a superb drink.The best bites of the evening were the hush puppies, served with a rich remoulade, and the fried maitake, which had a nice balance of acidity. I would probably skip the brussel sprouts next time - they were served in papery fragments that made the dish a bit hard to enjoy."

Mondrian Terrace

★★★★☆ 4 (49) • $$

""You had me at rosé." This is an awesome rooftop bar. My girlfriends and I had a great time here. It was exactly what we were looking for. The vibe is #roséallday. We ordered frosés and the flatbread. I loved that we had our own section and could relax and enjoy the weather. The service is attentive and friendly. The music is also very good. I found myself shazaming every other song. There are a lot of good photo opportunities here. Is it expensive? Sure, but the view, vibe, and exterior seating is worth it."

Ai Ki Ya

★★★★☆ 4.3 (267) • $$

"Ai Ki Ya in KoreatownI have mixed reviews about the place. Let's start with food.Ordered three dishes:-Tako Yaki-Salmon Avocado Roll-Deep Fried Skewers (Beef, Chicken, Shrimp, Meatball, Sausage)The tako yaki was delightful. The fried octopus filling was not dry and it was crunchy on the outside. Garnishes on the top was a very nice combo to the dish. The roll was pretty good. Each piece was pretty big and filling. As like the other dish, the garnishes really helped pull the dish together.The deep fried skewers... do not get this. You are required to get 5 skewers at minimum to place the order. The menu I had had no picture of the food so i went ahead and ordered what sounded good. My mistake here, the size and flavor. The skewers are just unflavored with the smallest possible bite of food. With how much I paid the total bill, the skewers didn't make the total price worth it. Spend the money on a nice roll or little dish instead, this was a a total waste of like 1/4 of the bill.Generally, the restaurant was quick to attend you considering how small and crowded it was for a Saturday night. Food came pretty quick and had a very nice aesthetic, as well as the restaurant.Would I go back again? Absolutely but not for the deep fried skewers. Other dishes were amazing and looking around there were a lot of good-looking foods I would want to try."

Nai

★★★★☆ 4.3 • $$$

"One of the best tasting menu experiences I have ever had! Every dish was on point - loved the Cod, the scallops, the dry aged ribeye sando. The host was amazing, brought us delicious wines from Spain that paired so well with the food. Will highly recommend!"

Bazár Tapas Bar & Restaurant

★★★★☆ 4.2 (849) • $$$

"Located in the heart of Midtown, Bazar Tapas Bar and Restaurant serves up a variety of tapas. They have a diverse menu so you can certainly find something you like. Good service and nice ambiance.They also offer a bottomless menu for $45 which includes an entree! The drinks include mimosas, bellinis, and bloody marys"

Sama Street

★★★★★ 4.8 (231) • $$$

"Omg the food here is SO good. Best chicken satay I had! The prawn curry was heavenly and they also separated the head of the shrimp but keep it on the play as part of presentation or if u wish to eat. The curry wasn't spicy at all. The sauce was creamy and packed with flavor. The octopus was perfectly cooked and had a beautiful twist to it that went with culinary fusion the restaurant brings. It's small and sexy inside! Intimate and perfect for dates too. Staff and owner are incredible, I loved that the owner took time to talk to us about the menu and also got to know us. Best of luck Sama on your new location coming soon to HK!!!"

Loring Place

★★★★☆ 4.3 (601) • $$$

"The Loring place served as the perfect dinner spot for guests of all tastes. They had something on the menu for all tastes and you can just tell the quality and source of the food was high. The ambience was great as well and served as the perfect date spot or just an evening of catching up with friends. You can't go wrong with any of their pizzas and the shaved Brussels were delicious. Definitely will be going back to try more menu items next time I'm back in the city."

Kushi Kushi Yaki

★★★★☆ 4.3 (208) • $$

"Stumbled upon this place while wandering around K-Town. I had only ever been to the well-known spots and wanted to try something new and unplanned. It worked out nicely. The wait for a table was about 5 minutes, and they hand you a menu while you wait. They couldn't have been more pleasant.The place is small, creating an intimate atmosphere. The service is quick but they do not rush you out or make you feel like it is transactional. They always replaced the water quickly, and brought the check when we asked. Overall on ambiance and service, a complete 5 stars!We had the pork belly and ribeye skewers, the tonkotsu ramen, and the bimbimbop. Everything was delicious, and the portions were very generous."

Debajo

★★★★☆ 4.4 (97)

"The place is nice and comfortable. It has a modern look. The service is ok. The staff know the food and they are attentive. The food is "ok". Perhaps I am picky because I know Spanish food. I know some of the dishes are just canned even though they could actually make them by themselves (as they do in most spanish bars). I thought the chistos would actually be the sausage, but it's more like little hotdogs! The best dishes: the octopus is good (I wonder if they buy the octopus raw and cook there - I didn't ask). The patatas bravas were good. The shrimp were good. The cauliflower was tasty but it was not really a Spanish dish. I've stayed away from Spanish food in NYC so I can't compare but it is inferior to at least most bars in Spain."

Lucky Rabbit Noodles

★★★★☆ 4.4 (112) • $$

"At first when I ordered the braised beef noodles, I was disappointed to learn it was not in soup. However, that feeling faded away as I took my first bites. The noodles are perfectly chewy and moist and thick. The meat is tender and flavorful. The noodles, although not in soup, contain liquid in them which gives the feeling of soup. The flavors all meshed beautifully together and I was in good heaven! I can see why they're one of the best restaurants in DUMBO. If I make the trip back, will definitely hit up this place again."

Hortus NYC

★★★★☆ 4.3 (561) • $$$

"4.5 terrific brunch with a couple friends here a couple weeks ago. This spot has been on my list a while and finally glad to try it! Delicious food and attentive service. Not sure if they are regularly as busy though we happened to be there during restaurant week and at some point almost all the tables in the main seating areas were booked. So definitely recommend making reservations in advance. Walking in on a chilly February morning, the building exterior is undergoing renovation so it may be hard to spot the restaurant sign. The restaurant is larger than it looks from the front since the space extends deeply backward--an entry/waiting area greets you as you walk in, then a long bar and open kitchen. Proceeding right there is a set of stairs taking you up a half level to seating area with several tables, which also opens out to a greenhouse section--airy and bright. Heading up another half level, there's a formal dining room with plush seats and half-circle banquets. Ash blue geometric wallpaper offsets the deep teal opposite wall creating a rich, color-saturated atmosphere. The light from the front windows and the white tablecloths were bright enough so the room didn't seem too dark. Loved the design details here! Food--we went with the restaurant week prix fixe lunch sotbap $30 for two courses with supplements for the steak (+$5) and steak and truffle (+$15): - Steak Sotbap - grilled short rib, sautéed mushroom, scallion, cured egg yolk- Truffle Steak Sotbap - truffle, grilled short rib, sautéed mushroom, scallion, cured egg yolk- Soft Shell Crab Sotbap - deep-fried soft shell crab, steamed daikon, Asian chive, sweet chili mayoThese came with an assortment of banchan and a choice of Miso Soup or Janchi Guksu - Korean somyeon, seaweed oil. We all chose the latter.The sotbap is rice cooked in a stone pot, on which they've layered daikon and then the proteins above. I tried a bit of each and have to say the steak was cooked very well - meaning medium rare - and the black truffle shavings added a fancy touch and a next level of umami. The soft shell crab was prepared well, though not as crisp perhaps as when in it came out of the fryer since there was mayo drizzled over it. Roe on top was a nice addition. The noodles had a delicate light flavor, and the banchan were decent though perhaps not especially stand out, appreciated the thoughtful presentation overall! The prix-fixe also came with dessert, either sweet potato cheesecake - you could really taste the sweet potato in every bite, or mango bread pudding - this was pretty standard in terms of texture, could be a bit more moist, though the mango flavor from the sauce was bright and citrusy. Both items were a light to medium level of sweetness. Service was lovely and very patient considering we were there from 11:15-2pm, they never rushed us or asked us to leave. It did feel like there were enough seats overall so we weren't consciously overstaying our welcome (I hope?) Time flew by as we chitchatted and it was a relaxing afternoon well spent. Last note: It was interesting that the door to bathrooms on the second floor are behind very thick curtains, there's a bit of fumbling around trying to find the door and also trying to make your way out of the bathroom."

Ruffian

★★★★★ 4.5 (293) • $$$

"Very nice wine bar in LES. Good service and interesting plates to go with the wines. While it's on the pricier side I think after you've tried the wines you can easily compare it with higher priced names and find the wines are very good quality."

Eyval

★★★★★ 4.5 (182) • $$$

"Eyval in Brooklyn is a true culinary treasure! From the moment I walked in, I was immediately impressed by the inviting and warm ambiance. The space is beautifully designed with a mix of modern and rustic touches, making it the perfect place for a casual meal or a special night out. The lighting is cozy, and the vibe is laid-back yet upscale--definitely a place where you can relax and enjoy a great meal.The service at Eyval was exceptional. The staff was friendly, attentive, and genuinely knowledgeable about the menu, offering helpful suggestions and making sure we had everything we needed throughout the meal. It really felt like they cared about the experience they were providing.Every dish we had was bursting with flavor, but the true standout was the Kabob Chenjeh. If you're looking for an amazing meal in Brooklyn, Eyval is a must-try. The food, service, and atmosphere come together to create a dining experience that's truly memorable. Highly recommend!"

Manchego

★★★★☆ 3.9 (181) • $$

"We had anniversary dinner here and it was amazing. We love the quiet atmosphere and good food. Our drinks was so good too! It was the best Peach Mojito I've had. The staff were so friendly and nice. Would love to come back again."

Kubeh

★★★★☆ 4.2 (424) • $$$

"Had a great dinner at Kubeh last night with some friends! I've walked past this place a million times and always thought it was a fast casual place based on how the outside entrance looks, but was surprised to find how deep the restaurant is and how upscale the food is. We were seated immediately for our reservation and our server was very attentive. We got all three dips to share, and numerous mezze and small plates and there wasn't a bad one in the bunch. I particularly loved the Fattoush salad and the Mediterranean shrimp. All the ingredients of everything tasted fresh and homemade. Only slight issue was how loud the restaurant is. I think the high ceilings make for challenging acoustics. Highly recommend!"