Le Basque

Absolutely. Amazing!!!! From the decor, food and service, everything was perfect!! I went for my birthday, brought my non-vegan husband and he was blown away how delicious the food was. We got the Escargot starter, Blue Oyster Mushroom Steak entree, the Salmon entree and he was in awe how much the salmon dish resembled real fish. I also appreciated the attentive service and the heartwarming birthday gesture. I would recommend this restaurant to everyone. Vegan or not! Thank you for an amazing birthday dinner!!

It disappoints me to write that factors other than the food ruined the experience myself and my group had at Le Basque. For a restaurant with nice ambiance and surprisingly delicious dishes, they really need to improve on their service and how they manage their organization and timing in the kitchen. I have worked in fine dining before, and what transpired the night we went to Le Basque would never had flown at any of my past restaurants, much less others in NYC. We had a group of 9 guests, and ordered bread and appetizers (pintxos) as soon as we sat down. We then ordered drinks. The bread came right away and our drinks came quickly as well, and after the bread arrived we decided to put in some entrees. Long story short, the entrees came out, and we were long done with them before I had to complain (multiple times) that we were still waiting for the pintxos. It ultimately resulted in us asking to cancel the pintxos, because one of us was already onto dessert. Our server said he would cancel the pintxos and get the manager, and not only did the pintxos then arrive when the manager came, but the manager chose to address the issue to me at the table, explaining to me that the reason the pintxos took so long to come out was because the kitchen had to "make them fresh". Well, first of all, shouldn't everything be made "fresh" back there? And even if something had to be prepped or par-cooked - it's a Saturday night, during the dinner rush. You need to be prepared, especially with these smaller appetizer-sized dishes. The interaction just felt aggressive, and he didn't offer to comp anything at all for the inconvenience. Not only did we have to scarf down a bunch of pintxos we were already too full to eat, but on multiple occasions, we had to call to the staff to bring us silverware- they didn't bring any serving spoons with the food, they forgot new silverware when the dessert came, we had to ask repeatedly for water refills. All in all, the food was good, but not enough to merit the poor dining experience that we had. And on top of everything, it was not cheap. The total bill was almost $1k. I wish we had gone with a smaller group, because the 20% auto-gratuity was not deserved. If you consider trying this restaurant, let's just say, I'd order it to go.

Simply the yummiest vegan meal I've had in a long time. The "oysters" and paella were well flavored.Best part however was the croissant infused martini.

From someone who is a regular at Anixi and Coletta... The ambiance was lovely, but the seating felt really cramped my jacket was touching the arm of the person at a different table next to me, and the tables were so close together/ music was loud that it was hard to have a conversation across the table. The upstairs was marketed as the more intimate seating area and it was not. The food had its highs and lows. The escargot was flavorful, but it mostly tasted like garlic butter--delicious but something I could easily replicate at home. The romesco grilled chicken was a standout--tender, juicy, and reminiscent of Anixi's chicken skewers, though with a slightly moister texture. But with my eyes closed they would both taste the same.The cheese board was good but didn't quite wow me. The presentation could use a bit more attention, and I would have liked more olives or pickled items to balance the flavors. Plus, the four small slices of bread weren't nearly enough for the amount of cheese provided.Dessert was amazing like a huge Ferraro Rosher- loved it!Overall, it's a nice spot, but for the price point, I was expecting a bit more in terms of portion sizes and attention to detail. Still, the flavors were enjoyable, and I can see the potential here with a few tweaks!

As huge fans of the chef's other restaurants (Anixi and Coletta), we were excited and intrigued at the prospect of vegan basque cuisine (fusion of southern France and northern Spain). The restaurant is an experience. It is an elevated fine dining space that feels exclusive but romantic, modern but classic. We were able to secure a table in the coveted upstairs dining room with a stunning skylight and decor that will impress. Our waiter walked us through some highlights of the menu; they seem particularly proud of the cheese plate, the homemade bread, the pintxos (skewer appetizers), and the chicken paella.We started with the trio of pâté dips accompanied by rustic sourdough bread. This dish is a work of art. Each dip has multiple beautiful garnishes and an accompanying jam. The smoked goat cheese was shockingly realistic; all three dips were interesting and tasty. The sourdough was equally impressive; we would have been happy to bring home a loaf.Next, we enjoyed the chorizo pintxo. It was packed with flavor. We were tempted by the allium pintxo and will have to try that next time. We also really enjoyed the duck confit salad with frisée lettuce. We were tempted by all the vegetable sides and settled on the torched leeks drenched in a red wine sauce. This was a beautiful, tasty, and unique dish.The only entree we had the chance to try was the chicken paella. This ended up being our favorite dish. The portion was fairly small, but every bite, whether it was the chicken, the confit sunchokes, or the piquillo peppers, was incredible.For dessert, they had run out of all the options except the entremet aux noisettes, a chocolate dome filled with hazelnut mousse and drizzled with salted fig caramel. It was amazing.Overall, this was a fantastic meal unlike any we had ever had before. It is an opportunity to sample diverse, memorable flavors from a cuisine (basque) that is rarely found in the United States and is certain to be enjoyed by vegans and non-vegans alike.

Another phenomenal restaurant from City Roots that just happens to be vegan. The plant-based interpretations across all the dishes were both artful and delicious. The escargot was a hit as well as the paella. I'm gluten-free and was well accommodated by the staff.The service was a bit hit or miss, the servers were still in training and unfortunately were bickering with the manager at a station right behind our table, but it's a new restaurant and mishaps are bound to happen.The wine list is outstanding, sporting an impressive collection of French and Spanish wines by the glass and an extensive number by the bottle.This is true upscale dining that just happens to be vegan.

My wife and I visited Le Basque for Valentine's Day and it's pure magic! The ambience, staff, cocktails, and (especially) the food totally blew us away. We tried the pate, sunchokes, chicken paella, and the flank steak. Wow! Everything here is vegan, beautifully plated, fresh, and wonderful. Le Basque is one of the very best restaurants in all of Manhattan :)

I think this was the last of the restaurants in the City Roots group I had yet to try. On this trip alone we went to Anixi and Sentir. Previously we have been to Beyond Sushi and Willow. I would say Willow is probably my favorite in the group (though it been years since we have gone there). Le Basque was my least favorite. First, the space is beautiful. This is the highlight of the whole restaurant. It really feels upscale and glamorous. Unfortunately it goes downhill from there. Our service was atrocious. We ordered a bottle of white wine. The server brought out the wine and a bucket of ice. Unfortunately they never came back at any point to refill our glasses. We had to self-serve the wine. I know how to pour myself wine, but for the price point of this restaurant it seemed like a server should be coming back to check. There were 4 of us at dinner. Both couples ordered mains to split. My partner and I got our main. However our friend's main course came out way later (after asking two different servers where the dish was). We ended up sharing the first dish because of how long the wait was. And by the time we decided to eat it the dish was cold. At no point did the server apologize for the delay. Then when the check came, not only did the server not give any compensation for the dish that took forever, they also charged us for a dish we did not order (and did not recieve). Again no apology when the first check came. I don't like writing bad reviews, but this experience was comically bad. I understand mistakes can happen, but you can't forget a main course and then charge for a dish that wasn't ordered. The food was hit or miss. Some delicious bites and some not so great. But for the price point, I expect all the food to be good and the service to be better. I will not go back.

The food at Le Basque was delicious. The pricing is on the higher end and the portions are somewhat small. We had the cheese plate to start, it had a variety of different style vegan cheeses as well as some nuts. For entrees, I went with the chicken paella and my friend went with the mojo flank steak. I enjoyed the dish a lot; It was so flavorful.My friend also enjoyed her dish. The night we went they only had the cheesecake for dessert options. It has a savory taste due to the rosemary and is a bit mousse-y and not too dense.The decor of the restaurant definitely feels intimate so I would say more date and celebratory than for casual dining or for large groups:

New French/Spanish vegan spot in Union Square! My favorite dish was the dessert called Entremet aux Noisettes! It tasted like a large Ferrero Rocher chocolate yum. Our service was on point. The waiter recommended most of the plates. Apparently the restaurant has two floors. We sat on the first floor however I hear the second floor is the place to be so I definitely will be going back!