The Waverly Inn and Garden

Waverly Inn was our idea for a fun upscale date night. The night started off getting off the L train in a bustling West Village to then making our way to the restaurant, you find the restaurant emitting a light on a quiet dark street just begging you to come in.When you walk in you feel like you are transported to what I imagine old NYC to be, it even feels European. The restaurant is dark and moody with wonderful artwork and fireplaces around. While it's dark and moody, everyone is having a good time including the staff. (The service here was noticeably impeccable.) It felt like a lot of regulars came to this place as they had been coming for 20+ years.The complimentary biscuits were buttery and flaky but the sweet butter was the best part of the combo.The salmon tartar had us keep going in and trying to figure out exactly what it was that we loved about it as it was unique to any salmon tartar I'd ever had. The crispy rice and garlic mingled in was an awesome touch to it.The half duck was easily my favorite thing here at the restaurant. I was between the chicken pot pie (because I'd seen so many pictures) and the duck. I was initially always leaning towards the duck and glad I got it because it may have been my favorite duck I've ever had. It was cooked to perfection.The Waverly Burger is not something to skip over, if you show up and you are in the mood for one, this place will not let you down. It's seasoned wonderfully and the Dijonaise was a tangy blend that pair awesome with the beef. The fries that came with them were salted to my level and they have you a ton of them!The blueberry cobbler was fine, the top crumble part was good and the honey creme fraiche was great but the blueberries themself felt frozen and not cooked down enough and was sitting in too much unseasoned juice in the bottom. It wasn't bad but didn't make me thinking about getting it again.

Food. Prepared well. Chicken pot pie was a mouth inferno...but tasty as hell. Steak. Cooked to perfection...though someone in the kitchen might have knocked over most of the building l's salt on it. The potato side slathered in a kinda tasty green sauce, was a child's serving. I wanted some more. Fries. The same sous chef must have been clumsy tonight cause he must have knocked over the rest of the salt on these. Martini? Let's just say she's never gotten her hands dirty, though she might tell people she used to slum it in the old LES. I'd go again.

The cauliflower steak was okay-- it was just a baked cauliflower with some sauce on it. The warm cookie was subpar, I prefer the $1 box of cookies at the grocery store. I didn't even want to finish it. The service was slow-- the coffee was forgotten and I had remind them after waiting for 15 min-- I wanted to eat it with my cookie. They also have a Mac and cheese that is about $200...The mashed potatoes were delicious, those were my favorite. The ambiance here was lovely and classy-- loved the vibes.

I think the ambience is fantastic! Definitely quality food but nothing that will blow you out of the water. Wine list is pretty solid and the service was what you would expect again nothing crazy but still solid. I wouldn't run back!

After missing the game winner in my NYC Basketball Men's League Game, I had never needed a Negroni more. The shot felt so good coming off of my hand too.. damn I'm getting re-mad just typing this rn. I showered at the gym to try and rid myself of the stench of failure, and booked it over to the Waverly Inn as I was meeting my 2 big homies for dinner.I arrived at what I thought was the wrong location, as it fooled me for a West Village townhouse at first. Quaint and unassuming. I entered and found my big homie at the bar, already drinking a Negroni. MY MAN! We were seated immediately and before my ass even hit the seat I ordered one, as I had to catch up.Upon sitting, I realized this is the exact ambiance I had been craving for my birthday dinner: A small low lit room, funky art on the wall that's probably done by some famous artist, long white table cloths, wood paneled ceilings, engaging waiters, staff dressed to the nines, old wooden chairs, etc. It's essentially everything I was hoping the ambiance at Peter Luger would be. It's a place where I just want to link and build.Right as I was taking it in, thinking about all the linking and building I could do here--BANG! Negroni on the table. All is well.As I was deciding on what to demolish, I noticed a quote at the top of the menu that read:"Waverly Inn - worst food in the city" -Donald J. Trumpahahahahahha that sh*t got me. That was funny. We opted to get Oysters, the Burrata, the Burger, the Chicken Pot Pie, and the Squid Ink Pasta. I love sharing mains as you get to just try a little bit of everything... I never could growing up though because my brother is a savage and we would go to war on shared plates. Kill or be killed with that man ahahha.I normally highlight a favorite, but honestly, everything was HITTIN. I guess if I had to I'd say the Oysters and the Squid Ink Pasta... Oh yeah actually those oysters were IT. Some of the best I've had in my mf life.Idk what my boy Pedro (our waiter) put in that 2nd negroni I ordered, but that had me ROCKED! Shoutout to Pedro. They do not skimp on the drinks here I promise you. The Negronis had us down so bad that we ordered the Bananas Foster dessert, which turned out to be a phenomenal decision. This was my introduction to a Bananas Foster. I didn't know until then, that I had been waiting my whole life for a Bananas Foster.I went to the restroom at one point, really just to get some pics for y'all but one of the staff members stopped me and said "Sorry we don't allow pictures in here." Her tone was so genuinely kind that I felt bad and was like wow I'm so sorry and she was all "don't worry, how would you have known?" paired with a diffusing smile ... That's so fair. What a nice way to say that. It also made me realize that I can be impacted/manipulated by someone's tone and facial expressions so easily ahahaha. I love meeting a great communicator...All in all, I love this place. If I could go back in time, I think the only thing I would change would be to change my birthday dinner from Peter Luger to here. Oh and I would want one more crack at that game winner in my NYC Basketball Men's League Game.........IG @jnov_TIktok @jnov__

Service was impeccable. Everybody was very nice and attentive. Food was just okay for the price. Nothing was really shareable or outstanding. We got the kale salad, mushroom risotto, cavatelli, and cheese burger. Fries were good and like they have a nonalcoholic beer option. No chocolate dessert except cookies. Wouldn't go again.

Great food, atmosphere, wine, and spirits. I love this place! Perfect for an intimate dinner or a small dinner party.

The W Inn has been an icon of "charm" for ages on a picturesque, quiet west village street. In recent years it's been top tier in terms of price points. As such, you expect near perfection. At our brunch the crabcake was alarmingly small, the eggs benedict on "toast" you could barely cut (mentioned in another yelp review), and the french toast (2 pieces) seemed like plain brioche with no egg involvement. Worst of all, the 12 dollar side of "slab" bacon was THIN and crumbly. It was cheap diner quality with one piece almost burnt to ash and the others 80% fat. For me, bacon is an occasional indulgence....at the W Inn I had high hopes for the "slab" bacon - but what came out of the kitchen was almost an insult. Just a side order but still a major buzz kill. PS - our server was friendly enough.

The setting here is beautiful, as you are tucked in a small West Village street that feels like its own. The outdoor setting is beautiful and makes for great people watching. This place is quite pricey I'd say, but I'm not too shocked given it's vibe. The starter bread is probably the highlight of the meal; it's the fluffiest biscuit imaginable, that you can douse in as much butter as your heart is feeling! Go for this. I got a beet salad, which aesthetically is a 12/10. Look how pretty it looks! It's taste is also quite solid, as the whipped ricotta drizzle + citrus are nice additions, but it is ~$25 so maybe not worth the price. Also got some mashed potatoes and shishito peppers which were solid but nothing to write home about. Would come back again though because this place is so cute.

Such a charming establishment. But it is just superficial. The management, including Fritz Z, Anthony B. and their assistant Kara were unprofessional to the point of rude. I am sure they are making some a pretty penny now but the way they manage their affairs, I wouldn't count this management lasting very long.