The Vanderbilt

Food is decent but terrible service. I’ve been here a few times in the past 2 – 3 years and had good experiences (good food, good service) up until recently. A few weeks ago I came here with a friend for a drink. The bartender came over to get our order and about 10 minutes later we still didn’t have any drinks. We were sitting at the bar and knew that she wasn’t busy with any other patrons so after trying to make eye contact with her a few times she finally came back over and said to us, «I’m so sorry but did you guys already order drinks?» Again, there were only a handful of other people in the place and we were sitting at the bar (which had 2 bartenders) so it wasn’t that she was very busy and it slipped her mind, she just wasn’t very on top of it. After that it didn’t improve much– took awhile to get her attention for refills, bring the check, etc.
I was in the neighborhood again recently and decided to give it another try but this time for dinner. We were seated right away but were not given a drink menu. About 5 minutes after being seated we asked for one and were told that they were «looking for one.» Once they found a menu and we were able to order, it took about 15 minutes for our drinks to come. At this time we ordered an appetizer of fries and the roast chicken for our main course. The food took about 50 minutes to come out and that was only after we had to ask after it. We had other plans that evening and weren’t able to waste extra time waiting around so we ended up having to ask for the food to go with the check (we were charged full price for everything and while I will say that the food here is decent, it is definitely overpriced for what it is).
Throughout all of this the restaurant was busy but wasn’t packed. In general there seemed to be little organization or communication. We had at least 4 people «serving» us yet it still took much longer than it should have to get our drinks and our food. I won’t be returning after the past few experiences here which is a shame because it was once such a great neighborhood spot! Very disappointed.

Went here for dinner for the second time the other day… the food was good, the service was HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE!!! My wife, a friend, and I sat down at one of the tables… about 30 minutes goes by without a single waiter coming by to take a food or drink order. Finally, someone come to tell us the specials… 10 more minutes go by and my friend asks if she can get a suggestion as to what to get to drink. The waitress was not at all familiar with the drink offerings and went to go ask the bar… Not a big deal, we order some drinks (2 drinks) and our food.
20 minutes goes by and the waitress comes with one of the drinks… we ask about the other drink when it doesn’t come for 10 minutes. The waitress comes by with a look on her face, no «sorry,» no eye contact, she just places the drink on the table.
And then we wait… 45 minutes with no appetizers or entrees. They say they had a large party in the back. Ok fine, but someone should apologize for it and at least reassure us the the food is coming.
45 minutes later and we finally get an order of shishito peppers and ceviche. Two items that SHOULD NOT take that long to prepare. We ask for some plates and instead I get some kind of ash tray and the others get a piece of wood. «Sorry no plates, we ran out.»
Then our entrees come… The waitress simply places an entrée on the table… not in front of any one person… but on a table next to us and leaves it there… She didn’t even clear the appetizer plates. Then she goes ahead and clears the appetizer plates while we were still eating from them and places my wife’s entrée in the middle of the table. «Excuse me, I think that is hers» I say as i point to my wife. I see an eye roll and the waitress proceeds to place the entrée in front of my wife.
The night just continued with this horrible service. We see the waitress talking it up with some of her friends… Unfortunately, one of our entrees was severely under-​seasoned. We tell one of the busboys this since our waitress has not been seen for the past who knows how long… he says «it’s poached, there is no way to season it»… he clearly has not gone to culinary school — kind of a rude answer…
We arrived at 7:30 and finished eating at 9:45… We were trying to finish within an hour and a half…
Don’t go here if you want service, again, the food was pretty good but the staff is awful.

Had the opportunity to come to the Vanderbilt for a special dinner on a friday night. One of the most favorable appetizer that was served was the beef jerky. It was very soy sauce-​y like beef jerky and was not stiff at all. I went back for seconds and thirds. it was definitely a hit rather than a miss. I keeping thinking about the beef jerky after so many hours.
Overall, great ambiance and food was delicious.

The Vanderbilt is my jam. The playlist was perfect. Really its 4 stars just for the playlist alone. Anyway, the staff was very friendly and I really appreciated that. Any issues were resolved and they worked to make sure we were happy. We hated our meals and they offered to replace them and gave us complimentary drinks to make it right. Can’t beat that! The duck wings were pretty great. Also really enjoyed the brussel sprouts. Bread was kind of boring and of course we ended up hating the shrimp tacos — I don’t know what happened there, but the décor, playlist, cocktails and most of all the service were all good enough to make me return.

We walked in at around noon, the place was pretty empty.
I wanted frittata but the waitress said they were «not available» and she had forgotten to mention it. How could you have frittata on the brunch menu then tell your customer that they were not ready… so I ordered an omelette instead, my BF ordered hash with poached eggs waited 40 minutes for a GREASY NASTY omelette with a side order of bacon (1 stripe of bacon cut into 2 pieces) and he got hard boiled poached eggs and dried out hollandaise sauce on a mediocre corned beef ash. On top the bad food the service was also terrible. The waitress was a clueless kid with attitude. To be avoided!

Initially we were disappointed because THEY NO LONGER HAVE THE SAUSAGE BISCUIT! :-(Very sad considering that was a long time favorite dish of mine.
We decided to stay and try something new. I ordered the corned beef hash which was OK but a bit too tart for my liking. The portion size was good though and I left feeling satisfied. My wife ordered the French toast and it was some of the best French toast we’d ever had! (And she’s picky when it comes to French toast!) Crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. Light whipped cream and syrup provided just enough sweetness without being too overbearing.
The service was PHENOMENAL. Our waiter Steven (Stephen?) (shorter gentleman with the handlebar mustache) was great! Very personable and attentive. Really helped to make the experience a good one for us.

Brunch review: Came in here specifically to get the baked eggs and was disappointed to find that they were no longer on the menu. :(Huge mistake on the chef’s part.
My boyfriend ordered the crab cake biscuit under the «sandwiches» section. The biscuit was TINY. I have to say that this was the smallest portion size I’ve ever seen in my life to the point where it was insulting. It was the size of a slider. And they had the audacity to fill the rest of the plate with field greens and charge $ 15 for it.
Giving this place two stars, because my Eggs Vanderbilt was good and the service was good despite the other reviews and despite the fact that the waitress was wearing a plunging neckline at 11am and gave us an inappropriate amount cleavage to the point where it made me concerned about the sanitation of my food.

BRUNCH REVIEW
Zero stars would be better, or negatives. The service was horrendous. That word doesn’t even do it justice. There was no service. Specifically, a woman named Naomi was barking out orders at the chefs, who were yelling back because food kept running out, and the waitresses were totally caught in the middle. It was unfortunate and sad to witness.
It took 20 minutes to get water to the table. We had to ask twice. We then had to ask someone to take our order 20 minutes later. 40 minutes after we placed our initial order they came back and told my fiancé he wouldn’t get what he ordered because they were out of it. So he ordered something else. 20 minutes after that they came back to say that what I had ordered was out as well. Really? 40 minutes went by and we didn’t get our coffee, only our mimosas or bloody mary’s, and they couldn’t let us know sooner all this food wasn’t coming out? Unbelievable. As if that wasn’t enough, we said we just wanted to cancel and leave since we didn’t have ANYTHING at the table, hadn’t re-​ordered anything, and Naomi starts bringing over food that is suddenly ready for two of our friends. But the other two of us hadn’t even been given a menu to order something else! (And we asked, trust me, we were hungry!)
Our waitress said she’d bring us the check and not to worry about the food (other people got theirs nice and early because of our cancelling it) but then THEY WOULDNT BRING US THE CHECK. After another 25 minutes (I kid you not, we had been sitting there with water for over an hour for nothing. Absolutely nothing.)
Not only does Naomi not have any class or idea about how to work with human beings, but she tried to make us pay for the coffee we never received (it seemed she somehow ran the show, which is unfortunate because that place will go under if she stays). And she tried to make us pay for the food that we did not get, which was never going to be an option. We paid (full price) for the drinks and left to get breakfast sandwiches down the street.
NAOMI SHOULD BE FIRED. If the Vanderbilt knows what’s good for them, ditch her.
Worst service I’ve ever had in my life, shocking that it was in Brooklyn. Sad. I will never go back and try and convince others to do the same. Peace out Vanderbilt. I won’t miss you one bit.

First of all 5 for the way the place was set up .
0 for everything else the service was sub-​par it took literally 2 hours for me and my wife Food to come. We ordered French toast and bacon and it took 2 hours drops Mic will never go back.

Just came back from honestly the oddest experience here.
My sister and her BF had a GuiltCity for this place that came with a bottle of prosecco. If it hadn’t been for that this whole excursion would have been a serious waste. The staff didn’t even know they had a guilt city and didn’t know what it was or what was included.
Two tables next to us just LEFT because they hadn’t gotten their food and it hasn’t even been put in yet. It took us over an hour to get our food and when it came out it was one plate at a time with at least ten minutes in between so that by the time I got my food my sister and her boyfriend had already finished theirs.
The sides are SO small. The side of bacon is just one piece of bacon cut in half. My sisters got the crab cake. The biscuit was burnt and the eggs were RAW.
The staff was completely unapologetic about the wait time or the incompetence. I ordered a French toast, which I then saw ran to every table except mine because the waiters couldn’t figure out who it belonged to and then they just threw it out.
The strangest part was how the chefs were working in an open kitchen and we’re just screaming at each other and at the waitstaff! It was like a Hell’s Kitchen situation. I will NOT be going back. The food was not good and the service terrible! They bussed us out so quickly yet we waited forever to get our food! Also did not get, nor as I offered, the coffe/​tea that came with my meal.
Such a disappointment for a Sunday brunch. AVOID THIS PLACE.

Awful service. Waited an hour for food after asking twice how long it would take. Finally we were told our food was coming, only to find out they had no idea where our order was. A burger and fries don’t take an hour to cook.

That awkward moment when you really enjoy everything about an establishment and you forget to take enough pictures to post on Unilocal.That happened but I am still feel it is my duty to share my wonderful experience with you Unilocalers.
It was a Saturday and my friend had this awesome 2 for 1 coupon book for BK and The Vanderbilt was nearby. We sat at the bar we were greeted by the lovely spirit Leah. We inquired about the limitations of the drink menu in terms of the coupon. She insisted that we try her drink of the day which I was unsure of because:
1. I knew nothing about it
2. It said it had almonds in it. Not a fan of nuts
My gut feel said «Trust Leah, Trust Leah». My friend and I said «Let’s go for it». The drink was smooth and full of flavor and exceeded my expectations by much. Leah provided us with fun and light-​hearted convo during our time there. She has the perfect personality for bar-​tending and made our time there memorable and half way through our time there we knew we would be back soon.
While there we also ordered the beignets to snack on and Leah even put me onto a new cider while.
Thank you Vanderbilt and thank you Leah for an awesome Saturday experience. I will be back to dine for dinner!

Although I’ve popped in for a drink once before, yesterday really revealed how enjoyable an experience here can be. My friend and I sat at the bar. The purpose of my visit was to use my 2 for 1 cocktail coupon. Leah, the stellar bartender, made us the Lord of the Fizz which was her personal concoction. I was skeptical at first because I’m not usually a fan of fizzy or drinks with nuts but this was a pleasant surprise. It was a really smooth drink!!! All of the cocktails here are very creative and they can change so if you’re looking for actual cocktails and not well liquor with a mixer, here is your place! I also had the Hairy Eyeball IPA which was a winner. As I type this, I’m tempted to pay them another visit today.
All in all, I love this place. I had beignets and booze and the bartender was amazing!!! Make your way here and have Leah mix you up something nice.

A lackluster restaurant, where we were served a cheese plate with moldy grapes, and still charged for it. Even without the disgusting spoiled food, the cheese plate was made of low quality cheese and unappealing pseudo «toasts.» The rest of the food was overpriced. You’ll be tempted to come here for the happy hour, but the horrible experience will overshadow it.

Horrible horrible service. The worst I have experienced in Brooklyn by far. Our waiter was new (I am assuming) and forgot most of what we ordered, didn’t bring back drink orders, never checked on us after the initial greeting, and set a tray of drinks in front of my fiancé to hand out himself. I honestly think the guy had never been trained and had never waited on tables before. I can respect the fact that he was trying a new gig but he was clearly not ready for tables for a busy brunch on a Saturday. Also, no one in the place thought to help this guy out (who had many tables). We literally had to pull the manager over to put our order in.
After 1.5 hours our food finally came. The only redeeming thing was that the food was pretty good. The manager saw us eyeing our bill before paying and came by to say she wanted to take care of one round of drinks for us because of the long wait for EVERYTHING. Which was nice except she took $ 10 off (not even equivalent to one drink). Confused as hell and ready to just leave, we paid and took off.
The food is decent but the experience was so unpleasant we will not be back. Too many other choices in Brooklyn to have to pay for service like this.

Pretty terrible service, to be honest. We had a reservation for five for Sunday brunch, and a full hour went by between the first of our party arriving and our orders for food being taken. The serving staff basically ignored us. My friend ordered a side of sausage that arrived burnt to a crisp and inedible, and my smoked trout Caesar salad wasn’t great (bones in the trout and the salad itself was just chunks of lettuce stalks soaked in too much super-​salty dressing). In fairness, I tried a little bit of both the French toast and bangers and mash and they were both pretty good.
The quality of the service really put me off. Don’t think I’ll be coming back to this one.

Went for Sunday brunch and loved the prix fixe! $ 23 for a beignet, an entrée (choose from four entrees), a side (also choose from one of four), a cocktail and a tea or coffee.
I had the corned beef hash. It was tasty, served as a large piece of beef and some broken up hash browns with onions and two poached eggs on the side. I had the side of bacon, which the server forgot to bring and when it came out it was cold. It would have been a great side had it come out hot and a little crispier.
The cocktail and coffee were fantastic. Beignet was ok but should have come out last as a dessert and not first as an appetizer.
Pretty terrible service. We sat for ten minutes before asking the hostess to have our server come by. Server didn’t check on us after the food arrived and forgot to bring our sides.
It’s too bad the service was so bad because I would have liked to return as the food and drinks were pretty good.

There’s a reason every restaurant within three blocks is packed on a Friday night and this place is basically empty. The wait staff ignores you and has little interest in making sure you’re happy.
The food is decent but nothing spectacular and it’s hardly a great value. There are far better options nearby, even if you have to wait a bit for a table.

Stars are for bacon and pimms cup only.
Stopped on for a quick bite between looking at apartments. Stood by the hostess stand for 5 mins. Waiter told me don’t worry she will be here. After a while I just said ok I’ll sit at the bar. Note throughout the entire meal I never saw anyone at the host stand (this is during prime brunch time on Sunday around 1:15 — 1:30pm).
Bartender was really flustered. I think he needed help. I will say that the quality of the drink he made me was superb. He knows what he’s doing
Ordered the breakfast plate. Hated the sausage– was a bit dry and weird flavor. Bacon was juicy and cooked perfectly. Eggs were a bit cold. Biscuit tasted like it was from the can and no butter or jam came with. Overall a mediocre meal. There are other better places in the neighborhood. Also they don’t fill their pepper grinders. Used 3 to get the minuscule amount you see in the picture.

I don’t care if you don’t like football, you should go eat some $ 1 duck wings at the Vanderbilt. This Monday Night Football deal is among the best in Brooklyn, and is just one of the reasons I wish I lived close by.
Here are three more:
1. The cocktails are good. There’s a stellar menu (not to mention one on special every day) and they know their way around a classic as well. They took the Beekeeper’s Daughter (one of my favorites) off the menu, but I bet the folks behind the bar could still do it up.
2. The food is good. I’m not talking good for a bar, just good. In fact, some items are downright exceptional. Like the duck wings.
3. The happy hour is first-​rate, especially if you want to eat. From 5 – 7 pm (M-​F) it’s $ 2 off a rotating and well-​curated selection of brews, and nearly all of their best bar snacks are only $ 4. This includes the jerky, the brussels sprouts, the cottage fries… all worth stuffing into your face. Not to mention, the burger is discounted, as are the Brooklyn Bangers sausages.
Can you ask for anything else in a bar?