The Finch

It’s tres cool in here. I like the way the bar is on the same level as the table seating. The portions are small but tasty and the chefs are aesthetic experts in spacial relationships of food presentation. I don’t need to leave a restaurant stuffed so the portion size is ok with me. However, the waitstaff’s sophistication is nowhere near that of the food. Types of fish, preparation and general questions were answered with the type of condescension that a teenager would display. The only thing missing was the eye roll. In addition, we paid via CC and I always tip in cash. I held it out and he snatched it from my hand a little too quickly, kind of like that same teenager getting his weekly allowance.

The food was thoughtful and delicious. The staff — from the waiter to the hostess to the gentlemen in the kitchen (we were sat in the back kitchen table) were all genuinely friendly and on point w/​service. We were celebrating a special night (which the staff was aware of) and couldn’t have asked for a better meal/​service. Will definitely return! Thanks, Finch!

This was recommended by a friend who wanted to try it based on it’s Michelin rating. Guess he wanted to try their winning dish. However there is no one winning dish apparently.
I liked the interior of the restaurant, Did not feel stuffed like you were in other people’s conversation. They have an open kitchen so that’s always entertaining to watch.
Highlights for me were the starter items–
–Chicken Liver Mousse with Pickled Cauliflower
–Toast and Charcuterie
–The Bergamonster cocktail
I wanted the Pork Shoulder dish but they did not have (or ran out) of Pork Shoulder so they were able to make similar using Roasted Chicken.
— The greens that came with my dish were very salty. Chicken was meh.
My ordered the Squid Ink Dish.
— They can do to include a little more seafood in the dish.
–What they served looked NOTHING like I’ve seen in review images that portrayed a nice seafood accompaniment. Don’t be fooled. It was more pasta and a few clams buried within.
Maybe they also ran out seafood that night.
Nothing about the main dishes made either of us go «Woweee, we are eating good today!»
End of the day, I don’t think it was money well spent.
I met up with another friend after, we went nearby restaurant (because she hadn’t eaten dinner yet). Surprised to say, I ended up eating a huge duck sandwich and a salad.
Made me wonder what the heck I just spent $$$ at the Finch?

My husband and I came here for the first time recently and fell in love! Such incredible, delicious food, exceptional service, and an all around good vibe. It’s wonderful to be able to enjoy the quality of food they serve without the pretentiousness that a lot of other restaurants of this caliber have. Thank you again for a lovely evening!

This place is a gem. I’m grateful to be in the neighborhood but I would travel out of my way to come here. The food, all seasonal all SO fresh, is expertly handled, cooked & plated. I loved the kale salad with ricotta and pistachio, the bass and mussels (literally melted in my mouth), the butter they make in house. It’s rare to find a restaurant that takes pride in the QUALITY of their food without any air of arrogance. You can tell they love food AND where it comes from and want to bring you the best and I felt welcome and truly enjoyed my meal. I recommend 100%. Also, service was phenomenal. Def check them out.

The food was a little creative but there wasn’t much that was particularly interesting or exceptional in taste. The desserts were better than the savory courses. Service was pretty good though.
Food:
Japanese yams — good
Tongue lamb — good
Chicken liver mousse — ok; the sweet and sourness overpowered the blandness of the mousse which could’ve used a little more flavor; reminded me of pickled onions on buttered bread
Cauliflower custard — pretty good
Steak with spinach and mushrooms — favorite savory dish but steak was just ok
Sour cherry shortbread — very good
Lemon custard — good

After found out the finch got a star from Michelin and it’s in our neighborhood, my husband and I decided to have our wedding anniversary dinner here.
The restaurant staff reached out several times to confirm our reservation. It was still packed at 9pm Sunday. The food that we ordered were Berkshire pork and squid ink pasta. The pork wasn’t juicy as I expected but the croquette was delicious. Fresh basil made the pasta flavorful but overall, the food was mediocre.
When we just ordered chocolate cake and a glass of scotch for dessert, the bartender came out of nowhere and yelled that he saw me looking at him. I said no, We were looking for a scotch bottle that we just ordered and he said «yeah that’s better» with a very rude tone. That simply ruined the night and we’ll never go back to here. Very disappointing experience.

With a Michelin star, The Finch is the overachiever of the neighborhood. So happy to have this place around the corner. Cute little date spot, great décor, food is creative, beautifully presented and delicious. Service is top of the line, chef is great, the desserts are amazing.

I was wondering what to do for dinner one evening and decided to visit The Finch. I’d heard about it as a friend works there, but had never been. I arrived for an early dinner and was able to have my pick of seats. That was fortunate, as I was able to visit with my friend Tony at the beautiful marble bar in the back.
The restaurant itself is one spot but two spaces, the front being very clean and chic, the back paying homage to the original space itself. Very well done.
Tony introduced me to his boss, owner and chef Gabe McMackin. Gabe was not only a very nice guy, but his passion for food and cooking became quickly evident. He uses only the best of everything and obviously is always on the lookout for something new. I knew I was in for a treat, I was right.
The entire meal was just absolutely amazing. I truly can not say enough. From appetizer to desert I think my eyes were rolling backwards in their sockets.
One other thing I truly enjoyed, the kitchen is completely open. I was able to watch the crew at work.
I will be back, many times and I thank everyone at The Finch for a wonderful evening.

Literally just popped in for 20 minutes to get a drink but I loved this place. It’s sort of upscale without being obnoxiously so. There’s an awesome brightly lit bar with plenty of seating in the front and some darker space in the back for a cozy dinner. The service was great, their wine menu is extensive and delicious (Pinot Blanc was out of this world). Can’t wait to pop back in!

Everything was great! The arctic char & pork were both awesome entrees, and we had the butternut squash and beats/​burrata small plates as well. Food was delicious, as were the cocktails (I don’t remember what it’s called, but one has gin & house-​made absinthe and it’s great!)
The waitstaff was super attentive and made sure we came away from the wine list with something we both loved. The space is so nice, too! We came at 7:30 on a Thursday and the place was surprisingly empty, so I’d recommend coming for weeknight dinner if you’re not looking to wait.
The full experience was a little pricey, but you could definitely have a tasty dinner here on a budget. Will definitely be back!

Our server and the Arctic Char ($ 26) made this meal good for me. Our server was attentive and welcoming. The arctic char was delicious, melt-​in-​your-​mouth goodness. The way they fried the skin was also very beautiful and adds a nice texture to the dish. The way the arctic char was cooked, presented, and tasted was one of the best I’ve ever had. Don’t skip this dish!
The hostess seemed disorganized when we got there and we were seated at the table next to the hostess stand. I think the inner dining room tables would have been better.
The tongue ($ 15) was good but a tad too spicy side for me. The beets and burrata ($ 20) was just ok and the quality was not worth the price. The burrata was hard and didn’t have the creaminess that I expected.
The squid ink tagliatelle ($ 28) had shrimp that were tiny and the quality was pretty terrible. The pasta itself was good though. The beef flat iron ($ 32) was chewy. The potatoes were probably the best part of the dish.

Ambiance is great but not necessarily special. I mean, Choyster’s right next door has nice ambiance. What I am saying is, A lot of places in Brooklyn have nice ambiance. This does too. Four stars for ambiance.
The staff are totally nice. Truly. Young. Helpful. Warm. Thumbs up. Four stars for the staff.
The wine list is overpriced. Most bottles are cresting over the double the bottle at retail or double plus a little more rule. I wish there were more interesting wines. More natural wines. It’s a small and boring assemblage. Two or three stars for the wine list.
The food. The food isn’t great. It’s like it wants to be fancy and expensive and important and monumental, but it wants those things without being fully thought through or incredibly delicious or undeniably interesting. We enjoyed the ambiance and the easy ability to hang out and talk so much our table said, we’d love to come back and hang out here, what would we eat? And no one could think of a dish they wound order again.
Each dish had a component that was off. The standout was a simple kale salad with pistachios. A cauliflower dish was odd, it was sitting on a bed of warm gelatinous cream. A bread dish with butter and honey seemed remarkably unremarkable, like something that should have been provided to the table for free. Beef tartar was good, although sad to see the same radishes cut the same way from the bread plate pop up again. A lemon custard dessert was straight up gross. The candied fruit on top absolutely didn’t work with the lemon custard. Also way too small. This isn’t Eleven Madison Park. Serve normal portions. Or hire the pastry chef from Eleven Madison Park.
Portion sizes all around are small — which would be fine if we were experiencing true fine dining but we’re not. We’re in Clinton Hill, this food isn’t better or more satisfying than many other places within 10
Blocks, so you’ve not earned the right to serve me a pasta dish where I can count the individual pieces of pasta.
I have to be honest, I find this Michelin star a little crazy, but I often am perplexed by the one star places.
The short of it is, lovely ambiance, attentive staff, overpriced overconfident food that’s trying way too hard and not succeeding.

We had been to Finch in May 2015 and we went again for New Year’s Eve this year. We did the tasting menu.
The food was fantastic and creative. In my opinion the Finch definitely deserves the Michelin star. The service was also great. Just an awesome Brooklyn spot serving innovative and delicious cuisine.

Yeah I understood Finch just earned its first Michelin star and there should be more applauds than criticisms; however I felt like it still has some misses that precludes me from rating it high.
My main dishes were actually served cold when they were brought to the table — I really hope I could enjoy my Arctic char in a warmer temperature. Probably our waiter just forgot to bring our dish to the table once it was just finished… Apart from that, Finch had an extremely small desert menu, with only three options plus the cheese platter choice. Not surprisingly, I did not order anything from there.
If there’s one thing I enjoyed a lot, it would be the basil lemonade drink. Standing in between sweet and sour, the lemonade indeed provided me a refreshing feeling!

We came in with my 2 for 1 wine booklet only expecting to drink, but had to try something after checking out the menu.
The small print said it was only for wines below $ 12 so we had limited options, but our server was awesome and offered to let us try all of them and see what we liked best. Despite us obviously spending less money than our fellow dining patrons, I liked that this guy took the time to go above and beyond. I was able to get a wine that was exactly what I was looking for and my husband was equally impressed.
We ended up getting the butternut squash carpaccio and steak tartar — both incredible. The tartar did not come with any bread/​crackers, but when we asked for them it was promptly brought with a smile. The portions were a bit tiny, but it’s nice to leave a restaurant satisfied instead of overstuffed so it ended up being perfect.
The décor is beautiful and despite the open kitchen in the middle, it wasn’t too loud so you could enjoy a conversation. Definitely going back!

From start to finish, The Finch was impeccable.
We were greeted by a friendly hostess who took us to a quiet table in the backroom. The chef said hello to us as we passed the open kitchen. Our waiter was attentive and friendly.
We got two appetizers: the bread with homemade butter & honey, and the beet & burrata salad. Both were delish. For mains I got the beef in salsa verde with potatoes and spigarello, my fiancée got the pork with polenta. We both cleaned our plates. Also had an awesome reasonably priced bottle of wine.
The entire experience was wonderful. For a fancy date night out, I’d highly recommend The Finch!

I love when new places surprise me with how great they are. This place is a gem. Their chefs table is really comfortable as well, perfect nooks
Try everything. We liked the eikhorn and we liked the lamb tongue salad.

In a neighborhood where you least expect it — exists this gem of a restaurant.
What’s so special about this place is not the meat — but the vegetables. The chef coddles and turns them into something magnificent.
As a meat eater, i was blown away by the veggies. When my date ordered a kale salad, I thought of it as just another item — but it turned out being the star of the evening. I have never in my life had a transformative kale salad — and then enter The Finch. Bravo.

The Finch is kind of like your own kitchen, only it’s cooler. Passed the bar and the open kitchen, is the back dining room where you are transported to somewhere else. It’s just as cool, just not as clean with exposed brick and an unfinished feeling. It’s intimate back here too, but it feels airy and open, almost outdoors.
It’s apparent each dish on the streamlined menu is created, tested and perfected. Ingredients seem a little haphazard and unconnected at first, but somehow it all works out.
Our appetizer was split in two and its arrangement was artful. The roasted beets were sweet while the toasted traviso was bitter and smoky, cooled by creamy salted burrata. A savory brittle made with pine nuts crunches equalizes the other elements.
The pork two ways entrée was whimsical. A crunchy pork croquette rested on a bed of soft cabbage and sunchokes and pink centered slices of pork sat in a smooth apple purée. There was just enough fat and brightness for a balanced dish.
The scallop entrée was a sexy surf and turf. The soft scallops countered the meaty snails. There was heat and wonder in the slender mushrooms and kernels of Einkorn and mysterious green things. The dish was delicate and hardy at the same time.
Each bite and memory is meticulously constructed, precise and crafted, but also delectable and indulgent. Unfortunately, the portions were smallish and the prices were not, but the staff was lovely and the manager was knowledgeable. I would love to go back for another special meal.