Wolfert’s Roost

My friend and I had early evening dinner reservations for last night. We were seated promptly. It’s BYOB, which is no problem as we made sure to have a bottle with us. They have no corkage fee, and that’s a plus. The menu isn’t very extensive, but we were alerted by someone who had already dined there that we should order the half rack of baby back ribs, which we both did. The ribs were juicy, just sweet enough, and very tender. The mac and cheese we split was good, if not great. The shells they used were pleasingly al dente. And if I were just reviewing the food, I would be inclined to give them four stars. The problem was with the service.
Our waiter rushed us through the entire meal, and I should note that there were plenty of empty tables during our entire stay. We were asked for our order even before we had a chance to peruse the menu. We knew what we wanted, but the waiter didn’t know that. Besides, I would have liked to have seen what else was available for future trips. The food arrived literally within three minutes of ordering it. Okay, that’s certainly better than a long wait. As we were finishing the last of the meal and still had a good quarter of a bottle of wine left, two dessert menus appeared. One minute later, our waiter asked us if wanted to order dessert. We pleasantly asked for a little time to finish our wine and digest (certainly not an unreasonable request). He never did return to take our order. Instead, he showed up twenty minutes later with the bill in hand. My friend and I looked at each other. We were going to order coffee and split one of the desserts, but I felt distinctly unwelcome, even as many tables sat empty.
I think this restaurant has promise. It’s a small place with spare yet charming décor, and if the food we had was any indication, they have a talented chef. It’s time to either train their staff properly or consider hiring someone who understands the cadence of a meal. This is not a greasy spoon. I expect better and I didn’t get it.

Good but won’t be coming back after a poor experience. I have come here a few times before and the food was always pretty good. The fried chicken could use a little more flavor and the musthroom toast is always great though the egg could have been a little less cooked. That said, I have a very trying and difficult experience on my last visit. First, do NOT come here during an extreme weather. Their insulation is terrible. It was the most freezing night and it was so cold that our party of six had to wear jackets the whole time. At that point, they should have just closed the restaurant and called everyone so we could have made res elsewhere. It was irresponsible by the management. Also, our waitress this time was too flippant. When we asked her for more bread and said we would pay extra cost, she said they don’t have any save for the two pieces you get with your appetizer. It was ridiculous. She said the kitchen was too small to hold more bread. I mean how much space does a loaf of bread take up. Also, the Phở which I had enjoyed before, was way off that night and tasted like vinegar and the short ribs were just lack luster. Just a poor experience that I wouldn’t want to repeat again.

Came here a few weeks ago for sort of a moving away dinner for a friend heading to Cali. We had a lot of trouble making a day of reservation but eventually was able to get in contact with someone who was kind enough to reserve us a table eventhough the restaurant was pretty much full at that time.
We were pleased to hear that Wolfert Roost is BYOB… always a plus. My friends and I picked up a couple of top shelf bottles of cognac, scotch and some wine. When we asked for ice, they brought out what looked almost like shaved ice. I never had a henny Privlidge snow cone before but it turned out to be almost as enjoyable as it was bizarre.
Now for the food. We started with the meatball and duck confit dumplings. The meatball was out of this world good… really impressed. The duck dumplings were eh ok. We found it tough to share since it was basically a soup and one dude somehow ended up with broth all over his sweater. For the entrees, we had a couple of Dope Effen Steaks. These looks incredible and I can tell the meat was top quality but the flavor just wasn’t there. On a scale of 1 – 10 …10 being an amazing steakhouse steak, I’d give this one a generous 7… good but not wow. The sides were decent. We got the Brussel sprouts and duck fat potatoes which were both pretty good. The signature blooming broccoli was ok but not nearly as good as it is hyped up to be by other Unilocalers. We had to try the fried chicken because of some claims as it being the best in Westchester. I have to say that I’ve never had fried chicken like this before. It was very different in a good way. Apparently it is marinated in sweet tea which I agree is odd but it works. It’s definitely on par with some of the best fried chicken out there. Unfortunetly, one of the guys in our group got a piece that was pink and most definitely undercooked. He mentioned it to the waitress who’s only response was, «what would you like me to do about that?» He didnt want to make an issue of it so just asked for a clean plate. She brought him one but didnt offer to comp anything or even apologize for huge restaurant faux pas. Ah well, chicken was amazing. One guy’s piece may have been raw but better him than me right? 4 stars for a unique dining experience that is BYOB

Walked in for dinner at 730 on a Saturday night. The waitress was very nice and was able to get us a table without much wait time (sounds like a reservation is a good idea on a Saturday night though). We got a burrata appetizer which came out very quick and was very flavorful. Although we were tempted to try the 32oz steak (I think it was $ 129!) we decided to be more reasonable and went with the fried chicken, butternut squash ravioli, and duck fat potatoes. The food was amazing! We don’t usually eat fried chicken, but it came highly recommended and we were not disappointed. I absolutely recommend this place. Also, BYOB

Solid place, BYOB with no corkerage fee which is nice. The food is southern/​american/​modern.
We came with a group of 6, and were seated right away (we made a reservation). Small restaurant, probably 25 – 30 seats total, so you’ll want to call ahead.
We ordered a bunch of items:
Apps — meatball were awesome, really great flavor and tender. The biscuits they come with are excellent. They are known for their bloomin broccoli, which was good, not great. The duck confit wontons are really very good. Although they are just 3 small wontons in broth, so not really sharing sized portions.
Main Course — we got two of the «dope effing steaks» which is a 38oz dry aged tomahawk steak. While presentation-​wise, it was pretty badass, it fell flat a little bit on flavor. It definitely was a tender cut, but didn’t have a ton of flavor to it. At $ 129 each, we expected more. We also got an order of the whole fried chicken. One piece was raw, like completely pink. What irked me a little was when I told the waitress, she was quite unapologetic. Wasn’t looking for a discount or anything like that, but a simple apology for serving me raw chicken might’ve been nice. Another one of the pieces was slightly pink also. The rest of the pieces were all very good, and quite tasty. The flavor is great and excellent breading.
Probably somewhere between 3.5−4 stars overall. Ended up at about $ 75/​person for food, which isn’t bad since we got to sample lots of items and had a good amount of food per person. Being BYOB helps control the price too obviously.

Quality, cozy restaurant with big, big tastes.
BYO all the better.
An excellent find.
Ed T

Food is good but it is EXPENSIVE!!! And the portion’s teeny tiny. Not sure if fist sized fried broccoli is worth $ 12. Ravioli was well made but again price to portion is mind blowing. Eat something before you go otherwise you will come out hungry. It’s good that it’s BYOB. That helps keep the cost down. Food is good so give it a try when you want to splurge. Btw, the noise level was high until people cleared out around 9:30 when I could finally hear and talk without screaming.

Despite being casual the food is phenomenal! Thoroughly impressed with the freshness of ingredients, preparation of the fish, and flavor throughout. Don’t forget it’s BYOB (wine shop down the street).

A really great new addition to this cute river town. We loved the fish tacos, the fried broccoli (so good) and the fried chicken surprisingly not very greasy and a BYOB is even better for Westchester as it keeps the bill reasonable. We will definitely be back.

Great atmosphere, lively crowd.
FYI BYOB

Irvington’s restaurant options are all about quality, not quantity. And Wolferts Roost is at the top of the quality. Comfort food is the way to go here… they do it better than maybe anywhere I’ve had it. Here’s the highlights…
— Small and medium plates enable easy sharing
— BYOB (which is great, given it makes WR the one of the most affordable restaurant in the ‘hood)
— Wedge salad was very good and the octopus (the catch of the day special) was good but not great. But holy smokes, the bloomin broccoli and the fried chicken are off the HOOK. (In fact, the fried chicken was the best of it’s kind the significant other had ever had… and he’s a friend chicken connoisseur!)
— Plenty of great food and the bill was $ 60. Seriously.
— Make a reservation and in advance. We were able to walk in at 5:15 on a Friday but they were booked solid the rest of the eve.
There’s a 110% chance that I’ll be back here in the next few weeks and I recommend you try it ASAP, too… though don’t crowd me out!

This place is extraordinary! Came here for my birthday on a whim, I wanted to try something new and I was really in the mood for some warm comfort food. We picked up a bottle of wine and headed in!
First of all Oscar was a fantastic host! We had called in advance because we were coming rather late due to work, and he even called us back to confirm time and people to make sure they were ready for us.
We get there and the décor is whimsical and charming with a clean homey feel, were greeted like old friends and we sit down to an enticing menu loaded with unique and classy takes on classic comforts foods. We went with the signature dishes. The mussels, fried chicken, and the unbelievable ribs. My dad who’s a vegetarian ordered a small dish of some kind of mushroom ravioli.
Oscar comes up and while opening our wine chats with us about various subjects and then starts bringing us dishes that we «need to try!» My god was he right! The cauliflower was crisp with a clean ginger flavor, and the potatoes. My god. The potatoes. Cooked in duck fat they were both delicate and decadent.
The portions were large and we shared them around the table, the chicken is slightly sweet and crisp to perfection, the mussels were just the right hint of spice but not overpowered, and the ribs were honestly the best I’ve ever had. I say that as a woman who really loves ribs. They were delicious. Moist with just the right amount of heat, offset by the tangy and cool kimchee served on top. The sauce was outstanding.
My dad proclaimed the ravioli «the best he had ever had», and he’s a picky eater. He only lamented that they didn’t offer them in a large plate for vegetarians!
Not only will I be back, and dragging anyone I can find with me, but I’m STILL raving about this place!

Belated Fathers Day dinner with my dad. Amazing. We had the special shrimp cocktail, bloomin brocilli, General Jennies, half fried chicken, and a few others. We will be back and I’ll be bringing friends.
If you haven’t been, you need to go.

Not to be missed enjoy the fried chicken which is to die for all the appetizers can be shared amongst your fellow diners continue to visit for more of a great experience

I somehow only heard about this place yesterday, yet it’s already been open for seven months. It’s BYOB… but that works for me!
I took the advice of other Unilocalers and, after starting out with an interesting and tasty grilled Caesar salad that was accompanied by several shisito peepers and a mild chipotle Caesar dressing, we tried the honey dipped fried chicken and the «Koreanish» ribs. Both dishes were a generous size (we ordered the «full size» of each) and lip-​smackingly delicious! I personally could’ve eaten ten pieces of the chicken, and the ribs were fall-​off-​the-​bone tender, although a tad salty. The side of the duck fat Yukon Gold tostones were a hearty compliment to an already-​substantial table of food. Next time, I’ll go a bit lighter with the entrees, because the dessert menu looked really tempting as well.
Bravo, Irvington: You’ve finally got a solid yet unpretentious restaurant in your town! Congrats!

Super, super fried chicken. Great spinach salad. Dynamite sandwiches. Nice, low key place to eat and you can see the chef prepare the food in front of you. A really nice place. Had the snapper with veggies and potatoes which was nicely prepared and fresh. Excellent service and a real gem of a place.
Went and had the chicken again which was super but the short rib phở, though tender meat, was a bit too salty for my taste. Need more of a summer menu too, I might suggest, also add some sweet potato fries for an option other than regular potatoes.

Had been looking forward to trying Wolfert’s out for a while, but hadn’t gotten around to the area. Chef Eric Korn catered our wedding, and did such an amazing job, we could not imagine the restaurant’s food being anything less than terrific. The menu was fun, being cool twists on typical comfort foods. We started with the blooming broccoli, which was served with a cheese and a fruit compote. The flavors were so perfectly blended in each bite. I had the Korean-​ish Ribs, my husband had the General Jennie’s Admiral’s Feast, which is a general tso’s seafood dish. We were both so happy with our meals. I am not a fan of leftovers, but was so happy to have not finished my plate so that I was able to enjoy it again the next day! Our server, Oscar, was so sweet and helpful with recommendations.
The atmosphere was nice, not too many changes from the previous establishment which was a old style, soda shop-​ish cupcake shop. The décor fits with the menu, quirky and comfortable. Also, I was a big fan of the musical selections. It’s like listening to your favorite old school playlist. I think it was a great visit and looking forward to going back for more.

They clearly know what they’re doing at The Roost… the gnocchi was outstanding, the honey fried chicken was great, blah blah blah…
But let’s get down to business… the real reason I wrote this review is because whoever is in charge of the music at this place needs to be recognized. You are The Roost’s true unsung hero. Nonstop jams the entire night. Hall & Oates, Vampire Weekend, AND Beastie Boys all in the same sitting?
Game. Over.

Finally tried their food. Don’t get all the raving reviews. Their food is okay at best. Fried chicken — bland and unexciting. Korean BBQ Ribs — okay — kind of tasted a day old and reheated. Mushroom toast — awful! The best thing about the place were the duck wonton soup and thats its BYOB.