Open Door

This was a nice pub. I enjoyed their drinks. Kind of sad it’s closed.

My buddy and I discovered this restaurant serendipitously after scoring a parking spot across the street from them. After seeing that our target brunch locale had a line out the door, we saw Open Door and realized we could be seated right away without a wait.
The brunch menu was intriguing. It had the usual eggs, sausage, and fruit fare that most people look for. Much to my delight, there was a good spin the the usual. There was a duck hash which was calling my name. Their french toast is coated in coconut and crushed Captain Crunch cereal for goodness sake! The sausage patty and granola is made in-​house. Seeing that we wanted to try a little of everything, we opted for the pick 3 option for $ 15. I went for the duck hash which had a poached egg balanced on top, the coated french toast, and the artichoke scrambled eggs and sausage patty. My friend had the french toast, the granola and milk, and the potato pancake. Everything was great. There is no syrup for the french toast, and you will find that you won’t need it because that coating is sweet enough without being tooth-​achingly over-​the-​top. The duck hash had a spicy little kick to it, and the egg on top was poached perfectly. The sausage and scrambled eggs were good, too, but I wished I tried something less conventional. I didn’t get to taste my friend’s food, but he said everything was delicious. The granola with «cereal milk» was the stand-​out for him. He loved it.
Though the portions are a little on the small side, we were assured that we could always order more to add on if we were still hungry. I opted to add a $ 4 bloody mary to my brunch, and it was good. The service was great, but it did take a little while for the kitchen to get our food out, and there is nothing to nosh on while you’re waiting. Toast is a side item that costs extra. Next time, I may add a side to bulk up my meal. The prices will not break the bank. Those are the only two Con’s that I would point out before going.
Overall, I found the food to be inventive and delicious, and our waitress was great. For a leisurely brunch it hit the spot. We were really happy to discover this cute spot, and I can’t wait to brunch with them again!

The brunch here is great. It is a boozy brunch. You can drink all you want for $ 5 mimosas/​bloody marys. I love their selection for brunch. The atmosphere is that of a gastropub and at the time they played great grunge music from the 90s.

Apparently this is their version of poached eggs… We waited an hour for this. Definitely the last time we’ll be here. There’s also no more unlimited drinks deals as their site or previous Unilocalers have mentioned. Oh by the way, I’m still waiting for my meal… It’s been an hour and a half.

The place is cute!!! Aaand that’s about it…
We went for brunch & I would not recommend to anyone… perhaps dinner service is better?
The service was exceptionally slow, they ran out of at least two menu items (monte cristo & salad option), witnessed several tables with incorrect orders & plates sent back.
My fiancé got the brunch tasting & his quiche was BURNT to a crisp & the French toast is DRY! Basically just white toast with a just a coconut cap crunch dry coating.
Pretty disappointing… should have just gone to Alewife!

3.5 stars! This is my second time dining at Open Door and I remember it being better last time. There wasn’t a wait time since my friend and I went on a Monday evening – we planned to go to Salt & Fat but they were closed on Mondays merp. We were seated immediately and our waiter/​bartender (so few staff here!!) was very friendly and welcoming. We ordered the trio of tartare and taquitos to start (I forgot to request NO cilantro wah, but we were able to pick it out of the taquitos for me haha). My friend got the burger and I got the seared tuna (I know… who orders fish for both appetizers and entrée right ._​. Me apparently).
Review of the tartare: I have to say the tuna was probably the best tasting one out of the three – it had a wasabi sauce and a tangy soy sauce (maybe it was actually yuzu sauce) that gave it a nice refreshing flavor. The second favorite was the fluke (AKA flounder); it had a fishy flavor, but not in a bad way, you just knew it was. fish. lol. The third was the salmon which was served with sliced cucumbers and we were in agreement that it was the least favorite of the three. I’m not sure if it was a «cucumber» flavor or what, but it just didn’t really go well as a salmon sashimi/​cucumber combo.
Review of the taquitos: yummy!!! Whatever orange sauce they drizzled on the taquitos were bombbbb. It had a spicy kick to it which I loved, and even if there were tiny hints of cilantro that I couldn’t pick out, I could barely taste it. The meat itself was a little dry, but still flavorful so no complaints.
Review of the seared tuna: soooo salty. The teriyaki sauce is good, don’t get me wrong, but I think it was an overly generous amount that was overpowering for the dish since the tuna itself had its own flavor! The tuna was cooked well and tasty and I just wish I could’ve tasted it more rather than have the teriyaki sauce in every bite. The veggies were soaked in the sauce as well.
This is definitely a chill place to come to after work (the 7 train is literally on the corner of the block, convenient much??) for drinks or for a quick bite to eat! The food is average/​inexpensive and for the most part, the service is great (people who dine are seated in the back, and both times there was one person tending to both the bar and the people eating, so you can see where that can be hard to toggle).

We stopped by here the other day for the first time and loved the ambience. I love the rustic look, the dim lights, small tables, and the small portions. I like to try a little of everything so those sliders were perfect for me.
The food was good, but it wasn’t amazing. The service was not the best either. She only gave one of us a table setting and no one else had napkins either. She also just looked like she didn’t want to be there and it also shows all over her face. I get it, it’s nye and I’m sure they want to be out celebrating with their friends but I don’t think it’s a good enough reason to look miserable. I also work as a server and had to work on New Year’s Day but since I’m there, I might as well make the best of it.
Overall it was good but it wasn’t great. Will I go back? Sure if I’m near the area. Not somewhere I would be craving to go back to though.

On a recent Sunday, all of the following occurred during a brunch visit in no particular order:
— Being given a clipboard with no check
— waitress yelling at the bus boy in front of customers
— kitchen ringing the «it’s done!» bell twice and out food coming out luke warm
— one person’s dirty plate being taken away and leaving two other’s plates sitting on the table for 10 minutes until we left
— refilling one person’s water and no one else’s with water left in the pitcher
Come for the beer; avoid the overpriced tapas and small brunch options.

You get what you pay for. A fellow Unilocal elite friend Cathy H. & I came here for some boozy brunch on a Saturday at around 12. We loved how the restaurant wasn’t crowded and there was no wait. Plus only $ 5 extra for unlimited mimosas or bloody Mary’s.
We ordered a brunch tasting in which we chose 3 things from a list for $ 15. The food wasn’t terrible, but it wasn’t awesome either. But for $ 15 I was fine with it. I got the quiche, potato pancake and monte Christo. All tasted as expected except the monte cristo, but I liked how it had prosciutto and the bread tasted sweet.
Service wasn’t the best. We had to work hard to flag down the waiter. But whatever. We loved how there was no time limit to the unlimited drinks. I didn’t try the mimosas but the bloody Mary’s tasted legit and were not watered down.
I would come back here again for a relaxed boozy brunch. Not too far from the 7 train either

This place is ridiculous. We placed an order and 1.5 hours later when we checked on our order, the waiter says– you never got the food? (Isn’t she supposed to get our food if she’s the waiter?.. Haha speechless.)
She checked the order and came back and said «I’m sorry your order never made it to the kitchen, would you still like to order? We can prioritize your order»
Are you serious… She gave us a complimentary beverages after, but how is she going to keep us full?
So we left with no food. They need to reevaluate their employees overall and need to train them properly.

Came here for brunch
One of the worst brunch experience I had in LIC.
First off, I thought the wait was unreasonable; 40 minutes for a couple of dishes.
I had the chilaquiles which were mediocre; just average taste, I won’t be able to remember them later on.
I can also say the same for the brunch tasting. I had the eggs, duck confit (by far the best) and I the mini quiche. I had trouble remembering the three and I was there an hour ago. Everything was mediocre except the duck confit The dishes tasted like something I could have made, which is not a good sign :)
I will def not be coming back; with all the great options literally a few steps away, I wouldn’t recommend this spot to anybody

Cute 3.5 stars brunch place. Came for the $ 15 Brunch Tasting Menu (3 selections) + $ 5 bottomless mimosa/​bloody mary. If you’re not feeling a big appetite, you can just get 1 or 2 tastings for $ 5 each. This place also has a bit of a rustic feel. Service was impeccable
1) Fresh Fruits with Coconut Sorbet — This is probably my favorite. It had a mix of tropical fruits including pineapple, mango, and papaya and the coconut sorbet was delicious!
2) Captain Crunch French Toast — This dish was very interesting. I’m a huge fan of french toast and having a captain crunch crust was the cherry on top.
3) Sausage and Egg — This dish took me by surprise because by appearance, it doesn’t look appealing at all. The sausages has a bit of a spicy kick and was very interesting.
4) Monte Cristo — This dish was a little bit on the salty side. I think it was the serrano ham.
5) Duck Confit Hash — Again, a bit on the salty side, but the runny poached egg on top was cute.
6) Quiche — Honestly, couldn’t remember anything about it.
7) Unlimited mimosas are always great but definitely needs a little more booze in there.

5 dollar unlimited Bloody Mary and mimosas? SOLD!
At first I thought the bloody Mary’s were a little weak for my taste… But when I noticed I was half yelling after my first drink I quickly changed my mind. Don’t expect a fancy bloody with a celery stalk or olives… This comes with a lime slice.
The service was a little slow at first. It took about 15 – 20 minutes for the waiter to come and take our order. There were only two other tables there but one was a larger group so he gets a pass.
The speakers in the back weren’t working so the large group next to us took it upon themselves to provide music for everyone via their iPhone. It was 90’s music and after my 2^nd Bloody Mary I was having a sing a long with them. When we were leaving the music in the front was old school hip hop, too bad we couldn’t hear that in the back.
The food: they have a tasting menu, 5 dollars for each small plate plus other items like eggs Benedict, omelettes, etc. when the food came out it looked pretty underwhelming… Don’t let it fool you the food is pretty damn good. I had the French toast (captain crunch and coconut coated), the eggs/​sausage and the mushroom quiche. Boyfriend ordered duck confit, eggs Benedict (pulled pork, smoked salmon and lamb chop topped), and the potato pancake.
Only item that didn’t really please was the potato pancake. Kind of like hash browns that should have formed a pancake but were too mushy to really hold.
Oh and kids eat free during brunch hours!
Brunch ends at 4, happy hour starts at 4!

The whole tasting menu idea has now entered brunch. For $ 15, you pick three out of a number of items (French toast, sausage and eggs, Monte Cristo, granola, potato pancake, etc). Then if you’re so inclined, another $ 5 gets you unlimited mimosas and/​or Bloody Maries.
AND children get to eat free.
I was completely stuffed and pleasantly tipsy. I couldn’t finish my brunch (so my husband happily consumed half of the Monte Cristo). The sausage and eggs are delicious. I love the fennel in the sausage and it tastes hand made. The potato pancake was pretty good, but they need to dry out the potato more before they fry it. It tastes like they grated the potato and then fried it. If you so that, there’s too much moisture and it doesn’t get the proper crispness. The bread for the Monte Cristo is slightly sweet (like Hawaiian bread). I would have like the bread to be more crisp so there’s a contrast in textures. The soft bread, melted cheese, and soft prosciutto meant that it was all very mushy (tasted good, but all the same soft texture).
The short ribs and homefries looked good. I forgot to taste it because I had so much food.
For $ 20 per person with unlimited booze, this is a great place for brunch.

BRUNCH ONLY!
Saturday morning means brunch munch time, so today we decided to head over to Open Door in the center of Long Island City Queens.
Parking: I’m not sure about nights but street parking in the morning wasn’t bad. Also the 7 train is right around the corner– get off at Vernon Blvd and it’s probably a 1 min walk from there.
Décor and ambiance: Casual (leave the tux at home) and clean overall, guess they just opened as we stepped in. Once you are in, there’s a long bar along side the right hand wall, on the right side are booth seating and the whole place just have a very chillax feel to it, almost as if you can just sit there, read a book and let time fly. The spacing between tables were great so you will be able to squeeze in and not break anything. The hand painted art work all around the restaurant was pleasant to look at, I like the Yoda one that’s in the back! I especially love all the natural lighting that’s all around the bar so you are not sitting in the dark. The music was a PLUS which included a wonderful mix of good 90s music.
My friends and I got to this place at around 11:15am and the place was pretty empty cause they just opened. Since we were a party of 5, we got seated in the back room, which is very private and away from the bar area.
The brunch menu is constructed of your basic brunch food like French Toast, Chilaquiles, Omelette, Steak and Eggs, and Eggs Benedict. The more interesting part of it was their tasting brunch menu where you get to pick 3 items from a list of 9 and if you pay $ 5, you can get unlimited mimosa with it– which I thought was a great deal and a great way to sample everything.
Let’s make things easy here (since you probably rolled pass the top and is currently looking for something good to eat on the fly as you are sitting in there) —
Here are things you MUST TRY– (Sit down order this and be done)
— French Toast– This is definitely NOT your typical run of the mill French Toast, this French Toast is consisted of an ingredient from our favorite childhood Captain– Yes Cap’n Crunch. This is totally a winner– it’s by no mean innovative but just the willingness to replicate Cap’n Crunch and coconut French Toast is a winner to me. It’s what you would have expected, fluffy, eggy inner with an EXTRA crispy and crunch outer along with a super coconut-​y flavor! The entrée portion is big so make sure to share it with some friends or risk bouncing around the wall. Word of advice: Don’t pour any more syrup on top of this baby before you try it because it’s sweet just as is.
— Duck Confit Hash– Yea this is a WINNER, well anything with duck confit in it is probably a winner but when you top this baby with a perfectly poached egg, this is the winner that takes home the trophy! Split open that poached egg and watch the yolky goodness drip into the duck confit hash, take one bite and tell me I know my winners!
Things you can GIVE A SHOT– (Not out of this world good but still delicious!)
— Eggs Benedict with Cured Salmon and dill hollandaise– eggs on eggs, who can say no to that?
— Potato pancake– fried crunchy goodness!
Note: The Mimosa was not the strongest but was unlimited and refreshingly good for $ 5!
Service: Great service! the table next to us had two kids that made a mess on the table and on the floor (broke some glassware), the server didn’t say a word but just remained professional and got it all cleaned quickly. Like the fact that we didn’t need to constantly ask for refill on the Mimosa and he just bring it whenever he sees an empty glass!
Price: Great deal– The French Toast can be a bit pricy but if you share with friends, that totally justify the cost. Everything is reasonably priced! $ 15 for tasting brunch and $ 5 more for unlimited Mimosa (as of June 2015)
Overall: I never ventured too far from Eastern Queens for brunch but I think Open Door is worth another try. The environment is chill, people are friendly and the food, just delicious! Definitely a place I can see bringing family and friends to for a light/​heavy Saturday/​Sunday Brunch. The place is not too loud during brunch hours so it’s the perfect place to chat and start your day!

The Open door is really a door to Narnia of deliciousness.
When I arrive with my colleagues for lunch, we thought that they might not be open as we didn’t see any staff member. The staff member was downstairs and gladly inform us that they were open. For awhile, I thought I really was entering Narnia/​twilight zone.
We ordered the trio tartar, Mix sliders (beef, duck, pork, veggie), beet salad, lamb pops, raspberry mousse and quad leche. Sliders– The duck is the best one out of the 4. The buns was soft and have the taste/​texture of a peking duck feel to it. Second best was the beef– flavor wise is quite straight forward. I found the pork to be a smidge too salty. overall very good sliders. I highly recommend to anybody and definitely gotta try the duck. The trio tartar, all 3 were very fresh and flavorful. The beauty of the trio is the contrasting taste. I enjoyed the tuna wasabi the best. I heard the beet salad was very good. My colleague said the lamb pops were divine as it went perfectly together with the mint/​raspberry sauce. (Please be advise that the lamb pops might be smaller than other picture has allude it to be. Caution– items in picture does not provide scale of food.) She did say that it is the best lamb chop that she eaten and is a must try. We made the mistake of eating the quad leche first and then raspberry mousse (couldn’t taste the sweetness of the mousse after the leche). The quad leche was tasty. I found it to be very refreshing with the coconut.
Open Door provides a great lunch. What stood out to me was the mixture and variation of food. It’s a great opportunity to try amazing food. Come and explore thru the open door.

What a great time and the staff were phenomenal!
I planned a baby shower here in the private back room and it was perfect. The space was nice and open, with ample seating. Not once did we feel squished and there was more than enough table space for presents, an activity and a table for cake.
I confirmed everything with Gerard who was super responsive and accommodated our many needs. The waitress that handled our party was so great and super friendly. We were able to get into the space an hour before the party started and not once did we feel rushed to leave. The food was amazing, definitely come here if you’re looking for a delicious brunch for a great price.
The service was great, place itself was clean and had a fun look and feel to it already and the food was great. Not much more you could ask for. Definitely check out this place for a party, brunch or a drink!

This place be hopping on a cold Wednesday night! Or at least look like a rowdier crowd when you walk by the front and see a full bar. However, they have some quieter tables past the bar to sit down and chat.
Waiter is super nice and helpful! I just got a bottled cider and my friend got a beer.

«Everybody knows your name» at this bar where I was immediately greeted warmly by the bartender as soon as I entered.
The cocktails are OK but who cares? You didn’t come here for frou frou cocktails. You came here for a happy hour well drink for $ 5 or a beer from their encyclopedic selection.
Happy hour is 4−7pm and 12−2am. Perfect.

Stopped by Opendoor around noon a Saturday and was surprised to find that there was no wait for brunch.
The service was quick and polite. The portions, however, I found were to be a bit small for my liking. I have a hearty appetite and still found myself hungry after my meal. My BF had the eggs Benedict with salmon & dill and duck confit. I had the tasting plate with the mini quiche, a croque Monsieur, and the potato pancake. The mini quiche was a little overwhelming with bleu cheese, but tasty nonetheless. Everything was delicious but tapas sized, which I wasn’t expecting for a brunch meal.
The server, however, was very prompt! I opted for the unlimited mimosas and bloody Mary’s, and I wasn’t even done with my drink and he placed a new drink on my table. Awesome!
I would be back, but not when I’m starving. This was probably my fault for starving myself before breakfast and hoping for a bigger meal.