Barbounia

Get’s better every time!
I organized a brunch for 8 people that included friends in from out of town. Brian took care of us. He kept bottomless brunch glasses full and a smile the whole time in a noisy and busy atmosphere.
Food was delicious, it is ALWAYS delicious. We met for 2:15 brunch and we sat a little late but, to be fair, we didn’t wait that long after everyone showed up. The place is really loud but there is great energy, great food, pretty people and awesome staff — a good go-​to for brunch with guests.
Oh, and they like birthdays and make the guests feel special.

The only thing that annoyed me during the whole experience was the weekend brunette hostess. I came in ar 1pm on a Saturday with reservations for brunch.
I arrived a few minutes before my friend and told the hostess I have 1pm brunch reservations. She looks at the computer and says she cannot find the name so I pull up Open Table and show her.
She makes no apologies and tells me there is a table at 1:30pm. First of all, as an establishment, if you confirm reservations at 1pm, make sure you the table is ready. This is the reason why people make reservations. If I wanted to wait 30 min., I would have jusy walked in.
So, my friend arrives a minute later, tells her the reservation and we’re seated immediately which makes no sense.
Anyway, I guess they were trying to make up for it because the wait staff was super attentive. We ordered bottomless mimosas and they made sure our glasses were never empty. It was the same for our waters.
I ordered a merguez sausage and it’s not bad. The place is tightly packed so people were always brushing up against me to pass by which can get annoying and an older woman behind knocked over some glasses with her shopping bags.
Overall, would I return? Only if my friend asked me to.

Great beet salad — sorry, no photo, but very well balanced with fresh slices of fruit, goat cheese and a liberal portion of chunky red and gold beets. Must try.
A nice wine selection as well. Something to explore another day.
Pricing is rather high given that it was lunchtime — with a claim at the door that a huge prix fixe lunch was $ 24, while the menu offered inside was much higher and only a l carte was offered.
The venue is set up very nicely, but the music was a little overly eclectic.
Friendly staff.

Finally got around to try this place. I had it bookmarked for couple yrs so I was excited to check it out. Service and ambience are phenomenal. Food was 3.5 stars for me. We got Tuna Tartar and Lamb Kebab Terracotta. Both were decent and we loved the bread that came with lamb kebab.
I would come here again to celebrate something and try other dishes. It is on the pricey side for regular visits

Love love love! I came here on a date years ago, so when Gramercy Tavern was closed on MDW recently, I knew right where to go. The place itself is beautiful, romantic, classy and cultural. Very high ceilings, candles everywhere, beautiful curtains, sofa seats, etc. Its also a fairly large restaurant, esp by NYC standards. The first time I came here, we sat on the couch seats, which are very comfortable and make you feel like you’re sitting in VIP at a classy European bar. This time we sat at the large bar. The bartender was awesome. They had a 50 shades of pink drink as their drink of the day and he promised to make me another drink if I didn’t like it. Well, I loved it! Flavors of mango and prosecco exploded in my mouth, yum! We ordered some dips and falafel from their happy hour menu. The dips were fantastic, hummus, eggplant spread and tzatziki. The spreads came with delicious rosemary baked bread too, delicious! The falafel was tasty too. The bar was pretty empty so the bartender chatted us up a bit. He also bought us a round of cocktails, which I thought was super sweet of him. My very picky boyfriend really liked it too! Excellent Mediterranean food, we will definitely be back.

Dropped in here from the recommendation of the concierge for Sunday brunch. It turned out to be an amazing choice. There is Mediterranean music in the background. I cheated and ordered the Crab Benedict with truffle oil instead of their specialty Shahshouka egg dishes. The energy is fabulous and the restaurant is designed very well.
Highly recommended

Barbounia for me started out as a happy hour that turned into a full on dinner. I meant to go in and have a couple drinks and ended up spending the entire evening there!
The cocktail menu is just the right size — a great offering of thoughtful cocktails without being overwhelming. I wish I could remember the appies we ordered with cocktails — I don’t; but what I do remember is that they were delicious!
For dinner, we had calamari and a few other dishes and everything was so tasty! We paired that with a bottle (or two) of wine as well. The server helped us pick out a bottle without making us feel like idiots who don’t know how to order our own wine. (Sidebar: I really appreciate this. A lot of servers just pick out an expensive bottle, but I felt like they weren’t just pushing expensive wine on us.)
There are so many incredible restaurants in New York, and since I don’t live there full time, I can’t promise I’ll be back — but if I did, I would. And if you do, you should.

Came here to have a birthday brunch for my girlfriend and we did not leave disappointed. The venue is very trendy and eloquent. Customer service was great and accommodating.
We ordered the spicy feta which made us kept wanting more and more. For the entrée, I ordered the Steak & Eggs, medium rare with poached eggs and it came with fries. My girlfriend ordered the Turkish eggs which was also very tasteful and kept her full. Their $ 20 unlimited mimosas were extremely strong so if you intend on accepting this deal, you will leave incredibly drunk.
Overall the experience was pleasant and I would definitely come here again. This is now one of my top brunch spots

Barbounia is a nice happening Mediterranean spot on Park Ave. The atmosphere is good and the food is very good. I love the middle eastern flavor with Arabic music playing in the background.
Over all it was a good time good tunes good food and good company.

A great brunch option! They have a $ 20 dollar all you can drink deal that you add on to the price of your entrée. Could you find a better deal somewhere in the city? Sure. But Barbounia is very generous with their champagne if you decide to go down this route. Once you’re done eating, I suggest continuing the brunching party at the bar where they also have carafes of mimosas, bellinis, and champagne ready for you until brunch ends.
Drinks aside, the food here is delicious and make the price of the brunch worth it. The last time I went, my friends and I got different variations of their eggs benedict and shakshuka. I think we did everything but lick the plates clean. Honestly, I have yet to have someone go to Barbounia and not enjoy the food.

I was introduced to Barbounia a couple of years ago and I just love this restaurant for brunch. They have a big variety of choices ranging from Mediterranean options to sandwiches, pancakes, and eggs. My favorite dish is by far the Turkish eggs. The Green Shakshuka is a great alternative for those who are vegetarian.
A few years ago, I went for a friend’s birthday brunch and the restaurant was extremely accommodating for our group of 10 ppl. We had this amazing seating near the window in the front at a long table and all of us had chosen to do the $ 19.95 never ending champagne to accompany our meals. It made for a very fun start to the weekend.
Highly recommend this restaurant for brunch!

Part Turkish, part Greek and completely alcohol infused, brunch at Barbounia is pretty damn awesome.
I really had no clue what to expect when I heard we were coming here, I mean, yeah I basically know what a Mediterranean place is going to be like, but a Greek boozy brunch scene? It didn’t make too much sense in my mind, but sounded novel enough. The space itself was chic and airy; a very comfortable atmosphere for brunch, which would seem counter intuitive considering how many people were jammed in the day we went (the place was PACKED). We lucked out and got a table next to the freshly opened full length French doors. And seriously, who wouldn’t love to have an airy brunch in the flatiron district? There’s really nothing like NYC in the spring.
I have to say, the food is fantastic. I had a burger (which I had no intention of getting), because I saw someone else’s and it looked too good to pass up. The Turkish eggs are out of this world (so unique, and so tasty), I absolutely recommend them. Even the bread that they pass out is solid, lightly glazed in olive oil and seasoned nicely. All that said, 21 $ add-​on for an unlimited brunch coupled with a 16 $ meal puts this place on the higher side for brunch, yet the quality of food and the lax time limit absolutely make it worth it in my opinion. I mean could you go to a cheaper brunch? Certainly, but like I said the quality of the dishes at these price points were spot on (not to mention the ambiance of the restaurant); the only reservation I had was that 21 $ for mimosas/bellini’s seemed a touch on the pricey side, that was, until I realized how long we could brunch for.
Let’s contrast.
Take for example a place like Havana Alma de Cuba; the add-​on for unlimited brunch is roughly in the same neighborhood as Barbounia (slightly cheaper), but you get handmade Cuban cocktails, which are delightful. The con is that the aforementioned Cuban cocktails take time to make… and are also comparatively expensive to make. As such, you don’t necessarily get a bunch of them, and they are STRICT with their time limit. This is where Barbounia shines (if you have a drinking problem, which I ASSURE you I don’t). It takes relatively little skill to pop a bottle of champagne and mix it with juice (or so I am told), and as such they constantly refill your glass. The high price point pretty much guarantees that you can stay for quite a while* without being politely asked to leave «because you’re causing a scene sir, please lower your voice, and put your pants back on». Not that I would know anything about things like that. To summarize; high (ish) price point, fantastic food, and you can hang out for a while in their chill space without getting the boot. Win.
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*Seriously though, a place that lets you hang out after you’ve paid and continue to sip mimosas and watch the world go by is a-​OK in my book.

***BRUNCH REVIEW***
Upscale Quality Brunch! I came here with a few friends over the weekend and was very impressed. Bottomless mimosas and bellinis are an option for an additional fee.
The place itself is fancy with gorgeous lighting and high ceilings. Definitely more upscale than my typical brunch experiences. The Barbounia Burger was superb (one of the best I’ve ever had). It consisted of smoked aioli, caramelized onions, baby arugula and New York white cheddar. It was exquisite! Everyone enjoyed their meal. Don’t forget to ask for their specialty bread!
I can’t wait to return. The service was great and refills kept flowing. It’s a good place for a celebratory dinner/​brunch. Great experience.

Delicious brunch food with a very dangerous unlimited boozy brunch option. Reservations are a must! Once we arrived we were immediately seated. The boozy brunch is about $ 19 (I believe), but you have the option to continue drinking at the bar after you’ve finished your meal! Totally worth my money. Just go to the bar and present the bartender with your glass and it will be refilled until brunch ends.
The food prices range between $ 15-​$ 25 (i’m pretty sure, but double check on their website) but it is also worth every penny considering the delicious options available.
Service is quick and staff is incredibly attentive. Will say that tables are a bit crammed but not complicated to navigate through.
Want to dine here and try their cocktails! Will definitely be back for brunch or dinner :)

I have been to Barbounia many times but this was my first time for lunch. Love it all. The food, service and décor are perfect.
Today we started with the 5 samples of Greek spreads. Amazing– the best I have ever had. The house made bread is devine and the olives were delicious.
Our table had Greek salad with falafel, Greek salad with grilled shrimp and the grilled chicken sandwich with fries.
Highly recommend this lovely Greek restaurant.

I really wanted to like this place, but due to the terrible service my friends and I experienced, we won’t be coming back.
We had reservations for dinner at 8:30. When we arrived, we were told our table was not ready yet. By 8:45, we were still waiting and when I asked the hostess if our table was almost ready, she impatiently replied that they are very busy and she didn’t have time to deal with this «problem.» The manager came to speak with us but was not very helpful or apologetic either. We were finally seated about 25 – 30 minutes late.
There were quite a few goofs throughout the night. Dishes were not served to the correct people. We were offered complimentary tea with our desserts, but the order was forgotten and didn’t come until we reminded them 15 – 20 minutes later. When the tea arrived, the order was incorrect.
Barbounia gets 2 stars: 1 for pretty atmosphere and 1 for food. The lamb was succulent and filling, and the desserts (Rose Water Panna Cotta and Silan) were both very unique and delicious. But these aren’t enough for me to recommend this restaurant to anyone.

Atmosphere is just the best here. Cocktails are unique. The apps were delicious but portions were too small for my taste. If you get the mezze platter its literally three forkfuls of food thats it. The greek salad was great! We had to order 3 salad plus other apps. The warm autumn salad was perfect for this winter day with nice rich flavor. The Bronzino was cooked perfectly and simple. The gigante beans were tajine style in a sauce amazing! The warm chocolate cake was gold but still good.

Acredito que o Barbounia é um bom local para qualquer ocasião, mas para mim, o melhor momento mesmo é durante o brunch de sábado ou domingo. O brunch é open bar de mimosa, bellini e espumante, precisa dizer mais? Eu nunca sai de lá completamente sóbrea, ir ao Barbounia durante o brunch é aceitar que depois dele você não vai fazer mais nada de produtivo. A taça não fica vazia nenhum minuto, e se ficar, é só levantá-​la que logo aparece um garçom com as três opções de bebida.
É legal fazer uma reserva pois durante o brunch o local lota, e ninguém vai lá pra ir embora cedo (lê-​se: antes do fim do open bar), faça reserva para 12h00, é a hora que começa o open bar, antes desse horário eles não podem vender bebida alcóolica. Se não conseguir fazer reserva, vá cedo e fique no balcão mesmo, o serviço ali também é bom e tem espaço para comer. Lembre-​se que em NYC se você não chegar na hora da sua reserva você vai perdê-​la, e se todas as pessoas do grupo não estiverem presentes é possível que não liberem a mesa até que o grupo todo esteja presente.
Vários restaurantes em NYC oferecem «boozy brunch», mas esse do Barbounia pra mim é especial pois o valor é bem abaixo dos outros, você paga na faixa dos $ 20 e bebe a vontade das 12h às 16h, tudo que você consumir além disso é pago a mais, claro. A comida é gostosinha, o restaurante é mediterrâneo. O ambiente é muito bonito, não dá vontade de ir embora, e é muito bem localizado, próximo a Union Square. O único porém é que não tem música muito animada e alta, como em qualquer outro «boozy brunch».

With it’s Loud, bustling, social atmosphere, Barbounia’s a great place for dinner/​drinks with a group of people but not so much a one on one spot. We were a fourtop and ended up waiting about 20 min. longer even though we had a rez. And we were with a pregnant friend so it was a bit surprising they let us stand around so long past our time.
As you might imagine, the drinks are pretty pricey and the pours ain’t exactly generous. My glass arrived half full — most of it, ice.
As far as the apps go, Salmon tartar special was very good. As was the trout app. The surprising thing is for a seafood-​based place, to try and categorize medium-​sized shrimp as «Jumbo» is a bit of false advertising. Perhaps they’ve never seen the Homestead’s jumbo shrimp.
In any case, the thing to get here is the Hanger Steak. Amazing. Wine sauce. Cooked perfectly. Awesome.
Wasn’t crazy about the halibut. A bit over-​cooked and dry.
Overall, a great time if you like a scene. Just a bit on the pricey side. With a few drinks can easily top $ 100/​pp.

Came for bottomless brunch and had a great time. As some others have pointed out the food isn’t *amazing* but it’s good enough. I certainly wouldn’t come out of my way to come here if it wasn’t for the bottomless element.
The service was friendly and efficient, they kept the glasses full and the drinks were tasty. The food portion did feel a bit rushed, I guess they’re trying to clear the tables quickly. But we didn’t mind because you can stay in the bar until 4pm and we were the first ones round there so plenty of places to sit. There aren’t a huge amount of seats in the bar but if you go around midday to eat you should be ok. We went at 11.45 on a Sunday so had to wait until midday to be served but that was fine.
Overall had a great fun time in a lively bright restaurant and will definitely be back for brunch.

So good! Came her for brunch on a Sunday afternoon and ordered bottomless mimosas. We had to wait quite a while for a table since it was packed but we were able to start our drinks at the bar and then proceeded to sit down when a table was available. We ordered the deluxe selection of 5 appetizers including the hummus, tzatziki, roasted eggplant, taramousalata, and spicy feta. It came with some bread as well and it was very very good. We weren’t very hungry so we only ordered the green shakshuka afterwards. It was a baked eggs with creamed spinach, mozzarella and parmigiano reggiano. Very rich but very tasty! If you aren’t a huge cheese fan I would not recommend ordering this!
The restaurant itself is very nice and the staff was super sweet! Our waitress was very kind! We stayed there until closing pretty much since we came late but I would definitely recommend this place for a boozy brunch in NY!