Broadway East

UPDATE: As of January 2011, Broadway East is no longer a restaurant, but is going to be an event space and a venue for pop-​up restaurants featuring a rotating roster of visiting chefs.
See
for more information!

Bloody Mary’s are great. I’ve been a couple of times for brunch. The french toast is to die for.
They also have a DJ for brunch, which can be fun. He was on an MJ binge when we were there last. Made for some dancing at the table mid french toast with whip cream chewing.
I’ve heard they have fun dance parties on the weekends. I’ve never experienced them.

I had, a truly exceptional dining experience.
The wait staff was impeccable, as I asked lots of questions about the menu. Erica walked me through every step of the process.
They had just gotten a new chef about a month or so ago? So I would chalk that up to the bad reviews of this place before then. The food, every bite, was absolutely incredible. Even my margarita was spectacular. I know I know. But it really was. Fresh blackberries and top shelf tequila — SO in.
I had the Amish Chicken with the fresh peas. It was so so so good. And it was chicken. Who knew chicken could even taste that good.
I had the molton lava chocolate cake for desert. Really trendy right now, but totally 100% homemade. And it came with hazelnut gelato. Love.
Love. Love. So much love. Love this place.

It’s an amazing space; however, that’s about as far as it goes. The host/​manager guy needs an attitude adjustment. The food is only on the high end of mediocre. They keep changing the menu & the chef but can’t get it right. The service is horrendous, extrodinarily slow & clueless. A 3 course brunch took 2 HOURS — there were 2 wait staff & only 5 tables to serve. They brought out 2 out of 4 main courses and one was wrong then took 10 minutes to bring correct & other dishes so first dish was cold.
This was our fourth time there and I PROMISE we won’t be back.

5’s across the board, service, ambiance, price and even the music. The new chef has brought this place up to par. I had the Pork Belly app and Sirloin entrée. Flavors were incredible and each step of our three course meal destroyed the last. Try and get Erika as your waitress as she was on point every step of the way. This place is worth a revisit if you have ever had anything less than great.
I actually remember saying «I just don’t want the meal to end…»

This place is awesome. Went there on a Thursday for dinner and the club later that night.
For dinner I had some zucchini pasta and it was delicious. So good in fact that I didn’t mind the fact that it was somewhat of a disappointing serving size. Also had two drinks, one of which was the ‘World Peace’, a fresh mix of the type that can get you drunk without you realizing it (well, your wallet sure will). The other drink had the name «caipirinha» on it but is very far from the real Brazilian deal (no cachaça and no green lemons!), so don’t bother with it, I say. The nicely decorated ambient, the perfect lighting, great music and a very accommodating and friendly waitress (Erika) made for a great dining experience. Be prepared to go over the $ 50 mark.
I stepped out to go to the 169 Bar (big mistake!) and returned later for the lounge/​club thing they had going on. The place is actually bigger than I had realized and the good taste in décor and lighting was consistent on all the other rooms. The music was great, the best in all of the places I’ve been to in NYC so far. Kinda reminded me of a place I used to go to back in my hometown in Brazil *little droplet of tear falls*. The DJs did a good job at changing the style frequently which made the whole experience very engaging. The crowd was nice too, seemed like everyone knew each other and there were some very cute and interesting guys there. However, I was by myself and they weren’t as approachable as some other places I’ve been to here (or maybe my mojo was a little off that night?). Regardless, the music and the vibe kept me going till late in the night.
Anyway, definitely want to go back, most likely with a date or friends.

i came here in a saturday night and i think there were already two birthday parties here — the place was packed! the bar looked cool, the crowd was fun but it was just way too overcrowded. we got into the bar just fine, but even the standing room was pretty limited.
i’d come back to try it out again, but definitely will have to come on the early side. instead, ended up going next door to 169 E Broadway.

Broadway East is on East Broadway. Clever restaurant name. The staff was nice and the whole arrangement looked very classy. We had a large group for a surprise engagement party so we booked the back room. The price was approx $ 40 a person which included an appetizer, an Entre, and a dessert. The good ol’ alcohol is extra and the prices reminds you that you’re in Manhattan. I would say that the fluke was awesome, but the steak was overcooked, dry and very disappointing. The dishes took waay too long to come out too. We waited for such a long time in between dishes that we caught up with everyone’s life story seated in our table. Overall nothing great about this place, there wasn’t even a television at the bar and towards the end of our event. they cleared out table away as quickly as possible to make sure we all leave and they can get the next guests situated in there..

BRUNCH (2 out of 5): No tables outside and only one other couple eating when we walked in around 12:30. Service was inattentive at best and the free mimosa’s weren’t tasty at all and were in what looked like a 3oz glass. The eggs benedict we ordered were pretty good but nothing amazing. Overall, you’re much better off walking around the corner to Les Enfantes Terribles for a much more enjoyable brunch experience.
LATE NIGHT (4 out of 5): We came here for a drink late one night (after two) — totally different atmosphere than in the morning. Lots of trendies (mostly attractive) milling around in the back bar. Cool atmosphere but the cocktails started at $ 13 or $ 14 each — they’re too cool to use a fountain gun in the bar so they poured some soda I’d never seen before into each cocktail individually — problem was that all of the soda was flat. Overpriced but interesting for a drink or two.

This place is atrocious, and I write this not as an angry customer miffed at having wasted money but in the interest of preventing others from making the same mistake. There are so many good restaurants in lower Manhattan, it would be a shame to squander a special night out at Broadway East.
Let me legitimate these claims. We met a group of friends here on a Saturday night, looking forward to a late dinner, though apparently they were already frustrated by the bickering staff even before we sat down. The place was almost empty, but it took 15 minutes to get menus, another 15 to beg the sommelier to bring us water, and another 15 to go up and ask the bartender for bread. The poor bartender seemed to be the only employee, save the inept sommelier, and not only made drinks but also took our orders and attempted to throw us a glance every now and then to make sure we were okay.
The service was so awful it was comical, to the point that we even tried to ask anyone we could find working there what was happening. Had the entire waitstaff fled? Was the chef on vacation? Did a posse of zombie hipsters kidnap the bussers to dance in the restaurant’s trendy downstairs lounge? No one answered us, and so we patiently waited for our food. And waited. And waited. Empty tables all around us, it was agonizing, although at least we could watch the PYTs saunter by on their way to the lounge.
As for the food, the appetizers were decent, a slightly chewy but tasty duck confit balanced with greens and some veggie spring rolls. For main courses, most at the table got burgers (both veggie and meat) — consensus agreed the patties themselves held up, but the buns weren’t great and the french fries practically inedible. I had the orrechiette with shrimp, chorizo, corn and zucchini, a mediocre dish saved by its spiciness (though not the chunks of shrimp shells they forgot to remove).
The restaurant has a great look, but no substance. I would caution anyone interested in checking it out to brace themselves for a confusing and underwhelming experience, with blasé food and terrible service. You can easily find a better place to dine in this area!

This place was a great find. I was looking to try a new place for dinner. I came across this place on open table. I really liked the décor, the menu and the prices.
We were seated in a booth in the back which was great. The place have a clean, industrial mid century look.
The onion bread was great remind of the the onion bread they serve at Joe’s Stone Crabs (yum). We ordered a bottle of pinot grigio. And I ordered the steak sandwich, which was awesome, tender as sin. And my friend got the pulled pork sandwich and the pork was juicy and well prepared. Both entrees came with a small salad, and fries. I really wanted to try their summer ravioli but they had run out, since we were one of the last people to be seated for dinner.
This place was a treat after dinner it started to transition into the lounge scene. We stayed and hung in the bar downstairs the rest of the night. Can’t wait to go back!

Typical Sat night group dinner. Décor is very nice, dark, and trendy. It’s didn’t go with its surrounding area. No offense. There is a nice bar area in the front. You overlook the B. East bar in the basement toards the back. I ordered a dark and stormy cocktail and thoroughly enjoyed it. Extensive wine list.
I shared the cornmeal squid appetizer with my friend (translation: calamari with an aioli sauce). Got the steak/​onion rings entrée. Asked for medium rare. And even though the interior lighting made it almost impossible to see my food, I could tell my steak was pretty rare (candlelight confirms it and saves the meal). The waiter took it back for me and all was good. They even replenished my half-​eaten stack of 3 onion rings — which were the highlight of the meal — when they returned my plate to me. These onion rings were ah-​mazing. My entrée was well portioned, but my friend’s fish dish was looking a bit sparse and she was still hungry afterwards. If you’re really hungry, I’d recommend ordering more sides. You have to try the onion rings. So delectably crispy.

I pride myself on being the most frugal guy in the room, but there are times when dropping some cash is what must be done. One of those times is my wife’s birthday — the poor woman suffers under my austerity most of the year, so come the anniversary of her birth all bets are off — something special has to go down.
Broadway East has been trying to be special since it opened, having reinvented itself several times over (much like the neighborhood around it). Its first incarnation was annoyingly vegetarian, local, organic and smug. A few chefs later it’s a different animal; still achingly upscale, but with a sense of fun that’s unexpected in a place that’s so self-​conscious. Where’s the fun coming from? Chef Dominic is clearly a source. The guy is having fun in the kitchen, turning out food that’s novel, delicious and quite simply a joy to behold and to savor. Some of his flourishes are borderline silly, but they work. Broadway East works hard to be an «experience», but that’s what you ought to get when you decide to drop the kind of dough required for the price of admission. You want to walk away with something to talk about.
Our experience started with a phone call on a rainy Sunday night when business was bound to be slow. They graciously put me straight through to Dominic, and I sketched out the situation: Wife’s b-​day. Looking for something special. Want to drop the situation into his hands. Was he game? The answer was a resounding yes. So at about 8 o’clock we tumbled into Broadway East and the fun began.
Over the course of the meal three servers took impeccable care of us, providing us with the sense that Broadway East was practically tripping over itself to make sure we had a good time. While the service and décor proved to be top notch it was the food that stole the show. Giving Chef Dominic catre blanche on a slow night was a very good call.
Two flutes of champagne arrived with an amuse-​bouche of cerviche presented on serving spoons. I was transported to Carnival in Panama a few years ago. Funny how some foods can do that to you. It was clean and fresh, with a hint of cilantro and a surprisingly low acidity. We’d barley finished when the bottle of Blaufrankish we’d ordered showed up with the Broadway East charcouterie plates. I remember an egg with sprouts that tasted like arugula, as well as a tasty tranche of pâté, but what stood out on the plate was the duck bacon. Duck bacon: two words that really belong together, leaving you wondering where this stuff has been all your life.
Somewhere around this time the music of the Velvet Underground floated by, which was a nice touch.
A modest serving of cod with vegetables and chorizo followed. We were now eating very slowly, lost in our own little world of gastronomic delight. A bit of cheese with some toast, marmalade and smoked hazelnuts showed up next, as the servers adjusted to our crawl through the meal. Two vodka lemonades did the job of digestifs, accompanied by a warm lemon-​thyme infusion presented in a vase, then taken away. An eccentric touch, but not out of place here. I can’t claim to be a big infusion guy, but the scent of it was wonderful as we sipped the lemonades. Dessert involved ice cream, fritters and cashew milk.
Dominic showed up at the table, subjecting himself to our raving. He’d earned it, and Broadway East earned this five star review. I’m not the kind of guy who often drops $ 200 on dinner for two, and when I do I expect it to be really freakin’ good. Last night Broadway East was really freakin’ good!

Got a chance to go back for a group dinner.
We all sat in one of their booths and ordered the prix fixe for $ 29.95.
The 3 course meal came with app, entrée, and dessert.
I chose the creamy brussell sprout soup bc it was something I have not come across and it was good. One person got the mussels for apps and it HUGE like so many of them just for an app and really good considering I’m not a big fan of them.
All the desserts were yummy too!

3.5 stars, actually.
I loved the vibe of this place, particularly the split level. The downstairs bar area was rockin’ — hanging ivy (or whatever) coming down the window and wall — loved it. A little small, but whatever.
Wasn’t really digging the techno/​groove/​trying-​to-​hard-​to-​be-​hip music playing in the background… or the replaying black and white video (projected downstairs onto the wall by the stairs) of a waifish girl in suspenders dancing by herself. Artsy… or odd?
Great, great food is available… but if you want table service, BEWARE THE PRICES! I’m sorry, but $ 250 for a lower-​grade vodka table service for this place is absurd.
Other than that… this is a cool, laid back place to hang with some pals and get some tastefully created cuisine.

Came here with a group for dinner this past weekend. Even after reading the reviews I tried to walk into the experience with no expectations. Unfortunately thats not possible as soon as you walk into this completely misplaced upscale joint. The ambiance feels far from what i’ve come to expect in fine dining restaurants in new york. The décor was definitely warm and classy but something about it made me feel like I was sitting in a VIP lounge at an airport. Speaking of aiports lets talk about the food.
I really wanted to try the coq au vin ravioli, but found out that its basically just one small ravioli on a plate. The waitress said that with a «yeah I know its tiny» face. Sorry guys. this is a recession.$ 13 bucks for one piece of ravioli even if there is liquid gold in there is just too much. I’m pretty sure they just use chicken as well, anyone know?
I’m glad I didnt order it, because the main entrees were all sub par. I got the grass fed beef burger… eh. I was expecting the beef to really stand out. My friends got the gnocchi (probably the best dish I tried at the table, but nothing worth running out there for), the bass (the carrot purée with the potatoes stood out more than the fish), and the mushroom flat bread (a joke… it really should be an appetizer).
My drink: the BEast Dark and Stormy, which should have been called Light and Cloudy, was forgettable… literally forgot I had it… a sad rendition of one of my favorite drinks.
The service was pretty bad as well. Half our table of 8 got our food about 15 minutes before the other half… if we had waited for everyone to get there food ours would have been completely cold.
overall things just seemed boring and overpriced. skip… especially if you are hungry.

Sigh! Im going to make this short!
The décor: I love.
The waiter: What was his name? Oh he didn’t introduce himself!
The menu: Totally different from what I saw online. WTH?
The food: Bland and not enough to write about.
The bathroom: Sewer stinky and HARD toilet paper. Oh its probably recycled.
The guy with dreads: very helpful in pointing out stinky bathroom to me.
The bill: YOU CAN“T BE SERIOUS
I’m a petite girl but seriously why the heck did I leave this place HUNGRY. I had to go to Atlas on 2^nd Ave. to get the good stuff and make my tummy happy.
Yeah, I won’t be going back!

I got lost coming here. This is a part of the LES/​Chinatown that I had never been to, so it’s understandable why I got lost.
Upon walking in, I was struck by how dark it was. Dark, but in a good way, to create a nice and relaxing ambience. And, I’m guessing, so you won’t have too good a look at your blind date.
I arrived late, so I was not able to partake in the appetizers or any of the drinks that my associates had. I did, however, order the Margarita Pizzette, which consisted of pomodoro, mozzarella and sylvetta. It was very tasty, but just a bit smaller than a Pizza Hut personal pan pizza. So after eating it I was still a bit hungry.
The service, at least to me, was very nice upon my late arrival. They made sure that I got everything that I needed, even asking two or three times if I was okay. Yes, the food was slow in getting to me, but at least they were very nice about it. And with all the good conversation that was going on, I really didn’t mind the slow service.
Yes, I think another outing here will do.

Never expect, only hope.
After perusing the online menu, with promises of cheese plates and other interesting, appealing dishes, although heavy on the seitan and fake whathaveyou (this place started out veggie), I expected too much and was subsequently disappointed. It is not the vegetarian concentration that I dislike here. On the contrary, I very much appreciate the emphasis on the organic and healthy.
The appetizers were my favorite part of the meal. We feasted on spiced nuts and crostini with a great, smoky blue cheese that I loved, and I usually dislike blue cheese deeply. For my entrée, I chose the margerita pizzette. I certainly was not expecting goat cheese on naan, but it was exciting and delicious, and just the right size. Any more would have been sensory overload. The cheese from the cheese plate was mouth-​watering, but they could have provided a bit more bread for a table of 10.
For dessert, I chose the crème fraîche cheesecake. I was expecting to either see the crème fraîche or taste it, but neither happened. It was just a mini-​cheesecake with caramel drizzled over the top and artfully onto the plate that I could have gotten at Magnolia bakery for half the price.
The service was quite slow and the waiters seemed to be in their own little worlds, which is funny since a lot of folks regard vegetarians as new agey and completely aloof. The portions were small, and it almost seemed like they were being stingy with the most simple things, like bread. They brought out an awful lot of butter for the one tiny piece of bread they gave each of us.
The place was quite dim, but I could see enough of the décor to appreciate it: very elegant and although minimalist, you can easily tell the restaurant spent a fortune. The music was good, but it was on much quieter in the back of the restaurant. I wish I could say that I had a relaxed time here, but thanks to the large party in the front of the restaurant passing around a very cute but very cranky, sleepy and (understandably) pissed off baby, that was not possible. Babysitters, people. Get one.

The restaurant is absolutely beautiful, even though in the middle of a very gritty part of C-​town (just about nothing here, although conveniently 1.5 blocks from the F train at East Broadway). There is the bar portion and then the restaurant portion. The dining room is beautiful with great lighting, good seating for groups, and intimate banquette-​booths for couples, where you can choose to sit next to each other instead of across (although FaveDate likes to sit across). There is this gorgeous indoor-​outdoor garden wall of greenery (where below down some stairs is a cute lounge). Very romantic and relaxing.
It was not crowded at all this Thursday evening, and we had a reservation for 9pm. There were a scattering of other tables, including a few other couples and a birthday group. I hope this won’t mean the end of this fine restaurant!
The food is wonderful. It’s not a vegetarian restaurant, but rather one that treats vegetarian food on the same level as any other dish. Vegetarian mains make up half or more of the entrees, there is no red meat, and there is emphasis on biodynamic, local and organic foods. (Entrees are $ 18-​$ 20)
We both had the heirloom tomato salad, with delicious perfectly ripe tomatoes and a slice of nectarine (?) over soft mozzarella. I may have had better tomatoes and cheese, but these are definitely tops. FD had the shrimp tagliatelle and enjoyed it. I stole one cherry tomato, which was roasted lightly and bursting with flavor. I had the coconut crusted tempeh. I had low expectations for some reason, but it tasted incredibly good! It was hearty, the sauce was a wonderful flavor that may have incorporated cilantro, but not strong at all. The accompanying vegetables and lentils were perfect companions. I was pretty impressed. I appreciated the meat substitute was not trying to be meat, and the dish would be a great intro to those who don’t normally go for meat alternatives.
I also thought the portions were perfect — which others here have disagreed about.
We had this wonderful wine I forget the name of. The wine had a wonderful pear-​like flavor and was actually not on the menu, but our server recommended it. The server, a bit of a hipster, was super helpful, came to refill wine and water at the right times without intruding into our evening at all.
We had no space for dessert, and since I’d read mixed reviews on the dessert, refrained. Instead had a pot of Japanese green tea, which was just fine (I hoped for stronger flavor, actually).
There was no rush for us to go anywhere, and we definitely lingered over extra glasses of sauvignon blanc and our tea.
Overall no problems whatsoever and I fully enjoyed this dinner of solid good and healthy food, good service, and a stunning dining room. I will definitely come back.