Gardenia

I would probably give Gardenia a 1.5, but because I think their overall rating is far too high, I am rounding down.
I went with two friends last Friday night. We had an 8:30 reservation. One of my friends and I were in the neighborhood around 8 so we figured we’d just get a drink at their bar and wait for our other friend and our reservation time. We let the hostess know that we were there but that we’d happily hang at the bar for the half hour before our reservation.
One thing I noticed that the restaurant was entirely full of chicks. And, I mean, I’m a girl — and I was out with friends who were girls — but it was literally wall to wall basic bitches except for a couple of men who had clearly been dragged along for double date night. I should have felt empowered, but I felt a little sad for my gender.
When 8:30 rolled around and our other friend joined us, we let the hostess know that our party was complete, right on time. She said it’d be a few minutes. We had no problem with this initially, but a few minutes ended up being 40 minutes. Further, when our table was finally ready, we asked if we could just transfer our drinks to the table and leave a (sizable!) cash tip for the bartender. The hostess had said that was ok, but the bartender did not think that was a good plan and made us close out.
When the waiter came by, he let us know that half of the menu was not available. At 9pm on a Friday in the West Village, at a place where they take reservations, they had under-​ordered. That is inexcusable in my eyes. Over-​order a little, and roll it into brunch.
What had initially told us about this place was a deal on Blackboard Dining, which we told the waiter right away — giving him our coupon and figuring out how the deal would work. Should be straight forward, right? He seemed fine about it. But then his service reallllly sloooowwweeeddd dooooowwwwnnnnnn.
Out of the limited options, we settled on ordering the calimari, the fried plantains, and the broccoli rabe to share, and entrees for ourselves. Weirdly, the sides (the plantains and the broccoli rabe) came out with the appetizer. More strangely, they were not as described on the menu. The plantains came out covered in a thick white sauce, and the rabe was mixed with farro. The waiter said that they had recently changed the menu. Ok fine, but you need to at least TELL us that! We sent back the plantains and had them replaced with plain ones.
The calimari was cut too thin and thus overcooked, but not inedible.
For entrees, my friend ordered the trout — which was not actually trout, they had replaced it with branzino, but whatever. When she asked what vegetables they came with, she was told «winter vegetables,» which suggests turnips etc. etc. and she was given soggy zucchini… Not a winter vegetable. And not ever desirable. It was edible but not seasoned. My other friend ordered the inky paella, which was not seasoned at all, and did little more than just stain her lips black and make the 30-​something banker look like a 16 year old in a goth phase. I ordered the steak, which was cooked medium rare and luckily sort of flavorful on its own, but it came out COLD and unseasoned. I did not bother to send it back and waste the food since the cook was ok, but still, I was less than pleased.
We had to wait, and wait, and wait for anyone to come around to ask how we were or ask for refills. When I got a 2^nd lavender marg, they had completely omitted the lavender part, and it was an overly sour margarita mix situation that I could barely choke down.
We spent the whole night just being ignored by the servers, which was bizarre to us. One of my friends finally had to get up and ask for the check.
When the check came, they 1) did not take out the 30% discount that the dining deal we had told them about up front guaranteed, and 2) INCLUDED A 22% GRATUITY FOR A PARTY OF THREE. The nerve. Honestly. We aren’t children, we weren’t going to not tip, but don’t go ahead and automatically include gratuity for a small party. And don’t ask us again for the coupon that we provided to you at the very beginning of the meal.
It was a disappointment. I don’t get all the love for it.

2 stars
Really 2.5 stars but I’ll round down due to the interactions with the manager, Antonio.
Went to Gardenia on Saturday night with a party 5. Had made a reservation but at 7 the restaurant was not very crowded though it was full when we left.
Food
Guacamole
Coca bread
Bibb salad
Steak
Chicken
Short Ribs
Paella
Fish tacos
With the exception of the Paella, the food was good. I didn’t eat the bread but those that did said it was very tasty. The guacamole, came with potato chips, was very good. The chicken was moist and came with two pieces, the steak was and short ribs were tender.
The problem was the paella. The entrees came out two at a time for the first 4. We inquired about the missing paella and were initially told it is coming right out. After another 5 minutes we asked again and again were told it was on its way out. By now, everyone was almost finished with dinner. We inquired a third time and the waitress came over and was very apologetic and said she forgot to put in the order. The manager, Antonio, on the other hand, tried to excuse the mistake away by saying they had been working had all day and never bothered to apologize for the mistake. When the paella finally arrived it tasted awful and my daughter stopped eating it after a couple of bites. The waitress must have noticed or felt guilty as she waived the charge for the paella and comped the dessert.
Wait staff was very good about keeping the glasses filled with water.
Prices were reasonable but the paella experience and the manager’s response tainted the whole evening. One last point. We were a party of five. They pushed two tables together so there was a lip in the middle of the table. Won’t be going back.

Dinner for 2 at Gardenia: we chose it for its healthy options and the price point. We made reservations, but arrived early (it was nearly empty except for a noisy party in the back and a table for two near the entrance). The hostess willingly seated us. But noticing the high noise level I asked if the music could be turned down just a tiny bit. She said to ask the server. Wasn’t that odd? She doesn’t have the autonomy to do a simple task when she clearly isn’t busy? Or just can’t be bothered?
The menu has many great choices. I was interested in burrata peach salad but surprised that it was listed under «from the garden» in January. I asked the waiter if it had real peaches since they are not in season now. He said yes it is peach salad. It arrived with poached pears (no peach). I called him back to the table to show him it came with a pear no peaches. He looked, said, yes, that’s a pear; do you eat pear? Not the point my man. It is your job to know the menu. Continuing with the service issues: water was not refilled and the waiter did not return to ask for drinks refills until the meal was finished. Attempts to get his attention failed — he was busy chatting with the other service staff at the end of the bar for heaps of time.
My friend and I continued our dinner conversation valiantly competing with the over amped music and the the very loud party nearby. Great drinks clearly fueling the enjoyment at that table.
A classic Margarita was very tasty if on the small side and loaded with ice cubes. The octopus was served with a couple of tasty sauces, one on the spicy side (in a good way). My friend’s trout entrée was tasty.
The décor is simple and pleasant. I like the food enough to return and hope for better service that other guests mention.

Went to dinner with another couple and had a great time. The atmosphere was pretty loud though and oddly it seemed like everyone dining was a 20-​something female taking selfies. If you can get over that, the food was good. Seriously amazing guacamole so definitely get that to start. I had the branzino, came with the head on but easy to eat and full of flavor. Others got the paella and were less impressed, but if you order the right thing, I think it was a good meal overall.

Everyone said to get the crab eggs benedict. It was good but it wasn’t as mindblowing as some other bennies I’ve had elsewhere. I liked the shaved potato that came on the side though — different from the hash browns or Yukon golds you typically get with a benny!
The tuna melt had the tuna concentrated in the middle. Maybe it was just their style of doing it.
The service was mediocre; our server was difficult to flag down and when he came he was very short with us and twice walked away before we could finish our order (drinks and then food). It wasn’t even that busy; there were several open tables.
So, three stars overall because it wasn’t terrible but it wasn’t excellent either.

I went to Gardenia for lunch with clients. We had a reservation which was super LOL because the restaurant was completely empty when we arrived. Our waitress was friendly but when we asked her what she recommended from the menu she proceeded to list every.single.item. So that didn’t help us much.
We ordered…
Guacamole — to share with the table. The guac is topped with pomegranate seeds and the chips are a little unique but overall it was really good.
Yuca Cheese Croquets — to share with the table. Comes with a truffle salsa. Haha what! So good. Basically cheese balls + truffle so my favorite foods.
I ordered…
Farro Salad — with chicken added. A bit bland, thought the chicken was a bit chewy, and the salad didn’t do much for me either.
The staff was overall friendly and the appetizers came out quickly but I thought our lunch took a bit too long to come out of the kithcne. Especially since there was no one in the restaurant. I don’t think I’d come back here for lunch but I would probably try dinner or brunch.

I have done brunch and dinner with friends. I have to say, the most exciting part about this place is the place itself. It truly is one of kind, great lighting and energy, great staff, great food, and just is (as many others have said) a gust of fresh air!
Being at the other two locations (Ofrenda and Black Ant) I expected nothing less than to be surprised by the different styles and flavors that Gardenia would bring to the table. This is definitely a great spot to catch up with friends over amazing food and strong and flavorful drinks.
The ambiance is calm, not as crowded as Ofrenda or as far from the action as Black Ant. I like that it is not on the main street as you get to focus more on your meal and company than the things occurring outside, and let’s face it, after you come in, you won’t really care for the world outside. To me, it’s like being in a cute shop at The Hamptons.
My recommendation, whatever you eat goes very well with the Lavender Margarita! What a way to get creative, and still enjoy a drink that tastes light, but still enjoy that 100% blue agave tequila which these restaurants are known for!
This is a first date type place, get to know your company, have a great conversation over delicious food and interesting berry drinks!

Cute interior, great food, great drinks, and great service!
It’s a pretty new restaurant that I went to in the summer and I definitely ate A LOT.
They give every table pita bread with chipotle-​like dip and oh my it was delicious! I never usually eat bread that are given to the table because I like to fill my stomach with the main dishes, but I couldn’t stop myself from finishing it all LOL.
For one of the appetizers, oysters were fresh and cooling and greatly paired with the smoked tomatillo mignonette. I also got the bay scallops. My favorite dish my friend and I shared was the catalan noodles paella with seafood, saffron broth and chipotle aioli. MMM so good. It’s a bit salty so my friend and I couldn’t finish the whole thing, but I would definitely recommend everyone to order it. For dessert, we had this sweet pomegranate, prosecco, citrusy crushed ice thing that came in a margharita glass. Very cute and yummy too! It’s called Flora Granita.
Our server, I don’t remember his name, was very friendly and had great recommendations and his own opinions on what he likes.
Had a great first experience and enjoyed everything I ate and drank!

We went to Gardenia on short notice on a Saturday evening based on a recommendation and after we heard that it has the same owners as the Black Ant.
We made a reservation but most of the restaurant was empty so we picked seats close to the entrance (not the best idea — it was a little drafty by the door). Our server explained to us that Friday is the busy night with the younger crowd and Saturday is a little more low key.
Our server was friendly and explained the specials to us. We ordered a bottle of white wine which they didn’t ice, which I also found a little strange and off-​putting.
The food, however, was excellent. We ordered three appetizers and a main course. For the appetizers, we got the kampachi ceviche, the octopus, and the tuna tacos. For the main course, we got the risotto.
The octopus, for $ 16, was a very large portion consisting of mostly meat. Incredible size and some cool dipping sauces. A must-​order.
The tuna tacos were surprisingly filling. Two come in the order and there’s a lot of «stuff» inside. They are very flavorful but you don’t get much «tuna» flavor, despite the large chunks. I really like these though.
The kampachi was fantastic. I had to stop myself from taking the bowl and chugging the sauce that this sucker comes in. Amazing.
The risotto was also great. The mushrooms were excellent and the short rib was tender. I’m not even a big fan of risotto and I still really liked this dish.
All in all, I would definitely recommend this place. I’m interested to see how this place develops.

Small spot in the west village. Great spot for a girls night. Vibrant ambiance.
Came here on a Wednesday. It was a full-​house. Good thing we had reservations.
–Food–
They had two special appetizers that night: a tomato, burrata, chorizo flatbread and seafood arugula salad –Both were delicious!
Empanadas — I’ve had better.
Lovers of fish, I recommend the Hake. It was fresh, flavorful and importantly perfectly cooked.
We got a complimentary chocolate dessert from the chef — thanks Chef!
–Drinks–
Strong but well-​crafted.
Needless to say, even though it was past happy hour, I left super happy.
–Service–
Amazing. He new the menu and was attentive (kept our glasses full ;) ha). Much appreciated.
Overall the different options on the menu is a plus. There’s something for everyone.

It’s hard to give a place 5 stars but this place is worth it!
It was fairly empty at 7:30 on a Friday but we had a reservation and were warmly welcomed to sit down and wait for the rest of our party.
We had a lot of food and it was all delicious. I don’t remember exactly what but… octopus, paella, ceviche, guacamole were all included.
Really great wait staff and mixed crowd. Overall great night lovely atmosphere and delicious food!

The first thing you will notice about Gardenia is that it is absolutely gorgeous inside. It’s a completely different look than the previous restaurant La Camelia had; they did a great job redesigning.
The next thing you’ll notice is how delicious everything on the menu sounds. I only came here for a weekday lunch so didn’t get to sample much unfortunately, but the burrata salad was amazing. The burrata was incredibly creamy and they did not skimp on the peaches or jalapeño — a combination that I never would have thought to put together myself, but worked really well. My friend had the fish tacos and said they were also great.
Only negative is that it is a bit pricey and I was still really hungry when I left. Clearly paying for the quality of the ingredients but feel like the salad could have been bigger still. Will try something else next time.

I’m happy to announce that Gardenia has managed to stand out, despite an abundance of lunch locations in the West Village. With its clean, bright white décor and humble feel, you will enjoy the atmosphere while selecting you meal. The menu is simple but unique and has delicious options for everyone. The prices are average to high for the city ($ 14-​$ 18) but worth the cost.
As a first timer, I ordered the Omelet which was fluffy, light and perfectly paired with the thin fries garnished on top. The red sangria was also well made due it its balance (fruity but crisp taste). I have only eaten at Gardenia once but will probably run through their entire menu before the end of September.

Dropped by for a double date on a Thursday evening. There was a happy hour crowd there around 7 and most tables were open but it had a nice vibe to it and was not overly crowded.
This restaurant is beautiful, simplistic and gardeny. They had a great happy hour menu which included appetizers which I loved! We sampled the guacamole and manchego cheese sandwiches which were both rather tasty though on the simple side.
Entrée wise we each had the chicken, steak, and risotto with short rib. I couldn’t believe how big the portions were and at that price point in Manhattan. I could barely finish half my dish. The risotto was great but beware it was packed with onion and I thought it could use a little more flavor. The following day I still could taste the onion in my mouth. There were 3 big pieces of short rib and they were cooked very well but again, kind of simple.
I’d give Gardenia a 4 because of beautiful ambiance, nice crowd, happy hour, impeccable service, and good size portions. My friends all enjoyed their meals as well and devoured them in minutes. One star knocked off only because I thought my dish needed a bit of an extra kick.

I am torn. On one hand I want to keep Gardena a secret so I can easily get a seat any time. On the other hand, I think this place deserves more love, especially there are not many good Mediterranean restaurant in downtown, in addition sharing mu finning experiences us the whole point of being on Unilocal.So what the hell, here we go!
Came here on a Sunday evening. It was quiet. Prob because it’s first new; second, hidden on Downing between Varick and 6^th. I hesitated two min but the happy hour sign lured me in.
Once sitting down I ordered a rose sangria. And I downed 2 more in the next 30 mins! That’s how yummy it is! It is not too sweet, bustling with fresh fruit fragrant. Megan better, It is happy hour priced! I shall return just for that sangria.
For food, I go with the seared oyster mushroom which is meaty (yes I realize it is veggie) and fragrant. The octopus is perfectly charred outside and juicy inside. And equally yummy are the romesco, fingerling potatoes with botija aioli. It is not mind blowingly good, but a great add on to the neighborhood.
The décor reminds me of the beach by the Mediterranean sea — blue and breezy.
The services is impeccable, very friendly staff.
I see myself coming back soon.
PS. It is sister restaurant of Ofrenda.

Came here for a party of 6 dinner over the weekend, it was a bit noisy but overall the food was great! I tried the bloody dove cocktail which was a bit too spicy for me but they have great presentation and definitely make nice drinks.
For appetizers we ordered the carrots with goat cheese which were ok, the octopus which was a little dry for me and the taramasalata was on point! They just served a small amount of pita bread and when I asked for more bread the waiter said he’d get some but it didn’t come for a while and when I asked again he said they were making the pita bread fresh. Mushrooms also meaty and delicious! Oxtail bread was great too.
For main dishes, the short ribs and risotto was amazing. The paella was a bit odd as it wasn’t served with rice (sort of like an Asian noodle). The steak was nice but smallest portion of the entrees. If I came back I would just get the risotto and short rib.
No room for dessert: (However, i can’t wait to try Black Ant, already made reservations!

3.5 stars, but I’ll round up because most of the food was great.
I had been meaning to try Gardenia for a while, as I had tried the Black Ant recently and wanted to see what else Chef Guzman had to offer. We came on a Friday night, right after happy hour. The space is modern and actually quite large for a West Village restaurant, with floral accents everywhere. We started with drinks and decided to get more small plates and just one entrée. I got the Bloody Dove, which had mezcal and tequila for that smoky flavor and she got the Summer in New York, which was very refreshing.
Our waitress was actually relatively hard to flag down, although she was very friendly and once she took our order, the food came out pretty quickly. We got the sardine crostini, tuna tacos, and short rib empanadas to start, with the paella as the entrée. My favorite was the sardine crostini, since it still had a good sardine flavor that wasn’t too fishy, with the crispy lardons (bacon) on top. The tuna tacos were delicious too, and the picadillo was probably one of the best «salsas» I’ve ever had.
However, I will definitely have to recommend against the paella. The first paella that our waitress brought out was overcooked, seafood included, and the burnt noodles stuck to the cast iron pan. The replacement paella was overcooked as well, and the noodles were this time super mushy, they forgot the aioli, and the seafood was still chewy. Not the best mixture of textures. I appreciate the effort to innovate, but seriously, just make the paella with rice. C’mon, son.
Overall, the prices are decent, and the food is good, but I would stick to the small plates and the masas. I read reviews that raved about the braised short rib, so I may be back to try that after our paella disaster.

Came for dinner but managed to sneak in the last 10 minutes of their happy hour. The fish tacos were awesome and in fact I would go back again just to have those again — the fish was meaty and the sauce, flavorful. The guacamole was interesting, but was missing a component. Couldn’t put my finger on it.
The dinner portions are huge. My paella had a good amount of seafood, and I actually enjoyed the noodles over the traditional rice. The mussels however still had massive amounts of sand in it. My friend risotto was huge! Both entrees were a bit on the salty side. The pots du crème was delicious for dessert.
Great great great service with awesome recommendations and so attentive. We all remarked that we had drank so much water not realizing that they were stealthily coming by and filling up our waters without us even noticing!

Get to the Chase:
Pros:
1) Yummo some of the dishes are on point, especially the grilled octopus (so succulent and the right amount of char) and the flora granita dessert (what wizardry was this?! Elderflower, prosecco, shaved ice, grapefruit, almond nougat, balsamic ice cream)
2) Generous portions :)
3) Our waitress Victoria was pleasantly cheerful despite a very crowded night (she saved the night!)
4) Really nice décor and ambience (great place for dates or groups if you have nothing planned afterwards)
5) We were 10 minutes late, but they kept our reservation
6) 3 appetizers, 1 entrée, 2 drinks and 1 dessert and 20% tip about $ 130 for 2 people — Not too shabby (take out the drinks and it would have been about $ 50/​person)
Cons:
1) As much as how great some of the food was, it took nearly an hour before any appetizers were served — to be fair they did offer us a complimentary prosecco/​sangria to make up for it (but we definitely had to rush)
*NOTE: the manager mentioned it was due to a technical error in the input system which was not forwarding orders to the kitchen…
2) I feel like I’m at Lavo or Marquee — definitely pack this place to the brim and though we were sitting in the corner the giant jungle plant was constantly hitting me face
3) Bring ear plugs, but maybe we were unlucky because I couldn’t hear anything across the table and we constantly had to yell
I would say some of the food is pretty amazing, but others were just ok and combined with the slow service, cramped space and club-​level noise I’d say it was an ok experience. Since it just opened, I’d say it’s still working it out, and I’ll visit again to see if it gets better.

Summary:
It’s a strong start for the newest serving from the guys that brought you Black Ant. This quaint little place in the West Village serves up fresh fare in a clean, fresh, and chic space. Definitely worth a gander for a date or dinner with friends.
The Atmosphere:
Modern. Cool. Chic. It’s a decent sized space with a bar and very friendly and professional staff. The crowd was mostly cool New York with no B&T which is a great. Very cool spot.
The Food:
We got the garlic flatbread as an app which was surprisingly good. I thought it was going to be more crisp but was more reminiscent of those Chinese pork belly buns in how soft the bread was. For our mains we got the roast chicken which was just right. I got the braised short rib risotto which just melted in your mouth. We capped it off with a bottle of the Sauvignon Blanc which was fresh and crisp and complimented our dishes superbly.
The Service:
Pretty impeccable. Our server Maria was so friendly and knowledgeable. She made several great recommendations on the food and the wine. The manager came out to see how everything was a couple times. Keep up the good work here!
Tip:
We didn’t have the scallop app and oysters, but I saw them on adjacent tables and they looked amazing. I will definitely be back for those.