Gramercy Tavern

Das war wahrscheinlich der beste Burger meines bisherigen Lebens. So schön medium-​rare kommt das Fleisch selten daher (manchmal ist das leider auch besser so…). Die Karte bietet aber auch wesentlich Ausgefalleneres — es ist kein Burger-​Restaurant. Sehr schön eingerichtet, viel Holz, bis ins letzte Detail durchgestylt, auf gemütlich-​elegante Art. Das Personal weiss einen in Sachen Bier und Whiskey ausgezeichnet zu beraten (und vermutlich in allem anderen auch).

A beautiful experience. My company came here for a group dinner and I had heard from a friend who trailed in the kitchen how great the staff is in addition to the food.
Service: The waiters are unpretentious and attentive on both the wine and the meal.
Environment: Very festive during the holidays (Dec 2015), and
Food: We had the regular prix fixe dinner menu except one person who was vegetarian and expected to be disappointed because she generally doesn’t like anything too crazy. Every dish was meticulously made and very flavorful, although small (but I guess that’s how it is with fancy places). The vegetarian coworker LOVED her food. In fact she said it was the best meal she’s ever had at a restaurant, and she’s eaten in some fancy places.
If I have the opportunity to come back, I will.

Reading through reviews I noticed a lot of people raved about the cookie and milk tray. Going to such a nice restaurant I didn’t get the appeal of something as basic as cookies. Let me tell you — I was so wrong! These cookies were amazing. Bite after bite each cookie was better than the previous. Chocolate chip, snicker doodle, coconut macaroon, walnut bar, pb square.

I’m definitely the type of girl that loves her food — everywhere as long as the flavors, textures, and service is all there. Then again, I do love my fancy foods too.
The Gramercy Tavern was one of my many choices when I was in New York. I partly wanted to try the dining room, but my friend and I decided on the tavern half since it was easier to get seating there. We ended up sitting close to the edge of the dining room which isn’t separated by too much.
I ended up ordering the Jalisco pear as a drink — definitely delicious, but slightly small for the price. Alcohol versus price value was okay. The chicken liver mousse I ended up ordering for my appetizer (since I do love mousse), but it was a LARGE plate to food. I do wish there was more of delineation of what items are definitely sharing and which appetizers are small enough for a hungry person. I then ordered the burger that’s supposed to be secret or at least not on the menu because it is apparently really delicious. It was good, but definitely not the best burger I’ve ever had.
Guess I’ll just have to try the dining room someday to really make my final decision on this place.
Protip: reservations for the dining room. Tavern is a little less full, but still busy at times.

I go back again and again… Service atmosphere food all of it rolled together is what sets Gramercy Tavern apart and why I will continue to come.
From the Sommelier to the wait staff and management you feel comfortable and at home.
The food… FANTASTIC
Wine … Selection … Unbeatable…
What I can say has already been said over its 20 years as one of the top restaurants in the World.
A must for any foodie…

Honestly, I didn’t think I was going to love this place, even though I chose it. It’s old fashioned, been around for a while, mainstream/​a lot of people know about it… and I usually prefer the hidden gems. Boy, was I wrong!
Friend and I came here for a business anniversary day after New Year’s, and it was one of the best meal experiences I’ve had. I don’t use that phrase lightly!
Our waiter made the experience for us. His friendliness and attention to detail was incredible. I wish I knew his name so I could give him props, but one of the best waiters of all time. My dining partner was a vegetarian which was part of reason we chose this place — they have a vegetarian tasting menu. I got the regular tasting menu, she got the veggie tasting menu, and we both got the respective wine pairings. They’re very accommodating about asking if you have food allergies, or if you straight up don’t like any food. Though I appreciate no substitution policies and that dishes need to be executed in the chef’s vision in order to convey the message blah blah blah… I loved that I could tell our waiter that I can’t stand the taste of olives, and that he would make sure there were no olives :)
Would take me all day to go into each of the dishes, so just trust that they were all delicious. Couldn’t pick a favorite, which is a good sign for the meal. I don’t know if it was actually the wine or our waiter’s description or presentation of the wine, but this was the first time where I really tasted the connection between the wine and the food. Our waiter went into what was complementary about each and why they were chosen, which really helped us taste the pairing’s intention. I looked up some of the wines after and they aren’t your run of the mill crowd pleasing restaurant wine — these are some obscure wines! And each was fantastic.
Example of our waiter’s attention to detail — my friend went to the bathroom, waiter came out to pour our next wine pairings, and I saw him recognize the fact that she was not at the table, and he turned around and came back when she was there, so that she could hear about the wine. I know that sounds like a small thing, but I’ve experienced tasting menus where the wine is an afterthought and poured if someone is in the bathroom, and it just showed how on point this guy was with orchestrating our experience.
Don’t let the tons of reviews and storied history make you think this place is popular because all the old timers like it — No! It’s a spot I will remember fondly and would love to go back to.

What is there to say about this New York classic spot that hasn’t already been said? Top notch service, beautiful space, spectacular food…
You can make a reservation in the main dining room but you are locked into a prix-​fixe menu. With the dietary restrictions of the person I went with, the Tavern Room was the way to go. While they are great in accommodating, we felt we just had more flexibility in the Tavern Room. No reservations needed for this beautiful, warm, inviting space.
If you enjoy vintage beers, their list does not disappoint. It’s one of the only places that offer that kind of selection. Forget the wine, although they do have an impressive wine list, the uniqueness of the vintage beers are the way to do. I spotted a 1999 Rodenbach Alexandre which is a sour Flemish style offering that I have not seen in the states before. Prices are more than reasonable for these bottles.
We started with a delicious calamari flatbread with meyer lemon and purple potatoes. This dish packs a punch and the flavors work so well together. The calamari was tender and added a different texture contrasting the crunch of the flatbread, and tender soft creaminess of the potatoes. The Arctic Char Tartare, was well dressed with bacon, apple, and parsnips but it wasn’t as exciting as the flatbread being that the fish was very mild tasting.
For the main dish, my date had the Guinea Hen roasted with chestnut purée and brussels sprouts. The Guinea Hen was tender and worked really well with all the unique ingredients. I have to get it myself next time if they still have it. I got the Sea Bass with Broccoli Rabe, slices of pear, and toasted pecans in a Mustard Sauce. This was done in a classic way and is a great dish. Everything is made with the freshest seasonal ingredients.
We finished off with some Intelligensia Black Cat espressos to end the evening.
It was a beautiful night and a great restaurant to share a few bites. I love that it is a classic spot, but with an inviting casual Tavern Room, and even have vintage beers. Gramercy Tavern hasn’t changed much in years and I hope it stays this charming spot that I always love to go to.

I thought the service here was superb. I came here for an early dinner with an girlfriend and the wait staff really go the extra mile to make the guests feel special. We each got a glass of complimentary bubbly to start our dinner, which was great. We ordered the seasonal tasting menu and the vegetarian tasting menu, just so we can try more than one dish per course.
The first few courses were the start of the show. The flavors were bright and the combination of sour, sweet and savory went so well together. However, the entrée courses really fell flat. Both my friend and I thought the dinner started to fall off around the 4^th and 5^th courses. The dishes were uninventive and not well executed.
The dessert was great and brought the meal back on course. We even got a complimentary small cake and also some chocolates and granola bars to take home.
All in all, I thought the atmosphere at the restaurant was amazing. They have great service and paid attention to every detail. On the food front, I thought the food was uneven, with great appetizer and subpar entrees. I think this is a pretty common issue at many restaurants where the meal just takes a dive after a few courses. You pay more for the server and atmosphere than food.

GT has been a bucket list restaurant for years! I really had/​have no interest in the prixe fixe dining room, but really wanted to eat at the Tavern. We went on a Saturday night… got there at 9:00pm and there was still a 90 minute wait! Normally I would have bailed, but this was the night to eat there… so we put down our name, gave them the cell number and went off for drinks.
A little over an hour later we got a text that our table was ready and so it began…
…GT has a stellar reputation for a reason and it lives up to it. It reminds me a lot of Blue Hill in the simplicity of the dishes, yet amazing flavors they pull out of such simplicity. Some favorites are below:
Raw and Roasted Vegetables – I think it’s crazy that I’m about to type out that this was my favorite dishes of the evening! More perfect, flavorful, raw and roasted vegetables I have never experienced. The contrast of raw and roasted and depth of flavors and textures is incredible. It changed the way I want to cook and eat vegetables!
Sunchoke Ravioli, Leeks and Reading Raclette – Simple ingredients = Flavor explosion here! Sunchokes are one of my new favorite foods, and incorporated into the pasta with leeks and cheese really takes the idea of the sum of the «parts» couldn’t possibly make a «whole» this good!
Ricotta Cavatelli, Braised Lamb, Kabocha Squash and Almonds – Another head shaker… perfectly cooked pasta, deeply flavored lamb ragu, sweet squash and the nuttiness from the almonds… truthfully altogether bordering on too rich for me… having said that; it was as impressive as everything else in it’s execution.
The service is typical Danny Meyer. The room was bustling and busy even at 11:45 when we left.
So…yes I do recommend you try GT at least once in your life… for me, it will have to be an off-​time, when I don’t have to play the waiting game. I’m truly not sure I need to go back, but I’m glad I can say I’ve been there.

Dined here on our anniversary night and it was pretty perfect — highly recommend for a special occasion! They were extremely kind and generous, providing us with champagne to start and a small coconut cake on the house.
The atmosphere is lively, the interior is amazing. The high ceilings make me think Tuscany. «Rustic yet sophisticated», and cozy with festive touches for the winter season. I want to live there.
For appetizers we tried the pork bolognese– rich deep flavor, very satisfying. A touch on the salty side and I wanted more pasta noodles but go ahead and sop up the rest of the sauce with your bread. The warm lobster salad was a beautifully composed combination of flavors and textures — absolutely delicious. For the mains, the duck was tasty but a bit chewy. The sea bass was so good… Eat immediately to get a few bites of the crispy skin before the sauce sinks in. Dessert picks were the apple cake (very cool hickory ice cream) and the chocolate pie (you MUST get this if you like dark chocolate), plus chocolates and granola bars to go. Out of 4 desserts (count’em) we devoured all but one bite of cake.
The amazing service really took our experience to the next level. This restaurant definitely deserves the hype and accolades *applause*

Damn. This place lives up to its reputation I’m every possible way.
I walk by Gramercy Tavern every day on my way to work. Finally had a chance to dine there. And let me say it was sensational.
We started with some great bottles of wine at the suggestion of the sommelier. A fantastic cab that we got two bottles of. Perfectly decanted and poured.
First we got some great bread with sumac butter. Followed by an amuse bouche of pimento ricotta cream puffs, which were great.
My girlfriend went with the squash and grain salad to start, which was essentially two types of squash with quinoa and mushrooms. It was good. Didn’t think it was fantastic bit im also not a huge squash fan. I on the other hand had the beef tartare, which was superb. Very high quality filet chopped perfectly with citrus and herbs. Very good. I also tried the lobster salad and smoked trout that others ordered. Both were very good. The lobster was well cooked and tender. The smoked trout was warm from being smoked and was nice and rare in the center.
Next my girlfriend got the arctic char. Which was good. I thought it could have been a little better seasoned but it was amazingly tender and well cooked. I got the duck. A nice piece of breast, and a slice of confit as well. It was hands down the best duck I’ve ever had. And I’ve eaten duck at at least 5 michelin star restaurants. 4 out of the 5 of us at the table got the duck and we were all in agreeance that it was the best duck any of us had had the pleasure of consuming.
We finished off with some after dinner drinks, as well as the apple and carob cake, pears and shortbread, chocolate custard pie, a cheese plate, and the birthday coconut cake. All were very good.
Our waiter was very nice and had a great sense of humor. He gave us all kinds of recommendations. The sommelier was also very nice and actually recommended a wine that was slightly under what we told him our preferred price point was. A truly respectable move on his part. The service by all parties was excellent and we were very satisfied after the fantastic experience. We will definitely be returning asap.

Came here with some friends a couple weeks ago and the restaurant was beautifully decorated for the holiday season. The restaurant was super busy when we arrived for our 7:30pm dinner reservations and had to wait a good 20 minutes or so before we were seated. We felt like the youngest group there (late 20s) while everyone else around us were a lot older, maybe late 30s/​40s and up?
We all decided to do the three course dinner. They started us off with some really good complimentary bread! So good that we actually asked for a second plate of bread while we were waiting for our appetizers. I wish they gave you normal butter along with their special butter which I think had blue cheese in it because since I’m not a fan of blue cheese I couldn’t use any butter. But the bread was still amazing on it’s own! For my first course I ordered the special, the lobster salad and for my entrée I picked the sea bass since my friend said that’s one of the dishes they are known for. The lobster salad was really good and they gave us a pretty big portion of lobster as well. The sea bass was also good and big portions but I think the bread and appetizer filled me up pretty good because I could barely eat half of my entrée.
For dessert I picked the pear shortcake which was very delicious and still light enough for me to eat half of it even though I was really full. After the bill came they also gave us some complimentary sweet dessert bites and a homemade granola bar to take home!
All in all the food was really good and the restaurant was definitely up to par with décor and the quality and quantity of food. The only thing that would have made our experience better is the service. Our waiter was really nice and friendly but we waited a while for our food to come and when I ordered a drink after the first round of drink orders were taken, my drink took forever to come. It came when our second course came out even though i ordered it when we were still eating our bread waiting for our first course.

On the laundry list of places to eat in NYC, Gramercy Tavern was near the top for me. The restaurant is split in two: The Tavern, which is a la carte walk-​in only, and The Dining Room, which is a la carte and tasting menu. My table ate in The Dining Room and opted for the tasting menu.
Fun fact, Gramercy now does lunch tasting menus on the weekend! I advise you actually to do a tasting during dinner instead, but more on that in a second.
The décor is akin to grandma’s cottage — not exactly a fine dining atmosphere. Fortunately, the service more than makes up for it. The food does as well, of course.
Everything is cooked and prepared extraordinarily. Of note was a cold lobster salad (imagine a lighter version of a lobster roll without the roll) and lamb loin that was like slicing through butter.
My biggest issue with Gramercy, while technically perfect food, is that tasting menus should be enjoyed over a lengthy period of time. I wholeheartedly concur with that sentiment, but my lunch reservation was at 12:30; we left at 3.
2.5 hours. For lunch!
I don’t mind if dinner spans a longer period of time, but I ate on a Saturday in one of the coolest cities in the world! I’ve got stuff to do! Things to see! More food to eat!
So really, it’s a lack of foresight on my part. I simply assumed that lunch tasting would be an «express» (I think 1.5 hours is reasonable) version of dinner, but I was sorely mistaken. I wanted to fall asleep in between courses at times.
Still, though, the food really is amazing (and crazy filling) with top-​notch service. Definitely worth a try, but make sure you have the patience for a long meal!

My boyfriend took me here for my birthday, and what a wonderful experience it was!
We both got the 6-​course tasting menu ($ 120 pp), which actually comes with a couple freebies, so it’s a pretty reasonable deal). Unfortunately, I do not remember what the dishes were but some of the memorable ones that I do remember was the sea urchin, striped sea bass, and the wagyu steak — as it is a tasting menu, the portions were small and had me wishing for more! As for dessert, there were quite a few that we had, including the rice pudding (divine!). I was even given a cute little coconut meringue cake for my birthday, candles and all!
The service was impeccable — our waitress was on point with everything and made sure we were taken care of the entire night we were there (and we were there for almost 3 hours!)
A solid 5 stars. This is the kind of restaurant where you don’t just go for the food, but you go for the overall experience as well. It is definitely a high-​end restaurant so it’s perfect for a special occassion (unless you got that $$$$ and can afford to go here on a regular day, then you do you!)

Un merveilleux moment dans ce restaurant: cadre assez simple, spacieux .
Nous étions deux avec une réservation à 9h30, 9h35 un sms nous est envoyé mentionnant que notre table est prête que nous sommes attendus bla-​bla-​bla … Un peu oppressant au premier abord. Nous arrivons 5 minutes plus tard et optons pour le menu dégustation: excellent, proportions justes et adaptées, n’aimant pas le fromage une alternative m’a de suite était proposée, nos serveurs: au petit soin, les plats s’enchainent à un bon rythme. Tous sont originaux et surprenants notamment le premier le tartare de saint jacques, le moins bien est pour moi les crevettes servies avec un accompagnement de courgettes la cuisson était parfaite mais le plat n’a pas présenté pour moi un intérêt gustatif hors du commun. Bref un ton en dessous du reste du menu qui est un enchaînement de mets divinement bien cuisinés !
En dessert un dessert est proposé, notre serveur nous propose ce dernier ou éventuellement un autre selon notre convenance: un bonne surprise .
L’addition arrive et un très beau muffin pour chaque convive; une attention parfaite pour le lendemain matin .
Seul bémol: vous n’avez à peine le temps de poser vos couverts que le serveur est déjà la pour prendre votre couvert, cela nous a réellement dérangé. Laissez nous le temps d’apprécier notre dîner et de discuter!!! Sinon mis a part cela le service est impeccable, notre serveur d’une extrême gentillesse: un merveilleux moment :) !!!

Drei Unilocal-​Sterne, aber KEINESFALLS mehr !
Monatelang hatten wir über opentable .com vergeblich versucht eine Reservierung für 20h zu bekommen. Nachdem absehbar war, dass dies in diesem Leben nicht klappen wird, sind wir auf 17:30h gegangen — was übrigens keine schlechte Zeit zu sein scheint, um schön Essen zu gehen, denn man hat dann noch den ganzen Abend, um andere Dinge zu machen.
Wir hatten das 8-​gängige Degustations-​Menu für 120 $, was ein durchaus angemessener Preis ist. Die Essensqualität ist gut, sie würde aber in Europa für einen Michelin-​Stern meines Erachtens nicht reichen.
Das Servicepersonal ist schlicht und ergreifend unausgebildet und spricht auch nur rudimentär Englisch. Sehr überzeugend war der Maitre, der auch in einem europäischen Sterne-​Restaurant überzeugt hätte. Aber der Rest der Mannschaft, mein Gott ! Fremdschämen war angesagt.
Völlig rätselhaft bleibt woher der eine Michelin-​Stern kommt. Gut, betriebswirtschaftlich hat die ‘Gramercy Tavern’ drei Sterne verdient, aber dies ist ja wohl kein Kriterium.
Also: Wir raten ab, da für die gebotene Leistung zu teuer und nicht eines Sternes würdig.
p. s. Der Patissier scheint in einer höheren Liga zu spielen. Die Desserts überzeugten, das Konfekt zum Espresso war excellent.