Griffou

Sadly, closed.

Unilocal PLEASE UPDATE!!! It seems as if Griffou has closed down. I walked by the other day and thought i would check it out for a drink since i hadn’t been there in a while and it seemed like it was closed down. Been there before and loved the space, it’s a shame if it is closed down. People read my previous review on Griffou.
Check out article and verify if closed please Unilocal,thank you
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Not a huge fan. The drinks were ok but I’d expect better for the prices they charge. The crowd was eclectic (at least for the hours I was there) and pretty laid back.
Liked the look of the joint but not sure if I’m dying to go back.

Very warm cozy room for a delicious Sunday dinner. Started with the amazing Pork Belly and a very tender grilled spicy Octopus. The Orecchiette with sausage, kale and rabe was so good and nice portion. Also had the Lamb Meatballs, very tasty.
We had 2 desserts that I can’t recall after all the wine we had, very enjoyable meal. Engaging friendly staff.

First things first. The décor for the place is sick. Each room exuding a different taste of cool and sexy. Granted, I only came for drinks, but when I went to the restroom I managed to check out the rest of the place.
The drinks were well done. I would have preferred more drinks with whiskey, but that is a personal preference. They did make me an enjoyable Sazerac though.
I read in another review they got a C rating. Ugh. Guess I’ll only be going for the drinks.

Although I have not tried the food here, I will comment on the drinks, which are amazing. As a mixologist myself, I have, can, do and will appreciate a greatly balanced cocktail. I tried most on the list which may be seasonal, however, they were great. The bartenders are nice, communicate well, and professional. AND THE HOST… See for your self, amazing is the only word to describe her.
Also, being that this is not in a high traffic flow area, it does get a little busy. It is truly a hidden gem for those of you that want to go out and look for something different.
The ambience is good, crowd looks good and more of a grown up scene… Perfect for a date or even a business meeting.

In this highly residential brownstone area of Greenwich Village, there is charm, historic architecture, lovely tree-​lined blocks, and not an incredibly huge selection of restaurants. However, what IS located there is quite noteworthy and a bit more grown-​up: Alta, Babbo, and Griffou. Griffou is the basement lounge of Hotel Griffou, and features a creative list of signature cocktails. I have only ever been here for happy hour, but I can usually get a seat at the bar, they have a DJ playing at just the right volume (she even played Arcade Fire!), and there is a mature crowd just unwinding and enjoying their cocktails. Prices are about what you’d expect, and the bevvies are made with care. I’m confident that I’ll be back at some point or another.

Watch out for that health grade. NY Times just had an interactive map with all the health grades…
Griffou has worse than a C. Conditions harboring mice and/​or vermin. Uncleanliness. Workers aren’t handling food properly… list goes on.

The décor is really nice and the place attracts a nice crowd. The servers are really very friendly as well.
I went with two friends of mine a few months back and while the food is good, it isn’t anything memorable. We shared the beef carpaccio salad as an appetizer which was nice but we expected a bit more bite. As entrees, we ordered the lobster pasta special, steak and branzino fish (another special). The steak was by far the best part since it was pretty tender and tasty. The pasta was kind of bland and the fish was the opposite of flaky and meaty :-/​. Kind of tasted like cured fish that was later grilled.
Prices are kind of high, but overall it is a nice experience. Can’t say I would run back but I do recommend it.

As you approach Hotel Griffou, you’ll likely think to yourself, «Oh great, where am I headed? Some two-​star hotel that people in their mid-30’s and up stay while visiting New York?» It has a terrible hunter green awning with a boring, nondescript logo outside, and you have to go underground to enter. Honestly, from the outside, it looks like the cheesy, hostel-​like hotels around Midtown where you’d expect to find faded, faux-​Persian carpets, imitation green marble, and burnt-​out lighting fixtures. However, when you step inside, it’s like entering another world. I actually hesitated before writing this review for fear of revealing this wonderful, secret little hideaway.
Hotel Griffou isn’t actually a hotel — it’s really just a restaurant/​bar/​cocktail lounge. Inside, you are greeted by several very attractive model types (male and female) who ask if you’d like dinner or drinks. My friend and I had about half on hour to kill, so we asked to be shown to the bar. They escorted us in, and we took a seat at a high-​top table for two. The interior is very cool. There’s a lot of the rustic décor that seemingly every restaurant and bar in New York loves right now — sepia photographs, rough-​hewn wood, dim lighting, mounted dead animals — but there’s also bits of rococo and Victorian influences mixed with über-​modern touches, such as neon signs. This probably sounds like a bit of sensory overload, but it somehow manages to work.
At 7pm, there aren’t any cocktail waitresses (not sure if any appear later), so we had to go and get menus from the bar, make our selection, go back to the bar and order, and then go back once more to pick up our drinks. This was a bit annoying when all you want to do is settle in and enjoy a cocktail. My idea of a relaxing round of drinks doesn’t involve shuttling back and forth between my table and the bar. However, we were pretty excited about the drink selection, so I wasn’t too put off. My friend went with the Winter Mojito while I got the Trophy Wife.
My friend’s drink was absolutely delicious and totally unique. I really dislike traditional mojitos (I used to like them, but they just got so played out), but this drink doesn’t taste like a mojito at all. It’s made with pineapple juice and fresh, grilled pineapple — both of which, but particularly the latter, give this drink a robust yet not overly sweet flavor. My drink was less impressive and tasted like something I would throw together at home. The passion fruit juice was totally overpowered by the champagne. At least I can’t say they skimped on the alcohol!
Hotel Griffou is a good spot for a cocktail or two with friends or for a first date. I would certainly come back here when in the neighborhood, though I might actually go out of my way to come back here if for a date (though that’s probably more of a commentary on my dating life than on the bar). I should note that the drinks here are pretty pricey. I’m accustomed to $ 12 these days, but all of the drinks here are $ 15, hence the loss of a star (the lack of waitresses contributed to that as well).

Good experience. Unique décor with a lively bar. Each room was themed, and the entire place was a bit cavernous, but it still felt comfortable.
Started with the Classic Negroni cocktail, enjoyed the blood orange ice cube that melted into the drink.
Shared the gnocchi and meatballs with a friend, and I must say the gnocchi was fantastic. The menu is pricey, but the food delivers.
I’d probably return to socialize at the bar.

Apparently, if you see a COCKROACH, you get two COCKTAILS on the house!
Yes, my beau and I came here from a Groupon deal, and literally after 10 minutes, he caught something from his peripheral crawling on the wooden floors in the lounge/​bar area we were just ushered to until our table was ready. I quickly brought it to the attention of one of the co-​owners and watching him scoop up the roach with a garbage bag. Unnerved and unsettled, we were explained that they had just fumigated the other week and possibly, I unfortunately must have seen a dying one.
Well, I wish I could say the dinner was memorable, but the only thing my beau and I found to be really something amazing was the peach cobbler at the end of our pre-​fixe meal. What I also didn’t like was my beau and I both got two different types of fish instead of one getting a surf and the other a turf. I wish I got to taste what this place seems to be known for, but it fell short for him and I. Even the tables seemed unnaturally cramped.
Ambiance, music, and staff were wonderful, but I paid my visit here and doubt I’d come out of my way to come back.

We’ve never eaten here but we’ve now been here for drinks three times. The ambiance is warm, trendy, with low lights but plenty of comfortable seating. Both times we’ve been able to snag their velvet couch when we’ve arrived around 10:30!
The drinks are pricey but the flavor combinations are out of this world!

I made reservations for dinner around 7pm and this restaurant was pleasantly not over crowded or loud. After walking down the steps there were little tea candles greeting me at the bottom and the inside has a very vintage and speakeasy feeling (very romantic). The staff were all extremely professional and polite.
We sat in the back room on the left. Lots of mirrors and antique/​chic furniture. Our waitress explained the specials and then we both decided on the risotto to start followed by the halibut with romaine and tomato vinaigrette. When the risotto came out I was little scared. It was definitely a bit more creamy than usual but it was delicious. It almost had the consistency of a cream soup but the richness of the truffles added a great punch.
WOW — halibut was scrumptious! This savory piece of fish was bursting with flavor… the saltiness of the crispy skin and the sweetness of the vinaigrette. The texture of the fish was perfect and light. The portion was filling but not too much. I would highly suggest ordering this.
Too full for dessert but was utterly impressed by this spot — apparently if it’s cool enough for Mae West and Mark Twain I’m down!

Had reservations here about two fridays ago. When we got there, we sort of didn’t need it. Our table was the best one in the house, with full lounge chairs right in front of the fireplace. We could have easily gotten a seat for 2 as a walk-​in.
AMBIANCE: warm, eclectic, romantic and trendy. low lights but still strong enough to see your food and drinks.
DRINKS: tasty, but a bit pricey — expected since it is NYC.
FOOD: since it was our first time here, we did a full course. verdict? stick to the starters, the entrees and desserts are just mediocre. Do try the Risotto and the Bone Marrow (Schezuan beef) with flan. Absolutely great. If you order them together, they’re really complimentary.
Would I go here again? Maybe with friends for drinks and small plates. Other than that, I don’t see much more potential for this place.

Came here over a year ago for a pricey dinner on company dollar and could only remember the two lovely orders of lobster fondue we ordered. When it came time for me to organize a dinner with friends recently, Hotel Griffou popped into my head — «we MUST get the lobster fondue!» But it was nowhere to be found on their menu then! :(
I’ll forgive them — when asked about it, the waitress told me that it was a creation of their old chef’s, and the new chef was sooo much better. I LOVED our waitress by the way — she was unpretentiously helpful with deciphering some of the menu items and giving us very specific drink suggestions based on what we were in the mood for (each one hit the spot). We had a pretty all-​American kind of meal: burgers (YES) and their version of apple pie and cheddar cheese for dessert (was prepared as a type of light soufflé with the cheese rolled right in so it wasn’t overwhelming). Also tried the scallops and cod fritters for apps but I would recommend skipping these (maybe I was just bitter about losing my lobster fondue.).
I could have sworn that the décor also changed along with the chef swap since the last time I came here — now it looks like a funky and cozy wine cellar, interesting things are on every wall and corner. The bar area is pretty but fills up fast at night. They could have done a better job with the music blasting from the speakers though (think Top 40 hits and obscure b-​sides — all from the early 90’s?). I joked about how I picked this place because it was rumored to be a good place to spot celebs, and who sat down across from our table before we left but Chistina Aguilera herself! After much whispering and speculation, our waitress came over to confirm that it really was her (did I mention how much I loved our waitress?).

Awkward, yet delicious.
My girlfriend and I bought GiltCity coupons for Hotel Griffou brunch months ago and finally cashed in on it this past weekend. We didn’t really know what to expect, so we dressed up for it and made a reservation online.
When we walked downstairs, we were unsure of what the restaurant was trying to be. It had the ‘mixology’ type bar with bartenders and was kinda dark inside (12 noon on a bright Sunday). The art on the walls was trying to be ‘edgy’ it seemed, but they were playing weird music. Foo Fighters? Nirvana? The rest of the brunch crowd rolled in and they were all 50 – 70 year olds??? Wattdahell?
Besides the odd crowd and the weirder music, we ordered our food. I got Piri Piri Shrimp, which were a slightly spicy shrimp with some oil, while for my entrée, I got the Santos Burger with a slice of Pork and a Sunny-​Side Up Egg on a nice Brioche Bun. Both were delicious, especially the burger. The bun worked perfectly because of the size of it and the amount of juice coming off. I would definitely like to try it again. My girlfriend ordered the Octopus Salad (very good) then the Fish Sandwich of the Day (very, very fishy).
When it comes down to a rating, I had to go 3 stars. I was very pleased with my food, especially the Santos Burger, but my girlfriend definitely could have passed on hers. The environment is something strange and the crowd that rolled in was just… old. I expected something different from their website and other reviews. For the money, I’d pick a different spot.

My friend treated me to this lovely restaurant last night. Exceptional service, great cocktails, delicious food (dozen oysters, spicy lobster fettucini, steak frites, whipped mashed potatos), and the BEST playlist. The music wasn’t playing too loud bc it was a classy kinda place for conversation. But they played everything from Marvin Gaye to Isley Brothers to Al Green. Ugh loved it the whole night!
The décor reminded me of a dark library kinda looking place. Antique furniture and laid back low key vibe. Went on a Wed night but server says it’s crazy on the weekends. Would def come back. Drinks were on point!

Gorgeous setting, inventive cocktails, and delectable food. Truly as good as it gets!
We were seated in the Palm Terrace, a room that accommodates maybe 15 – 18. It overlooks a window of lush and green ferns and houses a single palm. The John Derian-​esque décor, vintage banquettes, and sconces with pretty bulbs evoke a feeling of retro safari.
Our cocktails: the trophy wife, salty dog, tarabell. The latter included grapefruit juice, red grapes, and was novel and delicious.
To start, listen to ye educated fellow Unilocalers and get that lobster thermidor. It’s made with four cheeses, celery root, and lobster meat. We also had the shrimp and grits with merguez and classic eggs benedict. Their rendition of both was amazing. Our waiter recommended the key lime pie, which was light, custardy, and had a delightfully homemade graham cracker crust.
I’ve been telling everyone I know to go and that I’d be happy to accompany them when they do.

I’ve been here for dinner with the girls and for a more intimate brunch. Loved it both times. The space itself is super sexy with a cute older gentleman in a uniform leading you down the stairs.
The food is awesome and the service doesn’t disappoint either. I fell a little bit in love with our brunch waiter, Patches (his real name!) last time I was here. The bar can get busy, but the bartender happily listened to my instructions for a skinny girl margarita and was glad to make it for me, though he wasn’t familiar with it.
The layout is also precious and whoever does their floral arrangement deserves a raise. Beyond. Just beyond. Love this spot.

A Faustian perspective on Hotel Griffou:
Angel (Conscience): I don’t belong here. I’m not good looking enough, I don’t make enough money, and i’m dressed like a schmuck.
Devil (Temptation): Yeah, you’re right. Scoop on those hotties and grab me a «Trophy Wife» cocktail before you close your tab.