Little Rascal

A lovely little oasis in a sea of mobbed, overcrowded bar/​restaurants with 45 – 60 minute waits for standard pub fare. This is a cozy, welcoming establishment — subtle, warm décor — the kind of place you’re immediately so comfortable in, you start hoping the experience lives up to it, as you’re already anticipating wanting to come back.
I started with the red lentil soup, which was absolutely superb. It was Mulligatawny-​style (completely pureed), but with more middle-​eastern spices — the combination of mint and a hint of red pepper was amazing. From the meze plates, the hummus was great and the eggplant salad was excellent as well. Loved the warm bread they provided for the meze. The spinach and portabella mushroom salad was excellent as well, in a nice, subtle pomegranate vinaigrette.
The wine list was great — I decided to take the «when in Istanbul» approach and try the Turkish white wine recommended by the owner. It was excellent — surprisingly dry (most of my experience with such wines, I’ve found them too sweet). The Turkish beer (Efes Pilsner) was a bit standard, but fun to try. The Turkish coffee was absolutely wonderful, and the baklava was fine (didn’t seem house-​made/​unique, but I pretty much love any ol’ baklava).
Would have loved to see more entrees on the menu — there were only three options this particular night. When I looked up their menu online, there were a number of options not available the other night — hopefully just because they were out of season/​unavailable? All I know is, there is something called Octopus Casserole on their online menu. I want to come back and have that. Soon.
I’d love to go five stars, but my one complaint (which I’ve seen echoed in other reviews here) is that the service was incredibly slow. The two coffees came out well after the baklava, and my friend’s café latte arrived lukewarm at best. And oasis as it was, I hate having to track down a server for a check when I’m ready to return to the real world. On the other hand, the service is also quite friendly and personal… I struggled with this, but ultimately, I’m afraid I’m too much of a New Yorker to pretend that noticeably slow service doesn’t count. Still, I look forward to coming back — it’s well worth it (as long as you have a little time to spare).

Very cute little place with a pleasant rustic feel. A bit overpriced for what you get, but I thoroughly enjoyed my Turkish meatballs and babaganoush appetizer. The reason I give it two stars is because it honestly may have been the worst service I ever experienced. My party of 15 was completely forgotten about. It’s pretty hard to miss 15 people. We waited about 45 mins for our food and when we approached the server they ran to the kitchen with a face of panic. He could of forgotten to put in the order, fine, mistakes happen. However, after putting in our original orders, there was no apology, nobody came to the table to ask if we wanted anything for the next two hours, nothing. Our entrees came with greens instead of rice which nobody wanted, and when we asked for rice they said it was «sold out.» Ok it would be nice to inform your customers beforehand. The servers are rude and the whole staff seems disgruntled. I would not recommend it if you plan on having a nice evening. There are many nice places in the area that know how to treat their customers.

Went on a Saturday for lunch. Service is very absentee so if you want something you’ll need to aggressively flag down waitstaff. The food ranged from quite good to just ok. We had hummus & bread (tasty), lentil soup (tasty), and chicken kebabs (chicken was good sides weren’t). Our waiter didn’t bring water until we asked. In sum, reasonably good food, but don’t expect much from the waitstaff.

Little Rascal is simply the best Turkish restaurant I’ve ever had the good fortune to visit. There is nothing on the menu thta is less than exsquisite. Babaghanouge, Hummus, Turkish pickled vegetables, Cacik, Piyazm Kisir, Ezme all are fabulous. The lentil soup, I’ve never had better; ditto the octopus salad. Turkish meatballs (lamb), chicken, lamb, salmon – you can’t do better anywhere else, including at home if you’re handy in the kitchen.
If you’re in the mood for mediterranean, do yourself a favor and visit Little Rascal.

One of my favorite restaurants in city for both brunch and dinner. It is my hidden gem where we gather with my beloved ones and always enjoy their tasty menu and great service.

Great Mediterranean place! My favorite dish hands down is the lamb burger. I am addicted along with the octopus salad! Won’t find it anywhere else !

4.5*
I love Turkish food — I am not familiar with too many Turkish wine bars in the city but so glad found this one.
The place is small but really cute and intimate. Perfect to grab some wine and small plates before a night out. The service was just enough and felt very personal.
My only wish is that the meze/​app menu had more variety, namely more «meaty» dishes. For example, the lamb meatballs were a main but would have been a perfect addition to the meze menu. We ordered the meat balls in any case, to share, and they were phenomenal!
I truly loved my experience here and would definitely recommend.

Sadly this place consisted of all cons, when expected to be more pros.
We ordered the spinach & mushroom salad as our appetizer, and a octopus casserole for main course. The appetizer came quick, it was alright nothing too crazy quite simple. However, the octopus casserole came about 45 minutes later. No waiter or waitress came to apologize for the ridiculous length of us waiting for a simple casserole, we were instead ignored possibly to avoid the approach of the problem. The food came at last, and it was something that could have been made at home in less than 10 minutes. We were very disappointed and definitely expected more considering it was being cooked for a long while. The restaurant only had us (2 people) and another group of two people, so it was not even like it was a full place and we should have been waiting that long!
New York definitely has some better spots out there, and I will not be returning to this one for sure. Don’t let the cute ambiance fool you!
Low stars for poor service, food, and long wait time.

Middle Eastern food? Never had! Happy Hour? You know I’m in!
A nice and dark romantic setting with very nice waiters. I had a fly that probably flew in my glass of wine mid way of eating and the waiter was nice enough to help me change it.
Decided to give this gem a try after getting off from work. I wasn’t hungry so I chose the Octopus Salad. With the right amount of lemon and herbs-​flavor, this was really good! It filled me up quickly. The octopus was cooked just right and it soaked up the herb flavors. I would recommend this dish as a starter. Definitely want to come here another day and try the other dishes. This appetizer gave me the right impression of Middle Eastern cuisine.

Dinner last night was disappointing. The place is very cute. Intimate setting. Wine was excellent.
However the appetizers were fair. Got shepherds salad (not great), babaghounish (good but small portion), bean dish which obviously needed time to meld and marinate flavors. I ordered a chicken dish which was not great
It was only $ 14 but just not much thought went into it. Lentil soup was decent but nothing extraordinary.
I’d never return as it was another example of expensive barely passable food.

Little Rascal is a hidden gem :)
Loved the simple rustic feel, the personal service, and the wine selection. The waitress took great care of my friend and I, telling us about the menu and making wonderful recommendations. The food was savory, fresh, abundant and well priced. The staff was incredibly warm, and knowledgeable about their wines.
Can’t wait to go back. It’s hard to find a neighborhood spot with a great vibe, delicious food, and warm service.

The place is a small, cute little place that opens up, weather permitting. I’ve only been here once, but they seemed a bit understaffed. The food came out warm, but it took a long time for it to come out. Our table was only a party of four and we hadn’t ordered much food, so we were confused as to why it was taking so long.
Despite the wait, the food was actually quite tasty. I had a lamb dish that was tender and juicy — dry meat dishes are never fun!
BUT the portions and quality of food don’t really match the price. I though it was a bit steep considering how long and how much food you get, but it tasted good nonetheless.
Not sure if I’d head back any time soon.

We stopped by Little Rascal for a few drinks but ended up staying there for hours because of amazing service and authentic Turkish food on the menu. It has a cozy atmosphere with subtle jazz music in the background. We had a variety of appetizers including cacik, piyaz, kisir, ezme, eggplant salad, borek, and the crazy good manti. We’ve been told the mezes and main dishes have a touch of homemade quality and it definitely shows. Our wine recommendation of rose by the manager was excellent. A great place to catch up with your friends and wind down with wine in a friendly location.

Love this restaurant whether it be for a romantic date or an intimate meeting of friends. The vibe is on point with wooden tables, simplistic design, fresh flowers, mellow music, and dim lighting. The bartender is also your server… perhaps the restaurant owner too. Don’t expect fast service, not that kind of place.
I came here with friends who ordered the dips. The hot bread is delicious, though not the best I have tried. I ordered the lamb meatballs, so juicy and tender! They are full of flavor but don’t taste strongly of lamb. I ate that with the bulgar pilaf and spicy green pepper. I wish they offered different sauces as the entrée was a little dry. As for entrée size, decent… as in they follow proper portion sizes. Okay, okay, I expected a bit more.
Otherwise, the wine was fairly priced for an organic red in the City…$ 30/​bottle. I got the baklava, which was really infused with honey. It was a delicious end to the meal.
Overall, I would come back for the ambiance and some wine. I think the portion sizes should be larger (i.e. desserts, entrees, appetizers). The food is good Turkish food, not amaze-​balls though.

Really excellent, authentic Turkish food! I came here for dinner on Sunday night with a friend. It was quiet and romantic inside… my boyfriend said he used to take first dates here, haha.
We ordered the hummus, baba ganoush. Both were delicious and served with hot, soft Turkish pide bread. We split the chicken brochettes (kebabs) also. The chicken was tender and came with a fragrant bulgur pilaf, grilled tomato, and a huge spicy green pepper.
I liked it so much that I ordered exactly those three items again on Seamless the next evening! Delivery was great and they threw in two pieces of baklava and some cacik (like tzatziki) sauce.

Super adorable restaurant… it really only should get 3.5 stars, but I will round up for the fantastic music selection and the absolutely delicious lamb meatballs!
Little Rascal is a restaurant bursting with charm and oodles of cuteness, but what brings it down is the pace of the service. The service here was incredibly slow… as in we had to wait 40 minutes for our food when there were only two other tables in the whole restaurant… not acceptable! I can’t complain about the waitress because she was super sweet and super attentive.
The food comes with delicious hot bread… though I just wish they had brought it earlier because by the time the food arrived… I had already started gnawing on my napkin hoping for some sustenance… here is what we ordered:
Mezemen– basically scrambled egg with cheese and tomatoes and some herbs… not bad not good… just eh… I wouldn’t order it again
Lamb Meatballs– OMG!!! SOOO GOOD! Loved this dish! The lamb meatballs were soft, juicy and full of flavor (and not that strong lamby flavor either). They are just the right amount of salty so if you have a bite of the meatball and a bite of the Bulgar pilaf it tastes heavenly! I will come back to this place just because of this dish!
Turkish tea– remember its very concentrated, hence the small glass, so take small sips and ask the waitress to fill it up with some hot water when its about half way done :) I also asked for some mint leaves and ended up with mint Turkish tea at the end
Overall, I would come back here just for the lamb meatballs, the ambiance and the music. It is a great place to sit back with a glass of wine and a couple of friends and have an intimate lunch/​dinner.

Very charming place, but food is mediocre.
Came here for brunch and was disappointed by the food. The menu made the dishes sound more impressive than it actually was.
Mezemen — Turned out to be just scrambled eggs. Pretty bland. Worth $ 10? No.
Toast — The only one that was more impressive than it sounded. More like a pressed pannini with melted cheese inside and comes with a side salad and roasted potatoes. Wish I got that instead of the scrambled eggs.
Eggs & Sausage — Only 4 sunny side up eggs with tiny bits of sausage sprinkled around it. Comes with a side plate of chopped raw tomatoes and cucumbers. Very minimal and not worth it.
Complimentary bread — Warm and soft. Really good, but wish it came earlier while we waited instead of with the meal.
Despite how simple all these dishes were and how few people were there (only two tables, including ourselves), it took a quite while to finally eat.

Before we took our first look at the menu we we were really taken by the charming rustic, candlelit space. The menu, however, was bland and really limited. Let me start by asking why an «appetizer» of pickles was for $ 6? As some one pretty familiar with Turkish and Middle Eastern cuisine, pickles are usually served with certain dishes free of charge. Needless to mention the fact that they didn’t even serve olive oil with the bread that only came with an appetizer order.
This place is unreasonably overpriced and completely misses the point of middle Eastern/​Turkish cuisine. For one entré and one appetizer we paid roughly $ 50 (including 15% tip for average service and tax) for the entré we got a few cuts of meat and literally one supposedly grilled tomato cut in half (barely touched the grill) and a hot pepper with a small scoop of burgul on the side sold to us as «lamb brochette» I would recommend either trying something authentic or if you’re after that kind of charming décor be prepared for tiny food samples and definitely avoid ordering their meat (bland and chewy). Never coming back to this place.

Could be easily missed if walking past to get to the LES. Little Rascal was a tiny restaurant which had $ 1 off beer and wine for their happy hour. Along with our glasses of Pinot, we ordered the baba ganoush, which came with only four slices of bread. Between the three of us, we had to split the last piece of bread into three. It was really good babaganoush though, definitely recommended. The owner also gave us each tiny warm towelettes that were scented floraly! That was a really sweet touch of hospitality.
Because we werent expecting to eat here, but just to grab a drink and a small bite, we didnt get to try any of their menu items. We’ll be sure to come back next time for dinner. The pinot was delicious and plentiful.

Service was great — our server and the bartender (i’m assuming they’re both the owners) were incredibly sweet and helpful. They even sent us over a free yogurt dip!
Now, you’re wondering why i gave them 3 stars (i’m really leaning towards 3.5)?
1) Environment: We were seated by the door and windows, which in any restaurant, isn;‘t ideal unless it’s summer or spring. Since it’s winter, the strong draft that blew in every time the door was open really affected my experience. A little cold is fine and reasonable, but my feet and hands were numb. Otherwise, the space is cute, romantic and really inviting.
2) Food: Appetizers were the housemade pickles, babaganoush and the free yogurt dip which came with a basket of crispy focaccia style bread; crispy on the outside and a bit doughy but fluffy in the middle. the pickles were good, a small serving but not really worth the price. the babaganoush isn’t as blended as other places, nor overly chunky; but i thought this was the best textured babaganoush i’ve had. To me, this was the star of dinner. My dinner party loved the yogurt dip with chunks of scallion.
For my entrée, i got the lamb kebab dish and the cubes of lamb were fine. not especially juicy or flavorful, but definitely not bad. well, there was one piece chunk of tendon that i had to spit out. The pilaf was tasty and had berries, chickpeas and seasonings although a touch softer than my personal preference. the grilled veggies were a tomato and a jalapeño pepper.
3) Overall: i would definitely come back for wine and appetizers to spend time talking with friends or even a date. The owners/​servers were a pleasure, and service is such a huge part of dining.