Park West

This used to be a little Tunisian restaurant, but now a local restaurateur has taken over the space and conformed to the new UWS strategy of pricing the food higher but delivering nothing more in terms of quality or imagination. There are a thousand better restaurants in Manhattan, so I won’t be back.

A friend and I are always on the lookout for great burgers. So despite the mixed reviews I went ahead and suggested Park West, and I’m glad we went. Yes, the place had like only five other diners in it, and yes the décor is underinspired in that way that can happen on the UWS, but the climate-​controlled garden has a nice feel, the service was attentive and friendly, the well-​chosen wines very reasonably marked up, and the food was excellent — from the bread and butter to the lamb meatball appetizer to the excellent burgers (pretzel bun, truffle fries with crumbled goat cheese, down from the original $ 21 to now $ 19 per) to the perfect goat cheesecake.
So why haven’t more people caught on? As the food continued to impress we discussed this over each course. I’m convinced the place hasn’t played the PR/​media game right, designed too big a space and was a little amateurish in that design. They seem to know they’re struggling a bit, and we overheard the owner graciously asking an adjacent table if they had any feedback, suggestions, etc. Traffic would be key for them: if enough people came through, enough would come back to keep them going.
I hope next time I stop in they’ll have successfully navigated some of these stumbling blocks, since Park West deserves to survive the NYC restaurant wars!

«Un trombon „à coulisse“. Un trombon „con sordina“. Sient le son du trombon in sourdine. Hear le son… and mute it… drop it. It’s all recorded. No hay banda! It’s all a tape. Il n’est pas de orquestra. It is… an illusion.» Or I could have just said that the owls are not what they seem because there is something Lynchian to this place. A dual, second personality that lies beyond the illusory esthetic of the well designed and cool font.
Did you ever come across this guide on how to make your perfect hipster logo? Take a circle, add intersecting lines and fill the resulting parts with a cow, an anchor or a fish, and you might have a Willamsburg-​proof coat of arms. Park West’s perfect combination gave me chills during each moment when I told myself that west siders finally had a cocktail spot where bourbon-​infused drinks described with a sensual and low-​toned voice would be poured with chambray-​embodied mastery.
But this almost hidden eatery came to be a disappointing experience on several grounds. First, my expectations of a setting of good taste were quickly obliterated… Cheezy is the only word I can think of when I recall the kitschy patterns of the benched seats and the date-​friendly ambiance switched off by the overuse of red lights, and suffocated by the blasting sound of Beyonce, Shakira and other consorts.
The burger was our choice for the night, prior to determining if we would trust the quality of the cocktails, as a classic gastropub dish will always seem safe. The beast came and failed to deliver. The buns were too oily and the onions became rapidly over-​greasy. I notice the originality but the execution did not match the sought sophistication. Also, the fries came in too salty with pieces of cheese so scattered that they became useless. Overall, very vague flavor and a heavily acidic stomach later on, for a $ 19 price tag. You can guess that, with reason and diligence, I ultimately left the cocktails in their pre-​mixed state. I would have felt guilty imposing a harsh ride to a good Bourbon.
Cocktails, brews, New American cuisine, burgers… and a polished logo but definitely not the gastro-​bistro with a zest of speakeasy which it claims to be. Just as Twin Peaks has its characters torn apart by their dark hidden duality, Park West seemed like an enjoyable gem but it revealed too many flaws despite a welcoming and friendly service.

Came here on a Saturday at 9PM. Made a reservation through Savor, which offered a nice 20% off the bill. All of the waitstaff we encountered were pleasant, and very attentive. The décor — meh. It looks like someone was watching a little too much HGTV.
My boyfriend and I ordered the following:
Chicken lollipops — amazing. 5 stars. We loved the Thai flavors. I could’ve probably take down a dozen of these.
(2^nd choice) grilled cheese — I ordered the dry aged burger, but turns out, they ran out. So… My second choice was the grilled cheese. It was good, but $ 16 good? I don’t know about that. The roasted tomato soup that accompanied the dish tasted a little bland.
herb crusted pork chop — the BF ordered this, but I had a bite of his dish, including the Brussels sprouts that came with it. The Brussels sprouts were sooo good. I only wish there were more. I thought the pork chop was good. When questioned about his dish, the BF said he really liked it, and if we were to come back, he would def order that again.
So some cons: not notifying us the burger was out before we ordered.
Not taking off the 20% from the bill until we mentioned the discount. Even though as soon as I arrived, I told the waitress. I booked the reservation through Savored.
³⁄₅ is not bad. I would return again to try the burger as it sounds really delicious

I have walked by this place a few times and we finally gave it a try. We were nicely greeted and offered a table on a small terrace they have in the back. We sat there and it was a quite nice and relaxing atmosphere. We ordered the lamb meatballs to share and the burger. The meatballs were delicious, small but good to share. The burgers were huge and great as well. I ordered mine with salad instead of truffle fries. It was a pleasant surprise, so I’m sure that we will be going back soon.

Disappointing on several fronts for brunch. First things first: this place is in UWS and didn’t have high chairs. More than half the tables had babies, and it was comical to see parents juggling their kids on their laps while trying to eat brunch. Also, servers were handing coffee directly over babies’ heads. Two things management needs to fix if they want success in the UWS.
Then came the food. Mediocre at best. My omelette was fine although unremarkable and the potatoes on the side were overlooked. Portions were on the small side by American standards, which is to say they are probably reasonable and healthy but smaller than everyplace else. Wife’s chicken sandwich was quite bland. A friends burger was better, and looked quite good.
Service was good, aside from scary hot-​coffee-​over-​head-​of-​baby moment. Service was reasonably prompt without ever making us feel rushed. This was clearly the best aspect of the meal. Décor was also nice. Very new, clean, modern. Liked that as well.
Value: just not there. $ 50 pre-​tip without any booze for two. I could be convinced to pay that for brunch, but it has to be a GOOD brunch (Blue Ribbon Bakery jumps to mind, albeit a long subway ride away).
Not a ton of great brunch places in UWS, and unfortunately Park West looks unlikely to change that reality.

So. F — — . Slow.
But I guess if you like bed bath and beyond décor it’s okay. Also. The waitress said a dish had «duck juice» on it. I died.

Beautiful setting in the back patio. All food was really good. Service was exceptional. Nice value for a bottle of Rose. Cocktails were well made too.
The burger is excellent as were all apps and other entrees.
Will definitely come back.

I am split about Park West. For one, they were so warm in their reception, tentative in their service, and the 2-​table front seating area was incredibly inviting and perfect for people watching. On the other, it was Thursday night and there were just 3 other patrons which made me wonder if there was something wrong at the darling bistro, barely tucked away on 70^th from the hubbub of Columbus. I will admit that despite our painfully earnest server’s attempts to provide wine recommendations, I did not enjoy my Sancerre or the Cab. The deviled eggs were a mouthful but not in the best way. The ambiance was spectacular and that will assure my return, but I surmise that others have discovered a kink not yet ironed out in this relatively new establishment.

Having read some of the early reviews on Unilocal,i decided to try the restaurant. It was lovely inside; i was greeted warmly by the maitre d’. I was pleasantly surprised by the meal which was delicious — simple and well prepared. The service however was less than adequate. Our server was warm and friendly but didn’t know much about food and with price points in the mid $ 30’s for entrees she should have been more knowledgeable and attentive. I am hopeful the serve will improve to match the food.

It always shocks me that the UWS is so thin on good, affordable brunch places. Fortunately, Unilocal app guided me to this pleasant, and still off-​the-​radar eatery. The staff was personable and not pretentious, which I always appreciate.
My omelette was very good and the SO’s lox platter was great, too (especially because I got to tap much of it!). The Bloody Mary was nice and strong, and they had Dogfish Head 90 Minute, single-​bottle measuring stick for booze acceptability.
A nice addition to the brunch scene.

Fairly mediocre.
Appetizers weren’t very good. Burger didn’t have much flavor. Service wasn’t great.

I won’t return.

Although recently discovering this hidden treasure, I highly recommend Park West for its Alice in Wonderland décor alone. With its fantastic service and delicious brunch, I’m glad we parked it west that Sunday!

I really like this place. Super friendly and great staff. Food is great. Drinks are nice. They have a wonderful outdoor section that’s air-​conditioned which is perfect. Has a great neighbourhood feel to this bar/​restaurant. It’s good fun place.

Want to eat in a lovely garden but are too hot? Try Park West– lovely AND air-​conditioned! Starting from the hot onion bread and olive vanilla butter, oh pear martini and pear salad down to the very last bite of dessert, you will be very pleased by this little upstart. Service is great and owner on site to make sure every detail is perfect. Love it! Welcome to the neighborhood!

A welcome addition to the neighborhood but by no means is this a cheap night out. Stick to the burger, it is amazing and worth the $ 21 price tag (a $ 1 for every day it is aged I guess). The cocktails are tasty too.

I had the pleasure of stopping in here on their opening night. The service was friendly and enthusiastic. We were seated in the back garden area b/​c the restaurant was full. It was a bit chilly back there and there was no music, but on a nice summer day, it would be really nice. We sampled the soup, ceviche and parmesan fries. Everything tasted excellent, but the soup broth was a bit too rich and heavy for me. The portion sizes are small and a bit pricy, but the food was flavorful and tasted as though it was made from high quality ingredients.
The drinks we ordered were fun and had a kick to them. The menu was a bit small, but the items offered were creative and unique.
They shut down the kitchen a bit past 9PM as they had run out of food. The place has a few kinks to iron out, but once it does, it will be a solid addiction to the neighborhood.