Peacock Alley

Decent selections brunch seafood-​wise; fresh made stations very good; hot entrée choices somewhat slim and less exciting, maybe establishment thinking is that it is mainly a Brunch buffet for clientele who aren’t looking for much more. Dessert qualities varied from very good– tarts with top-​grade berries & chocolates to OK– cup-​o-​tiramisu should be cooler than room temp. If not for the price this is a must try, but you are paying for the pomp and circumstance plus attentive service.

If you want an over the top, expensive, glitzy, old New York experience… this is the place. We came for the famous Sunday Brunch. The price is $ 100 a person and that does not include alcohol. You do get what you pay for: lobster, crab, clams, oysters, caviar, filet, beef wellington, gourmet cheeses, lobster mac and cheese, bisque, omelet station, and a dessert bar that will knock your socks off. Our waiter was very attentive and we had the pleasure of listening to a professional harpist play during our meal.

Classy place in the lobby of the waldorf astoria. Came here after going to the magician show upstairs. The old fashioned I ordered was well made and the overall ambiance was cool.
Definitely pricey but it is something different so I did not mind the price.

Living in New York City for the past decade plus, I’ve often passed by certain landmarks without ever actually exploring them. So when I was invited to a breakfast meeting at Peacock Alley in the Waldorf Astoria hotel, I was really excited to have an excuse to poke around in such a legendary NYC establishment.
The restaurant is located on the main level near the lobby, across from the registration desk. It is an open space, presumably so one can «see and be seen,» but still provides some privacy for business meetings and private conversations.
We were seated in a half booth in the front of the restaurant and had a very nice waiter, who provided excellent service throughout our meal. I very much enjoyed my Scrambled Eggs and Crispy Bacon, and understand that the restaurant serves a massive (and pricey) Sunday brunch. I will have to put that on my bucket list, just for the experience.

For $ 125/​person (not including gratuity), I was expecting a large selection of high quality food. I could’ve taken that $ 125 and brunched like a king elsewhere. The selection was disappointing, the seafood did not taste fresh, the lobster bisque tasted sweet/​caramelly, the Waldorf salad was mediocre, and the mini pastries were disappointing. I really looked forward to trying the Sunday brunch at Peacock Alley, but the brunch buffet was not worth $ 125. Brunch is my favorite meal of the day and this place just made me very sad.

Staying in the hotel, our Hhonors reward was two cocktails at one of the hotel bars, so after checking in we headed directly here for redemption and a light bite.
The free snacks tray brought a crunchy combo with nuts and wasabi peas in the outer compartments and really good cheese crisps (reminiscent of the Che-​Cri brand) in the center.
My wife’s choclatini was more of a dessert than an apéritif but she enjoyed it greatly, my Globetrotter (rum and amaro I think) was pretty much perfect.
The duck confit flatbread was well executed, the duck was moist, just the right amount of cheese, and crisp toast. Four pieces to an order. Sliders (three to an order) were tasty on their brioche buns, but slightly overcooked. I’d substitute something else next time, and I’d probably avoid their $ 32 burger.
Service was on point. For us, this was a near perfect and very enjoyable experience.

Sunday brunch was great!
It was a little expensive ($ 105 per person), but, the food was to die for!!!
Specially, Maine Lobster Bisque and Caviar Bar…

Had their famous Sunday brunch here. Amazing seafood and all the lobster tail and caviar you can eat. Service was horrible and they let our plates stack up and asked for coffee three times until we asked a manager. They could give two shits about you especially since a 15% gratuity is included in your bill. So be prepared to pay for bad service.
Update: I updated the review to 3 stars because after I wrote this review, there was a good amount of communication from management who noticed my review. They asked me to provide them an understanding of what happened and seem to really care. That’s something I can really appreciate. Hopefully they are able to improve their services ASAP as I’m sure for most people going to brunch at the Waldorf. it is a special occasion that they want to have a positive memory of!

Expensive drinks, slow service, over-​cooked burger.
The lobby at the Waldorf can be a pretty busy place, and the Peacock’s prime location in the lobby makes it a target for several visitors. I recommend using OpenTable to make sure you have a reservation for seating and get you a table more quickly.
After being seated, it took approximately 15 minutes for attention from a server. In defense of the restaurant, they were busy, so maybe it was warranted. However, the slow service experience continued through the entire dining experience. Typically, I can judge by the fact that as soon as the server stops by to check in I’m asking for the check in the interest of not being held hostage at an establishment any longer than my current captivity.
Cocktails here are expensive. Glasses of wine are over $ 15 and cocktails are around $ 20 each. They’re signature cocktail «The Peacock» is light and refreshing, garnished with an apricot. My wife was a fan of this for her liquid lunch. Price for value is off, but it’s New York and it’s the Waldorf, so it can pretty much be expected.
Since I’m a fan of a more substantial lunch, I ordered their burger. Since I must avoid gluten, they were able to substitute the bread for the gluten free variety. However, I was unable to get a clear answer on whether or not the fries came from a shared frier from my server. I’m assuming they’re safe based on the lack of breaded frier items on the menu, but you know what happens when you assume. Moreover, I requested the burger to be cooked medium and it met all the requirements of well-​done, which is a disappointment, but I ate it anyway. As my mother says, «there are starving kids in the world.»
Peacock Alley has the location-​location-​location thing nailed with the captive audience in the historic Waldorf Astoria, but failed to offer much more in terms of service and experience.

Peacock cocktail was good. Not worth $ 19, but for having a free drink card it was good.
Service was downright atrocious. Maybe it was because we were seated behind a pillar (because that was a good seating layout right?) but it took almost 30 mins to just get a simple drink. Friend ordered orange juice and it costed $ 12. Hilarious.

Brunch Review: was really excited to try out the brunch for $ 100+ per person I assume it would be some what high quality for a buffet. Yes they have lobster and crab legs but they are both inedible. The best thing I had was smoked salmon on a piece of bread… Service was terrible were there for 1 hour + and had to try to get one refill of coffee. Selection was limited and food quality was well below average. The brunch is for suckers, don’t be one.

If you’ve ever wondered where the «posh people who are inexplicably still bartenders» work, it’s here… at Peacock Alley in the Waldorf-​Astoria hotel. Twelve bucks for a beer and a sneer.

I’ve been here twice, once on a business lunch and the other with my father pre-​Eleven Madison Park (we were going to blow so much on dinner, figured why not spend a little on some pre-​dinner cocktails).
Both times were great — the well-​appointed lobby of the Waldorf reminds me of the F. Scott Fitzgerald’s New York from the Gatsby era, and the waitstaff at Peacock Alley could not have been more professional. The food is pretty much average, but the cocktails are really well done — they use Double Cross for their vodka martinis, which is a much less common brand but a lot smoother than the vodkas most other bars use.
A little on the pricey side for either lunch or cocktails — I don’t know how much lunch cost since it was expensed, but two cocktails cost a little under $ 50 after tax and tip. That being said, if either (a) you’re expensing it or (b) you’re looking for a SUPER classy drink, this is the place to be.

WARNIG!!! You cannot come here «somewhat hungry», or «a bit hungry» u need a very very very empty stomach!!! The brunch here is by far one of the best brunches I have been to. Yes it costs pretty penny but my oh my is it worth that penny. Come here early and take your time with the food. You will need to go back for seconds, thirds, fourths and fifths!!! The brunch is buffet style, the selection is great, my suggestion is start with the lighter stuff and eat your way in! Lighter stuff is eggs and move up to the sea food (delicious oysters!!!) and hot dishes and of course do not forget dessert!!! Thats very important.

Not a very good experience. Came with a family of 12 for a 60^th Birthday party on a Sunday early afternoon. We had the 98 $ per person buffet plate which was a total waste of an experience. Here are the cons.
— Squeezing 12 people in a 10 person table.
— Waiters were not responsive and I had to get out of my seat to ask for utensils, coffee & tea, water, and other. Horrible service!
— The reason why the cost per person was so high is because they were servicing lobster tails, lobster claws, and caviar. Other than those items everything tasted bland and I would rather spend $ 15 per person for a local buffet restaurant and would probably have better service.
I will never eat at Peacock Alley because they have nothing positive to provide for the cost they are asking for. Pass on this place and save yourself the disappointment.

The food sucked and the service is even worse. In fact it’s pretty non existent!!! What are they charging 98pp for? Lobster tails, claws and caviar??? Waste of money and time!!! They must be riding the Waldorf name, bc there is nothing «high end» about the experience. Why don’t you spend a little extra time training your staff on how to properly take care of patrons. No reason I should be chasing anyone down for water, a clean fork or coffee. SOOOOOO dissapointing!

I’ve been wanted to come to this Brunch for years and today was finally my day. The Waldorf Astoria is beautiful, elegant and legendary so I was expecting the food and service to be on par with the hotel’s reputation. It’s $ 98pp including coffee, tea and juice. Here’s how it went.
We arrived for our 1pm reservation, surprised to see that the buffet was located in a roped off section of the lobby. The hostess told us our waiter would be over to take our drink order right away. She said all non-​alcoholic drinks, including soda, were included in the buffet price but alcohol was not. We each ordered a club soda and a coffee and went to the buffet.
We started off with the lobster bisque which was so cold, it was thick and goopy. The bread display was lovely but if you’re spending $ 100pp — don’t fill up on bread! There is a caviar station but they kept running out of paddlefish (my favorite) and blinis. I had to wait about 10 mins (not the biggest deal, but I was hungry). And they kept running out again because the of the accumulated line.
The shrimp cocktail, lobster cocktail and chilled crab legs, were plentiful but again, they kept running out of lemons and cocktail sauce. In a long line, we waited to get the sauces, which were good once they refilled the sauce boats on the table.
They had carving stations of beef Wellington and lamb, and other self serve buffet items like dim sum, lobster mac and cheese (inedible), grilled vegetables and the like. They also had a Waldorf salad and two salad stations, none of which looked appealing.
The desserts were bountiful and included a chocolate fountain with skewer-​able pineapple, marshmallows and cake. Warm bread pudding, carrot cake, chocolate cake, cookies, flan, red velvet cake, fruit and made to order mini baked Alaskas. A chef with a flame thrower charred each mini Alaska upon request. Very cute. I opted for a churro which was stale, cold and disgusting. I did not finish my dessert, let alone go back for more.
The bill came and we were charged for the sodas we were promised were included. Turned out, they weren’t SURPRISE! but the hostess apologized and they took it off the bill without issue.
This aesthetically lovely brunch including harp and piano players was disappointing in every other aspect. The food was borderline disgusting. The hot food was cold and nothing was refilled so we had to keep waiting for things we wanted. I was expecting a lavish experience but I left feeling bad I ever wanted to come here in the first place.

A group of us took my bff today for his birthday. Although we had a great time and the staff was very nice, overall, we were fairly disappointed with the brunch. Billed as the best brunch in Manhattan, for $ 100/​pp, we were expecting a lot more. Not in the variety, which was fine, but in the quality of the food, itself.
For starters, I’m a huge seafood fan. The shrimp were okay. Nothing special but I was expecting them to be a bit bigger. The colossal shrimp at the Homestead put their shrimp to shame. The clams were warm as were the oysters. Also, the quality of the shellfish was mediocre. I get better oysters at the Chelsea Market.
The thing that disappointed me the most, personally, was the caviar. The trout roe and the other type (forget which) was just a step above supermarket jarred caviar. I really was expecting at least oesetra or something. The tobiko was decent but you can get that at any sushi place.
Both grilled chicken dishes were dry. The dim sum could’ve used shrimp dumplings. Overall, my favorite thing was the pancakes, bacon and maple syrup.
No need to go here and drop $ 100/​pp unless you’re not paying. A nice day but Much better food in NYC to be found for half the price.

What can I say… it’s the freaking Waldorf! So much history here and right at the heart of Manhattan. The Sunday brunch here is no joke and you better bring your A game if you’re a seafood lover. From the lobster tails, raw bar to the carving table and awesome desserts, there is something for everyone. It’s not a cheap place, but def worth considering if you’re looking for a nice venue to celebrate a special moment or if you’re just looking to splurge a little.
I had to lose a star simply because the service could’ve been slightly more attentive for the money you’re spending.

Peacock Alley… July 2014 — 4 Stars: what a nice little find for those staying in the Waldorf Astoria. This review is just for the drinks and relaxation in the evening. This place also has nice meals during the day — but we did not experience them. Also heard they have a wonderful brunch on the weekends and we’ll be back to try that on.
Set in the main lobby as a place to wait for people or have a drink at any time, this was a perfect location. Neat ambiance being in the old lobby of the Waldorf Astoria, and they have nice long hours so one can stop in at most any time in a happening place. We stopped by after going to a play on Broadway followed by a trip up the Empire State Building — maybe 11:30 pm or so and this place was just warming up. Nice selection of craft beers and a full bar for those looking elsewhere for their pleasure. Tables also have small trays of peanuts and other snacks to complement the libations. Glad we went and will return.