The Derby

I stumbled on this place randomly one evening and had such a good time that I keep going back. Super cute! Big windows, can’t wait for summer to be able to sit outside again. Delicious cocktails! (And strong)
I had the Pork Belly, which was everything and then some. My boyfriend had the Patty Melt, which he enjoyed. I’ve also had their Fried Chicken and I didn’t like it as much, but it was still good. I’m from the South, so I’m extra picky when it comes to Fried Chicken. Anyway, I highly recommend the restaurant.

Went there Friday, maybe 8 other patrons in the entire place. Waitress and to some extent the bartender were pretty aloof.
Took forever to get their attention. Waitress asked if my friend needed change after he paid $ 50 for $ 17 burger. Then took 15 – 20 mins to get that change. Just overall poor form almost like they’re doing me a favor for being a customer.
Not very welcoming for a place that doesn’t have really have anything going for it while also having relatively pricey drinks and food.
Last year it was called Tiny Fork which didn’t stay in business long and also had awful service + bartender. Waiting for the 3^rd edition to return, because the space does have potential

Came to the Derby for a Saturday afternoon brunch with a group of 6. We made reservations ahead of time. My reason for 4 stars instead of 5 is because I left a voice message on their automated system on Thursday night and received a confirmation text at 4am on Saturday morning. Aside from that, my experience was great.
My group had a wonderful waitress who was very attentive and patient and gave us recommendations when we asked. The drink selection is pretty interesting and diverse. It ranges from the traditional options to more specialized options. A glass is approximately $ 10 and a bottle of prosecco, for example, is about $ 36. A friend of mine ordered a drink that tasted like apple pie (good depending on how you like your drink).
My group decided to try different things to get a taste of everything. My favorite was the chicken and waffles ($ 18). I came in hoping it would have a poached egg on top, but that was apparently a specialty and they no longer have it, but what I had was great! The chicken (3 large pieces) was perfectly crisp and moist and had kick-​butt flavor! It had the perfect amount of spice. The waffle was a perfect combination of soft and crispy and the side of sweet butter (I think that’s what it was) and jam brought all the flavors together well. It was the table’s favorite. We also had pancakes, which were soft and delicious. The shrimp and grits was smaller than I expected from pictures, but it still tasted great. We also ordered a side of biscuits and hash browns. The hash browns were good and crispy, but the biscuit was dry.
All in all, my experience was great! The food was delicious, the service was great, and the décor was inviting. I recommend this as a great brunch spot for the Lower East Side!

This place rocks! The food is great the music is awesome. As someone who grew up in the south I find this place to be cute. It is like a northerner’s interpretation of southern cosine. The place has a nice atmosphere.
I recommend checking this place out. The taco’s are a must!

Totally enjoyed the brunch menu. Shrimp & grits were fantastic, came with sauteed kale and some sausage too. I cleaned my plate. Also had a fantastic bourbon cocktail, very strong. very good. My brunch-​mate had a huge waffle with fresh fruit and a cider. Not on the menu but he wasn’t in the mood for the fried chicken with waffle so they just charged him for a side of waffles. aka, great service as well. We sat at the bar, near the open doors and enjoyed people watching as well. A great spot!

I came here on Friday for dinner with a friend. I’d walked by it many times before, so was excited to try this place. I like the open seating plan; the bar area has long communal tables that open up to a larger dining area that feels cozy and intimate. This would be a fun place for a date, but it’s VERY loud, so maybe not a first date.
The food is good: we split the brisket tacos, which I think were the best things we ate all night. I had the macaroni and cheese (with bacon) which was good, but lacked flavor. My friend had the shrimp and grits, which was quite good. We split a bottle of wine and then finished the evening with a cocktail. The cocktails are quite good. I do want to come back and try the chicken and waffles.
Service is very nice and friendly.

Unilocal turned me onto this spot. I’ve been meaning to try the location since I moved to the area but never found a good opportunity– this prior weekend, I was finally able to hit it for brunch.
I rolled in on the early afternoon-​ish period on Sunday and found that there was plenty of ample seating! There were only a few parties here– and the restaurant has a fairly admirable selection of seating available, both indoors and outside, so this definitely chalks up as a potential «on-​the-​go» brunch spot.
Service was great! The one girl that was waiting on our table was friendly and attentive. Orders came out in fairly good time; I didn’t feel the duress of a long wait (one issue I’ve had with grabbing brunch in this area is that I feel like it takes 10yrs to get my orders sometimes).
I opted for the buttermilk pancakes, which were pretty phenomenal. Prepared just right and with all the usual suspects (syrup, strawberries, blueberries). My selection was pretty satisfying and hit the spot. My friend went for the country breakfast which is an impressive assortment of food (biscuits, scrambled eggs, bacon, sausage) and all of it tasted fantastic! If anything stood out to me, I’d have to vote on the biscuits– super tasty!
I skipped on the drinks and had their iced coffee instead, which I had no complaints with.
I would recommend this for brunch if you’re in the area. I’ve yet to sample it for drinks, but one of these nights I’ll definitely make that happen.

Amazing food and great service.
American southernish vibe food with great taste.
Burger was excellent and the meat was cooked to perfection.
Great beer selection.
There is a lot of seats inside the restaurants and in summer there is a nice terrace outside.

Good soul food.
I ordered the BBQ brisket tacos. Luckily, I wasn’t very hungry, but the tacos were extremely tiny. They should have put on the menu that they were «mini tacos». With that aside, the tacos were very delicious. I love the horseradish sauce it came with as well.
My friends had ordered the southern fried chicken, chicken and waffles, and country fried steak. I got to try a little of each :)
The waffle was extremely hard. But the chicken on both entrees were crispy on the outside and juicy on the inside. The country fried steak was also delicious!
We ordered biscuits and mashed yams to share, both were good, but could have been much better if they came out piping hot.
My friends had ordered drinks. Although, I didn’t get to try it, they said that it tasted terrible.
This place would have received 4 stars, but giving it 3 stars because there were too many little things that were bothersome

The Derby has been doing their thing for a little bit now in LES and it’s been on my radar since well before the actual Derby took place earlier in the spring. On a rainy Saturday this past weekend, it was finally high time to pop in and see what their story is all about. So far, so good!
The Derby features a bright, airy layout that acts as both a restaurant and a respectable bar hang if you’re just popping by for drinks. I was in the market for the latter and it was a perfectly comfortable experience. The bartender serving my area was quite friendly, his recommended daily special (muddled cucumber + basil martini) hit the spot, and $ 30 for four drinks (one martini and three glasses of rose) between myself and my friend was quite the nice surprise for the pocketbook. There’s a big sticker in the window that reads «bourbon and biscuits» and I feel like I let mankind down settling for rose and a sweet tasting martini, so next time I pop through I’ll reclaim my status as a man’s man by swigging more brown liquor than you can shake a Bukowski novel at.

Came here for fried chicken after being turned away from root and bone. chicken and waffle came w 3 pc of chicken, it’s tender, moist, lightly battered, but it’s lacking the flavor, kind of bland! it certainly didn’t wow me; waffle was soft but not crispy. it’s not on brunch meun but we ordered it anyways, friend had shrimp and grits, it was presented in a very pretty way, love the sausage, shrimp was abit on overcooked side, I also love that it came w little bit of snow pea greens.
The restaurant is in the center of LES, on a corner street, w all doors wide open, it’s huge, w different seatings indoor and outdoor. Our waitress was friendly and cute but slightly inexperienced. I’d go back to try other things but probably not fried chicken.

We happened to venture in here on a Thursday night after we left an event around the area, and I was pleasantly surprised at how good the Chicken Fried Steak was. It was quite succulent and oh-​so-​yummy! We also shared the biscuit which was soft and delightful to bite into!
As per the venue, it wasn’t crowded, but decently filled and service was just average.

Went here for brunch on a summer weekend. We were 1 of 4 parties. We sat at the bar. The set up is nice, airy, and comfortable. The host and waiter was very friendly. 2 things keep this from being a 4* rating.
Our food took over 30 min to get to arrive. The waiter never checked in or apologized for the delay. He was too busy chatting w a patron who arrived 20 min after we arrived but got his food first!
The fried chicken dish rang up $ 2 more than it appeared to be on the menu. When we questioned it they took it off. No apology and it was drawn in as a ‘discount’.
The English breakfast was eh and not worth the $ 18. The biscuits here are good, not amazing… but the waffle is pretty good and so is the syrup and jalapeño butter they serve it with.
The food is a bit pricey for what it is. Though I have been noticing that trend in LES. The fried chicken meat was very tasty, but a bit dry, maybe overdone. But I think one of the most well seasoned I’ve had. The skin was a bit harder and crunchier than I prefer. If you combined the taste of the meat and the friedness of Cardinal’s you’d have the best friend chicken!
Between this and Sweet Chick around the corner… I prefer SC.

Came here for dinner on a Saturday night. No wait at all
Food here was spectacular. I would give the food 5 stars, but for Unilocal I only give 5 stars if the service was impeccable and the service was average. The food was amazing but the Only thing is, the tables were small, so the plates were small, which made it hard to eat bc tons of food was piled on my small plate
I ordered a shrimp and grits and it was probably the tastiest most filling shrimp and grits I ever ordered. Lots of shrimp, andouille sausage, and egg. Yum! I’m drooling now thinking about it
I also ordered biscuits and those were so delicious also. I piled on the jalapeño butter and added some jam, so good. Best biscuits I’ve ever had.
My friends also enjoyed the entrees they ordered Which included the chicken and waffles and chicken fried steak. The chicken fried steak was the tastiest and most flavorful I’ve ever had. The breaking was just so good!
Definitely come here if you enjoy southern food. It’s a hidden gem!

First of all… how many waiters do you have to flag down before you can get waters for the table. Read: four. Second, I haven’t gotten the food yet but the aforementioned incident angered me enough to write an inflammatory review on Unilocal.
Hey guys quick update, food was great — rating up to two stars. Still no water. Also not a fan of their rose wine. Vinay out.

Came in on a Thursday night and immediately got a table. A perk is that the place is really big. I really loved the atmosphere and the playlist.
I wanted to equally love the food, but it was slightly mediocre. I had the shrimp and grits with a biscuit. The s&g’s were a bit too oily for my liking and the plate was just too filling to plow through. However, the biscuit was pretty tasty. My date had the chicken and waffles with a side of deviled eggs. There were high hopes on the c&w, but they were sub par and bland. The deviled eggs were the only food worth rating five stars.
I want to give this place another chance, but I don’t think I would order from the breakfast menu again.

Decided to stop here for brunch! My friends and I were thoroughly impressed with the food and our tummies were very satisfied. We ordered two dishes here: the shrimp & grits and the chicken & waffles.
Both of the dishes were just delicious! The shrimp & grits was really flavorful. The sausages and egg were a nice addition, and the shrimp weren’t bland. The fried chicken was so well seasoned. The batter was crispy, not too thick, and had a nice spicy, seasoned taste. The chicken itself was moist and also had flavor. The waffle could have been eaten without the syrup because it had a sweet taste to it already, but that didn’t stop us from smothering it in syrup anyways. There was a little kick in the butter from jalapeños!
The people who served us were also extremely polite and service was great! Would come back to try the other menu items.

Came in on a Wednesday night. The outdoor area was full but we managed to grab seats at the communal table by the bar alongside a few good looking fellow chicken-​cravers. The mood was festive and the cocktails were flowing freely.
As for the food:
Split a biscuit, the brisket tacos and the kale salad to start. The biscuits alone are worth the price of admission. The butter is jalapeño-​ed, the jam is delightful and the biscuits themselves practically melt in your mouth. The tacos are also fantastic-​none of that bland beef that so often gets passed off as brisket these days. Be forewarned, there are only three per order, so you might want to get two orders to prevent conflict among dining compatriots.
For my entrée I got the chicken and waffles because, honestly: chicken and waffles for dinner? Sign me up. The breading on the fried chicken is scrumptious and the waffle was wonderful. It didn’t last long on my plate, that’s for sure.
The Derby is a great addition to the burgeoning lower manhattan fried chicken scene, I will certainly be back!

If you need further proof if the spreading income disparity that afflicts New York, the Derby is a shining example. Based in the LES, a former den of villainy and artistry, the Derby aspires to draw people with an income level beyond that of the residents of the area. Despite the great décor, layout, and quality of food, there are two reasons I leave a negative review: first, the knowledge of the bartender on a basic drink (Tom Collins) was abysmal, and second, the pricing is so hiked up that the value of the place declines exponentially.
Ordering my drink, I was presented with a vodka laced Tom Collins which, as any bartender worth their salt knows, is a butchering of a great summer drink. Vodka, when used to replace a proper liquor in a drink, usually indicates a weak palate of he clientele that frequent the place. Fortunately out waitress was kind and replaced the drink without hesitation.
Secondly, on ordering deviled eggs and pork sliders for about $ 20, one would expect a moderate amount of food. When presented with a meager three half eggs and two tiny sliders, I immediately felt that the price was way too high for what I was presented with.
The few redeeming factors of this place are in its location and its layout. Airy with plenty of space, with a sensible hostess and quality food, the Derby is the type of place that either those with money or those who pretend that they have money, should go. If you’re looking for honest pricing though, keep on crawling to the next space in the LES.
Hell, it’s not like there aren’t options in this area.

Southern comfort on the lower east side.
Went for a casual brunch Sunday afternoon. We went around noon and had to wait about ten min for outdoor seating. The drinks were amazing I got mami taylor, if I remember the name correctly and it was great.
The best was the chicken and waffles. I am an avid chicken and waffles fan so I don’t like just any chicken and waffles. These were an eggs benedict chicken and waffles, the perfect combo of savory and sweat. So yummy. Also with the check they brought us dove dark chocolate so five more points for that.
100% recommend the derby if you want some southern style food and drinks.