Whym

Don’t just go here on a whim — go to Whym all the freaking time.
My husband and I discovered this gem when we first moved to the Upper West Side. Literally, when we first moved — after hauling up couches, boxes, and even a beer pong table up to our new apartment, we were famished and in need of a solid brunch. The closest option? Whym. We just got lucky that it was the best option.
The restaurant’s brunch was good enough — its grits are creamier than you’d expect from a non-​Southern restaurant — but we were even more impressed when we returned for dinner later in the week. The Chicken Tortilla Salad will make convince the most green-​phobic person to eat a vegetable, and its macaroni and cheese is as delicious as it is sinful. (When it’s at its best — admittedly, at times the mac and cheese can taste a tad dry.) Both are so good, I can’t be convinced to eat anything else at Whym, though my husband has enjoyed the burger more than a basic human diet should allow him to.
Best of all: Whym’s drinks. During one of our first visits, our waiter (who has since left, sadly) custom made us cocktails, but it’s not necessary — their regular options are good enough on their own. The Blue Basil Margarita, the Grapefruit Cosmopolitan, and even the dessert drink options — never has a bad drink been set on our table. Add to all of that an always friendly wait staff, and you’ve got the best neighborhood haunt we could think of. And for those of you now in Hell’s Kitchen — trust me, it’s heavenly enough to be worth the visit.

I came here with a group of five for brunch with reservations. There was still a bit of a wait before we were seated. We started off with some calamari. I liked the sauce it came with but they were just okay.
Someone at our table ordered a peach bellini and definitely got something with orange juice. We sent it back, asking if they mistook it for a mimosa. They sent us another one… definitely still with orange juice. Apparently that’s how they make it there. If we wanted something with orange juice, we would have ordered it then.
I ordered the chicken and avocado sandwich. It was a big portion with sweet potato fries; mediocre though. The berry stuffed french toast was big for one person and incredibly sweet. The bf got the Santa Fe steak and eggs. The meat was chewy. The country grits were yummy and the only part I really enjoyed. Service was bad after the drink incident.

Lovely, lovely place. Having never been able to get in on a weekend (due to my not having made a reservation and the lines being out the door!) I met a friend for lunch here during the week and it really surpassed my expectations. The service was welcoming and warm, the place is not that large, but still airy and light with great décor.
We sat in a booth and were not hurried or rushed in any way, the service was helpful and warm. I had an asian chicken salad, and my friend had the burger. My salad was extremely tasty, for something that I assume is vaguely healthy, it was packed with taste! The burger was apparently jolly nice too. We shared some sides, and I can tell you that the ‘sexy mushrooms’ were just that — gorgeous!
We shared the apple pie spring rolls, and then ordered some more… I am not sure I have ever done that, but wow, they are good — imagine light, crispy sugary pasty wrapped around crunchy warm apple. They were that good!
I will be going back, but obviously making a reservation first!

It was a cold wintery day and all was quaint… except my brother saw a mouse running around the restaurant. Yes! he did even though it had a A health rating… Gross! After seeing that we never stepped foot at this place again…
This was a review of the restaurant pre-​mouse…
Since I live so

Nice cocktails and fun atmosphere to facilitate gossiping with friends, but the food left more to be desired. Go here when you want to do more drinking than eating (i.e. Friday/​Saturday night before going out).
Bacon Debauchery: I liked the concept of this appetizer, loads of bacon which was caramelized. However, the execution left more to be desired. The bacon was limp and soggy whereas I would have preferred big crispy pork belly chunks.
Mac & Cheese: I’ve always enjoyed the Mac & Cheese at Eatery, so hoped this would be a similar experience since Whym is owned by the same folks. Sadly, there was no cheese layer gratinéed on top, just some measly bread crumbs. The cheese sauce was sparse so most bites were dominated by oversized noodles.