I got the vegan tasting menu, and not a single thing disappointed! Service was great and attentive…read morewithout being intrusive. Great for a date night. The food was elevated but not pretentious. When I asked the waiter how best to enjoy things, they usually said go with what your heart tells you. For a more orthodox person, that was a little distressing but I came out the better for it. Super cool bathroom too, but I wish they had better lighting.

I came here for the Pay What you want dinner summer series in June on Wednesday. They have very…read morelimited table and this place is quite small and intimate. While the service is fantastic, my partner and I didn't quite understand the combination of ingredients. I know the idea is to be innovative and fun but it was certainly not fun for my taste buds.

My favorite wine shop in town. It's run by the people who own Charlie Bird, Pasquale Jones, and…read moreLegacy Records (which is right next to it). Wonderfully curated wines at every price point and for any occasion. Useful and informative email digests to pique your interest and explore their offerings. They offer subscription services as well. Extremely helpful via email if you have questions or recommendations. They can deliver to you, or if you want to save on fees you can pick up directly from their shop. To be honest, I don't buy wine from anywhere else now!

Gorgeous space to enjoy delicious wine. The ambiance and service are soooo nice, reminds me of a…read moreclassy 70s airport lounge inside lol. We were recommended a light and crisp white wine based off what we liked. Im obsessed w the thin, large glasses the wine is served in. Came on a saturday night and were able to be seated right away as a group of 4! Would be a great date spot or if ur just looking to have a special night

This was the only tasting menu experience during my recent trip to NYC. I had heard about Saga's…read moresister restaurant Crown Shy, but not Saga or the bar above it, Overstory, all run by the same group and all in the same beautiful circa 1932 Art Deco building at 70 Pine St downtown. Crown Shy is on the ground floor, Saga on the 63rd, where the elevator stops. You must use stairs to reach Overstory. I actually first learned about Saga when its chef, Charlie Mitchell was a judge on a Food Network cooking competition show and he was very stingy awarding points. Saga opened in 2021 by chef Jamal James Kent and earned 2 Michelin stars the next year. Chef Kent passed unexpectedly; Chef Mitchell has been at Saga's helm since 2024, maintaining its 2 stars. The lobby of 70 Pine is lovely with classic Art Deco touches. Diners or bar-goers check in here then take a dedicated elevator to the 63rd floor. The top floors originally were a private apartment. Saga has 2 dining rooms with stunning southwest or southeast views. There are also 2 terraces facing east and west; the west one was closed. I was seated in the SW dining room which is slightly smaller and perhaps a bit quieter, since Overstory guests must pass the SE dining room to go upstairs. The negative is that the SW room looks over New Jersey instead of Brooklyn. Saga offers 6-course and 10-course tasting menus; you must choose your menu when you reserve. I chose the 10-course. The elevator exits directly in front of the bar, where you are served a welcome drink (alcoholic or non). You are then led to the dining room. I chose the zero-proof beverage pairing. Of course there are wine pairings (3 levels), wines and cocktails as well. The beverages ranged from dealcoholized wines, tea-based, tomato water-based, kombucha-based, soda-based. There was a Morrocan tea service after the savory courses that was a bit of a show. I'm sure the menu changes with time, so I won't go over every dish. The meal did begin with 3 small bites, then there were 4 dishes with seafood and a lamb dish as the final savory course. After the tea, there were 2 desserts then a trio of mignardises. The dishes I remember most fondly were the stuffed cornbread bite with caviar, the lavender pasta with caviar, the scallop with stuffed morels and white asparagus, and the Australian lamb with stinging nettle and ramps. Service was exceptional, as expected, with extra touches like a welcome note on the table and a thank you email afterwards. Shout outs to head sommelier Ross and host Harris. I will say I found some bits of the music playlist rather harsh and jarring for a fine dining experience. Diners are allowed onto the terrace, which had fabulous 180-degree views of Manhattan, the Manhattan and Brooklyn Bridges, the East River, Brooklyn, a bit of Queens and Governors Island. I also went up to Overstory for a peek. It's a pretty small but classy space, and it does have a wraparound terrace where of course the views are fantastic, even over New Jersey. I was told the bar can get very crowded. Overall an excellent and memorable meal and experience. Next time I visit NYC, I just might stay downtown.

Saga - Ending on a High Note (Literally)…read more After nine straight days of eating and drinking my way through New York for Spring Break, it feels only right to start the reviews at the very end--with my final dinner before heading home. And if you're going to close out a trip like that, you might as well do it from the top of Manhattan. Enter Saga, a two Michelin-star restaurant perched atop 70 Pine Street in the Financial District, just off Wall Street. The setting alone is a mic drop--soaring views of the southern tip of Manhattan that are equal parts breathtaking and mildly vertigo-inducing. The kitchen is led by Chef Charlie Mitchell, a Detroit native with Southern influences, Eleven Madison Park training, a James Beard Award, and the distinction of being the first Black chef in New York to earn a Michelin star. The meal itself is an 10+ course tasting menu that leans creative without ever losing control. The wine pairing deserves its own paragraph--it's not just thoughtful, it's playful. Think sake, unexpected bottles, and combinations that make you pause... and then immediately nod in approval. One standout: an NV Cruse sparkling wine with notes of mustard and cornichon, paired with finely cubed potato and Daurenki caviar. On paper? Questionable. On the plate? A brilliant, deconstructed potato salad--a subtle wink to Southern roots. It worked beautifully. The opening sequence came in a flurry of small bites--cornbread, caviar (again, no complaints), shima aji, and a perfectly executed madai tempura that was hot, crisp, and gone too quickly. The main protein course--venison with king trumpet mushroom and cabbage--was a personal highlight. Minimalist in presentation, but deeply flavorful. Midway through, we stepped out onto the terrace. If you go, don't skip this. It might be the best south-facing view in the city. Dessert transitions are often an afterthought. Not here. Saga shifts gears with a Moroccan tea ceremony, complete with a dramatic tableside long pour to cool the tea, paired with a kinako alfajor cookie. It's elegant, slightly theatrical, and a perfect reset before the final dessert courses--which were both excellent. Service struck that ideal balance: polished but relaxed. Our primary guide, Harris, was fantastic, but the experience felt like a true team effort. Over three hours, service remained quickly paced, attentive, friendly, and refreshingly approachable--no stiffness, no ego. New York is stacked with fine dining options, and I've got plenty more to get through from this trip--but Saga earns a strong recommendation without hesitation. And one more thing--do not skip Overstory upstairs. It's arguably my favorite cocktail bar in the U.S., and the perfect way to cap the night. Highly recommend. Follow along for more restaurant reviews, cocktail photos, and recipes: @bathboy.drinks #SagaNYC #MichelinMagic #NYCFineDining #TastingMenuLife #CaviarDreams #WinePairingDoneRight #Overstory #NYCEats #BathboyDrinks #CocktailCulture

KenScale: 8.5/10 Visit: June 2026…read more Whenever my wife Jun and I visit New York City, we lean toward going back to our old favorites instead of checking out new places. With limited time we typically have in the city in any given trip, we would rather go to places where we know the people working there and know the excellent food coming from the kitchen. One place that I have wanted to check out for a while, though, is Penny, which seems to have become a much hyped seafood restaurant (and a sister restaurant to Claud in the same building; we have yet to visit Claud either) with glowing reviews everywhere. When we were in the city earlier this month for my work commitment, we finally checked out Penny, and wow the restaurant delivered! The concise menu at Penny consists almost exclusively of small plates designed for sharing. We started the meal with an ice box of different raw seafood items such as oysters, shrimp cocktail, mussels and scallop crudo. Each piece was fresh but nothing to be impressed with. But then the tuna carpaccio arrived. This simple looking dish completely changed the tenor of our dinner. We certainly have eaten a decent amount of tuna carpaccio at other restaurants, but Penny's version was probably the most ideal version of the dish, with an impeccable combination of chewy texture and citrusy flavor that made me keep saying "Wow!" Every dish that followed made its own statement. While it was rather small in portion for a $22 price tag, the baked razor clams were addictively delicious. Jun doesn't even love mackerel that much, but she couldn't stop admiring the beautifully cooked piece with radish that the kitchen brought out; it was definitely one of our favorite dishes of the night. The freshness of the beets accompanied by trout roe was spot-on, and halibut with ramps also would not have been out of place at a fine dining restaurant. After all the wonderful savory dishes, we had to finish our meal with the famous ice cream sandwich. I couldn't recall then whether I had seen an ice cream sandwich that looked like what Penny put together with ice cream in between two thick slides of bread, but I certainly didn't complain with the beautiful outcome. Even if you are full toward the end of the meal, this is a must-try dessert. Not surprisingly, getting a reservation at Penny is quite difficult. The restaurant is primarily for walk-ins with limited seatings available 14 days in advance; the turnover is relatively quick so if you avoid prime-time hours, you may not have to wait a ton of time. The casual vibe of the restaurant, with a long counter table and alluring lighting, makes for a fun night on all types of occasions. The wine list at Penny is also very impressive; if you are a fan of Champagne, the restaurant has a killer bubbly list with many grower Champagnes in the relatively reasonable price ranges. Now that we have visited a very large number of restaurants together, we have found that the hype behind a restaurant does not necessarily match the quality of the food coming from the kitchen. I'm happy to report that Penny absolutely lived up to its hype and we can't wait to go back again or check out Claud in the near future next time we visit the city.

We managed to grab a last minute reservation here and we are so glad we went; I can see why it was…read moreranked 19 in NA's best restaurants. Every seat is bar seating, which makes the restaurant feel super intimate. Further to that, there were spots at the window for walk-ins and it was fun to see a party of 3 standing, eating and drinking. The raw fish dishes are prepared right in front of you which adds to the intimate experience. The service in here was the most memorable during our time in the city, and our waitress made us feel truly welcome in the restaurant. We will be back when we return to the big apple. You should order the tuna tartare.

The ambiance was beautiful and the service was warm and attentive, but unfortunately the food was…read moredisappointing. Our waiter suggested ordering the first courses before deciding on mains so we could gauge how full we were - and honestly, I'm glad he did, because we ended up not wanting to continue with the meal. If you're looking for authentic Indian food, this probably isn't the place for you. The flavors felt very Americanized and lacked the depth and spice you'd expect from traditional Indian cuisine. The experience itself was pleasant, but the food just didn't live up to expectations.

The place was understaffed by 2 people who called out but the service was really slow…read more It took us 30 minutes to served water and to get our menus. We tried the Aloo dumplings $15 Chicken baos $12 Lamb cheela $24 Roasted tofu - $30 Roasted cabbage - $32 Chicken with spinach - $35 The portions of the appetizers were insanely small The roasted tofu and cabbage seemed to have the same sauce The lamb cheela was the size of a Taco Bell taco The chicken bao had no real flavor Overall we spent $100 per person, spent 2.5 hours there, nothing had an impactful Indian flavor punch, and everyone left feeling hungry

Place is great…read more Love karaoke and bunch of other stuff. Good cleaners polite and kind. Can't recommend pasta :( Sushi was great.

I'm a huge fan of food halls, so I was excited to check out this new culinary destination in town!…read moreOur first stop was the famed Pick & Cheese, and it was every bit as delightful as I'd hoped. Now the challenge is deciding where to go next. Chic-Chic? Taqueria? Or maybe Tompkins Square Bagels? The choices are dangerously tempting! At this rate, I'll just have to keep coming back until I've worked my way through every stall. A delicious problem to have!

Kobabo NYC was a 10/10 experience. We came here for a birthday party, and our main server, Laura,…read morewent above and beyond to make sure the table's needs were met. She gave amazing recommendations on what to order for both food and drinks and had such a pleasant personality, which really made the night special. Our table ordered a bunch of appetizers to share, and the portions were perfect. We started with the cucumbers, which were super refreshing and flavorful. Definitely get the crispy rice -- every version was great, but the crab and salmon tartare were the table's favorites. For crudo, we got both the yellowtail and the salmon, and the yellowtail was so good we had to order a second round. The skewers were also a hit. Each one comes with its own sauce depending on the meat or veggie, and they come three pieces per skewer, with a minimum order of three. We tried the beef, chicken, and eggplant, all cooked perfectly. We ordered all three desserts. Our favorite was the crêpe cake. Definitely order this. The space itself is beautiful, and at 10 PM it transforms into a lounge with hookah, a dance floor, and a live DJ. On Fridays, they play house music, which wasn't really our favorite, but the overall vibe was amazing.

Went for brunch to the spot. Looks like an amazing place with live music. There were a lot of large…read moreparties as well. You can also bring in your pet if you would like. The food is absolutely delicious. They have both like a Brazilian cuisine and some Japanese flavor as well we had the hand roll and eggs Benedict. Definitely do try their cocktails as well! The staff is super friendly and accommodating!

Fun Irish pub on Ave. A. My husband and I wandered here looking for their famous soda bread but…read moreended up staying for 2 drinks and live music. Our waitress (didn't get her name) was so friendly and a fellow Mets fan! She worked the entire place and was never overwhelmed! She kept a smile on her face the whole time and it really made our night. I'll be back for the shepherd's pie!

Great food wonderful service and the owner Mary is terrific…read more Went with a group and we all had a fabulous time