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| Rating | Avg. Dinner Entrée |
|---|---|
| $$$$$ | Greater than $25 |
| $$$$ | $18.01 - $25 |
| $$$ | $12.01 - $18 |
| $$ | $7.01 - $12 |
| $ | Less than $7 |
Reviews from nymag.com
| Food | ![]() |
Value | ![]() |
|---|---|---|---|
| Service | ![]() |
Atmosphere | ![]() |
Posted by anonymous on 09/22/2009
Good Food, Nothing Else
When looking back on this place, the food was delicious when ignoring the price and the uncomfortable sitting conditions. You sit in stools with no backs. Ouch! Two of the boys on the end of my group were constantly getting hit with purses and people shuttling back and forth. I paid $30 total and ended up leavingg still hungry! Hungry enough to convince me to buy a slice of pizza on the way home. What a rip off! One of the few places in Manhattan that I didn't walk out of thinking "I could back here."
Posted by DiningMartyr on 09/21/2009
Worth the squeez
Graffiti is one of few restaurants in New York that lives up to its buzz. Taking its cues from the likes of David Chang at Momofuko and perhaps Chika Tillman up the street, small plates with big flavors emerge from the kitchen. This place works on several levels. Despite the restaurant’s Lilliputian dimension, the staff, which includes owner-chef Jehangir Mehta, was helpful and courteous. The communal tables constrain diners to behave, thereby maintaining a sound level to just below a din. Noteworthy dishes include both the Watermelon Feta Salad with Mint Sorbet and the Pickled Ginger Scallops. The Braised Pork Buns were quite good as well, but its condiment (chutney?) was more a contrast than a complement. One inevitably is compelled to compare this dish to Momofuko’s. The comparison, however, is not entirely fair. The meat in Graffiti’s buns derives from the butt and is shredded, whereas Momofuko’s buns comprise sliced brined and roasted pork belly similar to Char Siu Bao. The Duck Portobello dish also was as stands-out, though the accompanying ingredients overshadowed the meat itself. Less successful dishes include the Foie Gras Crostini (bland and dry) and the Mango Paneer (spicy but monotonous). Dessert, Mehti’s bailiwick, should not be skipped. Both the Hazelnut Chocolate Caviar and the Warm Truffle Almond Strawberries were winners.
Posted by juman23 on 06/01/2009
Pork buns!
First of all, the pork buns they have are probably the second best in Manhattan next to Momofoku's. The flavors were amazing. Yes, this place is small. Not an ideal place for a date unless you can reserve the 2 seat bar. If you can go with four people, you'll have a table to yourselves. The service is top notch, and the waitstaff made great rec's and explained the food well. All of the food we ordered was fantastic. NOthing was dissapointed. Get the pork buns and the squid/lotus stirfry. You wont be displeased!
Posted by Experimenting on 03/26/2009
Eh! Keep walking...
So, save yourself the $12 for the pork dumplings... mushy... might as well purchase a bag from Asian supermarket for $3... the fried chickpea flour noodly things on top did not add any.. anything other than a taste of staleness... The fois gras was mundane. The hamburger was the only "titillating" item we tried. But the fingerling potato ... for the amount you get, better be good or don't bother...
Posted by Anonymous on 03/25/2009
Not all that... still hungry, very uncomfortable, way overrated
I guess if I knew what I was getting into, it would have been different. The place was very, very, very small and we were squished into a table measuring about 4ft x 4 ft with four other people. If you're not sitting against a wall, you will have people walking, rubbing up behind you the entire meal. The portions were tiny, as well. Not a real dinner as far as portions at all. More of a tasting. So if you're hungry, you end up ordering more and more and rack up a nice bill. I would have eaten before had I known this. Between the four of us, our check came out to $240! - and we were all still hungry. (The $240 did include two bottles of wine at $25 each). The food was definitely tasty and the quality good. But physically, the experience was very uncomfortable and as I mentioned before not fulfilling in the least for the price that we paid. Very crowded, since the place is too small. The high stools as well were not pleasant to sit on, my back is killing me! - and the fact that they sat us with six other people at such a tiny table was ridiculous. If you want to go here, go with a 'tasting' in mind, not for a satisfying meal, otherwise be ready to spend some money and have some leftover for a slice afterwards.
Posted by anonymous on 03/23/2009
Interesting food, annoying crowd
Went on Sat night, it was quite crowded, there was a large birthday party taking up the two front tables. Got seated towards the back, but because it was so small, the large party still hindered our experience quite a bit. They were screaming, yelling, very drunk, so rude…acting like teenagers at a keg party. I was appalled, they had to be around my age…in their late 20’s, early 30’s. It was so inconsiderate, they should have all gone to a bar, or rented out the place. I felt bad for the owners, they were very pleasant, and didn’t seem to know what to do about it. But I digress, we started with the lychee martini, which was delicious and very refreshing. Then the squid stir fry, which had interesting flavors, but not my favorite. Next was the raspberry foie gras, very basic but enjoyable. We split the burger which was two sliders, I think it was lamb, the spice combination was perfect. The portions were fine for us, I wouldn’t recommend if you’re looking for a big meal, bill was about $45 a person including tip, not bad. And we had two drinks each, I do have to agree that the wine pours were on the small side, stick with a bottle or the martini. If it hadn’t been for the crowd, it would have been a nice dinner, we’ll give it another try sometime.
Posted by Tom on 01/21/2009
Used to be good but aweful now
Like most NYC restaurants graffiti has steadily gone from good to bad. The portions are ridicolously small and the wine is way overpriced and has literally 2 drops in the glass. There are bound to be numerous fire code violations in that tiny restaurant. The last time i went the waitress/owner wanted to charge me $6 to order gluten free food. Mind you this is after spending $250 on dinner and drinks. I have no problem paying $6 bucks but nowhere in the menu did they mention this. They were just being petty. Food is good but service and ambiance is not.