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I had a horrible experience, start to finish. We came early on a week night to avoid a long wait. Their large dining room was almost entirely empty, with only 2 tables taken. We were told to go buy drinks for twenty minutes. We begged to just sit down, even if we had to wait to order, and were told that the kitchen was too busy (?). The attitude of the staff was one of mean snobbery and disregard. When we finally did sit down, the next problem was the food. Everything was way overcooked and overs piced and TINY and super expensive! It was truly the worst meal and dining experience I've had in this city.

I must agree with the first foodie's review. We have never been to a restaurant in NYC that makes burgers all the same way. The lamb burgers we ordered were served quite red almost raw although I enjoyed mine, my wife did not. I had wondered why the service staff had not asked which way we would prefer it. From the quite personal reply to foodies post it seams to us that maybe the restaurant has decided that they know enough about other customers preference to continue with the burgers their way. This I feel could be one of the reasons for Breslin 3 star rating. We eat out regularly and prefer to try ratings with 4+ stars, but we tried Breslin although having only a 3 star rating due to a recent article in the the Timeout New York. NYC contains plenty of top class restaurants with good reviews, excellent food which equal the prices at Breslin. The difference between these restaurants and Breslin is that they understand and have grasped the concept that the customer is their business ($) and their customers reviews and comments equals success or not.

I dined @ The Breslin last night and instead of an entree, had two apps to save on cost. The broccoli & cheese side was very savory and while a bit pricey for a small dish, was at least worth its creamy taste. I was disappointed with the value of the scallops app -- for $14 (as I recall), it was just 3 scallops, that were not so memorable. I don't think the value was there.

I've had breakfast here twice, because I thought it deserved a second chance. The first time: full English breakfast. Everything so dramatically over-salted I felt as if someone had belt-sanded the inside of my mouth. When I mentioned to the waiter that the food seemed a tad salty, I was told that "The chef likes to season heavily." Second time: having learned my lesson, I ordered poached eggs with lentils. My friend asked if she could have a boiled egg, but was told by the waiter that this would be impossible, as the kitchen "had no boiling water". (Presumably the poached eggs were made using some sophisticated sous-vide process not requiring a pan of boiling water) So she ordered the same as me, and both dishes turned out to be so over salted, etc... There will be no third time. Need I mention that it was also preposterously expensive?

Loud... expensive... great waiter but could someone please go back to the kitchen and tell everyone who works there to show even the slightest restraint with the salt shakers? Did someone translate pinch to fistful? The lamb burger would really be tasty if it hadn't been drowned in salt. The famous pig's foot for two is an amusing idea but ends up being like paying $46 for a nose to tail experience inside a kosher salt box. The terrine plate was the blessed relief from salt. The terrines were excellent.. Too bad it was first! The creamy mouthfeel from the onion soup with marrow couldn't overcome the blast of... you guessed it.. salt!! The bartender, Paul, does a great job mixing fun and unique cocktails. The value of the cocktails is, as usual, non existent but, they were tasty. All in all if you like really loud places with really salrty food run, don't walk to The Breslin..

There are two kinds of restaurants in the Breslin's class: (1) those that care most about the food and showcase it with the best possible atmosphere and service; and (2) those that care most about the scene they are creating, with the food itself relegated to a supporting (if any) role. Regrettably, the Breslin falls into the latter category. This restaurant's no-reservation policy undoubtedly creates an atmosphere of buzz, but the wait will be long, and in our case, tables were assigned on an apparently arbitrary, if not discriminatory, basis. The service staff consisted exclusively of young 2o-somethings, some of whom were trying their best, and some of whom exhibited affected (or perhaps actual) indifference. The bar server, for example, advised us that no blended scotch was available, although we had previously ordered some and were able to obtain it from the bartender ourselves. On the plus side, our table server knew the menu well, and was able to help us put together a pretty good meal. And the food? The small terrine plate was a hit with everyone at the table, as was the scotch egg - a deep fried monstrosity with a juicy sausage coating and a runny yolk that I defy anyone not to love. The rest of the meal (seafood sausage, bruschetta, sides, chips) was just okay, and a pork belly entree was a greasy disappointment. In sum: if you want to be able to say later on that you went here, this is a good place to go. If great food in a great setting is your goal, you are probably better off elsewhere.

So my bf and I ventured out to the Breslin after seeing it featured on the Food Network and all the great reviews. We went for my bday and we waited for about 40 mins for a table at 6PM. They were tons of empty tables, but it seemed like all their workers took their time in clearing the tables, seating guests or taking people's names. They were just socializing with each other the whole time. We saw 4 empty tables sitting empty for a good 25 minutes when there were a crowd of ppl waiting! We ordered the mussels for apps, which was very salty and I ordered the pork belly for my entree. I LOVE pork belly but this is the worst I've ever had. There was a teeny tiny amount of actual meat on it, it was wrapped in a huge pillow of fat! I mean I love fat, but I can't eat a glob of just plain fat! It was totally inedible, the mashed potatoes was just blah. For $28 for that meal, I expected al least a decent piece of meat. Very disappointed, will not return.