Station LIC

Went on a Saturday night — fairly early. The place was empty but picked up a bit after an hour. I recommend getting a drink as the cocktails were good and they have a great beer and wine selection. Even a Finger Lakes Cab Franc which is hard to find. I would not recommend the food, however. I had calamari and fried artichokes and my boyfriend had the ravioli. Both of my apps were cold and underwhelming and his ravioli was wayyyy too rich. They need to do something to step up their food game. On a positive note, the service at the bar was great and so was the atmosphere (although a little cold — could stand to turn the heat up). The place has potential if they could improve the food.

Spent a spontaneous valentines night at this local spot. Food was absolutely delicious, services EXTREMELY friendly, and drinks fantastic. Wish we would’ve given this place a shot before. Will definitely be back and making this our local spot! To top it off, ambience is perfection. Love the cozy comfortable feel to this place!

Delicious tapas style plates. The smoked almonds and olives to share, then the best were the charred octopus & roasted potatoes, grilled calamari with spicy aioli & deep-​fried artichokes with creamy sauce. I didn’t try it but the fried chicken came with 2 or 3 big pieces covered in a red cabbage slaw and the prosciutto, brie and apple on baguette, both looked good too. Friendly staff and plenty of seating made for a good weeknight catch up.

Great service by Michael who was really personable and made sure we had everything we needed.

Very cool scene and much welcomed cocktail bar in LIC. Love the layout and vintage train artifacts. Good drinks.
The new menu is great. I’ve had the hanger steak which was perfect as well as the grilled squid appetizer. Nice! Finally made it to brunch. I had the burger, which was nicely done and a Bloody Mary. Perfect Sunday afternoon.

Great place for drinks. Nice ambiance with big windows looking out. Small bites are delicious, and they have a happy hour. Definitely recommend anyone giving this place a try.

Yeah. I know. The 7 train is about as reliable as a Rolex bought on Canal Street, but it’s worth taking it to Long Island City to check out the new Station LIC Eatery and Bar in Hunter’s Point. Co-​owner Gregory Okshteyn, a Long Island City resident who heads the architectural firm STUDIOS GO, has renovated the triangular building at the corner of Jackson and 50^th Avenues into a cozy 20^th century train station themed lounge. With high ceilings, reclaimed wood floors, exposed wood beams and original brick walls, combined with modern fixtures and oversized art, it sure feels a lot nicer than Grand Central.
But let’s talk about the food. My girlfriend and I started with tuna tartare. Mixed with green onion, mirin, avocado, cucumber, and jalapeño, it was absolutely delicious. Even Ariel would like it, but don’t tell Sebastian. Sticking to the sea, we then tried the octopus. Excellently prepared, with white beans, frisee, garlic, and chili oil, it had a spicy bite to it that was really good. Now for some drinks! In honor of my good friend George, who runs the New York Horror Movie Meetup, I opted for George’s Fabulous Blouse, a bourbon cocktail with apricot, golden falernum, and pimento dram. My girlfriend took the Corpse Reviver #2, a gin with cointreau, lillet blanc, lemon, and absinthe. Both treated us very well.
For our main course I ordered their signature Engine, Engine #9 Hanger Steak, with a crispy smashed potato, harissa, and chopped salad. The steak was mouthwatering, cooked exactly as I’d asked for, which was basically blood rare. Note sure what the secret to cooking a hanger steak is, as mine never turn out like this. My girlfriend stayed in the ocean once more and had the Seared wild caught Alaskan Salmon. The fish was great, as was the vegetable risotto that accompanied it.
We finished the evening with the best Crème Brûlée I’ve ever tasted, and I’ve tasted a lot. Their Italian style cheese cake is also a winner. As the former real life location where Tom Cruise played the obnoxious but ever charming bartender extraordinaire Brian Flanagan in the ’88 classic, Cocktail, we had to end with some, so we had the Derailer (bourbon, Marashino cherry liquor, simple syrup, absinthe, and bitters) and the Conductor (Apple jack, Mandarin ginger roasted rice vinegar, honey chrysanthemum, and orange bitters). Sufficiently snockered, we were ready for the long train ride home. But, in fact, it’s not long at all. Station LIC is just one stop away from Grand Central. Lucky us. We’ll definitely be heading back to this new Long Island City gem.

Came out to Station LIC to try out their new menu and really enjoyed it.
We tried over half the menu and some of my favorites were the pork, calamari, charred octopus and ravioli. There is a beautiful bar and lovely seating that’s not too crowded. Bartender was great as well! Definitely a place to visit in LIC — looking forward to see how they build out their menu.

Cocktails plus five start tapas. I am in!!!
Décor is beautiful but the most important thing is that the place is comfortable, nice lighting, temperature and good sound.
Service was friendly and attentive.
Food was the best of all. The best tapas of LIC, they were a mix of Italian and Spanish cuisine. Try octopus, tuna tartar and the ravioli. Well presented and not too expensive.
Good for a drink with a small bite or you could also enjoy formal dinner.
I am coming back!

I was recently invited to try their new food menu, complementary for the night. The kitchen had been closed for renovations, and they had reopened and equipped with a new chef as well. Their food menu was comprised of elevated versions of bar food. When I arrived around 6:30 pm, it was pretty empty apart from a few patrons.
Asked to choose 3 items for my tasting, I decided on the charred octopus, the chicken wings, and the tuna and hamachi tartare. Prior to the three, we were given a starter plate of toasted bruschetta, veal meatballs, and pancetta ball.
Though the veal meatballs came out lukewarm at best, I thought they were done well. As for the pancetta ball, I wasn’t so much a fan of the pimentón (Spanish paprika). It was really all I could taste.
Moving onto the three dishes:
1. tuna and hamachi tartare– two large slices of the hamachi atop a bed of cubed tuna and avocado. strong plate, could have done with less acidity
2. octopus– nice char on it, slightly too chewy, best presentation
3. chicken wings– fried nicely with juiciness on inside, but crunchy without being overcooked on the outside. Once again, though, it had been seasoned with pimentón. I thought this was the weakest dish of the night since the batter was bland except for the taste of that dreaded pimentón. It also tasted too much like the pancetta balls.
We finished with a divine chocolate mousse cake, which was smooth and decadent without being overtly sweet. It was easily the best of the night. Taking all the plates into account, I’d give the food a final ranking of 3.5.
The plating on all items were attractive and done with tasteful finesse. The staff was attentive, and the manager was the right amount of friendly and assertive. Décor-​wise, it was right up my alley. Located right by the Vernon-​Jackson train station, it could easily garner good business. Since the drinks were priced at $ 12/​cocktail & $ 8-​$ 13 for a glass of wine, I can see how some patrons might find it to be too much of a splurge. With some improvements made to the food, this could be a popular spot for happy hour gatherings in L.I.C.

Great drinks, friendly service, and great décor.
This place has a lot of potential to become a very appreciated locale as it grows into itself. I hope that they start serving food again (I could see this as a very successful brunch place in addition to a bar!).
I will definitely be returning.

Came here for a drink and ultimately dinner.
First off the place is really pretty, I liked the décor.
For food, I had the soup of the day which was a weird combination of chicken broth with bacon. It was spicy and delicious. I really enjoyed it, but it wasn’t something that you would expect when they tell you chicken broth, so beware.
I also had the tuna tartar which was really good. The burger was OK; it was slightly undercooked (medium rare as opposed to medium), so nothing to write home about (and yet…)
I also had the mystery cocktail which had bourbon, I wasn’t a big fan, but I’m not much into cocktails anyway

Came here for the first time last night and will be coming back regularly! Can’t say enough about the food, drinks, décor AND the service! Rafael behind the bar is the MAN! The drinks were delicious! Ponzi burger was amazing and cooked perfectly. Don’t even get me STARTED on the appetizer Cubano Mac N Cheese! WOW! Not only was it delicious (we’re talkin’ CRAZY delicious) but the portion could easily be a main. They’re not stingy here, that’s for sure.
I’m a fan for life! Can’t wait to go back and check out the jazz band on a Wednesday ;-)
Oh and I have to mention the GM Mike who was working hard and super friendly and Greg the owner who introduced himself and bought us a drink before we left.
It’s been a very long time that I’ve gone to any establishment and not found SOMETHING I didn’t like. Loved every single thing about this place.
GO!

If you’re sick of waiting for a table for brunch go to Station LIC. The couple of times I’ve been for weekend brunch/​dinner, the place has only been half full. I think it’s because it’s a little off the well-​beaten path of Vernon Blvd. The food is excellent. The ponzi burger is delicious and rivals Bareburger in my opinion! The fries are excellent and I don’t even really like fries. They are super crispy. My whole family goes nuts for ‘em.
The crème brûlée french toast is a bit decadent for breakfast but certainly worth a try.
The chicken and waffle special they sometimes have during brunch is off the charts! The fried chicken and waffle are both excellent and Station LIC goes the extra mile and tops the whole thing with a slice of ham and a fried egg. SO yummy. The definition of comfort food!
The staff is always pleasant and the atmosphere is super cool. I just really dig this place! It’s great!

Very nice décor, but crazy expensive drinks. No wonder this place is empty on a Saturday night. Seriously… you walk in and it’s really nice but food and drinks are much more expensive than other bars in the area. They even told us we can sit at a table for just getting drinks, and then charges us a 20% gratuity.
I won’t be back for sure.

We visited Station LIC for my birthday on July 4^th. My wife had seen them listed by Zagat for having some of the best cheap steaks. Knowing what a carnivore I am, she chose them for our celebration.
There were 7 of us, with 3 being children ages 11, 4 & 4. We started with a bunch of appetizers because things sounded delicious. First was the baccala salt cod. A mixture of fish, potato, pepper and spices fired into 3 small balls of delight. It was crunchy, flavorful and not greasy at all. The octopus could have been a little more charred and thinner but that’s just a personal preference. The flavors were nice. The crispy polenta was enjoyed by the twins with a little tomato sauce on the plate to dip in. The Cubano Mac n’ Cheese was the star in my opinion. All the individual ingredients of a Cuban sandwich were mixed into a rich mac n’ cheese. Delicious!
4 of us had the steak and it was very good. Cooked perfectly with nice sauces. The only knock was that the portions were on the small side. Our 11 y/​o had the largest one so I got to finish hers. The stuffed pepper was surprisingly good from a meat eaters perspective. The kitchen split the salmon onto two plates for the twins and they devoured it. The risotto it was served with was fantastic, and I don’t love risotto.
Desserts was nice. The chocolate cake was pretty tiny but delicious. The cheesecake was good, not great. The bread pudding was AWESOME. A 3″ tall cube was served. It was crunchy on the outside and moist in the middle. Best of the night.
We had a bottle of the Malbec, which was nice and I had a signature cocktail. The Derailer. Bourbon, maraschino cherry liquor, simple syrup, absinthe and orange bitters. It was great.
Service was good and décor was cool but simple. Very loud due to the high ceilings. Since it was my birthday, we were given the piece of cheesecake on the house which was very nice. No singing though. Thank you for that.
We will be back!

We came here around 9pm on a Wednesday night to find a lively but not too crowded restaurant /​bar along with some live jazz music. Loved the atmosphere to chit chat over some good cocktails.
I can’t remember what mine was called but it had some peachy deliciousness and was surprisingly strong.
Our waiter was attentive (maybe a little too much) and could have probably been a bit more helpful with his cocktail suggestions.
Overall, a nice place to chill and grab a drink!

This place is great. The bar is beautiful, the owners are super cool, and the bartenders and wait staff are pretty laid back.
On Wednesday’s, they have live music starting at 8:00pm. The food is pretty dynamite as well. Check out the Ponzi Burger and the Slow Roasted Pork Sandwich.
Pros:
Whiskey
Wine
Food

I really want to like Station LIC. It’s a beautiful new restaurant /​bar just off the Vernon-​Jackson stop on the 7 in LIC. What we ordered was tasty and fantasically made, and the bartender was friggin AMAZING. However, I’m giving it 3 stars simply because many things we ordered they were out of: several various types of alcohol, and the fish we ordered (I believe it was a seabass) were substituted for cheaper versions (like cod and cheaper rum) that made the drinks and food not as unique or as flavorful as we would have liked.
That said, they have a LOT of potential. The goat cheese appetizer was awesome, and the drink we had, which isn’t even on the menu yet but coming soon, was just absolutely amazing (we got two each!-I’ll edit this post with the name of the drink once I can remember it).
I think as the management and owners see what works and what doesn’t– hopefully they will pull it together and this will be a spectacular addition to LIC.

This much anticipated bar/​restaurant in LIC has been long time coming.
It’s only their second day open and very evident. All the employees seemed nervous or awkward as they themselves got familiar with the menu.
Overall this place has a solid atmosphere that is absolutely fitting of their name. It really is a warm and inviting place.
This part of LIC was in need of a good cocktail and they certainly provide it. I would say this is a solid place for drinks. They gave plenty of wine options, beers and cocktails.
The food on the other hand while good and delicious didn’t seem worth the price tag given the share plate sized portions, even for the mains. For example the chicken pot pie which you expect to be hearty and filling comes in a similar sized bowl you’d expect to get a cup of French onion soup in. It was mighty delicious though.
I think once everyone gets up to speed here and they find their groove it’ll certainly take off with super solid ratings.
I look forward to that, especially knowing how much time they spent on getting things right before opening.