Borough Food and Drink

I really enjoyed this place as an after work joint with a good selection of local brews and a generous happy hour. The bonus was if this was your first stop for the evening you could also fill up with some pretty good food. I used to sit out on the deck with a mate of mine until some moron behind the bar decided that happy hour didn’t apply to the outside area despite the fact that we were the only 2 people brave/​dumb enough to be out there. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: This is NY, I have more options for food & drink than I know what to do with so don’t go screwing it up with something arbitrary like what physical locations the happy hour is applicable.

We walked by this place yesterday and saw the weekend 2 for 1 specials for brunch and today decided to check it out.
Its a pity this place is changing in October because their Lumberjack is yummy. Berkshire ham, mac & cheese with a poached egg was yummy. He had the steak & eggs. And we got our 2 for 1 drinks. The patio is pleasant since it was very nice out. I wished I ordered their red velvet cake but since this is in my neighbourhood, I know I’ll be back.

THIS IS CLOSED
Another change on the way…

okay food.
overpriced for the type of food they serve.
really really slow service.

Went back for round II this summer (again this place is only a block away!!!). Better but not bestest. No eggs anymore (Thank God) but the service was still über lame. I ordered the quiche (which was outrageous in both taste but too heavy on the butter) which was accompanied by greens. For a cool $ 14 it was overpriced– I think I would have been happy paying $ 8 at the most. My companion ordered the burger medium rare and it was raw. The fries were good, the pickles are Gus’ but again the service is horrendous. Our bill was $ 22 each (inc tax and tip) and he drank water and I had a latte.
Meh, doubt I’ll be back

I’m a big brunch person, so I decided to come here as I walked by and remembered how many times I’ve told myself to try this place out one day. The waiter was very courteous, amicable, and made conversation with me as I was dining alone reading a book.
The complimentary bite-​sized banana muffins were so delicious that the waiter brought me back another four as I devoured my scrumptious crab cake with a poached egg on top, matched with a side salad.
For dessert, he recommended a few dishes before I even asked, which was wonderful because I normally ask for recommendations hoping the waiter (tress) has tried the food they’re serving. I opted for the velvet cake, which turned out to be a cupcake-​sized velvet cake with two layers cohesively attached to each other by a cream cheese icing that wasn’t too sweet. It was just the right touch as a last course for brunch.

I checked this place out after walking by it once and loving the chairs on the porch. I was let down since NY Mag listed it as a place to eat in 2008.
The décor was very casual with a hill country feel, which was appropriate for my father and I, but I was hoping for something nicer. I was also shocked at how empty it was.
The drink I ordered with dinner was too strong even after sending it back. The menu was more like soul food than a medley of New York specialties and local cuisine as I expected. Essentially, I felt like I was at a chain restaurant jazzed up a little for New York.
All in all, I was disappointed and don’t plan on going back.

I’m a little surprised by all of the negative reviews of this place. I’ve been to Borough several times now (both for dinner and for happy hour) and have never had a poor experience. Their happy hour is 2 for 1 drinks from 5pm to 7pm. You’d be hard pressed to find a happy hour like that in a nicer restaurant where the drinks are this good – the Flatiron Fresh (with grapefruit) and the Bridge & Tunnel ‘Tini (feta-​stuffed olives) are my personal faves but I was also very impressed with the Coney Island Cosmo – perfectly light and tart. I’ve had drinks in the lounge area but actually prefer to sit at the bar. The bartender my friend and I had was especially friendly and very generous with our cocktails (he even gave us a couple of glasses of wine on the house).
As for the food, to me the price of the burger wasn’t so offensive (let’s face it, the $ 16 burger in Manhattan is not an isolated incident by any stretch) but it was probably my least favorite meal here. The handmade smoked pappardelle pasta with veal bolognese is absolutely AMAZING! I’m not usually a fan of fresh pasta because it tends to be a little mushy, but this pasta had the perfect bite to it – not to mention the fabulous smokey flavor. I’m also a big fan of the flatbreads and the ribs appetizers. As for the sides, the fried pickles are a good bet and the mac ‘n cheese to me was just okay. I enjoyed the desserts here, but you’re probably better off devoting the stomach space to an appetizer instead… or another drink. ;)
Overall I enjoy coming to this restaurant – I find the staff and ambiance to be just the right amount of casual and inviting. The menu is interesting, albeit a little limited, and with the great drinks I’ll be sure to go back.

I happened to be walking past Borough Food and Drink the other night and was attracted to the décor, so I stopped in for a drink. The space is fairly large and entirely made of unfinished dark wood. A large bar borders the left side while tables cover the right side. I sat at the bar and enjoyed some conversation with the friendly bartender. I checked out the cocktail menu, but found the drinks over-​priced and uninteresting. However, they have a massive beer list, offering some of the most unique beers I have ever heard of… both on tap and by bottle. I tried one of what they referred to as a «Lighter» beer. I found it full-​bodied and rich… not light at all. I also scanned the dinner menu and was unimpressed by the selection. The food seemed like nothing more than expensive bar food. With this gorgeous space and high prices, I would expect the menu to be more appealing.

Worst food ever.
Everything was over-​salted, over-​cooked, and over-​priced. I don’t understand how they are still open.
Don’t waste your money.

Thought the food at this place was ok. Good selection of burgers, chicken, steak, etc. The beer list is pretty good, too. I recommend the Checker Cab, if you like light beers.
I ordered the burger and thought it was good, but not $ 16 worth of good. It was pretty flavorful with lettuce, tomatoes, mayo and pickles on the side, but the outside of the burger was more than a little burnt, despite ordering it medium rare so that took away from the flavor. The fries were pretty good — a little on the salty side though.
I was disappointed in the service. Our waiter was friendly, but very slow and he messed up our orders and forgot to bring some drinks, probably because he refused to write anything down. Stop showing off, buddy!
Overall, an OK spot. Probably wouldn’t good back because for the same price you can get a much better meal at Resto.

Dinner for two, nice bottle of montepulciano wine ($ 38).
Ribs appetizer — four reasonably tasty yet tough pork ribs.
Burger — good not great
Fish & Chips — very good, chips were great and it was served with good malt vinegar as it should be
Side — creamed spinach — great
Good service and pretty good food, the place suggests a little more however, imagine this great layout but with European Union’s chef…
Just a thought.

I was very hungry while waiting for the rest of my group to arrive
I had a nice experience with the bartender and had some great snacks… never had fried pickels… I would go back for them
I also enjoyed, at the reccomendation of the bartender
the beer sampler too.
Food fun and different
Great group night out spot… played pool

So the idea is good. Take all that is New York and pull it together in one place. Sure. Great. Lovely. But something just seems out of kilter here. You walk in and it’s like someone got too hyper and kept saying, «Let’s do this. And let’s do that. And this. And that.» And whoever was transcribing just put their head down and took notes and no one ever said anything. Really, someone should have spoken up.
This place lacks soul! It’s exactly what the worst of New York can be. Pretentious and dull. And nowhere near interesting. I am a beer freak. Only beers from New York? Great. Wasn’t that blown away. Seen it all before. (Yeah, I know. I am jaded) And on a service note. I ordered something and they were out,. 45 minutes later the bar back comes up to stock the bar and puts the first beer I ordered almost right in front of my face. Lame. And my food took well over 20 minutes. And I am not exaggerating. The bartender did say something, but it was at least 10 minutes or more after that when it finally arrived. No worries though. I am happy to dwell on my drink. When the food did arrive it was nice. Well done. Clean. Flavorful. Just not very inspiring, which is a-​ok really.
This was my first Chodorow restaurant and I wasn’t overly impressed. This is one of the reasons why I stay on my side of the city and never venture into the bland and boring sector.

Food good. Service sucky. Space precious.
Liked: Pork sliders
Hated: Matzoh Ball Soup (Grandma Dottie is turning in her grave!)

Very laid back venue and this in a good way. Sit at the bar and let the for real professional bartenders take care of you. This is my Friday night spot, low key and without the drama and B&T of your usual weekend kickoff.
To start, they make a perfect Cosmo at Borough. You’d think that in the City that spawned the Cosmopolitan you’d be able to find a good example every now and again. Not so much. Whenever I’m here, I’m forget how good it is and am happily surprised that my drinks are mixed so well and come in such a healthy sized glass.
If you have a sweet tooth, go with the red velvet cake and the butter pecan ice cream. It is phenomenal. No joke. Like it’s made out of the joyful tears of a hundred happy virgins. Crazy.
Service is refreshing and genuine. «Let me bring you both some icewater along with your drinks.» Whut? Have you ever heard this? Never, never in all my years out have I been offered ice water without having to ask for it at the bar. That, along with my mixed drink’s perfection, almost makes the night.
Then you espy the stylized lighting by the sweet pool table in the back room. Oh yeah. That’s the night capper. We shoot pool and lounged on the big leather couches all night long. Forget about just Friday nights, I’m moving in.

Regardless of so many 1 stars from Unilocalsters, I went to Borough and found that the staff was very helpful and attentive. No eating in the kitchen from what I could tell and quick refills on the Omegang.
The food was actually pretty good. The bar steak, when ordered rare actually came out rare. It was a good cut of beef. And the accompanying fries were actually really good. The only issue I had was serving the meal in a small cast iron pan? Can this be more difficult to mauever around? What ever happened to a decent plate? Sure, its kitch but added zero value.
In all, a pretty good experience.

This place is having teething problems. The service isn’t up to standard yet. Borough has a very casual attitude and the food is casual as well. And when your eye glances over the menu you have to ask if this concept is going to work. For example, call me snobbish but I wouldn’t order dumplings here just because I know I can probably get better at a fraction of the cost elsewhere. Having said that I have never found real Jerk chicken in NY yet. Usually the sauce is limp and doesn’t stand up to the street vendors in Jamaica… until now! The Jerk chicken at Borough is excellent. The Scotch Bonnet and Tamarind sauce is the real deal and has to be used with care. Now if someone would just tell me where in the real boroughs I can find this at a third of the price I’ll be there every week. Come on Unilocalers I know you know!
The complimentary ricotta and bacon pizza at the start of the meal was also good. We had some mix ups with wine. We ordered one of the Chablis on the menu and when it came it wasn’t properly chilled. After chilling with ice cubes (not my choice!) the wine didn’t improve and had a strong honey taste with plenty of acidity which doesn’t characterise a Chablis. The barman thought the wine was not bad but we replaced it with no problems with a Pinot Gris which was good if a little sweet.
As for the pool table. I liked it. It’s tucked away and forms it’s own little lounge area where finishing a meal with another drink is great. We had a few very multi-​national games.
I’m confident they’ll iron out the kinks in the next few weeks and I would definitely like to return to taste more of the dishes. After being surprised by the Jerk Chicken maybe I should try the Dumplings and stop being such a snob…

The burger was so f’ing amazing… but $ 15? Um, no.
They have a lot to iron out, including the space, the music, the layout and what «borough» means. For instance, there’s a pool table, yet I can’t imagine anyone wanting to hang out in this place and play pool. Does it want to be a laid back joint like that? Then why do they play Barbra Streisand music. And if it’s about the boroughs, which could mean anything, then why so much emphasis on Upstate New York food and ingredients…

Brand New!
I went to the opening of this restaurant last night and it was a LOT of fun.
The menu is designed around the food and drinks of the 5 boroughs of New York City. This menu is greatly executed and interesting to peruse. The shredded pork shoulder and the fried pickles made my night. Not to mention the fun drinks on the cocktail list like the «Bridge and Tunnel-​tini» (their take on the dirty martini) or their Queens Big Apple Martini (near and dear to this queens girl’s heart).
The atmosphere is what tops it all off. It is rustic and comfortable. No where in the décor do you get the sense that they are «trying too hard» –it actually does look authentic. There are floor to ceiling open windows in the front that introduce the ‘shabby chic’ lounge area to the street –all of which call out to the passerbys to come on in and make yourself at home! The deck outside is my favorite part, it is home to the best seats in the house.
Check out Borough F&D. The waiters and food are fun, the drinks are creative, and the vibe is right.