Danal

Lox pancake — not enough lox, not bad
Chicken salad — not bad, chicken a bit too sweet
Great cappuccino
Yummy breakfast burrito
Really good croissant French toast

Sadly, Danal has closed.

This spacious place is so cutely decorated that I should have saved it for a time when I wanted to strut my romantic feathers for my gf. but no, i wasted it on a guy friend from my college days to catch up.
i got the skirt steak for brunch, it it was meh. edible, and not remarkable. their vanilla ice cream is really good, and their air conditioning works. if you’re willing to brave the current heat wave, this place won’t do you wrong.

There are so many places to eat in NYC that I normally find a place, try it, then don’t return because I usually have forgotten which restaurant on what street in what neighborhood it was. Not so with Danal. I went for brunch on a weekday a few months ago and I loved it. I ordered the scrambled eggs with zucchini and parmesan. On the menu it looks like just scrambled eggs (kinda pricey, I thought) but then it comes with potatoes and fruit as well, plus the bread you get while you are waiting. It didn’t seem so expensive after all.
I had been craving it ever since and just went last weekend with some friends for a brunch. They had never been, but like me, they loved the atmosphere. My friend ordered the croissant french toast, and I ordered the scrambled eggs again, only this time it came with broccoli and tomatoes. The food wasn’t as memorable this time, and that’s why I’m giving them 4 instead of 5 stars, but I will definitely be returning, and who knows… maybe they will earn another star.

This is probably my favorite low key brunch place in the city. No it isn’t a party like Lavo, no it’s not all organic and trendy like ABC Kitchen… but the food is GOOD.
What makes Danal unique is their croissant french toast. I dreams about this sugary treat, especially when suffering from a hangover. You MUST TRY the french toast your first time there. I have also had other things on their brunch menu and been very satisfied. Their eggs are great, especially the benedict with the smoked salmon. Great hollandaise.
Bloody Marys are good. Not my favorite, but they are good. Could be spicier.
Service is sometimes great and sometimes a little lacking. Overall, Danal has a very helpful and eager to assist staff.

NIGHTMARE SERVICE. Leaky Teapots, overpriced food, small portions, poor plating and most negligent and unintelligible wait staff ever experienced.
No kidding, a shanty town pit stop offers more in the way of respectful service.
There seems to be some kind of mental problem with the proprietor, which if you read any of the other one star and two star reviews, you will meet a creepy and insulting owner. Do NOT go here, unless you want to break up with your date, or suffer a severe post Danal depression.

Nice setting, good table space for a group of 6 with a last minute saturday brunch reservation and food was a reasonable price. I’m also a sucker for places with french press coffee, so that was also a plus!
BUT… food was below average, and the brunch salad was all of a few pieces of lettuce. Pretty pitiful brunch experience overall.

I came here on Sunday for brunch with a group. The food was good, but nothing amazing. I had the scrambled eggs with shaved parmesan and zucchini. Others in my group had the chocolate chip pancakes, poached eggs and the French toast. The coffee was nothing amazing and the décor was fine. The waitress, however, must have been in a very grumpy mood because every time she brought something by, she literally slammed it on the table… in front of me, since I was closest to where she would venture. My table-​mates commented several times on the apparent «abruptness» of the server.
Not sure I would come back unless I was with friends who were really insistent.
I would have given 3 stars but rude waitresses… eh

Very romantic location to bring your date. The food is really well done, the ambient is very soft light, and very French country. It’s the type of place where you feel transported to a small cottage in the countryside in France. The Salmon is really well prepared and the service and staff are perfect. Make sure to sample their bread it’s delecious. The tea they serve has been thus far the best I had in all of New York.
My only suggestion to add to the ambient is to play only French music. While I do enjoy 80’s music it doesn’t have that je né sais quoi for that location.

Cute place for brunch near Union Square. Prices ranged from $ 12-​$ 15 a dish. Mimosa were $ 6 (also offered screw drivers and another alcoholic beverage). They also serve French style coffee. in a soup bowl. I got the poached eggs with english muffin, potatoes, sausage and apples… pretty yummy. Plating was a bit sloppy for my dish but still tasted good. Service was average, I had to call the waitress over to get more water and that took some time. They were willing to split the bill for us and take 2 separate credit cards. It wasn’t too crowded and we got seated right away on a Saturday.
Food: 6
Décor: 7
Service: 4.5
*ratings out of 10

My recent dining experience at Danal was a bit like my glass of vinho verde — flat.
Now in a new larger location closer to Union Square, it lost a bit of its rustic charm in the process. The food also seems to have suffered in the transition.
The Food: The ceviche starter of shrimps and scallops was too imbalanced and heavy handed in its use of lime juice. It wasn’t «overcooked» but I got sick of the flavor in a bite or two. Maybe I shouldn’t compare this to the stellar ceviches I had in Lima, but it just wasn’t what I was hoping for. BF’s cheese platter was very generous in size, but no particular cheese struck me as memorable. The server did not give us an explanation of what they were. I could guess they were all cow’s milk, and one was a blue veined kind. The fig compote was good though. My seafood brochettes, while perfectly cooked, were just plain in flavor. The mound of herbed rice beneath was heavily buttered. BF’s Moroccan chicken was salty and dry. The dessert chosen by my friend was a very doughy cherry pie with a tiny dollop of ice cream.
The good:
Our party of four ordered from the prix-​fixe dinner menu, which, at $ 40/​pp, was a pretty good value (but only if you don’t mind just-​average food). The portions were quite generous, and if you appreciate that more than quality, Danal is for you. Of what I tasted at the table, the bread basket was good, and the fig compote accompanying the cheese plate was tasty. I also like the very convenient location, close to Union Square. While ambience is not as great as in the old location, it’s still cute in that shabby chic, country manor way. Probably a good non-​pricey place for guys to take a first time non-​discerning date.
The bad: flat vinho verde as mentioned earlier, lukewarm service, bland-​ish and sometimes over-​cooked food.

I’ve always walked by this restaurant thinking it served Middle Eastern cuisine. I was very wrong! I went here for brunch one Sunday morning and ordered the chocolate chip pancakes which were delicious! I also recommend the poached egg dish and their coffee which pours from a french press coffee maker. The food was great and this place had reasonable prices — what else can I ask for? I am looking forward to coming back here again!

Great brunch spot near Union Sq. Came here with a friend while the gay parade was happening outside, so I wasn’t too focused on interiors. The poached eggs were absolutely delicious, complete with everything else you can imagine for breakfast and extremely reasonably priced. Just thinking about how the egg melted onto the bread makes me hungry.
Perhaps one of the best breakfasts I ever had complete with good conversation. However, the waitress had a slight hint of arrogance, but nothing compared to the horrible service some other reviewers noted.
Definitely coming back!

I don’t like the French, but this place is quite cute despite all the chotskies. Had the pork chop served with cous cous (prepared medium rare, the pork that is). Also tried the grilled whole branzino (I still hate most fish, buy my dinner date loved it leaving only the bones). For dessert had the ginger pear tart topped with real whipped cream (as good as it sounds).
My companion loved the coffee, which was served in a mug that instantly reminded me of «So I Married an Axe Murderer»… «Excuse me miss, there seems to be a mistake. I believe I ordered the large cappuccino. Hello?! «
Met the owner on the way out. Friendly, recognizes regulars. Hear the brunch is also good. About $ 90 for 2ppl.

A friend recommended Danal for brunch. What a cute little place, made up like an old country inn. Booths like couches, mismatched plates on the wall, menu in old leather picture frames.
Can’t speak to the drinks, as we only indulged in water. Brunch prices were on the higher end of reasonable, but for the portions and quality of the food I was more than happy to pay $ 13 for french toast. French Crossaint Toast, I should say, with apples and a little personalized jar of syrup.
Cute place, good food, friendly wait staff. I’ll definitely go back.
Note to brunch-​seekers: Danal seems to really fill up around noon. You’ll be better off dropping in between 11 — 11:30am.

It’s been a while since I had good blunch… salmon was awesome, perfectly done on top of rissotto.
Waiting staff were friendly and atentive, the owener was friendly and honest.
Excelletn place to have a group, even with kids (even has slope for strollers!)
Near the union sq, I’m very happy to fin this place. Keep up good job!

The owner made me never want to go back.
I go to the law school right next door. Used to go for lunch twice a week for about 2 months (despite it being a little steep financially — $ 20 per person with tip) because it was close to school, and because I truly enjoyed the environment, the waiters, and the food (only reason why, despite the incident below, I am giving it 2 stars instead of 1).
The waiters knew me already, I was the girl with the laptop that would sit in the back corner, eat my lunch quietly, and leave good tips. After a while I started to bring two of my friends with me. So now the three of us used to sit, discuss our cases for the day, eat, and do work.
About two weeks after I brought my two friends, the owner approached us. Now, I’ve seen him before wandering around the restaurant but I never actually interacted with him. He sometimes goes around to tables making small talk so I figured he was doing the same to us. After all, the three of us were regulars.
Instead of friendly chit chat, he VERY rudely asked us to close our laptops immediately and then went on to tell us that the establishment was not an Internet café. And with that he walked away. No «hello». No «sorry». No «please».
No thanks, Danal.
We will never be back again.

I stopped here basically between services (brunch and dinner), so all they had was their bar menu, which is sufficient for what I was feeling. The waiter was really cool, nice dude. I asked for a glass of Sancerre, but it turned out to be a little vinegary. I noted it to him, and he apologized and asked if I would like something else. Wish most places hit that concept.
Anyway, the food; I got some mussels, which were just ok. They were a bit overcooked — strange I know! The sauce was too thick and was a touch too subtle in flavor. Then u had some raw oysters ($ 12), which were ok as well. The accompanying sauce was tangy and tasty with the oysters. Then I had some crème brûlée. I’m REALLY finicky about this dish, but they actually did it well. They torched it instead of popping it under a broiler. Nice creamy consistency if the custard.
It gets 4 stars, mostly because of the service. The folks working here are really personable. And yes, they take credit cards. ;)

My friends and I dropped in here looking for a pastry/​coffee fix and walked out with our cravings unsatisfied. We were seated on the lower level, in a space that constantly made me feel like I was in someone’s living room. It wasn’t bad, it was just… jarring each time I realized it. Thematically consistent décor, you can say that.
The guy who seated us was this old awesome dude who was very friendly, but our waiter was this guy that just.never.came.around. It took multiple tries for us to flag him down to order, and after we got our dessert/​coffee, he literally never stopped by again. Water glasses – unfilled. Napkins – don’t even think about it. We even had to flag him down to get our check.
The coffee that we had was good, although the sugar cubes in the jars are an amazingly unsanitary idea, and they serve café au lait in a nice big bowl (no cute designs though). My friend paid $ 8 for a tarte literally the size of her palm, but according to her, it was good (we felt too bad for her to take any of it).
It seems Sunday afternoon is their «down time» when they do their accounting, so it was frustrating to have to flag down one guy while a whole table full of servers was working behind us. The only highlight of the experience was the bartender asking a a server, «Hey, where’s Amy?»
Response: «She’s dead, I ate her.»
Ah, Danal.

Cozy countryside French inn — become a regular or feel like one.
The décor at Danal (NOT Daniel, as they’ll tell you when you call for a reservation) is perfect. Warm, charming, interesting, comfortable. Every time you go you’ll notice more little things you like about it. Service is good, not exceptional. Staffing is slim, so when they’re busy expect slow service.
The food is great. Somewhere between standard French fare and creative cooking. Nice seasonings and combinations of flavors, but nothing exception. Always a good fish dish, and good meat (ie, the short ribs). Limited menu means they make everything fresh. We’ve never been disappointed with the food.