Goat Town

3.5 stars rounded up.
I came for brunch years ago and kind of forgot about this place because I moved a few blocks north. Since news of their closing spread like wildfire, we came for dinner. Nice drink menu (I got the stout + ginger beer). Shared a crostini of chicken and bone marrow and some E/​W coast oysters. Entrée was a cod that was fantastic — some turnips, fresh greens, etc. As I was waiting for the bathroom (is there really a crack in the middle of its entrance or was I imagining things), I noticed their gardens — which is used for their cooking. Service was great. For those who are prone to being bitten by bugs, bug spray on the legs is a good idea.
I’d like to say GT had a good run and I’m glad they are reopening as another concept and not being run out by increasing rent like other EV establishments.

I read the news today, oh boy…
Though initially put off by the name of this place (GGs is an upgrade dudes, though the bar was low) I’ll miss this spot. It was a solid brunch spot that grew into one of my favorites for showing out of towners some of NYCs fresh brunch vibe (with southern flair no less)
RIP y’all

Had a 7pm reservation on a Wednesday but could have certainly just walked in. Classic east vill dinner/​date spot, good food and great lighting.
The Jeremiad cocktail is legit– Jimador reposado w lemon Cynar, Combier Kümmel, and honey. Didn’t even try any others.
Started w 2 west coast oysters and they were delicious– I’m not a oyster person per se but these were flavorful without the sea food fishy taste and had texture without run rubbery or slimy.
Next we had the Head-​On Prawns and braised octopus. Both were delicious and the stars of the night. The prawns came in this amazing broth with greens and crème fresh with bread for dipping. The octopus tasted almost like steak. Yes I know, crazy. It wasn’t chewy or rubbery at all and tasted like it had been smoked or prepared in a totally unique way that I’d never tried before.
I actually went here for the burger, and while the preparation was great and the fries were perfectly done, the meat was slightly overcooked (medium instead of med rare). Not the end of the world but with a burger, it’s kinda the most important thing. We also had the kale salad, which was good but nothing out of the ordinary.
If you’re looking for a cool spot w great food that’s slightly off the beaten path, head to Goat Town, E 5^th btwn A and B.

I take it all back… I was duped…
The last time I gave Goat Town 4 stars because I couldn’t get over the most enthralling, captivating, and divine ice cream experience I’ve ever had well… ever? i dont know… we’ll just say in a long time. Take something as urbane as an ice cream sunday and serve it up as the best salty, sweet, crunchy, cold, chewy, wet, and overall delicious joy I’ve had in over 8 years
…
Of course I was brain washed into giving in to so many stars…
But sometimes it takes a nasty revisit to realize the horrible truth.
Goat Town, you disgust me. I returned for an actual meal (the real thick of a restaurant, right?) and I was appalled by the ugly truth. The food has almost no substance behind it. The menu is unimaginative. And when Goat Town tries to come off as clever… it just highlights the sheer failure of it all.
Buckwheat Risotto? How disgusting. I felt I was chewing on revolting, crunchy, undercooked lentils. I’ve had plenty of buckwheat before. But this buckwheat made me want to run… but first spit my bite (into a napkin of course! I’m not an animal!), push my plate away, and bolt for the hills.
The kale pasta? Tolerable. Remove the bacon from the dish, and we’d have another runner here: to the hills!
Sunchoke side? Ugh, can you control your putridly runny oil? It seems once you start pouring that oil out, the whole bottle clearly comes with it. Have you no self control?
Perhaps menu items were supposed to come off as some sort of joke? Stout and stormy (its a stout beer version of dark and stormy) has taken one of my favorite drinks, dark and stormy to a bad, unwelcomed place…
can’t we just rewind to where we were happy? You serving those amazing salted caramel ice cream sundays… and me devouring them?
But even if I were to go back, would I be able to shake the nasty food memory out from me?
*sigh* i can only blame myself for adding on food… at a restaurant.

While visiting the city this weekend, my friend and I stopped in for a very late (11pm) dinner. Overall, I was highly impressed with the food and the space.
Based on the other reviews, this place does seem to get busy and definitely was when we walked by around dinner time. We had happy hour plans, so decided ot come back, and were rewarded handsomely with no wait.
The space is vintage enough that it makes it unique, but still clean and tastefully done. The bathroom was definitely the highlight; check it out if you go. The kitchen is open and the entire restaurant is very inviting as you walk again.
The food was really good! Like really really good. I got the mushroom risotto and my friend got the turkey burger; we were both very happy with our choices.
Pretty decent selection of draft beer too: I ended up getting a glass of the cider (which was delicious and not sickening sweet like most of them).
I really like this place and would recommend trying it if you’re in/​around Alphabet City. Perfect for a date or casual dinner with a friend.

The Restaurant Week menu was very good. Several good options for each course of the meal. Our group was able to try all of the options on the menu, and none of them disappointed.
The pork belly was especially good, but if you’re a fan of tartare the beef tartare is an excellent choice. The bread that is served with it is excellently crispy and flavorful. The cornicons garnishing the tartare were actually very pleasantly flavorful as well.
The vegetarian pasta dish is actually one of the most flavorful options on the menu, it has a good amount of garlic. The mushrooms in the pasta dish are excellent.
The caramel sundae, as the other reviews have mentioned, is exceptional. The house made caramel has a nice lightly burned flavor and there is a good amount of salt in the desert, with the pretzels adding a nice texture and flavor as well.
The gimlet that is recommended with the tasting menu provides a nice balanced flavor for the meal with a good amount of lime in the drink.
This place has a nice ambience for a small group, and in season they grow their own vegetables and herbs in the backyard!
As a side note, the vintage sink and faucet in the bathroom add some nice character. :-)

lowlit old school American ambiance: lots of dark stained wood, old glass, and old metal. small menu. great service. not loud.
specialty cocktails are fine. however the bartender makes a mean dirty vodka martini w/​Sobieski’s. seriously well mixed and excellent olives.
grilled octopus with frisee salad. a popular starter on the menu. octopus was cooked perfectly. the bacon fat that they cook with on the grill tends to overpower the taste the octopus, but the dish is still tasty.
ordered the striped bass. perfectly cooked piece of fish. no complaints. all subtle flavors with no negatives.
my dining partner in crime ordered with mussels n fries in bacon broth. i would give this dish 3 starts. the bacon broth was really overpowering the mussels and the bacon pieces in the broth were chewy. the mussels themselves were great as well as the grilled bread. however i would say the mussels were a bit overpowered by the broth.
great casual dinner date place. would definitely come back again.

Caught brunch here with my Aunt, Uncle, and Cuz this past Sunday (note they don’t serve booze before noon on Sunday, is that every place in NYC?). I liked the feel for the place and the back garden looked like it had some serious potential. The streets outside this place were basically deserted and I don’t come down this way that often, so I wasn’t sure what to expect walking in.
Our group agreed the food was fine, but they didn’t knock it out of the park with anything. I would definitely put this in the rotation for breakfast places if I lived close to here, but doubt I would schlep from UES for this experience again unless I had to.
Hipster vibe with the clientele around me, but not in an intrusive way (if that makes any sense).

This was so disappointing. It takes some nerve to charge $ 17 for a burger when the kitchen is totally incapable of actually cooking it to temperature. My burger ordered «medium rare» came out dry, tough, and well-​done. My friend’s «rare» burger was more like medium or medium-​well. The burgers were bland and under-​seasoned, and served on dry, tough buns I would swear were at least a day old.
Everyone in my group who ordered the burger agreed that better burgers are to be found at Shake Shack. To be fair, Shake Shack is delicious, but still. That is sad.

Solid brunch. Good Bloody Mary. Decent tap beer selection.
Get the candied bacon!
Wait wasn’t bad either

Came here twice in the last week, once for dinner and once for brunch. The lack of A/​C in the summer didn’t help, but it’s a pretty chill place with decent drinks and pretty good food. It is slightly overpriced in my opinion but it isn’t as bad as some other places. Got the burger when I came for dinner and was very impressed. It was a huge, juicy thick patty with some gooey white cheddar and a huge mound of hand cut fries. Again, $ 17 is a bit much for a burger, but given the size of the portion, I’ll let it slide.
When I came for brunch, the service was much slower and took forever just to take our order. However, I was very happy with the fried chicken sandwich that I ordered, which is actually only available for brunch. Again, it comes with a huge portion of fries and is a little more reasonably priced at $ 13, so I guess the prices overall were not that bad. However, the service continued to be very slow even though the place was not busy at all. I don’t know if the waitress was being intentionally slow, but there were times when she would look at us, and then just pass without asking if we wanted more water or anything.
Anyways, the food here is pretty darn delicious and satisfying, but the service here has been inconsistent. The name «Goat Town» is a bit perplexing since their dinner menu is devoid of goat products and their brunch menu only has a goat sausage as a side. I expect, nay, demand more goat. Now that’s something you don’t hear everyday. Okay, I’m done