The District

The atmosphere will attract you, the food will underwhelm you, and you will never return again because of the incredibly slow and professional service staff

Awful. Heard great things about this restaurant. Looking forward. Nothing in our orders came correct. When we pointed out to the waitress she could not have been nicer or more apologetic. She said it will be corrected right away. It wasnt took, fifteen minutes. Not really wanting my food by then. After a few more mishaps we spoke with the owner. He could have cared less. I would of given this rest a two or three but the fact the owner was so apathetic was really disappointing.

Its an OK place. Bright and casual and high ceiling make the small place feel less crowded. Decent selection of beers and a good menu.

Ordered the district burger (with lettuce, tomato, pickles, and garlic aioli) and fries on the side. Burger was cooked to medium, exactly as requested and the fries were fresh, but wasn’t worth the $ 12 in my opinion. The garlic aioli overpowered the burger.
Walk to 86^th St and visit Shake Shack instead. You’ll get a better meal for cheaper.

Food is mediocre, ambiance and interiors are really nice. but the worst part is the dishonesty, please check your bill twice, they over charge you for drinks especially late night. I had 3 shots of Jameson listed on the menu at $ 8 a drink, the check came back with each drink priced at $ 14, if I hadn’t caught it I presume they would have just charged my card. A glass of the house white wine was listed at $ 8 and they tried charging me $ 11. Once brought to the waitress’s attention she said first that, that’s how much the drinks were, then when we pointed her to the menu list price she said she pressed the button too hard, never have I heard that in my life. However, she did fix the situation by correcting the mistake once we pointed it out to her…

I am giving this place 3 stars instead of 5 for one reason only.
I live 1 block from The District and I used to love it because they had the best french onion soup. I was obsessed with it. You could get a big bowl for $ 8 and it was more than enough for a meal. It was also supposedly made with vegetable broth instead of beef broth, which was perfect for vegetarians (I’m not, but my parents are and they really appreciated it!). I know a bunch of people who live in the area, and they all rave about the french onion soup too!
Anyway, I went here last night feeling sick and I was so excited to have the french onion soup, and the nice waitress informed me that they no longer have it. Not that they were out of it for the day, but they are NO LONGER SELLING IT. I was legitimately so sad. Then the woman sitting at the table next to us said that she loved the french onion soup too and is upset that they don’t have it anymore! I tried their other soups and I didn’t like them :(
Okay, I know I sound like some crazy french onion obsessed lady but you have to believe me, it was so good! Their other food is pretty good, but nothing beats that $ 8 bowl of soup.
So… SHOUT OUT TO THE OWNER OF THE DISTRICT — If you bring back the french onion soup I will come once a week and eat it! I will also change my review (since it is clearly based on a single complaint) and tell all my friends about your soup!
I swear I’m not crazy, just hungry.

I’ve ordered takeout from here a few times – the arugula pear salad is pretty darn good! – but have only dined inside once. It was pretty underwhelming (I got a hamburger). Service was OK. The crowd is a mixed bag, but mostly leans towards older locals. Which is fine, but I feel like I see a lot of drunk middle aged people outside on the weekends, and they can sometimes be creepy. So no, it’s not someplace I would go with my twenty-​something friends after dark. For brunch? Maybe. If only for the salad!

Vegetarians beware — kinda crappy menu and not very good. You can get better elsewhere in the area.
Having a menu I don’t love however is not why I give two stars. The service is abysmal. Went for brunch and once our order was taken, never saw the waitress again. We wanted to get another round of drinks (8 ppl x $ 12 mimosas — easily double our bill and the resultant tip!) but despite making eye contact many times, refused to come back. So we ate our food, and moved on to the next place. Way too expensive for that level of non-​service

I’ve tried brunch twice — once when they first opened and recently this past weekend. The first experience was pretty good — I was satisfied with the corned beef hash. However, my last meal could have been better.
The menu had a good variety of options for brunch. I decided to go with the eggs benedict with bacon, while my girlfriend tried the breakfast panini. The eggs were OK, but the bacon was charred. My girlfriend wasn’t completely satisfied with her panini either. The service was good considering how busy the restaurant was during our meal, though they added an extra drink on our bill by accident. They promptly corrected the error once it was brought to their attention.
Overall, it’s been a mediocre choice for brunch based on my experiences. I would like to come back here to try dinner or grab a drink, as the bar itself is very nice.

Came in here on a blind date, arrived early, very friendly bar crowd re: sports, of course. Bartenders are also friendly and terrific.
My only complaint was with the fish & chips, way too thick and too much batter, hardly any fish, just a huge piece of fried bread. Sent it back.
But my date had the salmon, which was very good, and we shared a very nice Caesar salad.
Will go back

Went here for brunch and ordered the eggs benedict. Came with bacon and side of potatoes. Absolutely delicious and came with a complimentary mimosa. Great service and atmosphere! Thank you to our server Siobhan for an enjoyable meal. We’ll be back.

Tried it despite reading the reviews here — what can I say, it looks great from the outside!
Ordered fish n’ chips And the chicken pesto sandwich — both were flavorless and disappointing. The fries were soggy and the truffle/​parmesan topping didn’t change much.
Good selection of beer on draft, though limited.

Went for brunch. Service was disorganized or maybe understaffed. We wanted to sit outside and the server told us we can just find a spot. Five minutes passed after sitting down before our existence was acknowledged. Another couple of minutes passed before we got menus. It was mediocre service for the rest of the meal.
I was hungry so I got the steak and eggs. Advice to the chef: please don’t put steak on the menu if you don’t have a cook that knows how to temp steak. I asked for medium rare and got medium well. I asked the server for a new steak and 10 minutes later received a well done steak. Whatever. I didn’t want to wait any longer so I ate half of it and sent the rest back for good.
My wife got the eggs florentine. It was okay. Their hollandaise kind of tasted like Velveeta. Surprisingly their eggs were poached quite well.
We live real close and I was a bit disappointed that I won’t be making this place a regular hang out.
Didn’t want to give this place less than three stars based off of one visit. They seem to do pretty well for themselves so I may have to go there for dinner before further judgement.

Fomos ao One World Observatory no fim da tarde, depois passeamos à beira do Hudson pra ver o pôr do sol e decidimos entrar pra jantar! O Local é muito bacana com ambientação toda francesa, e além do menu delicioso você pode por exemplo ir ao açougue deles, escolher o corte da carne e por uma taxa levar à grelha deles e pedir para preparar o pedaço que você escolheu! Muito bacana! A seleção de chopp é ótima! E no final não se esqueça de passar nas doceiras para doce ou um chocolatinho!!! Muito bom!!!

This place is like purchasing a car and finding out after that it’s a lemon.
Upon first glance this bar looks really cool and one would think that probably the food is good as well. After ordering food, however, you will realize how sorely mistaken you were. I have never had such a crappy piece of chicken in my life. First of all, it was completely undercooked. The steamed vegetables weren’t steamed. And the sauce… it tasted like the tomato paste in Campbell’s Dinosaur Soup. I wish I could say the BF had a better meal but unfortunately, he ordered the same thing as me. Womp womp.
The service is super awkward as well. It appears that all of the waiters and waitresses and bartenders do not have clearly defined roles and responsibilities. They kind of just run around the place and are not assigned specific tables. Not even kidding when I say the delivery guy wearing his helmet and neon vest was actually the person who dropped off our rancid chicken plates at our table. THE DELIVERY GUY! Not a waiter or waitress… but the DELIVERY GUY! I wonder if they make him play chef in the kitchen too…

Just went back today and there was only one Big not very friendly young woman that never bothered to bring a menu so I just crossed the street to the Barking Dog where there’s always a friendly attitude and good food. No wonder they were full and the other one is empty. I guess management and owners were not there. They won’t last long. We’ll see. Meanwhile I’m eating a delicious sandwich across the street.

I’ve been in twice in the last seven or eight months and still haven’t made up my mind on whether this is a three or four star place but the food makes me lean toward a 4. So, there’s that.
If it’s busy and you get a table be prepared for quick, friendly, exceptional service. The food is varied and the wine and beer lists have great offerings. The aesthetic is awesome with Edison lights in the mirrored ceiling and plants growing from the drawers that make up the back wall. You can eat outside, inside or at the large bar.
The waitstaff knows the menu and is not afraid to help you make a decision — something that goes far with the crew I eat with on the UES who can never make up their minds.
Where it gets a little weird is that if it’s not busy, service is lacking. Weird, right? It’s like everyone who works here works really well under pressure. Things are forgotten or take forever and service is just generally clunky when there’s no crowd. My UES crew eats here fairly regularly and says that’s de riguer.
But if you can put up with asking for your drink two or three times (you can), the food makes it worth it. The veggie risotto is amazing, even for meat lovers, and the salmon burger is a fav. Food is fresh and beautifully prepared. My only gripe? The Boston lettuce in the Kathy’s salad needs to be cut. Good lord, those huge leaves seriously detract from the experience.
The positives are many and outshine the negatives, though, making this a spot to add to your «to try» list.

A happy hour review.
Came in at about 6:15pm on a weekday, and the bar was already filled with patrons. We were offered a seat next to the door, and was told that we could get happy hour prices, even though we had to order with a waitress. $ 5 glasses of wine and well drinks, which is a solid deal, especially at a newer restaurant like this. Both wines were on point, so I was pleased.
Ordered a few apps and side dishes to share (hummus, sweet potato wedges, brussel sprouts, and a charcuterie plate). A note on the charcuterie plate: the meny only lists a cheese board, with the option of adding charcuterie to it for an additional $ 8. My friend and I were really only looking for the charcuterie, and our waitress said she would ask the chef if we could do that only. She came back and said we could (same sized portion, for the $ 8), but nice to know they would allow us to do that sort of substitution.
Everything came out warm, and fairly quickly, and the portions were great. Hummus came with a few too many black olives, but everything else was properly seasoned and tasted great.
Overall, a great place for happy hour in the UES.

Given the location, this place a godsend. The selection of wine and cocktails is basic and not complicated so I’m sure everyone can find at least one thing that they like. Book at both brunch and dinner had been great. I’ve had tuna tartar and muscles — both surprisingly good. Salads are big portions and taste great. Mac and cheese and risotto I’ve had a few times but with mixed results.
The service has been consistently good. I’ve always been able to get a table without much wait. Sometimes it can get a little laud.

At first glance it’s a nice looking place and one that is sorely needed up in this higher part of the UES/​Yorkville area. It’s an upscale looking joint but I feel they are still trying to figure out if they want to be a beer bar, cocktail bar, or gastropub. It’s one of the best looking bars in the hood, and feels a bit shabby chic, eccentric, rustic and classy all rolled into one. That is why maybe I can’t put my finger on the disconnect here.
It features a wonderful décor, outdoor seating, and looks like a great spot to have brunch which we have tried on a few occasions. As with others here I felt the service was spotty and it’s almost as if they are either overwhelmed or just unattentive. Sad, because this place is very comfortable and has a lot of potential.
Kind of pricey here for the food quality which could be stepped up a bit, especially when charging this much for an area that is not really an upscale clientele hood. Underwhelming is a good word to describe a meal experience here. You won’t hate it but you won’t be wowed either as I was with my eggs benedict brunch and just ok bloody mary. I have had the burger here which is actually pretty good and pairs well with a Smithwick’s or Ommegang Hennepin which they have on tap. Beer selection features around eight on tap and is pretty standard overall with some crafty choices.
Not really worthy of a destination spot to head to, but an ok choice if you’re a local and close by for a drink or brunch.

I’m surprised by the lower ratings here. I would expect this place to average a solid 4 or 3.5 stars at least.
Walked in and was happy to see no wait for seating. Was given a wobbly table to sit at, so we asked to move to the empty table next to us. They were happy to move us. But then they sat someone else at the wobbly table. That person complained and was seated at a booth. A few minutes later, another person was seated at the wobbly table. They really should fix their tables.
The place has a good selection of beers and drinks. Went with some beer that has a long name and it was OK. I’m not a huge alcohol fan so beer is beer to me, unless it’s piss beer — then I’ll complain about it. The chicken pesto salad was a good size and filled me up. I got the chips as a side and it was pretty good. The truffle fries that I ordered as a side were ok — probably not worth ordering as a side unless you just happen to really enjoy truffle fries.
Overall ambiance, food, and general value is good here. If you’re the area, I can see this place becoming your go-​to place.