The East Pole

Never coming back. Didn’t seat is even though we had a reservation and then charged $ 7 for a latte. No thanks!

I held off writing this review for a few days — but I’m still upset, so I feel I have to leave this feedback. I would have preferred to deliver it in person to the manager, but as you’ll see below, that didn’t work — so leaving it here.
We are neighborhood residents who visit the East Pole quite often. We recommend it to friends who are looking for great places on the UES, and have frequently brought visitors there, because we never have a bad experience. The vibe is warm, friendly, and sophisticated without being stuffy; the food is fresh and delicious; the bar service is fantastic and the cocktails are a home run. The service has always been solid as well — and the maitre d, Denis, is simply fantastic.
We had dinner at East Pole on Friday evening at around 10pm. We did not have reservations, but the friendly and professional hostess took our coats and got us a table for two after a quick wait. We were seated with menus, and a blond man who we presumed to be our server filled our water glasses. He then proceeded to walk away and completely ignore our table for fifteen minutes. We watched him re-​set tables and laugh and joke with other employees, including one gentleman who looked to be the floor manager. Waving, standing up, calling out «excuse me sir» as he walked by — all did no good. The tables around us were all being served by different people, who clearly saw that we were trying to catch this gentleman’s attention — yet did nothing. Finally my husband stood up and walked over to where the blond man was chatting with the (presumed) floor manager and asked if we could please order some food. The blond man immediately got an attitude and said that he was not our server but he guessed he would take our food order. !!! This is while the (presumed) floor manager stood behind, doing nothing to manage the situation, apologize for the delay, or offer to bring over and introduce our actual server. It was so rude that it was bizarre. We gave our order to the clearly annoyed blond man, who wrote nothing down, then proceeded to rattle the order back incorrectly. When I corrected him, he again gave me attitude, saying «well I was JUST trying to make sure.» Once he put our order in, he never came back for the rest of the evening. Our food was brought out by others. No one came to ask if everything was all right or if we needed anything. We ordered the scallop dish, which was really overcooked. This is not a cheap place — if someone had come to check on us, I would have sent it back. The scallops were rubber. We sat with empty wine glasses for most of our entrée.
Finally I was able to grab another server’s attention, a lovely young woman who, when I explained that we apparently had no server, quickly and graciously apologized and said she’d be happy to provide us service for the rest of the meal. Which she did quite nicely.
After we paid the check, my husband approached the gentleman who appeared to be the floor manager, and asked him if he worked there. The man said «No» and walked away.
So we approached the hostess and asked if that man was the manager. She said «yes.» !!! The man lied right to my husband’s face!!! We asked if we could please speak to him. He had gone into the back. She went to get him — and he REFUSED to come speak with us, saying he was busy on the phone! At this point, we were really upset. Not that this should happen to anyone, especially after paying over $ 150 for dinner — but this is our neighborhood place. And this is how we are getting treated? Lied to? Dennis came over as we were visibly upset. He explained that the man was actually the sommelier, who was acting floor manager that evening. Dennis went back to try and get the man to come speak with us — and again, the man refused. Dennis apologized profusely and was absolutely gracious and professional dealing with our feedback. That does NOT excuse the sommelier’s behavior toward us or the absolute lack of professionalism the blond man exhibited toward us during our dinner. I honestly don’t know when we’ll be back after such an experience, and have lost our confidence recommending East Pole as a wonderful spot for dinner and drinks on the UES.

Really liked the ambiance here, and service was quite good, but I wasn’t a big fan of the dish I got. Had the macro plate for brunch. For $ 22 I expect to leave full, and I definitely did not. In fact I was downright hangry and went home to eat chicken. Food tasted fine, but felt very small and unsatisfying to me in terms of being full. Might come back to try something else.

We go to east pole pretty often. The maitre d Dennis is excellent– always accommodating. The staff is generally great and attentive. On occasion they neglect a bit when it is busy. The food is amazing. The spiced cider always a good drink. The burrata is on point and the burger wins every time. The fries and pickle plate are worthwhile. Dessert– the gelato and sorbets are usually my preference.
Brunch is a delight. Go for the indulgences of the breads and muffins. The yogurt bowl is simple but filing.

I’ve been hearing so much about this place for so long, so was very excited to come last night for dinner. For how popular I kept hearing it was, I expected the restaurant to be packed wall to wall. The space is laid out (and I’m sure the hosts do a good job controlling reservations) in such a way that it definitely feels crowded and buzzy, but not uncomfortably jammed. Seems a little bit like it’s a bit of a scene. Our party of four was seated upstairs in a large room that I’m sure is used as a private dining room. We were a little nervous that being tucked away would mean we’d be forgotten, but we weren’t. Our waiter was very kind and informative and answered the numerous questions we asked. We split a bottle of Malbec and skipped appetizers as we were ordering heavy entrees: two of us got the boar ragu and two of us got the cheeseburger. I preferred my boar ragu to the burger (although the burger was delicious). We shared a chocolate bread pudding for dessert that was forgettable. The food was delicious, the atmosphere was cozy, and the service was good. Personally, I thought the prices were a little steep overall, but I will probably be back and still spend my money here!

Food was fantastic. We ordered the burrata, steak, and bass. One of the best on the UES.

This restaurant has a great ambience: cozy yet chic, bright, and feels like you’re eating at your friend’s place. However, the portions are quite small and the food is expensive for what it is. Typical brunch fare: eggs, pancakes, waffles. Although fresh and farm-​to-​table (my impression from the menu descriptions), I found it uninspiring and not quite memorable in any way. All of our egg dishes were bland and overly simple — the plates were quite literally what was listed in the food descriptions, nothing more and nothing less. The banana bread starter (highly recommended by our waiter) was a few slices of banana-​flavored toast, which didn’t meet my expectations for thick and moist banana-​y goodness. Overall, I might return here if I was in the area. It’s not a bad spot to have a lazy breakfast/​lunch/​brunch and chat with friends. Otherwise, it’s not really venturing out of your way for.

Why anyone would give a positive rating to this pretentious, overpriced eatery is beyond me. To begin with, the maitress d’ was beyond rude. She slammed our bill on the table, saying «whenever you are ready…», even though the place was half empty. Her attitude was more suitable for a road side joint at a truck stop, somewhere in the deep of the country.
The menu choices were limited, without any sign of having a chef around the kitchen. I had, what was called smoked salmon tartine, that consisted of a few shreds of salmon, a dollop of a mayonnaise like substance, a pile of watercress, resting on a slice of half burnt, dry, chewy bread.
This was supposed to be a main course, but it left me hungry and unsatisfied.

Great service, great vibes, great food. If your in the area this is 100% worth checking out… Just be prepared to spend $ 18 per cocktail !

I don’t see how anybody could give this place anything but five stars. The food was absolutely amazing. The service was excellent. We went for brunch on a Sunday, and the service was on par with a five-​star fine dining establishment for dinner. The menu was creative but not crazy. We really enjoyed it, and we are going to make sure we come back here for breakfast when in New York City.

East Pole’s ingredients are largely locally sourced and fresh. The difference is evident in the salads. I’m writing this review at 8am, and still my mouth waters at the thought of the market lettuces. Besides the freshness of the greens, they are lightly dressed with good quality oil and vinegar.
The chicken, meat, and home made pastas are also delicious. So too is the vegan gluten free macro plate, which varies with the season. The menu has a good balance of meat, seafood, and vegetarian dishes. For lunch, I love the home made falafel.
Keep an eye out for specials — which don’t occur every day. I’m still dreaming of a braised goat sandwich and pan seared home made gnocchi I had a few months ago.
The Chicken Kiev, a steady feature on menu, deserves a more than honorable mention.
The staff is young, friendly, and the décor is tasteful. Their is outdoor seating that is a few steps down from the sidewalk, and so partially screened from the street.
I don’t care for East Pole’s by the glass wines. The sommelier’s taste seems to lean far towards musty.
East Pole and Amali are the two good farm to table restaurants that I know of on the upper east side. Amali has an edge on seafood and wine by the glass. East pole has better salads and vegetables, and its aesthetic is generally lighter — with less oil and salt than Amali.

Regular hangout stop. Very nice addition to the UES. We need more restaurants like it

Great atmosphere. Quick seating for group of 4 on Saturday afternoon. Highly recommend the avocado toast dish and side of hashbrowns. Quick walk from Central Park zoo. Even our 4 year old buddy enjoyed the banana bread and bacon.

Food is good, not great. Good service. Mediocre atmosphere. Nothing terribly wrong with it, but just ok. Unisex bathroom– I won’t be back.

We got here early on a Sunday and there was one table without a reservation outside. Apparently you need reservations usually because it gets super packed.
The food was good, a solid 3 star restaurant.
I would go back but it wasn’t anything absolutely phenomenal that I would stop trying other places.
I had the macro plate which for all of those as confused as I was, it was veggies prepared different ways over a bed of brown rice. It wasn’t enough to fill me up because I wasn’t eating rice at the time but the veggies were good and nicely prepared.
We also had a fruit juice/​smoothie which was good but super overpriced because it came in a small wide cup so it didn’t feel as big as juices that you get elsewhere.

Say HELLO to Scotch Egg! An item that is rarely seen or served in any brunch spots around NYC… it’s actually a common picnic food in UK. For those wondering what’s a Scotch Egg– it’s a hard-​boiled egg (preferably little runny in the inside) wrapped in sausage meat, coated in bread crumbs and deep fried till it’s golden, crispy outside. The East Pole did a great job at preparing the egg, but over-​fried the bread crumbs because mine came out with dark brown color and tough exterior. Also tried the Eggs Florentine and Avocado Toast with Soft Boiled Eggs– they were okay. Ironically, the one item we enjoyed the most was a simple starter– Banana Bread with Apple Butter. The Apple Butter adds a smooth refreshing flavor to the warm and lightly sweetened Banana Bread. So good! Overall, food was okay (besides the exceptional Banana Bread) with good ambiance and service.

This is a nice restaurant tucked underneath some brownstones in the UES that was very enjoyable. At night time, this provides a great ambiance for date-​night. The long bar at the front of the restaurant allows for you to grab a casual drink (avoid in winter time as the drafts are pretty strong) and the back of the restaurant has a very casual but authentic and rustic feel to it.
Our server was nice, but a bit too excessive when it came to checking up on us every 2 minutes. Before we had a chance to look at the menu or take our first bite, he was always checking in to make sure we were good which was a bit disruptive as weird as that may sound. The menu was relatively concise but vast which I enjoyed because they specialized in a handful of things and they did them all well.
In regards to price, it is average for what you should expect for someone to have a cocktail, some apps and an entrée. Overall, I did enjoy the food and atmosphere and would give this place another shot.
Buon appetito.

Bestie & I had a very nice lunch at The East Pole.
We split the Peeky Toe Crab Toast with avocado on sourdough. It was refreshing and delicious– a perfect starter!
I always love a good kale salad, so I opted for the Kale Caesar Salad with anchovies, croutons, bacon, & egg as my main. I licked my plate clean!
The East Pole will definitely be one of my go-​to lunch spots when I’m in the area. :-)

Met another couple here for dinner on a Friday night. Cozy and dimly lit spot. We sat at the bar and had drinks while we waited for our friends to arrive. $ 32 for a glass of prosecco and a vodka soda. My husband found that annoyingly steep.
I ordered the kale caesar (hold the bacon) to start and then had the sea bass. Both were deliscious, but my entrée seemed markedly smaller than everyone else’s. My friend’s scallops looked wonderful. Overall, we liked the place and would not hesitate to come back here.

I’m surprised by all the mixed reviews. We really enjoyed the service, food, and people watching while sitting outside.
Hot tea was great. Loose leaf tea of lemon ginger.
Smoked salmon toast with whipped ricotta cream cheese was excellent and the macro plate was healthy and delicious. Wasn’t heavy so definitely leaves room for dessert.
Would surely return for lunch or dinner but loved the brunch right after shopping at Bloomingdales