The Upsider

I’ve been coming here a year now and it gets better and better.

Although I have been here for lunch a few times (love the roasted beet salad), we had a private party here last night as a part of a series of happy hours we host in the summer, and I can’t say enough good things about this place. Joe and the rest of the staff were wonderful to work with in the planning stages and very attentive throughout the evening.
The space is beautiful and the bar itself is conducive to mingling. They also removed the dinner tables and added high-​top tables for our event and kept the windows open to let in the breeze. Although dinner service was still happening outside, we very much felt like a private party inside. Plus, we got to enjoy the outdoors without the stress of rain ruining the plan.
Their speciality cocktails are delicious and come highly recommended, and their beer /​wine selection also seemed to satisfy everyone in our party. We had salmon tacos (yum!) that were passed and chicken bites in honey (also yum!) /​fried chickpeas /​french fries /​sweet potato fries on the tables for nibbling. When we had an influx of people at the end of the night, Joe was super nice and brought out more food even though he definitely did not need to.
Highly recommend this space and place as an event venue AND as a spot for drinks /​lunch /​and/​or dinner!

Walked by and noticed this place had a nice atmosphere. It’s a beautiful Saturday morning and all the doors are open to the outside.
This place has a sunny, laid back, L.A. feel to it.
The food is fresh and delicious. The staff is friendly and kind. There’s nothing about this place that won’t put a smile on your face.
Brunch at The Upsider gets two thumbs up! Will certainly be back.

I went to The Upsider for dinner with a friend on a quiet Saturday night. I ordered the Roasted Beet Salad and added chicken which I thought was quite good. They were very accommodating in substituting avocado for the goat cheese. My friend ordered the Shredded Pork Burger which he did not like as it came out cold. He ate less than half his meal and stopped — something I’ve never seen him do so he must have been dissatisfied. Three stars — I liked it but there’s no excuse for serving cold food.

The burger… INSANE
Brussels Sprouts… Must have
Cheese plate… Delicious
Ambiance… Perfection
Stopped for lunch because it was the closest place to the parking lot and found an extraordinary surprise! Exactly what we needed. Definitely coming back.

Came here for happy hour with a friend. Surprisingly, we got seated right away on a Friday. It’s a very cute place with modern décor and an outside seating area. We really wanted to sit outside but it was way too humid to really enjoy the cold drinks we were planning to order. The tables are pretty small so it’s not the best place for larger parties. Sangria and rosé are $ 7 during happy hour and they tasted pretty good.
I got the Tuna Tartare which came with a side of fried chips, which were a little bit too oily for my liking. My friend and I also ordered a dozen oysters since they were $ 1 during happy hour. The oysters weren’t super fresh but I didn’t expect too much.
The staff was very attentive and made sure our glasses were never empty. I’m looking forward to coming back for happy hour again.

came here for brunch and was seated at the bar quickly even though it was very crowded. we got the avocado toast and the eggs benedict. Both dishes were well executed and tasted good. Both dishes comes with a side of salad so you’ll get your greens. The eggs for both were cooked well and runny. Nothing negative to say really but also nothing really stood out.

People, if you’re looking for a nice brunch place with a nice cappuccino — avoid this place as hard as you can.
I live in the area and went there for dinner few times — was disappointed but not outraged, never left a review before though.
Last weekend I went for brunch and this was absolutely the worst brunch experience in the city ever.
The food was a joke — excuse for a toast in form of huge fat piece of brad; coffee is terrible, as if these people have never tried an espresso or a cappuccino.
The only light motives were location, interior and outside seating; also few of the staff, especially the hostess.
Last issue was trying to charge for stuff that was ordered but never delivered to the table …
Really bad experience and disappointment for the neighborhood. Mr. owner please get the grip on what’s important, hire consultants or something, or otherwise go away and let someone who knows how to manage a restaurant do it.

Coming here has only reaffirmed how much I’ve come to enjoy cooking: groceries are cheaper, you get to control how strong a particular taste should be, and no one is there to look askance at you when you finish all of the cookies that were meant for dessert in the middle of cooking the meat.
At the very least, I can guarantee making your own kale salad, cocktail, and sweet potato fries will not run you about $ 45.
The (dinner) prices here make my heart hurt: $ 18 for a smallish kale salad (though you can add on chicken for only $ 8!), and $ 28 for a tiny chunk of salmon and green leaves. Those are prices out of a wood-​paneled, leather-​embossed, fancy-​trousers-​only steakhouse, but the Upsider is so cheerfully yellow, so bright and earnest, and is the restaurant equivalent of a super peppy 20-​something girl. The Upsider and The Smith are havens for the post-​college/​first-​job crowd who just want an awesome avocado toast to Instagram, so I had assumed the prices would somehow reflect that. But no. I left here hungry and ate my way through a pack of green apple mentos which defeats the purpose of a kale salad.
What also made my heart hurt was the sign outside clearly advertised $ 9 happy hour cocktails. We happily ordered away the drinks, and was later surprised to see that the drinks ended up being $ 14 each. When pressed, the waiter admitted that the happy hour price only extended to two specific cocktails — the Moscow Mule and some drink with the word «Gold» in it. Uh-​huh.
+1 for taking reservations. Another +1 for offering some very photogenic buttermilk fried chicken.

Went to this place for brunch since they had outside seating available on a nice and sunny afternoon. Unfortunately the lovely weather was the highlight of our experience here. Fairly standard brunch menu, various varieties of eggs and meats. All the sides and accompaniments cost extra. Drinks were extra too and we didn’t try them so can’t comment on the quality of those.
I went with the frittata and wifey got the eggs benny. Both came with a small side of salad. Portion sizes were smallish, the frittata especially. We ordered a side of sweet potato fries as well. The food was quite underwhelming. It was not bad but none of it left an impression either. The service was prompt and friendly, which was definitely a plus. It was a nice experience largely because of the gorgeous day but I dont think I’d go back for the food.

I had breakfast/​brunch here with a friend a few months back. We were there right at opening time and didn’t have reservations. The place filled up pretty quickly and we were seated at the bar, because of the aforementioned lack of reservations.
The food was decent and pricety; the bartender was a little snarky; the environment /​décor is lovely. Nothing really wowed me or stood out, hence my 3 star rating. I probably wouldn’t make a concerted effort to return but wouldn’t try to talk a friend out of going here either.

Spent a while wandering around the upper east side with a friend looking for a decent happy hour and was very pleased we stumbled upon this place. Atmosphere was great and the waiter was even better. We had sangria and their oysters on special for $ 1. I also had a burger for dinner and it was delicious, definitely recommend!

This is a great spot for brunch. The owners were in and we got to chat. They are lovely and so is this place, start to finish. It was cold, they closed these somewhat complicated doors for us. So accommodating. And the food? Eat everything. I was in the middle of one dish when I had to get order something else to try. Grab your friends and stop in here.

Came to The Upsider for Saturday brunch with three friends. It’s a cute, energetic, bright space in Turtle Bay– great spot for brunch if you live in/​near the area.
I’ll get right into the food: three of the four entrees were served several minutes before the final entrée arrived. By the time everyone was served, our eggs were cold. With that said, the food was good– They just need to work on their timing.
The fried chicken was probably one of the best things we had– we got one order for the table in addition to our entrees– the chicken was crispy, sweet, and delicious. I got the avocado toast, which was good, although the multi grain bread was too thick for my liking.
Overall, the group was pleased. It’s definitely worth going to for brunch if you are in the area.
**I had a Michelada with brunch. It wasn’t on the menu, but the bartender happily made me one– and it was great. Good beers on tap as well.

My friend and I stopped in here after searching for a Sunday brunch that wasn’t a 2 hour wait at 12:30. They were able to seat us at the «bar» area right away, which was great.
It is nice and light inside, which I love for brunch. We were in a tight little area but it was quiet enough that we speak without raising our voices too much. The food looked very good, and I ordered the avocado toast with poached eggs for $ 16. My friend is vegan and they essentially have nothing vegan on the menu, so make note of that if you have such constraints. They were not able to make any substitutions. She ended up ordering a side salad and a side of fries. The fries alone were $ 7, and let me tell you, it better be a basket of fries for that price.
The avocado toast was quite nice. It had a mild flavor with nicely done poached eggs on top. I added salt and pepper but other than that, good flavor.
Overall, this isn’t my first choice for brunch since most of the items are wildly overpriced for their value. That said, the food is good. You can make reservations, which is a bonus.

This is a great workplace lunch spot. The service is quick and the food is delicious. I ordered the coconut shrimp and deviled eggs. These are small portions. The shrimp appetizer contained 4 pieces, as did the eggs. However, they were filling enough for me.
If you’re looking for a heartier option, go for the avocado toast. I’ll definitely be trying that next time when I’m off my gluten-​free diet.

Oh man, how many times can I say that I had amazing fries? Well, I had amazing fries! They were so hot and the seasoning on them were fantastic!
Most of us got the avocado toast (obviously we had to per the reviews) a burger (very good) and the pancakes (ok — nothing to be over excited about).
We sat at the bar and had a couple of bloody mary’s and chatted with the bartender. Great place to stop and get something on the lighter side for a meal.

I came here on a beautiful fall Saturday around 12:15 and waited about 45 minutes for a table. I loved the atmosphere here-​very light, open windows, cute details, etc. Though our server couldn’t have been more pleasant or apologetic, our food took a really long time to come out. I’m not sure if someone didn’t show up for work or if they usually are that slow when the restaurant is full, but it was a little frustrating.
We ordered the fried chicken and the vegetable frittata. I loved my frittata, which came with an interesting small salad that had the most delicious vinaigrette. The fried chicken was good but it came as a tiny portion-​I would definitely recommend ordering a side with it because it didn’t come with anything, just three or four little legs.

Live pretty close to this place and walk past it all the time, has outdoor seating and is always crowded, so been wanting to check it out. Finally came for brunch and it met expectations. The restaurant was cute, had a nice vibe to it. Service was good, everyone was very friendly and helpful — from the host, to the bus boys, to the cooks downstairs (who I ran into when I went to the bathroom).
Have a good selection of wine, cocktails and beer! They have a pretty good happy hour, with $ 1 oysters — but we haven’t tried it yet.
Portion size looks small — but is actually the perfect amount of food. You can finish your entire plate and not feel stuffed or sick (which I think is better than getting too much food).
Buttermilk Fried Chicken — Fenugreek Cauliflower, Pomegranate, Green Herbs — $ 21
Tender fried chicken, cooked very well (not dry at all) with a great sauce (a little sweet). Loved the green herbs and Cauliflower! Plating was beautiful and they gave a generous portion of meat as well. Was very delicious and would recommend this dish to others.
Smashed Avocado on Thick-​Cut Multi-​Grain Toast with Poached Egg and Side Salad — $ 16
Saw a bunch of pictures of this on Unilocal and just had to try it — was amazing! Simple, yet very well executed and delicious! I literally ate EVERYTHING on my plate because it was so good! If you like runny eggs, toast and avocado, you’ll love this dish!
Overall, good experience — we finished our food and chatted for about 15 minutes, there was no wait, and the host was very good about not rushing us, yet being nearby in case we needed anything. Would definitely recommend this place to others for brunch or even happy hour and would love to come back here again and try a few other things on the menu!

They take reservations, so MAKE SURE you make one. It’s such a pain to wait for brunch in New York, and this service makes it a stress-​free experience. When we showed up at 11:15am on Saturday, there was not a soul in the restaurant. By noon, it was full. It’s a well-​designed chic space with indoor and outdoor sidewalk seating. The outdoor seating seemed a bit cramped to me, but the indoor seating is perfect. There is a bar area too.
In any case, the menu looked delicious. I tried the avocado toast, which came with two poached eggs and a salad. This was great, although I did miss meat. The avocado had a slightly sour flavor, which worked well with the creaminess of the avocado. There were seriously mounds of avocado. Impressive. The poached eggs are done beautifully, with some of the yolk being solid so you actually get to enjoy some before the rest runs onto the plate (it should ideally be soaking the toast).
My friends got the buttermilk fried chicken and the eggs benedict. Both of them really enjoyed their dish too! Their full bar allows you to order your morning alcohol — bloody mary’s, mimosas, etc.
Overall a cute little restaurant with fresh food at decent prices. And remember, MAKE that reservation so you can actually get a table.