Annisa

After a devastating fire destroyed this much-loved West Village spot in '09, Annisa was completely renovated, though thankfully its intimate charm was preserved. Chef Anita Lo's idiosyncratic, occasionally freewheeling style of intelligent New American haute cuisine--everything from roast chicken with sherry to white truffles and pig’s feet to seared foie gras with soup dumplings and jicama--is as delightfully eclectic as ever. Along with some new menu items, Anissa has rolled out a full cocktail program, with drinks like the Juniper Sweet (Junipero gin, mint, lime and pomegranate molasses).

Editor's Tips

What to Drink:: An array of wines by the glass and a strong sommelier make for epiphanic accompaniments.
Save Money:: Not ready to commit to a full meal? The bar menu $3-12 bites like fried squid with mentaiko mayo, and crispy pigs feet with mustard and unagi and scallion
Fun Fact:: Recognize the chef? You must have watched the 2009 season of Top Chef Masters.

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User Reviews (38)

ambiance	100.0% positive	“The service was amazing, the food was incredible (I got the skate on tofu with caviar and I didn't want it to end), and the ambiance was simple and elegant.” “the atmosphere is cozy, not cliche or cheezy like many other restaurants with red hearts strewn everywhere.” “Brilliant food, flawless service, intimate ambiance” “The wine was decent and I liked the ambience-minimalist yet warm and inviting.” “also raelly liked the decor, even though it was rather simple.” “Soft tones, romantic, comfortable seating, carpeting to muffle the delicate clink of glasses.” “The ambiance is perfect for two couples to get together and actually ahve a conversation on a Saturday night.” “Overall the meal was enjoyable with comfortable space and good service.” “The food is excellent and the ambience is very relaxing even though the restaurant is located in the West Village.”
dessert	100.0% positive	“For dessert we had apple pie, whch was wonderful as well.” “great servers, great dessert!” “for dessert we had the apple tart, which was tasty but nothing spectacular.” “and the chocolate fondue was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal.” “The desserts are fantastic as well.” “Dessert was amazing, bread pudding, chocolate souffle and apple tart.”
drinks	100.0% positive	“The female wine and alcohol list is interesting but.” “Waitstaff helped us select a very good wine.” “Anyway save your $168 for 2 with a $ 32 wine and run over to the Corner Bistro and order a couple of Bistrot Burgers like we did but only after wallets had felt the pain.” “If you really want to do it right, have Jen suggest a wine for each course -- their wine list features women vintners (and sake makers).” “Great service, a relaxed dining pace, excellent wine list, spicy flavorful combinations, and a soothing interior design.” “Nice wine list.” “The wine was decent and I liked the ambience-minimalist yet warm and inviting.”
food quality	93.17999839782715% positive	“Overly seasoned food, undersized portions, slow service.” “And some of the best food around: flavors that will give you flashbacks of childhood (I recall dishes that taste like times and memories; sorry to get so sentimental).” “would come here more often for any dinner date I want to plan and want to please everyone, plus those who like fish and meat which is usually hard to get together.” “amazing food” “All in all, Annisa is a beautiful, & casual/elegant restaurant with excellent food and friendly service.” “Some of this food is among the finest in the city and other dishes are shockingly bad.” “You can always rely on the staff at Annisa to combine different tastes and textures, resulting in unique dishes full of flavor served with style and grace.” “The service was amazing, the food was incredible (I got the skate on tofu with caviar and I didn't want it to end), and the ambiance was simple and elegant.” “recommend the Lobster entre and the steak.” “The food was fresh and not too inventive.” “The food is elegant and tasty (fantastic martini too!)” “Dessert was amazing, bread pudding, chocolate souffle and apple tart.” “for dessert we had the apple tart, which was tasty but nothing spectacular.” “The food is great.” “No gimmicks, no showing off, just brilliant, fresh AmerAsianFrench food from a menu that changes all the time.” “Anita Lo is inventive and thoughtful with her dishes - the on the house treat that came before the meal was amazing!” “Celebrated a very significant birthday here and it was a wonderful meal.” “Wonderful little touches like an amuse-bouche to start the meal, and a final trio of sweets to complete it from the chef.” “The food is excellent and the ambience is very relaxing even though the restaurant is located in the West Village.” “food was great, especially the zuchini blossoms in a picadillo pepper sauce.” “Apps came out nicely and the entrees were just as tasty.” “My scallops, on the other hand, resembled a lotus flower in presentation and mythological effect: a plesant drowsiness catalyzed by the silky freshness of a Pinot Nero, an excellent red to start and match light seafood with.” “Great service, a relaxed dining pace, excellent wine list, spicy flavorful combinations, and a soothing interior design.” “All the other dishes offerred in the tasting menu were great as well.” “and the chocolate fondue was the perfect ending to a wonderful meal.” “The service is perfect and the food is interesting innovative and excellent.” “dainty touch was visible in all the dishes, and the plating was beautiful.” “Although they seated the two of us at a four top side by side which was a little wierd and almost looked like I was on a date with my mom, the food was incredible.” “Annisa is a great place for good food and good conversation.” “the tuna appetizer was delicious, the lobster was succulent and perfect.” “the waitstaff were helpful and pleasant and the food was excellent.” “Brilliant food, flawless service, intimate ambiance” “although many items on the menu catered to those who loved seafood i had an amazing beef dish.” “my dad had the lamb, 4 small pieces which were overly salty, and my mom and i had the colbi which was by far the best entree but again, the portion was tiny for the price- a small piece of fish with 5 baby carrots.” “Also the portions were reasonable for a 5 course meal.” “the food was excellent.” “Overall the meal was enjoyable with comfortable space and good service.” “If you don't love fish, it's tough to find something on the menu.” “the restaurant is beautiful, and so is the food.” “It's been a while since I've had beautifully orchestrated food and this place did not disappoint.” “Gracious service, helpful waitstaff, Very good food” “Every dish was unique, unlike anything I've ever eaten before.” “recommend the trout entree if you like light fish.” “That is, the food is very good.”
menu variety	85.71000099182129% positive	“We all ordered the 5 course tasting menu (as recommended by the waitress that everyone on the table should participate) and enjoy every course.” “No gimmicks, no showing off, just brilliant, fresh AmerAsianFrench food from a menu that changes all the time.” “although many items on the menu catered to those who loved seafood i had an amazing beef dish.” “beautiful tailored tasting menu” “Tasting menu is divine” “All the other dishes offerred in the tasting menu were great as well.” “If you don't love fish, it's tough to find something on the menu.”
overall	100.0% positive	“recommend this place for a date where you actually want to talk with your partner and also a great place to take mom when she visits.” “Annisa is a great place for good food and good conversation.”
return potential	100.0% positive	“overall, it was a great evening, and i would definitely go there again.” “would probably go back in a couple of months, but I would order a la carte.”
service	94.11999702453613% positive	“Gracious service, helpful waitstaff, Very good food” “Quite a rarity to find such friendly, efficient, unobtrusive service in NYC.” “The service was perfect as well.” “great servers, great dessert!” “All in all, Annisa is a beautiful, & casual/elegant restaurant with excellent food and friendly service.” “We all ordered the 5 course tasting menu (as recommended by the waitress that everyone on the table should participate) and enjoy every course.” “Overly seasoned food, undersized portions, slow service.” “The staff is pleasant, knowledgeable and helpful without being overbearing.” “Brilliant food, flawless service, intimate ambiance” “the wait staff were friendly and patient, and the courses felt perfectly timed and not rushed at all.” “Great service, a relaxed dining pace, excellent wine list, spicy flavorful combinations, and a soothing interior design.” “Overall the meal was enjoyable with comfortable space and good service.” “You can always rely on the staff at Annisa to combine different tastes and textures, resulting in unique dishes full of flavor served with style and grace.” “The service is perfect and the food is interesting innovative and excellent.” “The service was a bit on the sluggish side at the beginning, but that was quickly forgotten with the delectable combination of flavors and texture.” “The service was amazing, the food was incredible (I got the skate on tofu with caviar and I didn't want it to end), and the ambiance was simple and elegant.” “Anissa has the most wonderful hostess/owner around.”
value	50.0% positive	“Also the portions were reasonable for a 5 course meal.” “for me, the fact that it wasn't a huge restaurant was also very inviting.” “The prices are reasonable.” “The experience was pricey, but definitely worth it.” “my dad had the lamb, 4 small pieces which were overly salty, and my mom and i had the colbi which was by far the best entree but again, the portion was tiny for the price- a small piece of fish with 5 baby carrots.” “overall the restaurant was overrated and expensive.” “Overly seasoned food, undersized portions, slow service.”
wait time	0.0% positive	“Overly seasoned food, undersized portions, slow service.”

11/08/11

Delicious

by BrittneyFull

Just back from a business trip. Went to check out Annisa cuz I saw Anita Lo on Top Chef Masters. Pretty small space. Very intimate. Not alot of background noise which is great. I was able to converse with my colleagues without having to scream.

The Wait staff were great. Very knowledgeable about the food and wine. I had her signature halibut dish and it was delicious. It was sooooo moist and so full of flavor. The desserts, coffee were wonderful. The only issue I had (and a minor one at that) was that I couldn't find the bathrooms. They're unmarked and you have to ask or just walk through it by accident.

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03/18/11

Worth the trip to Manhattan

by Lily442

I live and work in Brooklyn. I don't miss the West Village where I used to live at all. In fact, there is very little reason for me to go into Manhattan EXCEPT I will always make the trek to go to Annisa. Beautiful food, gorgeous atmosphere (a little austere for some but I love the spare decor- it feels calm and elegant) and top notch service. I will come again and again (until they open a restaurant in my neighborhood!)

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03/23/08

ok food- tiny portions

by philli1

i went with my parents and brother for easter dinner. my brother had the only vegetarian option- an eggplant dish- which for $25 was 2 pieces of eggplant, yogurt sauce, and a tiny pile of lentils. my dad had the lamb, 4 small pieces which were overly salty, and my mom and i had the colbi which was by far the best entree but again, the portion was tiny for the price- a small piece of fish with 5 baby carrots. for dessert we had the apple tart, which was tasty but nothing spectacular. overall the restaurant was overrated and expensive.

Cons: $200 later, still hungry

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12/18/07

Unexpectedly lukewarm service and food

by ismaelq

I took a dear friend to Annisa for a special occasion. Our first impression: the place was loud. We got a nice table, but it wasn't until a few of them emptied that conversing ceased to feel like an unnecessarily loud indulgence. Annisa seems to have an acoustics problem. The good news is: acoustics may be the least solvable of its ambiance-related problems. The restaurant has surprisingly dirty--in some areas filthy--walls that dim lighting does very little to hide and the quality of the food not enough to help one forget. It only takes a short round-trip to the bathroom to notice the magnitude of the problem. I find it simply unnacceptable that an otherwise decent restaurant, Michelin-starred no less, let itself go like this. Decorator/painter needed!!!!

Some people assume, often correctly, that a restaurant's physical exterior reflects its interior, namely the kitchen. I tend to agree; moreover, I believe that it affects staff morale, as in our waitress, who rarely cracked a welcoming, I-like-my-job, tip-me-well, come-again smile--not a hypocrite, I guess.

For appetizers, we had the seared foie gras with soup dumplings and the scallops with sea urchin. Since my friend had had the original Chinese soup dumplings hot, Annisa's version seemed cold and unremarkable to her. I'd say they were room-temperature dumplings a foie-gras slice above the rest. My scallops, on the other hand, resembled a lotus flower in presentation and mythological effect: a plesant drowsiness catalyzed by the silky freshness of a Pinot Nero, an excellent red to start and match light seafood with. However, I must say that this dish in particular could reach new heights if served at least warm. For entrees, my friend had the skate and I the lamb (matched w/ a full-bodied Chilean Cabernet Sauvignon). Both offered simple yet refined textures that formed the idealized memories of home-made classics. Our dessert was a well-balanced chocolate biscuit w/banana mousse.

Pros: Above-average food. Excellent wines
Cons: Ambience, Service

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12/09/07

Gracious service, helpful waitstaff, Very good food

by johnjohn88

12/8/07 dinner at 8. Made convenient online reservation. Took female friend out to dinner. Seated w/i 2 minutes of arrival. Never heard of this place until I the day before I had dinner here. Selected this place based on the positive citysearch reviews here. These positive reviews are all on the money as I agree w/ them.

Relaxing place w/o being pretentious. Waitstaff helped us select a very good wine. Nice wine list. The food is a given. That is, the food is very good. The menu is short: about 8-10 appetizers & 8-10 main courses. Thus. I don't think u can go wrong. The highest compliment I can pay is that I would bring a date to Annisa. Yeah, this is from a guy's perspective. Female friend also liked Annisa too.

Good crowd. Had a good time.

Pros: Gracious service, helpful waitstaff, very good food
Cons: none

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Patrick Heig

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Editor's Tips

11/08/11

Delicious

by BrittneyFull

03/18/11

Worth the trip to Manhattan

by Lily442

03/23/08

ok food- tiny portions

by philli1

12/18/07

Unexpectedly lukewarm service and food

by ismaelq

12/09/07

Gracious service, helpful waitstaff, Very good food

by johnjohn88

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