Penelope
New York, NY 10016-8154
Phone: (212) 481-3800
- Price:
- $
- Cross Street:
- 30th Street
Editorial Review for Penelope – by Lori Fradkin
In Short
Owner Jenny Potenza named this neighborhood spot after her pet turtle, but that's about the only slow aspect of this baby blue-walled eatery. Young neighborhood guests fill the wooden benches or bar stools throughout the day as they stop in for specialties such as nutella French toast, egg sandwiches, spinach pies, and chicken meatballs. Reviews and thank-you notes clipped to a clothesline emphasize the place's popularity, and waitresses wearing aprons add to the at-home feel.
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Insider Tips
Know Before You GoBe prepared to wait for up to an hour on weekends. Have the waitress write your name on the chalkboard and take a cup of coffee outside.
Save TimeIn a hurry? Buy muffins, brownies, or bags of granola from the counter and take them to go.
User Reviews for Penelope
06/27/2008 Posted by bmar137
Been there two times for breakfast. The food is average, but not worth the bill. The menu is extremely over priced, and you do not get what you paid for (small portions and french fries instead of home-fries). The staff isn't very friendly and seams to busy to deal with you. It takes a long time (45 minutes) to get a table and the food is not worth the wait. I don't think you would be able to tell the difference between diner food and this place. On a positive note, the place is clean and has a trendy feel to it. In my opinion, I think Penelope's is the flavor of the month and it's more hype than anything. Definitely, don't waste your Saturday morning waiting for a table at this place. Not worth it.
Pros: Ambience
Cons: Service and Prices
05/22/2008 Posted by nycinephile
Four members of Meetup's Thrifty Gourmets group joined me in field-testing this restaurant this past Tuesday. I don't understand why this eatery has been praised so highly. Its staff would not accept a reservation and the host would not seat us until our entire party had assembled. As a result, we waited almost half an hour for a small table in a cramped, but attractive, space. Penelope's policies related to reservations and seating may be intended to drive traffic to its bar. Several members of our party reported that their drinks there were expensive. A fellow member and I decided to share the hummus as an appetizer. We agreed that it was bland and unexceptional...no better than that available from Tribe in a nearby Food Emporium. The pita and breads accompanying this dish were also not memorable. I ordered the burger for dinner, asking that it be prepared medium rare, closer to rare. It arrived with a hint of rareness, was dry rather than juicy, and the meat tasted somewhat like liver. It was topped with an excessive amount of goat cheese, making me think that the chef wanted to hide something about the dish. Penelope's packed tables testify to something. I'm not sure what, but I don't think it's the quality of its food.
Pros: Attractive space;
Cons: Frustrating policies regarding reservations and seating; expensive drinks; bland hummus; dry, unexceptional burger.
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