(212) 924-1200
420 W 13th St
New York,
NY
10014
40.7406
-74.0068
Neighborhoods: Meatpacking District, Downtown
Fig & Olive Restaurant
What People Are Saying About Fig & Olive Restaurant
The Editor
Katie Heffernan
Citysearch
The Scene – When this Upper East Side boite decided to go big-box in the Meatpacking District, a welcome semblance of intimacy came with it. A glowing tower of olive oil and wine divides the sand-and-clay-colored expanse in two, and pots of rosemary bushes separate one group of tables from the next. Polished patrons are attentively served, making the space seem even cozier. – – The Food – An opening trio of French, Spanish and Italian olive oils provides an unadulterated first taste--one to be savored, since subtleties can become muddled in later dishes. The goat…
10/04/09
great girls' night out place
by ziongirl
I attended the restaurant on a Friday night with a girlfriend intending to catch up with her over dinner conversation. We were greeted at the door by the hostess who rudely said we had no reservation eventhough we made one online through Opentable. The next day I was contacted by Opentable to say that I didn't honor the reservation! Go figure. The music was so loud that we could not converse over dinner. The appetizers was delicious, mouthwatering crostinis. The fig spread with almonds and manchego cheese was a winner. Bell peppers with goat cheese equally good. The dinner salads were spectacular, gourmet cuisine with good presentation. Poor service simply because the place was packed and the poor waiters were bustling as humanly possible. I would go there again, maybe with earplugs!
- Pros: delicious food, gourmet salads
- Cons: obnoxious loud music, poor service
07/17/09
Setting Table While We're Still Sitting There?
by dm1204
I have never written a review before, but felt I had to call out the rude and aggressive service we got at Fig & Olive. I went with a group of 8, we weren't all there at our reservation time (our bad), so we waited at the bar and between the 6 of us spent about $100 on drinks. Once at the table, we ordered our appetizers (crostinis, croquettes, gazapachos, ceviche) and asked the waiter to come back for our entree order, as we hadn't decide yet. By the time he came back we were mostly through our apps (about 25 minutes later), we were pretty full on all that (about $160 worth of appetizers/wine) and not interested in more food. Had he come back in a reasonable time frame, might not have played out that way. He was so annoyed that we were done that the bus staff started aggressively clearing and resetting the table in front of us, before we had even gotten a check. It's one thing if we're lingering over an unpaid bill, but this was not the case. Even then, I have never, ever had a restaurant set a table while you're still sitting there. There were other minor annoyances like asking for plates three times so we could eat the apps. Never came. Also requested olive oil, never came. Bottle of sparkling water. Never came. We spent $330 in the restaurant/bar and were treated like we were nursing a $2 coffee for 4 hours at a diner. It's not a ton of money for that many people, but again, had he actually come back to take our order, we would have probably spent twice that amount. I have waited tables, I know servers are reliant on tips, I know they hate big parties, I know they're trying to turn over tables, but this was absolutely the rudest service I have ever received anywhere. Period. The server gave us a flick of the hand as we left, as in good riddance. For that, he got a 20% tip that the manager added to our bill. As we were leaving, I spoke to the manager. I got a nice, but transparently insincere explanation, that it's restaurant week and they were under a lot of pressure. He pretended he didn't know what table we were, but admitted that he added the service charge, probably to assuage the server who was expecting a bigger bill. Guess because the restaurant is packed (and incredibly loud), they feel they can treat guests that way. Tremendously short-sighted strategy.
- Pros: Zero
- Cons: Rude and Aggressive Service Condoned By Management
05/09/09
Get Figgy with It
by LT1175
We were there in early May, 2009 and have written a more detailed review for this restaurant. Please check it out at www.urbanherbivores.
- Pros: Lovely decor, and olive oil
- Cons: Waitstaff rushed us
The Details on Fig & Olive Restaurant
What to Drink:
There's talent behind the bar, and the specialty Wet Cucumber hits just the right note of ginger. Wines hail from the same three regions as the oils, with roughly 25 by the glass and 35 by the bottle.
When to Go:
Make your trip in-season (spring through early summer) when the restaurant uses fresh figs.
Where to Sit:
Get a different experience by saddling up to the communal table near the open kitchen, or being tucked away in the breezy, gauze-covered far corner. Warm-weather seekers will want one of the 35 seats on the patio.
The Extras:
Read the reviews of the uptown location.
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