Resto Iii

The Scene – Thirsty? Starting with the marble-topped bar and its vast beer collection, the space drops subliminal clues that may spur cravings for a cold one. A pressed tin ceiling, oaky tables and floors, and textured walls conjure a comfy keg cellar, while lighting fixtures resemble frosty, overturned goblets. Tippling certainly buys patience for the awkward service. – – The Food – Each dish on the comfort-driven Belgian menu would go down great with a brew--especially the fat, crispy frites. Though they accompany mussels, steak, burgers and stews, they're good…

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Late-Night Dining:: An abbreviated late night menu is served 11pm to 1am.
The Extras:: Nightly chalkboard specials feature homemade sausages and a selected family-style entrees.
What to Drink:: Each of the 50-plus beers is served in its own signature glass. The all-Belgian list includes sweet-noted Delirium Tremens ($7), which comes with the appropriately paired pink elephant glass, or Kwak ($8), a floral amber that comes by the half yard with its own stand.

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User Reviews (31)

ambiance	100.0% positive	“As I noted, the place does have potential and has a very cozy decor, but I doubt it has many repeat customers.” “The ambience was great, but unlike what one reviewer said, I would have to say that it did feel a tad bit crowded (but there are other places that are far worse.)” “guess overall it's similar to all the other great Belgian places in NY but I actually like this place better because the ambience is so nice.” “Loved the decor.” “The atmosphere was perfect.”
dessert	100.0% positive	“For example the beef cheek was tender and the deserts were delicious.”
drinks	94.44000244140625% positive	“The service at the bar was prompt even with a full bar crowd and, once seated, the food came out hot and very tasty.” “The mussels were good (had the beer sauce), but you really can't go wrong with mussels.” “After brunch, we sat at the bar for a beautiful glass of wine to finish our conversation.” “It took the waitress over 30 minutes to bring an extra glass of wine and even though many members of the staff were wandering around -- NO ONE would help us -- comments from the other waiters like, "Oh, I am not your server, let me get the waitress," and ” “Good beers, sure, but the burger was the size of my toe and the waitstaff was a couple fries short of a happy meals.” “It's a perfect place for an after work drink with great juicy burger or an evening of culinary adventure in the talented hands of Chef Ryan.” “Server is friendly and recommended a beer we enjoyed.” “For someone who loves Belgian beers as much as I do, I can't tell you how happy I was to hear that a bar with Belgian beers and fare opened up in my hood.” “The food was good and the beer selection was even outstanding but the service was rushed and impersonal.” “Food is good and the beer list is great too.” “And with the addition of telegio cheese and a nice beer?” “The food and service were both good as was the list of interesting beers.” “Let your host Christian pick a bottle of wine from his nicely selected and affordable wine list and pick any one of Chef Ryan's creative and tasty dishes from the menu.” “Unless you are going for the juicy cheese burger or moules frites with Belgian beer, I suggest the steak frites with chicory salad or the amazingly delicious and tender beef cheeks for your entree.” “If you like Belgian ales and beers this is the place.” “The beers and mussles were great and overall I liked the place, but if you go for the 'best burger' you will be quite dissapointed.” “This is the kind of place where me and my cook buddies will go after work to grab a great glass of beer and enjoy pork in as many different ways it will be served.” “They have a nice selection of beer (Leffe, Chimay, etc.), good food (mussels, frites, burgers, sausages, etc.), and a simple and cool setting.”
food quality	80.95000267028809% positive	“The crowd was the typical 20 or 30somethings who were craving some tasty beverages.” “For example the beef cheek was tender and the deserts were delicious.” “It's a perfect place for an after work drink with great juicy burger or an evening of culinary adventure in the talented hands of Chef Ryan.” “My knowledge of Belgian cuisine is not really extensive, but I do know that portion sizes are quite large.” “The burger I had was ground up hanger steak and beef cheek and had such a wonderful texture, and a nice meaty taste.” “For dinner we had the whole fish for two which was excellent.” “My girlfriend and I had dinner at Resto this weekend and were amazed by the outstanding food.” “The food itself was very good, but was of course HEAVY belgian fare.” “Amazing food with excellent service.” “We were ready to order our food and told him, but he ignored us and decided to take our food order when he felt like it.” “The ONLY good dish were the mussels and the french fries were OK, but nothing amazing.” “ok food, terrible service” “The fresh frites are great, as well as the pigs head sandwich, or tete de cochon.” “Good beers, sure, but the burger was the size of my toe and the waitstaff was a couple fries short of a happy meals.” “Their burgers are always delicious, as well as their bibb lettuce salad and grilled cheese (if you are lucky enough to go there for lunch).” “The sausage and acompanying mustard were tasty.” “You won't lose weight eating here, but you will thoroughly enjoy your meal.” “The food is inedible and not to mention way overpriced, the service is horrendous, and I would only recommend it to people I strongly dislike.” “Let your host Christian pick a bottle of wine from his nicely selected and affordable wine list and pick any one of Chef Ryan's creative and tasty dishes from the menu.” “The food was good and the beer selection was even outstanding but the service was rushed and impersonal.” “NY Mag listed this as one of the best burgers of 2007 - it's fair at best.” “My guest and I had a very pleasant meal including great double-thick sliced bacon, a sweet "dutch baby" (sort of an ultra thick crepe) and the strongest cappuccino - ever!” “If you really want Belgian food, perhaps this is a good place to stop by once or twice.” “The apps were great - double cooked pork and veal.” “This is the kind of place where me and my cook buddies will go after work to grab a great glass of beer and enjoy pork in as many different ways it will be served.” “We soon found they had run out of chicken (one of 4 lunch items on the brunch menu) so we ordered their "famous" burgers.” “The food and service were both good as was the list of interesting beers.” “The service at the bar was prompt even with a full bar crowd and, once seated, the food came out hot and very tasty.” “Unless you are going for the juicy cheese burger or moules frites with Belgian beer, I suggest the steak frites with chicory salad or the amazingly delicious and tender beef cheeks for your entree.” “The fries were pretty good but I wouldn't return just for those.” “The food was amazing.” “Beef stew is awful, tasteless and served over the french fries which make the FROZEN fries even worst than they are.” “Halfway through the appetizers, we decided that our friend who recommended it might have the worst taste in cuisine, hates us, or was talking about an entirely different restaurant.” “They have a nice selection of beer (Leffe, Chimay, etc.), good food (mussels, frites, burgers, sausages, etc.), and a simple and cool setting.” “The bun is exactly as one at McDonalds, server said they only serve the burgers 'medium', which is great, however, they arrived just about well done.” “Any of these starters will let you start your meal experiencing the chef's talent for creative dishes; scallops with brussel sprouts, charred octopus with grapefruit, spiced lamb ribs and white tuna crudo with beet tartar.” “Went with another couple and all 4 of us felt our dishes lacked flavor/ were too dry.” “The mussels were good (had the beer sauce), but you really can't go wrong with mussels.” “have been here a number of times and have always had wonderful service and delicious food.” “went to Resto with my boyfriend some time in August after being told that it was "the best new burger in town" and "great Belgian cuisine.” “But know that the service isn't great and the food is not exceptional.” “The beers and mussles were great and overall I liked the place, but if you go for the 'best burger' you will be quite dissapointed.”
menu variety	80.0% positive	“Let your host Christian pick a bottle of wine from his nicely selected and affordable wine list and pick any one of Chef Ryan's creative and tasty dishes from the menu.” “They have a nice selection of beer (Leffe, Chimay, etc.), good food (mussels, frites, burgers, sausages, etc.), and a simple and cool setting.” “My knowledge of Belgian cuisine is not really extensive, but I do know that portion sizes are quite large.” “The food was good and the beer selection was even outstanding but the service was rushed and impersonal.” “We soon found they had run out of chicken (one of 4 lunch items on the brunch menu) so we ordered their "famous" burgers.”
overall	100.0% positive	“The beers and mussles were great and overall I liked the place, but if you go for the 'best burger' you will be quite dissapointed.” “guess overall it's similar to all the other great Belgian places in NY but I actually like this place better because the ambience is so nice.” “If you really want Belgian food, perhaps this is a good place to stop by once or twice.”
return potential	100.0% positive	“The fries were pretty good but I wouldn't return just for those.”
service	50.0% positive	“The staff has always been quite knowledgeable and friendly.” “The food is inedible and not to mention way overpriced, the service is horrendous, and I would only recommend it to people I strongly dislike.” “But know that the service isn't great and the food is not exceptional.” “ok food, terrible service” “Amazing food with excellent service.” “The service at the bar was prompt even with a full bar crowd and, once seated, the food came out hot and very tasty.” “The bun is exactly as one at McDonalds, server said they only serve the burgers 'medium', which is great, however, they arrived just about well done.” “As for the service, the hostess was pretty nice to me, but she was visibly annoyed with another late party.” “To top it off, service was inattentive and at times rude.” “Our waitress insisted we order apps and dinner at the same time.” “The food was good and the beer selection was even outstanding but the service was rushed and impersonal.” “Having worked in the restaurant business years ago, I do understand how frustrating rude patrons can be.” “The waiter was rude and had a major chip on his shoulder.” “Server is friendly and recommended a beer we enjoyed.” “With all the hype surrounding this restaurant, I was HORRIFIED at the terrible service, stunned at the abusively small portions and then when the nearly $200 check came for four people who were all still hungry, I really wanted to scream.” “The service was great and the staff was enjoyable.” “My server was very nice, although the specials rolled off her tongue in the way a really bad actor recites memorized lines.” “On top of it, the acoustics are terrible so its very loud and the staff is pushy (turn and burn) to get you out the door.” “Food was just OK, service was TERRIBLE.” “The food and service were both good as was the list of interesting beers.” “The service was awful.” “The bartender was equally pleasant and hospitable.” “It took the waitress over 30 minutes to bring an extra glass of wine and even though many members of the staff were wandering around -- NO ONE would help us -- comments from the other waiters like, "Oh, I am not your server, let me get the waitress," and ” “have been here a number of times and have always had wonderful service and delicious food.” “The staff seemed pleasant but were not attentive and we had to wave our waitress down to get her attention.”
value	33.3299994468689% positive	“Let your host Christian pick a bottle of wine from his nicely selected and affordable wine list and pick any one of Chef Ryan's creative and tasty dishes from the menu.” “The food is inedible and not to mention way overpriced, the service is horrendous, and I would only recommend it to people I strongly dislike.” “With all the hype surrounding this restaurant, I was HORRIFIED at the terrible service, stunned at the abusively small portions and then when the nearly $200 check came for four people who were all still hungry, I really wanted to scream.”
wait time	100.0% positive	“It took the waitress over 30 minutes to bring an extra glass of wine and even though many members of the staff were wandering around -- NO ONE would help us -- comments from the other waiters like, "Oh, I am not your server, let me get the waitress," and ”

02/15/11

Worst service ever!!

by Sally1975

We waited for over 30 minutes past our reservation time to be seated for brunch. The food took more than one hour to arrive. When we complained about the wait, the manger dismissed our concerns. At the end of the meal they automatically charged us 20%, which we thought was undeserved. I would never come back to this place again which is a shame because the food is half way decent.

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02/13/11

Manager Should be FIRED!

by grade_a

I made brunch reservation for 9 plus three kids. i asked in advance if they had high chairs and they said yes. We arrived on time but weren't seated until almost 30 minutes later. A mother in our group asked to sit before the table was cleaned because her young baby was crying and she was told no. Of course she sat anyway because baby's needs came first. We waited ONE AND A HALF HOURS before all the food was brought to the table. When i asked for pitchers of water for the table they said no. When I asked for bread and butter for the table they brought 4 piece of toast for 12 people. We were all starving.

I asked to speak with the manager (named LU ANN sp?) and she proceeded to argue with me instead of make our dining experience pleasant. At the end of the meal I approached Lu Ann and said "i will certainly pay for all the food but do you think you deserve a 20% gratuity for the service you have rendered us?" Her was response was to THREATEN TO CALL THE POLICE if we didn't pay gratuity and she stated "DON"T EVER COME BACK TO HERE AGAIN" to which I agreed. As I was packing my 9 month old baby to go she approached me and said "GET OUT". She was extremely hostile and made me feel sad and angry for the rest of the day. I have never been treated so poorly in a restaurant before and I highly recommended that no one goes to this restaurant until that manager is fired! The waitstaff would have done a better job if they didn't have to work with Lu Ann.

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08/29/09

Great Beer & Burgers

by MorrisonJames

I love Resto! I love it so much that I had my boyfriend's last birthday dinner here. I have been here a number of times and have always had wonderful service and delicious food. Their beer selection is unmatched in the city. Their burgers are always delicious, as well as their bibb lettuce salad and grilled cheese (if you are lucky enough to go there for lunch).

The staff has always been quite knowledgeable and friendly. The manager often stops by the table to check in. I would recommend this restaurant to anyone and have had many successful lunches with clients and crowd-pleasing dinners with friends there.

Pros: Beer Selection, Delicious Food
Cons: Small Space

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06/04/09

Don't Waste Your Time

by NYCTMESQ

As of right now, Resto is at the top of my "Worst of 2009" list. Our waiter was an older gentleman, who was telling people at the next table over that he graduated high school in 1959. You would think that someone of his age has been around the block and would understand the concept of "service." Nope. He was rude and made comments about us not being "beer drinkers" because I felt like having Leffe Blonde, the Coors/Bud Light of Belgium. Then, after his comment, I ordered a Westmalle Trippel just to show him I knew which monks know how to make a good brew. We were ready to order our food and told him, but he ignored us and decided to take our food order when he felt like it.

I ordered the burger. I wish I had seen the reviews here first. It was a pathetic. For the same amount of money I can go to Landmarc in the TIme Warner Center, get a burger that is twice the size, served on a FRESH brioche bun, with mounds of cheese, COOKED TO ORDER, with fries and a side salad. Needless to say, this burger lacked all of the above. The burger was small, overcooked and the bun stale. There was so little gruyere cheese on it that I didn't even know it had cheese on it. Like others have said, McDonald's would be just as good.

My dining companion had the moules & frites. This was just "satisfactory." Nothing special.

After dinner we were left our check. We did not ask for it. We split our check and handed over our two credit cards for payment. Waiter then returns with our receipts and tells me that they made a mistake and did not charge us for some beers (but they nevertheless ran our credit cards). Those beers were not ours and I then had to call our waiter back. I explained the situation and he went to find a manager. What I don't understand is why they ran our cards. They claim to have made a mistake and should have come back and said so, so that I could verify whether those beers were ours, and give authorization to run my card. In the end, the hostess returned our cards with new receipts for our signatures. No apologies whatsoever.

To add insult to injury they "authorized" my card twice. One authorization for the original erroneous swipe. And another for the corrected swipe. So, now I will not have access to some $70 of my money while I wait for their mistake to drop off my account. Had the waiter or manager returned to sort out whatever mistake they made none of that would have happened.

Needless to say, it will take a lot of arm twisting to get me return to this restaurant.

Pros: Good Beers
Cons: Bad Service, Expensive, Mediocre Food

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02/21/09

Great for brunch

by strogelius

I will never understand why people insist on writing such negative reviews as though they were personally offended by a restaurant...I digress.

Went to Resto for brunch after a recommendation from a friend. My guest and I had a very pleasant meal including great double-thick sliced bacon, a sweet "dutch baby" (sort of an ultra thick crepe) and the strongest cappuccino - ever! While the server did have to recall the specials, she was very nice and accomodating. After brunch, we sat at the bar for a beautiful glass of wine to finish our conversation. (The beer selection looked wonderful but the wine was more appropriate for the conversation.) The bartender was equally pleasant and hospitable.

I would definately recommend Resto for brunch and look forward to returning to try the "sweet maple chili" on the Chicken/Waffles and for many other meals.

Resto Iii

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What People Are Saying About Resto Iii

Kathleen Squires

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Editor's Tips

02/15/11

Worst service ever!!

by Sally1975

02/13/11

Manager Should be FIRED!

by grade_a

08/29/09

Great Beer & Burgers

by MorrisonJames

06/04/09

Don't Waste Your Time

by NYCTMESQ

02/21/09

Great for brunch

by strogelius

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