07/08/08

hidden oasis in the middle of Manhattan!

by joyjoy25

I had a great dinning experience at the Barking Dog! I brought my new sister-in-law and my brother out to dinner and we enjoyed our experience so much that I thought I'd write about it. We ordered the Seafood Paella, the Veggie Stack and The Barking Dog Burger served on Onion Brioche with sauteed mushrooms and blue cheese. It was really wonderful! The dishes are HUGE and the prices are low! My sister-in-law (not a New York City native) has no idea how unusual this is for the city. My brother loved his burger! We even had funny drinks to accompany our food like, the Chihuahua and a Pink Poodle! Everything from the cute artwork on the walls, to the gorgeous waterfall out back, to the wonderful service, really lent to a great eating experience! I would recommend this restaurant to anyone! Thanks so much Barking Dog! We'll be back!

'

• Pros: great food! great idea! Great service!
• Cons: not open all night long!

02/25/08

Sad Service, Good menu selections

by patilena

Do I really wanna be the 21st person to comment on the restaurant's lack of service?

The first experience at Barking Dog was excruciating. There were no waitresses to be found. It took them forever to notice us sitting there, took them forever, to bring our waters, then to bring our menus, take our order, give us refills on water... you get the picture. Clearly none of them had been trained on service. My guest and I definitely spent more time waiting than dining.

Other than that, I have to say, the stars of the restaurant would have to be their bus boys. The guys did all they could to bring us whatever they needed. Most of the time they were trying to get our waitress.

At the end of our meal, we couldnt find our waitress for our check. I guessed the best way to get ANYONES attention was to get up, put on our coats as if we were leaving. The hostess scurried to find this disappearing waitress and we left.

Despite that disappointing first experience, I decided to give the restaurant a second chance because everyone deserves a second chance! I like to play fair.

Too bad for them. My second experience was just as sad as my first.. leaving me no choice but to warn all other potential diners to steer clear.

01/01/08

Not Great: mediocre food, bad service, wednesday night 7:15pm

by t_reviewer

Ok. First the good. The prices are very reasonable for an american/continental restaurant in Murray Hill. Unfortunately, that is really the only good thing to say. 3 of us went for dinner on a Wed. night. The service was slow. We had to ask for bread 3 times. When it got there, it was cold and crispy (crispy b/c it was old). It took 25 minutes for our meals to come. 2 of the group ordered salads. I ordered the salmon. The salmon was smelly, although I did not get sick. The salmon came with cous cous (which was more like cold small lumps).

Bottom line: This is not the worst meal I have ever had, but it was pretty bad. Even though the place is cheap, it isn't worth the money or time.

• Pros: Location is great. Cheaper than other restaurants.
• Cons: Food was mediocre. Service was lacking.

11/07/07

Worst Expierence at a Brunch Place.

by sarah_bg

Service was terrible, and the food was ok. Would not recommend this place. I used to go here all the time for brunch, I had a bad expierence with the staff.

10/25/07

Well Accoutremented; Low Key; Cheap

by jecrane5

Great burgers, friendly (if not necessarily the most itinerant) staff from the bartender to the wait staff. This is my Thursday night college football bar - a bit of a neighborhoold feel (similar to the neighborhood bars you find in San Francisco or Boston that aren't as ubiquitous in NYC). Nicer than a pub (although similarly priced) but not a stuffy sit down restaurant. Highly recommended. Try the Black Dog Ale...

• Pros: Food, Friendly Staff, Ambience
• Cons: Some tables are a Tight Squeeze

03/25/07

Good Bruch. LOVE the biscuit

by splashkpl

Camer here for brunch today becasue my friend just moved into the neighborhood. Saturday around 11:00 and we were seated quickly even though they looked pretty busy. The tables are wayyyyy too close together. I could barely squeeze behind two chairs to get to my seat. The brunch oferings looked good but i went with the BDNY breakfast special ( i think that's what they call it). It was fresh mixed fruit, 3 eggs over easy with ham, sausage, homefries and biscuit. $8. Great price for all that food. I couldn't even finish. The biscuit was by far the best part of the whole meal. Warm and buttery tasting but not even the slightest bit greasy. If I could go and over just a basket full of biscuits, i probably would.

I'm not sure why they call it the Barking Dog. Is this place dog friendly or something? The name is not exactly appetizing.

• Pros: price, large portions, biscuits
• Cons: tables crammed together

03/17/07

ok food incompetant management and poor service

by anonymous07

My boyfriend suggested we try this place so we went to dinner there on 3/16/07. I ordered cheese ravaoli which the waitress told me was good. And I'm sure it would have been had they not brought me lobster ravaoli instead. Normally I wouldnt make such a fuss about a food mix up but I am allergic to shellfish. When I told them this they said they were sorry and took another 30 min to exchange my meal. When it came time to pay I explained to them that due to their little "mess-up" I would have to endure hives for the next 24 hrs- the manager told me he was sorry. THAT was it?!?!!! Had I had a more severe allergy and had to go to emergency room some reason I dont think "oops, my bad" wasn't going to cut it. Not to mention it took quite a bit of complaining for them to give us a whopping 10% discount. That came to $4.80 savings and that didnt even covber the cost of the benedryl I had to buy later that night..

• Pros: decent food if they get your order right
• Cons: terrible service

09/25/06

good american food

by sortmon

our group of 7 came here on saturday night for a late dinner. it was a balmy night out, so we requested to be seated outside. we were placed by the enormous fountain, and the sheets of water provided some unwelcome droplets during the course of our meal.

the menu is long and there are too many choices, causing some of us to hem & haw quite awhile before deciding. a lot of the menu consists of variations of the same main ingredient (e.g., do i want fish & chips, fried fish burger, or a fish stick wrap?). wraps, sandwiches, and burgers are reasonably priced at about $8-$12. i chose the chicken sandwich and received two massive barbeque-sauce brushed breasts on focaccia bread. i was disappointed that i had missed an important distinction only wraps & burgers come with fries, but sandwiches do not. it was very wtf. despite this, my sandwich was excellent the meat was very juicy and the massive portion was extremely satisfying. my friends, who had ordered burgers, wraps, or salads, all found their meals good too. i tried some of the hot fries that accompanied the entrees, and found them to be an excellent combo of salty & crispy, with mealy insides.

service was average our waitress was nice, but she lacked knowledge of the menu. when a friend asked her about a particular item, she told us that she had never tried it before and didnt know much about it. the place wasnt crowded at 10pm, but we often had trouble getting her attention.

overall, a good place for american food. portions are large, food is tasty, and prices are decent what more can i ask for?

• Pros: reasonable prices, large portions, satisfying food
• Cons: splashy fountain, slightly ignorant waitress

08/11/06

Huge Portions

by lexxie79

I had a good experience at the Barking Dog. Their menu has an overwhelmingly huge selection of entrees. I ordered the pan seared scallops with mashed potatoes and my dinner companion ordered the salmon. The portions were so huge that we wondered whether such a huge salmon fillet actually occurred in nature. They were also quite generous with the scallops, which is rare at most restaurants. I found my entree very tastey and the scallops were perfectly cooked. The waiter was both friendly and attentive.

• Pros: tastey food, huge portions, prompt service
• Cons: It would be a great date place if it had better ambience

04/04/06

Comfortable atmosphere and nice enough staff.

by indyjonz

I was seated quickly and a waiter showed up promptly to take my drink order. I was a single guest and I found the ambiance pleasing. I took a seat not too far from the small bar so I could see but not hear the TV. The food was good; I had Penne Chicken and Sausage with Broccoli. The only complaint I might have is that the staff is very friendly with each other and while not all bad they tend to forget theyre waiting on people. My beer was empty for 6 minutes.

I found the restaurant to be inviting though with the pictures of dogs all about and the decor and lighting to be very pleasing. The bartender seemed to be in very good spirits and was happily chatting with the locals at the bar. If youre staying at Affina Dumont hotel this place is convenient.

• Pros: Ambiance, Open late
• Cons: keep me hydrated.