08/26/09

Felt like a Parisian bistro...food quite was good

by rpristin

We ate at Schiller's on a weekday night. Wasn't too crowded. Got a table right away. We had the bibb salad, hanger steak and pan fried trout with asparagus. The food was fresh, well-seasoned. The steak was seared on the outside and pink inside - very flavorful. The trout was crispy on the outside, tender inside - very tasty. Drinks were good. We liked the atmosphere. The service was just fine. Pricing wasn't cheap but not out of line with other comparable NYC bars and restaurants.

• Pros: Attractive place, tasty food
• Cons: A little hard to get to

04/18/09

Avoid at all cost

by mikeandrus

We had a reservation for 9:00PM and didn't get seated until 10:30. We were a large party but they never told us they wouldn't be able to accommodate us -- they took our reservation, took our credit card to hold it, and when we got there it was "5 more minutes, 5 more minutes" for an hour an a half. The food used to be OK but the burger was charred on the outside and raw on the inside, and the pumpkin salad was tasteless. The steaks were tiny and tough, and the cocktails, which used to be amazing, were small and poorly mixed. The space was cramped and crowded with loud, tacky, annoying people. One of the worst restaurant experiences I've ever had in 20 years of living and eating out in New York. They should close.

• Pros: None
• Cons: Mediocre food, mediocre drinks, overcrowded, loud

03/04/09

A bit disappointing

by FoodLV

I read a few reviews on this site and the experience is really good or really bad. I was in the neighborhood with a few friends looking for some place to stop and eat, Schillers looked like good energy so we stopped in. That was things went down hill from there. The place seemed fun but it was pricier than I thought considering the food was not that great. They seem like the type of place that is used to being really busy so they expect things to continue that way. Baltizar and Pastis are definitely better options. I guess Schillers is the runt of the bunch. Dry staff and management.

• Pros: Crowded
• Cons: CROWDED, Not good food for Price

03/02/09

Overpriced, Poor Service, Too Crowded and Loud

by RivingtonLES

Ok, I just don't get this place at all. Been there on several occassions. After my second visit it has not been my choice but i've ended up going because I was meeting people who were dining there. Its a sudo French - American bistro. The waitstaff is not that friendly. The food is ok at best. They do have a couple of really greesy dishes that sort of define them. Greesy mac and cheese, or greesier mac and cheese with square bacon bits in more pools of grease. They have a poor wine list of overpriced bad wines. A $14 hamburger. Cafe Charbon in the same neighborhood has a much much better burger, fries and salad for $10. Even the hotel on Rivington's burger is less expensive than the unseasoned bland burger at this place. It's loud, and it seems their apporoach to customer service is that they are doing you the favor.

I suggest that there are better alternatives in the neighborhood. This place is a no no. For drinks there is Verlaine, 151, Cafe Charbon, Stanton Social, Allen and Delancey, THOR, Spitzers Corner just to start. Why waste your money on this place, with ok food, poor service, not great drinks that aren't cheap, not comfortable seating dingy nasty bathrooms (they need to renovate those dungens).

Only redeeming menu items is they have one good desert, a taffy cake with ice cream. If they even think of removing that from the menu they should consider closing. They are doing the neighborhood a disservice and I think the patrons just don't know how many other cool resturants there are in the area.

Maybe they were better and are still floating on that reputation. But now they are lazy. By patroning here, spending your hard earned money with the overall experience you have there and also based on the food and drinks, I would not recommend it to anyone. Unless they are the someone who loves TGI Fridays or Applebees. This is an overpriced Applebees.

12/08/08

Awesome atmosphere!

by sak941

Like this place for a few reasons - they have a great atmosphere, great drinks and reasonably priced food. The decor is tarnished mirrors, withered tile floors and old fashioned everything ? from the bathrooms to the decorations. My favorite drink is the ginger martini. It's a fun spot, but can be overly crowded at times.

11/23/08

fun, casual atmosphere

by Jennifer920

went here with to dine with a friend that I haven't seen in quite some time. We let the waiter know that we would probably be there a long time(and we were...3 1/2 hours). He didn't seem annoyed at all about that. We dined slowly. We each ordered a martini. They were delicious and at our table only seconds after ordering them. We shared an appetizer of Baby Artichokes which(after a bit of salt) were fantastic. I had a burger for dinner. It was good. I asked for mustard. Even though it came out in a yellow squeeze bottle it was hot as hell and burned my nose. It sort of ruined a burger that would have been quite delicious. My only complaint is that I should have been told it was "kick your butt" mustard. The waiter(his name was James by the way) was charming and funny. When we passed on dessert, he sent over a delicious english toffee cake(on the house) with a big ol' sparkler in it and said "Happy November, girls". It was very sweet.

Overall, the food and drinks were good. We got there early which is a good idea because it gets packed quickly. I really think the waiter was what made our night complete. I would definitely go there again

• Pros: low key, fun atmosphere....great for a nice, casual dining experience
• Cons: gets really loud, really quick. I had no voice by the end of the night since I had to shout to my dinner guest

11/18/08

Delicious!

by lizzyred8

Great steak frites, really yummy cocktails. Very reasonably priced wine. Definitely make a reservation, and don't expect it to be quiet!

• Pros: food, cocktails

08/27/08

Recycled subway tiles, antiqued mirrors, sexy downtowners and all the usual bistro favorites ... It all amounts to yet another instant classic from Keith McNally.

by Contributor

The Scene
Owner Keith McNally should find a way to bottle his formula: Uber-chic Balthazar and Pastis have long been the default hangout for the famous and fashionable, and Schiller's follows suit. Wine bottles painted with prison-block letters line the walls; cool, flattering light streams through north-facing windows; and busboys with Heimlich maneuver instructions printed on their T-shirts--it's a downtown bistro aesthetic that makes every diner (or drinker) feel chic. Service is good and usually swift.

The Food
At dinner, a nicely gamey chopped liver mousse, watercress salad with blue cheese and walnuts, and meat loaf with mashed potatoes stand out among the menu's bistro fare. But it's brunch that showcases the kitchen's best work: From the eggs Hussard--poached atop ham, tomato and mushrooms, then doused with Bordelaise and Hollandaise--to the simple fines herb omelette and homemade doughnuts, everything is done well. For dessert, the sticky caramel cake is just about perfect.

02/28/08

Still trendy after so many years

by sorenhbech

Have been to Schillers more than a dozen times since it opened - what, like five years ago? It is still consistent - very fun ambiance, good food and a great value compared to many other trendy NY spots. Had brunch for a friends birthday last sunday so made a reservation for six. It took about 20-30 minutes to be seated as the place was absolutely mobbed, but the host was very polite about the delay.

Food was great and even including some brunch drinks price was very reasonable. Service was fine - not the best ever, but not an issue either. Was hard for the wait staff to navigate so I can't blame them too much.

Overall a fun experience - and I will go back for atleast another five years I am sure.

01/24/08

Good brunch, service questionable

by lwsourpatch

The brunch food was pretty good, and warrants a repeat visit. The bad thing was we had reservations, but still waited for half an hour because apparently they crossed our names off thinking they seated us already. If we didn't keep asking who knows how much longer we would've stood there. Also, the servers seem overwhelmed because it's slow, and they forget to bring you things you ask for.

• Pros: Brunch food
• Cons: Service