Tavern on the Green

11/30/09

Wow...

by bbbjwei at Citysearch

Wow...after reading the last 10 reviews, I'm not going there.

11/23/09

Great place to spend a few hours

by dms34 at Citysearch

I went here for the first time this weekend. The food was excellent, down to the rolls the waiters pass out. Their pasta @ brunch time was awesome, and their fish and chips were also great.

A few things prevent me from giving them 5 stars...the decor is worn down. The white metal chairs need re-painting, and the carpet is worn out. At such and expensive establishment, I would expect these things. In addition, they expect you to tip everyone! There is a line on your receipt for the captain's tip. I don't even know who the captain is, so shy should I tip him? They also make you check your coats, and of course you have to tip the coat lady. This all adds up, so in addition to an expensive meal, you can expect to add about 10-15 in tips, not including the server.

• Pros: Awesome Food
• Cons: Expensive

11/01/09

HALLOWEEN SCAM

by acole21 at Citysearch

this "awesome" halloween party that was advertised was a complete scam. I & 6 friends bought tickets at $60 a piece for the halloween on the green party. it was advertised that the event started at 10, we were waiting in a "line" til after midnight, i say "line" because it was more like a mob scene. Thousands of people crowded in the rain for hours outside. we never made it inside, leaving when things started to get violent. Thousands of people were sold tickets and were not able to get in. the police came because over the overcrowding was a fire hazzard. Although i wasnt able to get in, I heard that it was so crowded that even though you paid for an all you can eat buffet and open bar that you couldnt even get to either one because of the crowd. again COMPLETE SCAM!!!! so many people are discussing lawsuits is ridiculous

• Pros: absolutely nothing
• Cons: worse experience ever

10/14/09

"Halloween on the Green" tickets at Clubaddict/6465295183

by davrr at Citysearch

This place is beautiful! There is a great Halloween party coming up.

Saturday October 31st

Tavern on the Green

“Halloween on the Green”

67th St & Central Park West

Free Food & Drinks All Night

6 Rooms & 2 Heated Tents

Tickets are $60 & $130 and you can order them through Clubaddict. com or pickup at the NYC office by txt/calling 646.529.5183

So for all you hungry people that share my desire for the #1 best party of the year, well we have finalized the food menu and you are in for a treat for Great food, Great drinks, Great Prizes, FREE TRIPS… Really… how could we ask for more? So what do you get you ask???

In short you get:

General Admission Ticket ($60) Includes:

- 6 rooms, 12 DJ’s

- Open Bar Grey Goose all night

- Free food (See flyer for menu)

- Up to $10,000 in cash prizes

- FREE trips to Paris and more.

VIP Table Tickets ($130 ticket min 4) Includes:

- 6 rooms, 12 DJ’s

- VIP Table Service with Unlimited Bottles dropped all night.

- Free food (See flyer for menu)

- Up to $10,000 in cash prizes

- FREE trips to Paris and more.

Halloween Food Menu:

- Coconut Crusted Shrimp, Mango Salsa

- Crispy Panko Chicken Breast, Honey Mustard Sauce

- Flatiron Beef Brochettes, Yakitori Glaze

- Herbs De Provence Flecked Chicken Breast Skewers

- Miniature Brie Asparagus Quiche

- Mezze Rigatoni with Grilled Vegatables, Herbs & Light Olive Oil

- Assortment of Cubed Meats & Chease, Red and Green Grapes, Sliced Baguettes & Gourmet Crackers

- Caesar Salad

By Far there will be no better Halloween party in the city other than Tavern. At all the other parties your spending $60 admission with no liquor, no giveaways or anything. We recommend buying them now as the price will be going up in a few weeks.

• Pros: beautiful crowd, the #1 spot for halloween.
• Cons: none

09/18/09

STAY AWAY FROM BRYAN KALMAN HE IS RUDE AND ARROGANT

by ctj212 at Citysearch

BRYAN KALMAN, Director of Private Dining at Tavern on the Green is a total nightmare.

He has been the worst event planner I have ever dealt with.

He is rude, arrogant, and will turn your special occasion into a horror.

Anyone reading this, including future employers should be aware of this horrid man and what he does to customers!!!

• Pros: NOTHING
• Cons: EVERYTHING

08/26/09

Horrible Service - esp private events

by NYlocal at Citysearch

Went to a wedding where the staff took the grooms bag (because he felt it was in the way) in front of everyone without notifying anyone where he put it. As a result the grooms camera and other items were stolen.

• Cons: Poor service

05/07/09

Horrible, just horrible

by shellieshore1 at Citysearch

We just got back from a trip to NYC for our first wedding anniversary and felt that we must warn others as soon as possible about dining at this 'restaurant.'

'Horrible' just really sums it up perfectly, but the details are as follows: We wanted to have dinner somewhere romantic, intimate, fancy and fun at the same time. Thinking that Tavern sounded wonderful, ("Twinkle lights and gourmet food in Cental Park- what could be more perfect?") we booked a reservation for our anniversary dinner there. We should have known what we were in for when we had to pass the cheap tourist gift shop just to get to the dining room.

Ahh- the dining room... We were placed into the Crystal Room. "Shabby chic" without the chic. Dirty, worn carpet and furniture. Tables placed so close to each other that there was no chance of any private conversation whatsoever. All the lights kept on full blast even though it was late, so that there was zero atmosphere and plenty of opportunity to 'appreciate' the also dirty, cheap-looking chandeliers. And it was loud! They had so many people and tables crammed into the room that is sounded like a bee-hive in there.

Not to mention the waitstaff.... I think that we would have found better personailty and attentiveness at a truckstop on 275 at 3am. Aside from borderline rudeness, most of the stewards wore dirty, wrinkled, ill-fitting polyester uniforms that fit right in with the run-down look of the restaurant. And then there was the pushy photographer who wouldn't take 'no' for an answer.

Last and least: the food.... The dinner rolls arrived hard and cold and tasted about 2 days old. The dinner menu is extremely dissappointing- VERY overpriced, and there wasn't a thing on the menu I couldn't have made better by myself in my own kitchen- there was no imagination put into the dishes whatsoever. Chicken breast and green bean almondine for 30 bucks, SERIOUSLY?!?! So stuck as we were, we ordered the prime rib and seafood pasta. The dishes were bad at best, and there was zero thought or care given to the presentation of the dish. The ramekin of horseradish sauce was plopped literally right on top of the mashed potatoes and the "blue cheese popover" was so burnt it was black in spots. And best of all... wait for it... the hubby and I had the pleasure of spending the next few hours of our anniversary night... in the bathroom of our hotel room sick to our stomachs.

Tavern on the Green is at best, a bad, run down catering hall. And, at worst, you too will end up spending the night in your bathroom.

PLEASE think twice about dining here.

It is just sad really... "Twinkle lights in Central Park" had such potential.

• Pros: Central Park is beautiful
• Cons: Everything else

02/16/09

Please don't waste your time and money - take it from a local!

by TROJeff at Citysearch

I took my wife to TOTG for Valentine's Day after having received a review from a friend of horrible service, overpriced meals and average-at-best food. I thought maybe he had had a "one-off" experience and that on such a special occasion the experience woudl be different - WRONG!! We have lived here for 2 years now and TOTG was on our list of things to do while here. We often are asked for our list, but agreed this one should be taken off. The food truly was average-at-best and we could have had a much better meal for $110/person. The service was horrible and they added an automatic gratuity of 20% without the possibility of reducing the amount. The only reason I can think for doing so is that tips have been historically bad so they had to institute an automatic gratuity to ensure their staff are "rewarded" for the horrendous service. With the contract for this space going out to bid this year, we can only hope that someone outbids TOTG and brings a restaurant to this location that is worthy of the surroundings. Please do not waste your time and money on this restaurant. There are far too many great places to eat in NYC to even consider TOTG. Take it from a former tourist and current local!

• Cons: Horrible service, average food

02/14/09

Won't Go There

by Oxlea at Citysearch

We are planning a trip to NYC in May and planned a visit to the Tavern for our wedding anniversary. After having read the majority of your reviews, we'll pass. It seems to me that New Yorkers get the better deal probably because they are "locals". Anybody from anywhere else across the States or Europe get a raw deal. I'm sure there are thousands of restaurants in NYC where the food and service is far superior, for half the price.

01/15/09

Avoid this Quintessential Tourist Trap

by Hartjaeger at Citysearch

It is a shame that such a unique location has fallen into the hands of such a shoddy operation. The guiding principle of the management seems to be to get into the patron's pocket in as many ways as possible, from the dual tipping (waiter and "captain"--whatever), to the cornball gift shop, to the roving photographer, to (my favorite) the towel attendent in the restroom whose sole purpose seems to be to point to the air dryer, since there are no towels in the restroom--what a tip-worthy service! Add to this clumsy and inattentive service, seriously sub-par food and insultingly inflated prices, and you have the county-fair-like experience that is Tavern on the Green. Avoid this place like the plague. It is NOT a requisite NYC experience for visitors, any more than getting hustled in a less-elaborate street con.

• Pros: Unique location
• Cons: The restaurant itself