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Lexington-3rd Aves-51st St (6, E, V)
59th St-Lexington Ave (4, 5, 6, N, R, W)
Mon-Thu. 11:00 a.m. - 11:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat. 11:00 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sun. 11:00 a.m. - 10:00 p.m.
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This was definitely one of the better choices I've had during several restaurant week options.
The look of the restaurant felt a little dated, I could be bias here as I usually have a predilection towards modern sleek decors but Oceana was tastefully decorated nonetheless.
The service and food was very on point as well .As for food selections the RW menu had a variety to choose from ( 3 appetizers, 5-6 entrees and 5-6 desserts)
I was very happy with my crispy sea bass and my friends seem to have enjoyed their Branzino as well. The Strawberry meringue dessert gave a nice finish. I highly recommend the Blueberry popover ( friend ordered it ) There was something truly special about the texture and fluffiness of the popover..must be some master skilled baking technique that we don't come across everyday!
Well deserved Michelin star Oceana!
Restaurant week is my thing! I'm so glad that we live in a city filled with amazing restaurants who decide to participate in such an event that rock my world!
Oceana....a Michelin 1* recipient! I had great expectations!
And well, expectations were met! :) 4.5*s!! @_@
They graciously accommodated 7 ppl at my request and I have never been so happy sharing my experience with these awesome ppl!! Thank you guys!
The decor/ambiance - upscale, dim lighting...dark blue nostalgic nautical feel :) There's 3 floors to this place.
The food - seafood galore! I ordered the Poke trio - fresh and cute!
I liked the Branzino fish which was perfectly cooked and presented on top of this perfect mixture of veggies :)
The desserts were yum! I tried their blueberry turnover puff - out of this world! The sorbets were good and the peanut butter chocolate cake was marvelous!
The service - a little slow but very nice :) I felt like I was taken care of!
I heard they were moving to the westside...so good luck to you guys!
Restaurant week is the best way to try out this upscale seafood restaurant!! Thanks for the awesome yelper ( Renee C) organized the gathering.
We got a large group so we had chance to taste put much everything on the tasting menu. It was great. I got
1. Staff Calamari
2. Seafood combination
3 Sober
for 35$
The food was absolutely delicious.. I couldn't ask for more!! I don't know what's their standard price. but for 35$ i definitely feel I got my $$ worth it !!
Why can we have restaurant season ???!!!
Okay, I know I know. A hardcore vegetarian has NO place in a seafood restaurant! But you know what, I was there. And I have an opinion and damn right I'm going to voice it. Because while I know nothing of meat/fish, I believe I know good food from average.
These guys take the seafood business pretty seriously, I tell you. What with the overdose of salt in pretty much everything I ate there. I thought it was just their kind way of giving poor me atleast something the ocean has to offer, but I'd rather be left out than eat what feels like spoonfuls of sodium chloride laced with a hint of beet or a touch of avocado. As a matter of fact, I mentioned this to my fellow diner who claimed her fish was pretty salty as well!
Okay, moving on to more pleasant things. The wine was sweet and crisp (4), the desserts were nothing spectacular but definitely above average (3 or even a 4) and the service was restrained yet efficient (3).
Like I said, what would I know about this side of fine-dining. So, take what I say with a grain of salt. :)
A delayed review from our dinner there during Restaurant Week, but the food and service was so memorable I had to write a review. I have to admit, I was a little skeptical at first because of some blah reviews I read, but they completely blew us away. From the moment we stepped in, everyone was warm and inviting. We got seated upstairs, and on the way up was where I saw their Michelin star on the wall.
I ordered the amberjack sashimi for the appetizer and it was ridiculously amazing. I wondered if this is what it must be like to be a judge on Top Chef?? All the mixture of flavors and combinations with the fish was beyond delicious. I don't even remember the details, but there were slices of pear in between, and some sort of subtle citrus juice over the slices.
Our waiter was so attentive and warm, and everything about our dinner was just perfect, down to the timing in between dishes. The entrees were delicious (I got the rock fish and my friends got the cod), but the standouts were definitely the dessert. It looked like modern art on a plate; so beautiful I almost didn't want to dig in. Once again, the many flavors/textures of the coffee and chocolate pudding and cream was just mind-blowing. This is one of the only places I have been to in NYC so far where both the food and service was equally outstanding and made you really want to come back.
Other than the dated decor, I highly recommend the Oceana experience.
I have to say I found the ambiance rather dull... If no one mentioned the ocean liner theme I wouldn't even know it was a theme.
We were a group of 6 and all had the tasting menu. Started off with the amuse bouche which I don't remember but it was very good as was the hamachi that followed. The crabcakes and gnocchi were standard fare and comparable to the crabcakes you'd buy at Wholefoods. I'm not much a swordfish aficionado so didn't really enjoy that either. The Nova Scotia lobster however was great- probably because I love lobster and the porcini mushrooms that it came with rather than the actual dish being well executed. The lobster was followed by small lamb chops which were perfectly fine but no different from other lambchops...
The highlight was the concord grape granite accompanied by sweet carbonated milk- very refreshing and summery. I could have had three of those! The persimmon cake that followed it was disappointing- kind of like angel food cake with persimmon flavor. I was dying to try the pineapple brioche with mango salad or the apple confit cake with honey creme anglaise... unfortunately they weren't part of the plan...
At the end of the meal the petit fours were brought out. There were 8 different ones for 6 people and very small so there was a lot of cutting... turns out none of them were very good. After we cut them half were left on the table... I think these were some of the worst tasting petit fours I've had at a restaurant.
The service was good- multipe waiters brought our dishes so everyone got their dish at the exact same time. The portions were small so even after the tasting you don't feel stuffed. I can't imagine why this place got a Michelin star... yes it's pretty good but no better than other places of similar quality. This would be a decent place for a business dinner, or for taking your parents out. Nothing memorable.
Oceana was my second stop for Restaurant Week '09. I had read Frank Bruni's review on the New York Times last year and had been curious about this place ever since.
Some tips to start off:
1. 30% off all wine bottles (as other people have mentioned)
2. Restaurant Week is being extended
3. They are moving locations soon - to 49th & 6th (I believe)
4. They have a really nice private dining/wine cellar room downstairs you can ask to see. They have a lot of interesting wine bottles, and a great space for private parties. No room fee, only a food minimum.
As an appetizer I ordered the fish which was purposefully served chilled with a vinaigrette sauce and (blood?) oranges. It was very flavorful, perfect amount of acid, balanced with the sweetness from the oranges. My brother ordered the fluke sashimi which again, had perfect balance of flavors, delicious start to a great meal.
As a main course we were all fascinated by the concept of squid sausage so we all ordered that. I have always liked calamari, so I figured this could be interesting. The flavors were definitely rich and comforting, had a side of amazing mashed potatoes. I am not too crazy about the consistency of squid however. Perhaps I should have ordered one of the other dishes instead.
Now for the desert. Whoever says they were not memorable must be crazy. The deserts were all superbly done.
I had the chocolate pudding which came with roasted marshmallow, what tasted like crumbled up brownies, vanilla ice cream, and a coffee granite on top of the ice cream. Have you ever had one of those moments of absolute food bliss? What you put in your mouth tastes so good, you kind of close your eyes for a second and take a deep breath? This dish was pure heaven- a kids desert made for an adult. Since I am a kid at heart, it was perfect!
The people I was with ordered the pineapple desert which was like a pineapple flan-- also rich in flavor and perfect texture. My brother who is not a big sweets fan loved it!
Now the service was a bit iffy at first, our waiter didn't seem that friendly and wasn't the most attentive. He was a bit hot and cold. They also gave us our check before we asked for it (we still wanted coffee and tea!) and didn't wait for everyone at our table to finish before clearing plates.
They were nice in the end when they showed us their private dining room, they joked were informative and friendly.
I would love to return and try other items of the menu!
Restaurant week dinner. Here are my immediate responses to the dinner:
1. You are in the inside of a boat (due to decor, obviously you did not magically teleport to some boat on the Hudson)! I'm not sure how I feel about this.
2. 30% off bottles and half bottles of wine! (recession special? wooo)
3. We both ordered the celery root soup and the rock fish (with brussels sprouts, yum). I really did enjoy both these things.
4. Desserts were interestingly arranged. I can't speak much for desserts in general because what happens is that I never Love dessert (i'd rather have two entrees) but I always end up licking the plate anyway...strange how that happens.
I've been to a few restaurant week dinners where we still leave hungry but at Oceana, we were plenty full. Cool beans.
Great food and a great and fun space...kinda feels like you're on the lower deck of a boat. We had the set menu and it was very reasonable with a sufficient amount of food. I noticed a lot of ppl ordering their scallops so decided to try one. After having it, i realized why everyone ordered it!! The flavors that were incorporated into the dish and the watermelon radishes were a perfect compliment.
As I was walking around NYC, I noticed they already had another space being in construction. It will be located on 49th and 6th!! However, they said it wont open until another few months and it is much bigger. So make sure you get a chance to check out this old location before visiting the new one! Hopefully it will still have the feeling of being in a boat.
Wow. Michelin had it right when they gave this place a star. We did the restaurant week menu... you can't go wrong with any of the appetizers (we had mahi and celery soup), and the calamari sausage is tremendous! It's prepared so well that it isn't really chewy but retains much of the squid texture.
We followed it up with the chocolate pudding (excellent) and the sorbets. The only good sorbet was chocolate, and apparently some people just ask for 3 scoops of chocolate sorbet so consider yourself advised.
A lot of people have commented on the discounted wine bottles, but if I may suggest an alternative. They have both 3oz and 6oz glasses of wine, so if you'd like a selection just get a different 3oz glass with each course and play a gourmand!
Ah, the wonders of Oceana...
I wonder how they managed to separate me from so much money at lunch? I can't even believe that 3 of us could actually spend $480 for a lunch with no alcohol (mineral water and sparkling water) and no hookers. I once had lunch with a colleague in Portland, Oregon at McCormick & Schmicks in the 1980's and we spent $230 and split a club sandwich (the sandwich was $6.50 and the bill for single malt scotch was $225...good day all around:).
I wonder why we went "off menu" at lunch, rather than get the prix fixe lunch?
I wonder where the shaved black truffle for my ravioli went? I think black truffle is exquisite, but the tiny scrapings of black...something didn't have any real flavor, nor did they add to the flavor of the dish (lobster raviolis...4 small ravioli, by my count, in a sauce that was frankly too salty and "fishy", not at all subtle...maybe that covered up the flavor of the truffle "shavings").
I wonder why I bought lunch? This place was suggested by our lunch companion, who offices a block or so away on Park. He's a billionaire (or maybe was...he may be down to his last $5-600 million) and he's headed "up the river" for a few months shortly, for some sort of financial shenanigans (I don't want to be too specific, but he says it's a big misunderstanding and I'm sure he's right). Maybe he needs the money worse than I do. I will say one thing, I have known several really rich people in my life and I think they all got that way by having the deepest pockets and the shortest arms.
I wonder why the food here isn't better for this kind of money.
I can think of a number of better restaurants in several cities, and they frankly don't charge the kind of prices that Oceana does (although, in fairness, if we had not ordered "off menu" this might have been a more reasonable experience).
I wonder why the service wasn't better? I had a couple of dinners in Manhattan that were really wonderful and the service was impeccable, but not here...I had to ask for refills, flag a waiter down, etc. I expect more for this kind of dough.
I wonder if I will go back to Oceana anytime soon.
Doubtful.
4 star on yelp seems to be overrated. Alittle disappointed by yelpers.
Food was good but not memorable. Decor was nautical feel, liked the posters on the wall.
As my collegue puts it - the place is for older people . If you want to enjoy the experience of being hovered, slow service from the 40s. It was not exciting , just OK.
Oceana still has a strong following , has very good food , and their service is strong . I don't hear many people speak much of them , and I don't know why .
In a city of stylish and ever new restaurants , I guess Oceana falls through the cracks as it works it's way through 16 years of success, but this restaurant deserves a return visit .
The 3-course $78 pre-fixe is an excellent value . The softshell Crab is an excellent appetizer , and the Marlin is excellent . I also love the passion fruit cheesecake
A day prior, I had called the restaurant and requested to be seated downstairs; I was told that the ambiance was better on that particular floor--like an ocean liner. The maitre'd escorted us to an "L" shaped booth nestled in the right corner. It was a very romantic and comfortable way to sit. I started with the celery root soup with an individual sea scallop and a parmigiano reggiano crisp. Jack decided on the amberjack sashimi with long cubes of apples and sprinkled with walnuts and mint. My soup could have been hotter; in fact, considering it was poured from a kettle into my bowl, it is strange that it wasn't. In any case, the flavor was lovely and the texture was so smooth I couldn't believe it was made without cream! As time passed, the parmesan crisp melted and sharpened the flavor of the celery root--which can be somewhat bland alone.
We had three choices for dinner: seafood sausage, sautéed rock fish and steamed hake (before I embarrassed myself, Jack told me it rhymes with "rake;" I thought it was pronounced, "hockey.") I had a feeling that Oceana's seafood sausage could not possibly be as good as Chanterelle's and I liked the accompaniments with the hake more than the rock fish, so my decision was made. I think Jack had similar feelings on the sausage because he selected the rock fish. I had never tried hake before, and the texture reminded me of a Chilean sea bass...the meat is somewhat firm and it does not fall apart like a flaky white fish. Resting in a miso jus with a side of shiitake mushrooms and baby bok choy, I made sure to prepare each bite with all three elements. Jack said the rock fish with a side of garburé (a very thick vegetable or meat soup containing cabbage, beans, potatoes, bits of pork, bacon or preserved goose) was decent--nothing special. Oceana made their own version of garburé with potato, turnips, brussel sprouts and bacon. I tried a bite and ate all of his brussel sprouts, which were prepared al dente--delicious!
Our portions were so small that Jack was still hungry after finishing his entrée. So he inserted the salmon tasting before our desserts arrived. The presentation reminded me of a piece of modern art--I am sad to say that out of all the photographs I took that night, this one came out the worst. Gin cured gravlax, salmon tartare, watercress and triangles of dill brioche were placed at each corner of the plate. I tried a bit of everything but I couldn't stop myself from comparing this dish to the exquisite salmon we had a month earlier at Beach Bistro. The salmon at Oceana, especially the gravlax, lacked flavor. It seems that my expectations have forever been altered from our experience in Florida. Satisfied with the extra course and calories, there was only one more thing Jack desired: red wine. Never one to turn down wine, especially red, I thought this was an excellent idea. Having already guided us through the wine list with patience and ease, again, our waiter helped us select a half bottle from Ken Wright Cellar, a 2006 pinot noir. Using words like "eucalyptus, velvet, currant and black cherry" to describe its taste and texture, I was sold at once. More than anything else, I fell in love with the color and the smooth texture of this wine. It is incredibly soft as it slides down--almost like swallowing liquid silk. Before this, I did not really believe that there could be such an incredible variety in the texture of wine.
Like the three choices we had for appetizers and entrees, we also had a trio to choose from for dessert: chocolate pudding pie, frozen pineapple mouse and a caramelized apple buttermilk cake. I was 100% certain that le boyfriend wanted the chocolate--in fact, I don't think I have been more sure about anything in my life. Because I wanted to try something different, I was left with two fruity desserts to choose from. Clearly conflicted, our waiter graciously offered to surprise me. At the appointed time, he returned with Jack's chocolate pudding pie and my pineapple mouse--I had a feeling he would bring that one! Mine was cold and positively refreshing. Accented with coconut meringue, a dollop of lemongrass gelee and wisps of sugar that looked like gossamer, I had the prettiest dessert. I thought it was well done, but I simply fancy chocolate more than pineapples...runs in the family. Jack offered me a bite of his chocolate pudding pie, which was blissful. It came with a swathe of roasted marshmallow, vanilla ice cream and espresso granite on top of it all. This dessert reminded me of a gourmet dirt cake without the gummy worms--remember that cake you used to bring to class in a pot during grade school? The pudding was rich--imagine the taste of crumbled up brownies (sans nuts!)--and the roasted marshmallow made me wax nostalgic even more. Maybe I should have ordered that one as well.
3.25 stars.
Came here for a CE dinner, ordered the shrimp and lobster cocktail for my appetizer, swordfish for my entree, and passionfruit cheesecake for my dessert.
The shrimp and lobster cocktail was pretty good, but standard. It was a nice change from the usual just-shrimp cocktail. The swordfish was just ok, somewhat dry. I regretted not ordering the other option, the hangar steak, which looked plump and juicy on my friend's plate next to me.
The passionfruit cheesecake was great! I loved the fruity taste mixed in with the not-too-rich cheesecake, added a nice touch to it. It was the best part of my meal.
Funny how Yelpers can give a sub-par restaurant 5 stars for "value" and neglect to give credit where due. I was surprised to see that Oceana received under 4 stars and yet Michelin has enough sense to hand over a coveted star in recognition of its superb quality.
Obviously service was good. Not flawless, but even waitstaff are humans and not perfectly programmed machines. I think service at a fine dining establishment is a given and therefore needs no critique (unless truly horrendous).
Now for the food. We were kindly introduced to two very melt-in-your-mouth fresh and absolutely amazing pieces of raw scallop in some blood orange sauce and some other sashimi of which I forget what kind. Doesn't matter because the scallop was so freakin' amazing. Who knew such a tiny little creature could do such wonders for my palate.
I must note here that to the best of my knowledge, dinner is tasting menu only which is $78 for 3 courses.
Appetizer: Tuna tartare was delicious with bits of caramelized ginger adding a nice modernness to the dish. The gnocchi was also good (although not my meal).
Entree: What did I have? Taro-crusted something. I know, I'm terrible at this. But it was accompanied by bok choy and some forgettable green sauce. I think here is where I realized that everything was cooked to perfection. But the flavors were just a bit lacking. Amazing textures but not so innovative flavor combinations. Just simple. Classic. Elegant.
Dessert: Nothing to write home about. And nothing I want to elaborate upon because I'm getting tired of writing this.
The atmosphere at Oceana is very high-end. The room is intimate and makes you feel like you are on a yacht, except that you don't know anyone else in the room and must speak in quiet tones. Not the most comfortable dinner I've had but it was a nice experience. I just would probably not recommend this choice as I didn't think it was worth the $200+ price tag. Maybe for the 40's and 50's elite but too stuffy and pretentious for me. (pretentious = the patrons, not the staff)
I'll keep this short...
Wine... good. We had one of my favorite wines, Jordan. Can't go wrong.
Food... great. Especially the dessert tasting menu. For appetizer and main course I had the gnocchi and the lobster. Both were delicious, but also a bit small in portion.
Atmosphere... different. Makes you feel like you're on a yacht.
My big issue with the place was the staff. They were very nice to begin with, but a couple stood there starring at us after we paid the bill and were still talking at the table. They were making us feel a bit awkward for sitting and talking for another 5 minutes.
I had a business lunch here, so my enjoyment of Oceana was definitely enhanced by the fact that I wasn't paying for the meal.
The restaurant pulls off the nautical theme, with mirrored wall panels. There were servers and what appeared to be maitre d's swarming all over the dining room - I guess they're trying to give off an over-the-top service vibe. The crowd was your typical middle-aged Midtown Suit Scene, which is always fantastic when you don't exactly match that prototype. Who let me in here?
We all ordered off the 3-course, $48 prix-fixe menu. There's a cheaper 3-course prix-fixe menu which limits your choices to two for each course. For the more expansive menu, had a nice variety of appetizer and entree selections, a few with some seasonal touches - apple, pumpkin appeared in various forms of accoutrements. The menu definitely differs a bit from what's shown on their website.
They offered 5 different types of bread/rolls to start, and they make more than one round to each individual at the table in case you want more (as I did). There was a seasonal element here too, with a butternut squash bread/brioche-type roll. To start, I had stone crab claws, which come out of the shell, served over a slaw/salad with an apple chutney to the side that I didn't really enjoy. My seared mahi-mahi was served over baby spinach/mushroom with wasabi creme fraiche. Portion was adequate and the flavor was decent. The chocolate custard brownie with cinnamon ice cream for dessert was the highlight of the meal for me - comes with a chocolate candy top with a gold embellishment on top. They also gave us a little tasting of 5 small candies that looked like mini-desserts. I like places that give you little perks like this!
Like I said, I normally wouldn't choose to come here, but it was a good choice for a work-related meal. Still fits that high-brow, business professional setting, but isn't as stuffy/pretentious at some of the other midtown venues.
I was rather disappointed by this place. I had heard a good bit about the quality of the restaurant (service included) and I am an absolute seafood buff... but maybe because it was a Restaurant Week occasion that the experience was just off? But I'll say first that I tend to be a huge stickler for service at these top notch restaurants - while food is important, I consider service to be equally as important... and it was in the latter that I was more disappointed today. But you be the judge, so here we go.
We were seated upstairs and the decor inside was interesting - like others have said, as if you were on a boat. The ambience was inviting enough, so no complaints there.
Once seated though, the experience took a nose dive. Our server came to our table, failed to smile, say hello, or introduce himself, and began by simply asking us "What would you like to drink?" All right. We considered the 30% off wine special, but decided against it in the end. The server nodded and left. He came back to take our orders in a bit, but both my husband and I could tell that he was really distracted. He had to re-confirm our appetizer, entree and dessert choices at least 4 or 5 times between the two of us. We asked for his recommendation between, for example, the swordfish and stuffed calamari choices - he said "swordfish" - and that's it. And I don't know - I guess I was expecting some more detail when we are asking about the dishes, but it was just really brusque. Same thing happened when I asked what the chocolate pudding made with "beer granite" was like - "It tastes like beer, yes." Hmm.. not helpful. The rest of the meal commenced somewhat like this - bare minimum service and words. It was much less than I would have expected at Oceana, and it would have taken so little effort to make your diners feel welcome.
Food - so I ordered the Restaurant Week special with sashimi to start, then the Rockfish with"Garbure" of Potato, Turnip, Brussels Sprouts, White Beans & Bacon, and finished with the Caramelized Apple Buttermilk Cake, Peanut Butter Creme Anglaise. My husband had a Bluefish appetizer with arugula and lemon sauce of some sort, then the Swordfish with Shiitakes, Bok Choy, Miso Jus, and finished with the same dessert.
Sahimi was good, nothing spectacular. Beautiful presentation though. The bluefish tasted better, but had a really strong fish taste - I don't know how else to describe it. The lemon garnish softened that edge a bit and made it a lot more palatable. As for entrees, the rockfish was pretty good, but I thought the swordfish was much more flavorful. Rather small portion on the swordfish though - better to go with rockfish if you're looking for quantity. I spied the stuffed calamari dish from the table next to us - looks like a decent portion as well and good too! But it was too bad for them that the service at that table took twice as long as it did us. Felt bad for them. Finally dessert was really yummy - great combo of flavors between the apple pie and tart green apple sauce and creme. But presentation was a bit messy - my tart came out mashed looking and my husband's creme fraiche had fallen apart (and was sliding around the plate) by the time it got to us. Hmm...
Service never improved. Cleared my dessert plate while my husband was still eating his, and the check was presented the second after they cleared his plate. I was sad. Both my husband and I thought it was too bad about the experience. Maybe it was just an off day for the server? Or we were just unlucky - there were a few servers around the room that looked like they were actually smiling and casually talking with their diners. I would recommend you take your money and try somewhere else, at least for Restaurant Week, if you were thinking of Oceana.
Dah. I heard from several that Oceana is supposed to be one of the best seafood restaurants in the city.
But. Why. Did. They. Over. Cook. My. Fish.
Well duh, because EVERYONE does. Alas. My friend's salmon was admittedly very good, but my halibut was ruined by an extra few minutes on the flame.
The clientele is MUCH older and very suity.
Oceana (Ben Pollinger) [from the 2008 Wine & Food Festival]- local bluefish escabeche with pumpkin puree and fennel, not bad, but i've had better
I haven't been back since they changed chefs but all I remember the service was impeccable. Seafood… Read more »
I found the decor to be boring, but my fish was delicately prepared and elegantly presented.
Also came here for restaurant week dinner and thought the food was awesome. First of all, I put a stamp of approval on the freshness as my friend (who is allergic to non-fresh seafood) did not need to pop in a Claritin after eating his steamed rockfish. I started off with the mahi appetizer, which was fairly good. Interesting combination with the grapefruit however, not sure what it added to the dish but overall, I was satisfied. Then I got the pan-fried swordfish, which was pan fried with the right amount of crispiness without compromising the moistness of the fish. For dessert, I had the pineapple mousse, which provided a nice refreshing ending to my meal. Overall, I have to say that this meal was delightful and satisfying. I thoroughly enjoyed the food. One flip side though is that I agree with a previous review about the waiter. I think I was more bothered by the way the wine was poured. After each pouring, I could see wine residue dripping down the sides of the wine bottle. To some that's probably not a big deal but for me it just made me feel like the waiter was in haste and did not truly care for putting his best pour forward.
Tried to be the Seafood version of the River Cafe but couldn't compete. Tasting menu was all overcooked & spongy. The waiter that announced each tasting didn't speak English & our party had to ask over & over again to repeat himself meanwhile at the front door was a very well spoken man just taking coats, didn't get that AT all. They didn't get it at this overpriced & pretentious midtown fish place.
You want fancy fresh seafood with big flavor? Check this modtown joint out. Expensive but a delicious dive into the flavors of the ocean. The ambiance is that of the interior of a cruise ship. Service was spot on and attentive.
My favorite place to get fish in the city. It's a shame you have to get all dressed up. With my career I have to go home and change just to go there to eat. Either I need my career to be more stuffy, or Oceana has to realize that I am worth letting in with jeans. Till then, I will keep going home to change.
Went here for our 7 year anniversary. The atmosphere was quiet and elegant, which I enjoyed- but the decor was a bit outdated(it would have to be with a website like theirs). The service was impeccable. They offered us a nicer table after we sat and it was emptied, which was nice. Had a delicious French wine, outstanding food and too much dessert. My boyfriend wasn't as impressed- for the price he wished every bite had wowed him. I would go back again for very special occasions- or if someone else was paying- that bill hurt a bit.
Took a good friend out to lunch at Oceana, and it was shockingly empty. My friend thinks it's the recession. I think all through lunch there might have been five filled tables. Food was excellent. I had the pumpkin bisque with shrimp for my starter, and the lobster for the main course--both were top notch. Service was fine. The reason I'm not giving them more than 3 stars is due to the manager first wanting to seat us at the first table at the entrance which I never like. When I requested a table further into the restaurant, he then chooses the table at the opposite end of the restaurant near the kitchen. With a restaurant that is so empty, and if they are empty due to the recession, why wasn't he smarter and pick a table in the middle of the room. We certainly woudn't have been crowding anyone or overworking the staff.
great wine, superb seafood, excellent service, unique and interesting ambiance. don't miss out on such a gem!
We must have had the same waiter Terri P. He went over the tasting menu and I didn't understand a single thing. I knew going in that it was a luxury liner theme; but, it came off a bit kitschy. Food was good, desert was better than any of the fish I had. Very quite, reserved and older crowd. I am a bit curious as to why it has 1 Michelin star.
Amazing service in this exceptional seafood restaurant. Had the tasting which was fantastic, one dish after another. The highlight was the service which was polite, professional and sincere. What a night! Thank You.
went for a business lunch with my old boss and his kids. we did price fix for $48. wonderous meal. my appetizer was scallop something which was to die for flavorful, and cooked to perfection. my halibut was flaky and yummy.... the steak portions someone else ordered were quite small though. my dessert was raspberry icey something with coconut and papaya ice cream and the equivalent of sprinkles. INSANELY good. Have also been upstairs to the privatish bar. Excellent wine selection and cheese sticks are great for snacking. Solid meal in a very calming nautical setting. I've had great service there. You will only find suits though. it's a major mid town powerhouse with great food... and I believe a michelin star.
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Category: Seafood
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: Greek
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: Restaurants
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: French
Need to have a meal with more than 5 ppl? I would…
Top picks if you are willing to spend that extra…
