The Crispy Pig

Ok here'd the quick rundown.
Poutine, excellent.
Hush puppies, excellent.
Burger, good, could be much better with just a little more sustenance.
Chicken n waffles, outstanding.
Pork n waffles, excellent.
Salmon, excellent.
Collard greens, very good.
Brussels sprouts, excellent.
Cheese grits, a bit over cheesy but very good.
Flourless chocolate cake, blah.
Donut holes, yummy.
Friendly staff, good service, great atmosphere. I like a restaurant where the background music is subtle and doesn't make it hard to have a conversation. This place is exactly that.
Good beer selection. I enjoyed the beer flight.
Price is a bit high but hey, its Sea Cliff.
I will be back.

Having bookmarked this place quite a while ago, I found myself in the area, with two hungry friends, so I thought it the perfect spot.
Or not.
Seems like just about everything here is kind of good, but flawed.
They shared the prosciutto wrapped meatloaf with mashed potatoes and an out-of-place fried egg (I swear some chefs just add things like this to greasy, decadent dishes to make them, well, more decadent and tempting). The plate was very pretty, with drizzled confetti dots of a sweet sauce. Bottom line, nothing was totally yummy and everything was just a little off.
I settled on the ribs (st. Louis style is all they have) with excellent fries and lousy slaw. I was glad that I declined all the different flavored salt on the fries and the slaw was mostly red cabbage without much vinegar. Not a great experience in any of our choices.

I work with some great people, one of which is a big foodie like myself. So when she told me my belated end-of-the-year/Christmas gift was coming to a favorite restaurant of hers, I was intrigued. Then I heard all about The Crispy Pig, and I was ready for a meal that The Big Bad Wolf would be envious of. This past Wednesday that's exactly what I got.

This little piggy went to market, or up in Sea Cliff where you'll find TCP. It's parking situation isn't the best, but on busier/weekend days there's valet. Inside you'll find a one room restaurant setup. A few more than ten tables and a handful of bar seats make up this intimate, comfortable, vintage-feel BBQ spot. Though, that term of BBQ takes on new terminology as the menu is filled with classics as well as some creative original dishes.

Let's start with the beer. Oh my do they have some good beer. The selection is great for such a tiny place and I was immediately impressed that a restaurant so far west was featuring a craft brewery (Crooked Ladder) that's so far east. Jolly good, TCP, jolly good. I had a red ale from Radiant Pig and an old English Ale that I surprisingly didn't catch the brand of. Either way, they quenched my palate throughout the meal.

Ah yes, the meal. It was a mighty meal for sure as we sampled a ton of apps and still ordered a main course and some dessert. A great balance was felt in the food tastes as whenever something seemed to mildly falter, a different item picked up the slack. The pork belly board had quality pork pieces, but the sweet pecans made this a true winner. The chili cheese balls melted in my mouth and were filled with meaty goodness. The dirty mac and cheese had such a great creaminess with aged provolone and a little kick from jalapeño and the vinaigrette atop it. What had me truly wanting more pig was the baked potato soup. One spoonful will give you a wonderful potato flavor and then bam! A crispy piece of bacon is added to the bite. They're not lying about their crispiness here!

After all that, we still managed a main dish. The pulled pork sandwich was very good, though not as great as others I've experienced. Though, the side of kettle house chips with some kind of stellar seasoning did bring up the meal to an above quality level. I also tried a few bites of the prosciutto wrapped meatloaf, which had a wonderful taste worthy of ordering next time.

By the end of the night I honestly couldn't eat anymore. So when we ordered dessert (donut holes) I only had a couple, heh heh. Just as fresh and flavorful as everything else. Service was pretty fresh as well (if that makes sense). Pricing is the only factor that takes a bit of a hit as items can add up quickly, but that truly should not dissuade you from getting crispy as it'll be a meal you won't soon forget.

Overall, The Crispy Pig is like taking a trip to pork heaven. Maybe it's not for your vegetarian friends, but if you enjoy the world of meat (and beer), a trip to this little, comfy gem should be in your near future. I can't wait to return myself. Until then, that'll do Pig, that'll do.

Excellent local place to check out. Went with 3 other friends during the week after 7:30pm and it was no waiting.
Waiters/ staff was attentive and friendly.
Appetizers were small but very flavorful.
Main meals all enjoyed and by the looks of the empty plates, no complaints.
Owner/manager treated us to house drinks and just made for a wonderful evening with family and friends. Would go back and recommend others to check out this small local place.

The whole family really enjoyed lunch yesterday at the Crispy Pig. We got a real bargain thanks to Groupon, but it's one of the few places I'd go back to at regular price as well.
A big thanks goes out to our waiter John, who went out his way to make our meal extra special. Our daughter was interested in the "dirty" Mac n Cheese, but wasn't sure about all the extra ingredients. John mentioned that there was a kid's Mac n Cheese available ("like Kraft, but better") and arranged to have some pancetta thrown in. This was a huge hit!
We ordered the Cowgirl steak from the menu, but John suggested a special that added blue cheese, asparagus, and whisky-onion mashed potatoes. He mentioned that it was a couple of bucks more than the menu item but a better deal because of the sides and the gourmet blue cheese. It was a huge hit as well. The steak was fantastic (one of the best I've had outside of a high-end steakhouse) and the onion mash potato was especially good.
The final huge hit at our table was the chicken and waffle.... which was incredible, if a bit non-traditional (a few small chicken wings on top and a very thick caramel sauce).
The bar menu looked tempting, but we weren't up to drinks at lunch. My son got the root beer, which, as promised, was really good.
We also tried the poutine and the ribs; but were good if not quite as amazing as the other items we had.
As you might guess, it's probably not a good choice for vegetarian or kosher diners, but for everyone else, this place is highly recommended (and all the more so if you can get a Groupon)!

Very cool place, great music ( rock )
All craft beer my choice OMME Gang Cooperstown NY Very Nice
Chile cheeses balls rock
Chicken and Waffles really good
Pulled pork chips and slaw
Donut holes warm and delicious
Rustic very comfortable small place w valet parking
We had a great night

Definitely comfort food and definitely delicious! A little on the expensive side for comfort food, IMO, especially considering the portion sizes. Came for lunch which had a very small menu but from what we ate, it makes me want to come back for dinner for sure. Great service also, can't wait for 2nds.

Ps. The wings are AMAZING!

I don't frequently write reviews here on Yelp. I'm more of a taker than a giver (tongue firmly in cheek!). But when i come across a restaurant or business that is REALLY exceptional I feel compelled to share my experiences. The Crispy Pig is one of those unique gems that needs to be shared far and wide.

Most people who know me understand my almost religious fervor for pork. I tell my friends that swine forms the entire base of my food pyramid. LOL :)

So when I heard about a new restaurant in Sea Cliff called "The Crispy Pig" I was compelled to push all my chips into the center of the table and try it out. I had high expectations and needless to say they surpassed beyond my wildest dreams.

I have visited other "pork" themed restaurants in the past namely Swine in Miami Beach and Bar Bacon in Hells Kitchen NYC. While both of those provided good experiences the cuisine at Crispy Pig is FAR superior.

Owners Mike & Jodi Imbriano have put together a gem of a gastropub! Welcoming, warm and intimate the decor has a decidedly southern flair. Exposed brick, distressed wood, a warm color pallet and muted lighting make the restaurant inviting and homey to the visitor.

There is a nicely setup bar area with dozens of IPA and craft beers available. Plus 2 TVs which happened to be playing a match featuring the USA men soccer team. GO USA!

There will likely be a wait when you visit Crispy Pig since its inviting atmosphere lends itself to lingering patrons and the tables don't turn over quickly. But when you taste the food you will see why that is the case.

Executive chef Peter Kontomanolis has put together a great varied menu with something for everyone. My family had the opportunity to sample a number of dishes.

For appetizers we ordered:
Street Corn: Nicely charred, flavorful and inhaled by our group.
Chili Cheese Balls: Crispy just the right amount of heat and gooeyness.
Poutine: Chunks of shredded pork atop perfectly seasoned fries with copious amounts of cheese & gravy
Dirty Mac & Cheese: Probably the best I have ever had.

For Entrees we ordered:
TPC Burger: The shallots and jam produced a nice balance in the burger and complemented the pork belly infusion very well.
Rack of Ribs: Perfectly dry rub seasoned, huge, and flavorful.
Shrimp & Grits: Mushroom & onions provided a nice offset to the grits. One note the heads are left ON the shrimp and not removed. One thing I have learned is that chefs that leave the shrimp head on are pros! It provides additionally complex flavors to dishes.
Cowgirl Steak: Nice steak with just the right amount of fat. Served on the bone and perfectly done. The onions on top were a nice touch!

For dessert we ordered:
Strawberry Shortcake: The server made a mistake and brought the wrong dessert (I had ordered the Shoofly Pie) but the dish was amazing. Nice amount of fruit and the cream was obviously freshly made.Sometimes mistakes work in your favor!
Donuts Holes: Terrific dessert and nice complement to the excellent cappuccino my mother in law ordered.

Walked out thoroughly satiated and satisfied with every aspect of our meals & the attentive service we received. Its a certainty will be back to The Crispy Pig again and will take my friends and family to experience this unique gem in Sea Cliff. I suggest you do as well!

I highly recommend this restaurant! I can't even think of one thing that wasn't excellent.

I had wanted to try Crispy Pig for a few months because it sounded like such a cool place. I was not disappointed.

We bought a Groupon and decided to use it for my birthday dinner. I called and easily made a reservation for 7pm. We arrived and were seated right away. Our waiter was John and he was nice and attentive. He got us more delicious cornbread when we polished off the first basket in record time. (We were hungry and it was delicious). We ordered poutine for an appetizer and it was really delicious. My picky daughter had the pulled pork sandwich and chips and loved it. My son got the steak and said it was one of the best he has ever had. My husband and I both had the pork tenderloin pot pie. It was incredible.

I had the opportunity to compliment the chef because he came into the dining room to speak to another table (who appeared to be complaining about his food which I can't understand). I told him it was my birthday and his delicious food helped make it a great day. He seemed happy to know that we enjoyed his food (and wished me a happy birthday).

We WILL be going back to The Crispy Pig - with or without a Groupon. It is just that good!

Edited to add: It is still a great place although the chef change is a bit unfortunate since the former chef was incredible. It is obvious that the new one isn't as good as the other. That being said, the food is still delicious and presented nicely. The only true disappointment is that some of the original menu items are gone and there were a few that I wanted to try.

I am not going to change my stars but the service was slightly less than it was the last time. Our waitress, Alanis, seemed a bit hesitant about some of the menu items which we found out when we asked a few questions before ordering. Possibly she was new and she was pleasant and checked on us often. We also didn't like that the dessert items were read to us - I would much rather see a menu with prices. I don't think the desserts were worth the price we paid. I may have opted to simply share a dessert instead of overpay because we didn't know the prices.

We will give it a little time and go back. I hope that the new chef is more adjusted and the waitstaff become ma a bit more confident.

We wanted to love this place- the staff is super friendly and the location is nice looking. But, the food ranged from average to inedible.

The burger was flavorless, and went uneaten. The St. Louis ribs were OK, but they came with a hair in them so we didn't eat much of them (when we returned them, the explained that the hair didn't look like it came from anyone in the kitchen. huh?). The poutine was an inedible disaster- greasy, muddled flavors over soggy, under cooked fries.

The service was also a problem. One in our party asked for a modification for two dishes because of a food allergy; the waiter confirmed that they would omit the ingredient but it was included anyway. When we asked about it, we were told "I didn't realize you were serious". Dangerous. They removed largely untouched plates from our table, and did not inquire about them.

I am sorry Crispy Pig- you are very nice people but your food is awful and your servers need training.