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Christopher St (PATH)
Christopher St (1)
14th St-8th Ave (A, C, E, L)
"i thought that this place was fantastic! the bartenders/servers are super friendly (had a conversation with one about dodgeball... how…" read more »
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A group of us recently dropped in on our ongoing quest to find the city's best burger, unfortunately this Pig did not satisfy.
Does the kitchen not taste the food they're sending out? The burger has two flavors, blue cheese and salt. The fries have one: SALT! I'm pretty sure "salt to taste" means add salt until you bring out the natural flavors of the food, not until all you can taste is SALT!
The bar snacks and drinks were quite good and the rest of the menu sounded great, but if it's a burger you're looking for, don't believe the hype.
Service- mediocre at best. Our waiter was visibly annoyed we all ordered burgers. Hey guy, A) you have a job. B) you just made $60 to bring us 2 rounds of drinks and 7 burgers! get over yourself!
And at $17 a pop, they should have someone giving me a neck rub while I eat it!
Leave this place for off-peak hours and the tourists.
I've been here for drinks before on a Thursday night and I've got to say, I kind of like the crowd. People seem nice, not too annoying, yet fun. The decor is odd to say the least - randomly placed ceramic spotted pigs, but somehow it works. I came back to sample their lunch under the persuasion of one of my friends..
From the appetizers I tried the chicken liver toasts, deviled eggs and "roll mops" (pickled herring). The roll mops were the great! I wouldn't have thought so, but it wasn't fishy nor slimy at all. Very flavorful and refreshing. The deviled eggs were just ok. The chicken liver toasts were excellent - but it's definitely a heart attack on a plate. One bite should be enough.
I got the famous Spotted Pig burger and was royally disappointed. It looks grand and portion is enormous, but it was just a facade. I asked for it medium, but I think it was like rare. Not even rare. It was still like ground meat straight from the butcher. Don't people usually order on the rare side b/c they want those juices following between the bun? Not this, it was just bright pink ground meat with no flavor and not that much juice. There's a heavy load of roquefort cheese on the thick burger that made it WAY too salty. The cheese just sort of got in the way.
The fries are the extra skinny kind - like potato match sticks with rosemary and too much salt. I'm a steak fries - tater tots - curly fries kind of girl so these extra skinny fries didn't interest me much. You have to stick a whole fistful in your mouth to get any sort of substance. Not very ladylike.
I only had like 3 bites of the burger and 7 potato sticks and I decided I was no longer interested.
People thought this was:
great place, very busy.
the food was excellent and the service was allright.
I really had a great time at the bar, they make a really nice bloody mary!
For food I just had the burger, with blue cheese of course it was very good and I totally recommend people to try it.
well that's it great food, great service, great atmosphere!
One of the best place in this area, to either go for a drink or to have dinner.
People thought this was:
Finally got to try this place out with a friend. We went on Friday after work around 6:30p and waited for less than 10 mins! We shared the classic burger, the ricotta gnudi and carrots. Everything was AMAZING. The burger was juicy with a bite from the blue cheese spread. The burger is served with shoestring fries sprinkled with rosemary and garlic chips. SO delicious and a perfect compliment. Next, the ricotta gnudi were decadent, milky and perfectly paired with a brown butter and sage sauce. mmmm
Finally, the carrots side dish blew me away. I didn't know that carrots couldbe so damn good, though I'm sure these were doused in butter before being broiled. Albeit the high price you pay in calories, the food is worth every extra pound that landed on my hips the morning after.
Minus one star for the lack of compelling beers on tap. This is a British gastropub, afterall so how come they've only got a handful of pedestrian beers on tap? SP needs to up its libation game but when it comes to food, they're spot on.
People thought this was:
Like many other yelp reviewers, I found the food overwhelmingly salty. Too bad, because with a more moderate hand all the dishes I had could have been really great. The smoked haddock chowder, the burger, the fries, even the side of arugula with my cubano sandwich were all so salty that the meal really became un-enjoyable. Shame, because the location is absolutely charming and some of the items (chicken liver toast, asparagus, ricotta gnudi) are delicious. But at $15 for a bowl of soup and $17 for a burger, over-salting is really unforgiveable and I won't be going back.
A friend loves this place, and the atmosphere is nice. But I was seriously turned off by the staff and the burgers were seriously undercooked. One person ordered medium well, and the burger was medium rare (Mostly pink). Another ordered medium, and the burger was rare (warm, but all pink). After eating about half, we gave the medium-well back to the server, stating we were fine with paying for it as is, and don't want another (it takes about 45 minutes to get one), but no serious cook would consider this medium-well. The server gave it to the manager, who retorted with "We cook our burgers 'steak done'" Having worked in restaurants before I said 'Seriously, steak done is not totally red for medium well'... He was nothing but an a**hole still.
I mean, seriously, you charge $20 for a burger, at least tell people you cook it about 2 levels less than normal, and don't be total assholes when people complain, if that's what you do. What happened to the customer is always right?
I guarantee if the manager had taken the burger to the cook and asked how he thought this burger was ordered, he would not have said medium-well.... But, we'll never know because the manager was an a*hole and just gave us the check anyway (a check for over $200 i'll add--we weren't drinking water...)
The cask conditioned ale is awesome, and the appetizers we had were good too. But their head has gotten too big about how to cook a burger, and definitely order it 2 levels more cooked then you normally would --- I can only assume if you order a well burger it will come with a layer of pink in the middle, based on how they cooked burgers ordered medium and medium-well....
I was doubtful, but this place lives up to the hype! YUMMY! And the wait staff was very nice :) Great surprise!
Somewhere in the West Village, the third little piggy built his house of brick and opened a gastropub serving cold beers with tasty bar food. He staffed his joint with cool, laid back servers and decorated the walls with "pig paraphenilia and locavore vegetables." Word quickly spread and the lines grew and grew .
Mid-afternoons are a great time to beat the crowds, and grab a seat by the windows. Start with the Deviled Eggs paired with a beer. I'm sure by now you've heard a lot about the Chargrilled Burger with Roquefort Cheese & Shoestrings... tasty but my money is on the Gnudi, which are soft dumplings made of sheep's milk ricotta and topped with fried sage leaves, browned butter and Parmesan. Take the time to peruse the menu and you'll find more than an upscale burger that leaves so many of the reviewers wondering why they waited hours for a table let alone put up with the "teacher's assistant" like service. The Smoked Haddock Chowder with Housemade Crackers has a good depth of flavor with truly fresh ingredients and the Pan Roasted Guinea Fowl with Morels sets a standard very few gastropubs let alone local eateries can seem to imitate.
So "huff and puff" your way through the crowd and the hype, grab a pint of booze, sit back and take in the scene.
People thought this was:
Came here for lunch one day because I would never want to deal with the scene at night. It was very laid back and the food was superb. I had the burger, obviously, and I thought it was just a hair short of little owl, but better than corner bistro. The bleu cheese standard burger they have is outstanding and the shoestring fries that accompany are perfect, rosemary infused, salty deliciousness. My accompany had some sort of poached egg with asparagus and greens which sounds boring, but it was a party with every bite. Id give em 4.5 stars if I could, but I cant because Yelp is the man!
My best friend Chris and I wander in there hungover on Sunday for a late brunch. We get seated almost immediately since It was like 2:45 pm. We started off with the Spotted Pig Bloody Mary with fresh! horseradish that instantly perked our beaten brains awake. Then came the Pot of Pickles which were a medley of little pickled veggies, which as a pickle connoisseur, came out perfect. Then on to the crisp Caesar salad with savory anchovies which complimented the creamy dressing. We also shared the hamburger which was delicious if not a bit greasy. For dessert we had a sweet refreshing Mojito and a shot of iced Patron. The bartender Debbie made our drinks with a swift hand and righteous pours. It was a bit pricey but it was such an amazing brunch I'm still savoring it in my brain, 3 months later.
So after many failed attempts of being told "wait time is 3 hrs" I finally made it to the Spotted Pig last July 4th weekend. I thought that with everyone out of town that weekend, the wait would be more tolerable.
It was...sort of....
After waiting about 1 hour (not too bad), my friends and I got a great table! The booth at the back by the window....not an easy feat in the small space!
The food was classic pub fare...rich, gluttonous, fatty...you know the drill. This is not a place for the faint-hearted or heaven forbid...vegans or vegetarians.
The menu is pretty simple with the majority of the patrons going for the burger, topped with roquefort cheese and plated with a mountain of shoe string fries. Keep in mind, these fries are intense and spill everywhere...don't be afraid to eat off the table...out goes the five second rule here!
Highlights included the ricotta gnudi - heavy and delish, as well as a great and simple deviled egg, creamy with just the right amount of spice.
Overall, the vibe was very old school irish pub. Lots of cool looking people and pretty girls. Not sure how they manage to stay that thin while eating plates full of cheese and butter...hrmmm...
Service was spotty, nice but not too nice...and you do get an overall feeling like they are doing you a huge favor by letting you dine there.
My final verdict - Glad I finally went, but would I go back? Probably Not.
Well, I take that back...if the wait was trimmed to 10-15 minutes. Chances of that happening?
Like I said...Probably Not.
With all the hype this place has received over the past few years, it certainly has more of a see-and-be-seen vibe than a great lunch/happy hour spot.
The wait times are hard to justify given the for too-cool-for-school 'tude that the staff gives off.
So what has me coming back? The gnudi and the deviled egg!
People thought this was:
The Spotted Pig does everything they can do to hide the stuffy, white linen restaurant they really are. Potted plants abound outside with benches and a place to relax while waiting. The interior is a take on a country pub style, with plenty of kitsch and old-world charm. The waiters come in sneakers and t-shirts, and a sheet of brown construction paper covers each white table cloth.
But the hostess and the waitstaff all know where they work, and treat a customer how you would expect. Not directly rude, but definitely aloof and uninterested. I overheard our waiter making fun of the patron at the next table for thinking a menu item was a sandwich.
Speaking of sandwiches, a stop here is supposedly incomplete without a chargrilled burger with roquefort cheese ($17). It comes best medium-rare says the chef, and is served with a heaping mound of shoestring fries.
I found the whole experience from start to finish extremely salty. The roquefort was definitely the most memorable part of the meal, the sheep's milk cheese definitely a good companion to a burger. Both the interesting bun and saltiness of everything got me deconstructing the burger to check out the interior. I tasted the meat on its own and it proved to be the source of the salt. The grilled on both sides bun was very well-prepared.
I would have thought it were an accident had the shoestring fries and the other dish on the table not been so salty as well. The prosciutto & ricotta tart with marjoram ($18) was the more tasty of the two meals, with its ingredients standing out more from the salt than on the burger. The ricotta was especially delicious, but I feel like marjoram was used instead of oregano only to sound fancier. The tart flaked off well, and was probably the reason we waited about 25 minutes for our food to come in a fairly empty restaurant.
The space occupied by The Spotted Pig is decently furnished but hardly anything memorable. It at times reminds me of a generic Paul Smith location.
At the door, I was ignored until one of the rude staff members noticed me and directed me to a table. Although there were plenty of tables available, he showed me to a tiny one located right in front of the kitchen (and hence uncomfortably noisy).
Over the course of the meal, I came to the conclusion that the Spotted Pig only hires employees who are slow, surly, and seemingly hard of hearing. Service was, in other words, absolutely atrocious.
I ordered the chargrilled burger & shoestring fries because that is what they're supposedly known for. It arrived after 40 minutes and was not at all impressive. The meat tasted funny and the fries were almost impossible to eat (a mess). Leaving most of the burger untouched, I paid the tab and could not be happier to leave.
In a nutshell -- don't believe the hype and STAY AWAY!
Bleh. Nothing special here. I didn't enjoy the burger, but as a caveat, I don't like blue cheese. They wouldn't substitute the blue cheese for any other cheese (come on, give me like swiss or american or something!), so I was left with a patty and bun and ketchup. Boring. I also tried the Ricotta Gnudi, which tasted like a stuffed gnocchi. It was tasty and flavorful, but nothing I'd ever crave. The fries were heaped on the burger and they were okay, but nothing spectacular. Service was spotty and I had to stand up to find my own ketchup. I don't like sitting on stools without backs. For lunch, I felt the prices were a bit high. No plans on returning here.
People thought this was:
It's a British pub that serves food seasonal British & Italian. I came here with a good friend (hopefully more) after an off-broadway show "Sleepwalk With Me." This restaurant fits with the Village. I'd recommend the Sheep's Ricotta Gnudi with Brown Butter & Sage Lamb Heart; Chargrilled Burger with Roquefort Cheese & Shoestrings compliments of Malbec red wine. The burger is seasoned with Roquefort Cheese one does not need other condiments of ketchup or salt since the cheese gives it flavor. The shoestrings fries are seasoned with salt thus ketchup is not needed. Since it's themed to a British pub patrons are sitting on stools rather than actual chairs even if it's at a table or by the bar.
I do not recommend this restaurant for children or for veggietarians. The Spotted Pig does not accept reservations or delivery or take-out. The name of this restaurant/bar saids it all: Spotted Pig which implies meat.
Rather than actual business cards, Spotted Pig distributes coasters with their name, address and phone number but no web site as their indifference.
I rate it four stars due to lack of space to hang coats or jackets.
People thought this was:
Whoa, whoa, whoa. No burger on the menu at lunchtime last Monday (5/4/09). I'd promised my visitors the best burger of their life, and it wasn't on the menu. FAAAAAAAAIL (to be fair, I probably shouldn't have hyped it up so much). Still, the rillettes and Cubano were a pretty good substitute, and the ales probably the best kept I've had in NYC. Aside from the burger disappointment, service was surprisingly slow. We were almost the first people in after they opened for lunch, and it still took 1h20 to bring our group (4) our sandwiches, rillettes and fries.
The hype is true -- the burger is awesome. Accompanying shoestring fries came with garlic and… Read more »
The burger is a must try, hold the mustard and ketchup. Let the cheese do the work. The wait sucks, 30 min even at 1130p.
I heard about this place for a while, but I have been, mainly cuz its not anywhere close to any train stations. But after hearing ppl in Jeff C.'s group rave about their burger (and their 3rd flr, open only to famous ppl like Anthony Bourdain or for special events), I had to try this place.
This place is super packed on a Friday night, and we were surprised that we had to wait 30 minutes for a table. Granted, it was for 6 ppl, but still, its no fun to wait. Good thing I had my first dinner (albeit not fulfilling) at Knife+Fork already.
After 30 minutes of wait, they finally were willing to seat us, if our entire party was there, except someone from our group decided to walk his friend to the train station (and ended up getting lost), but I was prepared. I told the Maitre'd that one of our friend is in the restroom, and asked to be seated now. He, of course, obliged, not knowing that was a lie. Then came the ordering process. They only take one order for the table, so we had to wait for the guy that supposedly was in the bathroom (but he was now lost, unable to find his way back). So after about another 20 minutes of waiting, we finally agreed to order for him (as he cabbed back to our location). The waiter was a bit pushy, and pretty much told us what to order. When we order the burger for our friend that was "in the bathroom", he told us that he will put his order for medium instead of medium rare, due to his fake "illness".
Anyway, after this whole crazy mess, we were finally able to get our hands on the burger. It came w/ a plateful of shoestring fries made w/ rosemary and garlic. But it was the burger that completely knocked it out of the ballpark for me. I only had 1/2 a burger (thinking the whole thing would be too much since I had dinner), but that 1/2 a burger was insane. The patty was thick, juicy, and tender in every bite. But it was the cheese that makes the burger. The cheese is a roquefort cheese, which is a blue cheese. When its on the burger, it is not very strong. But its the other flavors of the cheese that literally felt like a marching band of various flavors going through my mouth. You don't need anything else to enhance the flavor of this burger. I'm almost 100% sure if you try by adding ketchup or other types of condiments you only ruin the fantastic explosion of taste in your mouth.
That being said, the guy that had his burger done to medium complained that the burger tasted "dry". Eh, that's what happens when you were "supposedly" in the bathroom for 20 minutes.
As for the fries, they were good, actually quite addicting, after downing 1/2 a burger and still craving for something more. But I definitely felt a blister on my tongue after going through a good chunk of the fries.
Stick w/ the burger (and whatever else that they have that's "not on the menu"), and don't let the waiter convince you out of it. I won't elaborate more than that, but we're still regretting about that part.
People thought this was:
Dunno what to think about this place... I've heard rave reviews for so long and finally last night i had a chance to go... mind you - it was a Monday night and the wait was still 45 minutes for a table-for-3.
This place has everything I like about the west village.... quaint place, nice decor, pretty people, good bar scene. We ordered some appetizers. The gnudi, phenomenal! (but i suspect anything drowned in butter will taste great)... the other appetizer, some sort of non-chicken fried egg on a bed of greens, also quite delightful.
The next wave was the real disappointment. All 3 of us at the table got the famous burgers there. (i was going for the halibut but they were out - wtf?). I got mine medium-rare, the meat was OK... but the blue cheese they put on the top completely masked the meat taste... that was a huge spoiler. The fries looked great too, nice and thin and crispy with probably a touch of thyme (was it?)... but I felt like they had dragged my fries into the dead sea before putting them on my plate (ie: they were overly salty) .... the side of broccoli rab we got was also the same... WAYYYY too salty.
I left with a serious sense of disappointment. Will I be back? Maybe for the bar... w/ a few appetizers on order... but dont get the burger.... right now best place for that is Shake Shack or Peter Luger's.
My cousin visited for a weekend, so I committed myself to giving her a varied and delicious food experience. Decently priced and delicious food at a hip location with great atmosphere? Yeah, I totally get the award for best host.
She had the burger and I had the gnudi. The gnudi is magically delicious and salty. They're basically ricotta surrounded by dough with a brown butter sauce and fried bay leaves. The first bite was an orgasm in my mouth. Maybe a little too intense, because after the third one, the saltiness was overpowering. To extend my analogy, it's like getting stretched every which way with satisfying results, but after a while, you just need a break.
The burger was a homer, as always. Juicy and flavorful. The roquefort cheese adds a nice zing, though I have a love/hate relationship with blue cheese on my burgers. Nice, yes, but sometimes, all you can taste is the blue cheese. I love the fries here, which are skinny. I grab a big clump, making sure to get some of the fried rosemary and garlic slices, and stuff 'em in my mouth. The first time I came here, I came alone. The gentleman next to me ordered a burger, which was what I planned on getting. I ordered it, and made a vow to eat slightly less than he did. I did. I finished my burger, and only ate half my fries (he ate three quarters of them), but man, was it tough.
The cubano here is also excellent. I hate crowds, and they have a late lunch menu. A lot of things aren't on there, but the burger makes an appearance. When I came with my cousin for Friday lunch, we waited thirty minutes (the hostess called us--we wandered around the area). The pig up front is too cute, and I love the flowers that abound outside.
Great for people watching at anytime of the day. I love that this place is open late and serves food late. The burgers are good, reliable. The prosciutto and ricotta tart is amazing just the right portion for a late meal it didn't leave me stuffed or hungry. Great specials if you get there before they are gone.
Some people who come here can be rude, this woman kept putting her drink on our table while she posed for pictures, we recommended that she stop the waiter backed us up. Our waiter was amazing, some time around 2:00 am their computers crashed and all orders entered that night were lost so all the wait staff scrambled to add up the tabs which required them to go to several patrons and ask what they had for dinner. It was crazy but they handled it with finesse, well our waiter did at least. We offered up our cell phones so he could calculate the tab.
In any event is a chill place to get some late night grub and peep an occasional celeb. Celebrity sighting of the night: Scott Ian from Anthrax, I was the only one at my table who knew who he was so I called my metal friend and told her and she thought it was cool.
The GF and I finally decided to check out this most ballyhooed of gastropubs on a random Sunday. We predicted a lengthy wait, but when the gentleman at the door told us it would be an hour and change for a table, I unsuccessfully tried to audible to Fatty Crab down the street. I lost.
We entered the bar area, where I was emasculated each time I tried to get the bartender's attention or body checked by other patrons. The ladyfriend didn't seem to mind, but that's probably because she's gotten used to my bar anxiety, mostly the result of my persistent inability to find a place to stand that is not blocking foot traffic. Once the bartender was done playing hard to get, I ordered the cask drawn Otis Stout from the bar, which was lovely and maybe even worth the nine dollars it cost. Halfway through the drink, however, and after waiting for only twenty or so minutes, we were informed that our table was ready. O RLY? A pleasant surprise, but why was our wait time so over quoted?
We waffled over a couple items on the menu, but ultimately settled for the house classics. We shared the brown-butter-and-sage-bathed ricotta gnudi, which I believe our waitperson informed us to be a flourless dumpling. Essentially they're tasty little cheese and butter explosions in your mouth, and every bit the sexual experience the description suggests.
Unlike several others below, I really enjoyed my roqeufort burger -- surprising since I have avoided the blue cheese and beef combination for many years. I agree that the cheese stands out but, given that the burger consists of only three parts (beef, cheese, bun), it can't really be said to overpower as much as share equal time with the other ingredients.
The little shoestring fries were also delicious, but completely dependent on the bits of fried garlic and rosemary accompanying them. GF went for the braised rabbit that she seemed to enjoy. I tasted it at some point, but was too distracted by my dish to appreciate it. I think she was jealous of my fries.
All in all, it was what I expected -- a packed, overpriced, but ultimately quality restaurant. I would give three and a half stars, and would maybe go back with someone from out of town.
People thought this was:
If food is your religion, The Spotted Pig is a suitable temple. 3 must-have starters: the deviled egg is a truly gourmet affair; the Pig elevates devils on a horseback far beyond the mere party favor or simple hors d'oeuvre; and the chicken liver toast is perfect, without a hint of being too organ-y. Between the devils and the organs, you will find your choir -- "crowded" or "convivial," you be the judge but, this is one to see for yourself.
People thought this was:
Great restaurant. The spotted pig was recommended to me by some of my old college friends who still live in NYC. They'd never let me down before, so my boyfriend and I decided we would try it, per their request. First off, I adore the decor. It's wonderfully funky and cool. The service was a bit spotty, but I'm willing to overlook that because of the fantastic dinner I experienced. I got the Burger with Roquefort Cheese & Shoestrings and it was great! The shoestring fries were incredible and I honestly could've eaten them for months. The desert was also fantastic. Flourless Chocolate Cake was great.
I live a life of gluttony. The Spotted Pig fits perfectly into that lifestyle.
All the dishes we tried screamed RICH. Every bite was jam-packed with flavor and even though the portions aren't huge, my date and I were both completely stuffed after our dinner.
We came on a Wednesday night around 8 PM and there was an hour wait. We killed time at a neighboring bar until the hostess called and let us know our table was ready. After reading all the yelp reviews, we ordered the ricotta gnudi and were not disappointed. Soft pillowy blobs of ricotta, bathed in brown butter and sage leaves-- how could you go wrong? I won't say they're life-changing, but definitely worth ordering.
After ordering the wild striped bass and braised rabbit (no, we did NOT order the burger) our waiter helped pick out an excellent bottle of wine that would fit both of our entrees. The striped bass came out flaky and perfectly cooked. The small portion of mashed potatoes were forgettable but the fish more than made up for it. The braised rabbit was so decadent, I had to know what they did to that poor bunny to make him so tasty. The rabbit was atop the most rich broth I had tasted-- you could really tell the amount of time and skill it took to concoct it.
I loved the casual environment of the venue and thought the service was impeccable. Our waiter went out of his way to make sure we were comfortable and even helped us make after-dinner plans since we weren't familiar with the neighborhood.
If your arteries are up for the challenge, Spotted Pig is worth checking out!
I'm going to hate on this place a little. Deal with it.
The real pig here isn't self-effacing genius Mario, but whoever came up with the pricing. What would you say if I told you there was a way to pay $43 (before tip) for a beer, a bowl of soup and a hamburger? Crazy, no?
Here was my lunchtime order:
1 seafood chowder = $15
1 Burger = $17
1 Old Speckled Hen = $8
Now, the median price for an Old Speckled Hen at NYC bars is $6.75, according to http://BeerMenus.com (an amazing resource). Of course, they've got the Pig's draft OSH incorrectly listed as $7. But that it were so!
No, your draft beer here is $8, which is the price of a full lunch special at many other places in the city. Beer is a commodity, so pricing it very high pisses me off.
Now to the food. They can charge $15 for their chowder I guess. I paid that, after all, but it's still an absurd price for a soup. However, the soup is amazingly delicious and quite filling.
The burger is another story. It is coated in blue cheese. This cheese has evidently been sitting at the bottom of the salty ocean for years...YEARS...gathering the courage to make you wretch. I had to scrape it off in order to taste the meat at all. The meat was perfect, but I'm sorry: for $17 I should be getting a foot massage...from Gwyneth Paltrow! We're in a Depression, goddamnit!
Luckily, I split this meal with someone. How sad is that?
People thought this was:
I was so excited about trying this place. I did my Yelp research and read what to expect and what to get. I couldn't get to this place fast enough based on how some people raved about it...
I went here for the first time over the weekend...and I'm trying so hard to convince myself that my gut reaction is off...but I can't change my mind. The wait is ridiculous. The wait staff seems aloof and stoned. The place is SO packed, yet SO tiny, there is nowhere to stand when you're waiting for a table, and its like a 40 min wait just to get a seat at the bar...good luck even standing by the bar b/c of how tiny this place is. I felt like the ball in a foosball table being knocked all over the place for 40 minutes, shuffling back and forth every 10 seconds to get out of the way of the next waiter, the next patron, etc.
The beer is SO EXPENSIVE here. Seriously, $9 for a beer??? Holy F*ck. I was expecting the food to be expensive b/c like I said, I did my Yelp research. But DUDE, $9 for a beer?!?!
Now, the food. I ordered the burger. The burger was okay. I did NOT like the cheese that came on it at all. I would say it almost ruined the burger. I found myself trying to eat around the places that had the most cheese. No toppings for the burger, either. I asked for a side of tomato and lettuce and was told they couldn't do that. Seriously??? Am I expecting too much to want a slice of tomato?? And the fries...oh the fries. They were disgusting. I ate about half of them because I was hungry, but was annoyed with each bite. They really need new fries. Or at least give us a choice: would you like normal french fries, or nasty shoe string fries that are so thin that you can see through them?
Overall, I'm glad I tried this place. I wish it lived up to the high expectations that I had set for it.
People thought this was:
Yum. The Spotted Pig. My uber cool gal pal took me here as one of our stops on our gastronomical tour of NYC.
This place just looks so cool from the exterior all the way through to the interior. It's just so......British. Cool, kitschy, in-your-face decor. Very nice, I like.
We were seated promptly upstairs and got down to the nitty gritty. We had the ricotta gnudi in a browned butter sauce and it was so. freaking. unbelieveable. As in, OMGasmic. Yes, it was *that* good. I seriously savored every single delectable little morsel. Those perfect pillows filled with creamy ricotta goodness, with a fried sage leaf on top and oily, fatty yumminess of a sauce created with butter. Ahhhhhh. If you go here and don't order this, I will have to personally b-slap you.
After we had licked the plate clean, we both settled in with a burger with a thick slice of blue cheese. The patty itself was awesome, and the bun was nice and cushiony, but.......the blue cheese was too overpowering. I really think the Spotted Pig would benefit (not only from cutting costs, but also by improving taste) from slicing the cheese a bit thinner. The cheese really overpowers the quality meat of the patty and the soft yielding of the bun.
I've only eaten here once but I will definitely be back next time I visit the NYC. And don't forget to order the gnudi or I'll find you.
People thought this was:
It's pretty good. The food is tasty and the decor is very nice.
But I have a very low tolerance for over-crowding of hipsters, and that is the number one item on the menu here.
Seems to me that half of this eatery is focused on the food... the other half is making sure that the trendies see you eat.
Sorry, not worth it. You can get everything they have here at another restaurant without having to beat the hipster spawn of baby-boomers off with a stick.
Went for lunch, the service was average to below average.
Great aps. Could eat the overpriced Roll Mops all day and I had a $3 devilled egg which was solid but also overpriced. The chicken liver toast was very tasty. I was eyeballing the haddock chowder on the menu but couldn't get myself to pay $17 for a cup of soup.
I wanted to split the burger and the cubano with a buddy, so we asked if the chef could cut the burger in half and HE REFUSED - what a douche!
Also the cubano completely sucked ass. I didn't think you could screw up a cubano so bad. It was over seasoned and there were NO PICKLES on it - instead they used some bland chopped green pepper. The cheese was greasy, tasteless, and abundant. Plus I'm not sure if they put the sandwich in a press - seemed like it was finished in an oven. Either way, it was left in there way too long as the bread was hard and burnt.
I can't deny the awesomeness of the cheeseburger . This may be my new top cheeseburger in the city. I'll need to try the burger a few more times for the novelty of the Roquefort cheese to wear off in order to make sure the burger really is that good.
Burger comes with a towering side of shitstring, I mean shoeshit, I mean shoestring fries. These were hard, dry, and completely underseasoned - perhaps not seasoned at all. This was my first time dining here but the friends I was with said the quality of the fries has been slipping recently.
Although this is possibly the best burger in town the place is overpriced and pretentious. I want to rate it lower but have to give it 4* because a couple of the aps are too damn good and the burger w roq was "lights out" as Bonez would say.
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The Spotted Pig completely blew my expectations out of the water. The food is absolutely phenomenal. We started with the Sheep's Ricotta Gnudi with Brown Butter & Sage, Pork Rillette with Mustard & Pickles, and a Carrot/Avocado/Citrus salad dressed with a cumin sauce, and they were all flavorful explosions in my mouth. The carrots were roasted and soft, the avocado made it creamy, and the citrus slices made it juices, simply delicious. The Pork Rillette was served with grilled bread slices and was probably my least favorite, but still good. But it was the Gnudi that stole my heart. These warm dough balls filled with cheese were a perfectly, heavenly combination of the perfect gnocchi and a cheese ravioli, absolutely unbelievable. My friend and I finished by splitting the famous burger, which definitely lived up to it's hype. Topped with the perfect amount of blue cheese, on a chargrilled bun and served with shoe string fries, we couldn't have asked for me.
Get ready to wait for a table, but trust me, it's worth it. The bar gets pretty crowded later in the night, so consider staying for some drinks and meet some locals for an exchange of witty drunken banter. :)
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burger is good
great fresh meat, perfectly pink
temperature spot on.
bun was a nice toasted brioche
not a fan of the shoestring fries
apparently they do not carry mayonnaise, disappointed but I respect that kind of thing.
overall ranking: B
It wasn't a culinary awakening for me, but nonetheless, it was a damn good meal. The wait for a table is kind of ridiculous, but in NYC, I guess an hour and a half ain't so bad.
We had:
Chicken liver toast (really rich and fatty, something slightly Asian seemed to attack my taste buds here. yum!)
Ricotta gnudi (again, really rich, but enjoyable. but i did prefer the same dish i had @ craft)
Sweetbreads (juicy, succulent, tender... everything you've come to love from this gland)
Pork Cheek (a pleasant surprise. the way it was prepared (braised), again sort of reminded me of an Asian (Vietnamese) dish - (forgive me if i butcher it) Bo Kho. I know, beef/pork, different animals, but the flavors were very similar here!
Hamburger (a solid burger, but honestly, for a high-end burger, I'd rather have Father's Office. And even more honestly, sometimes I'd rather just have In n Out.)
And notably, as much as I enjoyed the fries here... They weren't fries. They were slices of small potato paper, fried with sprigs of rosemary. Remember pik-niks? This is the gourmet version of that. Give me a thin, not too thick stick of deep-fried potato with a mushy goodness inside any day over these anorexic tubers.
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I loved the decor.
The wait was not too bad, long enough for a drink though.
The sweetbreads were deliciousssssssss! You have to get this when you go there!
The place is wonderful and I'll definitely be back on my next visit to NY.
Side note: It was snowing so the floor/stairs were wet. After our dinner was done, my gf and I were heading down the stairs and she totally slipped! People were asking if she was okay and, more embarrassed than hurt, she replied that she was fine. A couple days later, she noticed that she didn't get charged for the meal (she was buying me dinner on my last night in NY)! They comped the meal because she slipped on their wet stairs! I guess they were afraid of a lawsuit? *shrug*
After hearing about this place once too many times i decided to give it a go with my friend.
We were promptly seated and i ordered the burger. All i have to say is it was definitely one of the best burgers i ever had. And yes this lady like her meat rare!
The scene is reminiscent of lets say a very busy mom and pop restaurant at the shore on a busy day. Great energy, but not a place to go if you want to speak softly.
As a non Pork eater it should have occurred to me by the name of the place that perhaps my eating options would be limited...and they were.
The Spotted Pig is nothing like i imagined it's a cross between a pub and your old eccentric Aunt's house. Potted flowers in coffee cans in the window, tables and chairs where they can fit, an environment of controlled chaos.
What was pleasing were the loads of hot English guys..Okay well maybe not loads but the two my girl friend and I met while waiting for our table and enjoying a healthy glass of Merlot or two.
Indeed the food was good. I had some fish, which was cooked to perfection, my friend has the steak which was also delicious. The wait staff is lovely, wine and beer lists weren't bad.
It was a bit pricier than it should have been and I may not return, unless I hear that hot English Guys come with wine for single girls each time they dine there...
Word of advice if you don't eat pork, perhaps avoid the Pig!
Finally got around to this place, went for an early dinner at 7pm. The Speckled Hen on tap is lovely and dangerous at the same time. We met an older English couple at the bar and they said it's their favorite pub in NYC and perhaps in the entire world! My friend and I sat at the window perch for dinner. I had the veggie platter which was the most unique preparation of veggies I've ever had. They were lightly fried (with no breading) and still retained the veggie consistency so that I could tell what each vegetable was. Included Minty Potatoes, Roasted Beets & Greens, Braised Peas & Escarole, Flowering Rabe with Crispy Shallots. My friend had the famous burger and shoestring fries. Yes, the burger is good, the "gamey" flavor that one yelper mentioned must have been the blue cheese (the meat is not lamb). The shoestring fries are prepared very similar to the veggies in my platter (crispy since they were so thin, yet you could still taste the potato on the inside). Will definitely be coming here again.
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I've only had the burger a few times, but I've been here many times besides that. It tends to be packed, but it's a welcome crowded - the kind that let's you know you've hit somewhere good.
and if you're lucky you can sneak to the secret room up the backstairs for some private service.
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Let's be clear - if you come into The Spotted Pig expecting the style and quality of any old pub, you're going to be disappointed. It is an extremely high quality restaurant, with a carefully and very well done casual atmosphere that resembles a crowded and homey pub.
That doesn't mean you won't wait forty minutes to get a table.
That doesn't mean you won't be spending 8 dollars on draft beer.
And that certainly doesn't mean that you'll be getting your typical cheeseburger. This isn't classic pub food. Its a modern, expensive, and a little more... fancy version of it. Don't be surprised when you get blue cheese on your burger, try to have an open mind towards some well-done experimentation.
The fritters were perfection.
The oysters were fresh, cold, and came with a great tangy dip sauce.
The artichoke salad was light with an incredibly flavorful dressing.
I ordered the burger and it was cooked a perfect medium rare.
although my recommendation would definitely be the lamb-chops. They are tender and juicy, and come with an incredible fried potato that defies explanation and two intensely flavored pork sausages.
By far my best eating experience thus far in NYC.
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After gaining much wisdom from previous reviews, I showed up here around 5:15 on a Saturday evening to grab a table before too late with the goal of trying another candidate for the best NYC burger. They started seating around 5:30 and my group of three had a table by 5:45, leaving enough time to enjoy a Spotted Pig bitter on cask at the bar.
Food and service were good, but I think 3 stars is the right rating here since I'm not convinced the food should command such high prices.
The caesar salad was quite good, and made correctly with thick eggy dressing and anchovies throughout - not remotely a healthy ordering option, but tasty. Prosciutto fritters, the appetizer special for the day, were tasty also - then again, it is hard to go wrong with deep fried balls of spinach, prosciutto, and cheese.
But on to our primary objective. The burger was well-sized and the meat was quite good - I ordered it medium rare and it was cooked as such. It wasn't outstanding meat, though, just a very competently executed burger. Roquefort cheese on top adds a somewhat unique quality to it, but I've had blue cheese burgers elsewhere for half the price that I enjoyed just as much. Bummer! The search for the best burger continues.
As other reviewers say, though, the place has a novel atmosphere and the fries were good, so I wasn't terribly disappointed with it, I'd go back but I'd take a Corner Bistro burger (or a Mr. Bartley's burger back in Boston!) over another SP burger if I'm looking to maximize my intake of beefy goodness.
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