Ivy Restaurant

04/19/2008 Posted by optimator

I recently dined at the Ivy for the first time. Patrons walk into a tastefully designed space filled with the requisite beautiful people and are greeted by a hostess with an exotic accent. My first impression was that the Ivy would be a typical trendy restaurant experience. I am happy to report otherwise. I am embarrassed to admit we were bad customers. We had a reservation for 6. All but two were late (10-30 minutes) and we had two last minute additions. Although the Ivy was packed, they immediately seated the punctual two and not only accommodated our now party of 8, they did so quickly and without a trace of attitude. Service was pleasant and prompt throughout the evening. Although the service was the star of the evening, the food and wine are praiseworthy as well. The Ivy offers an affordable wine list with a handful of good value bottles that are a bargain at $26. Every plate ordered was tasty and pleased even the picky palates in our party. The braised short ribs, scallops, and truffled arancini were our favorites. I can't wait to go back and simply enjoy a good meal rather than marvel at their service recovery skills.

Pros: Food and wine service, good value

Cons: Water service. Our water glasses stayed empty for most of the meal and were refilled only upon request.

04/18/2008 Posted by serverbeserved

I am warning everyone reading this not to go here with a group (perhaps just avoid at all cost). I threw a party for 20 people to celebrate a birthday and we were not even given a chance to enjoy our company, food or wine. Two days before the event, the booking manager told me that there would be a party coming in after us at 10 (our reservation was for 8:00), I was obviously a little annoyed with this time constraint. We arrived for our month standing reservation and were asked to wait, who knows the reasoning? So we get to our table and our waitress comes and tells us we have ten minutes to order?!?! What, we are here to celebrate, have some cocktails and enjoy our friends birthday. Not allowed. Our wine, which was ordered with our meals, because we had no time to order a drink then a meal we had to order everything at once, arrived after our two tapas dishes were served. Unacceptable! Not to mention that the servers were pulling tables away from our long table to get ready for the 10 o'clock reservation. All in all I would never ever suggest this to anyone I know or don't know!

Pros: food was ok

Cons: awful experience in every way

04/06/2008 Posted by gkurr

We went to Ivy to celebrate my wife's birthday with a group of about 15. We figured the "tapas" style would be fun for a group - getting people to share and thus be more social. The food itself was very good as was the service. I've read some reviews of Ivy where people were disappointed with the portion size but I would strongly disagree with that assessment. Two small plates was plenty of food for this big appetite.

03/11/2008 Posted by SCL1973

This was my second time here, and I was hoping it was going to be better than the unimpressive first time. Yes, the wine is reasonably priced and the ambience is nice-especially for a Saturday night. What made me review it unfavorably was the long wait despite a reservation, and then once seated, no one came to the table. I had to ask a waitress if anyone had been assigned our table. The waiter came over and apologized because he had to get all the theater people out on time. That was not my problem, but it made me realize that this restaurant is good for theater goers who don't mind mediocre food and service because it is convenient for seeing shows. The meal wasn't bad, it was just lacking a bit in flavor. Everything seemed under-seasoned. I was underwhelmed, to say the least. The moral of this story is, if you are not rushing off to a show, you can probably do better somewhere else. However, if a group of people are inviting you out and they have already decided on this place, it won't ruin your night.

Pros: Close to theaters, nice ambience, reasonably priced wine

Cons: Service is lacking and they don't have to try because of proximity to theaters

12/28/2007 Posted by juliekramer

Great service. The food was nothing short of fabulous. the wine was perfect. the dessert was heavenly. I love the atmosphere the lighting , the comfortable seats and don't worry about parking, they valet.

11/11/2007 Posted by pazzesca

Excellent atmosphere, incredible food. Party of 3 ordered 7 different items and loved them all. Everything was perfect!!!

Pros: Great location in Theater District.

11/03/2007 Posted by jennabirdie

Wine list and food were amazing - a great date place! Service a bit inconsistent - but overall wonderful place. Recommend the mac and cheese.

06/08/2007 Posted by wishyouknew

Wow, what a great disappointment! For a place that says "casual", it looks like these guys talk a lot and can't back it up because it's much more a scene than a casual 'Italian' restaurant. North Enders are probably peeved about them using that word. The place is loud, we waited forever to be seated--and forget the really bad wine sold to you at a mere $26. It's all gimmick. Looks like it's their first time owning a restaurant....better luck next time.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

04/27/2007 Posted by boston_nyc_foodie

My wife and I LOVE this place. Good food, good service and good ambiance. Friendly staff and cool lounge downstairs. Great place to go while downtown.

Pros: Cool ambiance and nice wine list for not a lot of money

Cons: Parking

04/22/2007 Posted by littlegourmand

both in atmosphere and cuisine. can't tell what all the fuss is about... less than mediocre. cannot recommend.