George's — Restaurant in New York

Tourists have really questionable taste. I actually stopped by here over the summer with the Millennial Chum for a quick lunch and had a mystifying Eggs Benedict situation- they overcooked the egg so it wasn't poached anymore. I remember poking the egg and nothing happening, only to investigate and realize it had been cooked all the way through. I was so confused I didn't even bother to write a review. Well, I came back because my Skipper wanted some comfort food and claimed this place was "famous." Since it was 30 degrees and I wasn't particularly keen on walking more than a few blocks, I returned for additional punishment.

Right off the bat, it was abundantly clear we were in the minority. At least 90% of the customers were very obviously tourists - if they weren't sporting brand new NYC hats, they were peering out at the street or up at the skyscrapers in awe. Keep in mind that George's is probably two, maybe three blocks from the 9/11 site, so I don't think they can avoid catering to that demographic to some extent. It's also SUPER cluttered/congested in there, even by NYC standards. They probably squeezed in an extra three tables upstairs, and coupled with the (I assume) COVID-era wood dividers between the seating areas, there isn't a lot of extra space. The divider next to us was pretty beat up, and while it did provide a bit more privacy from the other tables, I don't think it was worth the sacrifice of the extra foot or so of physical range.

I'd accidentally consumed a lot of Italian/dairy-esque food the day before so focused my attention on the sweeter diner offerings (also, how could I risk the Benedicts again?) - I ordered the red velvet pancakes, with one scrambled egg. The pancakes were really mediocre. The gold standard for me when it comes to red velvet pancakes is the Toast location in Montclair, NJ - they're bigger, with a nice crisp to them. These were soggy and way too chewy. The cream cheese topping was sparingly applied, and only onto the top pancake. As a result, the last two pancakes were pretty tasteless in addition to the texture issues. Syrup WAS provided so I could have added that, but the cream cheese topping is a way better accompaniment and it wouldn't have changed my opinion on the dish overall. The scrambled egg was fine; given the issues with the pancakes, I should have ordered at least one or two more eggs, and they for sure needed the generous dousing of pepper I put them on. But at least these eggs were cooked to order.

The service was efficient as you'd expect at an NYC diner, but pretty brusque. That mildly surprised me just because they have so many tourists coming in here and you'd think they'd want to give them a little more charm/hospitality than the average bear, but that wasn't the case here. No one was mean to us, but it was a lot of clipped sentences and very quick exchanges. That said, the food came out in a timely manner, which was the most important aspect.

I really can't envision a scenario where I stop back in here. Fool me once, but we're now getting into the territory where I have no one else to blame but the gorgeous creature in the mirror. The diner across the street (Zaza) is significantly better and...

$20 for an omelet that would've cost $8-10 at one of the little delis on every block in the neighborhood. That actually would've been fine, had the omelet been exceptional. It wasn't. It was messy, slightly burnt scrambled eggs. Despite looking and tasting overdone, the eggs had an unpleasant, mushy texture. The peppers and onions were almost raw, as if they had been tossed in without being sautéed a little first.

Ordered a side of fruit salad. It had a musty, not-fresh flavor. The associate asked if I wanted the fruit "instead" of the potatoes that came with the omelet. I said OK, thinking that meant I wouldn't be charged for it. Looking at the bill, I think I just got scammed out of my side of potatoes.

Also ordered coffee. It was strictly OK. It wasn't weak, but it was a bit bitter with a chemical after taste.

Overall bill was $30. Yikes. I should be blown away paying that much for breakfast, or at the very least it should be OK. Only pros were the staff was friendly and the food came out fast (maybe too fast... take your time and cook it right?)

Edit: I would just like to address a few things since someone from the restaurant took the time to respond to my review.

I was not given an option in regard to the peppers and onions. In my experience they are typically sautéed to make them more toothsome and flavorful. I don't know why the default would be to toss them in raw.

Your menu states that your omelets come with potatoes. When a server asks if you would like to substitute something for something else, as opposed to getting it in addition to something else, the implication is that you will get less food and pay less money. In this case it would have been more appropriate for them to ask me if I wanted to just skip...

hamburger was originally ~9 usd, price on the receipt said more than 10 usd, and THEN you added tax, gratitude (we were never informed that this restaurant additionally charges for service?). And gratitude for what? the chicken burger, that was excluded from our receipt, tasted like it was rotten. The pickle on the side of the burger was extremely bitter, and everyone that has tried it spat it out immediately.

EDIT: Please read my comment carefully. “~” means approximately, but maybe americans don’t know that so you don’t have to clarify my every word. if you add tax the price becomes 10.13, but at the bottom of the receipt you added NEXT 7 usd. I did exactly what you asked for, i talked to the manager about the gratuity, but he said that it’s automatic, he can’t reverse it. What he should’ve reversed, is that chicken burger, that tasted like rotten meat, and that pickle, but you didn’t say a word about it in your comment! in fact, when we notified the waiter about the chicken, he didn’t say a word, he just took our plate. no sorry, no nothing. Then you gave me receipt with the chicken on it, i had to ask a waiter to delete it from the receipt. One last thing about the receipt: you can’t charge me money for something that i didn’t order, in most restaurants, you pay the price plus tax, not tax, then gratuity, then tax again, AND THEN you are shameless enough to ask for tip. shameless, you can’t even say simple “i’m sorry” for the bad meat, but all you said is that my opinion is unnecessary. for your information, this is not my first time in usa, don’t make me a...