Deux Chats — Restaurant in New York

Located on one of the toughest blocks for dining, Deux Chats is potentially the most appalling example of mediocrity in South Williamsburg. Considering that just down the street are true culinary heavy weights like Marlow & Sons, Diner and Sweet Meadow, I would be very surprised if Deux Chats makes it two years.

To start, the menu is extremely limited. It is essentially an extremely over priced raw bar, and from what I could tell, there is no hot food, which again might cause some them problems in the dead of winter.

The drinks menu is ridiculous and seems to be geared towards people who don’t particularly enjoy drinking alcohol. At one point while asking the waitress about the cocktails it dawned on me that the cocktail menu was probably cobbled together by some sorority sisters who got a rent deal during the pandemic. Which brings me to the service.

The service at Deux Chats is so bad that the concept of “non existent” doesn’t even apply. I’ve been here a handful of times and I can honestly say that management should consider poaching some staff from the local Red Lobster, because HFS, it is seriously the worst service you will experience this side of Metropolitan Avenue.

Deux Chats is...

To say this place is underwhelming would be an understatement. I came here twice - first time, for dinks only, and then for drinks and dinner. That first trip two weeks ago was just fine - a cold round of drinks, albeit at pretty high prices. The second trip was very different. Our waitress had a dismissive attitude after we asked a couple of questions about drinks, which came about 10 minutes apart from each other. She blamed the computer system. The food was delicious (the portion are very small and really expensive, and there are no hot foods - be warned) but the service kept getting more and more dismissive. At the end of the meal, I felt like I was doing the restaurant a favor by eating there. I complained to the hostess, who seemed understanding and nodded, asked me to point out the wait staff in question, and offered me a free dessert. I thanked her and politely refused. I shared with her that a restaurant of this level would only do well in this neighborhood if the people who live here are treated nicely. I guess, we will...

It’s hard to put enough superlatives on this place. In a city full of great bars, it has quickly become my absolute favorite bar in NY. The design, the beverage program, the music - it’s all absolutely terrific. Come here if you’re looking for a place where you can have a fun night with friends and want to have a few drinks in a lovely place with a great atmosphere (not so quiet as too be a boring speakeasy nor so loud and crowded as to be an exhausting experience). If you come after 10pm you’ll be treated the music turning up a little bit (classy, fun disco-themed tunes) and the coolest disco ball/lights I’ve ever seen. All the cocktails are great but I especially recommend the Le Syndicat or the Kinky Martini. You just can’t...