Goodnight Sonny — Restaurant in New York

My wife and two daughters (all of which enjoy lots of oysters and food) were excited to have a meal here. My family and I have traveled across the world and have eaten at many different restaurants. My children know how to behave in restaurants and know how to eat well, with manners. We went with friends of ours, making a party of eight, after watching Star Wars. We got to Goodnight Sonny a few minutes after 4:00pm. Another couple were just walking away because they were still closed even though they were suppose to be open at 4pm. A worker told us that they would be open at 4:30. Our party went to a nearby donut shop to warm up and have a quick sweet app before returning to Goodnight Sonny. We went back at 4:30. The restaurant was still closed. The couple that we saw earlier had also returned along with a few more people.

We waited by the door and saw someone behind the bar. We continued to wait while the person began walking around the front of the restaurant speaking on the phone, looking at the entrance once in a while. Around 4:45 he finally opens the door , clearly eyeing us. Keep in mind that there are two doors. On has a small step (which was where we were waiting) and the other is around the corner preceded by a ramp with railings. This door was also blocked with stools. So our party walked around and up the ramp. When we open the door, he walks up to us from the back of the restaurant and begins to tell us that we are not allowed to be seated because we have children in the party. He then begins to state that they a "kind of a bar." Not fully a bar, but just a little bit. The restaurant has a seating area and was completely empty. We were the first ones there.

The worst part was that there were multiple opportunities for someone to come out to let us know that they wouldn't serve us because of the children. I could have accepted that. However, we were given the idea that we were going to have delicious oysters and drinks. We waited for 15 minutes in below freezing temps.

Please have the courtesy of giving your potential customers some forewarning and just be a human with kindness. I can understand if you think that the children won't eat and drink their fill to make money for the restaurant. But have the decency of not letting us freeze while waiting.

We have eaten at the restaurant before. Yes the food was good. However, we will never patronize the restaurant again. The service...

The Happy Hour Oyster special: 12/$18 was fantastic! The oysters were well shucked, cold, fresh and came with a classic mignonette and a cocktail sauce with a little twist to it. The shrimp cocktail were big, beautifully cooked, tasty shrimp- not over cooked, just right. The whipped codfish brandade dip with pumpernickel toast was awesome! It was creamy, smooth, and not salty. The clams casino were seasoned well and delicious! I wanted to order more of everything. The clams in sauce were also delicious but not as good as the other items we ordered (to me). My absolute favorite thing was the bread pudding with brown butter pecans and that sauce with a hint of orange- wow!! I rarely think dessert at restaurants is worth going back for, but that bread pudding will be drawing me back sooner than later. It’s not often my husband and I love the same dessert… this bread pudding was right up there with Grace Street’s Basque Cheesecake. Bravo Chef, Bravo!

The waitstaff were very friendly and attentive. The vibe was great, the tables/seating were comfortable and spaced out. The music was excellent but maybe a tad loud. Like others have noted, the acoustics aren’t great when the place gets packed, especially with the music up a tad too high.

Overall, a great place to catch up with friends and grab a tasty bite. Don’t forget to take advantage of their Happy Hour! Looking forward to going...

A bar that serves a customer an alcoholic drink after they establish FOUR TIMES that they want a non-alcoholic drink needs to have a very serious discussion with its servers. The gentleman in question is working on his sobriety, and for the server to give him an alcoholic drink after he went out of his way to make certain his drink wasn't alcoholic is both lazy and despicable. What if the customer had had an allergy to alcohol? That bar would now be on the hook for threatening a customer's LIFE. That server should be identified and written up, perhaps losing hours (I hate the idea of firing someone in the current economy, but I wouldn't blame the business at all). For that one employee to so damage the business's reputation is heinous. Please identify and correct that person, and make sure all employees know the importance of following requests...