Handcraft Kitchen & Cocktails — Restaurant in New York

I have legitimately mixed feelings about this place. And I'll lay out why...I mean, that IS the point of this whole thing, right? So here goes: I've been here twice and quite frankly there's nothing that truly stands out here from the menu. This is yet another restaurant in NYC that doesn't offer anything so out of the ordinary that it would stand out when put up against other establishments. It's basic and above average Americana based foods with the possible exceptions being their pesto Mac n Cheese and their pretty good Fried Chicken sandwich. But here's the thing that I have to criticize and it's because I am a stickler for a couple of things when I go out dining, especially on the weekends: when you advertise "Bottomless Brunch" I better be getting exactly that. Now, let's get one thing straight, I understand how the restaurant business works and that's less a boast than a statement on how you can easily go on your computer and research the logistics of what it costs on a daily basis to run certain operations in the food industry. So with that being said I know restaurants don't want to necessarily overdo it when it comes to how much liquor they give away, but I've been to comedy clubs and some of the smallest and least known restaurants in the city who offer "Bottomless Brunch" and that's exactly what they give you. Not so at Handcraft. In the 2 and a half hours a group of friends and I were here we were all served an average of 4 times with each pour being about 3-4 ounces in what seemed to be 12oz cups. So essentially, I could've just ordered individual drinks and had more of my money's worth rather than spend an extra $20 for the bottomless option and then another (on average) $15 for one of their ho-hum brunch options (I ordered the skillet which was basically chopped up potatoes and sausage bits with overcooked sunny side eggs). Now, for anyone reading this review please do not think that what I'm saying is that when I go out to brunch I need ALL the alcohol in the world but restaurants who do not give you what is fair when it comes to "bottomless" need to stop advertising that as an option if they literally can't deliver. And when our check was dropped off at the table and we had all lobbied complaints to one another about how our cups had been empty for a little too long I had asked the waitress if she would be kind enough to give us one more pour. She said, "No" and I don't necessarily begrudge her for that but here's the thing: give the group one more pour because you know you weren't filling up our glasses all that often and also it was relatively empty for a Saturday afternoon during prime brunch time...but not one more refill? I get why not (you don't want to get customers in the habit of getting one more pour if their time is up) but at the same time it wasn't like we were taking away any alcohol from the row of empty...

My friend and I were just looking for a place to grab a burger and chat. This is a nice place for a date or just to have drinks. They have a reasonably priced menu as well as happy hour. I had a $10 margarita that was much stronger than I had expected it to be. That's a PLUS.

They have music playing and I believe it was two, or maybe 3, big screen TVs for sports. They also had a live DJ later in the evening. I believe it was around 8pm when he began his set. The music this particular night was a mix of hip-hop, mainly older. (Beyoncé, Weeknd, DJ Kool, Usher etc)

I think the waitress said he's only there Thursday thru Saturday. They also offer outside seating, as well as reservations. The outside seated is covered so you don't have to worry about the rain or weather elements.

The burger I ordered was cooked fresh, comes with a small side salad. Fries or tater tots are an extra $3, not pricey at all. Burger was fairly large, $15 for the handmade burger.

My friend and I both ordered the burger with a side of fries. She had two glasses of wine and I had two margaritas which were $10 a piece for happy hour. The bill was only $78 (tip not included)

We finished with 2 shots of premium tequila which was $19, but we paid that at the bar as we wanted a shot to finish off our visit.

Overall it was a good experience. Definitely recommended.

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It felt like a bro bar had confusingly decided that it was going to become a cocktail bar.

Walking in, I was hit with the smell of cleaning chemicals. The staff's dress and general vibe was that of a bro bar. Some classic cocktails had been heavily altered.

The cocktail menu was taken away after the first order, which again was a sign that this wasn't really a cocktail bar. We can't have been there to explore the creations; we must just be there to keep drinking the regular choice.

The veggie burger was bland and was served with fries despite the menu saying it would have garden salad. This was corrected once I informed them, with a vibe of "oh yeah, I guess you have a point".

The laissez faire attitude extended to allergies too. I mentioned when ordering a cocktail that I don't normally have much sugar, then the waitress asked if it was OK that there was egg white. What does that have to do with anything? Am I just the allergy person, allergic to every potential harm?

The bar would appeal to someone at the moment; I see the main issue as mismatched expectations. Maybe bros wanting to dabble in the world...