Hawksmoor NYC — Restaurant in New York

Having long anticipated a visit to your restaurant, I made a reservation for a party of five, 10 weeks in advance of my trip to NYC last week. Despite our preference for a 7:30 PM reservation, we were informed that only 5:30 PM or 9:00 PM slots were available. Accepting the latter, I was surprised by the limited options but assumed it was due to high demand. However, as the weeks passed, my persistence and weekly calls in attempting to secure an earlier reservation revealed otherwise.

Two weeks prior to our reservation, the person answering their phones said "no problem, we are wide open" and offered an 8pm reservation, indicating that availability had indeed existed all along. This inconsistency left me questioning the transparency of your reservation system. Nonetheless, we arrived at 7:15 PM on the evening of our reservation, expecting to grab a drink at the bar, only to discover an abundance of available tables--a stark contrast to the earlier time options we were presented. We opted to sit at our table and skip the bar.

Expecting impeccable service, I was disappointed by the lackluster experience. Despite the restaurant's modest crowd, we waited over 10 minutes for water and an additional 15 minutes for our drinks. There was nothing special about the Manhattans, and for the prices charged I would go as far as to say that they deserved 2.5 stars out of 10. They are in dire need of a mixologist.

We sat around for another 15 minutes before the waiter reappeared to take our food order. At this point he finally noticed that we had brought a 2017 Far Niente Cave Collection Cabernet. He took it away to seek guidance from their sommelier to determine if it should be decanted. If he needed to ask that question, it must have been his first day on the job. Initially we intended to drink the wine we brought and order one more at the restaurant. We never ordered the 2nd bottle.

Our dissatisfaction continued with the food service. Our waiter insisted that the Caesar salads were single serving. After a 20-minute delay, our salads arrived and everyone was disappointed in both portion size and flavor. I ate one large leaf of lettuce before I took the photo below. This salad could comfortably feed 2 people and maybe 2.5. No-one finished their salad, as the portion size was a joke. Furthermore, it was overdressed and had tasteless breadcrumbs instead of croutons.

Another 30 minutes passed before the subsequent arrival of our steaks, sans accompanying sides and sauces, compounding our frustration. Despite repeated requests, our waiter remained elusive, exacerbating the already poor experience. After another 3 minutes the sides came, but nothing else. I asked another employee about the missing sauces and he said they were likely coming. Soon thereafter they arrived. One of our guests was extremely hungry, so he proceeded to finish 1/2 of his steak before the sauces arrived.

I finally cut into my steak, which I ordered medium. Blood was pouring out, and by this point I had completely given up and it was the straw that broke the camels back. It doesn't get more simple to get the doneness correct at an expensive steakhouse. Yet, more missteps were in store.

Our wine, and waiter, were still missing, I reached out to another waiter about our wine. He quickly glanced around the room and didn't see our waiter. After 5 minutes our waiter appeared with the wine; it was not decanted nor was it uncorked.

Regrettably, the culmination of these shortcomings overshadowed what was intended to be a celebratory occasion, leaving me deeply disappointed. Furthermore, the lack of attentiveness and professionalism from the staff fell far short of the high standards one would expect from a restaurant of your caliber. Why I left a 15% tip is a mystery to me, since a goose egg is what everyone deserved. I guess I was in a giving mood. I will never recommend, nor will I step foot in your restaurant again. For you to miss on every aspect of a fine dining experience is inexcusable. At least your...

I have been wanting to come here since I watched Eater last year, yet I couldn’t find a buddy who is willing to try out steak on a Saturday noon so I went alone.

Let me start out by saying wow! I had steak tartare for appetizer with “more the merrier” grated cheese. The tartare had a bit of chew and is quiet unique. The egg yolk hidden in there is orange and the sauce is a bit citrusy and sweet, perfectly cutting though the beefy tartare and fatty flavorful yolk. The tartare paired with three crunchy bread/biscuit slices. I particularly remember in the Eater series Chef Matt was sampling his own creation of tartare with bread and he went, “Definitely gonna be on the menu tonight”.

For entrée I had a 12oz ribeye with four sides: bone marrow, creamed spinach, carrots, and mushrooms. I originally wanted sirloin on the bone because both Chef Matt and Chef Paddy said it is their fav. Unfortunately for me the smallest cut for sirloin on the bone today is 30+oz and though I just came out of a 20hr fasting, there is no way I can finish it. All the bone-in options are over 24oz so i opted for ribeye, still packed with flavors and cooked to medium-rare perfection. The thing I appreciate is the char and the seasoning. Charcoal + fat = Maillard reaction = Delicious, simple as that.

Then to the sides, geeezz everyone please please please try their carrots. I had to ask for their secret recipe additions or else this place had ruined me forever. Texture wise, the carrots’ skin hold them intact, yet when I bite into them, they are so creamy and almost melt in my mouth like the mushed potatoes my mom used to make for me. They are topped with some crispy herbs (maybe parsley?) and added a perfect hint of crunchiness. Flavor wise, I taste mustard, garlic, and a bit of booze flavor (the last note came as a surprise and it lingered on my tongue for such a long time.)

I tasted some ginger flavor in the creamed spinach, maybe some lemongrass. A classic spin from what I am used to taste in creamed spinach.

The mushrooms are garlicky and seasoned well. Umami and yummy.

The bone marrow are soooo fatty and so fulfilling. When I was young whenever we went out to eat anything with beef bones, my mom would always give me a straw just to suck up all the bone marrow. So I ate these two halves of bone marrow I was more than happy. CAUTION: it is extremely fulfilling so definitely share if you can.

The dessert sticky toffee pudding, omg the part which I needed to close my eyes to savor every bit of the flavor. It is way over my expectations: it is not overly sweet and it has a bit of the chew in the cake. The center is soft and the toffee sauce and the ice cream went so well with the pudding, which almost had a hint of corn/grain aroma. Though I was stuffed 10/10 from eating entrées, but girls have a separate stomach for sweets, don’t we?

Lastly, kudos to John and Chef Paddy, who are in house today. I was drenched in their hospitality and felt very welcomed and happy during my lunch. I left the place feeling ecstatic and extremely satisfied. Will come back for the Sunday roast next time, and definitely with a couple or more...

Food, service, portions, and atmosphere were phenomenal! Exceeded all expectations. Saw the YouTube video and was definitely interested. The experience was amazong across the board! Dinner for 2 was impeccable.

Superb restaurant, cocktail bar, and one of the best "new" steakhouses in town. Charcoal grilled steak is definitely unique!

Drinks were refreshing and unique. Cocktails were fantast in flavor. Forgot what it was but you can't go wrong especially with the cocktail expert ready to explain every drink on the menu.

We had the rump tartar and this was probably the best tartar I've had any where. The choice of the cut is meaty and beefy. But tender with nice mouth feel. The grated Parmigiano and raw.egg yolk gave the dish a very luxurious texture. But also surprisingly light. The oysters with bone marrow was equally tasty. Fresh oysters baked under a layer of bone marrow. Great combo that you didn't know you needed.

The lamb was okay. This was a bit tough. Definitely not the best appetizer here. It was okay at best.

We had a 34oz ribsteak to share. Waitress promoted informed us that the bone is about 10-15% of the weight. This was definitely appreciated. This makes 15 Oz per person. Steak was tender, flavorful, and super excellent from the charcoal grill. Thick, beefy, and tender. This was EXCELLENT. One of the best streaks we've had in town i woukd say.

We had the beef fat fries, lemon garlic spinach, and the Mac and cheese. The Mac and cheese were super good. Not sure what he blend was, but this was a 5 cheese blend. Super cheesy. Super creamy. The fries were crunch on the outside and soft in the inside.

Highly recommend the desserts! These were amazing to behold and just as excellent in flavor. We had the Meyer's Lemon Bomb and the Peanut Butter Louie. Peabut butter was super decadent like a really chocolaty peanutty Reeses and it vame with sorbet which definitely cut the richness a bit. The Meyer's lemon bomb was beautiful to behold and just as excellent in the explosion of fresh lemon flavor!

The entire meal was meticulously attended to by everyone from drinks, to clearing the table, to the waitress. It was great service from the the entrance all the way through til the end of the meal. The food were excellent. The charcoal steak was definitely the highlight and the desserts were definitely a close second. And cocktails are all...