Mezze on the River — Restaurant in New York

A restaurant ideally located by the river with an amazing view. You'd think it'd be perfect for a relaxing sunset view dinner. It cannot be further from the truth.

When we arrived, 3 different hosts greeted us at different times, all asking if we've been helped. Nothing wrong with checking but the lack of communication was a precursor to the chaos that we witnessed thereafter.

We were seated by the windows as I requested when I booked. Nice! Bonus points.

Then I looked around and noticed just how different the restaurant is from how I thought it was going to be when looking in from the outside. From the outside, it looked like a quiet, candle-lit dinner sort of place. It was actually quiet the opposite.

They played music loud enough to create a bar sort of feel. The decor had a flower theme with lots of greens. The indoor part of the restaurant is shaped like a narrow corridor, with outdoor seating areas on either side of it. Inside are the bar, the kitchen, and some tables, one of which we were seated at. It isn't an open kitchen design, but the kitchen has its pass towards the tables, and you can see the chefs cooking. The ceiling had the typical square panels you see in office buildings. The whole thing felt like a diner, and that in itself was fine.

But there was an expeditor standing by the pass yelling. The chefs were yelling. The servers were yelling. They were arguing with each other. Our server wasn't involved with the arguments but she looked very stressed. This created a very unpleasant experience for us as well, especially since we were literally within 10 feet from all this.

Both of our service plates were not clean. They had stuff stuck on them. I would've called a server to get new plates. But with the on-going chaos, we didn't want to prolong our stay.

The service was chaotic. Once we got our drinks, our server seemed to disappear. 15 minutes went by, and we had to look for her and wave our hands to get her attention. We got one of our appetizers fairly quickly and were waiting for the other one. Some time later, a different server from ours came and asked about our orders. Only then did we get the other appetizer. To be fair, though, overall we were served our dishes in a reasonable amount of time.

The food was overall decent. The baby carrots, although a bit too sweet, were tasty. The fried calamari was tender on the inside and crispy on the outside. The Branzino was juicy and very flavorful. The lobster pasta, however, was undercooked. The lobster was fine, but the pasta was doughy and also lacked seasoning. This was particularly disappointing because this was a pricy menu item. We suspected this was because the kitchen was rushing through their orders.

There was overall a very apparent lack of professionalism with this restaurant. Some of their dishes were quite good, but I wouldn't risk another visit to this...

This is my millionth time here over the years. Long before it was Mezze. The atmosphere here is unbeatable. Now that it’s Mezze they are much classier and the music is always on point. If you don’t like loud, don’t go. Music loud. But good. Two weeks ago we came and had one of the best meals ever. Last night we came and the menu was totally changed. Almost everything from two weeks ago was gone. The prices have skyrocketed almost overnight. They had a smaller, straight to the point menu before. The new menu is VERY large and contains mostly seafood. The menu is now secured in a tacky plastic no different than a diner.

Let’s start with the drinks: I ordered a Diet Pepsi for $5 per fill. I’ve included a photo. The cup was so packed with ice you couldn’t identify the liquid in the cup. It was so watered down it had become orange in color. Not a drop of carbonation. I took ONE sip and the cup was 3/4 empty. This is robbery.

The appetizer: we ordered the million layer potatoes. Same item we ordered a few weeks back that we LOVED. At the time it was $19 for 6 pieces ( each piece topped with caviar and crème fraiche). They are now $22 for TWO PIECES. If I know one thing- it’s caviar. And the caviar they use is basic/ cheap at best. This was like 60 percent why we came to Mezze. We LOVED this appetizer.

First order: we ordered the new chicken breast item. I asked what it comes with. The waiter said NOTHING. It comes with nothing. (Mind you sides all start at $13). So Mezze is now serving a single piece of chicken breast for $28 as an entree. The waiter said “well it comes with the sauce”. Is this a joke? He proceeds to tell me all entrees are side-less now. Second order: Keeping in mind he said no sides included, I order the scallops. I then spring for the side of lemon potatoes. The scallops come out prepared with a side of potatoes and peas(this isn’t the extra side I ordered). He then tells me “oh well SOME do come with sides”. I will admit this dish was great. The extra side of potatoes I ordered? Tasted like plain russet potatoes sprayed with lemon pledge. Horrible.

The waiter clearly felt bad/ uncomfortable because I kept addressing all the little changes and explicitly told me “you’re not the only ones complaining now- Every day people are. “. Never in my life have I ordered an entree like chicken breast just to be told it comes with NOTHING. The reviews are suffering that is clear. Mezze will remain popular thru summer because of its location but rest assured, if they don’t get their act together, no way they’ll be in business long after summer ends. They are getting far too big for their pants.

We def won’t be back nor will we recommend it to others in the neighborhood until the next...

On our first trip to New York with family, we decided to turn one evening into a special dinner outing, pairing business with memory-making. We stayed at the Marriott in Manhattan and took a taxi down to Mezze on the River, using Google Maps to guide us. We reserved a table ahead via the Google app, which made things smooth from the start.

We opted to sit close to the waterfront just in time to watch the sun dip behind the skyline and the view was breathtaking. The Hudson gleamed as the light softened, and the whole family was struck by how beautiful the setting was. As for the food, it was outstanding. I ordered a lobster pasta dish where the lobster (shell and all) sat right on the plate, and it was delectable rich, flavorful, and elegant. My wife had the same, and we both could not stop praising every bite. The kids kept it simple and classic with fries and whatever else made them happy, and they enjoyed their meal too small tweaks for comfort, big smiles all around.

From what I learned later, Mezze on the River is a Mediterranean-inspired waterfront dining concept in Battery Park City, located at 375 South End Avenue in Manhattan. It features two outdoor terraces as well as an indoor dining room with floor-to-ceiling windows, giving diners sweeping views of the Hudson River. Their menu offers Mediterranean and seafood plates, with signature items like the “Black Squid Ink Truffle Lobster Pasta” among their standout dishes. The restaurant is part of Merchants Hospitality, known for creating beautiful waterfront dining experiences.

While parking directly at the restaurant is limited (there is no on-site parking noted), the area is served by taxis, rideshares, and nearby garages. If walking or catching an Uber from Lower Manhattan, it’s a pleasant ride down to Battery Park City. The closest subway access is via lines 1 & E at the World Trade Center, R & W at Cortlandt, or 4 & 5 at Fulton Street, which makes it fairly accessible.

Dining at Mezze with the family was more than a meal it was an experience. The mix of creative Mediterranean flavors, the sunset over the water, and the warm, inviting atmosphere all came together. If you’re in New York and looking for dinner with both wow and heart, I can’t recommend Mezze on the...