Nightly's — Restaurant in New York

My wife and I tried bunch at Nightly’s for the first time today, given that we are regulars at the restaurant’s sister locations down the block and have always had great experiences at those locations. Unfortunately, I’d summarize our first experience at Nightly’s as abysmal, both for the food and service. After being seated, we waited 15-20 minutes w/o a server stopping by. We finally had to flag down the wait staff to put in our drink order. When the drinks finally came, there were missing items which the server forgot until prompted another 15 minutes later. While placing our food orders, we were informed that the restaurant was out of several items on the menu. As a result, we changed our orders based off that information. Once the food orders were placed, the server again returned to our table notify us that some ingredients were out for one of our entrees; however, they could make a substitution and still deliver the meal which we said fine to. When the food order arrived, the club sandwich was on the wrong type of bread, missing bacon and had so much sauce that the bread was disintegrating. The steak and eggs were bland and the meat was undercooked to the point that it was tough and sinewy. When the wait staff notice that I had not touched 70% of my meal, I informed them that it was not correct and missing several items. Rather than raise an issue, I asked if my meal could simply be boxed up to go. Despite saying no several times, the server (after speaking with the manager) insisted that they would remake the food for me rather than offering to remove the item from our bill or offer something else from the menu. The manager never once stoped by the table to apologize or ask if there was anything that they could do to help. When we were done, we paid our check and left the restaurant quietly. Upon returning home, I opened the food that was remade out of curiosity. Unfortunately, the sandwich was half the size of the one I’d initially received in the restaurant, the bread was not toasted at all and the sandwich was again disintegrating from too much sauce. I think it’s safe to say that I have zero plans on retuning to this restaurant...

Nightly’s has been sitting pretty at the top of my boyfriend and my “must-try” list for the UES for quite some time, and we were finally able to snag a reservation—cue the applause!

Here’s why I’m giving it four stars: First, the vibe is chef’s kiss. As soon as you step in, you feel like you’ve been transported to a chic night club, complete with funky artwork and photos all over the walls. You’ll probably start wondering if you accidentally walked into a VIP-only soirée.

Service? On point. Our server was super attentive—always there when we needed something, recommending drinks, and keeping things moving at a perfect pace. Honestly, I’d let them plan my next vacation.

Now, onto the food and drinks (the real show):

We kicked things off with the Misfit Martini, which was hands-down the most unique martini I’ve ever had. If you’re into St. George vodka (like I am), you’ll feel like you’ve found the holy grail. Don’t skip it—seriously.

For appetizers:

Spinach & Artichoke Dip: Tasty and came with chips that were clearly hand-picked by the culinary gods. Love it.

Crack & Cheese: I wish I had a funnier name for this one, but honestly, it was just dry. I’d have rather had a classic box of Kraft—at least that’s reliably cheesy. Main course:

Fish Tacos: Fine. Not mind-blowing, but definitely passable if you’re in a taco mood.

Marry Me Chicken: Really good, especially the sauce. But here’s the thing—eating it off the bone in a fancy place like Nightly’s? Not exactly the best date-night maneuver. Can we get a “marry me boneless” version, please?

Fries: Thank goodness we ordered these! Crispy, full of flavor, and basically the MVP of the evening. Do yourself a favor and get them.

Overall, I’d 100% come back to Nightly’s to explore more of the menu. It’s got the right mix of style, service, and solid food, with just a few things to work on (crack & cheese, I’m looking at you).

Thanks for the great date night, Nightly’s! I’ll see you soon—hopefully with less awkward...

I dined at Nightlys for the first time tonight. I did love the atmosphere, my drink was great, and the servers were very nice and attentive. I am giving this place 2 stars because of the food and kitchen. I ordered my burger medium and when I cut into it, it was bleeding and gushy on the inside. I actually can’t say it was even cooked rare. It was just not cooked. I did let my server know and she was super sweet about it and brought me a new one. I cut into the new one and this one was cooked more to a medium rare temperature. If you pushed on the patty, blood would come out. She stopped back to check, and I explained that it was still a little too rare. I was even okay if they microwaved it just to cook it a little more. She brought me another one, which was cooked through. However, the kitchen decided to be petty. The new burger they brought me was much smaller, and the sides were the end of the tomato and a shriveled up piece of lettuce. I understand it is inconvenient to re-prepare food, especially when it’s a busy night. However, the restaurant is charging $30 for a burger, and it was initially brought out inedible. I’ve seen other reviews of people getting food poisoning, and I am so glad that I didn’t eat the other burgers. This is a cool place to get drinks. I unfortunately though would steer clear...