NURA — Restaurant in New York

Last night, my partner and I had what can only be described as the worst dining experience of our lives at this restaurant. We had chosen this place to celebrate a special occasion, having dined here several times over the years and always enjoyed supporting a Black and Brown ran business. Unfortunately, this time was quite different, and we left feeling humiliated and targeted by the staff.

We arrived early, with a 9:15 PM reservation, and were met by Anthony, the maitre d'/host, who told us that our table was still occupied (only one of booths were occupied at the time) and suggested we wait in the lounge with drinks. While we were happy to do so, the drinks took about 15 minutes to arrive, not a big deal for us as we were just chatting. Just as they did, Anthony offered us a different table (though several booths still remained unoccupied) - a small two-top to the left of the bar in a very high traffic area - the crossroad of the bathroom and lounge circulation - instead of the booth we had initially been told we were waiting for. We politely offered to wait a bit longer for a booth but were then told that they were reserved for special occasions for customers that called in requesting them, despite having been told earlier that we were waiting for one to be cleared.

Reluctantly, we took the available table. My partner decided to express their disappointment to Anthony in a calm and respectful manner - attempting to humanize with Anthony how this table was less secluded and intimate. At no point did we "continually or abrasively" attack the staff, as falsely claimed in the restaurant's comments. We simply shared our feelings about the situation, not seeking any compensation or special treatment. The conversation ended with Anthony offering to seat us at the bar until a booth cleared which my partner turned down as we had already began our meal and again was simply expressing the disappointment when there were still unoccupied booths.

Shortly after, the General Manager, Melanie, approached our table in a confrontational manner, accusing us of speaking poorly to her staff and asking if there was a problem. This unexpected confrontation left us confused and uncomfortable. We decided to cancel the rest of our order and asked to speak with Melanie again. When she returned with Anthony, he spoke over us aggressively, saying, "I'm speaking," and demanded that we "collect our things and leave." It was clear that Anthony's (the host) ego was bruised, and he took it upon himself to escalate the situation without even consulting the GM. Melanie appeared to try to correct him by making the comment under her breath to Anthony that "we should let them finish", but Anthony doubled down and insisted we leave. Melanie then tried again to make up for Anthony's poor behavior once he walked away from the table and insisted that we continue our meal which by that point was out of the question.

The tables surrounding us were even unaware of the conversations because of our quiet demeanor throughout the situation. However, the situation didn't end there. To our shock, some of the staff then proceeded to find us on social media, which is not only invasive but deeply unprofessional. It's disappointing to see the restaurant now lying in their comments about what actually happened. Instead of owning up to their mistakes, they are falsely accusing us of mistreating their staff.

To address their comment on racism, it isn't just about using slurs - it's also about not prioritizing people equally. Anthony was so busy attending to the group of people who arrived after us that he failed to extend any hospitality to us. While the restaurant may be owned and operated by a majority of people who are not white, let's be clear: The person who seemed most upset about the situation, Anthony, was not a person of color and discriminatory behavior can come from anyone, regardless of race, gender, or any other identity. The way this situation was handled lacked any semblance of hospitality which in fact is the only thing that could...

Nura was one of the best restaurants I went to last year. Flavorful, generous, innovative with casual, yet excellent service. The Nura I had today was far from that. I was so excited to re-live the magic but deeply let down.

The service was too casual, almost condescending without really having the appropriate knowledge to be waiting that evening — (ie: not relaying drinks that were unavailable, no specials offered and painfully overly explained the menu despite telling him we had dined there before )

Starting out, the infamous bread service was a la carte. Which was both confusing on how much to order and an immediate symbol on what’s to come. While shocked by the separation of the bread and dips - both were delicious.

We opted for the sweet potatoes - which was very tasty, although I feel lacked the finesse and creativity of the old Nura.

For mains we did 3 — the cabbage, the ribs and the tile fish — all three a bit of a let down.

While the cabbage was good flavor-wise, it was incredibly tough, which made it hard to eat. And $25 for one of America’s cheapest ingredients was quite the shock.

The ribs were very tasty but far from unique and much too sweet. They also greatly needed a green component or more acid.

I was really excited to try the tile fish, as it seemed like a whole new dish. I was hoping to take away a clear POV of where the new chef wanted to take the restaurant, but sadly didn’t catch the vision. The portion was small, the side of rice was bland and didn’t make much sense in regard to the bigger dish and the broth tasted of my mother’s crock pot taco soup. For $36 I expected MUCH more. We also fished out a few bay leaves which was jarring.

Overall incredibly disappointed. Our bill totaled $300 for 2 people and we left unsatisfied with our experience. The prices are incredibly high but the food doesn’t match in the slightest.

Brooklyn has far better dinners to offer and a much more approachable price. I am deeply saddened to sunset this spot in my rotation and would recommend many other spots in the neighborhood before Nura.

Shout out to the cocktails -- while too sweet for my taste, they were fun and creative!

I'm writing this from a place of love -- for diners to know what to expect but also (if Nura is reading) to provide some constructive criticism, as I truly do wish...

UPDATED REVIEW JANUARY 2023:

I decided to come back here for dinner this time and was still amazingly surprised by the quality of food, nonetheless every dish has its own uniqueness. The bread were so fresh and I personally loved the cauliflower and yogurt dip the most. But the prawns and lamb kofta off the charts! The salad & it’s dressing was a great lighter a balance for the salty food 👍🏻 (see pics to drool your mouth)

I have been recommended here countless times and it’s been bookmarked for me for months since moving here. I was not aware that their brunch and dinner menu were very different so be sure which menu options you were feeling before you go~

While we expected for dinner items such as their amazing looking break basket, we enjoyed the unique flavor profile and concept of each of their brunch menu items so much! We got the following items:

The [Red Curry Pork Coconut Grits] was one of my favorite because it was not only a comfort food but it was very minimalistic and light breakfast dish. I believe they used coconut milk for the base so it added a creamy taste while not overpowering the pork umami-ness itself, and the cheese in the grits made it spectacular.

The [Egg Ciblir] was truly one of a kind because it is not a typical American poached egg and yogurt with toast where it’s separated on the plate. It is actually served layered in a beautiful ceramic bowl, with housemade soft yogurt as base, perfectly poached runny yolk egg, then topped with a sauce thats very similar to chili oil w/ garlic crisps. The toast is a perfect dipping condiment for this dish (don’t substitute for more corn bread like I did…I wish I knew it was this type of dipping style dish beforehand).

The [Green Shakshuka] was also very earthy, vibrant and green-tasting, obviously. So if you need some greens in a sauce/curry like form with their buttered toast, then go for this :)

I can’t wait to come back to try their dinner menu items soon!! It was truly a wonderful experience at this restaurant, looked like a warehouse from outside but so beautiful and soothing when we walked in. The plants...