Off The Hook Raw Bar & Grill — Restaurant in New York

Last night, my companion chose Off the Hook as our “date nite” dinner destination. We made reservations on Open Table, but arrived about 30 minutes late due to construction and a lack of parking options in the area. Tip: If you have dinner plans at any restaurant in this area on a Friday or Saturday night, add at least ten minutes to your arrival time since it’s a dense residential area and parking is scarce.

You enter OtH through the bar area and we were immediately greeted. We were asked if we wanted to dine inside or outside. Since it was a nice night, and the courtyard area looks cozy and romantic (with colored lights strung above our heads), we chose to dine outside. There are several layers to seating in OtH, so whether you’re looking to sit at a bar, a cozy table inside, a cozy table outside, or at a high top with friends or co-workers, they’ve got whatever type of atmosphere you’re looking for.

The drinks were great. I ordered a rum punch and my companion ordered the dark and stormy. Normally she prefers a D&S with ginger beer, but OtH makes a delicious dark and stormy. I thought their mixed drinks were reasonably priced. They even offer a liter of rum punch for $32. If we had a group of 3-4 people we probably would’ve gone with the liter options.

For a starter, we chose the artichoke crabmeat dip. It wasn’t quite what we were expecting, but it was delicious. We ate every chip and every bit of the dip. So far, so good. For my main course, I chose the crabby patty crab cake burger. I substituted yuca fries for the standard french fries (and incurred a slight upcharge that I was warned about ahead of time). My companion ordered the Maine lobster roll.

The entrees are what keeps OtH from receiving five stars. The crab cake burger was... forgettable. There was nothing special about it. It was much more dense than I expected and it wasn’t great. It wasn’t bad either... it was the shoulder shrug of crab cake burgers.

And now it’s time to discus the lobster roll, which sells at market price. The market price last night was $25. This lobster roll was depressingly small. Our waiter, David, gave us a preview of the size, with a hand gesture, while we were ordering, but there was still a sense of disappointment when it arrived. Recently we tried the lobster roll at The Rex, which was five dollars less, but quite larger, and the lobster had a fresher taste. I’ve spent less for a lobster roll in Manhattan and gotten more flavor and lobster than I received at OtH. I almost imagine the kitchen staff laughing while plating this lobster slider. If you’re hungry, skip the lobster roll. If you’ve never had a lobster roll and have been dying to try one, skip OtH.

Would we return? Absolutely, but our focus wouldn’t be on the entrees. Instead, we’d return for the atmosphere, pleasant, attentive wait staff, and and delicious drinks... and maybe a...

We went here for my birthday. My husband, myself and my two kids. We arrived before the kids and ordered an appetizer. The crab guacamole was delicious. My husband ordered the $1 oysters. He said they were good. I don't eat them. Kids show up we order dinner. I ask for the Mac n cheese, the lobster Mac n cheese and two orders of the salmon. I asked for everything to be brought out together. the kids were having the appetizer Mac n cheese as their meal. My younger child ordered a coke, I ordered a mojito. Well after a very long time the Mac n cheese plates come out. We are starving, it took a while. I was under the impression the salmon plates were coming too since we asked for everything to come out together. The coke never came so we had to remind the waiter. We also waited a long time for the salmon and had to ask the waiter. We had to ask twice and he finally came over and said it was going to be another 10-15 minutes. Now I am hangry and we said forget it. We canceled the salmon and asked for the check. Since it was my birthday, the manager insisted to my husband that they bring me cake. He told them she doesn't want it we just want to leave. Well they didn't listen, brought out the cake and sang happy birthday to me in Spanish. I do not speak Spanish. And I am hungry. I don't want cake. I want real food. The manager apologized for speaking to me in Spanish and apologized for the dinner mix up. She asked if we wanted shots on the house. Really? I am here with my kids, no we do not want shots. They could've at least comped my mojito. But the only thing they comped was the cake I did not want. This was such a bad experience. Which was too bad because the food and ambiance were pretty good. This place needs to do better with their service. I don't think we will be returning...

Excellent restaurant! I brought my date here recently, she wanted to have oysters and I had never had any, and didn’t know where to get any quality oysters. My knowledge about oysters was the absolute bare minimum- potentially deadly, fabled aphrodisiac and a king killer. Did a quick search on Yelp and found this place- I’m not much of a seafood eater, though I have been expanding my culinary horizons in this regard- saw it had a bunch of seafood and steak for guys like me. Easy choice.

I tried oysters for the first time ever- at my dates insistence- and they are now one of my all time favorite foods! These oysters were excellent! Continuing from there, we got the arugula salad- excellent, though it was topped with a bit too much cheese for my taste. My date ordered a mojito and I got the DogFish lager, both were excellent.

Main courses- I got the Philly cheesesteak, made with real steak and served on a focaccia (I might be mistaken, but it was definitely an artesanal bread!) bun and served with some really awesome fries and ketchup. I enjoyed my meal immensely. She got the whole lobster, served with a side salad, butter sauce and more fries. I tried some of the lobster with the butter sauce and I really liked it!

Service was great and the waitress was very helpful and patient with me and my lack of knowledge with oysters. Restaurant had a decent ambience and the back patio was very nice. The total bill was a tad bit pricey but well worth the food and the service. My date and I were satisfied and were very happy afterwards. I enjoyed myself enough that I went back with a friend of mine a couple of days later and enjoyed...