Rustik Tavern — Restaurant in New York

My partner and I wanted to try someplace new for brunch and came across Rustik Tavern. This spot is nestled on a quiet street in Clinton Hill. The design plays into the name of course and upon entry, I was swept away by the super moody interior — raw natural materials, woods, antique pieces, textured textiles, and an earthy color palette. There was also outdoor seating available in the back that was stunning.This location also set the tone with great music and mainly played afrobeats and amapiano. The boozy brunch option is $35 per person with your choice of unlimited mimosas, Bellinis, sangria or vodka and grapefruit. This is a great option for bigger parties and if you’re on a date I suggest the $25 unlimited mimosas or Bellinis instead. I opted for the sangria which is sweet and refreshing, especially being it was a super hot day. I can say that service was a bit slow when it came to more rounds of drinks but to be fair, it was Sunday brunch and the place was busy. As for the food, I can say I was pleased but it was nothing extraordinarily special. I ordered the chicken n waffles and breakfast potatoes. The chicken was flavorful but could’ve been juicer and the waffles were nice and light, topped with coconut rum sauce, strawberries and whipped cream. The breakfast potatoes made with both regular and sweet potatoes were nicely seasoned and soft and had cooked with peppers and onions. We wanted the Brussel sprouts as well but they were out for the day. My partner ordered the St. James Benedict Breakfast which came with poached eggs, salmon , hollandaise on a brioche and house salad. He described his food as good and also ordered the steak and eggs. Overall, I recommend checking out Rustik Tavern for either their brunch or dinner service to get a feel for yourself. I can see...

Overall rating: 4.2

I was in the neighborhood with a friend and we stumbled on this spot. The waffles of the chicken & waffles were so good. I kinda still think about them..

However, while we were a walk-in, the host said every seat is reserved and that we had to sit at the bar. Totally fine. What I don’t understand is.. for the full 90+ minutes we were there- we saw 4 tables that were empty the entire time. What gives?! I don’t understand the logic but I’m hurt. There was a nice table for 2 looking outside the window that was empty the entire time.

On top of that, the beer was flat. The bartender was super nice and let me change drinks. When I ordered the sangria, thinking I was getting sangria- I saw he put seltzer water in it. The menu doesn’t have seltzer water shown. So either update your menu, or serve what the menu says. 😒 Because if I had known there was seltzer water in the sangria, I would not have ordered it.

I liked the grits too, but I was really turned off by the drinking experience. I think I’d probably get those waffles to go &...

I wanted to brunch with family & friends for my bday….the policy is that you email the restaurant and they’ll get back to you. After waiting 8 days of hearing nothing, we went to Rustik to find out why no one contacted us. We then met with the manager who apologized and said someone would call the next day. They called two days later but did not clearly explain the entire group brunch protocol. Since they require a down payment for the group, the space & the pre-select brunch, we went there two days before the event with the payment. It was only after meeting with management two days before the event that the clarity of the bday brunch was explained…they definitely need a better means of communication. There’s no reason for that level of misguided professionalism when running a business. The food was decent, the music system was not functioning correctly, however we had an amazing waitress.The manager was polite, however success is based on a lot of factors in the restaurant business and there is no shortage of them in NYC. Thank you Michelle for...