Spicy Moon Bowery — Restaurant in New York

Walked in without a reservation and sat at the bar. The entire place has a fun pink theme which stands out the minute you walk in. I think it’s fun and well done, not too over the top and judging by how crowded it was, I think everyone likes it. Calling all the #pink girlies! Service was too notch! As soon as we sat down a bartender come over to welcome us and offer menus. The entire bar staff rotated checking on us regularly. It was really really nice. They all seemed fun and happy to be there too, a sign that the restaurant management team is doing right by their staff I hope, and happy staff = better dining experience for sure. Shout out to Mike & Eric especially who found time to chat a little too and make us feel like regulars, a very good feeling that will get me coming back to a restaurant again and again. I think great service matters more than the food because you leave feeling awesome no matter what! In this case we found that the food matched the quality of the service! It was so dang delicious! I was caught off guard by the flavor each plate packed! The veggie lo mein was so so tasty, balanced, juicy, and with so many veggies! I love that they didn’t skimp out on the veg! I woke up today and immediately craved another plate of this veggie lo mein! We also got the fried veggie dumplings which resembled an egg roll in taste, I think, and also tasted delicious. Dangerous because I couldn’t stop! Good thing they don’t come unlimited or else I would’ve not had room for the main courses! Lastly we ordered sizzling tofu (off menu, the guys next to us got it and we pulled the “we’ll get what they’re having” card. I don’t think I’ve had tofu that tasted better than this in my life. Pure foodie bliss, this plate. Well done chef!! The veggie “sauce” they threw over the perfectly crispy tofu brought so much flavor to this dish I wished I had another stomach. I literally cannot wait to go get another one!!! So so good! My mouth is watering as I write this review! 🤤 I also want to say I appreciate the little bar in front of the TVs. When I was single and going out, I would’ve appreciated having a space like this that was so comfortable to go get food solo without awkwardly sitting at a bar with nothing to do but fake-scroll on my phone. So, if you’re avoiding going out because it’s awkward to sit alone, I found your new safe space and it comes with incredible food! I know there are two other locations but we are looking forward to coming back and sitting at the bar with Mike & Erik and feasting again soon at this location. *Went back and met Henry, Christian, and Joanna who also rocked! Thanks guys and well done!! Oh, and cherry on top, never felt bloated afterwards, no digestive issues, felt good, so the food is healthy and clean too for those with sensitive...

The newest, biggest and I have to say undoubtedly the best Spicy Moon location in NYC. Stayed in the city over the holidays and decided to have Christmas dinner at Spicy Moon since they were amongst the handful of restaurants open on Christmas Day. Went over in the early evening around 6pm because I was afraid everyone would have similar ideas and didn't know if there would be a long wait. It was bustling but not packed yet and there were plenty of seats available at the bar. The space is enormous compared to their other locations. Its a 2 level space, has a main dining area on the first floor and an adjacent space with 2 bars + more seating space including tables for large parties. The restrooms are downstairs and there is also another smaller seating area.

Since it was early and we weren't quite hungry enough for dinner when we arrived, we decided to have a couple of drinks at the bar to start off. I had the Mother Earth which was a hen of the woods mushroom infused bourbon based umami cocktail. It had a light sichuan kick and was generally in the mold of an old fashioned but a different and quite frankly amazingly inspired take on a classic cocktail. Followed it up with their namesake drink The Spicy Moon which is a mezcal based take on the old fashioned - also excellent. Have to commend both the bartenders working behind the bar for their phenomenal mixing skills.

Shifted over to the main dining area for our meal. Our server Ben was great, by this time the place was absolutely packed yet he did a phenomenal job of attending to us. We ordered the chopped cheese spring roll and wontons in hot chili oil to start. The chopped cheese rolls are one of my favorites - the filling is so flavorful and delicious. The wontons are great, light texture and almost melt in your mouth.

Everything we had from the drinks to the apps was fantastic to this point but the star of the show ended up being the entree! We had one of the specials - the crispy sizzling tofu platter which was a huge portion, definitely enough for 2 or maybe even more depending on our appetite. Fried tofu, served sizzling hot on a bed of szechuan spiced peppers and chiles. It was probably one of the best dishes of Chinese cuisine I've had in New York.

10/10 experience, I hope to make it a new Christmas...

Food Phenomenal. Service, great, but I’d like to comment on our Server, Will. He seemed welcoming at first, however made a few comments along the way which burnt down the experience for our party. Firstly, when asked about the different options and items on the menu he wasn’t giving accurate information in regards to quantity nor flavours. Given this isn’t our first time here, we have our staple items and know the flavour and quantity quite well. However, Will, told us that to order 2 orders of spring rolls because just 1 order won’t be enough, and also, it cannot be cut into 4 pieces. Though when our order came, the spring rolls were already cut in four and we had an extra order which wasn’t necessary. Secondly: we asked for forks, not all people can use chopsticks due to multiple reasons. And Will’s response was, “We don’t have forks available at this time because they are all being used in a set up for a private party downstairs.” Which restaurant does not have enough cutlery for customers? And which server refuses giving cutlery to customers. Will did not present a breakdown of our bill to us prior to paying. A drink we had ordered did not come during the dinner and so I asked if it was charged because we didn’t receive it, and he goes back to the hand held machine to reduce it from the bill, however how did the bill decrease by $30 by one sprite? And then, he went out of his way to ask for a substantial % of tip. When I stated, I’d like to give a custom amount, he made a comment stating, “Usually a custom tip is greater than the percentage that is presented on the screen, and I think you should choose the largest amount on the screen.” And then he goes ahead and clicks on the highest amount of tip and gives it to himself. Ridiculous. Is it even legal for a Waiter to give themselves a tip/choose the tip amount while using our card to pay the bill? Anyways, the entire experience was not good, and for that reason I didn’t tip at all and walked out. I feel bad because the food was great and always delicious, but maybe they need to work on their servers and make the experience more comfortable...