The Ivory Peacock — Restaurant in New York

TLDR; dark/clubby ambiance with incredible/unique flavors to their dishes. Even better unbeatable restaurant week pricing! Ambiance (5/5): The inside is dark but feels super sleek with ornate walls, retro décor, but modern furniture. The music is very dance/clubby and also quite loud. I was added to a waitlist Service (5/5): I walked in and added my party of 2 to a waitlist and sat at the bar. Within 5 minutes, I was called and seated at a table. There are QR codes to scan and order and pay at the table. It made service really quick. They stopped by often to refill water and check in. Food: We came for NYC Restaurant Week and their 3-course meal was an unheard of, unbeatable price of $30. Almost all other restaurants charge at a minimum of $45 to 60. Deviled Eggs (5/5): Probably one of the best deviled eggs I've had. The bottom of the yolk had a layer of caramelized onions covered with a salted seasoned pureed yolk. The roe was a nice pop of color and taste too! Ivory Chicken (4/5): The chicken is pounded to a thin layer and breaded/cooked to a perfect crisp. My only qualm was that the breading needed some more spices to it and lacked a bit of flavor. The 'signature hot sauce' is OUT OF THIS WORLD. There is a distinct taste that may be due to pickle juice? Whatever it was, I asked the waiter if he could ask the chef if I could BUY a bottle of it to take home with me. The table next to me overheard and was interested to know the outcome and agreed that the hot sauce was amazing!! We probably used up the remaining hot sauce on our entrees as well. Chicken Sando (5/5): The chicken may be the same as the app but a little thicker. The sweet and spicy glaze complemented every bite! Again, the pickle taste was pronounced and the milk bread soaked in the sauce. While I would have opted for a different bread vessel, my boyfriend enjoyed it. Smash Burger (4/5): The burgers were juicy and tasted wonderful with the 'special sauce'. However, I was not a fan of the buns, which definitely held up the enormous burger but was a little dry. Creme Brulee (4/5): I've never had such a unique creme brulee like this! There's a hint of matcha and the consistency is a bit thicker but very delicious, creamy, and filling. Wonderful burned glaze to provide it a nice crunchy sweet exterior. Mochi Trio (4/5): Each flavor (mango, lychee, coconut) had a unique and hints of the flavor infused into the ice cream. The thin mochi layer encompassed the bites well. (I am not a huge fan of mochi in general so my critique may not be true to...

I was positively BLOWN away by this place. A MUST VISIT.

STORYTIME:

I work in media and needed a very last minute (literally day of!) bar reservation for 20 people for an afterparty event. Online, I could only book 10 people so, I called them asking if there was any way at all they could give us a last minute section in the Emerald Bar area for 20 people. Danny was incredible. He made me feel heard through my anxiety and worked with me to make this happen. He took my number and promised to call back shortly after speaking with the manager. Sure enough, he was true to his word and called back 45 mins later with the good news. I relayed more of our situation about how we'd likely be taking tons of pictures and would also need some seating room. He expertly guided me to change the seating from my original reservation to a different table so we'd have the best seats to meet our needs. He could have easily said, this is last minute, we don't know you, and that's it. But no. He went out of his way to make this work and was so kind on the phone!!!

I showed up with my boss and the rest of our after party guests. We were beautifully met by Anna and Juan for FREE coat check where they also communicated that there were NO minimums. Everyone in our party was beside themselves with awe at how absolutely stunning the place is and how lovely the service was. Delicioussss drinks were flowing and flowing quickly (shortest wait time I've come across in the city tbh). We had a TIME! I really appreciated that service was always discreetly hovering and anticipatin our needs (something I always personally note).

On our way out, Juan and Anna were just so hospitable and kind. Everyone in our party is still talking about our time there a week later.

Worth mentioning: the place looks massive in pictures and, it is, but the warmth of the décor really lends it a more intimate feeling.

OVERALL:

The ambiance and décor is 10/10, service 10/10, drinks 10/10, location 10/10 (our event was at Chelsea Table & Stage–only a 4 min walk!!). Only thing I can't review is the food, but I'm sure that was lovely as well.

I found this place randomly on TikTok and boy am I happy I did. I fully consider this place my company's new go-to drinks spot for clients, after parties, and other work events.

(Heck: I might even go for a date night, this place...

Lol the response. I didn’t stand there and “demand” a table. I tried to communicate politely with the staff. I’ve been many places where I didn’t have a reservation and couldn’t get in. I understand these things happen. The issue here was how the staff communicated with me. There was just straight up rudeness. Zero kindness. There is a way to speak to customers tactfully and that didn’t happen then and it didn’t happen in this Google response either. Other reviews mention the rudeness of the staff too. ——————————————————————— I didn’t get the opportunity to dine here because of the lack of hospitality displayed by the staff.

I walked in at 5:30PM on a Wednesday. I had one hour to kill. I just wanted a drink and a bite to eat.

The person at the host stand asked me if I had a reservation even though I told them I was a party of one. I didn’t have reservation. They told me I could sit at the bar.

The bar was full - the only open stool was covered in someone’s coat, meaning the seat was being saved. Not trying to get into a fist fight over a bar seat.

I went back to the host stand, and asked if I could get a table. The host who spoke to me before was on a phone call. Another host came over and again, I was asked if I had a reservation. I repeated the same thing, I wanted a table because the bar was full. The other host said “I see open stools there.” And wouldn’t seat me at a two top.

Again, I repeated, there were no open stools. The only open stool was covered by a coat. The host said I would have to stand in that case.

There was zero custom service, friendliness or hospitality displayed.

The restaurant was empty. I wanted to grab a bite to eat and have a drink, I would have been gone in less than hour. They also have a downstairs area that was apparently open too.

So I left.

It’s ridiculous to have to beg a restaurant to let you spend money there.

The situation could have been handled so much better. And for that reason, I’ll never...