Trad Room — Restaurant in New York

I dined at Trad Room twice in 2021, and both times left me with unforgettable memories. The food was nothing short of incredible, the atmosphere cozy, and overall, I had a wonderful experience that I looked forward to revisiting.

Unfortunately, my most recent visit completely shattered those expectations. The only way to book a reservation now is through a third-party service that requires credit card information upfront. In this age of rampant digital security breaches, I find it uncomfortable and unnecessary to provide my payment details just to secure a table. I decided to call ahead and was assured walk-ins were welcome, with an estimated 20-30 minute wait—perfectly reasonable. Upon arrival, I put my name on the list and was told to expect a 45-minute wait, which I also accepted.

After waiting patiently, I received a text that seats were available at the bar. When I entered to claim them, I was immediately informed via text—just 60 seconds later—that the seats were taken. So I resumed waiting. Roughly forty-five minutes in, I decided to wait inside to avoid missing further opportunities, and soon after, I received another message saying a table was ready. But when I approached the hostess, I was told, "You're still at the top of the list." Confused, I asked why I was receiving texts about available seating when none actually existed.

Instead of a clear answer, I was met with a condescending attitude, as if I was somehow at fault for simply trying to follow the process. The hostess blamed an automated system for the confusing messages, yet her dismissive tone made it feel like I was the problem. The front-of-house experience was disorganized and pretentious, leaving a bitter taste before I even sat down. By the time we were seated, my partner was so put off by the experience they wanted to leave, but I asked them to stay because of how hungry I was.

Thankfully, the kitchen salvaged the evening. I started with the Crispy Spicy Tuna, which was, frankly, underwhelming, but the roasted shihitos were delightful, served with a whimsical yuzu salt that really elevated the dish. My entrée, the chashu dan dan ramen, was everything I hoped for—comforting and well-balanced. The food alone is what kept this review from dropping to a single star.

In the end, waiting an hour for good food isn’t the issue. What ruined the experience was the snarky, disorganized, and dismissive front-of-house staff. Trad Room’s kitchen may be worth the wait, but the pretentious attitude from the staff left me questioning whether the food is worth the hassle. I certainly won’t recommend this place to friends or family anymore, though I might still brave the attitude...

Sigh I really enjoyed my food, but I did not enjoy how I was treated by the waiter. She treated my partner way better than she treated me, which was unfortunate and odd to say the least. We decided to go to a spot that will accommodate both of our taste buds. He wanted sushi and Ramen and normally I would want the same but with me being on my cycle, I wanted a burger and some fries. So we decided to go to a spot, that accommodated both, which was great that Trad Room has that! When I ordered my burger and fries, the server made an odd face and said “oh people usually come here for the sushi” …. OK that’s nice. can I please just have a burger with fries?” (We purposely looked at the menu and went there knowing what I wanted. So why am I being scolded for wanting a burger?) I told her how I wanted my burger to be cooked and here she goes again, making more faces and says “you don’t want it medium well? you should get a medium well. It’s going to take longer if you get it that way” I understand that it may be frowned upon to get red meat well done, I get it. But that’s what how I wanted my burger to be cooked. What is the big deal man? I politely asked her “Can I please have my burger cooked the way that I asked?” This is the second time she is trying to convince me to order what I did not ask for. It was odd to me because I’ve never had a server act like this before. When I asked about the house wines, she told me about the one that was available and also mentioned that it wasnt necessarily her favorite. I said OK I wouldn’t get that one then. My partner and I continued to look at the menu and then he asked for Prosecco & I agreed I’ll have the same. I’ll assume she didn’t hear, but she only offered it to him and walked away and didn’t even bother to offer it to me. Nonetheless, my burger was great and so are the fries! Shout out to the chef! My partners spicy salmon, sushi rolls were really great he said. And he absolutely loved his Dan Dan Ramen. He did say the waygu beef he got included was cold. But the ramen was hot! He was talking about the ramen all night so nonetheless he loved it. We’ll definitely be back, especially since it’s close to home, but I just hope I don’t experience what I experienced with the waiter ever again. The space is much bigger than you expected, and they also have outdoor dining in the back. All the other staff were great. So I definitely recommend this space the next time I go. I just hope I have a...

Went to Tradroom on my birthday and tried to sit at the bar. The barstool was wobbly and I shook it a handful of times trying to see if the chair was meant to flex or if it was in fact wobbly. Coming to the conclusion that the chair was in fact wobbly, I let the bartender know. He was a short (maybe 5'6) with brown hair and glasses. He came around the bar to tell me the chair wasn't wobbly and that it was the ground. I saw how that could be the issue because I used to work in a restaurant and with wobbly tables, a quick fix is a coaster under the table leg. So I asked the bartender if he would adjust the chair for me, since the issue was the ground. He then proceeded to tell me I was being aggressive. This was a major issue because I am also a black woman. Although I was giggly at first (via the intial chair inspection) I still very calmly and politely asked him to help and he called me aggressive, which is a massive micro aggression. The other bartender (bald white man white a red beard) comes from behind the bar to test out the chair to "prove me wrong" and while he sits in the chair fully reclined (the chairs are not meant to lean back) he tells me the chair is fine and accuses me of being DRUNK! Not only was I called aggressive then accused of being drunk but the chain is fully leaned back and the chairs are not meant to recline! Neither of them could just apologize and help with the issue they just decided to chastise me, call me drunk and aggressive. I ended up just grabbing another bar stool, which was always what I planned to do. They made me feel like I was a jerk for telling them this (which could be a lawsuit waiting to hapoen with a broken chair on the floor) and were forcing me/ gaslighting me to keep sitting in a broken chair! Which I find very hurtful as it was my BIRTHDAY and tradroom is in BED-STUY. A black neighborhood and their WHITE staff is QUICK to label folks with micro aggressions. I don't expect my servers to go crazy with customer service as we all don't get paid enough, but I do expect just general respect and human...