Water St. Tavern — Restaurant in New York

Went on date night with my girlfriend and this was our first stop. We went in because it looked really cozy and chic from the outside. Upon entering and looking around and taking in the atmosphere, we ended up just…confused. The bar was lit like an upscale bar but the decor was more local watering hole. The music was schizophrenic, for lack of a better word with a mix of 80s, house, rock and other weird jumps. It was like someone kept changing the station on a roadtrip in a clown car.

This was all before we got to order. The bartender was very nice but this was definitely his first night there. We watched as he kept referring to his notebook to make our drinks. He literally had to keep adding and correcting my drink. My girlfriend’s drink was so sour I don’t know how she finished it and mine was so spicy I had to return it for a draught. I couldn’t tell you if they were terrible recipes or poorly made but they were awful. Thankfully they did the right thing and took my drink off the bill. We also ordered truffle fries but they never came so…must say the staff was pleasant and that’s why they got 3 stars from me but if I’m in the area again, I think id...

After riding my bike over the Manhattan Bridge and back, I decided to make a pit stop at Water at Tavern. The bartender and manager, Niyazi, were absolutely fantastic. The food was decent; however, I could taste the bottled garlic in my spinach, and the scallops were just alright - I believe I can whip up better scallops at home. The drinks, on the other hand, were more impressive than the food. My main issue arose with the dessert - I ordered the chocolate cake, and it was a major letdown. It seemed pre-made, not freshly baked on-site, and was barely touched. When I raised my concerns to the manager, he explained that he couldn't remove it from the bill.

This review is focused on the food itself, not Niyazi's service, which was exceptional. Perhaps he should consider managing elsewhere. The lack of specials and the high prices for what seemed like basic scallops without even a proper sear, along with the disappointing cake, left me feeling like I wasted almost $100. I truly believe I deserve a refund for the food. The service was top-notch, and the cocktails were great, but it's disheartening to pay for something that I didn't even...

I think this place has a lot going for it. They just need to tighten up on the service a lil bit. Today I had the $16 lunch special tavern burger and it was cooked properly medium rare. I found the meat to be a little under seasoned and the cheddar cheese wasnt giving enough saltiness for the burger so I did have to add salt and pepper ontop of the burger. The fries that come with it were nice and crispy and I appreciated getting both mayo-aoli as a dip option as well as ketchup. The server seems a little out of it , he just seems tired and uninterested in being there which hey I get it we dont love our jobs all the time, but im seeing a lot of other reviews mentioning similar vibes so its definitely something they need to work on. It was pretty empty I was there from 1-140pm and only two other tables came in the whole time (when I walked in just after 1pm the place was totally empty). I thought it was weird when I asked the server if next time on the burger could I ask for a different cheese option since cheddar isnt the best on a burger imho and he said he didnt know, he would have to ask the chef, but then he never went...