Most Annoying Restaurants in NYC

[Sneakeater]

See, you should have gone somewhere in Flushing.

[H. du Bois]

Isn't someone supposed to declare Flushing to be annoying now?

[Shellygirl]

Oh Yes!!! Besides having one of the most unappetizing names, I find Flushing to be beyond annoying!

[ulterior epicure]

Oh Yes!!!  Besides having one of the most unappetizing names, I find Flushing to be beyond annoying!

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Touché!

[rich]

Eater, Mouthfuls and OpinionatedAbout have just declared the entire New York board annoying, including Flushing, Brooklyn Heights, East New York, Madison Square Garden, parts of Radio City Music Hall, the north and south ends of Central Park, the Bronx Zoo, Staten Island Ferry and the Long Island City/Astoria areas of Queens.

[Pan]

Does anyone think this thread is annoying?

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Yes, and I mentioned that above.

[weinoo]

Eater, Mouthfuls and OpinionatedAbout have just declared the entire New York board annoying, including Flushing, Brooklyn Heights, East New York, Madison Square Garden, parts of Radio City Music Hall, the north and south ends of Central Park, the Bronx Zoo, Staten Island Ferry and the Long Island City/Astoria areas of Queens.

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Aqueduct and Belmont, too??

[rich]

Eater, Mouthfuls and OpinionatedAbout have just declared the entire New York board annoying, including Flushing, Brooklyn Heights, East New York, Madison Square Garden, parts of Radio City Music Hall, the north and south ends of Central Park, the Bronx Zoo, Staten Island Ferry and the Long Island City/Astoria areas of Queens.

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Aqueduct and Belmont, too??

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Well Aqueduct is annoying now because that's where their racing, but Belmont Park is too beautiful to ever be considered annoying - especially after a horse had to be destroyed yesterday because the trailer floor broke through and dragged its hoof for a few miles.

Just to note Belmont Park was voted to have the best New York sports arena food last year.

[Jesikka]

I think the insinuation that I live in Brooklyn because I don't care enough about eating out to buy an apartment I can't afford in Manhattan is the most annoying comment in a recent thread.

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Perhaps you could stop eating out to save money to buy an apartment in Manhattan?

[H. du Bois]

I thought the whole point of buying an apartment in Manhattan was so that he too could be considered a knowledgeable restaurant goer.

Edited February 22, 2007 by H. du Bois (log)

[Sneakeater]

It's a Catch-22.

[Felonius]

I suppose this thread is a bit of an annoying bitch fest in itself, but I can't resist chiming in. There are lots of bad restaurants in NYC that don't annoy me. The ones that annoy me are those where I love the food, but have a problem with reservations or service (and hence can't get to enjoying their great food).

While I absolutley love the food at Babbo, I find the impossibility of securing a reservation and the occasionally snooty attitude there annoying.

I also find the Tasting Room annoying. I dined there multiple times several years ago, and finally gave up on the place. I thought the food was interesting and the concept was great. However, I had several meals where I waited in line for reservations, waited for my table, only to be told that they were out of nearly everything on the menu. This was made worse by the fact that I was only told this after having ordered and opened an expensive bottle of wine that couldn't possibly pair with anything left in the kitchen. Had they made a sincere apology, or cut me a deal on a second bottle of appropriate wine, I would have remained a customer. But instead, there attitude was indifferent and clearly indicated that I should feel lucky just to be there. The Tasting Room has an affectation of being this laid back sort of place, but I found their attitude to be arrogant in the end. Very annoying.

Oh yeah, and that cupcake Magnolia bakery place is annoying. Long lines for a dry tasteless cupcake. My five year old niece makes a better one, yet New Yorkers continue to stand in line and rave about Magnolia cupcakes. Highly annoying.

Edited February 23, 2007 by Felonius (log)

[Luckylies]

yet New Yorkers continue to stand in line and rave about Magnolia cupcakes.  Highly annoying.

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I don't think it's really the New Yorkers raving.

[Nathan]

Oh yeah, and that cupcake Magnolia bakery place is annoying.  Long lines for a dry tasteless cupcake.  My five year old niece makes a better one, yet New Yorkers continue to stand in line and rave about Magnolia cupcakes.  Highly annoying.

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dude, I live four blocks from Magnolia. those ain't NY'ers. its B&T and tourists (whole tour buses drop them off there).

[Dave H]

I think the insinuation that I live in Brooklyn because I don't care enough about eating out to buy an apartment I can't afford in Manhattan is the most annoying comment in a recent thread.

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Would it be annoying if I pointed out that I actually said,

pay the extra rent to live in Manhattan, or the extra time to eat out in Manhattan???

Yes?? Probably? Would it have been more annoying if eGullet had a [blink] tag??

What's that?? I should quit while I'm behind???

Sigh...

[Sneakeater]

Dave H, I was kidding around anyway!

[LPShanet]

they just think it's good cause it's not in Manhattan.

(that's not a slam on Brooklyn restaurants...of which quite a few I wish existed in Manhattan!)  but I've also had enough friends (usually Brooklyn Heights residents who just moved there from Murray Hill or the UES -- the most Manhattan-like part of Brooklyn) who will rave about all the great Thai they have...Joya, Sea...etc.  of course those places are just as equally insipid as their Manhattan equivalents (and equally priced).  it's some form of reverse snobbery I think.

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Was very happy to see Zen Palate and all of Little Italy appropriately (if expectedly) panned. Good description Sneakeater!

My own personal nomination for most annoying restaurant is admittedly based on only one visit (why would I return to an annoying restaurant?), so I may get flamed in dissention, and things may have changed, but one of my most offensive dining experiences in the last couple of years took place at Mas (Farmhouse), despite some fairly favorable reviews.

First off, let me state that the food was not by any means awful. It was average or slightly above in some cases, and one dish was actually very good. That said, it should be noted that for a restaurant on the level of a decent neighborhood bistro, the price level and the poor service were outrageous. The average entree when I visited was $42!!! I ordered a fish dish as a special (I think it was snapper or some other common/not pricey variety) and it was $48, and didn't feature any special ingredients to justify the price. This made it more expensive than almost all other places in the city at the time (about two years ago). The cheapest wine on the menu was about $60 and was total crap. In fact, there wasn't a decent wine on the list under $100. Pretty rich for a neighborhood joint that claimed to be inspired by French peasant food.

Furthermore, the staff didn't know the first thing about any of the food or wine. I noticed that the markup on wine was about 4 times RETAIL (normally, 2-3 times WHOLESALE is customary). They clearly were not used to having customers who were familiar with any of the wines, so had never been called on this before (or at least pretended so). When I politely questioned this, a manager came to my table and tried to lie about it, until I made it clear that I knew the wines in question and their prices. He quickly backpedaled and offered to bring me something a little better, which wasn't on the list. He brought a very serviceable Alsatian wine that goes for about $20 in the store and told me he would charge me $60, which I accepted. I later noticed that it was listed at $155 on the wine list!

To reiterate, the food was OK, and one pork dish (at $38, the cheapest item on the menu) was actually very good. But the presumtuousness of the place and it's position in the city's pecking order was really offensive. And at those prices, they could have at least hired servers who knew what animal the various items on the menu came from or were willing to ask someone who did. For the record, I have no problem with paying very high prices for food (I happily ate at Masa, and thought it was fair value), but Mas was very much the Emperor's new clothes.

Edited February 27, 2007 by LPShanet (log)

[oakapple]

My own personal nomination for most annoying restaurant is admittedly based on only one visit (why would I return to an annoying restaurant?)....

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Whoever started this thread wasn't clear about what he meant by "annoying." But I didn't take it as a synonym for "bad." I think the more compelling suggestions are those restaurants that have some annoying traits, amongst other attributes that would actually make them worth coming back for. Otherwise, what's the difference between "annoying" and just plain "bad"? Edited February 27, 2007 by oakapple (log)

[weinoo]

Whoever started this thread wasn't clear about what he meant by "annoying." But I didn't take it as a synonym for "bad." I think the more compelling suggestions are those restaurants that have some annoying traits, amongst other attributes that would actually make them worth coming back for. Otherwise, what's the difference between "annoying" and just plain "bad"?

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That would have been me...at the time I started the thread, the restaurant I was referring to was clearly annoying - as well as clearly bad. This wasn't an issue here or there - it was clearly friggin' annoying...I don't need screaming poseur waiters and face picking bartenders - ever. I rarely/never post about bad restaurants...and there are plenty of those.

I guess it's hard for me to distinguish between the attributes - if a restaurant has good or great food, but a few other problematic issues, I'll give it another try. I mean, the reason I go to restaurants is basically to get a good meal - most places have service issues, imo. How many restaurants actually train their staff to serve from the left and remove from the right? How many train servers to pour from the right? How many train the bussers not to bus across someone's face? Every single McNally restaurant, for example, has these issues. I overlook all of these (and they don't even annoy me that much) if I otherwise have good food...and have a good time because the staff is trying to help you have a good time.

I'll go back to Morandi, even though I had to ask for bread service and the bussers removed incorrectly and then had to hustle to remove our appetizer plates because the pasta course showed up - the food was good and I liked the overall experience. Quite simply, it's fun, as are all the McNally restaurants - the original restaurant I referred to was not.

If a restaurant has bad food but everything else is great, I'm not going back.

[Sneakeater]

FWIW, I found Mas (Farmhouse) annoying (and that is exactly the word for it) on my first visit for exactly the same reasons as LP Shanet.

On subsequent visits (don't ask why: sometimes you just gotta for one reason or another), I simply found it boring rather than annoying. Maybe by then I was inured.

[Nathan]

the sole point in going to Mas is the late-night menu...otherwise, yeah, it's hard to see how they justify the prices.

[ewindels]

I nominate Café Gray, which has some of the city's best food in one of its most unpleasant spaces.

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I would second that - although those braised short ribs are pretty damn good. I amazed that I still remember how really good the food was, even though we asked to change tables midway through our meal (due to some screaming me-me's at a table no more than 8 inches away from ours) and still had problems conversing over the din of the cackling clientele.

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Here I think someone needs to make a firm definition of "annoying" as it pertains to this thread. I'm the first to agree that Cafe Gray is one of the most unattractive restaurants in the city, and the waste of that view is criminal. But that doesn't equal annoying to me, the cooking remains superlative, and the service has always been top notch. Yes, there's music, and frequently bewildering choices, but when I've been there it's never been obtrusive, nor has the noise level. (Mind you I tend to go quite early in the evening, not at high tide.)

For my definition of annoying restaurants, see... oh, pretty much any place in the MPD these days, and don't even get me started on STK, which was so awful I couldn't bring myself to post about it.

[tupac17616]

FWIW, I found Mas (Farmhouse) annoying (and that is exactly the word for it) on my first visit for exactly the same reasons as LP Shanet.

On subsequent visits (don't ask why:  sometimes you just gotta for one reason or another), I simply found it boring rather than annoying.  Maybe by then I was inured.

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Funny. That makes three of us. Aside from the whole "subsequent visits" thing. There definitely won't be any of those for me.

[ned]

I'm a regular stroller partier at Otto.  I love it there (at the bar) and, Emma, I'm inviting all my stroller partying friends.  You never know, you may push one of those things yourself one day.  And have a craving for octopus with celery and lovage just at the moment when your toddler has crashed in his dreaded stroller after a couple of hours of heavy play in Washington Square Park.

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They deliver!

I'm sure you're munchkin is cute and brilliant, but before you had one...didn't you ever want not to hear their wails?

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My son only ever wails when I beat him and I'd never do that at a Mario Batali restaurant.

I was at Otto a couple of days ago and mentioned this thread and the baby dilemna to the bartender Dennis. He had an interesting response which was that both Batali and Bastianich have kids and that the restaurant was conceived as one where kids would be more than welcome. He went on to say that kid-friendliness is a property they look for in their waitstaff. Dennis claimed that in the interviews they usually say "If you don't like kids, you probably shouldn't work here."

[weinoo]

Dennis claimed that in the interviews they usually say "If you don't like kids, you probably shouldn't work here."

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Kids are mostly ok - it's the parents who don't control their kids that aren't!