Flex Mussels

I came here for dinner with friends, and really loved the décor. The primary dining area is in the very back, and it had this darker more cozy feel. The walls were decorated with pictures with identical black frames, which gave the wall space a nice geometric look. The bar in the front has little pails serving as hanging light shades. I like little touches like this.
They’re known for their mussels of course, so everyone at the table got a different one. I was able to try two dishes and and appetizers, which I will describe below:
1. Lobster mac ‘n cheese: Loved it. I’ve had many of these before, but I really liked this one. It had actual chunks of lobster in it, and the dish wasn’t too cheesy. I can’t stand the heavy cheese in some M&Cs.
2. Thai mussels: This was quite good, with a nice spiced broth. The mussels were OK. They weren’t that big and some were overcooked.
3. Maine mussels: I liked this one better than the Thai one. It has a wine sauce with slices of garlic everywhere. So good! I wanted to drink the broth after finishing the mussels.
Service was quite good. Prices are definitely on the high side…

Really yummy, really huge pot of mussels, and a pretty wide selection of styles. I am obsessed with the thai, with coconut milk and lemongrass. I’ve. Tried a few others and they’re all good. They bread they serve is fine, but anything tastes better when you dip it in delicious mussel sauce :)
Desserts are also delicious! The donuts are to die for, and I’ve heard their lemon dessert is awesome
As well.
Only qualm is that occasionally, you may get a bad mussel that hasn’t opened or you bite down on a tiny bit of shell, but it’s rare and with thousands of muddles they serve daily, you have to expect that not every one will be perfect.

The real standout here are the doughnuts for dessert. Different fillings to choose from and they’re always fluffy and fresh.

The toast minus the ricotta toast was delicious. Everything else was pretty sub par. Haven’t tried the mussels yet but I bet it’s better than anything else! Will go back for happy hour but brunch was disappointing
Got the famous bagel donuts and they sucked. Also got the latke and salmon brunch dish and that wasn’t as good either.

I had a perfectly fine experience here, but I was far from being blown away.
I grabbed an early dinner with a friend on a Wednesday night here. We sat in the bar area so that we could take advantage of the Happy Hour special.
Service was a bit lack-​luster. I can’t put my finger on it, but our waitress was slightly off-​putting… like she was putting off a subtle vibe of annoyance? Also– I ordered 3 spicy margaritas (don’t judge me) and they arrived with different garnishes every time. As someone who worked in the restaurant business for many years, I know that’s a major no-​no. My first drink arrived with a slice of jalapeño, second with a jalapeño and a lime and the third with no garnish whatsoever.
The food was fine, but not amazing. We ordered the crab guacamole which was just guacamole with a tiny amount of crab place on top. We also had oysters, which are listed as shucker’s choice on the menu. They arrived without any explanation of their origins. We also had the truffle fries and kale salad– both excellent. We tried the dijon mussles. I love mustard, but I found the flavor to be overpowering. I wouldn’t order them again.
All together, not a bad time, but I think there are some gaps in server training and some of the menu items left a bit to be desired.

This place is so amazing!!! got a nice bar area in the front, main dining room is very pretty and clean, very friendly staff and food is so good! will definitely come back again.

Flex Mussels happy hour is hands down one of the best deals on the UES! You can get a pot of mussels, side of fries, and a beer all for under $ 20. Happy hour is only available at the bar or counter, but it’s well worth it seeing it’s every day of the week from 5:30−7pm.
My boyfriend went with the happy hour classic mussels and I ventured into the main dinner menu for the «Maine» pot at $ 28. A heaping portion of mussels in a delicious lobster bisque broth with chunks of Maine lobster in the pot. I could eat it everyday!
The atmosphere is great, the bar menu is fully stocked, and the staff is friendly. Perfect date spot or even somewhere to take family visiting!
And without a doubt, TRY THE DOUGHNUTS! Any flavor, as many as you can eat, you will not be sorry!
We will definitely be back!

The rumors are true — Amazing Happy Hour (5pm — 7pm) with delicious Mussels & Beer with fries $ 21, fresh dozen raw oysters $ 18, and finger-​licking good fish tacos $ 6 — only at the bar!

Fresh oysters, loved the beau soleil and the virginica. The salads are small but fresh. The crab guac is also pretty small, good but prob wouldn’t get it again.
The Maine mussel is supposed to be basically mussels in a lobster chowder. It was really good (esp since I don’t usually like mussels) but very, very little lobster so don’t expect much of that. The truffle fries were too good, as were the donuts we had for dessert. In order of liked least to most: lemon, blueberry, PB & j, and fluffer nutter (so good!) but really all the flavors were good and the donuts are fresh so it’s really personal preference I think. Cesaer the bartender was very attentive.

I went to Flex quite awhile back and I’ve been thinking of going back since. I absolutely loved it! I went with a friend without a reservation and we ended up getting lucky and got seats in the bar area. The restaurant was packed.
We started off with this fried seafood appetizer. It was a variety of seafood fried. We then each ordered our own entrée of mussels. I had a Mussel dish that was in a fondue type cheese sauce. It was AWESOME! I absolutely loved the sauce and the serving was pretty generous. I really need to get back to Flex Mussels soon. I haven’t had Mussels in quite some time and this is the best place to have them in Manhattan.

I like to think of myself as a huge seafood fan. Especially shellfish. This place as perfect in every way. I went for a date a few months back. The interior is a nice blend of a local seafood place with a New York twang.
The food was delicious. I don’t remember the name but I got a bowl of mussels, clams, potatoes, and bacon. I think muscles are a bit bland tasting, but this place proved me wrong. I couldn’t finish my bowl the portions were so big.
I can’t afford to eat here that often, but when I have the cash or want to go out for something special, this is somewhere I’d go to again

I love this place for happy hour. Simple and intimate with plenty of decent booze specials. The mussels are good, but their cocktails are even better. Try the vodka or the tequila one. Both are fabulous!

These mussels are the real deal.
I’ve come here on several occasions for dinner. It gets crowded so I recommend making a reservation in advance, especially on weekend evenings.
You know it’s going to be a great meal as soon as you walk inside. The bar is normally packed and smells of fresh seafood. Walk towards the back to be seated in the dining area. The atmosphere is casual and energetic. My experiences with the service have all been positive.
There are «mussels» and «not mussels» sections on the menu. If you love mussels or want to try them for the first time, this is the place to indulge. My go-​to is the Maine, which is a massive bucket of mussels sitting in a broth of lobster, smoked bacon, chowder, and parsley. It is undoubtedly the best mussels entrée I’ve had to date. I agree with most who say the truffle fries are good, but make sure you’re leaving room to enjoy the broth with the unlimited supply of bread. If you can fit dessert in your stomach after the filling entrée, you can’t go wrong with the donuts or whoopee pie.
Check it out! I can’t wait to go back.

We walked in and the atmosphere was amazing. It smelt heavenly too.
Unfortunately we waited… and waited and waited. Then we finally got the menu. We made our choices quick and then had to wait some more.
Mind you this is happy hour so every second counts. No one was serving us. When they were there they’d disappear before you got a word in. At this point we had glasses of water and empty stomachs and then eventually just decided to leave.
The hunger was real at that moment.
Granted we should have made a reservation but I really think a restaurant should be able to handle walk ins especially when there’s a happy hour included. I was pretty disappointed that I never got to try what smelt so good :(.

*HAPPY HOUR REVIEW*
I came here with my boyfriend after work last Friday. I’ve had this place bookmarked for a while now. I think the happy hour menu changes but when I went it was $ 21 for a pot of mussels, bread basket, fries and a beer. Not bad!
I wasn’t sure if one pot would be enough for two of us, we almost ordered two. Luckily we stuck to just one! The bartender/​waiter told us one pot contains about 25 – 30 mussels. As it turns out, one order was way more than enough for two considering they give you bread and fries as well. We were stuffed!
I’m a huge mussels fan and tend to be very picky with the sauce. Some places serve sauces that are way too salty. We ordered the «Fra Diavolo» mussels. The sauce was absolute perfection with an excellent touch of spice! We asked for extra bread to keep dipping.
This is definitely up there with one of my new favorite spots for mussels. The cocktails were $ 7 during happy hour (which is only at the bar/​counter). I definitely recommend this place if you are a mussel lover like me. Hard to be disappointed here. I’d like to return and try some of the other sauces.

I can’t say no to a bucket of mussels, especially when there are bits of ham/​bacon involved. I got the ultimate gout inducing meal — the southern mussel bucket, complete with country ham, corn, mustard, and bourbon.
I am planning on coming back and getting another mussel bucket with a different flavor. With that being said, I can vouch for the southern bucket, the mussels pick up a slight hint of flavor from the ham and bourbon and it just makes for an excellent combination. Plus, when you’re finished eating the mussels, you have bread to dip in the creamy mussel sauce. On top of that, if you’re STILL hungry, you could always eat pieces of ham out of the pot.
On top of the good food, they have good service and knowledgeable staff.

The mussels were really quite phenomenal, and I don’t think you can go wrong with any of the flavors. My friend and I got the Parma flavored mussels and they were delicious. The sauce was a little salty, but also delicious.
Unfortunately, the service left much to be desired. After the bartender unsuccessfully tried up-​selling the mussels to us with mushrooms (even though he couldn’t even tell us how much extra that would cost), he pretty much ignored us.
It also took us FOREVER to get our bread, even though we asked multiple people multiple times. We were pretty much done with our mussels by the time the bread even arrived… and it was cold.
Getting the check was equally frustrating. It took us a long time to get anyone’s attention, and the waiter that we finally flagged down was quite rude about it.
Final verdict: 1 star for service and 5 stars for the mussels. I hope I just hit them on an off night, because I’m definitely willing to come back to try the oysters or other flavors of mussels!

What I’ve tried: Thai, Fra Diavolo, Maine, and Classic mussels; Salted Caramel, Meyer Lemon and Blueberry donuts.
Tip: Skip the truffle fries. They are unnecessary and you can get as much bread as you like. Not to mention you should save room for the awesome donuts!
Story: I’ve been here multiple times and I keep coming back for the Thai mussels. They are SO good. However, I’ve tried my friends’ mussels as well, and, really, you just can’t go wrong. After using the bread to soak up all the delicious sauce, it’s hard to have room for dessert– but you gotta try! Donuts are a must have!

Flex is not necessarily somewhere I would choose to eat dinner given that I am not a Mussels eater. However, I went with several people that are, so I was along for the ride. From what I heard, the mussels dishes were all excellent, large and fun to eat.
I ordered the one non-​seafood item on the menu. I thought the server would give me a hard time, but he actually said the chicken would be just as good as the mussels especially since it is cooked to order (not many people order the chicken). Indeed, the Farmer’s Chicken was excellent, juicy, flavorful. The fries we ordered for the table were also great (and came in a cone — always a positive).
Flex is known for their donuts, so we ordered six for the table for dessert. Flavors include PB&J, S’Mores, Strawberry and Cinnamon and they come with this ridiculously good vanilla sauce. The donuts were warm and had great texture.
Despite not being a mussels eater, I am looking forward to returning!

Flex Mussels has wowed me once again. My boyfriend and I got the happy hour special, and enjoyed the delicious Fra Diavolo for $ 15 as opposed to the regular $ 24. It was a smidge too spicy for me, my boyfriend disagrees however and says it was barely spicy at all. I might just be a bit of a wimp.
We got the crab over guacamole as our appetizer, this was a bit disappointing. The guac was alright I suppose, but the crab was tasteless. The chips that came with it could be a bit saltier in my opinion. At least to accompany the rather bland guacamole. Wouldn’t get this appetizer again, the mussels are delicious and filling enough without something before them.
We ended our meal with the donuts. The last time we’d come in we were both too full to try them, but this time we figured we had to, and oh my goodness. One bite into the Reese’s Peanut Butter Cup donut and I was hooked. They’re made fresh to order are well sized and stuffed with filling. The noises I made while eating the donuts were not appropriate in the slightest, but I just couldn’t help myself, they were that good. I’m not going to lie, I drank the vanilla dipping sauce that came with them. My boyfriend and I were both disgusted with what I’d done, but it tasted like melted vanilla bean ice cream, how could I NOT want to consume all of that? After finishing the four donuts we considered getting more, just to knock out all of the flavors available, but we managed to talk ourselves out of what would’ve undoubtedly been a sugary demise.
All in all Flex Mussels is perfect from start to finish. As long as you start with the mussels and end with the donuts.

Siempre voy a Flex Mussels, siempre buen ambiente, buena atención y los mejillones un manjar. Para recomendar.

Stylisch/​maritimes Ambiente, sehr effizienter Service, gute Qualität, adäquate Preise. Wir hatten um 20:45 reserviert, bekamen den Tisch innerhalb von 5 Minuten und waren um 23:00 wieder draußen. Manch einer mag vielleicht lieber länger sitzen, aber angesichts der arktischen Temperaturen ist das nicht wirklich zu empfehlen.