The J Soho Restaurant & Lounge

I was there once for a friends party and they deserve whatever they got because they were selfish stuck up snobs who only cared about themselves. They didn’t give a shit about the customer and by the time I got my food it was cold. I complained and they said there’s nothing they can do about it. I walked away w/​o paying the bill and they actually chased me down for 3 blocks because of that.

Haven’t been there, but I just watched the owners lose a case against them on People’s Court. After reading some of these reviews, it seems as though these «entrepreneurs» are running the only clip joint in town.

I ordered my steak at medium and it was burnt to a crisp. This was the same for most of my dinner party. A steakhouse must learn to cook a steak.
Other than that issue, the service was impeccable and the apps were delish. The ambiance is also excellent. Next time I wouldn’t order a steak but something a little less easy to mess up.

I came here for a business lunch. This restaurant caters to a kosher crowd and unless you must eat kosher, then you have no business eating here. The service was terrible and slow. We were the only party dining at the time and our business lunch took over 2 hours for 9 people. Everything was overpriced and under flavored. I had a piece of salmon which was 4oz at most with a bed of greens and 2 cherry tomatoes for $ 24. I ordered a side order of baked potato $ 9 and the waiter forgot about it, bringing it out after everyone’s food was served and almost eaten. I left the restaurant hungry and extremely disappointed.

Aside from the nice décor this place has absolutely nothing to offer. I am willing to spend $$ on good food but that’s the problem here-​the food sucks. The service sucks. It screams douchebag all over. Bad food that is also overpriced? Um, no thanks. I have been to the trendiest places in NY, love a good hot spot with an eclectic mix of people and good music… but they that all had something to offer; this place tries so desperately that it’s embarrassing.
SKIP IT.

UPDATE: I heard that they are closing as a kosher restaurant and re-​opening with a different style. Call before you go there. 11/​22/​2013
—
Very lovely venue in a trendy part of town. Kosher. Small lounge area on first floor and upstairs a much more substantial restaurant area. It was probably very expensive to put this all together.
PROBLEM: they insist on blasting music at volumes too high for talking — essentially dance volumes — when it is lounge time and people want to talk. I ask them to lower the volume and they shrug.
Nothing else matters — location, décor, food — if you cannot hear the person next to you.

The «J»
formerly the Jezebel– but apparently the rabbi’s had an issue with the name so they took it down to a «J»… cute but it works.
Met some friends here for cocktails which turned into dinner. The place caters to the kosher crowd. Bartender was spot-​on and it happened to be happy hour so bully for us.
We snagged a table upstairs and firstly it was freezing in there. Holy crap, they could really use a good thermostat or something. Aside from that, the décor was very nice– a little in the dark side with nice linens etc. really well done in there.
My friends ordered a bunch of apps– I picked at those, except the sweet breads which are not to my liking ever. Menu was all kosher and i went with a steak and some green beans. The steak was adequate but nothing mind blowing. Cooked properly at least. Veggies were good as were apps.
I think there were a few desserts but I did not partake and we rolled out of there fat and happy.
Overall good– service was good. The table placement is a bit tight so there is some wiggling going on as people try to pass your table, but that is NYC for you.
Parking: good luck with that.

I live in LA but a friend of mine without a Unilocal account insisted on writing a review:
«Why can’t I do zero stars?
As an observant Jew in lower Manhattan, it is very much in my best interest for Jezebel (or J soho or whatever) to succeed, so it’s with a good amount of sadness that I write how disappointed I am.
My wife and I went here once before and remembered it being relatively good.
Last night we returned for Mother’s Day, and while the service was acceptable and the ambience is a nice attempt at romantic (although a little too dark) the food was just SOOO below average.
Appetizers:
We got a romaine salad and the sashimi trio. I’m sure it’s like a nice fancy thing to serve the romaine whole, but it’s kind of the most annoying way to try and eat lettuce. The dressing was overly acidic as well.
The sashimi included slices of pickled cucumber, and the reason I’m not calling them pickles is because it was basically cucumber drenched in vinegar. The tuna was fine but the salmon was practically a piece of lox. The rice was hard and crunchy, and not in a positive way at all. Considering how every other kosher restaurant can figure out how to make sushi and sashimi it baffles me that J Soho would screw it up so bad. The attempt may have been ‘a Jewish take on a Japanese tradition’ but it came off as ‘a cheap version of Japanese food’.
MAIN:
My wfie got the sea bass, which came with the skin on (something she detests, something we didn’t think we’d have to ask to have removed) and it came wrapped in wax paper. For $ 35, they really go all out on presentation. Not to mention the fact that it was dry and bland. I’m not exaggerating when I say the sea bass at Café K is more flavorful. CAFE K.
I got the peppercorn steak, which is served at just about every kosher restaurant in the city, and it’s relatively hard to mess up. Kudos to J Soho for achieving this feat. I’m not entirely sure there were peppercorns involved, the steak itself lacked flavor (something I didn’t think was possible). It came with fried onions, which were definitely made there but tasted a little stale; had they opened a can of Durkees Fried Onions I would’ve been happier.
The wine sauce was glorified tomato sauce with vinegar (and it was an overbearing vinegar) and the bernais sauce tasted like margarine.
The cocktail menu is something they sort of pride themselves on, but it’s extremely limited (and I’m not paying $ 16 for a run-​of-​the-​mill old fashioned) so we ended up buying a bottle of wine (no complaints on that, other than them being out of my first 4 choices) and at that point decided not to spend any more money on dessert.
I had no complaints about the service, and I tend to overtip when I feel like I’m treated well, but I can’t justify giving a $ 30+ tip on food we couldn’t enjoy no matter how hard we tried.
This was our first Mother’s Day, and at the very least, I’m glad I wasn’t the reason it was ruined.»

Went here for lunch. Really nice space upstairs and I ate light, but the two appetizers I had were very good. I had the kale salad and hamachi.
Will return to try other choices. I understand this Kosher restaurant is fairly new. Based upon my experience I am sure they will be successful.

Neat interior good service terrible menu.
$ 28.00 for 5 oz of flavorless frozen salmon? WTF? The only reason I didnt send it back was because I was there on a business luncheon.
$ 5.00 for 6oz of diet coke? Its just stupid and offensive IMHO.
The kale salad was pretty good I must say but the menu was terribly overpriced and quality was poor to moderate. All in all I can safely say I’ll never return.

Food was horrible atmosphere was noisy and cold
I had veal meatballs came out coldI had the lamb chops which was bland and sides were gross then to give It one last shot got chocolate mousse which was grainy and unedible for the amount $$$ they should be locked up this place will be gone gone soon

I had really high hopes for Jezebel. I was sorely disappointed.
First of all, the service is terrible. Our waiter told me the soup of the day was a root vegetable soup made of celery and fennel. Celery isn’t a root vegetable so I was confused. Then the soup came and it was an orange gloppy mess. I asked him what is in the soup and he admitted he may have been wrong about the vegetables. He thinks it’s celery root, not celery, but informs me they are the same thing. I inform him they are actually not the same thing. I then ask why the soup is orange, since celery root is white. He said he thinks there may be yams in the soup. But he doesn’t know. He doesn’t find out what’s in the soup for me. Just leaves.
Then I taste the soup. It’s so horrible I can’t even swallow my bite. It’s incredibly thick. Has an odd zingy taste. Way too much cinnamon. I send it back. He apologizes but that’s it.
Also, when we ordered the main courses, my friend ordered the steak frites but asked that if instead of fries he could just get extra salad since he’s on a diet. The waiter said no because the chef is incredibly insistent that his food is eaten the way it is meant to be served and he won’t make any substitution. That’s a reasonable thing to say when there’s a complex dish with lots of sauces and flavors that are meant to go together. That’s not reasonable when you’re asking for them to hold the fries.
Let’s get on to the other food. I ordered a steak salad, with my steak cooked medium rare. My steak was so charred and overcooked that I literally had trouble cutting through it. I showed it to the waiter who asked me if I wanted chicken instead. Why would I want chicken when I ordered steak? I just want my steak cooked correctly. He finally brought me new steak that was cooked correctly but it took another 15 minutes.
On top of all of this, the service was incredibly slow. We came for lunch and there was one other table when we sat down. Two by the time we left. It took 50 minutes for our entrée to arrive.
The problem is that Jezebel is trying so hard to be a like a mainstream non-​kosher restaurant that they seem to think if they just have a really obnoxious chef and waiters it puts them in the running. I am not strictly kosher and so have eaten at the city’s best restaurants. Jezebel doesn’t come close to mediocre restaurants in the city, let alone the city’s best. It’s very sad because the space is cool and it could be a really great spot for the trendy kosher-​eating set.

Absolutely regret bringing my close friends to this place. I am very open minded and truly recognize and enjoy the effort and cost to bring fantastic food and wine together in a beautiful place.
Jezebel is just the oposite of this. We tasted 4 different bottles from Israel, and each one was worse than the next. I’ve had some palatable wines from Lebanon, Cyprus and other Mediterranean wine-​dabbling nations, and Israel should get out of the wine business immediately. There is no hope.
The food was just awful, and the prices have zero correlation with reality.
On the positive side, the décor was warm and inviting, and could be conducive to a nice experience.
Once the executive chef and sommelier are fired, then maybe Gordon Ramsay can come here and fix this place.
Can I get my money back now?

Went to Jezebel yesterday for dinner. It was delicious!
The mushroom risotto was one of my favorite appetizers. It had thick pieces of mushrooms and the flavor came out strong. The veal meatballs were also tasty. I had the cornish hen for an entrée — who doesn’t like cornish hen? The hen was juicy, moist, and seasoned well. It was also served with cranberry sauce, which I wanted to lick off the plate, and potatoes. For dessert, I ordered the chocolate chip cookies. I don’t know how they make them, but the chips were still melting (yum) even after I left it on the plate for a few minutes (I needed to chill out on the cookie nomming). Service was good, the waiters filled our waters without asking. They also wiped the table in between meals. I always think that is a nice gesture because no one wants to see that piece of hen you dropped off your plate the entire night.
The atmosphere was great. This is a really unique restaurant — you really don’t expect them to play 2pac, but they did! Yes — they played funk, rap, & hip hop on a Tuesday night during dinner! I really listened to the music, because everytime they played another song, I would be like, «omg — this is Thrift Shop!» at an albeit, nice, kosher restaurant.
Def come check this place out. Good food & atmosphere!

The bottom line, before I begin this novel, is that the food was okay, the prices were ridonculous, and the ambiance was pretty cool.
We had a large party, and several people tried to get into the plans and cancel, so we had to call a lot about our reservations. While the woman on the phone, Ashley, took it all in good stride, there was «nothing available» except a 7:30 or 10:30, both of which were really inconvenient times for parents of young children, so we settled on 7:30. Then four people from our party cancelled, and we were down to 6 people, so they stuffed us into an 8:30 reservation.
When we were seated, we couldn’t help but notice that more than half of the tables there were empty. This was infuriating.
Now, the food. We tried almost everything in the menu as a group. Here is my take on everything:
APPETIZERS
The funniest thing to our party was the Latkes special (Potato pancakes, for anyone who is unfamiliar with this customary Hanukkah food.) For $ 15.00 we got ONE pancake, with a little sprinkle of beef on top. That’s right. ONE pancake.
We LOVED the «Mac and Cheese», it seriously tasted like the real thing!
Truffle fries were crispy, oily, and fried to perfection.
Veal meatballs were nothing special.
The roasted beet salad had a really nice dressing, very flavorful.
ENTREES:
The burgers were great, we had the lamb burger and the wagyu beef burger specials. The patties are HUGE, and they come with some good sauce and the amazing fries I mentioned previously.
My 9oz. steak, while good, was expensive as hell ($ 45.00). And the menu says that it comes with roasted beet and herb salad. The herb salad=a tiny little sprig resting daintily atop the roasted beet. This is a joke.
Our friends tried the mushroom risotto and the braised shortribs, which were good based on their empty plates.
DESSERT:
The donuts (beignets) were out of this world. Melted in your mouth, perfectly sweetened, crispy and hot.
The molten chocolate cake was anything but molten, more like lukewarm.
The wait for the food was annoying, but the waiter came with complimentary flutes of champagne for the table and a dessert that I can’t recall.
The décor and ambiance were pretty cool, very cool for a kosher place!
And, last but not least, the prices. High. Big. Four dollar signs. You’re not getting what you pay for here.

Nice meal — a bit on the pricey side, however.
I love the décor and the staff is friendly. Only the prices were a bit off-​putting. Yes, I understand it is a kosher meal, so that is like an automatic bump… but still!
This has a special occasion restaurant ambiance, but could also accommodate a date night out.
Note to Families: this establishment does not offer booster seats or high-​chairs. However, I brought my almost 2-​year old and he was fine in the spacious booth. It’s not stroller-​friendly, either.

Great atmosphere and service. Came here for brunch on Sunday ¹²⁄₉. Hostess was very welcoming and classy. Our waitress was pleasant and had great etiquette. Muffin basket at the beginning of the meal was very tasty and fresh. The cranberry muffin was a bit tart but still good. Had some mint tea… nice as well. Not impressed by the main course however. Egg was cooked perfectly and the duck fat fries were decent, but the rib-​eye steak had a strong vegetable oil flavor that took over the flavor of the meat. Also, entirely too much pepper. It was not pleasant. I took one bite and pushed it aside. My brother and Uncle ended up eating it. They’ll eat anything, haha. It wasn’t a very good cut of meat either. I was also disappointed in the lamb burger. It tasted like a raw meatball. Strange flavor on that. And lamb is actually one of my favorite meats.
Dessert was brought for my brother with a sparkler, the kind they use in bottles for bottle service at a nightclub. It was a fun gesture, but when the flame extinguished it left the room smelling like burnt plastic and smoke which made eating our maple bread pudding a little unpleasant. The pudding was decent, but wanted it to have been a little softer and more soaked rather than crunchy/​cripsy. Very tasty though. They get two thumbs up for their baked goods.
My family and I enjoyed our time there and would like to return. But the food at this point needs some love. I plan to return again sometime but hope the food improves. But I’d be hard-​pressed to return a third time if my second visit results in me ordering Chinese takeout once I’ve left the building.
Good staff and warm hospitality. Thanks.

I had soup and risotto at this place. The soup was ok– nothing special about it. Risotto was horrible. I ended up eating only half of the dish. Risotto was filled with a lot of olive oil and it just tasted like oil olive. Nothing more. I also tried my friend’s lamb burger and it was just way too salty.
One star for average service. One star for décor. Décor here is pretty cool. But remember, restaurant is a place where you eat. Not where you enjoy décor. You can enjoy fancy décor at other places.