The Toucan & The Lion

It’s sad to see that place go because their brunch and cocktails were amazing! The Scotch egg as well as the burger were definitely crowd-​pleasers. I have been here for both dinner as well as brunch and both experiences were wonderful. PSA: the tables are tightly squeezed together, so bear that in mind when chatting with your dining companion.

This restaurant is very small and quaint but the staff is always really friendly and that will usually improve my experience anywhere I go. The signature drinks set the menu apart here.
My first trip was for dinner for four and we ordered and shared every drink on the menu to share and they were all strange yet delicious. Thai Fighter! ‘Nuff said.
The food was decent, yet seemed to hit the stomach hard. Pricing wasn’t bad for the area either. Overall, worth a trip to say you’ve been there!

Not a fan anymore.
I was here a while ago with my gf, and didn’t enjoy it as much as I previously did.
Roast duck n lychee salad: literally just four half lychees over just two pieces of cold duck n some duck meat crumbs over plain lettuce: $ 16. Pitiful.
Honey glazed baby back ribs: ok. Two out of three were barely warm, and dry.
Mushroom medley: very tasty, but just a small taste.
Grilled eggplant: the eggplant wasn’t cooked enough.
They used to have a marvellous and unique dessert: bacon donuts. It was heavenly, and nobody else had it. Now it’s not on the menu: what the f… happened? New chef? If so, I could tell the difference…

With an almost 10 month old baby, we don’t get out nearly as much as we used to. So date nights are really special occasions. WHERES THE BABY?!! –one of us will scream, we’ll have a nice chuckle & get back to our bib-​free meal. When we picked Toucan for our date night meal, we had really high hopes for a truly delicious meal that could rise to the occasion. Unfortunately, this place sucked ass.
We ordered a mass of small plates & sides, stuff that sounded the most promising. Grilled Shisito Peppers were flat & lifeless. The duck in the duck & lychee salad was dry & it never came together as a composed dish. The scotch eggs were the most original sounding on the menu, but I still have no idea what they were. Two soft boiled eggs encased in a weird, spicy Fred Flintstone-​like Brontosaurus egg shell. And the ribs, which should have been the most bankable dish was a twelve car pile-​up in my throat. They were clearly cooked a month ago & then re-​overcooked last week. Smh.
Needless to say, this date night meal was a big flop. But hey, we’ll try again next month somewhere else.

Great experience at The Toucan & The Lion! Met my husband here at 6:30PM on a Friday night only to discover that they have 50% off drinks until 7:30! My glass of prosecco was only $ 4.50 and that made me extremely happy.
I absolutely love Southeast Asian food, so I was pleasantly surprised when all the cuisine was SE Asian Fusion. I uncharacteristically came here without doing much research and expected American food from the name of the restaurant. The menu sounded absolutely amazing all around, but I had to go with a version of my absolute favorite dish, hainanese chicken rice, and went with the Chicken Rice dish. SO yum and the flavors were pretty spot on! The only thing missing was some sambal or sriacha… but definitely satisfied this customer!
For appetizers we got the fish tacos and the shrimp wrapped in crispy noodles… both were pretty good but nothing spectacular. I would definitely like to try the Scotch Eggs next time as that seemed like a pretty popular order. I will definitely be back for another date night or intimate gathering with a few friends.

I had a wonderful experience at Toucan and the Lion. Was able to get a reservation for 6 people at 7pm on a weeknight. It’s a pretty small place but didn’t feel horrible cramped and wasn’t that crowded, which surprised me because everything we ate was really good!
They have a happy hour special, half price wine and beer until 7:30, even at your dinner table. (I also think my friendly server mighta let me get the deal at a few minutes past)
They had a daily drink special, with a very clever name «do the curtains match the carpet» which was cute because I know the server, while she said she made it up, was embarrassed to say out loud, as I would be too!
There is a small bar in the main room when you walk in, fits only about 4. Bartender was friendly and informative about drink specials, prices, and offerings.
Our waitress was super nice and didn’t bother us for probably being a little noisy, and being super nerdy about tallying our order and writing right on their menu instead of telling her our order. They were good about being aware of when our drinks were empty, but also not pushing us to order drinks before we were done. I really appreciate when servers time that just right.
The cold noodles were great, came adorably plated in tiny Chinese soup spoons. Everything here was made to share but portion sizes were decent, with at least 3 of everything. Fried pickles were awesome and came with a nice tangy sauce for dipping. The meat came right off the bones of the ribs. The only dish that I thought was too small was the seafood hotplate, that one was not worth the price. The shrimp balls were way better than anything called a shrimp ball should be, we got a third order.
Food comes out as it is made and they were really on top of clearing away our dirty or empty plates.
In the end, after a 2 hour meal they did request that we move to the bar area, but in the friendliest of ways, still engaging in conversation, confirming that we enjoyed our meal and experience. I can appreciate that.
I would definitely come back. The vibe was nice, high quality but not pretentious. Cozy and great location. The cost of our meal with a few drinks, some at happy hour, some regular came to about $ 55 per person with tax and tip.

This was a random dinner find among dozens of Indian restaurants in the area. You enter and you see a bar and a couple tables, then on your right is the smallish dining area with more tables.
Drinks are good and fairly unique, but pricey. As usual. Service here was pretty good about the drinks, but fairly slow with the food orders.
Not entirely sure about what they’re trying to do with menu here (kind of high end Asian fusion but also not). But holy cow, that green curry linguini is damn good. I regretted not ordering it but damn it was delicious. I had the burger and it was deliciously interesting. The cashew nut butter on the bun is pretty tasty, although there was an excess amount of it on the burger, which kinda overpowered the rest of the flavors. Thankfully the fried pickles were there to kinda take away from the richness of the nut butter. Just wish there were a couple more pickles.
Overall, great dining experience, will definitely try it again if I’m in the area and not craving Indian food.

I’ve been here before for brunch so some of you may have already read that post. I’m here to say «screw brunch; come for dinner.» I say that even though I was there the other day for drinks but I did have the rum braised pork belly with sambal glaze, thai sticky rice, peanuts, pickled cucumber and beet sprouts. The glaze was thick and sweet/​spicy and finger lickin’ good. Mmm…
Oh and then there were the actual drinks which I argue are some of the best cocktails in the city. My two favorites were «The Black Night» which is Gordon’s gin, Aperol, and house rendered balsamic vermouth. The balsamic vermouth made this drink taste unlike anything I have ever had. It’s only on the menu during spring/​summer so get there and try it! The «Thai Fighter» was also good (made with Ezra Brooks bourbon, fresh muddled Thai basil leaves, simple syrup, lime, and yuzu.
Highly recommend this place and I will definitely be back to try the ever changing menu. Great place to catch up with a friend or for a first date.

Was here last Thursday with a friend and we ordered several dishes to share.
We shared the beet salad which was nice but maybe not worth $ 9. I like the light clean flavors but I wasn’t compelled to try more than a few bites. I ordered the hamburger with fried pickles, my friend ordered the pork ribs with sticky rice. Both were delicious but the hamburger just blew our minds. Our entire face lit up at first bite. The toasted bun has a slightly sweet flavor which was the perfect compliment to the savory. Just divine!
Lastly, we shared an order of the famous scotch egg which was not on the menu but the server told us that they make about 5 orders a day which they always sell out of. I did enjoy the dish as it was interesting to the eye as it was to the palate but the dish felt heavy after all the food we had already consumed. It was delicious none the less and I was happy to have tried it.

Cute layout and designs. Extremely friendly staff. Tables were a bit crowded but it’s expected in NYC. The malbec was decent which was served in a tiny cup. The beet salad was one of my favorite dishes but beets are hard to ruin. The fish tacos were a bit dry and bland. The stuffed peppers weren’t that great as the level of salt overpowered anything else. The burger which I unfortunately did not try looked pretty juicy and amazing.

First impressions are not always lasting ones. But that does not mean an emotion cannot get registered upon first try.
Expectations were certainly running high from word of mouth. But for a first visit, it definitely left the feeling that the there was more toucan than lion. The ambiance is wonderful if only a bit small. Perfect for dates and not ideal for groups. Steve is the manager and he is fantastic. I could not ask for more in terms of friendliness and feeling welcomed.
The food did not live up to expectations as texture and flavor left quite a bit to be desired. The fish tacos and stuffed shishito peppers were big disappointments in terms of lacking in flavor and being overly salty respectively. I was told the burger was actually adequate but for $ 17, that wasn’t exactly the word I was hoping for either.
Tempered expectations are needed for a first try, but I am always holding for a better impression next time around.

Oh how the mighty have fallen (from 5 stars to barely 3). I loved this place after my first several visits, and thought it was going to become one of the hottest places in the city – for a while there, it was always full, and I even waited an hour a couple of times for a table – but since they changes chefs, then the menu, it has fallen off signficantly. Couldn’t believe how empty it was on my last couple visits.
I totally don’t get why they have gotten rid of almost everything that was so good; the waitress even said to me that people were upset about some of the old dishes being removed… not sure why they don’t bring them back.
Here’s a fun anecdote for people that like it when restaurants tell you total BS: I went twice recently, and both times they were out of the curry rice balls; when I inquired, the waitress/​manager? told me «that’s one of the perils of using only fresh ingredients»; who’s she think she’s kidding?, it’s rice and curry, what’s not freash, the chives?! Weak.
Burger is still great, and the fish tacos are good, even if they aren’t as stellar as the short rib tacos were; so I will probably still go back, but only for those two dishes… unless rice is in season next time I return.

Fun menu, uncomfortable restaurant. Tables are too small to accommodate the collection of tapas-​style shared dishes, which may be brought out all at once — prepare to put your tetris skills to use with the assemblage of plates. Additionally, oddly-​placed planters above diners heads invite collisions. The waiters will warn you to watch your head when you stand up, but you will inevitably forget, and hit your head anyway. Hey, T&L — just acknowledge the design flaw and remove them.
They were out of the rice balls and all but one dessert. Everything we ordered was tasty (stuffed shisito peppers, shrimp wontons, fish tacos, hearts of palm salad, chocolate panna cotta), but felt a tad overpriced.

Came here for their scoutmob deal which offered 50% off. The restaurant is very small with a bar at the entrance and a small dining room around the corner. The tables they have are the same tables you would see at Bryant Park along with the same chairs only painted in white.
Being that it was brunch I was in the mood for something a little different than the norm. I ordered their huevos burrito. Sounded pretty good on paper with eggs, bacon, asparagus, quinoa, and mushrooms. When it came out it came with an accompanying green sauce with a small salad. The sauce lacked any flavor and the burrito was poorly seasoned and unevenly layered with filling. What I mean by that is the fact that this was a burrito filled with egg whites and quinoa. There were tiny pieces of asparagus, maybe 2 tiny bits of bacon, and not a mushroom that I could recognize out of that egg quinoa mush.
Thanks Toucan and the Lion for filling my burrito with the cheapest ingredients possible and leaving out all the flavor enhancements like bacon, asparagus, mushrooms, and oh yeah, egg yolks. Egg yolks would have been nice. I ended up asking for hot sauce and drowned my burrito in it and ate the sucker like a crappy MRE.
Small tables, crappy food, high prices. If it wasn’t for the scoutmob deal, I would have been more upset but honestly that entrée should be priced at $ 7.00 and not $ 15.00.

Good
Looking,
Inventive
Menu but the
Dishes fell slightly short. A touch pricey.

ASIAN FLARE ON BRUNCH (available weekends 11−3pm)
Our dishes came with simple salads
—short rib benedict: we liked this! &interesting that it’s on an asian white bun!
—taro hash: not bad… a little dry but it is taro after all. crispy though!
—toucan scramble: good too, asian twist with the duck sausage & spiciness
it’s a small place so once this new brunch option gets popular seating will be limited!
NOTE: scoutmob deal scored us a discount!

What a delightful meal. Go with a group and try as many of the tapas as possible.
Clever drinks.
Duck confit mofongo and scot eggs were fabulous. The rib tacos and burger also highly recommended. The hen was just OK.
Definitely finish with the panna cotta. Key lime pie very good as well.

A friend and I were looking for a new place to try, and I send her a few options. I was happy when she picked The Toucan and the Lion because it was my top choice too — not because I looked at the menu or anything but I just really liked the name.
I waited for my friend who was delayed by Sunday MTA, and so I got a drink at the bar — the Orchard Julep. I could taste the ginger and the plum, and it was at once a little sweet, sour, and spicy. I really liked this cocktail.
After my friend arrived and we sat, I ordered the arctic char and my friend got the burger. I also got some fried pickles to try. The order of fried pickles was rather plentiful, and though I quite enjoyed them I couldn’t eat that many myself. I got a small taste of the burger, which was juicy and yummy. I also thought the fish was delicious and the pistachio basil purée provided an unique flavor to the dish.

Man OH man. THIS place. THIS PLACE. The Toucan & The Lion must be one of the best restaurants at which I’ve eaten.
How do I love thee, The Toucan & The Lion? Let me count the ways…
1. The name
Are you kidding me? Not only does this place have «toucan» in its name but also «lion.» So creative and cute! Their business cards are also killer. If you ever go here, you need to snatch one up.
2. The ambiance
So damn classy. You’ve got your hanging plants, you’ve got your white table cloths and low lighting and you’ve got all these trendy young people who enjoy good company and good food. What’s not to like?
3. The service
Our waiter was Eli or, should I say, the dreamy hipster boy named Eli who wore red flannel and black, thick-​framed eyeglasses. I stared lovingly at him while he gesticulated and pontificated about drunken manila clams and whiskey sour pickles. Besides the fact that he was the embodiment of my dream hipster lad, he swung by our table multiple times to check up on us and treated us quite well.
4. The food
The Toucan & The Lion ENCOURAGES sharing here, so we decided to split the very popular Scotch Eggs and the Duck Confit Mofongo (which Eli recommended). The eggs were bigger than we expected, and after marveling them, we dug in. First of all, WOW. I’ve always liked eggs but WOW these eggs were AH-​MAY-​ZING. The outside was crispy, the middle layer was thick with juicy, herby and flavorful sausage and the egg was smeared with some savory and irreplaceable kaffir lime aioli. Then came the Mofongo and, just when we thought the food couldn’t get any better… it did. OH it definitely got better. Sitting in some tangy salsa verde was a mixture of taro root, chorizo and sausage with a fried egg on top. Now, I know that this doesn’t sound that incredible but WOAH. It was FANTASTIC. The flavors of both dishes were so memorable that I can still faintly taste each dish as I write this review. I’m also drooling as I write this review, FYI.
Yes, I love this place. A lot. I love it like an old friend or a song with soul and groove and funk. If I were to ever open a restaurant, this is how I would want it to be like. It’s a perfect mixture of style and honest, good nouveaux gastropub food. Loved it so much, too much.

House specialty cocktails (namely the tequila based spicy-​and-​fruity-​but-​not-​too-​sweet «crimson and clover»)– and Thai-​style PEI mussels (lime leaf, thai chili, lemongrass, young ginger, toasted Bao buns) are out of this world.
The sauce for the mussels lacked the usual too-​heavy-​handed dose of coconut milk and instead was flecked with what seemed to be more traditionally prepared mortar and pestle ground Thai green curry ingredients. We should have gotten a double order of cocktails and mussels and we would have been set and given Toucan 5 stars!
Everything else, food-​wise, was average. The corn fritters were just ok and had a sauce that was similar to, but a bit cooler, than the mussels. The scotch eggs were as billed but nothing special. The pork loin was perfectly cooked but had a very simple preparation (atop a bed of kale and grilled mushrooms) and a subtle apricot purée. At $ 23, the pork was overpriced. If it was $ 18, I would have no complaint.
The servers were pleasant. The $ 8 chenin blanc was crisp and easily quaffed. The atmosphere was clean and pleasant. The white paint did not scream «pub» but the windows flung open into the East Village made the atmosphere perfectly festive. It was small and relatively cosy. The rug in part of the dining room was a bit weird.
The app that gives you $ 25 off brings TT&TL into the price range it probably should have been in to begin with… I will come back for the drinks and the mussels if they are still on the menu.