The Wayfarer

I went to The Wayfarer after a disaster at Normas and the experience was positive. No recommendations, this place is what the Red Eye used to be.

My husband and I live in the East 57^th St. area so we have a few great restaurants that we like to go to for brunch and dinner. The food at Wayfarer is good, though pricey, and the service is very good. This is a semi-​upscale restaurant where folks go after work for a drink at the lovely bar, or have a meeting or bring a date. At night there are groups of people and couples having dinner.
One thing that consistently makes this place a non-​favorite is the music track that’s played. A few nights ago it was 80’s music: Madonna, Boy George, etc. I asked the waiter if any other patrons questioned the music selections and they told me that it happens often, and folks complain. So why they haven’t changed it to something more appropriate (soft jazz, lounge) is a mystery.
A few months ago I went in for a nice Sunday brunch, only to hear Beyonce. Sorry, but that’s not the kind of music I want with my brunch, and therefore we think twice about going the Wayfarer. A simple change of audio selections is much needed, I hope the owner considers it.

Back to give Wayfarer a second chance. Just walked out of the restaurant. Had some problems on my visit.
Not much of a change. Food is actually decent, while srvice is mediocre at best. I kept it simple with Chicken Paillard, Endive, Toasted Almond salad. Paired it with an albarino. Both entrée and wine were of good quality, but not sure theyre worth the $ 42 I was charged (and I left a 20% tip on top).
Salad arrived about 10 minutes before the wine. That was pretty disappointing. My waitress, tall Blonde who sounded European, walked into the dining room while tying her apron on. Likely was emerging from the restroom. When i asked her about my wine she ran to get it. Brought it to me with the excuse that the busboy was supposed to have delivered it.
Wasnt really checked on during the meal. Too bad for them because i would’ve ordered a 2^nd round of wine.
Walked out past a tall African American server and short Hispanic/​African American hostess. Both in conversation with each other at the host stand, neither bothered to thank me or wish me a good day.
Probably wont be back, even though i live in the neighborhood.

Muy buen Restaurant, el almuerzo con rápido servicio, la cerveza Scrimshaw, muy buena.

For New York, it’s an average restaurant.
I was surprised that my ginger crusted salmon took less than 5 minutes to serve. So doubt the freshness of their food.
However the food tasted OK considering it’s probably not fresh.
Service is average at best.
Dining area is separated by glass from the bar area, which creates a good depression of the mood and ambience.

Have been here a couple of times now across different visit to NYC for both brunch and lunch. Neither disappoint.
The atmosphere is nice and relaxed. Brunch sat at the bar is fun and the Benedict’s are lovely and tasty. The burger is also yummy!
Not too pricey and the service is spot on.
Definitely recommend !

Prior dinner reservations, stopped by here for a drink. The service was great and the place looked very nice inside. However, 15 dollars for a gin and tonic and 16 for a cheap whiskey on the rocks is a bit too steep for my liking.

Salty, greasy and over-​priced. Burratta was bland, Ravilo was so salty it was barely edible and burger was dry and bland with a stale bun. Not coming back.

Came in on Sunday after a morning in Central Park, didn’t expect much coming in but was glad we did, I am very picky on my eggs Benedict and its was made just right, nicely presented and not messy
Their burger was good but the fries that came with it was on point
Since we only came in for brunch service, can’t comment for the rest of their menu
Fruit salad was alright, I would probably pass next time, service was quick which was a huge plus since we came in hungry
Next time we will probably order the eggs Benedict and fries and skip the burger and fruit salad

I was really impressed by my ginger crusted salmon with soba noodles. Honestly, I was expecting the worst, since this was a «traditional» American restaurant and I assumed they would botch Asian-​based cuisines. But they did it to a perfection here.
My cocktail «The Gadabout» w/​Bombay Sapph and passion fruit bitters was on point too. It reminded me of a fruitier mimosa, which I preferred over the orange juice mix anyway (way too many bad memories with that one).
It’s the perfect brunch place!

Came here to meet some old friends and it was a great atmosphere, very lively, yet you can still hear each other talk. The food is really good and the plate presentation is on point! The portion size is a little small though, I ordered the raviolis thinking it would be a super filling meal, since I was very hungry, but it was more of an appetizer portion than entrée size. I would say it is a little overpriced, but it would not stop me from coming back.

Came here the other night, had the sushi, was OK nothing special, and the mezcal drink which was pretty good. Cool space and service was good as well.

I cannot wait to return here.
I stayed at The Quin over the weekend and after a hectic drive into Manhattan on Friday night to meet with my friend who was visiting from Europe, I was hungry and in need of a drink. He suggested The Wayfarer since he had tried a few cocktails there and was impressed with the place.
Our waitress was Kia. You know the feeling you get when someone is excited and does their job exceptionally well? Kia could sell ice to a penguin. She suggested the Wayfarer burger.
Oh my God her excitement and description only scratched the surface. It was so amazing and delicious. The only awkwardness was my dinner companion started to use a knife and fork to eat his meal. I corrected this immediately.
The fries with truffle oil are a MUST. Definitely «Go Big or Go Home» item.
The Wayfarer cocktail was almost too pretty to drink. Almost. Was well balanced and very delicious. Also tried the Rambler which was very tasty.
Was an amazing food experience and helped kick off a great weekend. Even stopped there Saturday afternoon for a few more rounds and… More burgers. They are seriously that amazing.
And, no exaggeration, my European companion (who has returned home) has mentioned the burger every day.
So go… NOW! And ask for Kia. Just mention the Jersey girl sent ya.

I love the look and feel of this place. Such a fun modern feel, really lends to a laid back, yet fancy atmosphere and sets the tone for a great lunch.
Came here recently for a lunch and at around 1PM, I expected it to be a lot more busy than it was. We shared a veggie sushi roll to start and I had the fish as my entrée. The food was delicious and I left full, but not overly stuffed. The menu has something for everyone from sushi to steaks. For the food, I would definitely come back.
Service was definitely on the disappointing side. My cup was never refilled and the server saw my cup was empty, but never refilled it. We were given our food and basically forgotten about.
Service was definitely a zero and food was a 4. Guess I’ll have to take my chances if I plan to come back here again.

Worst pancakes I’ve ever tried. I am not a snob and will eat almost any pancake, these were worse than made by 4-​yr old kids with a stale mix and half the ingredients missing.
Went back later to try a desert — closed for a private function despite no signs, hostess greeting people… Put up a stupid sign to not waste people’s time!
Disappointing place.

Good food but nothing exceptional for a French guy used to fine French’s restaurants…
Order a beer which was not available anymore…
Prices seems to be correct

The Wayfarer is one of my favorite restaurants in NYC, which is saying a lot considering that there are so many places to eat and munch. But, I love their menu. From sushi to steak tartare as appetizers to entrees the size of my head, each meal is flavor packed. I often vacillate between what I want versus what I can actually eat (my eyes are definitely too big for my stomach), and it takes me a few minutes to order. I want it all!
The bread with that olive spread is major. Once you take a bite of that, you know you’re in for a decadent meal.
One of the things I look for when dining is the pacing of the meal and every time I’ve eaten here, the pacing is on point.
Tonight, we shared the steak tartare, the pork chops and the prime rib, because we’re clearly on a diet. We also ordered the apple pie as dessert, which you simply must. It comes out pipping hot, crunchy and flaky on the outside, apple-​y gooey on the inside.
I also got to meet David Burke, which made my night! I’m a huge fan of his and he was so sweet, I could tell that his culinary skills were definitely passed on to the executive chef.
Will I come back here? Is my name not Soo Jin Kim? Yes friends, I’ll be back.

Fabulous.
My self, my brother in law and his fiancé, all stopped in here for lunch recently while out doing some shopping nearby; and was quite thankful we chose this place to accommodate us for lunch this afternoon, for we were all greatly impressed with our experience.
The ambiance is lively, open and well designed. It was about a 20 min wait to get a table, which lead us to the bar area to wait. While waiting, we were able to peruse the delectably appealing menu they offer. Everything sounded outstanding, which lead us all to be a bit indecisive.
We were then taken to our table. We had all by now decided upon what we wanted. For drinks, I went with their «Green Drink» which consisted of: cucumber, kale, pear, lemon, and some additional greens ($ 8.00). They ordered Iced Tea. For food, I went with their Lobster Cobb Salad that comes with a Basil Ranch Dressing. I believe my fellow companions went with some sort of steak salads, but I cannot honestly recall, because I was quite anxious to get my lobster on :)
The Green Drink turned out fantastic tasting — fresh, invigorating, along with just a settle amount of sweetness from the pear. Now for my salad, not only did it arrive exquisitely appealing, it turned out to be utterly, superbly delicious!!! Each component that made up the salad, was perfect in every way: fresh ripe avocados, perfectly crisp bacon, vibrantly colored tomato’s along with the rich succulent pieces of lobster– oh, and the basil ranch dressing? Heaven! This was one of the most enjoyable salads I have had in a long time. And, it was well worth the slightly steeper price. Everyone else loved their dishes as well. Service was also professional and attentive for the most.
I would certainly stop in here again when in the area.

We stopped in at The Wayfarer for a drink before a show at City Center. We sat at the bar. It’s a nice, classic-​feeling bar. The bartenders were friendly and attentive.
My wife ordered wine and I ordered The Gadabout, a drink in their specialty cocktails menu. The menu says it’s made with gin, Campari, passion fruit, and angostura bitters. When I asked the bar tender about the drink, he said it also has lime juice. I was expecting something fairly bitter because of the Campari, like a Negroni. It was actually pretty sweet due to the passion fruit. It was a very nice drink.
We also ordered some sushi roll appetizers. I wasn’t sure we should be ordering sushi in a restaurant like this but we wanted something light and sushi seemed the best fit. We ordered the spicy tuna roll. It was very good! It wasn’t particularly spicy but it had a good amount of very fresh tasting tuna. We were encouraged to order another roll, this time a dragon roll. Again, it was very good. The menu says it’s made with ‘BBQ Sea Eel,’ which you probably know as unagi, that was lightly cooked with a good sauce. The only minor nit we had was the wasabi. It was pretty dry and crumbly, making it difficult to eat. Luckily, the flavor was ok.
At $ 14 for the Gadabout, $ 12 for the wine and $ 16 and $ 21 for the sushi, it ended up being pretty expensive (almost $ 100 with a second round of drinks and tip). No complaints, as we thoroughly enjoyed the drinks and sushi, but it was pretty expensive for not a lot of food. Having said all that, we liked The Wayfarer and would likely drop in again if we’re in the area.

Wonderful ambiance, a fun lively vibe, fantastic food and drinks with an impressive mixologist who makes killer cocktails, outstanding friendly service. Highly recommend for a dinner with a date, friends or colleagues.
Drinks. Started with an espresso martini which was so good, and after dinner I wanted chocolate and my friend was craving raspberry so the mixologist creatively developed a chocolate raspberry drink that was Sooo delicious !
Service. Outstanding. Friendly, professional, attentive and accommodated a request to change to a corner booth which was very spacious and cozy.
Food. Wonderful! Tried their east coast oysters– very good. For starters had the steak tartar which was excellent, and mixed kale salad — also great. For dinner had the filet mignon and French fries — and they accommodated a request for truffle oil on the side. Mmm.
Flexible service and food/​drink offerings– a big plus for me.
Highly recommend.

So, we’re walking through the city, on the way uptown, and it’s late Sunday morning and hunger strikes. We happen to be on the corner of the Wayfarer, look at the menu — pricey, but some good choices, so let’s do this!
Once we sit, we get handed a card, and the hostess is talking up how they got voted in something or other for best bloody mary bar.
So this is how it works, there’s a card with a checklist and you get to build your own bloody mary. This is fun, I’m sold. You pick your base, rim, alcohol, and 3 garnishes. Not here to toot my own horn, but my combo came out pretty good (except the fried pork rind– don’t be fooled, its actually just a soggy piece of foam). I would’ve loved another but it was the end of the weekend and I could no longer afford another, so I sipped reallll slow.
So this brings us to the food. I got chicken and waffle. A MAZING. Chive waffles with a perfectly crisp chicken fried in a spicy sauce served with GRAVY. So good so good so good. I was surprised how large the portion was to, I couldn’t finish (though I tried my best to).
My boyfriend got the huevos rancheros which was over easy egg served on a tortilla smothered in black beans, served with avocado and all the Mexican goodnesses that come with huevos rancheros. I wish I could eat that over again every week.
It was such a pleasant little impromtu pick to end the weekend.
My only complaint was that service was a little slow, and they messed up our garnishes on our bloody marys, but it wouldn’t stop me from going back.