Employees Only Restaurant and Bar

Weren't open and didn't contact to say they weren't open. Dinner evening cancelled night ruined.

I had made a reservation more than a week ahead of time only to find out that they were closed upon arriving. I had to dig around on social media just to see a post uploaded only a few hours prior that they would be closed. Apparently I was supposed to know this somehow based on their response to my Google maps review of this issue. I would have expected to be contacted or had my reservation canceled well ahead of time. Instead I wasted my evening and a lot of money on an Uber fare to get here from out of town. It's unfortunate because I was looking for it.

The food was generally good and so was the service. We asked for two to go boxes and were very clearly told they will package it up for us, and then later were told there was a miscommunication and they threw out our food. I understand one miscommunication, even though we were very clear in asking for to go boxes and we had a significant portion of our food left. The manager tried to remedy this by sending us home with a to go box of truffle fries and to our surprise when we got home, it was a small portion of mushroom pasta which was clearly someone else's leftovers. It was very disappointing.

Came to celebrate my birthday. Music and food was so good. Drinks amazing. The service was great.

Drinks were good and space is cool. But the food was not very good. We had the chips and dip (bland and dip was too thick), fried pickles (pickles must have been cut so thin because you couldn't taste them), Caesar salad (this wasn't bad) and sweet potato (it was fried and too greasy and the sauce was too sweet). Menu sounds great and lots of gluten free options so it's too bad.

Small restaurant with a good ambience. The food was very good and the drinks were amazing as well.

Really disappointing experience today. I’ve been to Employees Only several times for drinks, but this was my first time coming for dinner to celebrate a friend’s birthday.

The main issue was the bill. I paid without carefully reviewing the receipt, which I take responsibility for, but afterward noticed a 5% surcharge added with no explanation or disclosure. That lack of transparency is unacceptable.

Another issue was related to the birthday celebration. When I made the reservation, I noted that we were celebrating a birthday and kindly requested seating in a nice area if possible. Toward the end of the meal, the server brought out a crème brûlée with a candle. I assumed it was a complimentary birthday gesture, as is common when a birthday is noted on a reservation. Instead, we were charged $14 for it without being asked or informed ahead of time.

Between the unexplained surcharge and being charged for a dessert that appeared to be a birthday courtesy, the experience felt misleading. Unfortunately, because of the lack of transparency, I won’t be returning.

Service: 1

Amazing service and food was very good. We got the steak frites, brussels sprouts, and the crispy rice salad. Steak was cooked to perfection, all around a solid place. The music is up beat and fun, love the lighting and ambience, a good time overall.

Excellent food and cocktails, great ambiance, reasonable pricing, an altogether great experience.

$27 for an old fashion. Come on. Service was meh. Nice interior space. Hard pass.

Atmosphere: 3

Food: 3

Service: 3

Such a great vibe! Steak frites with the mole bordelaise might possibly be one my favorite versions in the city. My date had the fish and she loved it as well. Cocktails were fantastic and the service was friendly.

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Fun place for a cocktail and some quality food on a Friday night. The food was great, the cocktails solid and the atmosphere was actually nice too.

Atmosphere: 4

Food: 5

Service: 5

I just don't think this was the place for me and my friends but I understand why it's popular with a more older demographic ambience wise. For the food however we left hungry, The calamari was overly sweet and was breaded to an extent where, we found ourselves taking big bites into batter. What I do recommend is the shrimp scampi, the notes of the Parmesan cheese are really flavourful and add a complexity parried with the shrimp. For a simple dish employees only really prefects the scampi into making it quite nice. The Ragu short rib pasta was a little hard and chewy for my personal opinion but the tenderness of the meat is excellent. The sauce is met with a deep sweetness that isn't particularly interesting and wasn't able to meet the expectations of how other reviews mentioned the dish. The vegan spaghetti has a really fresh tomato flavor but it is a little over taken by the spice level, I would get this if you're expecting a spicy dish but I would talk to the waiter first in regards to your sensitivity. It's just spaghetti at the end of the day so you get what you get. Basil is really fresh in the pasta and the pistachio adds a nice depth to the pasta sauce. The burrata does not pair with this dish what so ever, it was hard and didn't really match the flavor profile of the sauce? When we finished with tasting this pasta we realised here is a consistent issue with texture of the noodles. Although the pesto is quite nice I wish it found its home in a dish that wasn't dragged down by other components in the dish. Over all not impressed with the state of the pasta here. Before I end the review the staff here were incredibly patient and kind. We also were given a birthday cake that was spectacular, I wasn't expecting anything but if this was a patisserie and this was offered, I would come solely for that. It's a rich and soft “gooey” center. I hate the phrase “melt in your mouth” but it's a factually statement that can't be written in any other words.

Best birthday experience ever

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5

Best place in NYC

Atmosphere: 5

Food: 5

Service: 5