Ducks Eatery
“Oh my God I came up here for the Goats neck and I left leaving more than impressed.”
“If you are really looking to feast, the smoked whole goat neck is incredible and is served over a delicious coconut rice.”
“On the food side of the house, I keep coming back for the Goat's Neck, Red Beans and Rice, Crispy Pig Ears, and Charred Head on Shrimp.”
Ducks Eatery
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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This place is beyond tasty. The whole slow roasted goat neck?! Get outta town. It's incredible! Actually, everything we had on the menu was so tasty and super filling. We happened to go on brisket night, so we got even more bang for our buck. Also, whoever selected the range of tequilas behind the bar is to be commended.
Dined here last summer with a friend to catch up- first off, the waiters are really cute haha. Not only that but being my first time, my waiter was super attentive and thoroughly explained the menu to me which I think was great and think everyone in the service industry should do so. Ordered a few appetizers but my take away was definitely the goat's neck. I would like to say I am pretty adventurous when it comes to eating. When I dived my fork into the plate, pieces of the goat's meat were just falling off and my first bite had all the right flavors in it. Also, the dish was huge so I would recommend sharing it with someone. Menu is very different which was great, perfect for anyone who is adventurous like myself. Can't wait to come back when it is warm again- hopefully the cute waiter still works there lmao.
Goat neck is a must try. This dish is out of this world. I passed by this place and decided to step in for a quick meal and was pleasantly surprised at how good this is. The only downfall that this place had for me was that the seating outside was not the most ideal I sat next to a pile of trash bag in the middle of the summer and whether or not I moved inside, the smell was pretty bad. The glass door was also cracked as if someone threw a rock at it. The sidewalk is also not leveled so the table and chairs are a little bit uncomfortable. I really wish the dining experience from that sense was a lot better because the goat was seriously incredible. I will definitely be back but maybe I'll sit inside this time.
This should be 3.5 stars but Yelp doesn't allow half stars.
After coming here just for drinks and smelling all the deliciousness in the restaurant, I went back for dinner. They don't take reservations for groups less than four, so my boyfriend and I showed up at 8 pm hoping to snag a patio table.
The hostess said 5-10 minutes for the wait, so we decided to just have a drink at the bar while we waited. 10 minutes passed by, and we saw two tables open up. But we weren't seated. Then the hostess almost sat us at a table outside before apologizing and saying there's one more group ahead of us.
To her credit, she did bring out a complementary charcuterie plate. I would give five stars for that: I especially liked the duck sausage and the cheese.
When we finally got seated, we ordered the ribs, collard greens and cornbread. The ribs were delicious but there was let much meat attached to the bones! A lot of it was fat.
The cornbread was extremely salty. I couldn't have more than two bites at a time.
I'd say the collard green was the best dish of the three – not salty, but perfectly steamed. And the touch of bacon (also high in fat) added good flavor.
When we got the bill, they accidentally charged us for two extra drinks we never had – bough they did sincerely apologize and corrected the problem very quickly. Always check your bill!
Overall, the atmosphere is great on a Friday night, and it's nice to dine outside in East Village and watch all the people walk by. I like their cocktail list as well.
My spouse wanted to come here after seeing them on Diners, Drive In's and Dives.
ATMOSPHERE:
The space is tiny, and they sure cram everyone in. So much so that servers are always squeezing in between to access other tables, forcing you to constantly scoot in, lean forward, or even stand up and move your chair. If that's not it, you may encounter that impatient and rude Asian girl we did who was such in a hurry to get out of the place. It took all my restraint to not blow up on her. I stayed silent, ignored her whining, and my nephew took care of it with civility. There was a heat wave in the area, and they have no a/c. 1+1=2 lol.
MENU:
It's a complex mix of foods with heavy Thai/Asian style influences on many dishes.
BEVERAGE:
Martini – They could not do a straight up martini. It came to the table twice in a dirty style. Our server was so humble about it and even took it off our tab without even asking. Thank you!
Dale's Pale Ale – There are so many beers I haven't tried in this world, it's always a fun experience doing so. This one in particular, very good! Mild, good flavor, a slight aftertaste.
FOOD:
Chicken Wings – You get 4 whole wings for $14. The seasonings were good; savory, a little sweet, a little tart, and best of all, very crispy. This was my favorite dish here and highly recommended.
Little Neck Clams – Though it doesn't state it on the menu and wasn't relayed by our server, this is a super spicy dish, about a 4.5 on a 5 heat scale. It didn't seem so spicy at first, but the heat slowly escalated and I ended with a burning & sour taste on my buds. Apparently the 2 corn cobs that came with it were extremely more spicy because it was soaked in the fiery sauce.
Collard Greens – Compared to my extended family's version, theirs was a bit too vinegary for me, and didn't come out hot. No serving spoon was given so we did the communal fork thing.
Red Beans 'n Rice – My second favorite dish. The meat was lamb and didn't taste gamey at all. Mixed in with the beans and seasoning, it tasted like one of my Hawaii favorites of chili & rice. Highly recommended!
Smoked Whole Goat Neck – The star of the show, literally, and the main reason why we came here. Oddly this dish came out last, with an almost "did they forget about it" moment. It's a huge portion good enough for 4 maybe even 5 to share. If you saw the Triple D segment and how it's prepared, you'd never guess that all those spices were in it. Overall flavor was very subtle, not gamey, and borderline boring. It was nicely prepared and super tender, no knives needed. The continent of rice underneath it was more of an absorber for us. Potatoes would've been a better accompaniment.
SERVICE:
Our male server was very friendly, professional, patient, and checked on us often.
TIPS:
They only take reservations for parties of 4+.
Sit outdoors to avoid musical chairs.
OVERALL:
Nice menu but definitely hyped up by TV.
This restaurant is right in the middle of some popular restaurants along this street. In warm weather the eating spills out onto the sidewalk. The food here is comfort with a twist. The duck and waffle was very good. The duck skin rendered nice and crispy the waffle slightly sweet works well with the saltiness of the duck. I liked the chicken wings with its smoky flavor and crispy exterior. I actually really like the crunch pig's ear. We decided to sit at the bar with the friendly bartender. Ducks Eatery is a casual East Village restaurant with good food and casual vibe.
The goat neck dish was good and the drinks were surprisingly good.
The red beans and rice dish was flavorful but amongst the rice were random rock hard pieces. I'm sure if there were grains that just didn't get cooked or if they were overlooked and stuck to the bottom of the pan. Also, the red beans were way under cooked (the table agreed). Not at all impressed, especially for a dish that is signature to the cuisine.
Also the place is cute but really cramped and crowded.
Maybe it was an off night for the kitchen but I also found the price pretty high for the quality and amount. Also, the service was so-so. They had just tapped a new keg and "no one here knows what it is because no one was here when it was tapped." Weird response for a restaurant. But they did let me sample it.
Got the duck & waffles & it was really freakin good.
The cornbread took forever, was black on the bottom…not appetizing.
We dined around 10pm on a Saturday & a drunk guy at the bar stood up on his chair & jumped off & nearly took me out. If I didn't raise my hands up he would've been in my lap. Not sure why he wasn't kicked out?
Not the ambiance I expected for at such a small quaint place.