Flex Mussels
“BURNT FINGERS | crispy fried calamari, shrimp, oysters, spicy aioli – crispy not greasy.”
“Rich and delicious, they are immensely flavorful with hints of anise in a curry/coconut milk broth.”
“I tried the Mexican, the Parma, the one with Procuitto and Bacon and the French Onion Soup Mussel Dishes.”
Flex Mussels
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 $31-60
8 reviews
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Hands down my favorite seafood spot in the city – as a huge fan of mussels, I was completely intrigued by a restaurant that served them in different types of broths. Upon visiting, the food did not disappoint at all – the oysters and mussels were really fresh, and the latter worked so well with all the soup combinations. I've tried the Classic, the Fungi, Bisque and Maine, all of which were spectacular. After finishing the mussels, they also worked really well as a dip for fries or simply the bread from the complimentary bread basket!
Is there anything better than mussels, fries, crusty bread dipped in sauce and beer? On a rainy Sunday afternoon, I think not!
Great happy hour! (All night Sunday) We tried the oysters, mussels and beer combo for $24, fish taco and crab Guac. The mussels and oysters were the best of the order. The happy hour oysters were pretty big.
Liked the fish tacos too. I wasn't a huge fan of the crab Guac (the avocado overpowered the crab so all I could taste was the avocado).
Overall solid place!
Fantastic mussels! Started with the octopus and two glasses of wine. The octopus was alright but nothing mind blowing. The real stars were the mussels of course. My boyfriend got the Maine which had a simple sauce with lobster pieces which he really enjoyed being a huge fan of lobster. I went with the Parma which had many raves and loved it. The broth was so good and not overly cheesy that I could see why they provided us with spoons to drink the broth. There were a lot of mussels and definitely filled my boyfriend up. The sauce and toppings perfectly complemented each other. For dessert, we ordered the donuts which came in four different flavors that you can pick. I went with fluffernutter (tasted just like peanut butter), salted caramel, s'mores and chocolate. The donut itself was soft and the fillings were delicious especially the chocolate and salted caramel! It also came with a side dipping sauce of vanilla bean which my boyfriend loooved!
I'm a gym rat. I may not take gym selfies or post transformation Tuesdays, but I'm a bona fide fitness junkie. I also love food. A lot. More specifically, seafood. All of this is to say that Flex Mussels – with all of its implications – has been on my radar for quite some time. On Saturday, my hopes and dreams became reality. Isn't it great when that happens?
Flex Mussels is trendy, "hip" joint that's somewhat hidden among the mediocrity that is the area bridging Chelsea and the West Village. Meaning there ain't much around here other than seven or eight Duane Reades and some obsolete off-brand cafes. So while the surroundings are less than pleasant, Flex is absolutely worth a visit if you're mussel/muscle-obsessed like me. While I could complain that the food is on the pricier side, my overall experience was at least a step or two above solid (4.25-4.5 stars).
Made a reservation here for 8:30pm this past Saturday. We're both huge mussel-heads (see what I did there?!?) so our plan was to stick with mussels and not much else. That said, the rest of the offerings here are fantastic too, if our appetizer was any indication. As you'd expect, the rest of the menu (the "not mussels" section) is seafood-heavy. Yes please.
A bunch of past reviewers have noted the beer selection here, which certainly deserves a mention. I'm not sure what it is about the pairing of craft beer and seafood (Upstate, Lupulo, etc. etc.), but it's quite the prevalent – and delightful – pairing in this city. Flex has a nice selection of bottled beers (mostly North American with a few international highlights) as well as a decent draught selection (maybe six or seven on tap, which you'll need to inquire about on any given night). I'm a huge Belgian tripel fan and after hearing from our waitress that Flex had a pretty unique one on tap, I went straight for that one. All kinds of yum. They also serve a great Witbier (a Unibroue), which now holds the title of Only Light Beer Molly Actually Enjoys. So thanks for the introduction, Flex!
Food-wise, pretty much what you'd expected. A whole lotta mussels and a damn good appetizer special. The mussels are mussels – it's the broth that makes these babies shine.
Special appetizer: Molasses-roasted shrimp served atop guacamole, fried onion and balsamic vinaigrette (A+)
Another meal, another avocado appetizer. I'll never tire of these. This is the year/decade/millennium of the avocado, after all. This dish was immensely flavorful and in all the right ways. Grilling/roasting shrimp in molasses is a genius idea and one that I encourage very much. So you've the smoky/sweet from the shrimp, the rich and subtle spice of the guac, and the crunch of the fried onion. Can't give enough praise to the execution here.
BOMBAY Mussels: Indian curry, garlic, cinnamon, star anise, white wine (A)
Rich but not too heavy, mostly savory with a hint of sweetness from the cinnamon, this broth was everything that a curry broth should be. It's definitely on the simple side as far as Flex's options go, but it's done very well. Our favorite mussel dish of the night.
MEXICAN Mussels: chipotle adobo, chorizo, calamari, posoles (A-/A)
While I didn't have a lot of this dish, I thoroughly enjoyed it. Quite the adventurous preparation considering plenty of places just serve mussels in white wine and butter. Salty, spicy, fishy – a very busy dish. I didn't find the calamari necessary, but it wasn't *bad*. Just seemed like overkill. Can't argue with chipotle and chorizo though!
Parmesan Fries (never anything but an A)
'Nuff said. Dip these babies in your mussels broth and sail off to heaven.
….and speaking of sopping up mussels broth, Flex is very generous with its bread. Considering you pay a pretty penny for a big ole pot of mussels, it seems only fair that your bread supply be replenished as you see fit. Don't let any of the goodness go to waste!
3.5 stars…
This is the second time I've been to Flex Mussels, the first time was on their other location on the Upper West Side. I came here with my wife and another couple for a birthday celebration. Though they do have a number of other dishes on the menu, the real reason you come here is their mussels in one of the many sauce options. My wife and I both ordered the San Danielle ($27) which is a creamy sauce base made with white wine, onions, and tiny cubes of prosciutto. It's really amazing and definitely a choice you can't go wrong with. We also ordered an order of parmesan truffle fries ($12) in addition to the rustic crusty bread that comes free at the table. The other couple also each ordered mussels and an order of truffle fries to split.
The restaurant has a great high end casual atmosphere and our service throughout the meal was pretty good. The mussels were cooked perfectly and I only bit down on a piece of sand once which isn't bad at all for a giant portion of mussels. Mussels are typically an appetizer but they give you enough here that it fills you up as a meal, especially with the broth, bread, and drinks. Despite not being hungry after the meal each couple also ordered one of their 4 donut dishes that comes with a vanilla bean dipping sauce. The donuts come in a wide variety of filling options. All the donuts are covered in a light coating of cinnamon and sugar. We ordered two plains, a lemon, and a smores. Though the fillings are great, I would really recommend sticking to the plain. There is enough flavor between the incredibly light and airy warm donut and the cool vanilla bean dipping sauce that gives you everything you need. It really is the perfect dessert and even outshines the mussels in my opinion.
The experience we had wasn't all ideal though. The fries came out much later than the mussels, the drink prices are crazy high ($12 for a basic tap beer and most 12oz bottles are $9), and they not only rushed us out of there shortly after we finished eating but had the nerve to tell us another group of people have been waiting 30 minutes for our table as we were all getting up to leave. We were definitely not there all that long and this was entirely their issue for making reservations packed as tight as they did. It really left us on a bad note.
Came here at 5:30. Their happy hour is from 5-7 and they have a good amount of food on the happy hour menu plus wine. We got the white wine and the crab guacamole from the happy hour menu. The guacamole came with tortilla chips and there was a spicy kick to it as well. We shared the Thai mussels and it was really yummy. The broth was good, tasted just like a Thai curry and it was perfect for dunking bread. Our waiter was very attentive despite the restaurant getting pretty full. I would definitely come back and try the other flavors.
Had a tasty dinner here. I tried the Fra Diavolo (spicy tomato broth, $25), Funghi (wild mushrooms, bacon, garlic, $28) and Parma (parmesan cream, fried shallots, lemon, $27). The Funghi was particularly delicious and the Parma was outstanding – I was damn near drinking the parmesan cream broth even though my arteries were screaming for mercy. The fries ($6, ordered separately) were good, nothing too mind blowing but a mandatory companion to the mussels.
Portions are pretty big – two people can share a pot, but you should get your own if you're really hungry. All flavors range from $25-$28 currently – not cheap, but reasonable if you like mussels.
I also tried those much talked about Flex Donuts – they were just ok in my book. I prefer cake doughnuts so these filled sugar-rolled yeast ones weren't my jam… however, the vanilla dipping sauce they come with is BANGING! I wanted to drink the whole thing…I'm noticing a running theme here.
Service was nice but slow. It took a while for our orders to be taken, for our food to arrive, and for our dishes to be cleared. Not a big deal though unless you're in a rush.
Anyway. Come here for a slightly pricey but no doubt delicious meal of mussels, fries, beer and donuts. They also have a happy hour that runs daily from 5-7 pm (bar/front of the restaurant seating only) and you can get a pot of mussels, fries and a beer for $25 which isn't too shabby.
The name of this place caught my eye walking back to our hotel on W. 13th. As a seafood lover, the menu undoubtedly looked enticing. The bf and I changed our dinner plans the next evening to come here. We absolutely loved Flex Mussels and would be regulars if there was such and awesome place as this near us. There is so much on the menu to explore!
Flex is tiny yet delivers a modern, cozy charm with themed interiors reminiscent of Prince Edward Island's seaside. The bar area is pretty cute with the scalloped lighting highlighting the wavy textured walls and upside down aluminum buckets on the opposite wall. Enter the dining area and a large light-up panoramic mural of the Prince Edward Island landscape covers the back wall. We enjoyed a cocktail at the small bar before being seated. They have a select beer and wine daily on Happy Hour with quality bites.
Once seated, we ordered a nice bottle of sav blanc which our most excellent server Matthew let us sample first. Everything was amazingly good here. We each had an oyster shooter with some siracha in it- can't remember what else, but it was refreshingly good. For the main course, we shared a Carribean style of a bucket of mussels and clams. It had lots of fresh flavors going on including orange which was unique. Some fried yucca fries were placed on top- nice addition to this delectable bucket of fresh shellfish. The salad on special was so memorable. We'd never had a salad with blueberries, strawberries, bits of jalapeno and cilantro over arugula with lime dressing. It was a creative concoction of fresh flavors bursting in our mouths. All this with great service and intimate dining atmosphere at reasonable prices.
I most definitely will return on my next visit to NYC!