Pepela New York
“Pros
As close to authentic Georgian cuisine as it gets outside of Georgia, in my opinion.”
“The Khachapuri starter and Pepela salad was divine and Frutty de Mare tasted as if they had literally just been caught – so fresh and healthy!”
“Chicken baje was on the okay side of things (not the best curry dish I've ever tried of course).”
Pepela New York
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Good For Dancing: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Coat Check: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
5 reviews
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Pepela is a great location if you're looking for a really nice place to host some sort of an event or gathering. However, as a restaurant it's more like a Georgian knock-off of Mari Vanna. I give the food two stars, the ambience four stars, the service five stars, and the drinks four stars.
I came on a Saturday night with a large party of 13 people for a birthday celebration. We had a lot of food, most of which wasn't very good. The only good things worth trying were the spinach caviar that came with the mixed appetizer plate, and the khachapuri (georgian bread with cheese). Drink-wise, the cha cha pom is excellent, as is the sweet Pepela. Other than those aforementioned things, everything else was forgettable. The salmon kebabs were dry, the chicken baje was unpalatable, many said the lulya kebab wasn't good, and the khinkali were decent, but I've had better. All the entrees came with "grilled" vegetables, but every single person had some raw asparagus, zucchini, and peppers on their plate. We complained to the waitresses and they ended up bringing out plates of piping hot, actually cooked veggies to make up for the ones that came with our meals. Then again, this is NOT the place to come for an authentic meal, you come for the company and whatever occasion you're celebrating.
A warning however, Pepela's centerpieces are these beautiful chandelier-looking candle fixtures. During our dinner party, one of the candles must have heated the glass setting it was in so much, to the point it exploded and a piece of glass fell into someone's plate. Be mindful of your surroundings, people! Granted, this wasn't anyone's fault and things like this happen, but I'm just glad this was the worst of the fire and safety hazards of the night.
I do have to say the service is impressive. The owner cares a lot about his business and does all he can to ensure you have a good experience. The waitresses are so attentive and like the owner, try and make your time at Pepela memorable. They're even decked out in butterfly headbands as part of their attire since "pepela" in Georgian, means butterfly (which also explains the butterfly decorations on the wall).
Inside, the restaurant is absolutely beautiful. Upstairs is a bar/lounge area with a coat check, and there's a little balcony overlooking the dining area downstairs, where you can see the stage set up for whatever entertainment is coming in that night. Downstairs is small, but it's beautifully decorated, which explains why if you're having a special event, this is a good location for it.
The venue is really nice & the bartender got rid of a creepy drunk patron. She was also very friendly & got my food order to me promptly. I guess maybe I'm not for Georgian cuisine since when I ordered chicken rolls, it wasn't what I expected & I felt a little disappointed. Otherwise the event I went to here was lots of fun and the upstairs balcony view is awesome.
They also have some nice, spacious bathrooms. This lady appreciated that.
I really do not understand all the negative reviews here – I had a wonderful time. Although this is my first foray into Georgian food, I thought, the quality of the food was exceptional, the service wonderful, and with the Groupon deal – the price reasonable.
We ordered the vegan plate and it was sublime with the bread basket that arrived (warm and soft bread). I am not big on cheese dishes (no worries, I do love pizza), but that khachapuri was something really special. Chicken baje was on the okay side of things (not the best curry dish I've ever tried of course). My main course was the chicken shashlik and the chicken was really juicy – and the presentation was wonderful with the flames.
The servers were so nice when I entered the establishment – I was the first of my party to arrive and they made sure I had a glass of water, and greeted everyone nicely and were super attentive without micro-managing throughout the meal. Decor was cute, and I didn't mind the live music/man singing.
This little secret is to the right of apartments and is confusing no doubt on first entrance. I almost thought I should be ringing someone's door and if I hadn't looked to the right I would have disturbed the neighbors.
The atmosphere is definitely nice once you get past having to go into a deep basement cave. There are pink mood lights and butterflies on the wall and it looks like they have the capability to have a DJ/dance party here (which I suppose is done on the weekends). The service was good. The Khachapuri is delicious but who doesn't like cheesy bread. The soko ketze (mushrooms baked with cheese) is also good if you're a fan of mushrooms.
I had the khinkalli (dumplings) which were pretty decent, spiced in an interesting way with a little juice and the perfect consistency. The lobio kotanshi (red beans in spices in a pot) tasted very similar to something I've had in Mexico (which I liked). I'd probably try something else before I'm sold on this place. The portions are very decent.
Don't be fooled by the approval rating on Groupon.. It's not worth it when the restaurant charges you an automatic "service charge" on the MAXIMUM value of the orders without specifying it is the tip.
Anyway, time to get started on the meat of the review (literally). So the restaurant is in a townhouse and very esoterically decorated – as is the live music. I noticed some bugs flitting around and wasn't too excited by that. We started with bread and a Georgian sauce that was very good, and we continued to dip our appetizer of cheese bread into it. Unfortunately, the entrees fell flat on their faces/plates (figuratively). The rice was cold on both of our plates and we weren't sure if that was intentional since it wasn't icy enough to be a cold dish. I had the salmon and it was cooked quite well, but mixing it with the lukewarm rice just did not do it for me. My boyfriend had the chicken and wasn't impressed.
The drinks were also awful. They tasted like the cheap cocktails from a college campus bar, so I'm not sure why their original price could possibly amount to $14. There's no way that I would ever come here on the regular menu, given my displeasure with what was considered a discount.