Vandal
“Must try beef tartar pretzel, ceviche, sea bass tacos and snapper tostadas and fried buns.”
“Few favorites: sharwarma salad, crispy bao buns, mushroom pizza, and the smores desert.”
“I am familiar with the style since I have been to Chris Santos' other restaurants, Stanton Social and Beauty & Essex.”
Vandal
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Coat Check: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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Wow this was my favorite place and go to restaurant to take out my guests who come to visit . However, after this last experience that's forever changed!
It's incredible how one bad night can truly change your view on a place. Let's start with The hostess and how rude they all were! We arrived an hour early to check in for our reservation. We asked if anything opened up to let us know and we can wait at the bar. The hostess said " I doubt it and wait or leave".. Umm that's pretty unpleasant. After that comment we went to the bar and luckily found a little corner spot. The bar waitress wasn't any better. The minute we sat down we were being rushed. We took one drink out of our wine glasses and she came back three min to tell us " do you want a second round.. we weren't even 1/4 done with the first. She kept coming by asking if we were going to leave for the table and finally my fiancé had to tell her that look we are enjoying our drinks and appetizers before our table.
The appetizers weren't any better. The moment we were half way done the busser came by to swoop out plates before we could finish. My mother literally had to grab her oyster from
The plate because he took it while she was eating.
Now an hour later our time came to get the table and the hostess said it wasn't ready.. This is already 10:30. So we wait a little longer and get seated outside! We told her no outside and she said " oh well I can't make tables turn and "it is what it is" take it or leave it". .. To our shock we said okay let's take it. To be followed by the rudest server ever!!
The menu has recently changed and a lot of our go to options have added some ingredients we can't eat due to religious Observants. When we asked if we could remove the bacon from the Blt pizza or the cheese from the burger the server said " look this isn't my restaurant and no motivations".. When we asked if you could ask the kitchen he literally said " no order as is or don't"
I mean Rude rude rude all night from every service aspect.
I used to love this place because of the ambiance, music, and menu. Now after this experience I don't think I'll be returning. There's a lot of nice places in New York that you won't get treated like turd.
Vandal may have been too trendy for me. But Im usually okay with trendy restaurants, but there are a few reasons I wont be coming back. The music was way too that you cannot concentrate on chewing. Expect to wait at least half an hour past your reservation time. They have some interesting concepts for the menu items, but some of the concepts just didnt work well together. The food is also way too salty, prob because they try to blend too many flavors. Maybe that's how they get you to buy more drinks.
All The Divine (Crispy) Items You Must Try At Vandal In NYC
Inspired by Chef Chris Santo's travel around the world, the exquisite menu at Vandal – the hippest new restaurant located on Bowery Street in New York City – highlights the eclectic cuisine of global street culture from New York to Korea to Italy and beyond.
Crab Tostadas
On top of crispy plantain chip is a generous lump of crab meat, fresh mango salsa, and aioli with a dash of pepper flakes and micro greens.
Sticky Rice Dumplings
These piping hot, fried dumplings are made with sticky rice for the much desired chewy texture on the inside and crispy outside, and filled with juicy char siu pork over a bed of sweet red chile oil.
BLT Pizza
A twist on everyone's favorite sandwiches, the BLT Pizza features charred broccoli, crispy prosciutto, and fresh mozzarella atop thin and crispy pizza dough.
Crispy Bao Buns
These magical, fried buns are crispy and buttery, and packed with tender brisket and creamy Asian slaw for the perfect balance of eclectic flavor profile.
Crispy Eggplant
While the Crispy Eggplant only appears in the "Extras" section on the menu, this eggplant dish is perhaps the best eggplant I have ever tried. The miso-glazed exterior is charred to perfection for the crispy texture, while the inside is soft and moist to highlight the essence of the vegetable.
Two Pound Whole Lobster Scampi
Sure, this lobster dish lacked the "crispy" texture, but the massive, two pound lobster is stuffed with creamy garlic rice pilaf with spinach. The generous amount of lobster meat packs buttery, rich flavors.
Matcha Lemon Semifreddo
Perfect for sharing, this dessert features a scoop of semi-frozen green tea custard over blueberry compote, and topped with crispy, zesty candied lemon.
Vandal S'Mores
The deconstructed s'mores at Vandal includes moist, rich brownie topped with fluffy marshmallow meringue, with a scoop of graham cracker ice cream sitting on top of crispy, thin chocolate "spoon."
Best dining experience we've had this year. Every item of food we had was amazing, ambiance is great, service was great etc. Do make a reservation!
The place itself is very chic and adorned with unique art on the walls. Great place for a fun date, but even better for groups so you can order and try more!
This is one of those places were it's so hard to decide what to eat since everything looks amazing. The dishes are street-food themed, and inspired from various ethnic foods.
We ordered from the small and medium plates menus (there's also a large plates menu):
Cacio e Pepe Arancici – yummy fried rice and cheese balls
Knish Reuben- love the bun this came in
NY Hot Pretzel Steak Tartar- good, but the pretzel should've been named Room Temperature
Bahn Meatball Slider- really good, though not as good as I imagined
Grilled Avocado- delicious salad dish, I gobbled this one right up.
Wild Mushroom Street Pizza- great flavors, love the super thin crust style
Crispy Eggplant (side) – so so good, little perfectly crisp cubes of eggplant. recommend even if you're not a huge eggplant fan.
Desserts we had
– Black Sesame Panna Cotta- so amazing!!
– Graham cracker ice cream- ugh i want more right now
This trendy restaurant in LES used to be Finale! I couldn't believe the transformation. Enter through a flower shop into multiple dining rooms each with different decor. I came for a work event so we we were seated in the back room with the cool bookshelf wall. Because this was a work event with 20 people, we had a pre-chosen tasting menu which consisted of
– Thai Papaya Summer roll: pass! If you've ever had thai before in your life you will not enjoy this version this
– Scallop Mango Mojito Ceviche: pass, the mojito favor overpowers the scallop
– Knish Reuben: my colleagues loved this but I didn't think it was anything special
– Fish Tacos: my absolute fav!! Everything about it was just perfect!
– Wild Mushroom Street Pizza: my other fav! So good I even ate all the crust!
– Chicken and Egg Waffles: fried chicken served over Hong Kong waffles. The concept sounds great but the execution was horrible. The Hong Kong waffles were too doughy and din't have any crisp to it. The $1 street carts make much better waffles
– Prime Skirt steak with fried rice: This was good but very standard dish
– Lobster and Chicken Paella: The texture of the paella tasted more like fried rice than paella. Everyone ate the lobster and left the rest.
I wish I got to try the Hot Pretzel Steak Tartare, I walked by a table with it and it looked amazing! I would suggest Vandal if you're looking for a trendy restaurant/lounge to catch up and hang out not for the actual food served. If I had to pay for this meal, I'd probably deduct a star.
Oh Vandal… how one bad experience can change your view of a place.
This was our fifth time at the restaurant and after four five star experiences you blew up our relationship.
The rudest service I had In a long time from the hostesses, cocktail waitress and the waiter. All made the experience very unpleasant. We came in early with the hope to be seated before our reservation and were told the only place we can be seated at the time is outside. We decided to wait for our reservation and sat near the bar. We ordered couple of appetizers and drinks and before we could grab the last bite the server already grabbed the plates and asked if we wanted to order something else. I mean…. At least they could have let us enjoy the last couple of bites…
When the time for our reservation was up (an hour later) our table wasn't ready and to our surprise guess where the hostess wanted to seat us? Outside! When I expressed my dissatisfaction I was answered with rude attitude and the notion that "it is what it is" if you want to wait longer you can.
Then when we sat down OUTSIDE and asked to change couple of items to suite our allergies and religious observation such as taking out the pork from the pizza we were told and i quote "this is not my restaurant I can't make any changes" I asked if you could ask the kitchen and he refused to ask.
Overall I wouldn't come back. The price of the food doesn't justify bad service and an experience such as this. Yes the ambiance is good but you know what there are a lot other places you can get that in New York!
I went to Vandal last weekend for a friend's birthday dinner. The décor is very urban chic and trendy. It is super cool you have to go through the back door of a flower shop to get into the restaurant.
For a restaurant that gives you an experience like Vandal does, I was surprised the food lived up to the atmosphere. The menu is all tapas varying in size. The focus is street food from around the world. Certain dishes are definitely better than others. The bao buns are a must try and the pork chop special was incredible, however the ceviche was just meh. Don't miss out on dessert. The macaron ice cream sandwich and smores were excellent. The drinks are also memorable and delicious, they also have a great selection of mocktails and tea if you don't fancy drinking.
The price tag is steep, but you are paying for an experience. This is a great spot for groups and a fun date idea!
The Quick: Overpriced delicious small plates in a gorgeous, trendy atmosphere. Great for a special occasion or girls night out. Must experience at least once as a foodie.
The Details: I'm always skeptical when dining at hot new locations that turns into nightclubs. The food is usually mediocre while the DJ is usually phenomenal. To my delight, the food at Vandal was absolutely delicious. The famous boa buns are a must try, as is the octopus. We also loved the fish tacos and steak tartare was tasty. The bahn mi slider was difficult to eat- our least favorite.
The dress code varied to each extreme, so wear whatever you feel good in! Also make sure to use the restroom downstairs so you can explore a bit; there are so many different rooms and hidden bars.
The Damage: ~ $150 pre tip for dinner for 2 with one drink each. ** The portions are small, and you will likely spend a fortune if you get multiple drinks.