Graffiti
New York, NY 10003
Phone: (212) 677-0695
- Price:
- $$$
- Cross Street:
- Between 1st Avenue and 2nd Avenue
- Directions:
- L at 1st Ave; 6 at Astor Pl
- Hours:
- Tue-Sun 5:30pm-11:45pm
Editorial Review for Graffiti – by Justin Hartung
The Scene
New Yorkers are used to small restaurants, but compactness goes to new extremes at this East Village spot. The four tables fill up quickly with dates and intimate groups, and getting to the restroom requires passing too close for comfort to the kitchen stove. Indian prints, newspaper place mats and brightly colored plastic chopsticks topped with animal shapes incite a convivial mood, as does the eternally smiling staff.
The Food
Chef Jehangir Mehta internationally inspired small dishes looks like artful graffiti on the plate. Sweet flavors peek their heads into the menu early and often: Creamy mint sorbet accompanies a Mediterranean-style watermelon and feta salad, and grapefruit "confit" tops pork dumplings worthy of Chinatown. Chewy mango-infused paneer brings a touch of India, while candied chile-enhanced scallops come from an as-of-yet undiscovered territory. The cooking is so adventuresome, in fact, diners might not mind the occasional stumble like a bland halva dessert.
Hits: Diners will take a culinary trip around the world without it feeling like they've been on a tacky bus tour.
Misses: Coming from a highly regarded former pastry chef, desserts are disappointing.
Editorial content is independent of paid advertisers. Any expenses are paid for by Citysearch.
Insider Tips
What to DrinkIn a stroke of genius, all 22 bottles on the wine list cost $25, and all glasses are $8. The hearty Vaucluse Cotes du Rhone provides a strong backbone for the parade of flavors.
Know Before You GoDespite the server's assurances, not all dishes are easily shareable: You might be better off ordering a few plates per person.
The ExtrasMehta runs a candy-making class for kids the first Saturday of every month--call ahead for details.
User Reviews for Graffiti
10/24/2008 Posted by kpn2
Strongly recommended. The food is absolutely delicious, the wine pairings very good at a great price, and the wait staff extremely sweet and knowledgale about the food. She recommend wines, explained why she recommended them, and detailed what to expect from every plate we ordered. Absolutely everything we had was very tasty, and I think we sampled almost everything from the menu. The pork buns and scallops were probably my favs. The cheese plate is very small but very good. The cons are that the place is super tiny, and they offer communal dining. We were a paty of 5 and the table sat 7 or 8, so we were informed that more people might sit with us. That would normally be fine except that as it was were almost sitting on top of each other. Also just note that the servings are small, so it's really only sharable for a couple or 3 people max. Great date spot, night out with a friend. A little challenging for groups. Overall delicious food (including the desserts) and incredible service.
07/02/2008 Posted by grahambolina
I look for any excuse to eat here. Great to take out of town guests. The chef is so creative with his dishes and very friendly and loves to explain his dishes and chat about them. The other staff members are just as helpful and friendly. The food is always amazing and I always look forward to the menu changes or additions.
Pros: everything
Users Who Viewed Graffiti Also Viewed
Allen & Delancey
115 Allen St
New York, NY 10002
Agave
140 7th Ave South
New York, NY 10014
