212-387-8885
115 E 18th St
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Restaurants, Japanese Restaurants
Our menu features robata, kush-yaki, and sushi. We also do delivery.
Welcome to Butai, a traditional yet innovative Robata restaurant. In Japanese, the word "robata" means "cooking by the fireside," and refers to the centuries-old country style cooking of Northern Japanese Fishermen. Evenings in coastal villages found fishermen cooking their catch over an open fire, then sharing among themselves by passing food on oars from boat to boat. Our menu honors the Robata tradition of sharing and sampling. Appetizer-size portions allow you to try a variety of authentic Robata dishes. Delicious possibilities are limited only by the whims of your palate and the size of your appetite. You can order anything from any section of the menu at any time. There is no order to this experience - enjoy the free-style dinning however you choose.
The food and drinks were good, but what should have been a quick meal took an hour and a half. The first round of drinks didn't arrive until after the appetizer. My husband's entree arrived about 10 minutes before mine, and my second drink didn't arrive until I had finished my entree. In short, nothing lined up. The restaurant was not in the least crowded. To top it off, I got an email from Open Table saying Butai had marked me as a no-show.
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I'm a neighbor, almost a regular since Butai opened. The service was always bad, the prices were always astronomical and the food was always good- but the last time I went to Butai the management was so awful it ruined the meal.
Shortest form: the manager cranked up the music during our meal- with only us and another couple in the room upstairs so loud we could not speak to each other and when we politely asked him to return it to the level it had been for the hours we had been talking while waiting for food, he was rude- in addition to leaving it loud.
The manager also allows staff to smoke at the entrance.
There's never a need for reservations, this place is always empty- guess why?
This is Union Square, it's not the price- its the suffering and punishment factor from management that is surly and incompetent- and apparently the owner likes it this way. I phoned and faxed messages to the owner, Theresa Hwa, and never got a response.
We ran up a big bill waiting for food that we couldn't enjoy.
There's so many fabulous restaurants in Union Square- give this one a pass in favor of one that serves food with a good attitude.
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Went in after work with a friend who lives in the area. It was beautifully decorated. There are smaller rooms and private areas too, which would be great for a sexy date. But the bar area is also great for getting together with a group of friends. Their happy hour specials are awesome.
We had a couple of skewers, which are all delicious and satisfying. Try the bacon wrapped asparagus- sounds and looks simple..but they're soo good. I think that is what's great about this restaurant: the flavors are so simple but also so elegant.
Summary: beautiful restaurant, great location, delicious food, some pretty attractive waiters, drinks...we'll definitely be going back!
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