City Hall

I ate at City Hall last night with five others. The food is awful. The waiter was fine, but the spineless manager would not come over to hear our complaints (crab cakes that smelled and tasted like spoiled cat food, tasteless brisket that was billed as short ribs). I am not one to focus only on a restaurants bad points, but you should not be drawn in by the elogant interior - it is only lipstick on a flabby, snotty, inedible pig. This is New York - a restaurant needs to be a lot more. Go somewhere else. Other reviewers had the same opinion - this is not a single incident.

Pros: Nicely decorated

Cons: Awful food

Posted 01/23/09

I happen to love the steaks and seafood offered at the quintessential New York eatery! I had to write because I was reading the latest review and am a bit dumbfounded. This person makes some serious accusations and claims and I eat here regularly and these food items are not on the menu. If you are going to lash out at a restaurant publically (which you are well within your rights to do) you should know what you are speaking about. I have never had a "bad" experience there, have there been bumps, of course as is with the case with all restaurants. The constant is that the service, ambience and food are always on - and if they are off, they more than make amends for it. Again, if you want to criticize a restaurant, you are well within your rights, but at least get your facts straight - it just makes it seem that you are just putting up a negative comment to be negative or vindictive.

Pros: food, service, ambience

Cons: at times too many kids

Posted 10/28/08

I will admit,I got into the game rather late,only dining at City Hall in the past 18 months,but every meal I had there was ,more or less,inedible. Incidentally,i am not one of the types who love tearing apart restaurants,etc. in online reviews.We had nothing but good expectations given the length of time the restaurant has survived in Tribeca,which tends to be rather unforgiving,as in your place gets shut inside a year if you don't have what it takes. City Hall,a gorgeous space with decent waiter service (the "barmaid" is a disgrace to the trade),is on it's last legs as far as I can see. My wife and I found it hard to believe,ergo giving it a second shot,only to be repulsed again by raw chicken,wasabi mash potato "special" that were made from "instant' mash mix,cold and hard as a brick. My wife ate pork loin ,another special,which was burnt to grizzle and cold again !! I met a colleague there weeks later for a drink,who was determined to have some appetizers at the bar,once again,horrible. It appears to me CH is existing on the vapors of former greatness,it appears no one is minding the shop anymore. I don't take any enjoyment in writing this,as I am a lifelong downtown resident,and I have nothing but love for businesses who showed continued commitment post 9/11,but this place is exceptionally horrible and people should be warned in order to save their money.

Pros: Ambience is ok,nice lighting,decor.

Cons: The food would be turned away in a prison.

Posted 08/17/08

What happened to the customer is always right? This was by far the worst dining experience I have ever had in NYC... The chef/owner, Henry Meer, is so pompous that he can't accept criticism from his paying guests! My husband spent more time picking out bones in his salmon filet than he did eating it, while I suffered through an insanely tough Delmonico (if I'm going to splurge on the extra calories with a ribeye, shouldn't it at least be juicy and tender?). Our waiter was nice but the ambience was stale. This is a place for Sunday brunch with the kids and a bucket of crayons, but alas, they're not even open on Sundays. Honestly, they shouldn't be open at all.

Pros: Friendly Waitstaff

Cons: Bland - Lacks Creativity - Dead Zone

Posted 07/08/08

I am a frequent diner at City Hall Restaurant and I must say that it is one of my favorite places to dine. The consistent food & service and their attention to detail is what brings my partner and I back over and over. There is something to be said of a place that offers you warm sushi towels after eating chilled seafood. They anticipate our needs and we usually do not have to ask for anything. Being recognized by the staff at one of your favorite restaurant is so welcoming. I have read some of the reviews on here and find it hard to believe that they are talking about the same place! They even remembered my birthday and sent out a complimentary cake with a candle. Keep up the great work!

Pros: Ambience, Service, Food, Decor

Cons: none

Posted 06/24/08

I felt compelled to write a review for City Hall - first time writing one here - because of the most recent review listed which was really unfortunate. I was truly shocked when I read it - my husband and I live in the neighborhood and are frequent diners at City Hall and LOVE it. We can always count on a good meal here - whether it be steaks or seafood. The Delmonico with bleu cheese is fantastic as are the colossal tiger prawns...they are huge! Honestly, we've tried so many things on the menu and have never been disappointed. Oh, and the sides dishes....don't get me started. I have never before had a brussel sprout but my husband convinced me to try one when he ordered them as a side. I am a new fan! I asked how the chef prepared them and the waiter was nice enough to find out every detail for me and now I (try to!) duplicate it at home. City Hall is definitely one of our favorites in Tribeca.

Posted 04/28/08

If I combined all of my bad dining experiences into one nightmare, it wouldn't be as bad as a recent business meal.

From the vulgar, surly waiter unfit to be near paying customers to overpriced food poorly cooked this was the worst restaurant meal ever. Three of our four steaks had to be returned twice ans still were inedible. The manager was in way over his head and was unable to provide any level of satisfactory service,

City Hall was the single worst dining experience I ever had. Word must be getting out, only three other tables were occupied. Subway prepares better food - with more plesant service.

Pros: Supposedly a good wine list - if the waiter ever bothered to bring it over

Cons: Service was unreasonably bad; if you saw this in a movie you wouldn't believe it.

Posted 01/06/08

I had dinner here with a friend last Thursday night and we sat outside sharing shrimp cocktail, oysters, and a bottle of white wine... It was on the earlier side since we met up after work and I was surprised to see a cadillac SUV pull up... And then another, and another... First came Rob Cordry... then we saw Ashton Kutsher... then Lake Bell... then Cameron Diaz, then Treat Williams. It was so cool and totally unexpected. Word got around that they had some sort of pre-production party in one of the private rooms downstairs. My friend and I had always considered City Hall just a comfortable neighborhood eatery that appeals to families and young professionals and the political elite, but I guess it's a celebrity haunt as well. Who knew?

Pros: Decor, Ambience, Drink Prices, Outdoor Seating

Cons: Limited Menu

Posted 08/26/07

i've been to city hall on several occasions in the past and if it wasnt great it was atleast a decent meal however last night was the final straw. witht the exception of the hostess and the bartender everything about the place was laughably bad. the waiter overly theatrical (when present, which was rare), the food was super slow coming out, none of our 30 and 40 dollar steaks were cooked right (burnt on the outside, rare in the middle), and the manager was blahse about his appology. certainly willbe the last time i'll go here, 400 dollars POORLY spent. get your act together guys.

Pros: great space, very nice

Cons: service, timing, steaks, management

Posted 08/23/07

There are few restaurants in Manhattan that have been around as long as City Hall and are still as busy (or busier!) than the trendy new restaurant nextdoor... Last month I had a surprise party for my husband in one of their gorgeous private rooms downstairs, and when I came in this week - unannounced - I was still treated like a queen. The City Hall crew has a way with old-time NY hospitality and new-time flavor... The food is fresh, the wine list is enviable, and the ambience is comfortably elegant. Somehow they manage to compromise between the Left and the Right... Given how full their dining room is at lunch-time, I'm surely not the only one aware of this. When it comes to the whos-who of the political elite, it seems that City Hall is the center of the city... And that's good news for Tribeca!

Pros: Private Dining

Cons: Closed on Sundays

Posted 08/16/07

I recommend you ask for Mark he's the best server I have ever experienced anywhere! I say this because he's down to earth, the kind of server that makes one feel like he actually cares about the meal and doesn't judge whether you might be ordering just an appetizer or the whole menu! Up selling?! That is ridiculous I have never been up sold by any person at this restaurant, go to any of City Hall's competition and see what up selling is all about.

Go to City Hall see how the owner and head Chef stops by your table and treats you as if he's known you for years. Have a party in the amazing room downstairs! I'm not part of the scene or a restaurant critic I just know what customer service is all about and I will stand up for the latest reviews because I keep going back for more! City Hall encompass' the quintessential art of "customer service" they make anyone happy it doesn't matter who you are. The reality of any critique is every restaurant, waiter, kitchen and well human has an off night. Let's not judge on what others say, and certainly give good food more than one chance. If you don't want to invest too much then you MUST go for the burger and fries, it is quite possibly the best hamburger you have ever had, made from a special recipe that can't be put down!!!! Then when you are ready order some steak and seafood because you will leave full and satisfied! Oh and they have the best wine list thus far!!!

Enjoy, eat and be happy at City Hall we do!

Pros: You become a part of the family!

Cons: NONE

Posted 08/08/07

From the food to the service, City Hall was dreadful. Was there this past Friday night and what a disappointment. You'd figure an established restaurant in Tribeca, that has apparently stood the 'test of time', would be at worst decent, but not the case.
A few of the lowlights: we each had burgers, which were both charred and crunchy on the outside, and rare on the inside. How does one ruin a simple burger ?
Service: I'm not even sure we had a waiter ? ..we were completely neglected. The place simply didn't have its act together at all. Both the waitstaff, and bus-staff failed to refill water or clear the table at all during the meal.
Needless to say, we won't be returning.

Posted 06/12/07

'City Hall' set me back $250 for me and my wife (yes, diner for 2!), and we had the worst night out that we have ever had! I've been living in NY for 10 years and have never been treated so poorly by the staff. Our food was over-cooked, and the server did nothing to make-up for it! After complaining to management about our meal, we were treated as if we were the problem! I think this place is too big for its britches, if you know what I'm saying! A waste of a beautiful room...don't bother going here! If you are in the area an looking for a pleasant evening, check out Odeon around the corner...keep walking by 'City Hall'.

The worst dining experience I've ever had!!!

Pros: none

Cons: everything

Posted 01/14/07

I ate here for my birthday. It was originally suppose to be just myself and my fiance. But two of my best friends who lived out of town came into the city to surprise me. Our initial experience was wonderful. The Hostess was extremely sweet and accommodating to our change. However, when the server came up to our table that is where it got ugly. I would like to note, that I had waited table for many years and I am always sympathetic to those in the industry and always over tip. This however, was not the case. The server was nothing but pushy and was only interested in "up-selling". She was extremely fake and treated us as if we were second class citizens. It was an odd and uncomfortable situation. We ordered a bottle of wine and after she presented it to us and poured she took our bottle with her. My fiance and I eat out allot and that was the first time our wine did not sit at our table. I found that to be odd? My fiance had ordered a cake for my birthday. That was delicious but then they lost the lefts over after they took it off the table to wrap it up to go. The busser was really sweet. Overall a bad experience. Food was good but the service left a bad taste in my mouth.

Pros: food and wine list

Cons: service

Posted 12/06/06

my husband and i eat out quite a bit but this place puzzles me. it is absolutely beautifull, the decor, photos airy feeling. The chopped salad is terrific, and the oysters are always wonderfull. The last two times we were there, i made a wine selection, and the somalier went to get it FIFTEEN mins later he returned to say they were out. Ok, so i choose another one up in price, again a really long time elapses before he comes back to say they were out of that too, and so presented us with the cheapest comparable bottle rather than going up to the next. only a difference of 10 or 12 dollars, This exact same thing happened TWICE. Surely they should have a database of whats in stock. the last time iate there i had the delmonico steak (deliscious) but the plate was so hot that the salad was burnt on to it(kept hot for too long methinks) All in all the food is good the service pretty awfull, Dylan Prime is way better.

Pros: place is stunning

Cons: no management, servers are too busy being attractive to give a #%$@

Posted 11/18/06

extremely friendly and very quick service when entering restaurant.Also the owner coming to table to introduce himself added a touch of class as well as showing how he cares about his patrons.As far as the food goes the oysters were plump and delicious.The colossal shrimp were very tasty.The steak was extremely tasty and filling,as well as reasonably priced.The overall service again was tremendous and can't say enough about it and especially RICH he was friendly,fun and professional.I had an exceptional time and expeience there and am looking forward to returning there.

Pros: thumbs up service and ambience

Posted 09/19/06

City Hall is one of the landmarks of manhattan, how many shoe factorys you see these days transform to a great restaurant, only one thats is city hall , service,food, hospitality and Great Chef Henry Meer, and many more. Staff is very professional and attendive. I am a regular customer , i love this place , their take out menu is great. Delivery is fast and friendly, I used the taken care by Turkish Maitre"d , he was the best. he always impressed us by his personal skills, and he knew all about hospitality. I will recommend this place the everybody.

Posted 09/17/06

My wife and I eat out 7 days a week here in Manhattan. We've been everywhere more than once and we like to give feedback whenever we have a great food and service. Last night we had an exceptional meal at City Hall. We had the prime rib for 2 and it was perfectly cooked and very tender. The hash browns side dish is a must have. I think the waiter said they're cooked with duck fat. Great flavor. Anyway, we have been to City Hall many times for lunch since we work in the area but never dinner. I'm glad we made that choice because now we have a new favorite place to go to.

Pros: Location, Attentive Service, Decor

Posted 08/06/06

Four of us went to City Hall last night for dinner. Two of us ordered steak (medium), both came out cooked wrong, another ordered prime rib (medium rare), also cooked wrong, the fourth ordered salmon, that was the only entree that was cooked correctly. When we informed the waiter that the steaks and prime rib were incorrectly cooked they were extremely rude, when the steaks came back out the outside was charred, the inside was still rare as can be.

Basically, we had a $400 meal and there was nothing memorable about it except the horrible service and the horrible food. Go to Dylan Prime, don't waste your time or money here.

Pros: Ambience

Cons: Food, Service

Posted 07/26/06

We just went last night and ordered the restaurant week menu. The food was OK, nothing really award-winning. Watermelon Gazpacho soup was tasty. The service was NOT good. Our server treated us like second rate citizen, probably because we ordered the restaurant week. Decor was GREAT and so was the wine. I'd be willing to go back once more to see it when it's not restaurant week.

Pros: Great space, outdoor seating, great wine

Cons: Bad service, too many groups functions made it loud, website gives you wrong directions

Posted 07/19/06

If you're looking for a wine list with a price range that meets anyone's taste and pocket book, City Hall is the place to go. The wine director says they're on their way to becoming an All American wine list so their international selections are well priced so we are going back tomorrow night to take advantage. Oh yeah, the food was stellar and that staff was enjoyable.

Pros: Great all around (atmosphere/service/food/wine list)

Posted 07/09/06

This is our favorite restaurant to go to in NYC. My girlfriend and I live in midtown but never think twice about making the trek to Tribeca. The food, service and ambiance are truly the best in the city. I can't wait to go again.

Pros: Friendly yet professional staff

Posted 06/07/06

This restaurant was a wonderful experience and will be on my list of things to do on on future trips to the city. The staff was very thorough from everything to bringing water to clean-up and was evident that all work well together. Our waiter was very helpful in selecting a fine wine to providing recommendations on selections offered. The appetizer selected was the Chrysler - an absolute must have!! The Food was exquisite. Everything from NY Strip to Tuna Steaks to Dover Sole - and fresh as can be. Make sure to leave room for dessert as the Creme Brulee and Chocolate Soufflé is to die for.

Posted 05/01/06

I was immediately impressed by the grandness of the dining room at City Hall. However, we were made to wait 20 minutes for our table, even though we had a reservation and the restaurant was not full. Food was mostly delicious, including shrimp bisque, handcut french fries and rib eye steak. The chicken was dry and bland. Meat was not cooked correctly and needed to be sent back. The wine list, while long and of decent quality, is confusing. Service is polite, but disorganized. We were waited on by three different people, and none of them knew what the others were doing. Red velvet cake was boring and dry--this was the first time in a while that I left dessert unfinished. Coffee was undrinkable and left nearly untouched. Despite snags, the main server never apologized once, nor were we offered any compensation, which is poor for an expensive, upscale establishment.

Pros: classy dining room, good quality

Cons: staff unprofessional, food inconsistent, over-priced

Posted 04/05/06

Making reservations for Valentine's Day, I was not informed that it was a fixed menu, nor was it posted online. Didn't have a choice for the regular menu and was basically stuck with an overpriced dinner. Ended up paying nearly $200 for an average meal.
The lady who handles the coats: attitude problem!

Pros: Enviornment

Cons: Pricing, Service, Reservation service

Posted 02/14/06

Trying to be something that its not.
Cheesy decor.
Mediocre food.
There are plenty of other places that aren't quite as pricy and have much better cuisine.

Posted 02/02/06

Service was intermittent (was it b/c we ordered from the Rest Week menu?). Food was decent, a tad above mediocre. Medium steaks were rare (cold on the inside). The dessert was pre-made and our waiter was annoyed that I asked for no whipped cream. The bill arrived without us having to ask - oh, in fact, when we were being served our dessert. The doggie bag (I couldn't finish my raw meat) was left with the coatcheck because the waiter informed us that they "don't like the food smell in the restaurant area". Aren't we in a restaurant? Is it perfectly acceptable then for your coats and hats to smell of food? PASS ON THIS PLACE NEXT TIME.

Pros: Good bread, Bright atmosphere, good music, pulse

Cons: inconsistent service

Posted 01/31/06

I went to this restaurant after wanting to try it for such a long time. I was very disapointed it was horrible. I went with three other friends they all had terrible dinners. The steak was greasy, the fish was gross, and the chicken dumplings looked like cat food. It was one of the worst dining experiences I ever had. If you are thinking about going here don't it is not worth the over priced cuisine.

Cons: loud music, gross food, no ambience

Posted 01/27/06

these folks couldn't even handle taking a reservation. don't waste your time. Extremely rude and worse yet, marginal food

Pros: none

Cons: rude

Posted 07/10/05

The restaurant has potential....the pre dinner drink at the bar was very pleasant, good start, although we waited up to about an hour before our table was ready. The restaurant wasn't busy. The food was good although we waited a while for our order to be taken then waited even longer between courses. The only thing that arrived promptly was the check. Tribeca is bursting with restuarants so I suggest going elsewhere.

Posted 06/28/05

Too much butter and pepper in everything, too much of an "old boys club" atmosphere. Waitstaff is very friendly and efficient but you get the impression management is less then stellar.

Posted 03/10/05

This place is soo over rated. I went to try this place during restaurant week. The food they served during the week was so bad, and stingy. I don't understand why restaurants participate in the restaurant week if they are not going market their food, not even close. They suck compare to TGI Friday. Desert tastes worse than hospital cafeteria's.. I was so disappointed...

Cons: bad food

Posted 01/29/05

There are a few restaurants that you return to again and again for a favorite dish - City Hall has many. From the curried onion rings and Delmonico steak to the raw bar selections, our cravings keep us coming back. The staff is pleasant and professional, and the wine list is extensive. We're excited to try breakfast - the menu is a treat, and a meal on the patio would be a great way to start the day.

Pros: menu, wine list

Posted 07/29/04

I walk by City Hall almost every day and I was very excited to try it last Friday night for my boyfriend's birthday dinner. We had a 7:30 reservation and we had to ask the maitre'd twice in one hour of waiting at the bar if our table would be ready soon. The atmosphere is beautiful and normally we don't mind sitting at a nice bar for some time before dinner, but this was ridiculous. They didn't even bother to approach us and apologize for the long delay. We ended up leaving and walking to Tribeca Grill where we were seated in 20 minutes without a reservation.

Posted 02/16/04

If you can eat on the terrasse, do so : this place is really noisy !
Great steacks, french fries, onion rings and mashed potatoes.
Nice decoration with lots of wood.

Pros: meat

Cons: noise

Posted 08/19/03

After a week in Paris (where service is LACKING), my fiancee and I decided to go here to spend the last of our remaining vacation money. We were not disappointed. The food was fantastic (a brussel sprout side that was amazing), and the portions were generous...the Delmonico steak is worth every penny! The service was great on a Saturday night; the sommelier was helpful and the servants were attentive to whatever we wanted. Though the cost may scare some away (meal for two with shared appetizer and desert, drinks, 1/2 bottle of wine and coffee totalled about $150) it's a great place to dine for a special occasion.

Pros: Atmosphtere, service, portions

Cons: Cost, Parking???

Posted 03/30/03

The atmosphere at City Hall was very nice, as was the food itself. Everything was going well until the main course arrived when, as happens at so many Manhattan restaurants, we ceased to exist. There were a bunch of larger corporate-type groups so maybe it was assumed they were bigger tippers or something. We will go back - but will demand the attention we deserve.

Pros: good food, moderate pricing, room between tables

Cons: inconsistent service

Posted 01/16/03

After going to a cocktail party/dinner in the "Granite Room" (downstairs) at City Hall Restaurant for a very delicious work function I decided to bring the family there for dinner.

I have 3 noisy children and a pretty festive family group. All were satisfied. Our waitress brought the kids a placemate they could color on and choose their meals off of. I thought that was great. She also had the children's meals brought out with our appetizers. Again...a great call. I didn't even have to think I just was able to put my evening in her hands.

The food was incredible. Delicious steak and all the sides are served in the center of the table for all to enjoy. The kid's meals were all priced and portioned according to age.

The chef even came over to say "hi."

I love City Hall Restaurants.

Pros: Wonderful Service, Friendly Chef, Great for kids

Posted 12/01/02

I have been frequenting City Hall for a few years now, mostly for lunches with clients. The venue is lovely. The food is better than average. I would have always described the service as "hit or miss", but lately the service seems to be always "miss."
I just cancelled a reservation simply because the reservationist was a b*#%ch on the phone. I am done spending my company's good money on a restaurants that treats its patrons so poorly.

Pros: Good food, Great venue

Cons: Overpriced, Nasty Staff

Posted 10/29/02

For the price, I expected top notch quality. The food wasn't bad but I've had much better at a even much better price. I am a big time steak connoisseur so if you are going for the steak, I would suggest you go somewhere else. Oysters were good(but not hard to mess up) and service was good too. The watery creamed spinach was the only thing that was definitely a send back. If the prices were comparable to Soho Steak then I MAY go back but they aren't....so I would rather go to Angelo and Maxie's and deal with the crowd.

Posted 08/11/02

Went with friends last night for dinner and really enjoyed our meal. I agree with other reviewer that each person with drop $100/each for app, dinner, a couple drinks. But our service was the biggest deterrant. We ended up having to have the maitre'd bring us water, utensils, the check. Our waitress left much to be desired.

Pros: Food, ambience

Cons: Service, Cost

Posted 08/08/02

some of the most satisfying meals I have eaten in NYC.
service is great. food is better.

Pros: Food, Food, taste

Cons: can't afford all days, pricey

Posted 07/30/02

I was completely impressed by every aspect of City Hall from the moment I walked in -- greeted into this oasis of spaciousness and true TriBeCa decor by such a gracious host. Our server was of utmost perfection, attending to every request so diligently and with complete awareness. I've never tastes such delectable oysters; the filet mignon was the most tender meat i've ever had. And to top it off with a guanaja chocolate souflle cake with caramel ice cream--simply delicious!! City Hall is a must for anyone who knows New York cuisine!

Posted 07/11/02

Went there on a date recently and had a wonderful experience. I had the peppered tuna steak that was perfectly prepared and delicious. My date loved his prime rib. The decor and overall ambience was delightful. Highly recommended.

Posted 07/01/02

My wife and I had a wonderfull expierence at City Hall. The Steaks and Lobsters are "out of this City"

Posted 06/13/02

Went with a group of friends and everything from the appetizers, to the main courses to the desserts were very tasty. We'll be back again

Posted 06/07/02

My friends and I went here for a birthday party. We all had different dishes and everyone was extremely happy. The ambiance was nice and the service was excellent.

Posted 05/25/02