Atlantic Grill

212-988-9200

1341 3rd Ave New York, NY 10021

www.brguestrestaurants.com

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Categories:

Restaurants, Seafood Restaurants

Details:

$$$$, Bar Scene, Brunch, Dine At The Bar, Group Dining, Notable Wine List, People Watching

Insiders:

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Mon-Wed 11:30am-11:30pm Thu 11:30am-12am Fri-Sat 11:30am-12:30am Sun 10:30am-12am

Message from Atlantic Grill

Merchant_icon

Taste the Atlantic and the Pacific on the Upper East Side Ride the tide to Atlantic Grill, an Upper East Side neighborhood favorite! Voted one of the 50 most popular restaurants in New York in the 2008 Zagat Survey (with a top raw bar), Atlantic Grill is the place to go for your seafood and sushi fix. Our bright, 200-seat space complete with bistro chairs, framed photos, baby blue walls and skylight might make you feel like you sailed into Cape Cod. You may not have left New York's harbor, but one thing is sure: our seafood is just as fresh. Choose from among crowd-pleasing favorites from the Atlantic - or the Pacific - Or sample our daily selection of Oysters and Clams on the Half Shell from our raw bar and our unique Sushi, Sashimi and Rolls.

Editorial by

The Scene
The wraparound dining room and polished wood bar have been slammed since opening in 1998. Swathed in sea-foam green with aquatic photographs, it's a comfortable spot teeming with neighborhood regulars: gussied-up grand dames, first-date couples and raucous groups of friends. Servers are professional and serious, but can only handle so many tables at a time.

The Food
There's something for fish fans of every stripe on the lengthy menu. Freshly shucked oysters and clams appeal to purists, while classicists order crisp-crusted, all-meat lump crab cakes and chopped iceburg-feta salads. Zippier palates share sesame-fried lobster spring rolls, shrimp dumplings with citrus soy, and inventive maki, like the smoky and sweet filet mignon-pineapple variety. Entrees range from strongly seasoned nori-wrapped rare tuna with wasabi-soy vegetables to simple wood-grilled halibut with light caper vinaigrette. Desserts are showstoppers, namely the caramelized banana tower with toasted marshmallows in a tall hazelnut shell.

Key Points

  • Sunday Brunch
  • Outdoor Seating
  • Raw Bar

The Inside Scoop

  1. Save Money - There aren't many less than $40 wines; by-the-glass options are around $9. The middle-of-the-road pinot grigio is a fine white, and the earthy Rioja fares well with oilier fish, like halibut and sea bass.
  2. Know Before You Go - Walk-ins will have a hard time scoring a table, unless they're willing to eat at the noisy front bar.

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Reviews for Atlantic Grill

Ratings_icons great place for seafood

Donna L. | insider_expert Insider Expert | Rank: 8,954

My friends took me here for my birthday and I still remember the place vividly. The service was attentive and the atmosphere was so calm, so pleasant. The sea bass dish was delicious, like it was fresh fish out of water. The price was also reasonable for us. Recommend if for special celebration.

Posted 10/28/08 | Report Abuse

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Latest reviews from Citysearch.

Ratings_icons Very good Place

DGBK

Went for restaurant week and it was a very enjoyable experience. Great service, very good food with ample portions. Highly recommend it

Pros: Great Service

Posted 07/31/09

Ratings_icons The Best in the Upper East Side

jtunis

go to Atlantic Grill twice a week and consisitently amazing. Great service, great food, and great ambience. love it, love it, love it!!!!

Pros: consistently great food, atmosphere, and service

Cons: small con - fancier olives for martinis and bathrooms tiny

Posted 03/26/09

Ratings_icons Best seafood on Upper East Side, Best service arguably in NYC

RonShankJr

I cannot rave about the job BOG does with this place. I've eaten at most of their other restaurants and have never been disappointed but Atlantic Grill stands out from the others IMO. I live on the UES and always choose this place for a special occassion or a spontaneous dinner out with someone special when you want to truly be pampered with great food and service.

The service from the host/hostess to the bar staff to the wait staff is nothing short of superb. The food is always consistent, always fresh and the wine list outstanding. The lobster salad with the roasted peaches is amazing in the summer. The sushi, though some non traditional, is very good (try the house special sea bass roll ) As for entrees the sea bass and crab crusted snapper are my faves but the scallops are great too.

Their wine list seems to have a lot of boutique offerings that are high quality or some vintages from producers that you know but that aren't available retail. The markups seem less than most restaurants too from what I can see, about 70-80%, not 125-150% like many, but that market is always changing season to season.

Pros: Service, Dinner, Brunch

Cons: You may need to make reservations well in advance for key days/times

Posted 05/15/08

Ratings_icons Like they just went fishing in the "Atlantic"

jbdub1203

I live on the upper east side and Atlantic Grill is the BEST restaurant in the hood. Be sure to make reservations, otherwise you will find yourself standing in the crowded bar area for quite some time. I've tried close to everything on the menu and recommend the crab cakes, spicy crunchy tuna roll (unreal) and the sea bass. My friends LOVE the chopped salad too. The service is top-notch and really attentive (in a good, not annoying way) Can't wait for the summer, a glass of chard + a few rolls = A fabulous night on the UES

Pros: Food and Service

Cons: Nothing

Posted 04/29/08

Ratings_icons Great food and selection

karzarz

I've eaten at Blue Water Grill several times, but wanted to try someplace new. Atlantic Grill did not disappoint! The miso chilean sea bass roll was one of the best rolls I've ever had and the nori wrapped big eye tuna was a nice twist on a favorite dish. Everything was delicious! We finished off a great meal by ordering the carrot cake with ginger ice cream, which had amazing flavor. The ginger ice cream was a surprise and delight and like nothing I have ever had. The restaurant had a great vibe and atmosphere and I will definitely be going back.

Posted 04/27/08

Ratings_icons Great...across the board

trooch325

Normally I don't write reviews, but for whatever reason the majority of CitySearch critics are unbelievably picky and negative that you can easily get turned off by Le Bernardin and Per Se's write-ups. Having said that, Atlantic Grill was perfect. From the atmosphere (felt like we were in Florida near a marina) to the food (my mahi mahi was insane)...perfect.

And definitely go with the banana dessert tower to close out your night.

Pros: Everything...we arrived at 11PM for dinner on a Saturday night

Posted 02/24/08

Ratings_icons Great Sushi

pasojames

It's not their mainstay, but I had their sushi and was very pleased. The fish was very tender and fresh. Service was very good.

Posted 12/18/07

Ratings_icons Excellent! I was impressed!

uesgirlie

Delicious food, great service, and a really great atmosphere. Have a glass of wine at the bar first! The seafood is fresh and delicious. Highly recommended!

Pros: Tasty!

Cons: None

Posted 08/20/07

Ratings_icons Outstanding crab cakes, excellent service!

darlin1005

My husband and I visited Atlantic Grill for lunch on his birthday and we had a wonderful experience. I called at 11:45a and got reservations for noon. By 1:00 the place was packed so I was very thankful. Our server was excellent and the food was wonderful. We had crab cakes for an appetizer. My husband had the salmon burger and I had the ahi tuna salad, which was a very generous portion. We will definitely return on our next trip to NYC.

Pros: Ambience, service, food

Cons: None

Posted 08/20/07

Ratings_icons Salmon Burger & Outdoor seating - who could ask for anything more!?!

bakerloo

I went to Atlantic Grill with a friend on Memorial Day for late lunch and we had a lovely time! Prompt service and a great little table in the outdoor seating area! Our kind waitress Jacqulin was very helpful & kept our waters & bread basket full on a very warm holiday. Great outdoor atmosphere & very clean bathrooms inside! The sweet potato chips were a lovely addition to the salmon burger! And the ice cream flavors were so creative when it came time for dessert! Reasonable pricing & friendly service will for sure bring me back to Atlantic Grill - but then again, all the BRGuest resturaunts have really impressed me! Thanks for a great meal!

Pros: Excellent service & great food!

Cons: Not enough time to chat with our fun waitress! (she was busy!)

Posted 06/04/07

Ratings_icons Great selection and consistant

lennycheryl

Most enjoyable... great taste..... well prepared and presented meal. Walked out saying will be back... does not always happen that way.

Pros: Just a good meal

Posted 05/26/07

Ratings_icons Great Brunch and Service!

bdevil05

Went here for a friend's bday brunch. Service was excellent from start to finish. They allowed us to do a prix fixe menu, which included a seasonal fruit plate, entree, dessert, and one beverage of your choice (mimosa, bloody mary, etc.). The food was excellent, our server Brenda was excellent, the mgmt was accomodating. I can't say too many good things. One of the best meal experiences I've had in NY in a long time! Will plan on coming back here despite the fact that I live nowhere near this place and parking is hard on the weekends...

Pros: Good for groups, Service, Food

Cons: Parking

Posted 05/06/07

Ratings_icons Nice enough

fosterc

I went here with my family, who unlike moi, aren't the most cooth of people. However annoying I am sure they are, they don't deserve an eye roll from the jerky waiter after asking for dressing on the side.
The food was alright, nothing to write home about, but the atmosphere itself was nice, very bright and sunny and a good place to take a client for lunch. Just beware the waiters, for if you aren't uber-chic, you will definitely get some attitude!

Pros: Nice atmosphere, descent food

Cons: rude waiter

Posted 02/27/07

Ratings_icons great seafood

ilovenewyork2

I ate here with my wife and two of her friends. Our food and service was amazing. Keep up the good work guys. Try the oysters!!! Yummy...

Pros: great food

Cons: need better tequilas

Posted 02/21/07

Ratings_icons Very busy, long wait, average food presentation and taste

jtubm1

We visited Altantic Grill during resturant week. Having read the reviews we were expecting something special. We were very disappointed. We had booked the table in advance, but had to wait 45mins to be seated. Having ate out at several different resturants during resturant week we felt the resturant week menu here was the poorest we had seen, very little choice. I had the fish offering which had a very poor flavour and texture. My wife had the ribs which were quite fatty. For dessert I had the chocholate tart with ice cream, again poor flavour. My impression is that the resturant sacraficed quality for quantity during the resturant week promotion.

Posted 02/09/07

Ratings_icons Great Seafood, Not the Best BR Guest Restaurant

helyn32

A friend and I shared a lovely dinner at Atlantic Grill last night. We started with the Florida Roll (crab and shrimp) which was paired with a delicious sauce. She and I both ordered off of the "simply grilled" menu - I had the tuna, served medium rare, she had the salmon served well. The medley of vegetables was just steamed brocoli and carrots, nothing memorable. The fines herbes relish was delicious if not a bit on the oily side. Our dessert of the banana tower (I've had before at Blue Water Grill) was of course delightful as this is a staple. I will always recommend the banana tower! Compared to Aquagrill and Blue Water Grill, I would say that Atlantic Grill is not quite as good. The ambience isn't as interesting and the food wasn't as good as I remembered the others to be. However, the service was exceptional and I will definitely return.

Posted 01/16/07

Ratings_icons Not Much To Be Excited About

nat5523

The Food was good, can't say knock it. But the management has alot of nerve charging what they do. No big shot chef, no special history or story about the place, and not a historic location with lots of history. It's on 3rd Avenue between 76 and 77 streets, big deal! The service was good, not spectacular, but our waitress seemed like she just finished working at one of the bars around the corner, not a professional server by any means. I would not go back, can think of many places serving the same quality, similar menu, for much more affordable prices, and more suiting atmosphere.

Pros: Tasty, Nice Room

Cons: Price, Rude Host

Posted 01/15/07

Ratings_icons Great Seafood family place on the UEs

grenner

I loved it here, i felt like I was somewhere inthe suburbs here. Fresh fish was great, service and atmophere was great too. I would highly recommend it. Place is a little upscale.

Posted 11/01/06

Ratings_icons Unbelievably OVER rated! Overcooked and under flavored

panic_atk

I have eaten there twice in the last month. Don't ask me why I went back a second time. I sent back my first meal because it was badly over cooked and tasteless to boot. My wife's dish was also overdone. The Nori Tuna was excellent. On our second venture we had 6 people with us and only one, the Nori Tuna orderer had anything nice to say about their meal. The moral of the story is, everything will be fine if you only order the Nori Tuna and send everything back that isn't prepared in the manner you requested. I am very dissapointed.

Posted 10/15/06

Ratings_icons Excellent Sunday Brunch

uesgirl87

I love eating at Atlantic Grill on Sundays since I always see folks I know AND the food is always great.

Posted 10/13/06

Ratings_icons Overall great seafood restaurant

cdc1102

I enjoy great food but also what is important to me when I go out to dinner is a restaurant with a great atmosphere. Atlantic Grill has a classic look with a warm feel. The menu had a great selection of seafood items: sushi, lobster, and several types of fish to please anyone. The food was delicious and I truly enjoyed my meal at this place. I would highly recommend this place!!! The wine list is a little pricey but well worth it. We shared a great bottle of wine - La Croix St. Laurent - Sancerre. Beautiful!!

Pros: Great atmosphere, food, not too intimate but can be romantic

Cons: wine list a little pricey

Posted 08/24/06

Ratings_icons pretty good stuff

joenyc

Food was surprisingly good. Salad ingredients appeared nice and fresh. Service with plenty of smiles.

Pros: good food, friendly service

Cons: a bit pricey

Posted 07/03/06

Ratings_icons Hanson--fix restaurants that are open!

melack

Been going here since it opened & have seen the quality & value decrease considerably. The portions are now very small, the sauces are overly-ambitious & usually inedible & while the service is still good, the restaurant, due to its popularity, seems frantic. Recommended: appetizer calamari, beautifully deep-fried, but served with 2 awful sauces--ask for an alternative sauce. Best dish is nori-wrapped tuna. If you live outside the neighborhood, don't bother!

Pros: in my neighborhood

Cons: over-priced ordinary

Posted 01/11/06

Ratings_icons Great Brunch!

1jess1

I read the other review and have to say I had the opposite experience here last Sunday. The place is a little over-priced for brunch but it is a nice restaurant so that was expected Food (i had the omelette with cheddar, mushrooms and herbs), service, coffee, atmosphere were all fantastic. I loved it and will be back soon. I went with 5 friends and we lingered at the table for a bit and didn't feel rushed at all even though there was a wait.

Pros: relaxed atmosphere, brunch

Cons: price

Posted 06/27/05

Ratings_icons Brunch

jakinberg

Just don't do it. Three strikes and this restaurant is out. Everything that happened was not even up to mediocre. They did not have mayonnaise, forgot our toast, left out ingredients (ie cheese in an omelet), below hot temperatures and the bacon was so over cooked it crumbled on the plate when you touched it. And at the conclusion of this culinary nightmare the check was given to our table by knocking over a glass of water.

Posted 04/29/05

Ratings_icons Wonderful for Brunch

ahartmann

I've been here 3 times for lunch and it is one of my favorites in the city. The service is outstanding and my crab-cake eggs benedict could not have been better. My friend ordered some of their special sushi rolls which had excellent presentation and tasted great! There was a long wait for a table outside, but it was a little too hot in the sun anyway so our insde table was very nice.

Posted 04/17/05

Ratings_icons Great Food

Katjh80

This restaurant is such a great place. I have been here a few times for dinner, once for brunch and twice for lunch. I have enjoyed everything I have ever gotten and the fish is so fresh and always prepared in a great way. The sushi is also great! The banana tower is an amazing dessert as well. This restaurant is a wonderful place to go many times and it is reasonably priced.

Pros: food, atmosphere

Posted 03/05/05

Ratings_icons See you Sunday!

awidger

Surprisingly, Atlantic Grill has one of the best Sunday brunch menus in the city. It's delicous food and the complimentary memosa or bloodie mary can't be beat!

Posted 01/03/05

Ratings_icons Great Value

lab321

I have eaten at Atlantic Grill many times and always leave satisfied. It is the perfect blend between smart casual and formal creating an atmosphere that is elegant yet not stuffy. The prices are very reasonable. All dishes: appetizers, entrees, and deserts are delicious. Crowds do come on weekends, so be sure to make reservations.

*There is a pre-theatre dinner menu for early diners that is of great value.

Pros: Great Seafood, Atmosphere, Value

Posted 09/02/04

Ratings_icons A Must For Young Couples!

JoeBiz

I HIGHLY recommend this restaurant for young couples and first daters. Servers are attentive to this factor. They make you feel like you are "in with the in crowd". One word of caution, do make reservations, they try to get you in, but reservations are recommended.

Posted 06/12/04

Ratings_icons Not Great

noelks

A former asst mgr. at a 5 star NYC restaurant,my judgement is fair. I've been here several times. Ambiance is nice; music is CD 101.9 - needs a revamp immediately. Crowd is scene-oriented: young, preppy hipsters and 50-60 year-olds.
Food is bad and the tab is quite high. Service is adequate: there is an attempt at traditional French "table service", found in high-end restaurants. Their attempt is a failure.
Reception at the front is rude. I was there 2 weeks ago on crutches. Made a 9pm reservation, arrived exactly on time. Was told to wait 15-20 minutes. The hostess' manner was cold, rude and frankly, unacceptable. There was no where to sit and no one offered me a seat.
You are better off dropping $200 at a 4 or 5 star establishment rather than at an amateurish venue like this.

Pros: Decor, Ambiance

Cons: , Below Average Food, Fumbling Service

Posted 05/11/04

Ratings_icons Keep going back

gisellesmom

The service is not very good, but I find that we try Atlantic Grill at least once a year. The food is excellent. The sushi and fish are amazingly fresh. Everytime we've been there, they have had to make up for the lack of service. One time, they brought over every single dessert they had on the tray to apologize. Not bad! Hopefully this time, everything will be excellent. For the price, it should be!

Pros: freshest fish, convenient

Cons: , terrible service

Posted 05/10/04

Ratings_icons worst

juiceny

This was the worst food imaginable! The locals are writing these rave reveiws for this place. All the food was cold. Service was non-existent. Decor is great but for $200.00 for two people and 1 glass of wine a piece.... I almost didn't want to pay... I honestly think I was scammed. What a terrible evening I had with a great date. This place SUCKS!

Cons: , cold food, crappy service

Posted 04/02/04

Ratings_icons Very Very Good in All Ways

indahill34

The Sunday evening that I was here was quite busy. Yet, my party was seated seated promptly, and our waiter was very attentive. Don't go here for sushi, but for one of the other lovely seafood dishes, i.e sea bass, swordfish. Really great wine list, and the desserts were divine. I would go back here again definitely.

Pros: attentive service, excellent seafood

Posted 11/09/03

Ratings_icons fantastic sushi

deborahz

I loved the place, our server was very attentive and effective, serving and removing quickly and always asking if there was anything else we needed and how everything was...LOVED LOVED LOVED the sushi, weird combinations that turn out to be absolutely fantastic, they change periodically but be sure to check them out!

Pros: fantastic sushi, good service, prompt seating

Posted 08/01/03

Ratings_icons Outside seating

seidt

Atlantic Grill has outside seating but don't try to make a reservation. The overly chipper person who answered the phone told me that I can not reserve an outside seat. The dining room is crowded & loud so outside is the best option. This is the second BR Guest foul up for me.

Pros: outdoor seating, oysters on the 1/2 sh, date place

Cons: loud inside, bar overcrowded, snide wait staff

Posted 06/22/03

Ratings_icons Atlantic Grill is awesome

lloydcj

Get the Red Snapper if they have it. It is the best dish I've ever had at any restaurant that serves fish hands down.

Pros: Food is Great, The patio is nice too

Posted 06/12/03

Ratings_icons steve hanson has another winner

searchcity

The food at Atlantic Grill rates a 9. The appetizers were great as were the entrees. The wine was great. The only thing missing was the service unfortunately. It was like our waitress was somewhere else mentally.
I would go back as long as I requested one of their best servers which I am sure they would do after we let them know what happened the first time. And we will be back!

Pros: food, decor, wine

Cons: service

Posted 05/15/03

Ratings_icons Fish Heaven

lancemanhattan

Atlantic Grill has one of the best menus for fresh fish I've seen. I only had lunch here, but i had great shrimp and a spectacular lobster, and the dessert was heavenly. There was a nice atmosphere except for the few pompous patrons who looked way too gaudy or a lunch time meal, but overall its a great place to eat.

Posted 02/15/03

Ratings_icons Yummy Fresh Seafood - Snotty Bar Scene

kflam

Aside from the Yuppies and Wannabes buzzing around the jam-packed bar, this is the place for an elegant, fresh seafood meal. Definitely call first for a reservation or you may have to wait a looooong time. You can also go in the summer when it is slow and more empty. Try the Sea Bass, Halibut and DELICIOUS sushi. Good for Bruch as well. Beautiful Chilled seafood platters (and I don't eat shellfish) that would make a Kosher person convert!

Pros: Decor, Delicious, Varied Menu

Cons: Expensive, Snotty Crowd, Crowded/Noisy

Posted 12/09/02

Ratings_icons fish fans flock...

maricariani

this is the best sea bass I have ever had--absolutely amazing. the restaurant is big, and not a whole lot of seating by windows, but you agree to that when you go. otherwise, service was adequate--not much personal interaction, but I will attribute that to our waitress gauging us (I was with family and were were talking amongst ourselves). It was busy so I understand it taking a little time for our second glass of wine or water, nothing too annoying. I'm going again tonight!

Pros: fish amazing, nice lighting

Cons: big restaurant

Posted 12/02/02

Ratings_icons upper east sides only good seafood place

kal102374

This place is good but food and service is presented for the masses, not much personalized service considering the price tag and that it is a
full-evening-out type of dinner place. Fish was fresh tasting but not really tantilizing with flavor.
At least the upper east side has one seafood restaurant up there, so you really don't have much choice if you're up there and craving seafood.

Posted 10/15/02

Ratings_icons DAMN GOOD!

rickrossa

GREAT FOOD, NICE AMBIENCE, GREAT MUSIC, GOOD SERVICE AND GREAT FOOD AGAIN AND AGAIN...."SOME THINGS LAST FOREVER....AND AGAIN AND AGAIN"

Pros: FOOD, MUSIC, SERVICE

Posted 10/07/02

Ratings_icons Fresh and Great sea food!

pnanda

This restaurant being the same ownership as the famed Bliue Water Grill and Ocean Grill, is known and reputed for the freshest and tastiest sea food in town, no doubt, by far it keeps up to its reputation. The food is excellent, the service and ambiance equally up to its standards, just make sure to make reservations, this very popular and always crowded swanky restaurant can have long waits!

Posted 09/30/02

Ratings_icons Total Flop

BoZ

The food was absolutely lousy. The skate was grey, undercooked, and tasteless. The tuna was just as bad. Only the spring rolls and the dessert were edible. We were right on time for our reservation (it was our anniversary) when we were told it would be 10 minutes. So we said we would have a drink at the bar (the only redeaming quality or value in the whole place was the bartender and the big vodka sour she made me). The hostess forgot about us and gave our table away. Then she seated us in front of the kitchen in the entryway to the restaurant. THe worst seat in the house. Then she proceeded to sit walk-ins in the nice part of the restaurant toward the back. Horrible service and food. I would never go back nor would I ever recommend it.

Pros: good drinks, nice bartender

Cons: food, service

Posted 09/09/02

Ratings_icons Feel like you're at the beach!

NSM

When I ate here the atmosphere was great. Everything was clean and the white walls and tent like area was warm. The food was great too, especially the dessert.

Pros: food

Cons: parking, crowded

Posted 09/08/02

Ratings_icons THE place to eat fish in NYC

nycgirl55

WOW! amazing fish, great atmosphere & good wine list. i recently went here for the first time, and i was pleasantly surprised. good place to go on a date - very romantic. a bit pricey, but worth it for a special night

Pros: Great Food, Quick service, good wine

Cons: expensive, untrained waitstaff

Posted 08/27/02

Ratings_icons Best and freshest....

goldesq

seafood, especially the lobster rolls in the city. Go for the prix fixe dinner-its a steal.

Posted 08/22/02

Ratings_icons Great Fish!

jmburt1

Great overall seafood house. Nice atmosphere. Great service. A near perfect dining experience!

Posted 08/03/02

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