Went here to celebrate Lou's birthday. We had a fantastic time. The server treated us like family, the vibe feels like historic NYC, the food is well worth the price. Our table ordered the classic knickerbocker 28 ounce steaks to share (with baked potato, mash potato and creamed spinach), tuna plates and off menu meatloaf special . We also had calamari, beet salad, cornbread and caviar pie appetizers. Everything was thoughtfully prepared and plated. I would love to come back on a jazz performance night. Highly recommend this place and well worth the price, especially for a special occasion.
This is a top-notch steakhouse, yes, but it's also one of a dying breed - the classic NY neighborhood restaurant, full of congenial regulars and general good cheer. The food is uniformly excellent; I've had some of the best steaks of my life here. Anything else you order will be great as well, though - the smoked salmon/latke appetizer, the Caesar salad, short ribs, the fried chicken special. You can't go wrong. The bar scene here is particularly cozy, mainly due to the personalities of the very, very talented bartenders: Fiona, Hazel and Norma. Order a martini - unlike a lot of overpriced restaurants in the Village (I could name names) you'll get a generous pour and a well-made drink. This is a restaurant that works equally well for a weekday dinner and a special occasion. There's jazz on Friday and Saturday nights and the dining room nevers gets too loud for conversation. The well-dressed John and Jake will greet you at the door and seat you like you're family. Go ahead, have another martini...Parking: You may be able to find street parking, but there are also parking garages on 9th between Broadway and University, and on 9th between University and 5th.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: BBQ St Louis Ribs, Cornbread, Braised Short Ribs, Southern Fried Chicken, Steak Frites, Creamed Spinach
TerryH
I often order the hamburger. It's always been very consistent, except for the last 2 times I've eaten there - Both the fries and burger were not very good. When I dined there last night both the burger platter was excellent!
Alan Zysberg
First time there. Was able to be seated right away. Our waiter was very friendly and attentive. The crab cake size was not worth the price. The burgers were good. The braised short rib was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Onion Soup, Cornbread, Braised Short Ribs, Bacon Burger
Christian D.
Great old school New York vibe. Jazz combo, great steak, welcoming atmosphere, attentive staff, and music moderately priced. What more can you ask. We've been going there for more than 4 decades. I'm so glad it is what I remember.
RICK
One of our favorite restaurants in NYC -- Excellent food and wonderful service!! We requested a booth in advance and received it which made the evening even more special. Will definitely keep coming back -- Keep up the excellent work!!!
Peter
Excellent food and service as usual. The iceberg bleu wedge salad and the T-bone with mashed potato and creamed spinach are great! And the chocolate soufflé is wonderful. We return again and again. A staple in our stable of go-to restaurants.
montclairfoodie
My husband and I enjoyed our first time dining experience at the Knickerbocker! The host that greeted us was warm, friendly and made us feel welcome. He even quickly moved us from our original table to a lovely booth shortly after seating us without us even asking. We ordered the Tomahawk for one and 16 oz shell steak - both were well seasoned and had excellent flavor although the Tomahawk ordered medium rare was closer to medium. The sides of sauteed mushrooms, creamed spinach, and baked potato were delicious and portions were deceptively generous. The side of fries included with the 16 oz shell steak was disproportionately small however. Would have appreciated a couple of other green vegetable a la carte side options other than sauted or creamed spinach (e.g., green beans, asparagus, broccoli). I noticed a diner seated nearby had green beans with their entree but didn't see that as an a la carte side option. The jazz duet (piano and upright bass) was wonderful and really added to the ambience. Will definitely recommend Knickerbocker! One other comment: I'd made the reservation using a $25 Opentable reward (my first time doing so) and there was an issue with the app not being able to show the reward when we were paying the bill so they couldn't honor it. That wasn't their problem though, just disappointing re Opentable experience as I now need to track down getting that reward credited.
JamesN
We ended up not staying for our dinner—just had a drink. The friend we were to meet didn't show up, and despite many calls, she didn't respond. We became worried and anxious, and felt we needed to go and check on her well-being. All ended well—she had written it down on the wrong date. Staff was incredibly kind and sympathetic. One of my favorite places in the city.
I've been coming here with my boyfriend for years. I love jazz and it's great on the weekends however I don't appreciate the manager/hosts attitude the last few times I've been there. He's been very rude lately. Not how you treat regular customers that spend a lot of money there.
Tyler B.
This is one of my favorite restaurants. Amazing T-bone steak and fries. Great value and solid price when compared to other subpar competitors. The staff is also super friendly.
Sholom Ellenberg
Old-school NYC at its best. Great food and atmosphere. Stop by if you get the chance.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kelsey A
Kind service here! Very nice people and a clean, good atmosphere. But the food was disappointing. Got the beef stew and there was very little beef in it. I don't expect a full steak's worth but it was noticeably lacking. Loaded with vegetables but there was also very very little broth, maybe half a cup. I'd like to go back and try a steak dinner instead! Wine was just ok.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
HommePac
Great neighborhood and traditional NYC dining experience. The food and service is solid. Non pretentious and a very pleasant atmosphere. The T-bone steak dinner does the trick. The chocolate soufflé is worth the wait. Great date night experience too
Went here to celebrate Lou's birthday. We had a fantastic time. The server treated us like family, the vibe feels like historic NYC, the food is well worth the price. Our table ordered the classic knickerbocker 28 ounce steaks to share (with baked potato, mash potato and creamed spinach), tuna plates and off menu meatloaf special . We also had calamari, beet salad, cornbread and caviar pie appetizers. Everything was thoughtfully prepared and plated. I would love to come back on a jazz performance night. Highly recommend this place and well worth the price, especially for a special occasion.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: Knickerbocker Caviar Pie, Cornbread, Knickerbocker, Creamed Spinach, Onion Rings
Best bartenders in New York City had a great
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
This is a top-notch steakhouse, yes, but it's also one of a dying breed - the classic NY neighborhood restaurant, full of congenial regulars and general good cheer. The food is uniformly excellent; I've had some of the best steaks of my life here. Anything else you order will be great as well, though - the smoked salmon/latke appetizer, the Caesar salad, short ribs, the fried chicken special. You can't go wrong. The bar scene here is particularly cozy, mainly due to the personalities of the very, very talented bartenders: Fiona, Hazel and Norma. Order a martini - unlike a lot of overpriced restaurants in the Village (I could name names) you'll get a generous pour and a well-made drink. This is a restaurant that works equally well for a weekday dinner and a special occasion. There's jazz on Friday and Saturday nights and the dining room nevers gets too loud for conversation. The well-dressed John and Jake will greet you at the door and seat you like you're family. Go ahead, have another martini...Parking: You may be able to find street parking, but there are also parking garages on 9th between Broadway and University, and on 9th between University and 5th.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: BBQ St Louis Ribs, Cornbread, Braised Short Ribs, Southern Fried Chicken, Steak Frites, Creamed Spinach
I often order the hamburger. It's always been very consistent, except for the last 2 times I've eaten there - Both the fries and burger were not very good. When I dined there last night both the burger platter was excellent!
First time there. Was able to be seated right away. Our waiter was very friendly and attentive. The crab cake size was not worth the price. The burgers were good. The braised short rib was delicious.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Recommended dishes: French Onion Soup, Cornbread, Braised Short Ribs, Bacon Burger
Great old school New York vibe. Jazz combo, great steak, welcoming atmosphere, attentive staff, and music moderately priced. What more can you ask. We've been going there for more than 4 decades. I'm so glad it is what I remember.
One of our favorite restaurants in NYC -- Excellent food and wonderful service!! We requested a booth in advance and received it which made the evening even more special. Will definitely keep coming back -- Keep up the excellent work!!!
Excellent food and service as usual. The iceberg bleu wedge salad and the T-bone with mashed potato and creamed spinach are great! And the chocolate soufflé is wonderful. We return again and again. A staple in our stable of go-to restaurants.
My husband and I enjoyed our first time dining experience at the Knickerbocker! The host that greeted us was warm, friendly and made us feel welcome. He even quickly moved us from our original table to a lovely booth shortly after seating us without us even asking. We ordered the Tomahawk for one and 16 oz shell steak - both were well seasoned and had excellent flavor although the Tomahawk ordered medium rare was closer to medium. The sides of sauteed mushrooms, creamed spinach, and baked potato were delicious and portions were deceptively generous. The side of fries included with the 16 oz shell steak was disproportionately small however. Would have appreciated a couple of other green vegetable a la carte side options other than sauted or creamed spinach (e.g., green beans, asparagus, broccoli). I noticed a diner seated nearby had green beans with their entree but didn't see that as an a la carte side option. The jazz duet (piano and upright bass) was wonderful and really added to the ambience. Will definitely recommend Knickerbocker! One other comment: I'd made the reservation using a $25 Opentable reward (my first time doing so) and there was an issue with the app not being able to show the reward when we were paying the bill so they couldn't honor it. That wasn't their problem though, just disappointing re Opentable experience as I now need to track down getting that reward credited.
We ended up not staying for our dinner—just had a drink. The friend we were to meet didn't show up, and despite many calls, she didn't respond. We became worried and anxious, and felt we needed to go and check on her well-being. All ended well—she had written it down on the wrong date. Staff was incredibly kind and sympathetic. One of my favorite places in the city.
Restaurantji Recommends
I've been coming here with my boyfriend for years. I love jazz and it's great on the weekends however I don't appreciate the manager/hosts attitude the last few times I've been there. He's been very rude lately. Not how you treat regular customers that spend a lot of money there.
This is one of my favorite restaurants. Amazing T-bone steak and fries. Great value and solid price when compared to other subpar competitors. The staff is also super friendly.
Old-school NYC at its best. Great food and atmosphere. Stop by if you get the chance.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 5
Service: 5
Kind service here! Very nice people and a clean, good atmosphere. But the food was disappointing. Got the beef stew and there was very little beef in it. I don't expect a full steak's worth but it was noticeably lacking. Loaded with vegetables but there was also very very little broth, maybe half a cup. I'd like to go back and try a steak dinner instead! Wine was just ok.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 5
Great neighborhood and traditional NYC dining experience. The food and service is solid. Non pretentious and a very pleasant atmosphere. The T-bone steak dinner does the trick. The chocolate soufflé is worth the wait. Great date night experience too