Saro Bistro

The waiter ran in the street after us saying «I don’t care if you are Italian, but you left only 9% in tip, instead of 15%». He said he «didn’t care», but explained that in the US «things are like that».
Completely ruined our experience.
The food was fantastic, the owner is friendly, but the waiter completely rude.
Owner, despite you have great food, you need to teach your waiter manners. I’m sorry but we will never recommend your restaurant to any friend wanting to have a top notch Michelin brunch experience.

I’m going to say something crazy: this is my fave restaurant in NYC. I know, I know. Favorite? How’s that possible?
I believe in a cozy atmosphere, a friendly chef with funny stories, and amazing, rustic meals with good quality organic ingredients. Saro, you’re a winner.

What an AMAZING FIND in the LES!
Make sure to come a bit early for BRUNCH to avoid a wait. This place is tiny but I fell in LOVE with its rustic charm, adorable tea cups, and unique eats.
COMPLIMENTARY Krofne donut holes to start off our meal. Light, yeasty, and subtly sweet – these started off our meal on the right foot.
SARO BENEDICT aka NOT-​JUST-​YOUR-​NORMAL benedict – smoked hollandaise and short rib hash? Trust me when I say, TAKE IT SLOW bc you’re going to want to savor every bite before it’s all gone. The short ribs were tender and had a flavorful stewy taste – such a hearty pairing with the eggs.
Not to mention UNLTD COFFEE OR TEA with BRUNCH!
FYI CASH ONLY

Saro is a quaint, very charming little «Eastern European Balkan» bistro with amazing staff, a great menu, an attentive chef, and the tiniest coffee cups known to man.
Stopped in for brunch right around 11am on a Sunday with The Boy, so the wait was nonexistent. Seated, waited on, served very promptly. I had Satarash with a side of short rib hash and bacon. The Boy opted for the Saro benedict. While we waited, we were served freshly made donuts, and the coffee cups kept getting refilled unprompted (which was greatly appreciated, given their size).
The food is absolutely incredible. Whoever thought of combining braised ribs and home fries (I’ll give credit to the chef Eran Elhalal, just in case) is a no-​nonsense genius. The bacon was a perfect balance of chewy and crispy and oh so delicious. Satarash (a Shakshuka-​like dish that’s light on the tomatoes and heavy on the peppers and onions) was cooked to perfection. The freshly baked bread that came as a side perfectly complemented the saucy dish.
Overall, top marks. ¹⁰⁄₁₀ will return.

How did I not write a review of this place earlier?
I visited last summer with my vegetarian parents, and still remember every bit of our meals (because I stole bites from everyone’s plates):
— Satarash — parents’ favorite between this and the prebranac. delicious.
— Savory Pie — what I ordered. LOVED the kefir on the side. cleaned my plate.
— Prebranac — my dad’s dish. he loved it. didn’t talk, just ate.
All of these were amazing. Service was friendly and fast, and the décor with all the cute little china cups everywhere was adorable. Great, great brunch.

Can’t go wrong with anything here – been here for brunch and dinner, and they’re always a smashing time
Everything, from the perfect bistro ambiance, to the tiny glass vases especially made for taking brandy shots out of, to the server chick with sick tatts. Such a hidden gem during brunch hours because you won’t have to wait if you arrive before 1pm. For dinner you get seated right away too. Oh but wait, I hadn’t even gotten to the food yet!
Brunch: comes with unlimited coffee or tea, and delightful homemade donut holes – they come hot straight out of the oven and are perfectly airy and doughy. Crab cake benedict absolutely melts in your mouth, with perfectly poached eggs, and soft homemade bread underneath. Hollandaise sauce is right on point. Their vegetarian options look solid too
Dinner: they have a rabbit confit seasonally and you must order it if it’s available! The goulash is great, as well as the prebanac. Everything is so well thought out – each plate has a great balance of textures, flavors, and the different food groups. Some greens come on the side so you won’t even have to worry about not eating healthy!
Oh and if you’re really going for a fancy date night, this is perfect, as it’s right above The Back Room speakeasy, so you don’t have to go far for post-​dinner drinks

Get to the Chase:
Pros:
1) Lovely people and fantastic service
2) Entrees at brunch come with 1 freshly made hot doughnut!
3) Unlimited Café or Tea with any entrée
4) You’ll find fresh, intense, and well-​balanced meals here. Everything is made by the chef from scratch (none of that frozen, chemically-​treated, or short-​cut nonsense). It’s all that goodness that makes every morsel delectable! YUMS
5) The ambiance is very relaxed and almost transports you to a rustic and cozy café in Europe
6) Very affordable! 5 entrees, coffee, 1 rib hash side order (which was amazing by the way) with 20% gratuity was $ 23 per person (party of 5)! Will be coming here many more times!
Cons:
1) Don’t take reservations
2) Only subway close by was the J, M, Z, but that was down for the weekend –_​– luckily it was a cool breezy and sunny day so the 20 minute meandering was not too bad (and there are plenty of great eateries and bars with happy hours.
3) The peasant entrée was nothing special (eggs, bacon and toast)
*NOTE: Better for small groups or couples; Must have entire party present in order to seat. Highly recommended to go off-​peak times or to beat the crowd.

Love, history, stories, authenticity, creativity, and expertise all swirl together into boisterous decadence inside this intimate LES restaurant. Get there yesterday already…
Saro is on three specials lists for me: one of my delightful Cara A evenings; the lone place my husband and I visited for dinner during his too-​short visit; and therefore one of the mere three places I visited twice during my month in the city — too perfect not to return for a reprise.
Small spaces can be cramped, or they can be intimate in a civilized manner; Saro is the latter. The detailed décor, from teacups to the hand-​painted walls to artifacts you might find in a grandmother’s kitchen invite you to experience your evening as if a visitor in someone’s tiny dining room. And oh, how lucky to be such a visitor! Meet Jackie, your sprightly and perfect hostess-​maven. And Eran, your brilliantly talented and precise chef-​translator, feeding you dishes you might never have heard of or known about but which make you suddenly think about plans to embark on a tasting tour of the Balkans (if only you could be sure the food would be as transporting as what’s on the plate in front of you).
Or you could instead spend your money (cash only here) on trying everything on the menu; between my two visits, and eating everyone else’s food, I was nearly able to do so. A smattering…
Burratina: mozzarella stuffed with ricotta. STUFFED. And tomatoes and basil, but just think about the ricotta. Cheese, in cheese, for a light pillowy round of sheer bliss.
Frog legs: if you love them, get these. Savory-​sweet, tiny but meaty.
Sir palacinke: crêpe-​like, with more ricotta (!) and zucchini, covered in savory crumbs for a plateful of perfection. So good that I almost ordered this on my return visit after having sampled Cara’s the first time.
Rabbit duo (which might be gone for the summer): two-​way rabbit, tender, with oh-​so-​perfect red cabbage for a deeply sophisticated dinner. And since I’m a deeply sophisticated diner, this was my choice on my first visit (on Eran’s suggestion, since I prefer to be told by the chef what to eat).
On my second visit I ordered the fish of the day, which I highly recommend doing if the preparation is even remotely enticing to your palate. I don’t remember what the fish itself was, but I do remember the fluffy (turnip?) purée on which it rested: gently sweet, a lovely counterpart to the bright acidity of the aivar (a classic red pepper and eggplant relish), which appears in and on several dishes and isn’t to be missed. It was one of those plates where every lift of the fork brought delight and a smile.
Then there’s dessert. The fried bliss of doughnuts, or the chocolate Jacqueline; all sexy and smooth, one of those simple desserts where you taste chocolate and only chocolate and the quality of ingredients shines through unsullied. As it must, being so elemental. There’s more too, but I only had so few stomachs and so little time…
I haven’t even mentioned the wine! Amazing; if you haven’t been fortunate enough to be in front of the wave of Balkan imports, get on it now before it crests in price and popularity. There’s truly lovely wine, and Saro chooses excellently. If it isn’t too busy, you should ask more about the vineyards from whence they come; biodynamic is trendy in the States, but in many smaller villages it’s just what’s done and has been done forever, and the quality shows in the glass.
Finish with a round of rakja (fruit brandy); you’ll learn the important skill of being able to use your teeth to hold the little glass as you throw your head back in delight. No other feeling is quite so appropriate…

I really cannot rave about this place enough. Whatever I write here will not do it justice.
A group of six of us went out for Jennifer S.‘s birthday, and we all had a good time.
It starts with the awesome, home-​y vibe of the place and the attentive nature of the single waitress and the chef, who came out multiple times to chat with us. It’s hard to find a place like this in New York anymore! The décor was very cute, too.
All of the food we got was superb. The burratina is a must for anyone who even remotely likes cheese. The skate, duck, and special pasta (with amazing spicy sausage) were all excellent. Flavors were well matched and not over-​powering. And you knew great care went into each of the dishes.
Dessert was the donuts, a 150 year old recipe with amazing orange preserves, and the chocolate cake, which was more like a torte and full of yum.
Great place for a date or a group. If you’re looking for something special and different, this is a great option.

ETHNIC brunch at a cute Balkan joint!
we came early on a Sunday to avoid a long wait, but the place was luckily not packed, score!
–Free bottomless caffe vita coffee or a pot of tea w/​brunch double SCORE
–Free Krofne cake-​like donut w/​brunch triple SCORE
–Smoked Sea bass salad with poached egg: MMm like a kale salad
–Saro crab cake Benedict. Yummy cooked greens & crab cakes! eggs were perfectly poached but I could have done w/​o the pumpkin purée, it was so filling!
cute table wear & tea cups! I would be interested in trying dinner
NOTE: Cash only & they have some outdoor seating

Things you must eat:
Crab Cakes
Pork Shank
Sirloin Meat Pie
Doughnuts
Crepes w/​ricotta cheese & apple reduction
Turkish Coffee
Yep, I just named everything I had, and I wish I had ordered more. The place is tiny, but it might be one of the greatest places I’ve eaten in New York City. It takes a lot to say that, but this place was that impressive.
The waitress was incredibly knowledgable of the menu and history of the food being prepared. It felt like we were eating at someone’s home rather than in a restaurant. In this neighborhood, this is a fantastic option and I plan on visiting again soon.

Delicious little spot. It’s quaint, and the staff is welcoming. Only a few tables, and when I went it was an odd time, around 3pm so no one was there. They have about 2 tables outside which will be fantastic when the weather gets warmer.
Food-​wise, I was extremely impressed. I got the crab cake benedict, and it was both filling and delicious. It’s not on a typical english muffin but their homemade bread. They also give homemade donuts before your food — which melted in your mouth!
Tea comes in cute little cups.
I’d definitely want to check it out for dinner!
It’s a go!

Saro Bistro is everything you want in a dinner and more!
The space is small, but has big character! The staff, including the chef/​owner, is super friendly and they are proud of their food and the culture that goes along with that food.
The food was AMAZING. I didn’t want to stop eating! We started with the savory pie of the day, which included minced meat wrapped in flakey pastry and topped with «vegetable caviar» (finely chopped, but not pureed, roasted red pepper and eggplant). We were also treated to the Burratina… fresh mozz stuffed with ricotta, heirloom tomato, basil, olive oil salad. It was heavenly — so fresh with a beautiful blend of flavors. As an entrée, I ordered their vegetable «crêpe,» which also deserves a gold star for creating a perfect blend of fresh ingredients to make magic in your mouth!
We were too full for dessert but I’m definitely excited to go back and try the other inspiring items on the menu.

Ok second time coming, a bit better from the first time.
After ordering the Saro Benedict last time, I ordered it again. They didn’t have short rib hash the day I went, but it substituted with pork hash. Knowing the eggs are cooked in a way that it’s pretty much raw from the last time I went, I asked them to be cooked medium-​well done this time around.
The Benedict was done to perfection this time around. Too bad they didn’t have short rib hash this time. The short rib hash definitely tasted better and it was way more flavorful the first time I went. This time it came with a little more bacon and a bigger slice of pork belly. I don’t remember getting a slice of pork belly last time, but it was pretty soft and moist.
Also ordered the pie of the day. When I think of pie I think about chicken pot pie. When it came, it looked so dry and the portion looked so small. But as you eat it, it gets pretty filling. I think there was feta cheese or some kind of cheese in there. It was a very different from the kind of pie you normally eat. Pie came with some collards, salsa, and a shot of yogurt. The yogurt was supposed to cleanse you after finishing your meal, but it was way too sour for my taste buds.
Service again was very good and attentive. I must say brunch here is kinda worth it, for the price of $ 12– $ 15 depending on what you order, it comes with bottomless coffee, and a fresh hot donut. Dinner menu looks good, but it was a bit pricey. I wish I had brought the groupon awhile back so I can try out their dinner menu.
They only accepted cash my second time coming, Booo! They accepted card the first time I went, but money is money. I’m just glad I had some in my pocket to pay for my meal. I almost didn’t notice the small cash only sign in the front. Maybe their system was broken that day, not too sure if it’s a new permanent thing. Best to ask and check before you go.
During my meal, another customer had to visit the bathroom. She tried to force the door open, and the waitress told her someone is in there. A minute later, she attempted to open the door and it was locked… then she pulled really hard and pretty much broke the lock and embarrassed whoever was in there already. WTF? She must’ve wanted to go really bad. The chef/​owner Eran looked pretty pissed when she broke the door and ran off. It was pretty amusing watching this all unravel and made my brunch very entertaining. Yes I laugh at people, who doesn’t…
So I got an answer about my mysterious short rib hash from the first time I asked to doggy bag it. Chef Eran responded back and the waitress did indeed dump my precious hash into the trash, and the he made me fresh batch. Very nice of the Chef to do that, props to you!

Came here for Sunday brunch one day and I Ieft a satisfied customer. This is a Bosnian/​Balkan themed café that’s tiny but cozy and pleasant inside. It’s got an old school décor which I enjoyed and our waitress was super friendly. I got the eggs Benedict (which comes with free coffee and a hot donut appetizer) that had pork belly hash on the side… Wowzers was my meal good! I left full and excited about writing a glowing review for Saro.
Lastly, the prices are very reasonable but leave your major credit cards at home… Cash only.

I love me some good rabbit. And Saro Bistro makes some DELICIOUS rabbit. It comes two ways on the same dish:
1. Legs braised in some sort of BBQ sauce.
2. The loin wrapped in bacon, and sliced into tiny little round bites that I would fight an NFL lineman for. I’d probably lose, but if he took pity on me and allowed my nurse to blend up one bite of it (with the discs of crispy potato and cabbage that it’s served over) and spoonfeed it to me through my broken face, it would still be worth it. I guess I don’t know why I’d have to fight for it when I could just come into Saro again and pay for it. And I’m not sure how we got so off track, but the point is I really like that rabbit.
I really like Saro too. It’s a small, friendly joint. The type of family place where the only woman sitting at the (3-​seat) bar is actually an employee on her day off, but will gladly tell you all about the menu. The recipes are apparently handed down from previous generations, and although the options aren’t extensive, they’ve got everything you need.
And by that I mean they have booze, a short but excellent bottled beer list, a meat pie of the day and that rabbit. That’s all I’ll ever need.

Saro Bistro is a cozy nook hidden in the Lower East Side, brimming with charm and cozy intimate affairs. The fiancé and I stopped in for dinner spontaneously after finding the reviews on Unilocal.Saro Bistro is a bit off the beaten path and only seats about 25 people, but the quality is top notch.
The chef learned all of his recipes from his Balkan grandmother. Her legacy lives on through antique plates and gold stencil work decorating the walls. A tall bookshelf overflows with bar supplies and pickled vegetables. And the tables are rustic and cozy. I was glad that the restaurant was only 50% occupied — it made our spontaneous date feel extra special, as if the place was reserved for us. The noise level was just right. The service was hospitable and friendly without being overbearing. The chef and hostess warmly greeted regulars and sat down for drinks with them.
The food was spectacular. We ordered the cingi lingi (mussel and fish stew) and the cevapici sandwich. (The fiancé recently discovered cevapi in Astoria and loves the stuff.) The bowl was overflowing with mussels (I literally dropped a few by accident as they rolled off the bowl). The seafood was exceptionally fresh and cooked just right (mussels are terrible if overcooked). The broth was flavorful and delicate and perfect with the crusty bread on the side. The cevapi were the best, juiciest hand rolled beef kebabs I’ve had. The sandwich was stuffed to the brim and graced with just enough onion and relish. The decadent apple strudel was drizzled with apple honey over the lightest phyllo dough. I don’t know how they made the apple butter/​syrup on the side, but it was magnificent.
I would highly recommend Saro for an intimate quiet date. The price point is just right and the portions generous enough to share.

As the temperature drops in NYC, there is no better place to warm yourself than with a stroll down to this hidden gem on the LES.
Sip rakija with your hostess (splurge on the nice stuff, it’s worth it) (a traditional Balkan drink, originating from the Turkish ‘lion’s milk’ cuz of the courage it instills… like the courage to battle through another SnowPocalypse in lower Manhattan)
Enjoy the authentic Balkan ambiance (music, art, maps, dinnerware).
And oh right, the best food for cold weather. savory, wholesome, just like grandma used to makes it (if you were, say part Croatian). The rabbit duo is a MUST, as is the 12-​hour braised short ribs (on a bed of their amazing red cabbage side), and look into the daily savory pie and the fish (we loved both).
Intimate experience for a date, double date, or friends (but no more than 4 people). the place only holds 20 if you include the bar.

Reviews are strictly based on BRUNCH:
This is a really small spot located at lower east side. If I did not Unilocal it, I will not know Saro Bistro exist. I am serious. It’s like a hole in a wall spot. They can only fit 25 people in the restaurant. and they DON’T TAKE RESERVATION for brunch!!! Keep in mind!
Ordered the Saro Crab Cake benedict. Unlike other benedict with hollandaise. The crab cake benedict replace the hollandaise with pumpkin purée. Wow. I love it so much. the poach eggs were cooked so well and the crab cake was delicious. The pumpkin purée added the sweetness to it. which I LOVE IT.
Friend ordered the sea bass green salad. it’s almost the same as the benedict besides that it doesn’t have a potato pancake or a bread with it… It’s pretty much healthy because it’s a salad. I will usually imagine my brunch with SMOKE SALMON. but here at Saro they served it with SMOKE SEA BASS. It’s really good.
Brunch came with a piece of homemade donut and a cup of coffee or tea. The mini donuts were great.
Service was friendly and excellent. My coffee will not be empty and same goes to my water.

Saro was definitely an interesting experience. I made a reservation for six a few weeks in advance due to what I had read in the Unilocal reviews.
The place is tiny! You could fit maybe 25 people in there comfortably. Maybe 30 if they weren’t that comfortable. We had six people at two tables. Thighs were all a-​touchin (not in a good way), and we gave our waitress all of our excess plates and decorative items to take away.
That said, it’s also a very cool and unique atmosphere. All the plates look like antiques and the flatware doesn’t match. There are tea kettles and mason jars everywhere, and they write their daily specials on a plate hanging on the wall. I loved the décor.
For our starter, we had the Taste of the Pantry. It came with all sorts of stuff– prosciutto, sausage, cheeses, corn fritters… all were great. A large platter was definitely enough for six people to share.
For my entrée, I had the lamb shoulder. Our lovely waitress told us that it was one of the two things that weren’t Balkan-​inspired (along with the short ribs). But then she told us they only had one order of lamb shoulder left, and when someone tells you that, you order it.
The skin was crispy and the meat was tender and juicy. There was also a good amount of it. Between the Pantry and the lamb, I was definitely full. A couple of beers didn’t hurt either! Golden Pheasant and the Session Black were my favorites there.
The food service was a bit slow, though. Luckily, we welcomed the wait since we set aside 2 hours to eat. Another waitress gave us a round of shots on the house served out of these tiny potion bottles to make up for our food taking so long, which was pretty cool of them.
We also had two orders of doughnuts, and asked them if they had any candles, and they came back out with them a few minutes later. Then everyone in the restaurant helped us sing happy birthday to our friends. It was a really nice moment to cap off a great meal.