The National Bar and Dining Rooms

Underwhelming and honestly, sloppy. Living on the upper easy side, I often pass The National and finally made a point to check it out last night. Although I love Geoffrey Zakarian on all things TV/​media, I could not have been more dispointed. Sitting at the bar with my friend, we had a hard time narrowing down the apps selection but finally settled on the cauliflower dish. Bad choice. It’s odd oder combined with the missing goat cheese and jalapeño caused us to kindly send back (something we’ve NEVER done). Enjoying our cocktails (good selection) and still starving, we went in for another try and ordered the charcuterie and steak tartar. Although the charcuterie was decent, the steak tartar is what tipped us straight to Unilocal (again, another first). Wet, sloppy and soaked w/​what could be called a mayo — mustard combo, it was a mess. If this dish was on Chopped or any other cooking challenge it would have sent someone packing. Two outta three fails = disappointment. Think next time I’ll keep walking and go to Lexington Bar and Brass. Bad news.

The pork belly Eggs Benedict was delicious… as were the cheesy grits. My wife’s goat cheese omelette was not quite average, but it’s an omelette. They sat us in a fairly uncomfortable spot under the stairs. We’re both quite tall, and we had to duck into it. We also read the other comments about slow service, which we would agree with. However, we weren’t in a rush, so we didn’t mind.

Made a reservation here using opentable for a dinner with a work colleague. Unfortunately, it wasn’t clear on opentable that our reservation would be for the bar area and not the main dining room — make sure you confirm that before going!
I made the mistake of not checking, so our meal was cramped on a small wooden table next to the bar. The service was *incredibly* slow and largely uninformed — my (German) colleague asked for a description of one of the beers, and all he got it response was «it’s an ale.»
One redeeming feature: the food was really good… If only our table had been large enough to give us a bit of elbow room to use our cutlery rather than pantomiming T-Rex’s through dinner…
I think the service and ambiance in the main dining room is better, but I would avoid the bar room.

The BEST pork chop I ever had! I’ve had grits in the past and thought they were horrible so I wasn’t too excited when I saw that it came with my chop. But when I tasted it, I was instantly hooked. Absolutely creamy and delicious. And the candied garlic on top of the chop is to die for. Dessert was a delightful mocha praline sundae which was insanely good. I am DEFINITELY going back here. I was always a fan of Chef Zakarian on tv and I’m an even bigger fan now!

A colleague of mine and I had brunch here today — Friday. She got the Portebella Mushroom Sandwich — OMG — excellent.
We got there early enough that I could still order off of the breakfast menu — and I got the Croque Madame — awesome! We were so thrilled. It was worth the reasonable price. Also — my cappuccino was full-​bodied and smooth.

Wow! Tantalizing and energizing. The food was out of this world, service divine and energy eclectic. We sampled the meatballs, Ugly Burger and Braised Short Ribs and each were a treat for the tastebuds. Must order: Side Kick Margarita and Black Currant Ginger Mojito. There’s a reason this is one of the top 50 restaurants in NYC. Make it a Must Do!

The national is one of iron chef geffory zakarins places that is located on 50^th and Lexington. The easiest way to find the national is to look for the Benjamin hotel. National is attached to the hotel. There is a secret private entrance from the Benjamin to the national. I’m not going to tell you my secrets. But you can ask a manager at the front desk. One of the main reasons I like the national is its on my way walking from the UES to grand central. I can stop for a quick drink or a cup of tea.
The national does not have a big menu but the food that they put out is very good and tasteful. I recommend making reservations for breakfast lunch and dinner. Lunch is around $ 20 PP. dinner is around $ 30 per person not including alcohol. The breakfast and lunch menu is separate from the dinner menu. In my opinion the best thing on the menu at the national is the ugly burger. Pickled jalapeños and NTL sauce baby lettuce House made pickles all for $ 19 + $ 2 for bacon which is house cured. This burger is great for the price. I have had it 3 times. I highly recommend the burger. The salmon dinner is very good and the salmon salad had a ton of salmon inside.
The ambience at the national is nice. There are checkerboard floors and during the holidays x mas lights by the bar and wreaths in the Windows. You could definitely take a date here but it’s a bit too noisy if you want to have a convo. At dinner time they do put a candle at your table. The mood here is very nice it’s not to dark that you can’t see the menu but it’s not to light that your not comfy. It’s set just right. You can take a date here, I’m sure she would love it. Just keep in mind the noise and don’t be surprised if someone is speaking another language at the table next to you.
The national has a very good alcohol selection. On each table there’s a little card with the signature drinks. Signature drinks are $ 15 A drink. I think this is very reasonably priced especially in Midtown where most of the drinks are $ 19-​$ 20. I have had the midtown Manhattan and it was pretty good. The bar area is interesting. At the left side of the bar you will see locals reading the newspaper and relaxing. On the right side of the bar it seemed to me like it was mostly people that were staying at the hotel or they were just grabbing a quick drink.
The servers are great here very tentative. The bartenders on the other hand have been hit or miss. I don’t sit at the bar anymore. I will ask for a table and just have the server bring me a drink. My issue was a 1 time deal I have eaten in here multiple times and have never had a issue. I have been back since my issue and everything has been fantastic. This story does not reflect my review rating.
I asked one day for a double of brudaladdie 16 yr single malt please. I was at the national a few days before and had the drink. The bar tender told me scotch doesn’t have a vintage which one would you like. I replied I know but last time I was here I had the 16. He replied scotch doesn’t have a year it’s not wine. So I pointed to the bottle that said that bottle with the 16yr on it. He gave me the drink seemed annoyed and told me wine has a year. I was a little annoyed I wanted to just put $ 50 on the bar and leave. I never get embarrassed easily but as he was bickering with me people were looking and my friend was laughing because he knows I’m really into scotch. Also the glass had water stains on it. I’m not saying the bartender gave me a water stained glass on purpose but… Sometimes I wonder. So if I go here to grab a drink. I get a table and have the waitress bring me a drink. I have been back and the service has been great no issues.
Overall the national is a solid place to eat breakfast lunch dinner or to grab a drink. I highly recommend the ugly burger. It’s close to grand central. Staff is nice. The private entrance is fantastic if your a local. I recommend the national. I will continue to go back.
PROS:
— close to grand central
— I have never had a bad meal here
— staff is tentative

We came for breakfast and enjoyed everything we had. It was pricey but worth it for the best croque Madame I’ve ever had.

Still a fan of apps and entrees but not so much the dessert :(No more crème brûlée and hard profiteroles and lemon tart
BUT I would go back for charred/​grilled octopus and short ribs, chicken. The pork chop was well liked but compared to the other two mains, it tasted a bit dry.
The wedge salad takes a lot better than it looks – probably best wedge salad I’ve had.
Good for a pre-​theater meal (one that brought in the New Year!)

We ate here last time we stayed at the Benjamin Hotel. Breakfast was amazing, easily one of the best I’ve had in recent memory. Mushroom omelette with caramelized shallots, spinach and Parmigiano Reggio, thick cut bacon, fruit salad with a refreshing ginger lime treatment, coffee with rich flavor… all seriously good and in my opinion worth the premium price. Plus, it’s New York. You really can’t be shocked at $ 16 eggs.
One crappy downside I have to mention was that the staff threw away our breakfast after we stepped out to the bathroom. We just got our food and took a few bites when my 4 year old decided that we need to take a bathroom break. Since I was doing some solo parenting, I need to take all the kids to the can and leave the table unpopulated. However, we left our jackets and bag there, and of course, the nearly full meal we were just served. We go, come back, and of course, all the food is gone. When I explained it to the manager they sent out another meal toot sweet. Still, it was a boneheaded mistake for them to make in the first place.
That aside, great breakfast spot. Well worth trying!

The national just keeps getting better and better. I’ve been here probably 10 times. Today was the most recent time and the best so far. I started going here when I moved to the city a year and a half ago.
I needed to make a last minute reservation at 11am on a saturday and found that the national had a reservation for 5 available literally 30 min later.
I’ve had everything here from the spinach and mushroom omelette, to the pork belly bennedict, to the house made granola, to the short rib biscuits and gravy. Everything is delicious. Plus potatoes to die for.
They also have great coffee and their bar is pretty good as well.
This time we had the apple walnut pancakes and the smoked salmon benedict (not on the menu). Both were very good. But let me tell you the eggs benny was some of the best I’ve had in the city. The hollandaise sauce is superb. Its got scallions it in which really makes a difference.
Can’t wait to find myself at The National again soon. Thanks for creating such a cozy and delicious brunch spot Geoffrey Zakarian!

I have been here numerous times and the food is always enjoyable (favorite breakfast is the huevos rancheros), but the service is consistently bad. I have finally realized the bad service is not just a fluke, but an ongoing issue, so I will not be making reservations here again. The hostesses have a hard time managing busy check-​in times and keep people waiting several minutes until they’re seated. The waiters are very veeeeery slow, never check on your table, in one instance never brought something I ordered, in another instance brought me curdled milk for my coffee, and twice today the busboy tried to clear away a nearly full pot of coffee from our table even though we said we were still drinking it.

Yikes! What a bad experience at The National. I can’t believe a star chef attaches his name to this place. I didn’t exactly have lofty expectations before the meal. Midtown East isn’t lighting the culinary (NYC) world on fire.
I ordered that kale salad which was a bunch of lettuce and hardly any of the other things listed in dish description. The lettuce leaves were so large it was hanging off the china. The waiter upsold me on some grilled chicken which I thought would be cut up and incorporated into the dish but instead I was served a massive and flavorless chicken breast thrown on the side of the bowl as an after throught. Everyone else at the table ordered burgers which were delievered incorrecly made. All of our fries were cold. I ordered another app that I can’t remember. It’s probably because I am trying to forget such a sub par dining experience.

I only come here for breakfast. It’s a good space for early morning meetings. It’s a nice sit down spot, with pretty good eggs.
I wish they brought out a bigger container of coffee, as soon as they bring it out you immediately need to pour it and flag the waiter down for more. The wait staff is so so, a little snooty.
Make reservations for peak times.

Go somewhere else for breakfast. Horrible service. Cold coffee. Every other table empty with dishes everywhere — staff completely checked out. Good thing it was not expensive — oh wait! It was. Go elsewhere.

Maybe my expectations were too high? We stayed at the hotel and I’ll save the for another review.
We sat tat the bar and waited for our guests to arrive. Bar keeps were very nice. Ordered two martini’s and they came in daiquiri glasses? Really? That’s bush league.
So we sat down for dinner. Service was fine. Ordered wine. Very nice however second bottle was warm! Cheese plate was very good. nobody liked the soup. The food was just eh. Nothing special at all. Other items ordered were, the chicken, wedge salad, Salmon, steak tartatre. Nothing stood out.
With so many choices in the area we were not happy with our choice. We won’t be back.

Great lunch or dinner spot. MKe a reservation (we didn’t) but got a nice corner spot at the bar — great wait staff, burgers and salads.

Came here last winter with my sister and we were not impressed by the food. Normally, I am not into western breakfast. However, I had one of the most amazing breakfast 2 days ago at The National.
Ordered:
Croque madame– cheese melted with turkey ham sandwich top with sunny side egg dressed with truffle monay sauce. The truffle monay sauce was breath taking.
Egg white frattata– just ok. No special.
Service was attentive (just nice)
Overall: 3

Not bad, not great.
Kind of what you expect given the location and being in a hotel which is unfortunate.
What’s the deal with playing up with the chef Geoffrey Zakarian? No offense to the guy but given the website you would think he is Thomas Keller or Mario Batali. The National needs to focus on the food not trying to crown the next celebrity chef. If the food is good the fame will follow.
I had the burger because I am a big burger guy. Decent burger but lay off the seasoning (aka salt) on the fries!
I am hopeful for the resurrection of solid midtown options but this place needs to improve or take a hike.

Cheese board, chicken wings and wine were delicious. My first visit came after a long day at work and my friend and I did not have a large appetite so we ordered 2 items from the bar snacks and a few glasses of wine. Initially we wanted the meat balls but they had run out so we got the wings. I am a lover of all great cheese and the selection they provided was fantastic. The chicken wings were savory, moist and saucy. I normally dislike ginger but i could hardly taste the ginger in their ginger sesame sauce so I was a fan. If you strangely like the taste of ginger (I know I’m part of the few that don’t) then prepare yourself to miss the ginger taste (which the absence of makes the dish taste better so don’t fret).
When I came back a second time I had the pork chop with a side of polenta that was very good too. The pork chop was cooked well and tender. The polenta was delicious and probably one of the best I’ve had. My friend ordered the salmon and she liked it very much as well.
Both times I came without a reservation and was seated fairly quickly. Although I did go during the weekday so I bet the weekends you’ll need a reservation to avoid a long wait time.
The staff were polite and made sure our wine glasses were always filled. The atmosphere is nice and not too loud so conversation is easily had. The dim lighting is pleasant but with my terrible eyesight it was hard to read the menu at one of the tables.
When I’m in town again I’ll probably want to try other restaurants I’ve never had but I will make it back here eventually.