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Essence Asian Fusion Restaurant Photos

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Recommended Reviews - Essence

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Vegetable roll
Talia D.

I just visited Essence on Saturday evening and wanted to share some feedback because I genuinely think this place has potential. They've only been open about three weeks, and I always try to keep that in mind when reviewing a new spot. The atmosphere feels like it could turn into a great destination for drinks and nightlife. I can absolutely see this becoming a place people go to socialize, have cocktails, and enjoy the lounge vibe. The manager on site was attentive and clearly trying to address issues when they came up, and our waitress even offered complimentary drinks, which I appreciated. That said, the experience on the food and service side felt like it still needs work. The restaurant wasn't full, but the kitchen seemed backed up and struggling to keep up. Orders appeared to be taken from memory rather than written down or entered into a device, and that led to mistakes. I specifically asked for a Tiger Roll without sauce and it arrived drenched in it, and when we asked for soy sauce it never came. The sushi itself was just okay, and the dumplings were cold and tasted frozen. The manager did replace them, but the second round was still cold and heavily covered in sauce with a very strong lemongrass seasoning that overpowered the dish. It left me with the impression that freshness and consistency need attention. I also found the menu a bit confusing because it leans heavily toward Asian options while the overall vibe of the space feels more Mediterranean hookah lounge, and aligning those might strengthen the concept. There were a few other things that stood out during the visit. The restroom was flooded, possibly from a plumbing issue, and the mandatory coat check was unexpected. Small details like TVs showing sports at the bar could also enhance the experience and keep guests engaged. Overall, I believe Essence could grow into a strong nightlife spot, but at this point I would come back more for drinks and the atmosphere than for the food. I'm rooting for them to work through the early challenges and would be open to giving it another try down the line.

Inside
Ashley S.

With sincerity, I would never go back here ever....ever again. Very unprofessional (manager smoking hookah), poorly staffed, lack of order, chaotic scene. The food was below a 1 star, to be honest. Lacks flavor, smushy rice, cold, and poor options, just never again. The only thing of the night that was good, was our sweet server who was trying to do her best, waiting, serving, bussing, etc. From the mandated $10 coat, the freezing cold shared men and woman's bathroom in which I was forced to leave because the males had to use, to cold food coming out, 2 hour + wait for food, to my dinner table not being served all at the same time, etc was a pure disaster. I would give this restaurant a 1 star, but I want to give mercy, because at the end of the day, any infrastructure can improve but please, if your going to have a business do it right. Don't charge people x amounts of $$ when there is an over focus on ambiance and the look vs the quality of the service. PLEASE!

Tiger roll
Aditya S.

This restaurant lounge in Astoria that just opened a few weeks ago delivers Miami night life energy to help cure the winter blues. The chic and spacious interior is thoughtfully designed with rich emerald green hues, glowing geometric ceiling lights, and crystal chandeliers. The tropical themed cocktails were strong and well prepared. They had a belly dancer and a bumping playlist to create a lively party atmosphere. The Latin style sushi rolls were a hit especially the tiger roll. There were some delays in bringing out the food so the accommodating hostess comped us with extra sushi rolls and tequila shots. Definitely a great place to catch a vibe.

Chocolate cake
Jennifer L.

Was invited to this event through a friend. Beautiful ambiance. Great DJ. All types of music. Hookah and food available. Food is halal. They offer alcoholic and non alcoholic drinks. We had an issue with the bill - but the owner adjusted it graciously. A fun new spot to try while in the area.

Dragon roll
Tania K.

For a birthday celebration, we reserved Essence at Steinway St. As you walk in, you are required to do a coat check for $10 per person. You are welcomed from the entrance to a gorgeous restaurant. If you come before 7pm and place your order before then, you get 50% off (happy hour). We had just missed happy hour as we were there by 7 but ordered a few min after. We had a hiccup with our first waitress and the owner Salman personally came and apologized for her behavior. He was really cool and we were taken care of because of him. We had 2 afghani servers that helped us too - They were so sweet. I really liked how all the girls were dressed in black with gold jewelry on. The food was okay. The Tiger roll was the best item we got. Prices are expensive compared to other places in the area. The drinks were good $14 each. I enjoyed the belly dancer for entertainment. The girls bought out a cake, which was tasty and for the birthday request it was $25. Overall a good place for a one time birthday dining experience.

Essence

I absolutely love it! the ambiance is so gorgeous and the staff are beautiful both inside and outside. The drinks are made with love for sure and they are very tasty. I had 2 Mi Rosita and a Lychee which were both great. The food is absolutely amazing and they cater to those who have a shellfish allergy which is very important for me. The owner is very welcoming and attentive to his staff and Guest. I will definitely be coming back and this looks like this will be my new favorite spot. I believe everyone should come out and experience the ambiance and the great food.

Pepper chicken which tasted like lean cuisine.
Jillian M.

The ambiance is beautiful and the sushi was great. But.....the FOOD itself was bland, cool upon arrival, and honestly not good. It was disappointing because they have a great space and potential. However, it felt as if it was more about the visual of the space and not the dining experience. It took forever to get some of our food. Unfortunately some of the food tasted like it was frozen and reheated.

Latasha M.

1st time here amazingggggggg!!!! Great food, drinks,hookah and music! And let's not forget about Pollin.... dope hostess! I will definitely be back!

Prefix menu for valentine's day

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Ask the Community - Essence

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Altamirano's Italian Ristorante - Oysters & caviar

Altamirano's Italian Ristorante

4.4(39 reviews)
1.9 mi•Upper East Side, Yorkville

If you live on the UES this family-owned restaurant is a must visit! It's located at the old Cacio…read morePepe on 78th and York and arguably the best Italian restaurant in the UES. As soon as you walk in, you're greeted by an incredible staff - Danny, Victor, Luis, and Alex are all warm and personable. They did a fantastic job transforming the inside, creating a cozy/chic atmosphere. You can pop in for flavorful cocktails at the bar or enjoy a 10/10 dinner. If you're looking for food, I'd recommend: - The brussels sprouts - great reduction/marinade with a tiny bit of spice - The short rib with demi-glaze over a bed of mashed potatoes is my favorite item on the menu - The chicken parm is delicious and a huge portion - 4 of the 6 people in our party ordered lasagna and agree it needs to become a staple on the menu - Lastly.. The bread pudding. You won't find a better bread pudding in all of NYC. The vanilla bean ice cream is placed on top of "fresh out the oven" cinnamon bread drizzled with raisins and caramel. You guys are awesome - thank you!

I went to this Italian restaurant with one of the many groups I attend dinners with. The staff was…read morefriendly, and the atmosphere was nice, with plenty of people inside along with our large group. The menu isn't the largest, but they gave a long list of specials on a separate menu. The specials don't have their price listed, which made it a bit awkward ordering, as I asked about a bunch of the main dishes, which were all apparently $50 to $60. In terms of drinks, we split a large selection of BYOB as per the group. I decided to go with an appetizer and pasta. However, in retrospect, I probably should have gotten the Branzino Alla Livornese, or another fish dish as my main dish, or skipped the appetizer entirely and ordered one of the expensive fish dishes. My appetizer was the pretty good Polpette for $14, listed as homemade meatballs, tomato sauce, and shaved parmesan cheese. This came with several small soft meatballs with a decently flavored tomato sauce. I slightly prefer other spots, which gave larger meatballs as they have more texture, but they were fine, and the number of them makes it so you can split this dish. This was good enough. My main dish, rather regrettably, was the $26.95 Tagliatelle Ai Funghi with shiitake, cremini, portobello, oysters, and marsala wine. The portion was decent, and the pasta was decently cooked, though slightly soft for my liking. There was a good amount of mushrooms, which paired well with the very typical wine sauce, but there was another major issue with said sauce. The dish contained many sprigs of charred aromatics mixed among the sauce and mushrooms, which were presumably thyme, judging by the earthy aftertaste. The charred pieces overwhelmed the delicate flavor of the sauce and the pasta, also having a very unappetizing texture. It wasn't like it was just large pieces that could be easily picked out, so I occasionally got an overly earthy and bitter bite. I would have brought this up with the waitstaff, but they were very overwhelmed, so eventually I stopped eating. This place had friendly staff, and many other dishes looked tasty. However, I didn't have the best dining experience.

Photos
Altamirano's Italian Ristorante - Front of restaurant

Front of restaurant

Altamirano's Italian Ristorante - Meatballs

Meatballs

Altamirano's Italian Ristorante - Cheese board

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Cheese board

The Drunken Munkey - UES - Biryani

The Drunken Munkey - UES

4.3(1.5k reviews)
2.3 mi•Yorkville, Upper East Side
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The atmosphere is cozy and the lighting creates a nice vibe. We tried a few mains--flavors were…read moregood, but nothing stood out as exceptional. Portions were decent, though if you're really hungry, you might want to order a bit extra. Service was friendly and attentive. Overall, a pleasant spot for a casual night out, though not something I'd go out of my way for

Love Drunken Monkey!!! We've had this place on our radar for some time and finally made our way to…read morethe east side to check it out. The one thing that stood out for us was how the staff and patrons all interacted like a family. The wait staff had a true camaraderie and seemed to interact with each other like an well-oiled machine who truly cared about their jobs, the patrons, and one another! How refreshing. As for drinks and food, you likely can't go wrong with any of their menu selections. "Must try" items include the Lemon Dahl -- a.k.a. yellow lentils (trust me; get this) -- the Chicken Tikka, and Seekh Kabab (ground lamb). But every dish we saw come out to nearby tables looked yummy!! I can't wait to go back and try even more dishes! The interior is eclectic and feels cozy! We sat at the bar during our visit, but DM would definitely be great for a date night, too, because it's so intimate feeling inside. Try Drunken Monkey if you are ever in the UES and on the lookout for some unique Indian food! We'll definitely return for another visit soon!

Photos
The Drunken Munkey - UES - Interior

Interior

The Drunken Munkey - UES - Rum & Chocolate Cricket Ball

Rum & Chocolate Cricket Ball

The Drunken Munkey - UES - Lamb Shank Rogan Josh

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Lamb Shank Rogan Josh

Bar Felice - L'hamburger and fries

Bar Felice

3.8(34 reviews)
2.1 mi•Yorkville, Upper East Side
•$$$

My friend and I were looking for a place to go, opened yelp and it showed us this place - so here…read morewe are. It's a busy wine bar/restaurant. My friend and I already ate, so we opted just to sit at the bar. It's a busy place, but cozy enough. Can be a little loud. Drinks were good (and strong!) but you can at least say you're getting your money's worth. Bartender was nice and service was good. Good mixture of people, some folks with friends, some appeared to be on dates, mixture of young-ish and older-ish place. I get the feeling that if you want to come here for food, its best to RSVP and that my friend and I just got lucky to get seats at the bar when we did.

Five stars for service, four stars for the food…read more We came here for a private mixer and I loved the ambiance as soon as we got there. There were some heavy hors d'oeuvres which included your tropical charcuterie options, fried calamari and artichoke, and mini arancini. I must say, that arancini was amaaaaaazing. I didn't want to be greedy so I only had two, and I'm still kicking myself for being so modest. They were worth the calories. Luciano was the main server for the mixer and recommended a white wine that I cannot remember. I want to thank him as I frequently get migraines afterwards and even though I had three glasses, I woke up feeling fine. My colleagues and I stayed for dinner and Luciano was our server (yay!). He was so charismatic and attentive during our meal. I ended up trying the l'hamburger which was made with rib tips, while most of my team went for the steak. The burger was probably one of the best that I've had - there was so much flavor and it was really moist. Also, it was the perfect size. I left feeling satisfied, but not overwhelmed or heavy. The fries weren't really fries, though. They were potato wedges, and they didn't really add much to the meal. I didn't finish them. Although we opted out of desert, Luciano brought out complementary tiramisu and a slice of hazelnut cake for the table to share. I definitely enjoyed my experience.

Photos
Bar Felice - Patatine - crispy home fries with Parmesan cheese and truffle oil

Patatine - crispy home fries with Parmesan cheese and truffle oil

Bar Felice - Martini

Martini

Bar Felice - Carciofi Fritti - crispy fried artichokes

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Carciofi Fritti - crispy fried artichokes

The Mark Hotel Bar - Negroni

The Mark Hotel Bar

3.6(68 reviews)
2.6 mi•Upper East Side
•$$$

The Mark and Surrey Hotels are fabulous boutique hotels on the Upper East Side in New York. We…read morespent an afternoon at these gems on our recent trip for my bday weekend. It's easy to hit both in an afternoon because they're around the corner from each other. They're both elevated in every way but have a real residential feel to them. Nothing better than a spot where you see locals hanging out. Our beautiful wives had the idea to find a nice place to grab an afternoon snack and cocktail and decided on trying out the Mark Bar first They were able to score bar seats so we had the perfect spot for afternoon fun. The coolest thing about the Mark Bar was something we've never seen in a bar. Many had their dogs with them in the bar. It was a nice treat for us since we love pups. Every designer breed you can imagine was enjoying the beautiful space with their people. Another nice touch was the gourmet hot chocolate and chili dog cart they had stationed on the sidewalk outside next to the hotel entrance. We regrettably passed on the chili dog, but had their prize winning hot cocoa. So good!!! The Mark Bar is chic and warm. It oozes stylish and loungy. We struck up a number of friendly discussions with folks around us when one of our crew thought they lost their phone at the bar. Everyone dropped what they were doing to help us look for it. Good thing she found it in her back pocket. Of course the people watching on the Upper East Side is spectacular and it didn't disappoint. Everyone was as friendly as they were dressed to the nines. The cocktail shot is a Negroni. What a great afternoon. These are a must during your next NYC visit. Salute @thejohnnycoxktail

I enjoyed my experience here at the mark hotel. I visited the bar/restaurant on the lobby floor. I…read morewas celebrating my dog's 5th birthday lol and the staff was extremely accommodating. I sat on the couch in the corner I had one cocktail. the Burrata, tuna tartar, and noodle had a K-9 cuisine bowl from the doggy menu. She cleaned her plate and I enjoyed my apps. Everyone from the door to the restaurant was very pleasant and I would absolutely visit again.

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The Mark Hotel Bar - Dog friendly

Dog friendly

The Mark Hotel Bar - Pups everywhere

Pups everywhere

The Mark Hotel Bar

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Essence - asianfusion - Updated May 2026

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