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I love the Thai Sweet Chili wings here. You are also given the option to customize your wings so you can do half of one flavor and half of another flavor. I've tried all the flavors and have decided that I like the Thai Sweet Chili sauce the best. They also have the coolest drinks, so I love coming to the expat to try new drinks. The only downside is that service is a bit slow. If you are on a time crunch because of your lunch break or you have to head to class soon, I would not recommend coming here unless it is during a time that is not as busy. The interior looks amazing and even the bathrooms have such cool decorations and wallpaper.
Have been to the expat a few times for group events. Food I find surprisingly good, especially the buffalo cauliflower! Drinks are ok. Guinness does not have a very dense head. I find that sometimes they are understaffed so it's hard to get the attention of the bartender who may be distracted. There is limited outdoor seating.
Strong drinks. Normal food. Cozy place. Not much more to say so I'm going to copy paste this twice. Strong drinks. Normal food. Cozy place.
I absolutely love the expat and end up going here a couple of times every month. I especially love the lunch specials because you get a lot of food at a reasonable price. The drinks are also really nice but service is a little slow. It takes some time to get the server's attention especially when the restaurant is busy. I've had the Thai basil stir fry with rice and that's my favorite. You have an option to add a fried egg on top too. I've also had the fried rice which was nice but we asked for some spicy sauce and the Thai curry is also really yum. The best part is that they ask you for your spice preference and are able to make the food super spicy if that's what you prefer.
Rating is only for the food. The food lacked flavor. It was very bland. I liked the drinks though except for the Thai iced tea which wasn't sweet at all. Ask for their hot sauce or bring your own so that the food has some kind of kick to it. If you can't do spicy, ask for more salt. The food needed more seasoning. The other weird thing was the lime that came with the dishes was hot like it was just boiled. A lot of the dishes had pork and I wished they had other options like beef or duck. On the plus side, the staff was courteous when I asked for spoons. I like there is an option for you to request that the bar tender can custom make a drink for you. I wished they had dessert spoons or gave us new spoons for dessert. The lychee rose crème brûlée didn't taste like crème brûlée because of the texture. It's the first lychee dish I don't like and the first crème brûlée I dislike. I usually love crème brûlée. The texture is more like a gelatin dessert than crème brûlée. It has this thin film like texture under the brûlée I really dislike.
Since Fairway closed down, the Westside has been a bit bleak, and Expat has come to revive the neighborhood. Went on a Sunday night. Heads up when you enter the space, you're walking down a few steps to the entry. Lovely hostess to your right, cheerful attitude. We sat at the bar, which is central to the place. The open style design allows you to see the entire space, and all its' intimate nooks. There is even a projector screen showing hilarious *silent and closed captioned* cinema. In regards to the food menu- tasty and delicious. Hints to the pan-Asian theme, as I had the Chicken Pad Thai. Also tried the scallion pancake appetizer, sauce is BOMB. In regards to the cocktail menu- pretty decent selection. They carry Roku which is rarely seen; also attributing to the theme. Bartender was sweet and knowledgeable. Would definitely come back, love the ambiance and the aesthetic. It's giving rustic cottagecore with an Uptown twist.
Servers were super friendly and ambiance was fun. Dimly lit place with a 1900s theme. Satay chicken nachos were huge and delicious, loved the peanut sauce on it and the crispy tortillas. Curry was also tasty. Taking off a star for desserts. The creme brulee was not a creme brulee. The top had no crust at all, just a soggy thin film of slightly browned sugar. The lychee rose flavor was off in the dish too. It was also a really tiny portion for how much it cost (the dish looks wide, but it's really shallow). The other dessert (brownie and ice cream) was also a pretty small portion :(
Such a cute and unique place. Stopped here for brunch with my coworkers and was glad we went. The dishes are so interested that I shared two with my buddy just because we wanted to sample it all. Also, you can't go wrong with a bottomless mimosa situation..just putting that out there.
This place was amazing! When you walk in you can be a little deceived. The music was r&b/hiphop, the walls look like some other century then the tables are like farm house maybe- a lot going on and I guess perfect example of expat! Everything was great and fresh. I would come here a million times over. The table seating isn't the best but the food is so good you make due. I would order it all again besides the chicken wings they weren't cooked enough for me and I asked for well done (other drawback was that they couldn't do all flats). They even had GF soy sauce and I was amazed and so happy for that. The food didn't come out all together but still was great. They didn't have many servers but they were still quite attentive. Also the table we sat at was very wobbly and we kept trying to put napkins under it but it eventually worked. I recommend and hope when I come back it's just as good as this time.
Here's the deal, I loved the location and vibe of the spot, but the food didn't match. We ordered the chicken and waffles and the tater tots. For my taste the chicken was overcooked on the outside, but moist on the inside. The waffle was great. The syrup was much to strong for the plate IMO. I'd suggest having a lighter syrup option. Tater tots were normal tater tots, cooked well, tasted good! The bottomless mimosas though were delicious! I could come back just for that. All in all, we won't be back.
Got here just before lunch specials were done! I grabbed the Thai Chicken Basil Stir fry, low spice. It came with roasted peanuts and rice. The dish had a little bit of a kick, but not too much. I found it to be very filling, I didn't finish all of my rice. Good value, good service as well. Appetizer: honey ginger wings, also good! Nice flavor and crunch. read more
Stopped by with a group of coworkers for some dinner. The place itself is very cozy, speakeasy-ish, and pretty spacious. The service was great. We didn't have a reservation and were accommodated quickly. Our waitress checked in with us often and provided great service throughout the meal. The reason for the 3 stars is the food and drinks. Most of us ordered lychee martinis, and they were very vodka forward with only the slightest taste of lychee. For my entree, I went with the chicken Thai basil fried rice. The presentation was beautiful, and they definitely give you a good amount of food, but it was lacking in flavor and had this distinct charred taste that I couldn't pinpoint. Overall, it was just very average. We had two upcoming birthdays at the table, and the brownie sundaes were good! We accidentally received a banana split as well, and it did not look like a banana split at all. It was very strange. We also ordered the churros, which tasted good, but the issue was that they weren't thoroughly cooked and had raw dough inside . Overall, this place does have a lot of potential. I also saw they were starting to play the Barbie movie as I was leaving which is cool. The place itself and service were great, but the food and drinks could definitely use some improvement. read more
Business owner information
Andrew D.
Thank you for the thoughtful review, Karina, and for celebrating with…
1 year ago
Brunch Best! I love brunch! Boozy, non boozy... as long as the food is good IDC. The Expat does offer a bottomless option BUT I chose to explore their cocktail menu. The food was so flavorful.... The mochi waffle was soooo good! Nothing I've ever taste before. Wings fried and season on another level, drinks were strong but also very refreshing and well balanced. Service was very attentive. I will definitely return in the upcoming months for dinner! read more
2 months ago
Business owner information
Andrew D.
Thank you, Mark. Glad the drinks were strong and the food worked for…
11 months ago
I love the Thai Sweet Chili wings here. You are also given the option to customize your wings so you can do half of one flavor and half of another flavor. I've tried all the flavors and have decided that I like the Thai Sweet Chili sauce the best. They also have the coolest drinks, so I love coming to the expat to try new drinks. The only downside is that service is a bit slow. If you are on a time crunch because of your lunch break or you have to head to class soon, I would not recommend coming here unless it is during a time that is not as busy. The interior looks amazing and even the bathrooms have such cool decorations and wallpaper. read more
Have been to the expat a few times for group events. Food I find surprisingly good, especially the buffalo cauliflower! Drinks are ok. Guinness does not have a very dense head. I find that sometimes they are understaffed so it's hard to get the attention of the bartender who may be distracted. There is limited outdoor seating. read more
3 months ago
1 year ago
I absolutely love the expat and end up going here a couple of times every month. I especially love the lunch specials because you get a lot of food at a reasonable price. The drinks are also really nice but service is a little slow. It takes some time to get the server's attention especially when the restaurant is busy. I've had the Thai basil stir fry with rice and that's my favorite. You have an option to add a fried egg on top too. I've also had the fried rice which was nice but we asked for some spicy sauce and the Thai curry is also really yum. The best part is that they ask you for your spice preference and are able to make the food super spicy if that's what you prefer. read more
2 years ago
Rating is only for the food. The food lacked flavor. It was very bland. I liked the drinks though except for the Thai iced tea which wasn't sweet at all. Ask for their hot sauce or bring your own so that the food has some kind of kick to it. If you can't do spicy, ask for more salt. The food needed more seasoning. The other weird thing was the lime that came with the dishes was hot like it was just boiled. A lot of the dishes had pork and I wished they had other options like beef or duck. On the plus side, the staff was courteous when I asked for spoons. I like there is an option for you to request that the bar tender can custom make a drink for you. I wished they had dessert spoons or gave us new spoons for dessert. The lychee rose crème brûlée didn't taste like crème brûlée because of the texture. It's the first lychee dish I don't like and the first crème brûlée I dislike. I usually love crème brûlée. The texture is more like a gelatin dessert than crème brûlée. It has this thin film like texture under the brûlée I really dislike. read more
3 years ago
Since Fairway closed down, the Westside has been a bit bleak, and Expat has come to revive the neighborhood. Went on a Sunday night. Heads up when you enter the space, you're walking down a few steps to the entry. Lovely hostess to your right, cheerful attitude. We sat at the bar, which is central to the place. The open style design allows you to see the entire space, and all its' intimate nooks. There is even a projector screen showing hilarious *silent and closed captioned* cinema. In regards to the food menu- tasty and delicious. Hints to the pan-Asian theme, as I had the Chicken Pad Thai. Also tried the scallion pancake appetizer, sauce is BOMB. In regards to the cocktail menu- pretty decent selection. They carry Roku which is rarely seen; also attributing to the theme. Bartender was sweet and knowledgeable. Would definitely come back, love the ambiance and the aesthetic. It's giving rustic cottagecore with an Uptown twist. read more
Servers were super friendly and ambiance was fun. Dimly lit place with a 1900s theme. Satay chicken nachos were huge and delicious, loved the peanut sauce on it and the crispy tortillas. Curry was also tasty. Taking off a star for desserts. The creme brulee was not a creme brulee. The top had no crust at all, just a soggy thin film of slightly browned sugar. The lychee rose flavor was off in the dish too. It was also a really tiny portion for how much it cost (the dish looks wide, but it's really shallow). The other dessert (brownie and ice cream) was also a pretty small portion :( read more
11 months ago
1 year ago
Great for dine in but online ordering always seems to be a problem. Last time we were sent someone else's food. This time we ordered the roti and chicken dip and it's just criminally small. I guess we will stick to the delicious fried rice read more
1 year ago
2 years ago
Such a cute and unique place. Stopped here for brunch with my coworkers and was glad we went. The dishes are so interested that I shared two with my buddy just because we wanted to sample it all. Also, you can't go wrong with a bottomless mimosa situation..just putting that out there. read more
2 years ago
This place was amazing! When you walk in you can be a little deceived. The music was r&b/hiphop, the walls look like some other century then the tables are like farm house maybe- a lot going on and I guess perfect example of expat! Everything was great and fresh. I would come here a million times over. The table seating isn't the best but the food is so good you make due. I would order it all again besides the chicken wings they weren't cooked enough for me and I asked for well done (other drawback was that they couldn't do all flats). They even had GF soy sauce and I was amazed and so happy for that. The food didn't come out all together but still was great. They didn't have many servers but they were still quite attentive. Also the table we sat at was very wobbly and we kept trying to put napkins under it but it eventually worked. I recommend and hope when I come back it's just as good as this time. read more
4 years ago
Here's the deal, I loved the location and vibe of the spot, but the food didn't match. We ordered the chicken and waffles and the tater tots. For my taste the chicken was overcooked on the outside, but moist on the inside. The waffle was great. The syrup was much to strong for the plate IMO. I'd suggest having a lighter syrup option. Tater tots were normal tater tots, cooked well, tasted good! The bottomless mimosas though were delicious! I could come back just for that. All in all, we won't be back. read more
2 years ago
Everything was tasty, the Thai Mule cocktail especially would recommend, very refreshing. Food a solid 3.5-4/5, held back from being 4/4.5 for being a bit overpriced. Good place to hang out with friends, though may be a bit loud on a crowded day. Service lovely. read more
2 years ago
What the hell happened to this place, the Pad Thai used to be my go to here but the last two times it's been basically an inedible pile of soggy slop where all the noodles are overcooked and chopped into little pieces on arrival. My girlfriend had the Singapore noodle which was also an inedible gloopy mess. I noticed we weren't the only ones that barely touched our food looking around. Such a bummer how much this place has slipped. read more
1 year ago
Great Valentine evening hanging with my Sister in Love and my niece in Love ended here with some apps and drinks after my time with the Mr. & our children. We need Carlito who was an amazing bartender who kept our glasses filled and tasty cocktails. We dined on an array of appetizers - lemon pepper cauliflower wings - Lemon pepper wings and hot wings - Papaya salad - Shrimp rolls Our drinks started off with us all having different drinks before we ended up having the same drinks plus plenty of shots from the bartender. This place is cute and quaint and perfect for drinks from our experience but it appeared that several people having dinner at tables and the place picked up pretty good after we hung for a hour or two at the bar. I look forward to heading back for more CHEERS moments. read more
11 months ago
Based on the dish I ordered, I'm not totally sure what this restaurant wants to be, but it seems to have enough interesting offerings that I would try it again. I got the signature chicken sandwich. Being from the Nashville area, I was thinking hot chicken, but it was actually just regular buttermilk chicken. The sandwich was on a toasted bun and contained three patties, so it was A LOT! I got the tater tots for sides and some spring veggie rolls. The veggie rolls were hot and crispy. Multiple sauces available, but I went with the chili sauce. Appears to have Thai noodles and multiple fried cauliflower dishes/wing renditions as well as regular wings. Also wok dishes, burgers, and some cheesy fry/nacho dishes? Again, not bad food, at a reasonable price. Just not sure the ultimate theme! Maybe Vietnamese inspired gastropub? read more
I've been here twice but I had to wait to write a review because I only had drinks the first time. I'm glad I waited because the food is really what makes this place fantastic. Don't get me wrong, the cocktails are also amazing! But wow, I was shocked at how delicious the wings were. My entree and my guests entrée were both filling and delicious. Can't remember what I got as I went two weeks ago but we both couldn't stop talking about how delicious the food was as we kept stuffing our mouths. This restaurant has plenty of outdoor and indoor seating. If I had any complaint it would just be about how slow the service was. You can order your drinks and food online so I guess that's why they don't come around too often. But we were having trouble with this and constantly needing someone to order from but it would take forever for someone to come around. read more
2 years ago
1 year ago
The ambience was nice and relaxing and the food was really good. I went to brunch and ordered chicken and waffles and it comes with an egg. I also ordered the bottomless mimosas however due to the service not being that fast I only get a refill like 3/4 times in the 90 minutes. read more
1 year ago
4 years ago
I came here on Wednesday night for their happy hour menu. It was great and I would definitely recommend getting the cauliflower wings which were amazing. We ordered the dinosaur wing; cauliflower wings, spring roll, the pork quesadilla and drinks. For the drink we had the kumquat spritz. The dinosaur wings which were chicken wings were not too good. The cauliflower wings were delicious and to me better than the actual chicken wings. The spring roll was fine. The pork quesadilla was really good; the pork was flavorful and delicious. The reason; I took one star off is because they included gratuity on the bill. I did not see this marked anywhere nor was I informed of the gratuity being included. This is a problem because then I paid I additional gratuity. We paid on the automatic machine so I did not notice until today when I was cleaning out my wallet and looked at the receipt. When I went to pay, I was shown the amount to pay and if you want to add gratuity; which I did. Restaurants usually have this type of information in a very visible place to inform you and or they say the tip is already included. Also when you are given a printed receipt it had the information but being that the machine was used; customers won't be aware. read more
3 years ago
1/1 Ambience; 1.5/2 Food; 0.5/1 Service; 1/1 Value The ambience is warm and charming, lending itself perfectly to date nights or hang outs with friends. The space is lovely and evokes vibes reminiscent of an old bar, but with an energetic and casual vibe. I went on a Thursday evening, and given the proximity to Columbia University and the Manhattan School of Music, the restaurant was packed with students. There was a bit of a fratty vibe, but nothing too ostentatious. The food is a mix of pan-Asian fusion as well as classic dishes. My friend and I shared the Thai basil stir fry and the Thai basil fried rice with Odin's skull and the overflow sake. The former drink was delicious and the latter was a very, very generous serving with an apt name. Both entrees were fresh and the portions were enormous; this was my only meal for the day and I went home feeling very full. While the fried rice was fantastic with a well-balanced salty and savory flavoring, the stir fry was more bland and fell short. Our waitress was friendly, but service was spotty with the staff not providing utensils or water until we just got up and got it ourselves. Overall, the Expat was a good experience with a couple setbacks. The quality of the food for the price and generous portions makes this a place worth visiting! read more
4 years ago
Rounding up here to 4 stars. I'd ordered in before from the Expat, but tonight was my first time stopping by in person. Tonight I got the same drink twice (frozen lychee marg), but the second serving tasted nothing like the first (which I originally loved), was weirdly coconutty and barely frozen. We tried two versions of the cauliflower wings -- the first firecracker wings were medium spice and we enjoyed just fine. Then we upgraded to the dragon cauliflower wings, which weren't eventually as spicy as promised and were a weird dry-rubbed texture I could do without. Both were overpriced and generally meh, though I appreciate that the veggie option is available. Service was kind of slow, but there's a decent amount of outdoor seating around the space and the service is friendly. Unfortunately we wound up at a table that was right underneath a dripping AC unit read more
2 years ago
We came on a cold day while walking near morning side park. The decoration was impressive and creative with Taiwanese magazine pages and newspaper from the 80s on the ceiling and random porcelain plates on the wall. It is evident that the owner tries to cultivate a cultural nostalgia for expats. The food was just fine - fried rice was plain, chicken wings were well seasoned but a bit dry. Lychee Thai ice tea did not taste like lychee or Thai ice tea, but succeeded to be filled with too much ice. Can't comment much on the Vietnamese coffee - the waitress didn't remind us to stir it in advance. Therefore, we had a cup of pretty bitter coffee until hitting the condensed milk at the bottom. read more
3 years ago
The food a disappointment. The flavor was just not there for all the dishes except maybe one. We ordered firecracker chicken wings, chicken satay nachos, the chicken curry roti, and the Thai iced tea. The wings had no actual flavor, they were just simply spicy. The curry that came with the roti pancake was watery and lacked flavor. Curry is usually a thicker texture so it was a really strange way to experience that. The Thai iced tea was not sweet at all it was watery and unpleasant. Probably the worst one I've had in my life. The chicken satay is what saves this review from getting a 1 star. It was quite tasty but got very cold because our server never gave us plates, napkins, or utensils. He seemed a little out of it. All and all this experience was not the best and I'm hoping they could add more flavor to their food as well as their staff. read more
3 years ago
Huge portions of really tasty food! The Papaya Salad is the best I've ever had. The. staff is really friendly and really compliments the pub's other-world vibe. My waitress was Hana and she was a delight with a great sense of humor. read more
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64 Tiemann Pl
New York, NY 10027
Harlem
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(646) 410-2922
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http://www.theexpat.nyc
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