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    Traif

    4.4 (2.1k reviews)
    Ultra High-EndNew American, Tapas/Small Plates
    Closed 5:00 pm - 10:00 PM
    Updated 3 months ago

    Waitlist - Traif

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    TRAIF ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Trendy
    Moderate noise
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Traif

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    Gloria Z.

    Fantastic service and the staff were a great time. They were really accommodating the whole time and every dish was absolutely delicious, we wish we had more stomach space

    Peyton L.

    Traif is a really special restaraunt with curated dishes to share. It's in a pretty small space which feels homey and friendly. Looks like they have a cute outside dining area in the back although I didn't venture into it. Probably would be great for a balmy evening meal. All the food we got was delicious - they have a lot of pork and seafood on the menu. Everything was shareable and so flavorful. Really enjoyed the food. They'll try to sell you on the Chef's Choice but it just didn't seem like an efficient route for our table so we just ordered the items that caught our eye. Only reason for 4 stars is because the waiter's attitude changed a bit when we didn't order any alcoholic drinks. There's an automatic 20% tip here and it's already a pricey place so seems like a strange attitude to have...

    Giacomo C.

    Another birthday, another visit to this elite restaurant. Duck confit and mushroom lettuce wraps Nordic hiramasa crudo Truffled portobello mushroom tempura Fresh ricotta cavatelli with lobster Spicy blue crab tartine shrimp toast Seared foie gras Hoisin-glazed organic chicken wings Braised beef short rib Key lime pie Bacon donuts Hard to choose favorites, as all these small plates went above and beyond my expectations. If I had to find an imperfection, I'd say that I think they reduced the portion sizes since my last visit. Still, this is such a solid option for a special meal on a special occasion. Please, don't ever close.

    Foie gras and egg
    Constance L.

    One of the most fun dinners I've had in New York! My entire group went for the chef's menu option (HIGH RECOMMEND!!) where you get a diverse selection of items from the main menu. We got salad, fried fish with buns, the foie gras course, the blueberry ribs, and much much more! Everything is served family style and the pacing of the dinner was perfect -- we were never waiting longer than a few minutes between courses. The service is also fantastic and incredibly attentive. They provide bowls of lemon water with courses where you eat with your hands and switch out plates after particularly saucy courses. Such a great experience in a humble and not at all uppity ambiance. We also did the wine pairing, which was a great way to try 4 wines over the course of the dinner!

    Seared Foie Gras
    Caitlyn F.

    My friend made reservations for a party of 9 of us, which means we all had to get the chef's selection, which is currently $58 per person aka an amazing deal for the amount and quality of food you get! We sat in the main dining area, but it looked like there was a cute garden area in the back as well, definitely a good date spot or place you'd like to take friends/fam visiting NYC. Service was great, they let us sit while waiting for the rest of our party and gave us descriptions of dish before each course. The fire department was here as well, but the staff still managed to provide the customers top notch service. Other reviews noted that it was loud and hard to hear, however, we did have a 9:30pm resy so the restaurant was clearing out and ultimately it was just our party at the end - we had no issues with any noise during this time. I believe the menu rotates monthly with the Chef Selection, but my top plates were the scallops, japanese fried fish with the bao buns, and the tuna tartare. Highly recommend this place and will be back throughout the year to try out seasonal dishes!

    George D.

    I arrived early and sat at the bar. I ordered the brussel sprouts and an Indian Scotch. Everyone is very nice. I ended up in conversation with the bartender and my server. Great guys. Eventually my party arrived, and we all settled down at a table for a marvelously flavorful "tasting". You know the meal is going well when the conversation is enhanced by the food. The acoustics are a bit loud. The table next to us was loud. I'm sure we were for others. Be prepared to lean in for conversations.

    2022 Ziereisen Gestad Syrah

    As usual, Traif over performs on all fronts. After all these years, it's still the best bang-for-the-buck chef's tasting anywhere in New York. As many others have noted, I dare you to show me a ten-course meal (8 savory, 2 sweet) that even comes close in terms of culinary inventiveness & excellence for the $62 tariff! Last night killed once again...with standouts like the shrimp, fois gras and pork belly setting things up for the newly added risotto with crab that absolutely blew us all away! And that amazing food is framed with an excellent cocktail and wine service. The Spirits selection goes out of its way to ensure you're drinking amazing, off-the-beaten-path kinda stuff that you've never heard of before...Vodka from Japan & Spain, Gin distilled in France, Mexico and Illinois (the Thresh & Winnow gin was the find of the night!) legit Tequila and Mezcal that are thankfully untouched by celebrity endorsements, and small batch Bourbon & Rye that blows away the big producers! And Traif has one of the most well curated...and frankly, affordable...wine lists around! Besides the wonderful Pinson Chablis and Beck Ink Zweigelt we ordered, I was shocked to see Ziereisen Gestad Syrah (very hard to source and quite amazing) priced at just a fraction over retail. And to cap it all off, it goes without saying that the people and service are Tip-Top. Bravo, guys...keep it up!!!

    Maple bacon donuts
    Carissa C.

    The hype at Traif is real, y'all! Honestly this was one of our best meals on this NYC trip. We took part in their tasting menu and for $58/person it's a great value. Our top 3 favorites were the eggplant tempura with tuna tartare, scallops with risotto, and strawberry cinnamon ribs. All of the courses were so unique but delicious. The service was also exceptional as well. We're so glad to have learnes about this casual yet first class meal, and would highly recommend Traif.

    Doughnuts
    Andrew K.

    Absolutely worth it if only for the amount of delicious food you get for a $58 tasting menu (8 courses for this price is somewhat unheard of). Immediately started off well. The scallop dish and the tartare may have been some of our favorites of the night and could have eaten these over and over again. The rest of the dishes didn't so much live up to the start, but were still pretty good. The little gem in miso was pretty good, roasted romanesco was fine, pork filet with blue cheese was an interesting combo that I think worked, and glazed ribs with a strawberry on top was a nice touch. I didn't really understand the cavatelli in vodka sauce in terms of the other dishes but taste-wise I didn't mind it. Ending with the pork sliders I feel like was unnecessary, both because they weren't as elevated as the other dishes and just weren't altogether that great. The panna cotta and doughnuts were fine enough. While the food was good, the experience left a lot to be desired. Everyone was nice enough, but the restaurant is so loud and so packed I heard probably 50% of what the waiters told us with each dish. Given such chaos, it would have been clutch if we were given a list of what was on the tasting menu beforehand, as I never knew how much or if more food was coming. We were sat right near the food station and you can tell they just churn this tasting menu out over and over again, so the food at least came quickly. Despite this, it was still definitely worth trying because we did end up enjoying many of the dishes and it was such a good price.

    Ordered the chefs favorites and was not disappointed at all. Also, a great spot to bring a date

    Tasting dessert: bacon doughnuts?
    Dan D.

    TL; DR: Traif has 2.1 K reviews and 3.8 K photos and is pushing five stars on Yelp. My strong recommendation is to get a fun-loving group together and go share their tasting menu. Outstanding. Ok - some expansion: their menu items are adventuresome and taste great. Perhaps someone in your group might not like an item, but someone else definitely will. The service is fast, friendly, and fun. Ambience is Williamsburg hip & cool. Get a group together, make a reservation, and go make a night of it. You won't be disappointed.

    Baby gem
    Racquel B.

    This meal was SO good. I've always heard of Traif but this was when they were mostly a pork themed resto and me being a vegetarian, well that just wasn't going to work. Fast forward to 2024 and the menu has some veggie offerings so I immediately said yes. I ordered the gnocchi. My friend had the beef pasta? and we shared the cauliflower, and baby gem. I had a mezcal blood orange drink and we shared a bottle of skin contact wine on recommendation from the waiter. The food was incredible. The gnocchi is the best I've had. Fried, savory but with a hint of sweet from laying in a bed of purple yam purée. Followed by the cauliflower dish. The fresh cucumber and tortilla was a wonderful touch. I love the constant plays on savory, fried, sweet. My taste buds were very pleased. Will definitely need to come back soon.

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    4 months ago

    For over 15 years, Traif has been our go to. Every dish is phenomenal as the options evolve.

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    1 month ago

    Awesome spot. Amazing food! Highly recommend. Servers are attentive. Great for a date night!

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    Traif Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Traif

    Is this place kid friendly?

    Def!

    About how long does it take to finish the full chefs menu?

    It matters what time you go and how busy they are. The table next to me had the chef's menu. They sat down after us and left before us!

    Is there parking available?

    There are tons of parking, a block away. Meters end at 7pm.

    Is the outdoor area heated?

    No, state law doesn't allow propane heaters

    Hey, i'm trying to navigate your menu but i can't tell the difference between an appetizer and an entree, etc. Anyway to make this easier to read ? cheers, vasile

    Restaurant doesn't have appetizer or main courses. Everything is shareable and family style

    View All 6 Questions

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    I was honestly shocked by how much I loved this place! We did the tasting menu, which was $65 per…read moreperson, and I also ordered the passion fruit cocktail. It was fab! Most of all, what I really appreciated with every bite is that I wanted more and that it was so unique compared to anything else that I had ever tried. I thought the tasting menu was a really good deal, but you should also consider booking just a la carte because everything was so solid. You can tell when the chips served alongside the guacamole are so delicious and so unique that the rest of the meal is going to be incredible. I will say that it did seem slightly understaffed. Our waiters did the best they could, but dinner took longer than expected. It was still a great experience for both those on dates and those there with friends!

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    El Born - Croquetas del Dia

    El Born

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    Beautiful spot in a bustling location in Greenpoint BK. We had no reservation this night but were…read morehappily taken in as walk-ins and shown to a table in the back. Ambiance was very romantic, modern and airy. One of the few tapas places in NYC that remind me of the delicious dishes I had experienced in Barcelona so was happy to be bringing my boys here to experience it. We ordered a bit of everything from the entire menu and really enjoyed them all but highlights for us were the creamy dreamy beef tartare, the slightly briney white anchovies, frizzled artichoke hearts, and tempura cod w/ a sun choke puree. Of course the Iberico ham was also steller. Great place for an intimate date night or for a group too. We will definitely be back.

    I loved this restaurant for a wide range tapa menu! They have pre fixe offer where you choose any…read morepaella and get 6 tapas. While the chef selects which tapas come out, they were able to accommodate our request for two specific tapas which was nice. The paella was a generous portion for two. We loved the octopus and iberico, but honestly, all the tapas were delicious! The only downside during our stay is we had a reservation but we came right after the World Cup game had ended. So there was only one available table for us which was crammed in a corner. It was also very busy, so service was a bit slow that day.

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    Patatas bravas

    El Born - Screenshot of their "Tapas Tuesday" online menu (3/12), which still includes chorizo.

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    Aliya Cocktail Den - Cocktail Bar Interior. 360 degree Floor to ceiling windows. Cozy setting.

    Aliya Cocktail Den

    3.7(50 reviews)
    0.4 miWilliamsburg - North Side
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    Women-owned & operated

    I wanted to stay close to the venue of the celebration I was in town for, but somewhere super…read moreslick.....Hotel Indigo it is! I specifically chose this hotel because Aliya Cocktail Den sits on top. What a sweet rooftop in the heart of Brooklyn and if you know me, then you know I love a good rooftop. Well this one even has a pool, indoor dining and a full bar, making this one hit on all cylinders. Bar service was great, eventhough the servers also catered to folks that were kicking it poolside. I chilled in the pool and one of the many loungers for about an hour and a half before I had to get going. I got a taste of this dope Brooklyn gem, but trust me, I will be back!!

    Absolutely. Here's the corrected version with Aliya throughout:…read more My husband and I finally had a rare date night after dropping our daughter off for a Parent's Night Out. We spent the morning handling passport appointments, so we were excited to enjoy a relaxing evening in the city. Unfortunately, Aliya was one of the most mediocre dining experiences I've had in Brooklyn, which is disappointing because Brooklyn used to consistently outshine Manhattan when it came to food. The experience started off a little awkward. We had a reservation but weren't sure who we were supposed to check in with because no one greeted us when we stepped off the elevator. Once we approached someone, we had to repeat our reservation name and time several times before getting seated. Since we planned to have dinner downstairs afterward, we decided to order lightly. I had the Peach & Heirloom Tomato Salad, and my husband ordered the Oxtail Birria Tacos. I'm glad we didn't commit to a full meal. The salad arrived without the candied pistachios listed on the menu, which was disappointing considering how simple the dish already was. When I mentioned it, I was told they would have to go downstairs to retrieve them. That turned into a whole conversation, and by that point I was already hungry and halfway through my salad. It simply wasn't worth waiting any longer. My husband's tacos were very small, and while he said they were "just okay," neither the flavor nor the portion justified the price. We also discovered there is an automatic 20% service charge, which made the lackluster experience even harder to overlook. For me, value is about the complete experience. If the flavors don't impress, the portions are underwhelming, and the kitchen can't consistently deliver what's listed on the menu, it's hard to understand why those dishes are being served at all. The menu is genuinely creative, and I wanted to love this place. Unfortunately, the execution just isn't there. This one was a miss for us, and sadly, we won't be returning.

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    Dining room at sunset.

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    Fandi Mata - Hummus

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    Food was delicious! Service was great! Ambiance is gorgeous! My drink was perfect! Tables are a…read morelittle tight, to close together for my liking. The meal I had was such a delight. Tasty and flavorful and the perfect portion for brunch. Loved the lamb sausage and Harissa yogurt (I used it for dipping).

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    Traif - newamerican - Updated September 2026

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