There's nothing I can say about this place that so many people before me haven't said. The food here is amazing and their specials are fantastic. GO! read more

Still as inventive and tasty as ever! What I love about the service here is that they don't push for an up-sell. When we described what we wanted in a red wine, the bartender knowledgeably picked a great tasting wine AND kept it under $40 without us mentioning a budget. Now that's great service! Well done Traif, and I'll be back soon. read more

Tough time in making a reservation & pretty confusing out front. Restaurant is nondescript and looks rather ordinary -- That said -- If this had 6 stars, I would have gone that far. Food was absolutely incredible, price and service ( after being seated ) was outstanding. Tasting type menu, but what incredible taste ! I am a big guy, neither of us had eaten all day -- but 5 dishes and two desserts were more than enough. Bacon covered Donuts were to die for on the desserts. An undiscovered jewel. Hats off to the chefs. read more

I like how Brooklyn are getting clean up. Original Brooklyn into Manhattan style. that's NOT COOL; i like the Brooklyn style food, which they should not take that away as well. WHAT A SHAME Food look great, but like another HAPPY VALUE KID'S MEAL LUNCH. read more

Oh.. It was my third time to go there. I love it's food and service. Very amazing and another is looking good. I am sure they will up to top in some days. Thank you for your good service. read more

Very good food, and worth the wait. And there is always a wait. The sliders and sweet potato fries are the way to go. read more

On the slowest weekend for NY restaurants of be year, the host/hostess outside were dishonest in saying that they had no tables open. We saw several open tables where our party of two could have been seated easily. When we decided to not wait, a magical cancellation appeared out of nowhere and they were all of the sudden able to seat us. The hostesses job is to welcome you, and they failed miserably. A place with such mixed culinary reviews should be more careful, and I feel bad for the chef--because of his crap staff, we will never try his food. read more

Amazing!!! Their strawberry baby back ribs are out of this world. They also prepare the best frog legs in NYC. The staff is friendly and the presentation is gorgeous.If you are looking for a nice and cozy place in the city, this is the place!!!! read more

This place does not live up to the hype. Dishes were mediocre, staff was ok, ambiance was just not there. Better places to go nearby. Their sister restaurant xixa is so much better. Will not be returning. read more

Everything is so tasty! Love the place, love the people working out there. A bit pricey, but it worth it.

Fantastic everything. Lovely hole in the wall place. Nice food, nice staff Came here with 3 guys. You can see them cooking the food in a tiny kitchen and the place has a wonderful vibe. We came on a Sunday night and it was full. Highly recommend making a reservation in advance. read more

Went to this place for my Anniversary last year and ever since, I've been hooked. For all of the people who love food, this is the place to be!! read more

First time here. Ambience was very nice. Not too dark, lighting was very comfortable considering the being after 9pm. We were strictly looking for desserts to celebrate my BFF's birthday. We found the place based upon reviews searching for "best key lime pie in Brooklyn" using Google. I must say the key lime pie holds true the the reviews online. I don't even like key lime pie, but I did today. My choice dessert was by suggestion of the waiter was bacon doughnuts with coffee ice cream!! It was more amazing that what my mind thought it could be. It was light, tasty, flavorful, and not as over powering with the bacon and I thought. Good suggestion!! Our third dessert which was on the house for my friends birthday was called Matcha Green Tea Panna Cotta. She wasn't particular about it because she's never had Matcha before. I thought it interesting. Would i order it again, probably not. I'm sure it appeals to someone. I will however return to experience a meal. Check it out people. read more

went back for my bday dinner with a tasting menu of 11 savory and 2 sweet. And wound up wound w about 15 course (including and amuse bouche, and extra entree and dessert). Excellent service and very accomodating. We had a group of 14 and everyone was very pleased and satify with the food.... read more

Didn't expect much from this place...but the food we had was delicious, the wine excellent (a recommendation from an excellent server). Dinner was low-key, scrumptious, with familial, helpful staff. read more

Been here many times those BACON doughnuts are to die for... $7.00 but every bite is delish!!!!!!!!

Let me start by saying the food was amazing and the drinks were phenomenal! We ordered the chef's selection where they give you 9 different tapas style menu items at the chef's choosing. We loved the tuna tartar and the scallops and the bacon doughnuts were awesome. They even pour your beer in a frosted glass which is always a huge plus for me. That being said, I hate to give a 'bad review' but I feel it is necessary to bring this subject to the staff's attention. We were delivered three sliders and started eating. Our server saw what had been delivered and told us they were actually 'not meant for us, but no worries, too late at this point.' I had eaten one of the sliders and my friend had some of the fries when the foodrunner came back to us 5 minutes later and said he had to take it back. I'm thinking "okay, fine, it was a mistake.. but still a little strange to take it away at this point." I then watch as he walks over to another staff member to figure out the confusion and then brings it back and delivers the plate to the couple sitting directly next to us! My friend and I couldn't believe what we were seeing. The server even saw what had happened and I could tell he was thinking of maybe saying something but then chose not to. The couple looked a bit confused at seeing the dish and said something to our server however after a brief discussion they proceeded to eat the rest of our 'leftovers.' In hindsight maybe I should have said something however it was a very intimate setting and I didn't want to cause a scene or get anyone in trouble. Anyway, I just think that the manager might want to have a conversation with their team about this. Not only was it disrespectful to the couple that received our food (also weird to remove our food while we were eating it), but it was also a little disconcerting to think how our food was being handled in general. I worked in the restaurant industry for a long time and know that sometimes corners might be cut from time to time but this is crossing the line. I'm not trying to get any specific staff member in trouble but this type of practice should never be allowed in my opinion. read more

tough to review traif. food is really good. wait staff and service good. it's a small plates restaurant and we were told to order 2-4 per person (we ordered 3 per person x 3 people = 9 plates). we were seated in what looked like a nice room which was plexi-glassed to their backyard garden. so...it was all good until...we saw the rats. yup. 2-3 big ones crawling around just outside the plexi-glass and up the vines onto the roof of the enclosure over our heads. so how do i review a great restaurant with it's own rat- zoo? up to you. read more

Came here recently with a friend who has celiac (severe gluten allergy). We were completely misguided on the menu (asked the waiter twice what was gluten free, he took the menu back to the chef who starred all gluten free options). The first appetizer served, a confirmed gluten free squash dish, had rye berries in it. After a few bites, my friend noticed this and immediately ran to the bathroom and got incredibly sick (even if she has cross contamination with gluten she will be sick for an entire day). Rye berries absolutely have gluten in them and this is something the chef should have known. We understand that mistakes happen, but unfortunately this wasn't a mistake but rather a lack of knowledge. We specifically picked this restaurant as it comes up as one of the top gluten free restaurants in Williamsburg. We contacted the manager after the incident to let her know what had happened and make sure it didn't happen again in the future, but unfortunately the conversation did not go as well as we thought it would. She was incredibly defensive and made us feel very uncomfortable. Won't be coming back again - Celiacs, tread carefully. read more

I loved their sister restaurant Xixa which is literally 2 doors away, so I was really looking forward to Traif. I went here on a Friday night for an early dinner around 6pm with my husband. The place was empty and we had our pick of tables. The décor was colorful but the restaurant was dimly lit. The outside area was reserved for a larger group so we sat across from the bar. Our waitress was excellent, very knowledgeable, and had great suggestions on what to order, considering I am a vegetarian. We were hungry and ordered 6 dishes between the two of us. The complimentary amuse bouche of butternut squash soup shot was a nice way to warm up from the winter cold outside. We started off with the Burrata and chips. The burrata was so soft and flavorful, but honestly a bit too much for us to finish. The cauliflower salad was very good, but again, too large a portion. I had vegetable tempura which wasn't my favorite. I would not order again, but I guess I don't enjoy tempura as much. I finished with the gnocchi with mushrooms which was very rich and heavy. I couldn't take more than a bite or two and we packed this to go. My husband had the foie gras with fried egg and the clams with bacon, he's a meat lover. The foie was ok; he liked Xixa's version much better. He loved the clams with bacon. It took a lot of work to open them up, but the portion was great. He wished he had more bread to sop up the savory broth left over. We finished our meal with the obligatory bacon donuts, (no bacon on my half of course) which were underwhelming to be honest. They were kind of chewy and didn't seem fresh. Overall, the food was ok, but the place got packed less than an hour after we got there. Our waitress was amazing and the drinks tasted as good as their names were creative (rude little pig is a must). If you had to choose, I would go to Xixa again over Traif. The dinner was still worth it because of the excellent and accommodating wait staff and creative menu items. read more

I've been wanting to come to Traif for a while and finally made it with a friend. They have a very reasonable tasting menu, $55, but we decided to go a la carte. The carrots are a must have. Venison tartare with heirloom tomatoes and blue cheese was a new dish on the menu and great. The eggplant dish was very tasty but I didn't need for it to be fried. The gnocchi was excellent. The gnocchi themselves were good, nothing special, but the mushroom sauce and mushrooms made it a must have dish. The duck breast was quite good. We saw so many sliders come out that we decided to get them. Not special but perfect pulled pork sliders. It's a cute space. We sat at the bar which was fun to sit at the kitchen. They're a well oiled machine. Servers and staff are friendly. Pacing is a bit faster than normal, but was good. My main criticism would be that the sauces, while different, had some similarities, which made it seem a bit repetitive. read more

I was hesitant to do a review for this place because it seems to be getting so crowded lately. I wanna tell everyone it sucks so I don't have to wait as long for a table... but yelp is all about being honest, right?! So to be completely honest I'm a huge fan of Traif! I've been here 4 times and every time I go it's better and better. I really love sitting outside when the weather is nice, they have a really cute back yard. The dinner is really good but I definitely prefer going here for brunch. The scrambled eggs with lobster are to die for! So are the chicken and biscuits. Soooo soooo good! The brunch portions seem much larger than the dinner ones so if you don't like nibbling on small plates and want something more substantial then go for brunch. But dinner is fabulous too, you just need to order more. Oh and don't forget to save room for the bacon doughnuts... words cannot describe this heavenly dessert read more

I have been coming to Traif regularly for the past 1.5 years and after last night's experience I am over Traif. First we had the scallops with squash, scallops were cooked perfectly but the pairing was a bit off putting. The lamb tenderloin was a failure. The meat was tough to cut and the flavors were horrendous. The pomegranate beef rib was pretty good and the frog legs didn't disappoint. Overall service was borderline average, definitely not what it used to be. We ordered a bottle of wine that was terrible. First the waiter said it was on the house, later on he offered us free dessert as well. Only to come back with the check that clearly charged for the bottle of wine and he apologized for the wine being bad. Had he done that from the get go, and not offer what clearly he couldn't deliver I would have been fine, but flip flopping is just poor customer service. I have had some amazing meals at Traif in the past and this is one of the rare places in Williamsburg that the quality of their service/meals justified the prices. But clearly all good things come to an end. read more

Wow! Not a negative thing to write. Service, drinks, food; everything was top top class!

I had been meaning to come here after all the raves and amazing reviews. Finally trekked all the way to the unknown land to me that is Brooklyn. Everyone claims that this is their favorite restaurant. I have to say some of the dishes are amazingly impressive. There was a complimentary gazpacho to start, which was very creamy and interesting in taste. I was really starting to like the flavors of this place! Then we ordered. Boy was the menu confusing! we couldn't tell when the descriptions started and when the title ended. They should work on the menu clarity a bit. We then proceeded to order the following dishes: -Seared Scallops with corn risotto- Amazing. This dish by far was my favorite. So creamy and bold in taste -Short Rib sliders- I liked it, but overall I felt a little meh about it. The sweet potato fries could also have had a little more work into it. Somehow I feel like it wasn't the best dish -Spaetzle- This was a little disappointing. I had never heard of spaetzle and tried it for the first time. This was lacking in the boldness and originality. This was a bit too bland for my taste -Seared Foie Gras- I am also a little biased over this as I have had what I thought was the best Foie Gras done in New Orleans. This was good, but it did not measure up to my expectations...unfortunately -Bacon Donuts- This was the highlight of the show. Amazing! Paired witht he coffee ice cream, this is the signature front of Traif. The savoriness of the bacon was subtle and brought out the sweetness of the glazed donuts. Really wonderful! Overall, I was impressed by thsi restaurant and would definitely give Xixa a shot. Till then, I don't think I will be back in Brooklyn for a while! read more

The host would not seat me because I was dining alone. Unbelievable. I would have sat at the bar but it comes out only a few inches, making for knee bumping galore, not conducive to dining. With plenty of tables free , I am absolutely horrified with this discrimination. read more

traif. meaning unkosher (as ingrained by the server upon seating.) preface: there is nothing "unkosher" about traif (in the grand sense of the word.) firstly, the food is alarming delicious. superb product choices and a marrying flavors in ways that affordable food in this city has yet to reproduce. (primarily the sweetbread/shrimp special and the pork belly/artichoke starter) BUT the service consists of a poor script, painstakingly devised and enforced by a gestapo management. "welcome, have you been to traif before? (NO, you just opened) you MUST sample our delicious..." intrusive and poorly rehearsed at that. a reading from the torah has more original appeal. secondly, the decor is anything but TRAIF. you are surrounded and consumed by an extremely kosher upchuck of tried and (not so true) ikea concept design. shot glasses filled with pottery barn pebbles 'decorate' the bathroom alongside a receptacle 'aptly' labeled a sanitary disposal via a label gun sticker. not to mention the urban outfitters' decals on the wall which exude a not so thoroughly devised aesthetic for an over-saturated williamsburg restaurant scene. i pity the talented chef (formerly of the limited LA fine dining scene) that must find a way to coexist within this environment. the disconnect could be its inevitable demise. if you can ignore your remaining three senses, the taste (and smell) of this chef's approachable cuisine is worth the trek. -a p-heights resident (still without williamsburg-envy.) read more

What are you paying for at Traif? Is it the food, the service, the ambiance, the Williamsburg cache, just a good time...or what? I've been twice and the common theme and what I've loved between both visits has been the food. The odd combinations of quality ingredients, the consistent, and "as-intended" cooking technique, the smaller plates = you/your party-can-sample-more-variety allure...all amount to uncommonly delicious, satisfying food. So why the two stars? Last year I went for my birthday with my girlfriend and this year, did the same. However, both experiences were incredibly different, like night and day. Last time, our waitress was attentive, considerate, willing to sweeten up a cocktail if too boozy, and on top of the order of plates. We sat right by the entrance, right by the constant flow of patrons moving in or out and yet that never seemed to become a distraction. This time was just a little different. You might think I'm fussy or spoiled based on my complaints and I might understand but let me just tell you how even if the food is amazing somewhere, the service can suck, and the experience overall can be mixed at best and at worst...well...at worst, the service can make appreciating what should be appreciated difficult, if not impossible. We were seated in the back left of the main room, right next to a table of I think eight. Our waitress, Whitney, was ok, but it seemed liked she was the point person for every table in the entire room, like as if THAT was her shift. Not the back garden area, the entire room inside. Maybe 20 to 30 customers, that's all?! Sure, there were servers refilling water glasses, taking away menus, dropping off plates, literally running beside tables to do any of these things, and bumping into my girlfriend or anyone else to get to another table nearby but poor Whitney was the one to take orders, deliver drinks, and oversee tables. We ordered the second item on the menu, a "tricolore" salad, among five other things and it arrived first. But you know what arrived second? Basically a pork entree that should have been last...and it was delivered by one of the servers who obviously didn't look at our table and realize that a salad was there and that we were at the beginning of the meal, not the "crescendo". So reader...do you tell them to send it back or do you roll with it? We rolled, since we were baffled and starving. Thing is, when you roll, sometimes you regret. And I regretted because we missed our opportunity to question what the servers or Whitney or Traif were doing. Why should it be our job to manage the order of the plates? Why should I have to politely tell them they screwed up, which I should have, or say whatever other possibly annoying shit to the waitress when we're there to pay to experience pleasure by eating food prepared and delivered by professionals in presumably a certain order? During and after that bit, the food itself was outstanding, which because of the service annoyances became a fight to realize. The service never really recovered either. No waiter or server acknowledged the pork entree's premature appearance, I ordered a French 75 and was told they couldn't make it because they didn't have pineapple juice (!) even though they ended the meal with pineapple chunks (?), I had to tell a server not to take away the container with the Chicken Liver because I wasn't finished, and a waiter in a rush angled around another table to throw bacon donuts on our table. Delicate, right? There are just too many servers trying to drop/take away plates or pour water than there are waitresses or waiters to pay careful attention to you or the quality of your experience. And there are too many tables crammed inside together, which makes bumps and jostling a stupid reality between patrons and staff. With just one waitress to manage all tables, we were genuinely asked how things were going at the beginning of the meal and the end and that's it. Traif has a food-concept which it does execute well, but you might later realize it's also executing a business plan underpinned by what seems like a rigorous cost-benefit analysis. No, I don't blame Whitney or the servers, I blame the owners and the work environment they've created. Why are servers just trying to expedite the flow of everything? Why did it seem like only one waitress was taking orders, delivering drinks, and checking up on a room full of patrons on a BUSY Friday night (May 23rd)? Why are there so many tables crowded in one room with just one waitress? Have the owners earned their investment in the restaurant back yet...cause if they have, why don't they slow down the pace in the kitchen, take out a few tables in the main dining room, and hire a few more waiters or waitresses? Also, why are only larger tables sitting outside in the garden area -if Traif makes more money off of presumably larger parties, are they just more valuable to them and therefore more deserving of a better seat? read more

Must give a bad review because of our NYE experience. We had a large party and they were really difficult with us regarding scheduling. We arrived on time with reservation and they were an hour late in seating us. So we started our meal around midnight. Tiny courses. Not the best food I've had there. Our bill was stratospherically high and I left hungry. I've had fantastic meals here in the past, so I'm really disappointed that they messed up our special night with all our friends. @Traif folks - maybe next time book fewer people and give them the a high quality experience. read more

We loved Traif. We've been going there for 8+ years and have brought many family and friends there for the dining taste and experience. But it's not what it was anymore, at least from our last time there. It was a prix fixe on a busy night and we had reservations (yes we were patient), but after over 2 hours we only had half the dishes served. 90 minutes of no food on the table. We saw other patrons come and go while we were still sitting. We let the wait staff know, but nothing improved, except they served the final dish, a sweet dish, before ANY of the savory dishes probably just to shut us up. Not wanting to wait around another 2 hours at that rate, we decided to leave. We may go back, or not. But they still charged us full price for half the food. WTF. read more

I've been here twice for dinner and both times were delicious. The restaurant itself is very small. So small that the host asked us to step outside when we arrived to be seated. There is a seating area in the front with the bar and kitchen in plain view, greenhouse seating in the back and a single bathroom. The first time I went was for a friend's birthday so we had a reservation for about 18 people so we basically took up the seating along the wall in the front. Because we had so many people, we were told that selections would be made for us (to which I breathed a sigh of relief). Everything is tapas style so we were given a plate of each choice for every 4-6 people. The second time I went, we were seated in the back greenhouse room which was hot despite the A/C right there. Overall there were a few standout dishes but it was difficult to remember everything. They have several foie gras dishes and I feel like you can't go wrong with any of them. We had the smeared foie gras with fingerling potatoes and fried egg which was deliciously rich. We had the soft shell crab dish which was great and made my friend want to order another right after. The strawberry cinnamon glazed ribs were also delicious and a unique flavor that I would never have thought to put on ribs. I would have to say my favorite are definitely those amazing bacon doughnut holes. They're soft and perfectly flavored and served with a scoop of coffee ice cream. My friends loved the panacotta though they said the first time they tried it was much better so we will definitely have to come back and make a decision then. read more

cozy and unpretentious ambiance, yet still pretty hip. we sat in the patio that was mainly lit with candles. bacon broth on the house to start up our palates for our baconcentric dinner. short-rib sliders like a fancy sloppy joe (and i love sloppy joes growing up!), strawberry-cinnamon glazed baby back ribs, bacon wrapped blue cheese stuffed dates (perfection!), butterfish carpaccio, bone marrow (served in-bone) with steak tar-tar aside, the perfect salad of peaches and bacon and finally, the bacon donuts served with coffee ice cream (again, perfect is the only word to describe them) and a complimentary strawberry dessert dressed in tangy pomegranate reduction. i haven't left a restaurant so completely satisfied in a long time. thank you traif! read more

I am giving two stars for the two dishes I loved out of the five I ordered . To start off my friend made reservations here for 8:30 pm . We were running extremely late so we asked if we could move the reservation to 9 . They told us they weren't able to (this is a Thursday night) and told us to make a reservation for xixa which is there like sister restaurant next door . So we did . While we were walking to xixa we passed by Traif and noticed it was empty . About 7 empty tables I would say . We then asked if there was availability and sat down immediately. Surprising right ? Anyways we sat down I started off with the waitresses recommendation for the kumquat daiquiri . Huge mistake it's one of the strangest tasting cocktails and not in a good way at all. I would just stick to wine if you're planning on drinking here . So then we ordered ... The tuna tartare was spectacular and so was the salt and pepper shrimp with sweet potato and pineapple. The Ragu with sausage and the sliders were also okay . But let's talk about the rack of lamb . It was terrible . I am a huge lamb eater and I have eaten lamb almost every way you can possibly cook it and the minute it came I noticed it was extremely rare , so rare that just by looking at it it looked raw ... I thought maybe if I cut into it it would be fine. As I was attempting to cut it with my knife it just wouldn't cut . It was a struggle cutting the lamb . So when I finally did and put it in my mouth I spit it right out because firstly the lamb was so gamey . I've never eaten lamb with a such a strong Oder or taste like that . Also the lamb wasn't even warm because that's how rare it was and it was so chewy in the worst way possible . We signaled the waitress and explained the situation and she said "we have a policy that if you cut into the food we can't take it off the bill. My manager isn't here at the moment but I can try to find out what we can do " well out of curiosity , if I don't try to food how am I supposed to know how good or bad it is right ? What kind of ridiculous policy is that. So then 2 mins later she came back and said "I spoke to my manager and we took it off the bill" I am appreciative that I wasn't charged for the lamb however , didn't she just say two mins ago her manager wasn't there ? Long story short , I thought the food was mediocre , I'm still having nightmares of that lamb and also the communication between the staff and customers is lacking clearly because of the whole reservation and manager fiasco . read more

The ribs are amazing the most flavorful unique taste ever . The bread and chesse is also good . Wasn't a fan of donut with bacon .

I've been here a few times and it has never disappointed me. I'm not a big rib guy, but those strawberry cinnamon ribs are incredible. The clams and the braised pork were also standout dishes on the menu. Went with 5 people, had about 12 things and all were delicious. Desserts are usually forgettable, but after the food it's east to overlook. Definitely try if you haven't yet, and try to make a reservation because you can really wait there. read more

Had dinner with four other friends there last night. A quiet, low key restaurant hidden right off the Williamsburg bridge. The atmosphere was decent and the service was friendly. The plates had a few spin offs that were interesting at most, other than that it's nothing out of the ordinary, but I did like the vanilla panna cotta! Overall it was a good experience less the ridiculous price that we paid for such a small amount of food. There were five of us and the bill can out to be $370, which is huge for a 2 dollar sign restaurant - $74 per person. read more

Love this place.. The vibe is always great and the food is outstanding, this is a regular spot for me, I always get the pork belly and the mac and cheese which is amazing. I figured since I'm always here I should support with a positive review. And also not so bad on the wallet read more

Waited an hour to be seated for our 8:30 reservation because the hostess "forgot" us. Not sure what all the hype is about. Nothing special and overpriced. Portions are tiny! They say dishes are meant to be shared, but how do you share a Kobe slider? Service is very slow read more

We got glasses of the Mourvedre, which we good. Earthy, rich flavor. The lentil soup was tasty and a good way to kick off the meal. We ordered 6 plates to share among one male and one female and felt like it was plenty of food. We probably could have gone with 5. Our plates were (i) shaved sprouts, (ii) tuna tartare, (iii) pork belly, (iv) burrata, (v) short rid sliders, and (vi) salt and pepper shrimp. We enjoyed all of them. Very very good. As you will see, some of these are not on the menu that is posted on the website because they turn over seasonal and underperforming items. They should update what is posted periodically. read more

As a New Yorker whose favorite hobby is trying new restaurants in NYC I have been to quite a few places and ate dishes from all cuisines in the world. Considering all the restaurants I have tried over the years Traif is by far my absolute favorite. The strawberry flavored short ribs, pork sliders, and the Tuna tartar are only a few dishes on the menu that are DEVINE!!! They also offer an amazing wine menu. LOVE LOVE LOVE THIS PLACE!!! You haven't been to Traif you're missing out on outstanding tasteful food. read more