Trekking out to Williamsburg from the other side of Brooklyn is generally more adventure than I want to take on, but with a show to go to 10 minutes away from Traif and 2 hours to spare, I finally got the chance to check out the decadent perfection taking place here. After ordering a beer and a delicious heavy-handed whiskey cocktail, friend and I decided on four dishes for us to split. The bacon wrapped and blue-cheese stuffed dates were okay. It's not that this dish wasn't delicious because it was. It's that I make the same thing at home and for whatever reason it actually comes out better. I probably wouldn't have ordered this to begin with but my friend picked it out and I didn't want to naysay. The little bits of catalan spinach dressing the dish were very very good. Our next dish was warm gooey muenster cheese and spicy chorizo served with apple slices and little toasts. It was so insanely over the top good. I love you, cheese and sausage! The best dish of the night was also the strangest. Crispy pork belly served with spicy shishinto peppers, salty feta, and briney white anchovies. I wanted to try this the most just because I could not imagine these flavors making any sense on my palate. Surprisingly, they did. They made serious delicious sense! My taste buds did a crazy dance and I sighed happily. Our shrimp mussel dish, a low point of the evening, was served in tasty gingery dark broth and topped with weird rice crispy...thingies. The weird rice crispy thingies became mush as they soaked in the sauce and were...not very good. The shrimp were a tad overcooked. The mussel, IDK, they were just mussels. This dish is the sole reason Traif didn't make 5 stars for me. We also shared bacon doughnuts with dulce de leche ice cream. Little balls of sweetness perfectly off set by the salty, smoky, bacon bits on top. At this point in our meal my friend was talking about saving the world and I was pretending to listen while secretly contemplating a way to eat one of his doughnuts. I'm a bad friend. Shut up. *Great complimentary amuse-bouche of...bacon broth. Yea, you heard me. read more

While the food may be good (if you like meat, of course), the service is not. Unfortunately I even took the time to email the owner to fill her in on the incredibly poor service we experienced and she failed to even grant me a response. No email, no phone call, no acknowledgement from the owner or the manager to at least apologize for the crappy service we endured. This just adds to the "we are too cool for even you, Williamsburg" reputation that Traif already had garnered. I was very disappointed. read more

Josh was theee best server! Traif has been on my list for years at this point, but I never found myself willing to trek to the Billy Burg just to try it. Shame on me. We came for our anniversary and sat inside. My boyfriend was able to get reservations just a day in advance. Having scoured Yelp already for all the good dishes to try, I already had a pretty good idea of what I wanted. We ordered the Tuna Tartare, Cinnamon Ribs, Gnocchi, Pork Belly, and Scallops. The tuna tartare was amazing and easily the best thing we ate the entire night. I wish we had ordered two of them. Our second favorite dish was the scallops with corn risotto. It was also delicious, and the scallops were perfect! Everything was great and if I could re-do my entire meal, it would be only to order less drinks and more food so I could have tried more. I'm definitely coming back, Traif! read more

Make a reservation! We went here on a Saturday night. SERVICE: (A+) Great! Everyone was really friendly. We did not have a reservation and called ahead but they told us when they will start having tables available. When we go there she took our name and suggested we have a drink next door. She took our phone number and called us when our table was ready.They even let us switch tables so we could sit out on the "patio". Everyone was attentive and we did not want for anything. FOOD: (A) This is a tapas style meal which was really great because I like tasting everything so you get a really great variety and it's a nice interaction with the table. Tomato Soup Shooter: They bring you this complimentary. It was a bit over salted. Escargot: This was very tasty, the sauce they use is good. I don't know if I would order again though. Buffalo Frog Legs: This was my first time eating frog, it's like a cross between chicken and a white fish. I was not a fan, but the rest of the table loved it! Duck Spaetzle: This was DELICIOUS. The textures were great and all the flavors came together so well - flavor explosion!!! Strawberry Ribs: These tasted like Chinese BBQ ribs but with better texture/fall off the bone. Pork Chop: This was incredible. I don't even like pork chops, but it was heavenly/perfectly cooked. WINNER. Scallops: I was excited to try these after reading some reviews but was disappointed. They were cooked perfect, nice portion, good texture, but over salted!! I would not order this again. Short Rib Sliders: OH MY GOD. If you like sweet BBQ sauce then you will love these. We all flipped over them. I would go back just to get this. Came with sweet potato fries which are always yummy. Crispy fried Quail w/ sweet squash: This was good, the quail was a bit chewy though, I don't know what happened there. The batter they used was just good, not great. The sweet squash though was heaven but doesn't justify ordering this again. Bacon Doughnuts w/ Coffee Ice Cream: These were so good. The bacon on top was crispy bits that gave them a nice crunch and the coffee ice cream was refreshing. Perfectly sweet and salty. Pineapple cleaner: They gave us a piece of pineapple at the end with some sort of pomegranate/basil syrup on it. At first I thought, "whatever", but they I put it in my mouth and whatever they soak it in packed a lot of flavor. Yum!! VALUE: We were there for 2.5 hours, table of 3 people, we each had 2-3 drinks; total was $240 (includes tip), but we over ordered!! We opted not to have the tasting menu ($45/pp) because we rather chose our own items off the menu - the tasting is just items that you can pick yourself. WILL I GO BACK? Yes, I like a menu that changes regularly and they have great service. Definitely get the Short Rib sliders!! read more

Best meal I have had in a LONG time!!! Such a fantastic experience I cannot wait to go back. We got 6 dishes for 2 people and thought it was the perfect amount. Everything was delicious and we agreed that the only thing that was just "ok" was the broccoli rabe. But maybe it was just because it was the last dish after experiencing such culinary bliss? Regardless, we agreed that you really cant go wrong at Traif. Highlights were the strawberry-cinnamon ribs, tartare and foie gras. Plus we loved our drinks! The cherry on top of the whole experience was how reasonably priced everything was. Considering we got 6 dishes and several drinks I could not believe that our bill only came to around $100. We spent the rest of the night talking about how amazing everything was! Definitely worth making a res asap! read more

A restaurant with a creative menu and worth a trip to Williamsburg UNLESS YOU ARE A BIG GROUP, and in which case you should STAY AWAY. We went there for a bachelorette dinner for our friend but did not have a pleasant experience with the restaurant. The food was enjoyable, but this really felt like a MONEY HUNGARY establishment, and people should be aware before coming here. Be ready to be asked to pay even before you finish your dessert and be kicked out the moment you paid while being over charged service charge on your bill. ***message to management: service charge of 20% should be charged on the bill before tax, not after. They would NOT make you feel special for your special occasion. First was difficulty with reservation. You need to give them your card to hold the reservation for your party and $50 each person will be charged if you don't show up. This we understood since any popular restaurant would ask this to make sure they don't hold an empty table for no show guests. And for a big group they offer a set menu, so you don't know what you are getting but they do ask you of any allergies. When we had two friends from out of town hoping to join us, the restaurant told us the maximum people they could hold would be 7 people, which was the number of people from our original reservation. Disappointed, but again, we understood. After we got to the restaurant, we did not have a 7 people table but three table put together which usually accommodate 6. They seated us to be squeezed at one side of table, 4 and 3 facing each other. It was fine, we had enough room. So they LIED... THEY TOTALLY COULD HAVE FITTED ONE MORE PERSON TO THE OTHER SIDE OF THE TABLE since they managed to seat us as 4 and 3. They could have fit 8, and the max certainly wasn't 7! When a few of us were running late for less than 5 minutes, our friends who got there first called us nervously on the phone and said if the rest of us can not make it there in 10 more minutes they will give away out table. 5 more minutes later, we all got there, no big deal. We sat down, and started our dinner. Hot appetizers came before cold salad. Food came before our drinks. It's okay, they are busy, no problem. I received an cocktail with an BROKEN GLASS, and sent it back to the bar, but NO Apologies . There could have been a broken glass inside. No one gave me information on wether it was a replacement or they just poured the same drink into another glass. Our waitress was nice, until she kicked us out! As a group of 7 we were charged with 20% after tax, which is WRONG! You should only charge people on the food and drinks before tax, but not on the tax itself. Noting the overcharge of $7, we still paid respectfully because we didn't want to seem rude to our host who made this reservation and our waitress was really nice. And guess what? Our "nice" waitress came back, asking for 83 cents that's "short" from our total bill! 83 cents!!! Really?? We were shocked... but paid anyways despite the disgust. At that point, we had already been rushed to leave the restaurant and pay, twice because we were told they had taken a reservation after us. We could have paid when we were ready, but instead paid even before we finished our dessert and drinks because the waitress sent the bill without us asking and asked us if we were ready just a few minutes after. She clearly knew we didn't had time to check the bill because it had not been touched. The last dessert course came even after we paid our bill. What kind of restaurant does that? At that point, I had no appetite to try any more food. Three of us decided to use the restroom before leaving and were lining up outside the only restroom they had. We were approached by the waitress, telling us we could use the restroom in their other restaurant which was 2 blocks away! Hummm? What?! You want us to go to another restaurant just to use the bathroom?? We said, no, thank you, we are okay. At the time there were two other ladies waiting to use the restroom. Our waitress then proceed to attend to other business and then turned back again, and told the same thing to the other two ladies. To that point, I realized she didn't tell us that to save us the time of waiting on line but to get rid of us!! The whole table of us!! I was the second to use the restroom amongst the three of us. After I was done, perhaps just 3 minutes after our conversation with the waitress, I notice our entire party standing up, and bus boy already clearing out our drinks while my friends were still managing to grab our stuff from the table. At that point, one of our friend told the waitress, " you escorted us out! That is really not classy!" And she was right!!! If they had waited 2 more minutes, we would have been on our way anyways! This is not a place that put the happiness of customers first! They want your money and after you paid, they kick you to the curb!!! Literally!!! read more

Funny story. I have a nasty habit. I smoke. Yes Yes, its gross, and its bad for me. But hear me out. So I wanted some matches cuz I didn't have any or a lighter on me. I asked the waitress at Traif if she had matches. She then looked confused and I explained if Traif had those cute little company matches and she said...."Well, I can GIVE you A match?"...then my dining partner LAUGHED out loud as IF I WANTED TO USE THE TOILET AND THEN LIGHT A MATCH!! haha..i was mortified naturally. But seriosly, the food here is amazing. I thought some dishes were more interesting than others of course. Such as the sliders and the rock shrimp. My panna cotta dessert was absolutely yummy. I test all my panna cotta to see if they jiggle like a giant boob. And this one certainly jiggles like a giant boob and it was drizzled w. delishous pom stuffs. Tasty. read more

Can't say enough about this place. Best modern tapas spot in Williamsburg. And the name of the restaurant and background of the owner makes it even more fun. Look em up. read more

Great if you have a big appetite. I ate here with my boyfriend for his birthday and got the chef selection. I wish we got the table in the garden because it looked very pretty and the weather was nice. Then the plates of food came and it was a marathon. Everything was pretty tasty. My favorites were the tuna tar tar on the eggplant tempura , the endive salad, the scallops and the snapped bao. I did not love the strawberry rib and the seared foie gras ( with the bacon and egg, it felt kind very heavy). While I understand that this place is very busy and there is a 2 hour time limit, we got 9 of the entrees within the first hour. By the 7th dish, I was uncomfortably full and made my boyfriend eat most of the food. We were allowed a 10 minute break before the desserts and it was tasty but i couldn't appreciate it bc I was stuffed. I think the plates could be more spaced out bc we actually finished everything within an hour 15 minutes. It felt like the waitress was trying to shoo us out as fast as possible. If I were to come back, I wouldn't get the chef selection bc I can't eat this much but I would recommend it to people who have a big appetite read more

See all

This place is truly a gem in NY! They offer small plates which I loved; it gave us the opportunity to try multiple items. I highly highly recommend this restaurant! Our taste buds were definitely doing the happy dance :) The cinnamon strawberry glazed baby back pork ribs gave me life! One bite and I was in food heaven. The combination itself sounds a bit weird but it was absolutely amazing! The ribs melted off the bone and were simply succulent! We then moved onto the BBQ braised short rib sliders with truffle fries and the "amazing" orange sauce! This small plate was my favorite! It's def a must try at Traif. The salt and pepper shrimp were just "ok" to me. Maybe it was because it came after the sliders and the ribs which were absolutely delectable. The spices were a bit too strong for my taste buds. The last small plate was the buttermilk fried quail which was very good. Well seasoned and soaked in a creamy buttermilk sauce. Now for the grand finale - the BACON DOUGHNUTS with dulce de leche and coffee ice cream. UNBELIEVABLE!! After the first bite, I made sure I savored every last bit. It was absolutely amazing in evvveeerreyy siiiinnnggllleee way!!!! They are truly heavenly. read more

Hands down one of the best meals I've had in a long time. Granted, I don't eat out at new places as often as I used to, but there hasn't been a place that has stood out as much as Traif did in a while. Delicious food at fairly reasonable prices. The combination of flavors of each dish harmonized so well with each other. There was a depth of flavor to every dish that we ate, where each bite was the perfect blend of taste and texture. What we ordered: -creamy burrata, red beets, pomegranate, yogurt, mint: Creamy deliciousness. -butterfish carpaccio, grapefruit, avocado, mint, sesame, soy: There was no hint of fishiness at all. In fact, the butterfish just melted in my mouth while the other flavors just lingered. Sooo yummy. -baked muenster cheese, smoked chorizo, golden apples, crostini: This was a dish that I thought would initially be too cheese heavy, but when you top off the cheese with a slice of apple on top, the sweet, crunchy apple has a way of cutting through the cheesiness of the baked muenster. And the smoked chorizo added just enough extra saltiness to be a nice surprise when you got a bite of chorizo. -seared scallops, butternut squash, huckleberries, pistachios, sage: The dish that our waitress had recommended we get. Two thumbs up. -bbq, braised short rib sliders, sweet potato fries, smoked paprika aioli: Our last dish of the night. Flavorful, tender, yum! -bacon doughnuts, dulche de leche , coffee ice cream: Whoever thought that adding bacon on top of doughnuts was a genius. I'm not normally a fan of donuts, but these were freshly made, bite size donuts that were so fluffy and light..and when you dip it in the dulche de leche sauce...heaven! I would definitely come back here at any chance I get. Even though it's in Brooklyn, it's literally right off the Williamsburg bridge, so it was super easy to get to. Traif doesn't get the media hype it deserves, but what's kind of nice about that is that it's like a hidden treasure you can share with your friends without worrying that it'll be overcrowded due to mainstream hype. Can't wait to come back. read more

Its the simple things in life that make me happy. Finding money in my pocket, hearing a song I haven't heard in a long time and quality time with good friends...While I was at Traif, I was reminded that its the small things that make things more enjoyable. After a long, soggy day, what better way to end a than sharing a meal with friends. Since Cassy S may be Traif's biggest fan, I trusted her judgement and let her order. As plate after plate came out it my mood started to lift and my taste buds began to sing. My fav dishes: the hamachi carpaccio, the spicy tuna tartare, the pork belly, the broccoli rabe, the sweet breads AND the bacon doughnuts. Its really important to include all the ingredients when taking a bite to experience the true mission of each dish. But what was really impressive was the staff at Traif, not only were they extra friendly but they went above and beyond to accommodate us. Thanks Heather! read more

Went here for brunch - amazing, and I can't wait to try dinner as well. While some say it's hard to find - I don't think so, but I may be biased seeing as though I ride past it every day on my way to the wburg bridge. While the bacon, egg & cheese sliders don't look like much - they were DELICIOUS. And this isn't something I normally would order (I'm kind of whatever about bacon). The fries were tasty and the eggs were fluffy and perfectly complimented the slightly crispy edged bun. I liked that the portion wasn't huge because it left room for my friends and I to share the Pumpkin Spice pancakes. Oh My Lord. Thick, luscious, delicious. It was a perfect Sunday brunch - nice dark stout, great company & service and lip smacking good food. It may be my favorite restaurant, but I'll come back to that statement after I try dinner. read more

After having been to Xixa multiple times, I was dying to try Traif. When I finally went, it completely lived up to my rather high expectations. Since there were three of us, we opted for the chef's tasting menu, which at only 45 dollars per person, is pretty reasonable. For that price, you get about 10 small plates to share plus two desserts. You can request a couple of dishes, but the rest will be the chef's choice. We got the following dishes: --sweet potato soup (amuse bouche) --tuna tartare with eggplant tempura --salad with apples and cheese (can't remember which kind) --prawns with Texas toast --baby back ribs --pork belly --fois gras with egg and bacon --skate cheeks --pan seared scallops --short rib sliders --spaetzle with rabbit --vanilla panacotta --bacon donuts Of those, my favorites were the pork belly, scallops, and short rib sliders (and I'm not even a meat lover most of the time). My least favorite was the skate cheeks because it was prepared kung pao style, which I'm not a fan of. Everything was really good, though. We had a reservation because it was a Friday night, but we just got it day of, so my feeling is you could probably wing it and go without one, especially on the early side. I'm sure I'll be back here soon! read more

I want to give Traif five stars, but had to shave off one because of the slowish service. I am totally impressed that they get so much good food done in such a small space and in a small kitchen, which probably leads to some breaks and service. It's cramped in there, you really can't go with more than a group of four. Bigger tables are in the front or back patio, but otherwise there are mostly two seaters. I made a reservation a week in advance for Friday at 9 PM I came with BF for a celebration. The waitress kindly explained the menu- all small plates style, this lighter items being up top and heavier items being at the bottom. The recommend 2 dishes per person as a minimum, all to share. There is a lot of variety in the menu which is a huge plus. Unlike what most people think the restaurant is not just about pork having really good seafood, veg, poultry dishes... Didn't see a lot of beef. The menu also changes seasonally. The only thing I wish was that our waitress would have made recommendations but she was adamant that she didn't play favorites. Funnily, the unorganized service meant that we got two rounds of the amuse bouche. It was a Cajun sweet potato bisque that was really good, it was very spicy and also creamy because of the sweet potato texture. It's refreshing to have a different substantive sampler since most of the time people give you a watermelon gazpacho to cleanse the palette. I stated with the most popular cocktail; the name escapes me but it had pig in it. It was spicy and salty with a good bourbon base. Bf had a really nice cab, which was on the dryer versus full bodied side. We had the: Burrata- I love me some good Burrata. Awesome texture and flavor- it came with reduced balsamic, pistachios, olives, and really good grilled broccoli Rabe. All of the ingredients were the best of the best. The salt-and-pepper rock shrimp, which was sriacha mayo and tempura shrimp. The shrimp was perfectly cooked not too overdone not too undone, and the sauce was really on point. Came with pineapple and sweet potato chunk. The pork belly. I don't eat pork a lot but I couldn't pass this up it's one of traif's best dishes. Of course the pork belly was an excellent cut, so it had the right fat content with the rate crispiness on the outside. Totally melts in your mouth. The fried egg on thick Texas toast with broccoli Rabe, and a thick and flavorful creamy mushroom sauce. Fresh ingredients again but probably my least favorite dish only because it wasn't as complex and the other things we had. That buttermilk fried quail with cornbread. I think this dishes is usually made with chicken but I thought that the quail was a nice treat even though it was smaller. I like the dark meat contrast with the crispiness of the buttermilk breading. The cornbread was really flavorful and had a really good sweet buttermilk sauce on top which is surprising because buttermilk is usually sour. Well fried, the dish was very polite. This was the most filling - and towards the end of the menu somewhat like an entrée. For dessert, we went with the world-famous bacon donuts. I really like the donuts as they were dense but still fluffy. The dough used was really good. Bacon bits were sprinkled on top so that wasn't particularly artisanal, but the combination of the saltiness from the bacon bits, the sweet donuts, and the coffee ice cream was a great pairing. We wanted coffee with our dessert but I guess whoever was making it forgot about us and it didn't come until after the donuts. Six dishes are probably overboard as we were so full. The total cost was $120 after tax and tip, it's a very trendy-hipster vibe, not unlike the neighborhood surrounding. I highly recommend. read more

FIVE STARS!! YAY! I finally got to try Traif out and I am in LOVE LOVE LOVE!! We ordered a bunch of dishes to share, but my favorite one was the scallops with risotto. SO GOOD! The place is cozy and nice. The staff was super friendly and helpful. The only thing that bothered me was the tight seating. The tables were too close to each other. But overall, FIVE STARS!! I cannot wait to try out the rest of the menu! Mmm :) read more

We arrived at Traif on Saturday, December 27, 2014 at 7 PM. Williamsburg was extremely quiet as I imagine most of the residents returned to their true homes for the holidays. We were dressed up as it was my girlfriend's birthday. I parked about a half block away. When we went inside we were greeted by a very pretentious male host. He stared at us for a second and asked if we had reservations to dine with them tonight. I said we did not have reservations. The restaurant was 80% empty. There were probably 3 tables that had guests dining. The host had the nerve to tell us they could not accommodate us and he had to check but he might have had a seat at the bar because it gets pretty busy on weekends. My girlfriend and I looked at each other and walked out. How can an empty restaurant refuse service. We walked by a half hour later and the restaurant was still dead. I could understand if it was a busy night but clearly it was a holiday weekend and the neighborhood was quiet. I really wanted to try the food here and I am very upset that we were basically refused. We returned to our car and 5 mins later we found a restaurant in Manhattan. read more

I found this place just odd while the food was bad. I read the positive reviews hoping for a stellar time. Really dark ambience that I assume is somehow supposed to lend to a balmy/cozy night depending on the season, however I just found it oppressive. The food was outright confusing with poor quality ingredients. I eat out at incredible restaurants - because in nyc we are lucky to be near them! and Traif shouldn't have the glowing reviews. EVERY dish was either under salted or way way over salted. I started with the foie gras thinking me and my boyfriend couldn't go wrong and it was sugary sweet with balancing acid at all. Why would you do that to foie gras?!? The ribs were also syrupy like others have pointed out. Lots of ingredients were recycled over and over like a corn salad that put over two of the dishes we happened to order. This restaurant feels like a borderline scam and wish I could have contested our expensive bill but one can't do that just because they felt they were ripped off, right? Traif is right down the street so I'm sorry that I won't be returning. Weird dinner. read more

I'm a newcomer to the NY area, living in Manhattan for the next couple of months. On a whim, I decided to venture to Brooklyn for dinner today and simply yelped a restaurant to my liking. Yelp led me to Traif. And my word...Yelp knows me oh so well! I got the crispy, braised pork belly with corn, avocado and tomato marmalade. Just breathtaking. The pork belly was so tasty, just the perfect amount of sweetness to complement the salty flavoring and crisped immaculately. The marmalade was perfect as well, its natural freshness juxtaposed nicely against the savory umami of the pork belly. For dessert I had the bacon doughnuts with dulce de leche and coffee ice cream. It sounds like a great way to start your day, but it really was an amazing finish to my meal. I am not a coffee fan, but the ice cream had just enough flavor to pique my palate without being overwhelming. The doughnuts were as fluffy as can be, topped with the dulce de leche and bacon bits. You have to eat it quickly to avoid having a coffee ice cream mess all over your plate...but I didn't mind one bit. The start and the finish, a watermelon gazpacho and a piece of pineapple with some uber-tasty pomenegrate glaze, respectively, were delicious as well. And I highly recommend the River Horse Double Wit beer...it's Belgian-style AND it's on the stronger side (7%). Need I say more? All in all, one of my favorite dining experiences that I've had in this giant city. Even my favorite Manhattan haunts would have to struggle to fend off Traif! read more

Obviously not much has changed in my opinion here, but I did want to comment upon the tasting menu -- which my group of 5 indulged in last night; it was absolutely divine. At first we thought that there is no way in hell that the small plates brought to us one by one could feed us all, but the cumulative effect of the 11 courses really does add up to a satisfying amount of food. The chef's selection is excellent, and at $40 a pop it's really worth it to give the tasting menu a shot if you haven't already tried a good deal of their menu. Just note that everyone at the table has to participate, and the tasting menu is for a minimum of 3-person parties. Also, their key lime pie is the best I have ever had. read more

I know Traif doesn't need another outstanding review, but I can't help it. When even the delivery is delicious you know you have a winner. Every single dish we ordered was bursting with flavor, you can tell it was so thoughtfully developed. The farmacia cocktail was complex and smooth. We put the leftover pozole verde on the next mornings omelette and it killed. *dishes in order of most to least favorite (bear in mind they were all great): short rib sliders, chorizo meatballs, spring veggie fajitas, rosemary flan, gnocchi. read more

Was here in Tuesday for bae's birthday. We had a 6pm reservation aka early bird special & we're probably the only ppl in the restaurant until at least 7pm. The place is casual but super trendy & when it gets packed it can be kinda loud, so we enjoyed our 1hr of private dining. They offer a tasting menu on weekdays which consists of 9 savory dishes & 2 sweet ones. It's $50/pp (totally reasonable) & recommended for 3+ but usually they're able to accommodate 2. So obviously that's what we did. Honestly everything we tried was unbelievable, (except the mussels) each dish had an interesting mix of flavors & textures which we loved. But here's a breakdown Food: -scallops with wheat barley: scallops were juicy & soft, not too fishy. Wheat barley was cooked well but I'm just not a fan of it in general -winter salad with persimmon: amazing, dressing was tangy, endive was bitter, cheesy with bacon & almond crunches & delicious persimmon -pork belly: topped with snow peas & artichoke hearts. I don't normally eat pork belly but bae made me try it and I must say it was good. Well marinated, soft, overall Delish -spicy tuna on tempura Japanese eggplant: I think this was my favorite dish. The tempura batter was light & airy, tuna was fresh with just enough spice -salt & pepper shrimp with pineapple & sweet potato: another amazing dish, shrimp were cooked to perfection & crispy. I loved the pineapple with it & sweet potatoes were yummy too -lamb chops with black hummus: AMAZING so perfectly cooked it was super soft almost melt in your mouth. They sprinkled some pomegranate seeds on too which was a nice touch. Black hummus was great & so were the two sauces accompanying the lamb (no idea what they were) -red pepper pasta: topped with an egg & lots of cheese. Pasta was well cooked, yummy flavors but I thought it was a little too liquidy of a sauce for my taste personally. The pasta looked like it was floating in a soup almost -mussels: I adore mussels & was so excited when these came out but they were just way too spicy. I like heat so I don't mind things on the spicier end but this was too much, especially for mussels. Probably the only dish I wouldn't order again -short rib sliders with sweet potato fries: the waitress said these sliders are the reason she works there & I can totally see why. The bun was sweet & soft. Short rib inside was so amazingly delicious. It melted in your mouth, was a bit sweet and just cooked to perfection. Fries were wonderfully crispy but I personally didn't love the smoked paprika aioli. -bacon donut: I think this is a signature here. It was good but not scream from the mountain tops good, I liked the key lime pie better. -key lime pie: amazing custard, tangy & sweet. Crumbling crust & home made whipped cream all topped with pineapple. All the flavors mixed together were wonderful. A must get in my opinion. Overall it was an obscene amount of food, especially for the price, but everything was so delicious we couldn't stop eating!!! Would def recommend this place for a midsized group, but no matter what you HAVE to get the tasting. read more

See all

With 1000 reviews, you really don't need my input...but I've lived in South Williamsburg for years & Traif was strangely one of the few restaurants I haven't eaten at. I've even been to the sister spot Xixa... so now was the time! Traif has quite a reputation, so it was no surprise that it was packed on a weekday night. I did not expect the *noise* in this place to be so horrible. I felt like I was in a sports bar during the Superbowl. It could have just been a freak incident, but at points I could barely enjoy my food because of how rowdy the tables around us were--and I'm no stranger to loud restaurants. Our waitress seemed rushed and disinterested. When asked for suggestions on what's good we received the obligatory unhelpful "Everything!". We decided to order six plates, although perhaps it would have been better to get the tasting menu (which seemed like it would have resulted in more plates for roughly the same price per person). The biggest problem with the food was not the food itself...but the timing. Our first dish came out relatively quick, and our second dish came out while we were finishing the first. Then there was a gap where we got our third... then our fourth. And then we waited *30 minutes* for our fifth and sixth plates. Perhaps this seems picky, but at other tapas restaurants (including Xixa) I've always had the plates roll out consistently with no time in between. It felt like we were there for hours. Anyway, the plates: - Scallops in a corn risotto, I believe. Very tasty. - Salad with peaches. Was fine b/c we wanted a veggie plate, but can't really hold a candle next to the other plates. - BBQ sliders with sweet potato fries. This was my FAVORITE. Absolutely balanced sweet/savory sliders. - Spaetzle with mushrooms. Probably my second fav. dish. Very savory without being overly salted like I found some other dishes. - Fried soft shell crab w/ watermelon. Tasty and crunchy, but a little underwhelming and too salty, esp. since it was the most expensive plate on the menu. I'd pass next time. - Baked Muenster cheese. This was actually my least favorite dish (coincidentally I had a baked cheese dip at Xixa and it was my least fav. plate there). Too greasy/oily, although the portions of the dip + crostini + apple slices worked out perfectly, so props for that. Everything was a tad bit oil/salty/greasy in general. Service was inconsistent and when our waitress was back it felt more like "oh right, you guys are still here". It's busy, yes, but it's Traif, and it has a reputation, and they should staff accordingly. Definitely was not the special experience I thought it would be between questionable service/noise level/gaps of time between plates. If you're looking for something special/intimate/quiet in the neighborhood, I would try something like Bozu or Marlow or maybe Diner instead. I'd come back just to grab one plate at the bar with a drink if it were super early in the evening, but otherwise my Traif experience is said & done and I have little interest in coming back. read more

I will lay out my only 2 "issues" I have with Traif- and no, they aren't big enough issues to take a hit at their well deserved 5 stars. 1) It was my two year anniversary and for my boyfriend who has everything - an experience is what I decided to give him. I picked Traif as that experience, so why not do the tasting menu. However, you do need to have at least 3 in your party and everyone at the table needs to participate. So I guess the tasting menu would have been the icing on the cake! We asked the server and she happily asked the chef if we could get the tasting menu. Unfortunately his answer was no, but that was totally fine! I can respect that the server tried, the chef didnt want to disrupt the flow, and that they have a delicious menu - so basically you can make your own "tasting menu". 2) I guess this could be a larger issues for the hipster that frequents Williamsburg restaurants, but the few people who served my beers could not pour. I'll admit, it wasn't my favorite thing to have to sip through the foam, but I could have just drank out of the bottle they gave me. If this is the only complaint (I feel like that word is somewhat of an exaggeration even) then I will take it! OK now to the good stuff: I made reservations with Rachel a couple weeks in advance since it was my anniversary and I know better than to walk into a restaurant like this on a Saturday night expecting to get seated right away. Surprisingly, there wasn't a wait anyways. Nonetheless, they seated us right away. The server came right over and gave us the full run down. I read the majority of reviews on here so I had a general idea of the "rules". I also did a great deal of research by reading all of the articles I could find about Traif - i felt pretty prepared. We both agreed we wanted to get 6 plates (which the server suggested). This review would be way too long if i described what I LOVED about every dish. Just trust me - you won't be disappointed. We ordered: Baratta Pork Sliders Tuna Tartare Soft Shell Crab Pork Fries and the Bacon Donuts So much good food! I feel like we knew our tastes and we went with very good choices. In the middle of the meal I told my boyfriend that I was so glad we chose Traif because their menu contains dishes that I wouldn't dare to make. You can taste that the chef took pride in his work and the ingredients were super fresh - down the the potato roll that the sliders came on. I will definitely go here again, and probably again after that. I would highly recommend this restaurant to anyone. Oh, we went there hungry and left completely full. For two guys who can generally eat a lot - the dishes were paced properly and we did not feel rushed. A well deserved 5 stars from start to finish. read more

I first wanted to give Traif 1-2 stars right off the bat because they are so damn difficult to get a reservation with. And no, its not because they are so popular that they don't have reservations available immediately. It's because they 1)don't use an online reservation system 2) don't answer their emails very fast and 3) they don't answer their phone.......like ever. I tried to call to make a reservation....left 2 voicemails, an email and called without leaving a voicemail at least 15 times throughout the day over a few days... it's 11, maybe they are just walking in the door to prep for the day and will hear my desperate calls for reservations...its 5, surely people are there ready to start dinner service.... My friend those are all pipe dreams. They will not answer your phone call. Since my husband and I live about 10 blocks away, we took a long walk one night and decided to make the reservation in person. I was fully prepared to go into full fledge mad-mode when I would surely see some snobby host with a fitted ironicly too short suit staring down at me like, "How dare you come into my restaurant without a reservation!" But I was warmly met by the owner, Heather as she huddled around the warm glow of a computer at the end of the bar and a note pad full of phone messages she had yet to catch up with and then it hit me. This place wasn't so pretentious that they couldn't answer their phones. They were just so busy and overwhelmingly popular that they are simply unable to stay afloat of all the demanding requests to dine in their amazing, successful, creative, and downright delicious restaurant. I wanted to be mad, but I couldn't. Once I started with my name is Brittany, she immediately apologized for the length of time that it took for her to return my *two voicemails* and email. I felt embarrassed...like I was harassing her. But she would have none of it. She immediately wrote our name down for our party of 4 for that Saturday--she also gave me her personal card and email and asked me to contact her directly the next time we want to come so I don't have to play Tag-can-i-have-a-reservation again. Heather is why I'm no longer upset about how many times it took me calling and emailing to secure a place at their table....and the chef's preparations and talent beyond that which I have really seen in NYC since I've moved here is why we will do it all again. And just like that, with one 10 block walk, we had reservations for what turned out to be one of the best restaurants I've ever been to in my life. The night of our reservation we walked in the door and Heather remembered me right away and showed us to our table, which had a great location in the smallish restaurant where we wouldn't be bothered by anyone and were away from the hustle and bustle of the well oiled machine that is their kitchen (about the size of my kitchen in a Brooklyn Apartment). We ordered 10 small dishes to split among 4 of us and we were full and satisfied at the end. I can't be sure of everything we had as I'm writing this but one thing I do know was ORDER THE BLUE CHEESE STUFFED DATES. Don't like dates? Who cares...do it anyway. Strawberry cinnamon glazed ribs? Sound weird? I don't care what you think. Or what you think you know about what foods go together and what foods complement one another. Do yourself a favor and order anything, 1 thing, 10 things, the whole damn menu. It was like....last meal on Death Row good. And all brought out in sequence that the chef best sees fit from lightest to heaviest.... And at $200 for 4 people (10 dishes, 4-6 beers and 3 cocktails including tip) you literally cannot beat it. oh man just thinking about it makes me want to walk 10 more blocks to make a reservation. We will be going back over and over. read more

Add this to my list of favorite places to eat. I can't wait to come back. the menu is seasonal and changes often. since it's tapas style, it's meant for sharing. this place stands out for it's unique menu and unexpected flavors. the pomegranate glazed baby back ribs are a must. the tender meat falls off the bone and the pomegranate glaze sets it apart from others. roasted brussel spouts with grapes, tomatoes, puffed rice, herbs and chile-garlic vinagrette-- who knew roasted brussel sprouts can taste this good? I could eat a whole plate of this! mixed greens salad with slices of persimmon, granny smith apples,candied walnuts and grated parmesan cheese-- awesome salad, very refreshing and light. pan seared scallops has the perfect texture and flavor. I don't remember the sauce but it was yummy. sauteed broccoli rabe with portabella truffle toast and fried egg- comfort food for anytime of the day. glazed confit chicken wings and pork belly was good but didn't standout so I'd rather try something else. for dessert, the vanilla panna cotta with pomegranate and sliced oranges was delightful. bacon doughnuts with dulce de leche and coffee ice cream- salty and sweet paired with warm and cold... I love the contrast and it all pairs wonderfully to end the perfect meal. read more

I can't believe this is my 200th review! I came here with two friends after a much anticipated wait and Traif did not disappoint. We each got a few cocktails, some bubbly, and the tasting menu. The tasting menu is SUCH a steal. For $45 each, we got nine courses and two desserts. The tasting menu included: -Pork Belly with lentils -Pork cheek -Tuna tartar -Hazelnut salad -Foie Gras -the infamous strawberry cinnamon glazed ribs -clam chowder -little sloppy joe type buns -scallops The dessert came with a key lime pie and the bacon doughnuts. My favs included: the pork belly with lentils, the foie gras, the strawberry cinnamon glazed ribs and the bacon donuts. Our waitress was very kind and accommodating. I don't like cheese, but didn't want to ruin the meal for my companions, so she mainly avoided the cheese items, but for the buns she put cheese on two of them and left mine without. We were also allowed to give suggestions for the tasting menu. We requested the foie gras the ribs and got both. For my cocktail, I got a drink with a raw egg in it. Twice. I learned the hard way that you should probably only get one drink with a raw egg in it. Womp womp. It is places like Traif that remind you that you can great absolutely great food without spending a bloody fortune. If you use places like this as a guideline, it makes it very hard to give out tons of five-star ratings. I highly recommend a trip out to Traif. It is well worth it. read more

Dear Williamsburg - I understand that your trust-fund-sponsoring daddies brought you up in places where $100 bills were used to do blow off the nanny's back, and that it really is uber-uncool to care about money. However, stop putting the 2$ label on this restaurant. You will drop at least $50/p on a low budget night out (1 cocktail, 2.5 dishes, 0.5 deserts). The food was delicious, but sparse. The cocktails sounded tastier than they were. Thankfully, charming company compensated for both. The ambiance is Brooklyn-preppy, the decor limited, and the rather incongruous TV was the only real point of interest with its endless Tales of the Unexplained on repeat (everyone on that show looks like Daniel Craig's dad). read more

Traif. How? How do you continue to be so incredible, so reasonably priced, so sexy? GotDAMN. I'm making a reservation for next week. Right. Now. PS: Order the "Cowboy Negroni" read more

I'll start this review with a TL;DR for anyone who wants it: Traif would have gotten four or even five stars if not for the service. I was there this past Saturday with a group of thirteen people. Our reservation was for 6:30pm, which we made for the most part (there were a few stragglers who showed up about five minutes later). When I arrived, I found out one of my friends could not make it, and so 13 became 12. I informed the waitress and she removed a seat. She then pointed out to me that we might want to get the food started even though there were two more people coming, as there was a two-hour limit to our stay. I obliged, the two other arrived, and the food started coming. We did a tasting menu, which consisted of portions of a bunch of their dishes for everyone to share. Going into the meal, I informed Traif that we would have someone with Celiac Disease, and another with a peanut allergy. They noted both, and said there would be no nuts in any of the courses, and that the other would get a separate gluten-free meal. And here's where the service issues begin. We get to plate four or so of the tasting, and the pork loin comes out with nuts on it. Now mind you, the person in question doesn't have a strong allergy, but it is still an allergy. So she removed the nuts and all was well. When the meal began, the waitress specifically told us there would be no nuts on ANYTHING. Then, once our meal was complete, we immediately received a "I hope you had a good time, but we have another party coming in and need the tables." I let her know we'd be ready once all the money was counted up, and the waitress walked away. Less than five minutes later, she returned and once again asked us if we were almost ready. I'll remind you that this was a party of twelve, so of course it would take a little while to count up the money. We once again told her we'd be done very soon; this was at about 8:32. The waitress came back at least two more times before we left at 8:38. Now I understand the need to clear tables for another party, but in the future Traif may want to stagger their reservations a bit to avoid rushing the previous party out the door when they're simply looking to settle the check. Maybe you shouldn't book another big party until a half hour after the previous one? We also waited a decent amount of time for the dessert, so if they were so keen on getting us out of there,shouldn't they have stepped that up a bit and began prepping dessert ahead of time so we would meet the 8:30 deadline? The other thing was that they charged us for the thirteenth person. I get the need to do that since it was a late cancellation, but this was not brought up by our server as a reminder at all as a lead-up to the meal or after the check was presented. Further communication would be appreciated; just because policy is made clear when a reservation is made doesn't mean you should not remind anyone of this at check time, especially when a party is left scrambling to figure out who will be paying the missing person's tab. Finally, a word on addressing the members of a party. Each and every time the server said anything, they said it to me and only me. Yes, it was my birthday (technically a joint-birthday affair with another friend of mine) and I made the reservation, but there were eleven other people there! Talk to them a bit, too! And when they were trying to get us out of there, on more than one occasion they stood and leaned over a friend of mine to talk to me. I can hear you just fine without moving into the space of another person in my party, you know. So yes, the food was as terrific as I hoped it would be. But the service left a lot to be desired. I'll have to come back with a smaller group at some point to compare my experience, but I certainly will not be dining at Traif with a large party again. read more

I am honestly so happy that my boyfriend decided to surprise me and bring me here for my birthday. (Finally writing a review months later.) We were about 20 minutes late for our 9PM reservation, but they kindly sat us at the bar until our table was ready, which took no longer than 10 minutes. But during our wait, I ordered a mojito. Can't quite remember the exact name or ingredients but I remember the taste was very refreshing and delectable. Though it gave me a good buzz, I couldn't taste the alcohol at all, which is always the sign of a successful concoction. The restaurant was small, and a bit cramped, but the food and service definitely made up for it. The light was dim, the tables were candle lit, and the ambience was very trendy and hip. The tables were a bit small, but that didn't really matter since they didn't bring out more than one plate ate once. Meaning, they waited until you were done with each dish before bringing out the next, which I really appreciated. Doing so makes me feel like I'm not being rushed and it gives me time to savor the taste of each dish. After our table was ready, our waitress helped us move our drinks to the table as we got comfortable in the cute little candle-lit arrangement they had set up. First thing was first, she asked if this was our first time at the establishment. Once we said yes, she continued to explain the menu to us and how to order. Generally, we could order separate dishes for ourselves, or 4-5 dishes to share between two people. We decided to choose the latter. First dish was the strawberry cinnamon glazed baby-back pork ribs. We decided to choose this because it was the most-raved about dish on Yelp, and let me tell you. The meat slid off the bone without struggle. That's when you know it was cooked to perfection. And don't even get me started with the taste. The marriage of flavors was absolutely beautiful. It sounds like a bizarre combination, but I can't even stress how amazing it was. Perfect amount of sweet, perfect amount of savory. Second dish was the spicy bigeye tuna, tempura japanese eggplant, kecap manis. My boyfriend isn't a huge fan of eggplant, but I convinced him to try it, and we were not disappointed. He's not a huge fan of many vegetables in general, but I always told him, "you don't like vegetables, because you've never had it cooked right." And can I please tell you this dish was cooked right. It was cooked right, paired right, flavored right; everything was right, and nothing was wrong. Third dish was the crispy soft shell crabs. This dish so so delicious, I was a little sad it only came with two. It was one of those moments where you wish you could eat more because it tastes so good, but you're happy you can't eat more because you might ruin your appetite for more amazing food. Our fourth dish was the day boat scallops. Can I please explain that I've never seen scallops this big, juicy, and delicious. I'm telling you, absolute heaven in my mouth. The texture, the taste, everything was perfection. Just thinking about this is making my mouth water. And our last dish was the icy blue mussels. As you can see, we are a huge fan of seafood. Especially shell-food for that matter. But ooohhohhhohh, the cotdamn orchestra that was playing in my mouth when I took my first bite. I can't even fathom how anyone could speak negatively about any of the dishes I just spoke about. Last but not least, dessert. And what better to order, but the oh-so-popular bacon donuts! I mean, who doesn't love bacon and donuts? If you love both, why not try them together? Let's just say I wish I had room for more, because I would've ordered a second helping. Overall, food was fantastic and to-die for, service was very comforting, the decor was appealing, and the plates were a bit pricey, but completely worth it. Traif is known for marrying bizarre flavors and ingredients together but making them work. It's a hard thing to do, but they've succeeded. This restaurant is absolute perfection. 10/10 would come again. 10/10 would recommend. 10/10 would trek from Queens without a car. 10/10 are drooling at the memory of my experience. read more

Not only was this place was disappointingly mediocre, but it also obviously thinks way too highly of itself. I took my family to Traif based on the rave yelp reviews it received. I don't know if it's gone downhill or if we were just there on an off night, but the food had that "too big for its britches" quality endemic of restaurants that try a little too hard and don't quite have the talent to pull it off. I should have known when I saw ingredients like "grilled aspiration" and "beluga lentils" on the menu... We ordered 9 different dishes: the small plates towards the top of the menu were much better than the larger plates as you moved down. The tuna tartar was tasty and inventive (though I could have gone without the sweet tempura under the otherwise perfectly done tuna); the cauliflower dish was fragrant and the burrata was soft and creamy. The real trouble started when we got to the heavier dishes on the menu: the cockle dish was so overloaded with bacon that I could barely taste the seafood; the scallops were so overcooked they tasted like hockey pucks, and the buttermilk-breaded quail was an abomination that tasted like fried chicken. It seemed like Traif was trotting out the tropes of trendy cuisine (bacon, offal, pork belly, donuts etc) without actually knowing what to do with them. The part that really put the nail in the coffin was the snooty service: we got the "smile through gritted teeth" treatment when we dared ask if we could order a few dishes now and the rest later. Apparently this simple request would throw the entire kitchen off its game. This attitude persisted through our meal, and culminated with outright haughtiness when we decided not to order dessert (sorry waitress, the dessert options were not inspiring). It's OK if a restaurant's food isn't always inspiring - not all of us can be Danny Meyer. But the combination of mediocre food not quite ready for prime time and snooty service is something I can really do without. read more

Seems that good food is so esoteric that hipsters have hopped on the band wagon! I jest but really, the food is very good here. Not sure what else I can say that hasn't been said in the 1000+ reviews on the place, but you know I have to put in my two cents. In order of enjoyment: Scallops with risotto- so very good. The scallops were cooked to perfection and the risotto was a nice creamy accompaniment. Salt and pepper shrimp- it was really more sweet and sour shrimp but still really good none the less. A bit too spicy for me but the BF liked the nice kick Big Eyed Tuna- nice small chunks of raw tuna on a piece of fried eggplant Short rib Sliders- Yum Bacon donuts- Need bigger portions Panna Cotta- nice lemony, creamy goodness Pork Belly- There were 2 options that , we went with the hot version Baked munster cheese with smoked chorizo and crisp apple- Meh, baked cheese with pieces of chorizo in it. It was ok but nothing to write home about Also note worthy (but not food related)- Jason Sudeikas was having date night with Olivia Wilde there. She's on my BF's list but she had her back to us the whole night so he missed his chance lol. read more

I'm d*mn stingy with my five star reviews. Traif? Traif is a five. The red plum salad with shaved blue cheese? Five. The bacon, egg, and cheese sliders? Five, even if my husband wished the portion size were a little larger. The lavender mimosa? Five, and wish it weren't just a special. The bacon-fat doughnuts? Five, and one of the best marriages of bacon with dessert I've ever encountered. The chicken-n-biscuits? Five, and I want more. Now now now. I've been meaning to go to Traif since I was pregnant and saw some of the early press before their opening. I walked past the storefront and peered in several times, then triumphantly hustled through my waddle home from the JMZ to let the other member of my household know that they were open for business and that we should go. And then somehow--because I suck (?)--it took me a year to finally get around to making it there, after we finally moved out of the neighborhood and it's not so readily in my grasp anymore. That may be the most significant foodie mistake I've made in my tenure as a New Yorker. I want to go back. I'm a little tipsy from the afternoon beer I just had, or else I'd be strapping the kid in the carseat and driving there now. But I think I'm sober enough to walk to the subway station. And that's what I should probably be doing rather than typing this exuberantly glowing endorsement for the best unholy food around. read more

I came here on Saturday night for a nice birthday dinner. It was just the two of us and did not know what to expect. First off, make sure you have the right address in your GPS because there are a few similar addresses that can make finding this place extremely confusing. We ordered the chef selection (basically a tasting menu) so that we could try everything. Moreover, it was impossible to decide what we wanted from looking at the menu. Started off with an arugula salad with nuts and fruit - this was the first arugula where i didnt not have a hint of a bitter taste in the arugula. Delicious Not going to lie, I do not remember all the courses because all were delicious and there were so many. Here are the ones I do remember - Fried soft shelled crabs - slight asian flavor, perfect. Pork belly - the perfect amount of fat v. meat on this thick slab of baconish goodness. foie gras - cant go wrong with foie gras on perfected toasted toast points - i would have paid extra for more of this course. pulled rib sliders w/ sweet potato fries - delicious to a point where it was uncalled for pasta with smoked salmon - the only dish that did not wow, felt a little olive-garden-ish. two desserts - all i can say is that thank god i am not a dessert person so i did not feel the need to finish the two because we were full beyond belief. I would definitely come back here, especially now that I know exactly where it is and will not be driving to the middle of Park Slope or Prospect Park. Happy eating, suckers. read more

It's all that and a bag of chips. Damn. It's baller or amazeballs (as my nephew would say). We had the chef menu (only $50 per person) - if it's an option, it's amazing AND filling. - cinnamon-lentil soup starter - good - salad with pomegranates and grape - nom nom, the grapes were a nice cooling contrast - tuna tartare on a thin slice of eggplant tempura - OMG. so fantabulous. - scallops - AMAZING, but maybe a tad overcooked - pork belly - so tender - short ribs - with strawberry sauce, very tender - shrimp with toast - meh, dish, a little sandy - lamb tenderloin medallion - well done, but have had better - fried quail - yummy, crispy, and juicy - mushroom spaetzle - delicious - frogs legs - tasted like chicken, would probably skip. meh. - pork sliders with sweet potato fries - SOO SOO SOO GOOD. yes, we all have had sweet potato fries before, but this redefines the common dish. Could've been the smoky aioli (would've sucked the aioli down straight) - key lime pie - THE.BEST.EVER (nuf said) - bacon donut with coffee ice cream - one dreamy bite. And when you think it can't get any better, they play old school R&B. yeah, it's that good. read more

See all

A group of 8 of us went on a Thursday night in May at about 6:30pm & had the Chef's Tasting. 14 delicious dishes all prepared & brought to beautiful fruition. Faves were indeed the bacon wrapped dates, pulled pork sliders, fried soft shell crabs, & of course the bacon doughnuts served w/ coffee ice cream. All for just about $55 each including cocktails. A few of us weren't too keen on the drinks but all was well w/ the food. Our happy tummies were Traifed. There is also a garden in the back to sit for smaller parties & will definitely come back again! Perfect for a large group of 10 or an intimate date of 2. read more

Traif is grandma's home cooking (see: traditional American dinner) but one major component of each dish is swapped for something stupid. Like, instead of chicken sitting in brown sauce with green beans, it's sweetbreads. Instead of biscuits and sausage gravy, it's quail and duck and a third bird interspersed throughout the biscuit and gravy... just a hot mess avian massacre. Is it better? Not really. Is it novel? Like using tequila in an Old Fashioned. The service was meh, so if your grandma is kind of negligent and blasé, it should be comforting. Oh, and the music is way too loud, and this is coming from one of those idiots who forgets earplugs at music festivals. I'm trying to say something more thoughtful than "I don't get the hype," but there it is. read more

4.5 stars rounded to 5 I've been hearing such amazing things about this restaurant from all my friends and fellow yelpers that I knew I just had to go try it out. Reservations can be annoying to schedule since it is by email (heather@traifny.com), and you end up playing a bit of email tag back and forth, but we were able to snag a table for 4 at 7:30pm on a Friday night easily just two weeks before. We began the night with some delicious cocktails (the Apple Cobbler tastes exactly like Apple Cobbler!) while we perused the menu. If it's your first time at the restaurant, the list of tapas like plates can be quite daunting. We decided to put ourselves in the capable hands of the chef and go with the Chef's Tasting ($45/pp), and I'm glad we did! There were no bad eggs all night. Every dish that we had was at least a solid 4 out of 5 stars and there were some that were simply superb and knocked the ball out of the park. We especially enjoyed the hampshire pork belly, burrata cheese, bone marrow with grilled sardines, and the panna cotta. My only problem with the service was the pace of the meal. Each plate came out quickly and sometimes, several plates all at once. At one point we had so much food on our table that we couldn't even fit any more plates! I understand they don't want you to linger given how popular the place is, but -0.5 because I just don't like the feeling of constantly being rushed throughout the meal. Can't wait to check out Xixa next door! **TIP: Try to go with at least a party of 4 and get the Chef's Tasting for $45/pp. You won't be able to try as many items if it's just 2 in your party, and they will charge you a surplus for the tasting. read more

Freakin' A. I was totally going to review Traif for my 100th review but I was on a roll and now it's my 102nd. Sigh. Anyways, it's sort of fitting. I planned my visit to Traif months before it actually happened. Not because I like to plan in advance (I'm usually forced to), but because various circumstances thwarted my efforts. The third time proved to be the charm so I was overjoyed but wary - would Traif live up to my expectations and was it worth all the trouble? YES. Traif's brunch was the best brunch I have had to my memory. I think I was embarrassing my company by almost constantly giving my approval. Let me tell you, truffle oil/butter/toast is a killer combination. Especially with spinach and mushrooms and runny egg and everything my taste buds like. Mmm. Side note, bacon donuts were not all that, IMHO. I don't think the coffee ice cream goes very well. Or maybe I just don't like sweets and bacon. But I'm definitely going back for dinner. I just hope this 33% success rate is not a trend. read more