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Amazing food & ambiance! Me and two friends split the Tuna Crispy Rice, Salted Egg Potatoes, Thai Skirt Steak, and Soy Date cake. Thought it was the perfect amount of food for us and we finished every dish! The standout dish was the Skirt Steak- the Chimichuree sauce on it was a great compliment. The soy date cake was great if you appreciate a dessert that isn't too sweet. We were glad we ordered it as we didn't leave feeling grossed out from having a super sugary dessert or large portioned meal. Really cozy & moody interior with good instrumental music playing, not too loud but enough noise to have a conversational comfortably. Tru & Natsumi helped us out & they were amazing!
I finally crossed Traveler off my list, and they truly exceeded my high expectations! They just dropped a new Asian fusion tapas menu shifting from Taiwanese-focused dishes to a broader lineup of Asian-inspired tapas dishes, the first stop is Southeast Asia. It's right by Bryant Park and Grand Central, with such a cool vibe featuring 2000s Taiwanese pop posters. I literally used to own those Mayday and S.H.E albums lol. ＊Bluefin Tuna Crispy Rice $17 * What sets this apart from other tuna crispy rice is the yuzu kosho crème fraîche and egg-yolk jam. So velvety and refreshing. ＊Drunken King Oyster Mushroom $13 * A vegetarian take on drunken chicken (醉雞). The king oyster mushroom was so meaty that it almost had the texture of chicken thigh. I'd happily order this again. ＊Sticky Rice Stuffed Quail $28 ** My top pick! The quail was fall-off-the-bone tender, with a smoky char siu glaze. I'm a big fan of 臘腸糯米飯, so I loved the sticky rice stuffing. And the plum jus added a sweet and sour note. ＊Numbing Beef Tongue $29 ** LOVED!! The green Sichuan peppercorn flavor was bold without being too spicy. The beef tongue was chewy, plus crispy lotus root chips for some crunch. ＊Laksa Mussel $18 Dip the pita bread into the laksa sauce to get every last bit! So savory and coconut-y, and the mussels soaked up all that rich sauce. ＊Truffle Dirty Rice $21 The truffle note was strong! It was like risotto, but it was interesting how they paired it with Chinese ingredients like mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and crispy tofu skin. ＊Coconut Ube Tart $13 ** Every bite is screaming UBE!! The coconut cream was fluffy and light, just like a cloud. It's encased in a dark chocolate shell and filled with ube chocolate cream. ＊Soy Date Cake $13 Fig and date cake with kinako mascarpone and a date drizzle. The red date bits reminded me of traditional Chinese desserts. I liked this one, but it was definitely heavier than the ube tart.
Super interesting vending machine shots by the entrance from different regions. Really enjoyed my tea infused gin! Tapas style and small bites, would recommend sharing multiple dishes across your party. A bit loud inside but great seating for 4-6 people. Service was a bit slow, some of our dishes took a much longer time to come out. Rotating menu with differing origin country, enjoyed everything we tried! Favorite bites were the bread appetizer (butter is great), salted egg yolk potato wedges, ceviche.
Traveler is located in the first floor of Hue House and they serve dishes from assorted Asian regions. I had their fried platter and their truffle dirty rice. For their fried platter, it had a good amount of Taiwanese popcorn chicken in it but I like the fried tofu the most! The truffle dirty rice really surprised me and I found it to be very flavorful!
Visited with a friend on weekend lunch. No wait. The restaurant section was on the first floor. 2nd floor was bar but was not opened for the lunch. We ordered braised pork over rice, beef noodle soup and fried chicken. All meats were juicy and tender!! I loved how they seasoned just right, not too salty. Service was friendly. Menu was on qr code scan. Overall, great spot for casual hangout or date. I would love to see second floor next time
Another social media trending eatery that was on my list and finally got to try it for myself. When you first enter, there's a section for quick bites and drinks to go then the hostess greets us and ask if we wish to be seated at Traveler or 929 since this location offers a variety to choose from food to entertainment. The main focus is Traveler, this restaurant is decorated to feel like you are stepping into a train from the window decor, railway ticket coasters, and seats. Menu offers a variety of dishes from different countries/cities from Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, and Taiwan. The dishes consisted of Bluefin Tuna Crispy Rice, Truffle Dirty Rice, Steamed Egg over Rice, and Yuzu Madai Ceviche. These small portions when combined and ordering back to back will get you filled up especially paired with a drink of your choice. Speaking about drinks, by the end of your meal you are given a token for the vending machine when you first enter the restaurant. But please be mindful that one side is non-alcoholic and another is with alcohol so ask before inserting your token. I would most definitely be coming back to try more of the menu and experience the vibes all over again from the decor to the music that fits the mood of the restaurant. To receiving my adorable token for my after meal tea.
Came here for Summer Restaurant Week, which was really worth it at $45/person for dinner. Because of Restaurant Week, they limited the Classic Menu to only 4 items, which was a shame because I wanted to try some of their other items. Instead, you can order à la carte off the Restaurant Week menu. My friend and I shared a few dishes and liked all of them, but didn't love them. I think the Steamed Egg Braised Pork Over Rice was probably the most memorable because it was simple and classic, yet done really well. It was basically a steamed egg with Taiwanese-style braised pork over rice. The Warm Broccolini "Caesar" was also really good because of the salted egg yolk mayo sauce. The Duck Breast and Cod were good, but again not impressive. I think they were trying too hard to put a New American spin on these Taiwanese staples, but sometimes just keeping it simple is the best. I loved the Hojicha Creme Caramel dessert though! We didn't get to try any of their cocktails because we wanted to save room for the alcohol-infused tea shots at the front of the restaurant. Oddly, they wouldn't let us have it during our dinner. We had to wait until after dinner and then found out that each shot is $8. For a shot coming out of a machine, and with no place to sit and enjoy it (because you can't sit at the restaurant or at the bar when you're doing the shots), it seemed pretty pricey. We decided not to try it. Warm Broccolini "Caesar" 9/10 Steamed Egg Braised Pork Over Rice 10/10 Hudson Valley Duck Breast 7/10 Pan-Seared Atlantic Cod 8/10 Hojicha Creme Caramel 9/10
Stopped by on a Sunday morning. It was confusing because we were originally looking for Gulp which is in the front and takeout only but decided on Traveler so we could sit down and dine in. The inside has a cool and unique vibe. We ordered the Steamed Egg Pork Over Rice and Oolong Boba Panna Cotta. It was a hearty meal and really hit the spot after a night out. I normally don't like braised meats, but this was so good. The food is a little pricier than average.
My review is largely based on our experience at restaurant week. We had the chicken liver mousse, scallops, pork belly, Atlantic cod, rose tiramisu, hojicha caramel. The best thing was the chicken liver mousse. Overall, flavors contradicted each other, too salty, and the portions were extremely small. The Cabernet they served was also borderline sour. What's worse is our server proceeded to give us our bill seconds after she brought out the dessert and my second drink was still full. She did say "take your time" but we couldn't help feel like we're being rushed. I don't know if this is because of restaurant week but this is no way to promote the restaurant. We were interested in coming back because we work in the area...but not anymore. +1 point got the decor because the decorations were really cool.
I only came for the drinks and dessert, so I would love to come back and try their food! I got the coconut ube tart and Kaohsiung cocktail. The drinks are pretty strong, but they are flavorful and curated well. I saw the bartender light wood sticks on fire and had a glass cup it over to give that smoky smell. The dessert was also really good! The service was good and I love the ambiance.
This was such a fun, unique restaurant! There's a "vending machine" for shots with all Asian inspired flavors. For the food we got: -Fried Platter: The chicken in this was really good. It was a nice appetizer to have a bite of different things. -Basil sausage: This was my favorite. The sausage is slightly sweet and salty, and there were these fried rice cakes in it as well that were chewy and delicious! -Oyster omelette: This was decent, but I would probably choose a different dish next time. It was good, but nothing too special to me. -Braised pork rice: This was a favorite for the group. It was nice and saucy with the rice and had good flavors. We came on a weekend and had about a 15 min wait. The service was a bit slow at times, requiring us to flag down our server to put in food/drinks order. But the food came out quickly!
Came here with a group and sadly was largely disappointed by tiny portions. Loved the ambiance and idea. It's super cool and they're committed to the aesthetic. Their menu is split into little things and bigger things. We started joking that "bigger" was really relative, because the entrees were anything but big. Not sure if it comes across in the pictures but each plate was barely the size of our hands. I don't eat a lot but we still ended up getting more food afterwards. From what I recall, we got the cold platter with braised beef, fried platter with chicken and tofu, oyster omelette, basil sausage brothers, and pork chop fried rice. Only dish of interest was the basil sausage brothers. The fried platter was equivalent to popcorn chicken from a boba store, but for $23. I think the menu should've warned that each person should have ordered 3-4 dishes. It feels like a family style place but also the dishes were barely enough for one person to nibble. Also there was a 20% mandatory gratuity not listed on the menu, which is fine but should be disclosed. Same with bar upstairs. Wanted to like it but definitely a pass.
This is such a cute bar. I love all the cocktails and that they are named after cities in Taiwan. Everything was delicious especially the beef tongue and the Taichung cocktail. Alyssa was an amazing server, so nice! Definitely recommend coming in :)
16 days ago
16 days ago
The food and service were great! Everything was delicious, and the staff was friendly and attentive. I really enjoyed my experience and would definitely come back again. read more
15 days ago
Chili smoked squid is perfectly cooked and flavorful. The service is awesome too. I like their idea of different dishes read more
Amazing food & ambiance! Me and two friends split the Tuna Crispy Rice, Salted Egg Potatoes, Thai Skirt Steak, and Soy Date cake. Thought it was the perfect amount of food for us and we finished every dish! The standout dish was the Skirt Steak- the Chimichuree sauce on it was a great compliment. The soy date cake was great if you appreciate a dessert that isn't too sweet. We were glad we ordered it as we didn't leave feeling grossed out from having a super sugary dessert or large portioned meal. Really cozy & moody interior with good instrumental music playing, not too loud but enough noise to have a conversational comfortably. Tru & Natsumi helped us out & they were amazing! read more
I finally crossed Traveler off my list, and they truly exceeded my high expectations! They just dropped a new Asian fusion tapas menu shifting from Taiwanese-focused dishes to a broader lineup of Asian-inspired tapas dishes, the first stop is Southeast Asia. It's right by Bryant Park and Grand Central, with such a cool vibe featuring 2000s Taiwanese pop posters. I literally used to own those Mayday and S.H.E albums lol. ＊Bluefin Tuna Crispy Rice $17 * What sets this apart from other tuna crispy rice is the yuzu kosho crème fraîche and egg-yolk jam. So velvety and refreshing. ＊Drunken King Oyster Mushroom $13 * A vegetarian take on drunken chicken (醉雞). The king oyster mushroom was so meaty that it almost had the texture of chicken thigh. I'd happily order this again. ＊Sticky Rice Stuffed Quail $28 ** My top pick! The quail was fall-off-the-bone tender, with a smoky char siu glaze. I'm a big fan of 臘腸糯米飯, so I loved the sticky rice stuffing. And the plum jus added a sweet and sour note. ＊Numbing Beef Tongue $29 ** LOVED!! The green Sichuan peppercorn flavor was bold without being too spicy. The beef tongue was chewy, plus crispy lotus root chips for some crunch. ＊Laksa Mussel $18 Dip the pita bread into the laksa sauce to get every last bit! So savory and coconut-y, and the mussels soaked up all that rich sauce. ＊Truffle Dirty Rice $21 The truffle note was strong! It was like risotto, but it was interesting how they paired it with Chinese ingredients like mushrooms, bamboo shoots, and crispy tofu skin. ＊Coconut Ube Tart $13 ** Every bite is screaming UBE!! The coconut cream was fluffy and light, just like a cloud. It's encased in a dark chocolate shell and filled with ube chocolate cream. ＊Soy Date Cake $13 Fig and date cake with kinako mascarpone and a date drizzle. The red date bits reminded me of traditional Chinese desserts. I liked this one, but it was definitely heavier than the ube tart. read more
Super interesting vending machine shots by the entrance from different regions. Really enjoyed my tea infused gin! Tapas style and small bites, would recommend sharing multiple dishes across your party. A bit loud inside but great seating for 4-6 people. Service was a bit slow, some of our dishes took a much longer time to come out. Rotating menu with differing origin country, enjoyed everything we tried! Favorite bites were the bread appetizer (butter is great), salted egg yolk potato wedges, ceviche. read more
Traveler is located in the first floor of Hue House and they serve dishes from assorted Asian regions. I had their fried platter and their truffle dirty rice. For their fried platter, it had a good amount of Taiwanese popcorn chicken in it but I like the fried tofu the most! The truffle dirty rice really surprised me and I found it to be very flavorful! read more
Visited with a friend on weekend lunch. No wait. The restaurant section was on the first floor. 2nd floor was bar but was not opened for the lunch. We ordered braised pork over rice, beef noodle soup and fried chicken. All meats were juicy and tender!! I loved how they seasoned just right, not too salty. Service was friendly. Menu was on qr code scan. Overall, great spot for casual hangout or date. I would love to see second floor next time read more
1 month ago
Another social media trending eatery that was on my list and finally got to try it for myself. When you first enter, there's a section for quick bites and drinks to go then the hostess greets us and ask if we wish to be seated at Traveler or 929 since this location offers a variety to choose from food to entertainment. The main focus is Traveler, this restaurant is decorated to feel like you are stepping into a train from the window decor, railway ticket coasters, and seats. Menu offers a variety of dishes from different countries/cities from Hong Kong, Tokyo, Singapore, and Taiwan. The dishes consisted of Bluefin Tuna Crispy Rice, Truffle Dirty Rice, Steamed Egg over Rice, and Yuzu Madai Ceviche. These small portions when combined and ordering back to back will get you filled up especially paired with a drink of your choice. Speaking about drinks, by the end of your meal you are given a token for the vending machine when you first enter the restaurant. But please be mindful that one side is non-alcoholic and another is with alcohol so ask before inserting your token. I would most definitely be coming back to try more of the menu and experience the vibes all over again from the decor to the music that fits the mood of the restaurant. To receiving my adorable token for my after meal tea. read more
Came here for Summer Restaurant Week, which was really worth it at $45/person for dinner. Because of Restaurant Week, they limited the Classic Menu to only 4 items, which was a shame because I wanted to try some of their other items. Instead, you can order à la carte off the Restaurant Week menu. My friend and I shared a few dishes and liked all of them, but didn't love them. I think the Steamed Egg Braised Pork Over Rice was probably the most memorable because it was simple and classic, yet done really well. It was basically a steamed egg with Taiwanese-style braised pork over rice. The Warm Broccolini "Caesar" was also really good because of the salted egg yolk mayo sauce. The Duck Breast and Cod were good, but again not impressive. I think they were trying too hard to put a New American spin on these Taiwanese staples, but sometimes just keeping it simple is the best. I loved the Hojicha Creme Caramel dessert though! We didn't get to try any of their cocktails because we wanted to save room for the alcohol-infused tea shots at the front of the restaurant. Oddly, they wouldn't let us have it during our dinner. We had to wait until after dinner and then found out that each shot is $8. For a shot coming out of a machine, and with no place to sit and enjoy it (because you can't sit at the restaurant or at the bar when you're doing the shots), it seemed pretty pricey. We decided not to try it. Warm Broccolini "Caesar" 9/10 Steamed Egg Braised Pork Over Rice 10/10 Hudson Valley Duck Breast 7/10 Pan-Seared Atlantic Cod 8/10 Hojicha Creme Caramel 9/10 read more
Stopped by on a Sunday morning. It was confusing because we were originally looking for Gulp which is in the front and takeout only but decided on Traveler so we could sit down and dine in. The inside has a cool and unique vibe. We ordered the Steamed Egg Pork Over Rice and Oolong Boba Panna Cotta. It was a hearty meal and really hit the spot after a night out. I normally don't like braised meats, but this was so good. The food is a little pricier than average. read more
2 months ago
My review is largely based on our experience at restaurant week. We had the chicken liver mousse, scallops, pork belly, Atlantic cod, rose tiramisu, hojicha caramel. The best thing was the chicken liver mousse. Overall, flavors contradicted each other, too salty, and the portions were extremely small. The Cabernet they served was also borderline sour. What's worse is our server proceeded to give us our bill seconds after she brought out the dessert and my second drink was still full. She did say "take your time" but we couldn't help feel like we're being rushed. I don't know if this is because of restaurant week but this is no way to promote the restaurant. We were interested in coming back because we work in the area...but not anymore. +1 point got the decor because the decorations were really cool. read more
I only came for the drinks and dessert, so I would love to come back and try their food! I got the coconut ube tart and Kaohsiung cocktail. The drinks are pretty strong, but they are flavorful and curated well. I saw the bartender light wood sticks on fire and had a glass cup it over to give that smoky smell. The dessert was also really good! The service was good and I love the ambiance. read more
This was such a fun, unique restaurant! There's a "vending machine" for shots with all Asian inspired flavors. For the food we got: -Fried Platter: The chicken in this was really good. It was a nice appetizer to have a bite of different things. -Basil sausage: This was my favorite. The sausage is slightly sweet and salty, and there were these fried rice cakes in it as well that were chewy and delicious! -Oyster omelette: This was decent, but I would probably choose a different dish next time. It was good, but nothing too special to me. -Braised pork rice: This was a favorite for the group. It was nice and saucy with the rice and had good flavors. We came on a weekend and had about a 15 min wait. The service was a bit slow at times, requiring us to flag down our server to put in food/drinks order. But the food came out quickly! read more
Came here with a group and sadly was largely disappointed by tiny portions. Loved the ambiance and idea. It's super cool and they're committed to the aesthetic. Their menu is split into little things and bigger things. We started joking that "bigger" was really relative, because the entrees were anything but big. Not sure if it comes across in the pictures but each plate was barely the size of our hands. I don't eat a lot but we still ended up getting more food afterwards. From what I recall, we got the cold platter with braised beef, fried platter with chicken and tofu, oyster omelette, basil sausage brothers, and pork chop fried rice. Only dish of interest was the basil sausage brothers. The fried platter was equivalent to popcorn chicken from a boba store, but for $23. I think the menu should've warned that each person should have ordered 3-4 dishes. It feels like a family style place but also the dishes were barely enough for one person to nibble. Also there was a 20% mandatory gratuity not listed on the menu, which is fine but should be disclosed. Same with bar upstairs. Wanted to like it but definitely a pass. read more
This is such a cute bar. I love all the cocktails and that they are named after cities in Taiwan. Everything was delicious especially the beef tongue and the Taichung cocktail. Alyssa was an amazing server, so nice! Definitely recommend coming in :) read more
I went during restaurant week and had a reservation and was sat at the bar. I didnt love the bar stools they were uncomfortable and slippery. The food and drinks were great and service was nice. I really enjoyed the truffle dirty rice I would definitely go back for it and the scallops. I didnt bring coins to try the machine maybe I'll bring coins next time I go. read more
Had a weekday dinner reservation with friends. We got there early but thankfully there was a table available so got seated. Service was friendly through the meal with occasional check ins to make sure we were doing alright. For the food, we ordered several different plates including pork belly, clay pot tofu, and sausages. Deep flavors all around though decided to add in a side of rice as the portions were a little on the smaller side. Enjoyed the ambiance of the restaurant with inspiration drawn from Taiwanese rail stations. Nice spot both small groups, casual night with friends, or a date. read more
Walked in with no reservation. Was initially told the wait was an hour and half. Left and headed elsewhere for 5 minutes before getting the text that the table was ready. The train theme was cool and the ambiance was nice. They were playing soccer games on the screens. Taiwanese beef noddle soup: Noodles had a great chew, beef was extremely tender.Strong flavor in the broth. Steamed egg and pork over rice: egg cooked perfectly with good texture. the sauce over the whole dish was great and flavored the rice. Topped with what appears to be fried scallion which provides a layer of crunch. Sweet Potato Creme Brûlée: blew me away. Star of the show. Must order. Sweet but not too sweet, the creme brûlée with the real potato was amazing. read more
Traveler Traveler is a casual asian-fusion bistro, with a bar upstairs located near Grand Central in New York City. It features rotating, season-specific menus inspired by different Asian destinations, with Taiwanese pop-culture and street-food. At the entrance is a secret vending machine The food is designed for sharing like "family style" The menu has fine street-food, skewers, and Taiwanese snacks All the entrées are delicious and not your ordinary ingredients or combinations, very creative and they all mix well together. The interior when we were there was a train boxcar theme which changes Our waitress was very helpful with describing the dishes and made wonderful suggestions. Highly recommend for a nice adventure read more
5 months ago
Had a wonderful experience at Traveler! Was able to walk in for bar seating on a Saturday night, and service is super friendly! The ambiance was moody and dark, and it wasn't too loud in there, so it was the perfect spot to talk. For food we ordered the Fried Platter, which was the perfect late night bite. All the ingredients were nice and crispy, and everything was dusted with a nice pepper powder, which reminded me of Taiwan. The drinks were phenomenal and right up my alley. The Taichung had an amazing taro foam to top the drink, and it was creamy without being too heavy. The Taipei had this really interesting foam on top that was texturally like soap lol but had a unique flavor to it. It was less sweet than the Taichung, and I loved the balance of all the fruity flavors with the tea. Great spot for bites and a drink, and it was the perfect end to our night. Really want to go back to try more of the food items, their boozy boba milk tea, and the drink dispenser!! read more
I stopped by Traveler on a Friday night around 8:30 pm and was able to get a table without a resy which was nice! The interior had a classy bar feel to it but wasn't too noisy. For food I tried the Beef Noodle soup, pork chop fried rice, and the sweet potato crème brulee for desert. The beef noodle soup was good but definitely on the sweeter side but there wasn't much beef in it. The pork chop fried rice was also good but the portion size felt small for the price. The sweet potato crème brûlée was interesting and it had half a roasted sweet potato underneath the custard. Overall pretty solid food but portions are small in my opinion. read more
I'm a big fan of 929, and I'm very proud they founded a new large location in Manhattan! Traveler is the name of the restaurant of Hue House, which serves shareable dishes. It also has an extensive cocktail menu, although not the same cocktails as 929, the speakeasy you can access through a curtain from Traveler's main dining space. My friend made a reservation, which I recommend doing since it filled up quickly at 6pm on a Wed night. One of us ordered a cocktail, which was quite strong. not bad, but not amazing (whereas for 929 I'd order all the cocktails I've tried of theirs again!!) We ordered 3 dishes to share, total came out to be $90 minus the cocktail (which we didn't share). And oof. For almost $100, I wouldn't come back for the food at Traveler. The food was solid Asian food. Fried platter ($23) - a mix of fried chicken, tofu, fish ball, green bean, tofu. Aside from the chicken + string bean, there were about 3 of ea. for the rest of the ingredients. It had a great five spice flavoring. I would have loved to have a dipping sauce, because this shareable appetizer-like dish got dry after so many pieces of this. Crispy pork chop over fried rice ($25) - pork chop was solid; it had the same seasoning as the fried platter!!! which - yes yummy - but was getting flavor fatigue. The pork itself was very flat/thin. Wasn't juicy pork chop. The fried rice was good. I liked the bits of sausage. Just wasn't $25-good. We agreed each of us could have enjoyed and finished this plate as a solo diner. Solid portion at least. The claypot egg tofu ($21) was okay. I'm slightly disappointed in the small portion. Although I liked the sauce. Wish it came with white rice on the side! The service wasn't very friendly and didn't guide us through the menu well. They also kept coming over to take our order 3x in the span of 8 minutes; my friends and I were taking our time and catching up, so it felt like they were rushing us. They would refill our water constantly...to the point where it was getting kind of annoying. And they'd ask us to move our glass closer to the middle of the table, sometimes politely, other times with notes of exasperation. Didn't help the water glasses weren't large.There was one point where one server was filling up one of our waters and another server came over and refilled my water simultaneously which was kind of funny... I'd like to visit 929 and see how the vibes are there, but Traveler didn't win me over. read more
3 days ago
I'm a sucker for Taiwanese food so I had to try Traveler. Located a few minutes away from Bryant Park, Traveler is on the bottom floor of a 4 floor Taiwanese experience. You can like you've stepped into a train the moment you walk in. We wanted to try everything so we ordered quite a few. We ordered the arancini, the fried platter, the steamed egg pork over rice, basil sausage brothers, and the beef noodle soup. The arancini taste like worcestershire sauce and was the least favorite dish. The steam egg pork was the fan favorite but both the basil sausage and fried platter was delicious. The beef noodle soup was also pretty good with very tender beef. We finish off our meal with the sweet potato creme brulee. In terms of service, they're a bit slow. It seems to be run by younger kids that rather spend time chatting. When we asked to pack our leftovers, we were handed our check instead of asking if we wanted dessert. Overall the food is good and I'll be back. I just wished it was in a better location. read more
7 months ago
Sigh. Look, I'm Team Taiwan 'til I terminate. Our food is amazing, and I will never not support our culture. But I have to ask, when it comes to NYC Taiwanese eats: Why can't we have nice things? Why are so many Taiwanese restaurants here all cool vibes but mid flaves? Especially the ones in Manhattan and Brooklyn. I feel like I can only get food that comes close to what any stall on Daan Lu would serve if I trek out to Nowheresville, Queens--and sometimes, mama don't wanna take the subway for nine years just to get her lu rou on. Oh, and don't even get me started about the mass extinction of stinky tofu in Manhattan.... All this to say, I really, really wanted to like Traveler. But it was really, really mid. We were a big group of 10 and ordered all but two items (the sashimi and the vegan san bei--because my ancestors would curse anyone and their cows for ordering either). Best dishes: - Stir-Fried Cabbage: To be fair, you'd have to cook this with, like, mayonnaise, to screw it up. - Taiwanese Fried Rice: Good, but see above. - Sweet Potato Crème Brûlée: Creative use of sweet potato in a not-bad broiled execution. As someone who dislikes sweet starch, I ate more than a bite of this--that's a compliment - Tainan Arancini: Too sweet for my liking, but I applaud the creativity. Mid dishes: - Basil Sausage Brothers: Appreciated the fried basil, but this dish was so sweet, it tasted like candy. - Oyster Omelette: Is....is the oyster in the room with us? Are you sure? - Steamed Egg Pork Over Rice: Blander than a children's song about snow. I didn't know you could strip pork of any discernible flavor, but apparently you can. - Oolong Boba Panna Cotta: Good boba texture. Little oolong flavor. The What? - Beef Noodle Soup: "Why this serve with a-choy?" is what my dear departed Wai Po would've undoubtedly asked. Because why? You don't ruin good niu rou broth with lettuce or its skanky cousins. And this could've been a decent bowl of our national dish if it hadn't been for that. - Braised Platter: "What is this, a platter for ANTS?" is what my dear, non-departed stomach actually did ask when I saw this. The plate that this "platter" was served on was 6" wide on its best day. I...don't know how you serve an appetizer-sized serving of meat, tofu and veggie condiments and call it a platter. Service was weak for the first half of our meal. Despite accepting our reservation for 10, they clearly weren't set up to accommodate a group that large, and the poor tenth member of our gang had to squat on half a bench for nearly an hour before they finally scrounged up a spare chair for him to sit on. And that was only after we complained many, many times. Also, as others have noted, the actual experience of sitting and dining here is about as comfortable as a massage from a porcupine. In chasing the railcar aesthetic, the interior designers sacrificed basic comfort for look. The irony is that actual Taiwanese trains have far more comfortable seats, even in economy. Sitting on Traveler's chairs was like being relegated to cargo class. At this point, I'll probably just skip any new NYC TW spots and use the money I saved to buy a R/T flight to Taipei. read more
7 months ago
I've been looking for a place to get Taiwanese beef noodle soup in Manhattan, and I got so excited when I heard about this place from a friend and saw they had it on the menu! I made a reservation for dinner on Saturday, and I'm glad I did since the wait for two people who didn't have one was 45 minutes! We were seated at a table side by side and ordered two small plates and one large plate to share: - Stir-fried cabbage (5/5) Can't go wrong with this dish. It's seasoned so well! - Claypot egg tofu (3/5) Not bad, the tofu was really good but the sauce was just okay - Beef noodle soup (5/5) Soooo good!!!!! This didn't disappoint! The service was great, and the bathrooms were clean. I also liked the fun characteristics of the restaurant like the coaster decorated like a train ticket and the artwork on the walls. read more
29 days ago
Amazing and knowledgeable staff. Love the vibes and food. Check them out! Highly recommend read more
I really wanted to like this place and show support to a new taiwanese spot in the city but my experience was kind of disappointing. I recommend making a reservation on resy first before you go. They will only seat you when it's close to your time. This place is kind of small. There isn't a lot of seats so book your spot early because I heard the wait there is pretty long. The tables are quite small, think it's best for parties of four. I was here with a group of friends and we tried all the different drinks named after taiwanese cities which was pretty cool. The best one was taipei for me, taichung was interesting too with taro foam on the top that mimics a bubble tea flavor. In terms of food, we got a bunch of dishes to try as well, I think the most memorable ones are the sausage, cabbage, and penna cotta with tapioca on the top. Everything was a little bit pricey, but I guess that's what you pay for being in the city. I was also curious to see what other floors looked like, but you're not allowed to go upstairs unless you have a reservation. Overall, I wasn't too impressed with the experience and I think this is probably a place that I would say you could try once, but I don't think I'll be going back again. read more
28 days ago
Loved the menu and the aesthetic! the restaurant week menu was fab and the staff was sooooo nice and knowledgeable. loved everything I tried there. read more
Went to Traveler during my trip to NYC a few months ago. The restaurant was more like a upscale asian-fusian cocktail lounge with a small menu of regular entrees and appetizers. It was really cozy and a great refuge from the rainy evening that night we were there. The cocktails were top notch and entrees were tasty and well seasoned. They had a sake/wine dispenser machine at the front of the restaurant that we didn't use, but looked really interesting. The staff was very friendly. read more
2 months ago
2 months ago
I never heard of Traveler but one of my friends mentioned that she went while at an event. She suggested that we go during Restaurant Week. It's in the same building (Hue House) as 929. When I arrived, we ordered the steamed egg dish (not on the RW menu). For my appetizer, I ordered the cold tom yum Hokkaido scallops, the crispy pork belly for my entree and the rose tiramisu for my dessert. The cold tom yum scallops tasted just like tom yum soup. It was really good but my friend ordered the chicken liver mousse. She let me try it and I wish I had ordered that appetizer. It was so delicious. The pork belly was good. The dessert was okay, not sure what I was expecting but it didn't wow me. There was an issue with our reservation and another party was going to use part of our table (we had a party of five). Because of the inconvenience, they gave us tokens to get free shots. I got the milk tea shot which was delicious. I look forward to going back--I'm definitely getting the chicken liver mousse! read more
It's a cool concept, but the food was nothing out of the ordinary and the seats by the wall were a bit uncomfortable as it was kind of like bar seating where you had to angle yourself to face your friend! Not sure if I will come back here for any of the dishes. We had to ask for some chili oil or some kind of kick because the dishes were all so similar and we needed something refreshing/to give a break from the similar seasoning. The boba panna cotta had a hint of milk tea in it which was nice and they had a lot of tapioca on top! read more
16 days ago
Food is interesting. Make sure you get the drunken chicken, they only sell 10 a day so make sure you try it. It is an unforgettable experience! Service is good and ambience is perfect for a date night or hang out. Love the concept of it, such a beautiful place read more
10 months ago
My partner told me about this place and was able to quickly make a reservation for Traveler during our visit from out of town. We came on a Saturday evening for our 7:15pm reservation and it was packed. The waiting and check-in area is a little confusing, especially when it's crowded. There's a tiny "Wait to be seated" sign that's easy to miss when people are blocking it. It's nice though that there are small drink samples from Gulp that you can sip on while you're waiting. We overhead the employees tell people that it would be a 1.5-2 hour wait without a reservation, but also saw them seat a couple without a reservation right away, even though we showed up early to our reservation and weren't seated until a few minutes after our allotted time. For the dining area, there are tables for two along the wall as well as larger high top tables and some bar seating. If you're seated along the wall, there's not a lot of space to put larger winter coats, and the walkway between the table and the bar seating is quite narrow, so people walking by in their big jackets would occasionally brush against our table. For Mandarin speakers, make sure if you order a cocktail, you pronounce it in a way that the non-Mandarin speaking employees can understand. I ordered the Taichung, pronouncing in Mandarin, but she said Taitung back to me so I had to pronounce it in a way that my relatives from Taichung would be embarrassed to hear. My partner ordered the Taipei. Both drinks were pretty good! I enjoyed the taro foam on mine. We ordered the beef noodle soup, oyster omelette, and basil sausage brothers. The oyster omelette and sausages were great, but we found the noodles too oily, especially compared to a classic beef noodle soup you'd find at any Taiwanese restaurant. I'm glad we gave Traveler a try and I'm happy that Taiwanese cuisine is getting a spotlight, but I wouldn't recommend coming until the hype dies down and they work out their logistical kinks. read more
So trendy, I love the interior and creativity. The beef noodle soup was great, and the scallion sausage pancakes were very creative. I'd love to try more of their meh items. The service was great. It was crowded but our server was always there when we needed help. read more
I was going to 969 & ended up sticking at the Traveler & have no regrets in doing so. This place I believe has Gulp, Traveler, & 969. At Traveler, I had the Taichung drink & it was absolutely delicious- I love the concept of tea-based cocktails & this didn't disappoint. It has a very strong flavor of coconut though so if that's not your thing there's many other options. I didn't grab the food here but I did have the boba oolong panna cotta. Honestly speaking, I'm not a huge fan of panna cotta but this panna cotta was exceptionally good & creamy plus the boba on top of it was *chefs kiss.*. I would definitely be back to try the food, & that super cool vending machine too! read more
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