Battersby

Hi there
Nothing but great things to say about this business! Friendly staff, great atmosphere. the food is to die for! Nothing but positive things for the business. Totally recommend them!
kim

I went here about a month ago and just realized that my (very detailed) review did not post — womp womp.
Thankfully the food was so amazing I can easily recall most of our dishes. After a nicely done amuse bouche, we started with the oysters, the snap peas, and asparagus. I could eat the snap peas every day for the rest of my life and be perfectly content.
For our main course we all either ordered the pappardelle, fettuccini, or the special (Which is the one that I cannot remember). The pasta was beautifully made and cooked perfectly.
Next time I’m opting for the spontaneous tasting.
I also want to commend the staff there. Our waiter was extremely attentive, professional, and knowledgeable about the food.
I highly recommend that you go.

In my opinion Michelin star food served in an unpretentious and laid back environment…
Go for the tasting menu. At $ 75, it ain’t cheap but it’s worth every penny. It changes depending on what ingredients they have on the day…
Really nice courtyard in the back too :)
If I had to nitpick, there were occasions where dishes were slightly over seasoned but then again that could be down to personal preference.

Unique food and fast service. I went for the 5 course tasting and every dish had been excellent. Pretty decent price ($ 75) for the quality of food.

Delicious food but understaffed and kitchen was underprepared —
Food: the bread is fantastic! Fresh baked, warm and crusty. and chewy inside. Couldn’t get enough of it. Another hit was the salad with gem lettuce — very tasty, unique flavors and fresh. Salmon, lamb and lamb paparadelle was all great but not that unique to be memorable and to go back for. The pea salad was also tasty… but not as delicious/​unique as the gem lettuce.
Service: there seemed to be only one waitress this Friday night. We only had drink menus for what seemed like the first 10 minutes (no good when half your crew is starving) even though we asked for food menus. Then she forgot one of our drinks, and also forgot to check whether an appetizer was available. which leads to
Planning: the menu isn’t huge.4 appetizers, 4 ish entrees and 3 pastas. And they were out of one of each (the ones we were interested in, of course) by 8:30p on a Friday night.
I’m not even factoring in the rather high prices. I’d go back, but would be more interested in giving other places nearby a shot.

Loved the food and cozy intimate atmosphere. Every dish was executed with such love and attention to detail. It’s very reasonable for the 5 course pre fixe! I’ll definitely be back on another special occasion

Amazing! One of me and my husbands favorite spots to eat in the neighborhood. If youve never tried there tasting menu before I would definitely recommend it. The food always comes out fast and the service is always excellent. Love this place!

This place is honestly worth the hype it’s been given on food magazines and websites. The 3-​course menu is absolutely fantastic and excellently prepared: nothing was overly seasoned, everything was tender and juicy, and there are so many options you can sate all of your cravings.
Before we ordered, we were given chilled asparagus soup (y u m) and an amazing rosemary flatbread with slightly salted ricotta. I was like ready to just eat that the whole night — the ricotta was perfectly moist and the flatbread was so warm and savory.
For the first course, we had the little gem salad. Nice crisp vegetables and a fantastic dressing made this a great jumping off point. For the second course, my friend got the fettuccine with crab and I had the pappardelle. Let me tell you, I’ve had some great pappardelle over the years and this might have been one of the best. The duck was soft and melted in my mouth, it had just the right amount of sauce and cheese, and the portion was just right. Absolutely fantastic. The Crystal Valley chicken finished off our night and wow, that was some excellent chicken and vegetables. I rarely enjoy that many different flavors in one plate (asparagus can be smoky, mushrooms can be pretty intense for the palate, and spinach is usually quite pungent) but the sauce all of those vegetables sat in were perfect for that succulent chicken.
Only downside to this place was the service was a bit slow but the kitchen’s pretty tiny and we were definitely preoccupied with lots of food during the meal so all’s good. Also: hoping in the future Battersby will allow reservations for non-​tasting menu folks! The place is tiny and gets packed quick.
All in all, if you want a classy meal without the Manhattan brouhaha, this is it!

Highly recommend! Delicious, intimate, posh yet somehow informal.
For my future reference:
LOVED:
— Octopus (farro, hazelnuts, broccoli di cicco) — the octopus was extremely well seasoned and it was cooked perfectly! The farro complemented it well too
— «Au Bön Climat» Pinor Noir — delicious!
LIKED:
— Pappardelle (duck Bolognese) — lots of flavor, hearty portion, pasta cooked to perfection
WOULD SKIP:
— Fettucine (crab, chili, lemon, breadcrumbs) — in concept, this was a well put-​together dish. Unfortunately when compared with the other dishes which had a lot of flavor, it was severely overpowered.

We found ourselves looking for a place to eat an early dinner on a Wednesday (like retired-​people early, 5:30ish!) and this had been bookmarked on my app for a while, so it seemed like a great night to enjoy a leisure tasting menu. This place is awesome! The other raving reviews are spot on; the bread that comes to the table is steaming hot and to-​die-​for, there were two amuse bouches (?) from the chef, and five great dishes. There was one raw fish dish, a veggie dish, one cooked fish dish, a lamb dish, and dessert. The only thing that I didn’t totally love was the veggie dish. It was carrots, two ways, and there was nothing wrong with it, it was tasty, but I just didn’t need a big bowl of it. I would have much preferred to be able to try either of the pasta dishes in a tasting portion, which I will definitely go back for now! The cooked fish dish was pollack in a Thai-​style broth that was probably the best Thai I have ever had. It had all the flavor but was light and fresh, yet still managed to be a bit creamy.
The service was fantastic. Our server was very helpful and pleasant. She recommended a bottle of wine that was perfect. I think it was the grenache that they also serve by the glass. Get it.
For $ 75 pp, I feel like it was worth it. Definitely a good place for those couples that do «date nights» or for the ones who don’t and just go out when they feel like it ;) haha

Opentable it for sure even tho we had the place to ourselves from 6 – 730 pm on a Sunday evening. Wanted to celebrate my bday somewhere with a tasting menu and decided for a more casual low key ambiance but with the same or even better without going into the city.
We chose seat next to the window and it was perfect to enjoy our meal. We were offered tap, still, or sparkling. We got Saratoga springs sparkling and our chilled glasses were never empty. Hubby got a glass of wine and I had a personally maid mocktail (lime and ginger) which was a perfect balance as in not too sour or sweet but perfect!
To start we got a shot of cauliflower soup which had a touch of curry flavor which made it truly unique and tasty! Next came the roasted (& dried) root vegs served over whipped _​_​_​_​_​which we almost licked out of the bowl. Whipped ricotta and bread was amazing!!!
1. Fluke with clams, apple, jalapeño and lime — refreshing and tasty way to start!
2. Octopus with farro, cauliflower, cucumbers, and hazelnut — complex and delish! Loved the fish sauce (ode to my Asian-​ness).
3. Fettuccine with crab, lemon and breadcrumbs — favorite dish, all the flavors and textures complement each other so well and pasta is awesomely al dente!!!
4. Pollock with bok choy, turnip, carrot curry — sauce delish, fish a little under seasoned for my taste.
5. King salmon with beluga lentils in chicken and wine jus (minus the bacon from regular menu)
6. Duck — perfectly seared with delicious sauce
Palate cleanser — lemon
7. Chocolate cremeaux with cream and crispy quinoa — perfect, not too sweet/​bitter/​chocolatey and quinoa made all the texture.
Looking forward to coming back!

My hubs and I snagged a reservation for 2 at the bar last minute. Service was great. The place is small but cozy. The food was fancy without being too fancy.
We were given a teensy cup of squash soup with a creamy swish as a starter. Really nice. Homey but delicious. Rich but small. It was a lovely welcome.
The housemade rosemary flatbread was light and crisp. It was served with whipped ricotta. Both were damn good. I could have had just that with a bottle of wine and called it a night.
But we had more. The chicory caesar salad had these thin slices of seasonal radish that were a beautiful watermelon color. The chicory itself was a beautiful speckled pattern like cranberry beans. Then I had the squash agnolotti with crisped sage. Delicious! But it was hard to get my fork into the agnolotti without the squash filling squirting out one end. I guess it’s meant to scooped not poked. I managed.
Overall a great meal and I’m excited to go back.

I’d been wanting to try Battersby for years and finally made it in for dinner last night.
It was just as spectacular as I’d imagined.
We arrived for 8pm reservations for the 7-​course tasting menu and were seated immediately at the bar. At first I wasn’t sure how I liked being put at the bar, given all the adorable little tables and my weeks-​in-​advance reservation, but it soon made sense. With all of the frequent dishes entailed under the tasting menu, being close to the waitstaff made things more convenient for all.
The servers were quite doting and knowledgeable. The bartender in particular was awesome to watch. He pumped out some of the most artfully crafted cocktails I’ve ever seen. (I can’t speak to their taste, though, because we decided to go with a bottle of red. Wine is always a good idea).
The décor only added to the impressive ambiance. I’m a sucker for exposed brick walls and decorative ceilings. Cue the candlelight and you’ve got one hell of a romantic date spot.
Now, onto the food!
Every single thing we put in our mouths was insane. Seriously.
The winner was the slow-​cooked salmon. This wasn’t your average salmon. This wasn’t even your above-​average salmon. I didn’t know salmon could taste like this. The texture was incredibly light, the flavor was smoky yet delicate, and the savory lentils underneath blew the whole dish out of the water.
The homemade pasta with lobster was also show-​stopping.
I can’t wait to come back. If you appreciate meticulously crafted, inventive, and delicious food, come to Battersby. You won’t be disappointed.
*Bring a fat wallet.

Came here for a celebratory dinner and enjoyed the dinner. We went a la carte and ordered the crispy kale salad, the mushroom truffle special, the fettuccine with crab and the golden rice with rabbit. Everything was great except for the entrée of golden rice and rabbit sausage. It was almost inedible, randomly sweet and not worth the $ 28 dollar price tag.
We sat at the bar, it was intimate and the waitstaff and bar tender were great. Quintessential Brooklyn vibes.

After hearing about this place for over a year, I finally got to try it. Came here on a Wednesday night and was pleasantly surprised that there was no wait (the seating is very limited), but it was on the early side (5:45 PM). Ordered a Thanksgiving cocktail, forgot what was exactly in it but it was great. Plenty of whiskey too.
We stared off with the crispy kale salad, tuna tartare, and the foie gras tortellini dashi. Admittedly, I expected better. The crispy kale salad wasn’t the best, although I may have been spoiled from the wonderful one at Chuko. The tuna tartare was pretty decent. The dashi and foie gras tortellini wasn’t the best combo.
The next few dishes were much better. We had the peekytoe crab fettucine, duck bolognese pappardelle, and the ‘heritage pork’. The fettucine was delicious, with juicy chunks of crab. The pappardelle’s sauce and duck were great. The pork was cooked PERFECTLY, and had a great lean to fat ratio. The farro, cauliflower, and raisins in the sauce accompanying the pork made it my favorite dish.

OK, what?! This place is legit. You have to know about it to find it — there’s no sign out front. I don’t know if they’re planning on changing this, but I think it gave it an awesome speakeasy-​vibe (but it’s still a super nice place!).
The food does not disappoint — it was one of the best meals I’ve ever eaten. The menu is seasonal but in a creative way that avoids a lot of fall cliches.
We had crab fettuccine with lemon and breadcrumbs (& fresh pasta!!), seared scallops with brussels sprout leaves and a cranberry balsamic sauce, and pork with farro, cauliflower and raisins. So creative and so delicious!
It’s small so go early!

I’ve known for ages about this amazing restaurant (in my neighborhood, no less) and somehow managed to go this long without eating here. I can only offer a weak defense that the Unilocal reviews referenced no reservations and long waits.
Speaking of which, we tried our luck around a holiday weekend, and sure enough, they had open seats. This is almost never the case. It’s a small restaurant, so I can see why it gets crowded.
We were served the complimentary bread, which is awesome and would rightfully be a paid item on menus at other places. Warm, puffy focaccia with a dish of airy, whipped ricotta. It was a struggle not to overeat on that one.
For dishes, we chose the veal sweetbreads, seared scallop with grapefruit, and the bomba rice. The sweetbreads were tender and crisp, and the sauce with the artichokes and fingerling potatoes melded perfectly together. The scallop was cooked nicely and the grapefruit added a sweet citrusy contrast that made the dish very refreshing. The bomba rice was so delicious. With chorizo, duck confit, and octopus, there were so many things I love in this dish. Everything came together really well, flavor and texture-​wise. I thought it might end up being salty but it wasn’t at all. The aioli added a nice creaminess to the dish.
I’m so impressed that they can turn around dishes of such high caliber in that tiny, tiny kitchen. It was rather fun to watch the chefs navigate that little space, but you see they have a system down perfectly. I cannot recommend this place enough!

Battersby is one of the most talked-​about restaurants on Smith Street, and I can tell you that it’s worth all the hype. Get past the whole mystique of the kale salad, and you’ll find a wonderfully inventive (and ever-​evolving) menu that they create in one of the tiniest kitchens I’ve ever seen.
They have bar seating, table seating and a backyard patio. But of course, it’s so popular that it’s still hard to get a table sometimes. Luckily, we swung by right before a long weekend and there wasn’t a wait (literally the first time I’ve ever seen it so empty).
Sat at the bar, ordered a few cocktails (I recommend the Green Monster), and then had the (enviable) task of figuring out which of their dishes to get. Thankfully, we were provided with a delicious, fresh-​baked focaccia with smooth, soft-​churned butter while we made our choices.
Started out with the veal sweetbreads, served with artichokes and fingerling potatoes. The sauce was creamy without being too rich, and didn’t distract from the wonderful char of the sweetbreads, and there were also olives to add some salty contrast. Followed it up with the seared scallop. I always love scallops, but was hesitant because I hate grapefruit and theirs was served with some. Thankfully, the grapefruit was on the sweeter side, cooked a tiny bit, and added a nice tartness to the perfectly seared scallop. Would definitely order that again.
For our main, we shared the bomba rice, which was basically like a paella. It was made with duck confit, chorizo, and octopus. So many flavors all in one dish, but they didn’t compete with each other and were actually very complementary. The duck and chorizo added some saltiness, while the octopus provided a nice texture. With the addition of the starters, it was definitely enough for a full meal split between two not-​starving people.
If you’re able to snag a table at Battersby, I recommend you do so immediately! I could use all sorts of cliches to describe how great the restaurant is, but you should just go see for yourself.

OH Battersby, you are so exquisite! A foodie’s dream! And even a non-foodie’s dream.
We started with the homemade mozzarella and it was incredible. Mouth-​watering and flavorful. The tomatoes were juicy and fresh, with a great balance of dressing and basil.
Everything we tried was delicious and unique. Give them a try and don’t be afraid to walk in after 9:30 pm without a reservation.

Oh Battersby, how you tease me with mind blowing food yet microscopic restaurant that I must wait and wait to get into… but oh is that wait worth it.
It’s incredible how this place operates in what was just one half of the sorely missed Patois (the originator of the Smith street restaurant scene).
Despite the tight quarters this restaurant knows how to treat your right. Down to the hostess the service is incredibly professional yet down to earth and with no attitude (rare for a restaurant as popular and successful as this).
Thankfully Battersby now takes reservations, but in the first few months the wait could be epic. Our first time years ago, we were quoted a 1.5 hour wait which ultimately became a 4.5 hour wait when other diners wouldn’t move along (they won’t rush you or pressure you to leave here). For some reason we didn’t mind in the end as the hostess kept us posted via our cellphone every 30mns as we barhopped up and down Smith and once we were seated the meal was truly unforgettable.
It’s hard to add anything to what literally hundreds of other Unilocalers have already said about the food. It is just phenomenal all around.
Unfortunately the same can’t be said about their sister restaurant Dover, which despite having the room that we wished Battersby had (oh how excited we were when it opened), it has none of the charm, sub-​par service, and mediocre food. Definitely skip Dover and stick with the original… Battersby is incredible and is one of those rare restaurant that deserves every bit of praise it gets!