Colonie

Great vibes! I was very pleased to be here for a date night. People were in variable dress so if you were dressed up or more casual you felt comfortable. We had oysters which were delicious! I loved their market fresh fish stuffed with fennel and herbs. My boyfriend had casta rigante which was good, but nothing really special. It was a heavier taste than expected. The service was good — our waitress was very concerned that everything was delicious and enjoyable. They didn’t ask to take our coats, and could have checked in more, but did quite well considering how busy it was. It is a noisy spot with music and clustered tables, but that’s typical of this area (as a NJ person). Creative cocktails — yummy. I had the antique roadshow and he had a winter in Oaxaca that were both yummy. Great spot! Will come again. Several groups that seemed happy having larger group dinners.

Came to this place last year for my birthday. A little expensive, but a great place. Great atmosphere great food as ambiance. I loved the décor and lights were deemed which created a romantic atmosphere. Deff recommend this place just be prepared it’s not cheap :) out bill was close to 100 for two.

This place has a lot of hype, so I was excited to try it. I sat down and went straight for the wine list, told the gentleman at the bar we were interested in something natural with a bit of bottle fermentation; I threw around phrases like carbonic maceration, etc. He sort of smiled at me and told me they focus on natural wines, and then pointed out what seemed like a very interesting choice, from a place I’ve never drank wine from, made with some indigenous grapes or what have you. Anyway, it was good but he ignored what I was actually asking for in the wine and just went for what he saw as interesting/​sellable. Whatever, it will do.
The starter was nice: cauliflower with anchovies, tons of citrus and butter flavor with the caramelized vegetable. I wish we stuck to the small plates, but we decided we should try some meat, and opted for the most grand option: a steak (bavette cut to be exact). I’ve had a lot better, and for $ 32 I expected a lot more. It was overcooked, and it had a really bad charred flavor, none of the smoke/​fattiness you would expect from a grilled piece of prime beef. It came with a handful of fries and about 4 leaves of red mizuna. Unfortunately I felt pretty disappointed about it.
It’s a great space, and the menu looks promising, but I was unhappy with 2 out of 3 things. The service, though perfectly attentive, was incredibly pedantic — I actually heard the same pitch used over and over again at people sitting all around us and it began to echo with annoyance.
I might go back, but only if someone else is footing the bill, there are a lot better options for their price point.

We visited Colonie back in November right before Thanksgiving. When we arrived for our 8pm reservation the place was bumping! The bar/​entry area is very small so we were shoulder to shoulder with the folks around us. They were a tad backed up the night we dined but were very apologetic and kept good communication with us while we waited. I think we ordered everything on the menu and it was all phenomenal, no joke. The house made ricotta and pork chop were especially good. I am super impressed with the exec chef who grew up in small town Maine and made it in the big city! Bravo Colonie!

Great staff with great drinks. We sat at the bar and had small plates, and it was great. Not having TVs is a nice change of pace. I found it to be a great atmosphere perfect for socializing with great seasonal dishes. And ask for Brian. He’s a great bartender with a welcoming personality.

Literally just walking out of this place and am disgusted by the service we received. Our waitress Courtney refused to take my friends dish off the bill, which she did not even touch. When my friend asked why we were still being charged, she said her manager said she wasn’t allowed to take it off the bill since she offered to replace the dish. I done out every night and have never, in my past 7 years in New York received this kind of service. Good luck to this spot!

Everything was spot on here. My drink was delicious n strong, a cocktail called talent scout, like an old fashioned with extra orange. My friend’s burger was the best, I stole a share of that. The barman was great, and the place looks lovely. There’s no reason to drop a star!

My absolute favorite spot in New York City! Service is always top notch and the food beyond words — in a very positive way!
I love the interior design, from the open kitchen to the stylish bar. The play urban music here so although they have a fancy style it’s still a place I’d feel comfortable going to in flats. The crostini with ricotta cheese, mint and honey is DIVINE!
I’d move in here if I could. I absolutely love Colonie

Brunch: Lets confront this off the bat, throw your diet away and get the doughnuts. They are out of this world, pastry chef level quality, delicate French cream filled pillows of wonderfulness. I cannot express this sentiment enough. The iced coffee is silky smooth nitrogen infused and the hot is French pressed. You could leave after the coffee and doughnuts, the other dishes are good but won’t get you back to that first high. The Benedict is yummy, with a small spatter of greens and a delightful lemon sauce, same with the kale omelet. If you want to be decadent go for the duck hash. It’s certainly screams «brunch» not diner at this Neaveux American haunt for the rich if not so famous of Brooklyn Heights & Cobble Hill. It’s a big crowd pleaser with out of town friends and even the skeptical manhattanites that come my way. The doors open at 11 AM and there is a considerably long line by that time — they do not take brunch reservations.
Dinner is not a disappoint either, think farm-​to-​table and a lot of flavoring with bacon. The restaurant is always noisy and crowded, but somehow still manages to be an intimate date or friend setting.

The only reason I didn’t give this place four stars is the TIGHTLY packed tables/​noise level. It’s already pretty loud in here, but the problem is compounded by having only a two inch gap between tables. I couldn’t hear anything the waitress said and had to strain to hear my dining companion.
The space is very pretty and the living wall is gorg. The burger was maybe the best I’ve ever had and the cocktail list is extensive. Honestly, I may be back to check out their dollar oysters at the bar, but I can’t see cramming myself into one of the tables again.

I had a good brunch expeience at Colonie. My cousin, her friend and I decided to meet up here to catch up with each other and enjoy some good eats. I had heard nuff about their duck hash and was looking forward to indulging.
We were seated at a corner of the Chefs table and were immediately greeted by Chef Paul. We watched him and his team pump out dish after dish; damn that bacon looks good, oh look thats the shrimp and grits, yum look at how thick the biscuits are, oooo look at that pancake! I was sold… Two orders of shrimp and grits with a side of bacon and one order of buttermilk pancakes with crème fraîche and maple syrup; Ill save the duck hash for my next visit. Drinkwise, I went with their Cool Hand Cuke a mix of organic cucumber vodka, St. Germaine, cucumber juice and mint syrup. I’m a complete sucker for cucumber anything so my drink was absolutely delish and refreshing.
The shrimp and grits looked very appetizing. The shrimp were large and the heirloom grits had mushrooms and shallots; My cousin and her friend said they were very flavorful. After watching Chef Paul make my pancake I kind of knew, texture wise, what to expect. It’s one pancake, made in a small frying pan; which gave a nice crust to the outside of the cake. It reminded me a bit of a pound cake just with a crust on the outside. Dense cake but still soft on the inside and rich from the buttermilk. The maple syrup soaked right in and the freshly whipped crème fraîche made them that much better.
We made sure to save room for dessert. I knew the doughnuts were a must get but decided to ask the waitress her opinion of what’s better, the monkey bread or the doughnuts? (both were equally popular throughout Unilocal reviews) With no hesitation, she said the doughnuts Lol Chef Paul even commented and said yeah the doughnuts are a must get, he likes them better than the monkey bread too. I thought that was pretty funny as hes the one that makes the monkey bread and the pastry chef makes the doughnuts. We were brought out four cinnamon sugar donuts filled with salted caramel custard, you could legit see the custard oozing out of the doughnuts! They weren’t large in size but more so the perfect amount for the three of us. We each had one and after the first bite my mouth was filled with creamy sugary goodness. I’m pretty sure I had sugar all over my mouth lol After the next bite came the slight saltiness from the custard filling, which was nice contrast. The donuts were warm and a great after meal treat, so good my cousin and I fingerlicked the bowl lol
I would love to come back for the duck hash and to try more drinks.

We’ve been to Colonie several times, and the food has been consistently excellent. The pork chop and steak are among the best we’ve ever had. The date cake is AMAZING (and this is coming from someone who rarely orders a dessert that does not contain chocolate.) Ask if you can sit at the bar around the open kitchen to watch the action.
Minus one star for the service – last night we went and our waitress seemed really rushed. She didn’t give us the specials and then disappeared after taking our order. It had been a tough week and we definitely would have had a few drinks, but the wait staff was largely MIA so we only able to order one glass of wine. This, however, is a small complaint considering how wonderful the food is, and we will definitely be back.

EXCELLENT food and EXCELLENT service! My husband and I came here for brunch, and I can’t wait until we go back. I had the scrambled eggs that were cooked with this delicious cheese, and my husband had the eggs Benedict, which were amazing as well. This place is a must for anyone in the area looking for brunch!

Went to Colonie on Tuesday night to meet a friend that lives in the area. It was excellent! We didn’t have a reservation (which I would recommend) and it was quite busy around 8:30pm on a Tuesday. We had to wait a few minutes, but we were able to order a drink while we did it was no big deal.
We had heard from a friend that the best place to sit was at the «kitchen table» and that’s where we were seated. The reason it’s called the kitchen table is because it’s a long bar stool area around the open kitchen. It was Awesome! There were 3 chefs cooking in the kitchen and we were able to watch them prepare all of the food for the restaurant, while enjoying our own meals. It was so interesting to see and very entertaining!
My friend and I both ordered the Tagliatelle and it was really good! Fresh homemade pasta with just cheese, butter and pepper. So simple yet very tasty. I would definitely recommend. I also had a very interesting glass of wine. It was an orange wine, but considered a Pinot Grigio, which I had never heard of! My friend ordered the fig cake for dessert and that was so much better than expected! It was a great texture and tasted perfect.
Check out Colonie & don’t forget to request the «kitchen table.» I’ll be back when I return to the Brooklyn Heights area!

Venue: Lovely rustic look and large space with an open kitchen where you can sit and watch the chefs at work.
Brunch: Everything is good and portions are large.
Service: Slow.

Damn, my neighborhood is sexy and sophisticated! Not only because I ooze that stuff (obviously… not really… nope,) but because of places like Colonie.
Came here on a Saturday night with my sister and had a brilliant time. We walked in and I immediately felt a sense of calm. The ambiance is classic but trendy; the kind of place you go to if you want to impress a date. All the tables are candlelit. Yet it wasn’t annoyingly pretentious (save for the hostess*). Aka, my kind of place.
Oh, and the cocktails are great, too! I ordered this cucumber-​infused number. Will have to try one of their «orange» wines next time (apparently that’s a thing) and the food.
*Unlike the bartenders who were super friendly, the hostess was very pretentious and almost seemed bothered by our presence. Maybe she was just having a bad day?

cute space and food was pretty good.
Came here for brunch! we had the monkey bread to start. Be warned that it’s sweet and it’s best to share amongst friends; but it’s delicious! i’d recommend having it with a piping hot cuppa joe. Their bloody mary was decent. Could be a tinge spicier.
had the duck hash which was actually REALLY good. i was on a low-​cab diet so it was a poor choice for me since it’s packed with potatoes. The shrimp and grits look awesome!

Solid 4 stars for brunch (may be a 4.5 on next visit)
For some reason the menu just never intrigued us enough to stop in Colonie; however, when in desperate need of brunch and not wanting to walk any further we finally took the plunge today.
Despite being packed a table freed up and we were squeezed in. Tables are tight and it is insanely loud so don’t expect to have much of a conversation with whoever you are with, but nonetheless, it has a good vibe.
Our waitress was awesome (Kristin I think) and really set the tone for meal. She was really good at answering questions with not just an answer but guidance. When my wife was curious about the iced coffee she said it was awesome and «came from a keg». Sure enough it arrived looking like a beer and was perfection. Strong but not too strong and not too bitter.
We went with the eggs Benedict on biscuits and and the duck hash.
Presentation was perfect and the dishes looked impressive and were a generous portion size.
The eggs Benedict was very good but the biscuits were seriously undercooked. I am sure they would have swapped out, but we decide to just eat as was.
The duck hash was the real standout. Great flavor and a ton of duck. In the end we ended up splitting our dishes as they were the perfect combination together. A little duck over the hollandaise was delightful as was mixing in with the hash. We are definitely getting this combo again and just splitting from beginning. Only criticism of hash is that they need to give you two eggs. One is not enough and leaves the hash dry in the end.
Of course we so wanted the basket of made to order donuts but will have to save for next trip… which may be next Saturday or even tomorrow night!

What a cute brunch spot! Let me preface this by saying that only half our table ordered correctly (50% of my party would most likely give this 2 or 3 stars). The burger is not to be missed (their housemade beet ketchup is unreal!), as are the house ricotta crostini and monkey bread. The biscuits are delicious. I would recommend the Benedict, as one of our guests loved it.
On to the drinks. You can’t go wrong here. If you’re looking for a little spice, the chili margarita is delicious, but if you are craving something light and Spring-​y, don’t miss out on the Cool Hand Cuke– it’s to die for (more like a silent killer).
The disappointing plates were shrimp & grits and leek and gruyère scramble. They lacked in both flavor and portion. We also ordered a couple baskets of donuts which only contained the seasonal custard inside and were displeased with both the size and flavor. We were hoping for nutella (as the menu promised).
Overall, I gave it a 4 because I ordered right (burger/​cool hand cuke) not to mention the service and ambiance were off the charts. I think we’ll all be back, now that we know what to order.

Okay, so Colonie is not a 3 star restaurant. Every time I return, it’s a memorable, good (sometimes great) meal. Their vegetable section is unparalleled — I love their brussel sprouts, spaghetti squash, and cauliflower. These dishes are hearty enough to have two as a main course.
Tip: although I generally dislike well done red meat, if you want your burger done medium well, you should emphasize this to your waiter. My boyfriend has never received a medium well burger, though that’s how he orders it to be cooked.