APL

CLOSED. Then it became Orchard House then that closed too.

We went on Halloween night for a Party — the staff was awesome. Jeremy was amazing and poured a heavy drink which is sooo not NYC these days haha.
Deff recommend the place — if not for the staff for the food and fun!
Thanks APL!

I had dinner Friday night with my girlfriend at APL. I only went because I had a Thrillist deal, but I’m really glad we went and it was really worth it.
APL is really nice. It’s a fairly large restaurant for the LES. Our waiter (super nice guy with dreads) informed us that they had just reopened from a two week shutdown to develop a new fall/​seasonal menu, but that patrons may not have known that they reopened (which explained why there were only 3 – 4 tables eating during the duration of our visit).
We were seated at the front of the restaurant, literally on the street. I wasn’t sure what to think of it at first because the view isn’t really that nice and we weren’t able to take in the ambiance of the restaurant, but the great evening weather (even though it was rainy), service, and food really made up for it.
The Thrillist deal consisted of 2 of their signature cocktails, 4 international draft beers, 2 appetizers, 2 entrees, and a dessert for 2 people. Since our happy hour turned into two — we only had a beer and cocktail each and didn’t get to our second beer. The waiter suggested that I have the Pimms cup (turned out to be pretty good actually — cucumber, ginger flavored) and my girlfriend had the Pink Sangria. For appetizer, we had the beef carpaccio (really nice) and warm spinach dip (really nice). We both had the NY strip (medium rare and seared to perfection) with baked potato (insides are scooped out and mashed, while the outside is fried like a potato skin, and the insides are then reinserted — awesome) and fresh watercress salad.
Service — the servers were super attentive. I think we had 4 of them — main server, drinks, silverware, and food runner. Our silverware was changed about 4 times, no joke.
I’d definitely go back again.

AVG.

We had a Thrillist gift certificate for dinner, drinks and dessert. Appetizer 1… pickles sliced thin, battered and deep fried with a ricotta sauce for dipping. The pickles were really good but there were so many of them and the sauce wasn’t that good for dipping. Appetizer 2, a crab cake that was entirely too crabby was not very good.
The entrees were very generous and really good. Eric had the burger which he loved and the brioche bun (my favorite) was really good. I had the chicken which was sliced with crispy skin and the mashed potatoes were creamy and rich with the mushrooms and a bechamel sauce. Just thinking about those potatoes is making my mouth water… I’d go back just for those.
The best part of dinner was a cheesecake flan for dessert. I thought I might have to stab my husband with a fork because he was eating too much of it… it was seriously one of the best desserts I’ve had.
Drinks were great… we both had cocktails to start out and then switched to beer. They had Blanche De Bruxelles on tap which I’ve always thought tastes like making out with an incredibly hot flower fairy :)
The service was really fantastic and I really liked the décor with the wood and fabric alternating on the walls.
I hope this place does well in a tough and expensive neighborhood for a restaurant to open up.
We also noticed that they had a pretty good happy hour with specialty drinks.

I’m sorry but this place sucked.
I took a chance on a new place b/​c everything else was busy on a Friday night and was so embarrassed I brought people here for dinner.
In short, they were out of most dishes and the ones they had were tasteless. It wasn’t overly expensive, yet it wasn’t worth it.

Brunch is awesome!!! soon as word gets out its gonna be hard to get a seat!
$ 8 for breakfast! wow! and the quality is top notch! Also the quantity is more than enough, way more.
later in the day try the Korean short rib «tacos» they are actually wrapped in lettuce not taco shells, which makes them EVEN better…
enjoy!!!

From what I know this place is relatively new. The décor is nice, and the music was actually great. The windows were wide open, so you got fresh air coming in to the restaurant.
However– the menu wasn’t as great. The korean shortrib «tacos», which were on small pieces of bibb lettuce, came out cold, and the meat wasn’t hot at all. In fact, it was really fatty, and not trimmed well.
I also got the arugula salad with goat cheese which was good, but I asked the waiter if they can substitute romaine lettuce instead of arugula, and they said they couldn’t. I mean, I was willing to pay extra, but they still said no. Fine. It was still good anyway.
My boyfriend got a burger, which I tasted, and it tasted good. But they were trying too hard to be fancy, and they smothered the fries with tons of sprigs of rosemary and thyme, which in my opinion totally ruined it. My advice would be to try less hard, and be more simple, and the result would be much better.
If you want a good view of people changing their clothes in their apartments, then definitely go here! You could see right in to the living rooms of the building right across the street, which provided a bit of humor to our dinner.

I wish this place well, it’s new and it’s in a very competitive neighborhood.
The staff are very friendly, the brunch service was very quiet so the food came quickly.
The burger was nicely charred but a little over cooked (I asked for medium) — I think the meat patty is a little thin and therefore easy to over cook. The bread bun was brioche — my least favorite kind for a burger but is was very fresh and light. The burger comes with a mayo and baby arugula, a surprisingly nice combination. I suggested they add a tomato and raw onion slice to it, this would have been a nice fresh texture.
The fries were nice, very crispy and fried with fresh herbs like parsley and rosemary — a nice touch.
Wine by the glass — a Faustino, a freshly opened bottle and a large pour, $ 8. Excellent value.
So my brunch went very well, I was well cared for, the food was good and the wine excellent. The overall value was very good too, I recommend this place but I would also suggest to the owner/​chef to keep improving. The burger was good not great and if you have hundreds of thousands of dollars riding on it (The space is nicely and expensively fitted out) I would want to know it was amazing.

This place is nicely decorated with great music! Good for groups! THey had an awesome DJ! Had dinner, drinks, dessert then danced the night away. Thanks APL for a good night out! The food wasnt spectacular but I enjoyed the drinks.

Im always looking for a hot neighborhood spot to come to regularly, and this is not it. Its 2 blocks from my house and I never want to go back. I did not have a bad experience, I just have no desire to return. Mabe after a few months and it finds its vibe, but it was a little off. The search continues…
Cute barback though:)

APL is a great new restaurant in the Lower East Side situated on Orchard Street! We barely made it for happy hour, but was able to squeeze in some Korean Short Rib Tacos which were delicious! For dinner I had a HUGE medium rare burger on brioche with shoestring fries. My roommate had Grilled Salmon with Quinoa and Spinach. Her portion was not anywhere as big as mine, so after she was finished with hers, she had some of mine. There was no way I was finishing it all by myself.
Our service was great. Ivo was the name of our server. He was soft spoken and made sure we were well taken care and checked on us often.
I think we will come back for drinks next time and more happy hour specials. My roommate was on antibiotics so we didnt get a chance to try the drinks!
A great DJ played some tunes while we dined too. It was relaxing and not crazy.

LES has a new restaurant a month old amazing drinks Fun flirty dance music but not 2 loud pleasurable creative tasty food & a wonderful mixolgist I absolutely Luv the décor that is what lured me in as a walked by 5 stars BOOM!

The waiter had no Idea about plate portions, the hostess was too busy playing with the old apples in a crate and picking her nail polish and the poached eggs on the eggs benedict disintegrated on touch.
Maybe Ill try dinner but brunch sucked!

With fresh décor and an inviting ambiance, I decided to try APL on a Friday night. Knowing it had recently opened, I wanted to give it a try and I was pleasantly surprised. Had the East River martini. No skimping on the alcohol and it was awesome. Mint infused rum, cucumber and a few other ingredients, this drink was fresh. Perfect drink for a warm summer night. I had the mac n cheese as I was a tad bit hungry but not starving and it was the perfect amount. Breading on top… always a special surprise. The bartenders were friendly as well as the wait staff.
If you’re ever in the LES, give APL a try!

I had dinner here the other night with a few of my girlfriends. First off, the décor is LOVELY!!! Such a beautiful, classy, sexy, colorful space! As I examined the space, I also noticed that every other diner there was incredibly stylish and attractive!
We were sat a few minutes before 9pm, and the server told us to take a look at the cocktails right away because Happy Hour was just about to end, which I appreciated. I would much rather spend $ 5 on a drink, as opposed to full price… It means I can splurge later in my meal!
Anywho, I started with the «North Shore», which was nice and refreshing. (I later had the East River, which is as great as previous reviews have mentioned)
Between the four of us, we settled on the:
* Beets with Coconut Yogurt (I was scraping the plate!!!)
* Spinach Dip (which tasted healthy, as opposed to bar food)
* Fish and Chips (aka, Tuna Sashimi with Wonton Chips *loved the play on words*)
The Chef also sent out a sampler of the
* Shortrib «Tacos» (in a lettuce shell… the meat was SO flavorful!)
*Himachi (after the first bite, I felt like I was in a tropical paradise, eating freshly caught fish! drooooool)
I ordered the Quinoa Encrusted Salmon with a Quinoa Salad and Lemon Confit. The Chef told me that he JUST put that on the menu and I was the first to order it, and lemme tell you… I plan on ordering it again, and again, and again!!! It was perfect!
My friends ordered the Rabbit, Burger, and Buckwheat Pasta, and we shared the sides of Mac and Cheese and Asparagus.
We left with happy tummies.

All I have to say is this place is whack!
The waiter and the hostess were cool, but other than that, food and drinks… ummm pass.

I was at the APL for their media preview and was served a tasty refreshing drink. They call it the east river. Its a cucumber and mint martini made with vodka. I’ve never had anything like it and definitely am planning on going back. Its a really youthful crowd in an eccentric environment… One of the best spots i’ve been to in months

Came here for the opening and didn’t have particularly high expectations but the eel anagi buns with onion butter were surprisingly good; moist with a tad of sweetness and could easily compete with buns at Momofuku. Also loved the marinated salmon served on blinis. Next time I hope to try the lobster stew and the peekytoe crab salad. The whole menu looked tasty except for the condiments since I am not a fan of mustard, chili, vindaloo and that type of spicy add-​ons.
The mixology is touted but seems a bit overrated such as Orchard Fizz –wine with cranberry juice and apple bitters– (sounds like a glorified sangria) and the East River –mint rum with lime juice and cucumber (take a mojito, add a cucumber slice, and bam mixology?!). They were out of both so I opted for Summer Blues since I like blueberries and of course they were out of that one too… wound up with a cocktail that tasted like vodka spiked with cough syrup.
Décor is fun– vertical rows of retrostyle wallpaper. sneakers hanging from the ceiling, and neon dots spread across the bar counter. There was a DJ– not sure if there is always one or just certain days. It’s run by the ex-​China Club guy Jeremy. Really preferred the food to similar type spots in the vicinity such as Beauty & Essex.

So last night I got the pleasure of visiting this spot. I don’t know if it was a Cinco de Mayo special or if they really always make the drinks this strong, but good God, they were strong. And by strong, I mean they put me on my ass. And I only had three of them. So thanks APL for making my night cheap ($ 4 margarita!!) The food that passed by looked delicious, but they were serving Mexican fare. I talked to the manager and he said that the cuisine was going to be contemporary American when they open next week.
The bartenders were friendly, but I did notice that the drinks were a bit inconsistent. I saw one tray of 5 drinks being sent out, all the same, and all had varying amounts of liquid in the glass. One was so low, if I had ordered that drink I would have definitely sent it back.
The space is cute and fun inside. I hope that they maintain it, b/​c it’s definitely décor that will get tired quick.