Cosme

I’ve been here 3x before to bring clients. This particular review is about service.
Checked in with the hostess, she paused momentarily and then asked us to follow. She didn’t make eye contact or call a name, so my guest and i mistakenly followed her to a table, not realizing there was another party behind us. Instead of using her already stellar communication skills, the hostess says «not you. them» and puts her arm in front of me to shove me out of the way. This was jarring to both me and my guest. I let her know that. Instead of apologizing, she gave a snarky smile and said «Well I was clearly talking to them.» No, you weren’t, moron. Not trying to pull a fast one by following you and jumping into the table before the other party, this isn’t musical chairs. You’re bad at your job and you should not touch, let alone shove, strangers unnecessarily. Most people really don’t like that.
Left a message for the manager, which did not get returned.

Argh. What a disappointment!
I watched Chef’s Table and got really excited to try this place and it just fell so short of what I expected! Before I start, I want to let you know that I lived and worked in Mexico and paying $ 270 for 2 people at a «Mexican» restaurant is such a crime when it doesn’t meet expectations.
We started with drinks. I made sure to get something with mescal in it and the Ninja was amazing. My girlfriend ordered a margarita which was equally amazing as well. We later ordered another drink with mescal that was a hit. When it comes to drinks, definitely A+
We started with the uni tostada. The uni itself was delicious but the combination of the uni and bone marrow and pico de gallo was not a hit to me. It just lacked authentic Mexican flavors and I wasn’t impressed. The same goes for the soft shell crab. I was really looking forward to the molé and God was it a disappointment! The crab was well done but once again, it lacked Mexican flavors to it. We finished off with the duck carnitas which was good as well but definitely not great.
We had the meringue and sorbet for desert. Nothing spectacular either.
I feel like I didn’t get my Mexican fix from this place and I know the chef mentioned that he didn’t want to stick to fat and make Mexican food in more refined ways but this doesn’t really enhance Mexican food. Therefore, I was disappointed

Cosme was good but I expected so much more.
The setting is very modern and appealing.
The mixology cocktails are great.
Some of the food was amazing and while the ingredients were fresh and the execution seemed perfect some of the dishes just didn’t do it for me.
I would avoid the octopus but I definitely suggest the duck tacos and the tlayuda, both to split. The duck comes out crisp and you shred it yourself to fill your shells and the tlayuda speaks for itself, full of flavor.

Before I begin let me say, I’m not Mexican and Mexican American food isn’t my thing. I came here because of the chef and I heard it’s an upscale spin on Mexican cuisine. I also can’t speak for dinner, I came on a Saturday at 1.
This is definitely a different interpretation of Mexican food. It’s more like bite size tapas. Which is funny because my server made my group of 7 (2 fairly large guys included) believe that we would be filled if we ordered 8 – 9 plates. Speaking of him, he was fairly attentive. We often asked for water/​ice and waited forever to have it. My request for their bubbly water was completely ignored.
Speaking for the food, it fell short of expectations’. Certain things were flavorful but nothing that surprised me more than the spices at a local Mex-​American place. The plate arrangement and appearance didn’t necessarily make the meal look more appetizing. I figure that it’s not easy playing up so many dark colors, once they mix it looks so bad. The drinks were alright.
Regarding the layout of the restaurant, I was not a fan. I felt like I was walking into a colleges sophisticated cafeteria. It was interesting that upon entering, the entrance looks spacious but then you get to the tables and they’re crammed next to each other.

Been wanting to go here for awhile now and now that I know they made the top 100 list I am glad that on a rainy Sunday we were able to snag a table.
Let’s start with the high notes.
We went for mostly fish and I enjoyed how they sent our dishes coursed to share beginning with all fish.
Uni tostada with bone marrow salsa– Smokey from the bone marrow. Extremely fresh and delicious uni, winner.
Cobia al pastor — the fish is cooked perfectly. Super tender well seasoned served with a lovely pineapple purée. This makes a wonderful taco. Don’t pass this up, seriously good eats.
Soft shell crab with yellow mole– Again this dish is really good. The yellow mole is seriously amazing… Notes of coconut, fruits, with a lovely depth of spices served with a papaya salad. the crab lightly tempura’ed, crunchy, perfectly cooked. Who doesn’t love soft shell crab season?
Eat it. Truly outstanding.
Scallops and oyster cocktail– Black aguachile, avocado and ink. There was a deep smokiness from the charred «sauce» that rested underneath the fish that was interesting but I found this overacidic, unbalanced, and frankly underwhelming. The octopus is nice and the scallops tenderly sliced but for the price tag I think this is a skip.
Tlayuda (to share) with hoja Santa, peas, and cheese. This dish was a total cop out. For me the chef was honestly like «oh fuck we need a spring dish with English peas, let’s put it on tlayuda!»
Uninspired, boring. The hoja Santa was somehow flavorless (where did they buy it from?) and covered my entire plate. the peas were overcooked. However… The salsa verde served on the side, damn that was good. should be bottled and I would drink that (maybe would be better than the boring cocktail I had)
We got the kimchi dish, spicy and bland at the same time somehow… And the spelt. It was good but heavy and again kind of bland.
I wanted to try different dishes because I think it’s a true test to make your veggie plates as good as a duck, but we should have just skipped those plates and got the carnitas …
My meal ended with the corn husk meringue which instantly made my whole meal better don’t skip desert. The wine we bought was really great too. I wanted to order a different bottle but the list was quite expensive.
Cosme was worth it. But I was a little let down that such an acclaimed place had big misses.

Now being mexican, i was happy to see a establishment being held in a prominent part of manhattan. I was really excited to come here, BUT, from the interesting choice of décor, to the ambience, Something jus doesn’t make me feel like its authentic? I’m not sure if thats what there were going for. i mean it is NY and all. A very important element was missing. Their Margaritas just weren’t wat i expected, specially for the price points. I did like the unique items created by enrique olvera, The Duck carnitas were outstanding i must say, the desserts were jus ok and i wouldn’t order them again, same for drinks. service was fine though, I was only not feeling it because of the ambience and the delivery of some of the products just diidint hit like they should of. O yea this ahi tuna tower was better than average. thank you for representing mr Olvera. Cheers

I really like Cosme! The flavors are deep and true. I love the tostadas they bring out to start with the sauces, which (surprise!) don’t have to be spicy to be flavorful. My favorite menu items are the cobia al pastor, the enmoladas or enfrijoladas, the duck carnitas, and the chicharron they used to offer. I love the different mole flavors they use from the poblano to the yellow mole — serious, serious skill involved in making those. The tortillas are to die for. Also, the mixed drinks are SO good.
After reading the disappointing reviews, I wouldn’t advise people that are expecting/​want Americanized «Mexican» food (cheesy enchiladas, fajitas, guacamole, queso, etc) to come here. That’s not Mexican food.

Over rated!!! So sad as this place has been bookmark for over a year and the reservations are slim unless your a 9pm eater. We finally made it and I faced the fact that I will starve until 9:45p. Walked in at 9:15p the place was packed! Checked in with the hostess and then proceeded to the bar where I was hoping I would love my jalapeño margarita… Unfortunately it tasted like water down juice. Waited until 10:15pm to be seated and started ordering.
The wine list was not impressive at all but we found a mencia one that would hold us over. The mark up was ridiculous and they charge a $ 50 corkage fee so what do you do??? The only thing that was good was the purple potato tamale and the octopus starter. Also, their hot sauce lacked any heat… A little disappointed for all the hype this spot has been given.

As a bi-​coastal person who normally stick to the LA = TACO and NYC = PIZZA rule, I bow down to the greatness that would have me order an Al Pastor taco on the right coast. Jeez Louise this was insane. The sliced pork, pineapple and sauce in a tortilla is like a dream I had once.
These cocktails are on point. It’s like the tequila version of NoMad cocktails. Holy whoa yum. My new go-​to when I’m in this area of town.
The cheesecake at the end was quite savory and special. Thank goodness people with class and taste created this lovely establishment.

My 200^th review!
Went for brunch and can happily recommend you do the same — our party of four had one drink apiece, shared a ceviche appetizer and had four mains for about $ 150 plus tip, which seemed more than fair for the caliber of cooking and the surprisingly generous portions. Not sure I could say the same for dinner, where the same amount of food and drink would probably be substantially mas dinero, based on everything I’ve seen and heard.
The most memorable items were the Bloody Marias (never had such a fresh-​tasting Bloody Mary before) and the wildly flavorful scratch-​made tortillas (Pete Wells correctly said that «there are no tortillas remotely like this in New York»).
Through and through, the ingredients were top-​notch and the elements of each dish were very precise. My only real quibble was that some of the dishes were very similar — for example, the chilaquiles and the duck enchiladas both were essentially tortillas enveloped in a reddish-​brown sauce and garnished with crema and onions. They just looked different.
Anyway, a very fine, friendly restaurant overall and well worth visiting, at least for brunch or lunch.

Did a good job living up to seemingly insurmountable hype. I went in January 2016, so I was likely a year or so too late for the true craziness.
Had a reservation for 9 PM. We didn’t get seated until about 9:30. To soften the blow, they started us off with mix drinks on the house. Their drinks were delicious, so I quickly forgave them.
I read the reviews, so I arrived expecting small, upscale-​Manhattan-​scale portions. When served, I was pleasantly surprised — small but not too small.
I started with the burrata with salsa verde and «weeds.» The flavor was mild (the salsa verde didn’t have too much kick) but the texture was out of this world. I’m still not 100% sure what the «weeds» were but they perfectly complemented the burrata’s gooiness.
My main course was the duck carnitas. I love duck and I love carnitas. After this meal, I’d say that as a rule, duck carnitas are better than pork carnitas. It was phenomenal. A lot of reviews I’ve seen fault this dish for being «too greasy.» If you’ve eaten duck before, you know that it’s an inherently greasy bird. The preparation at Cosme did nothing to add to the greasiness and the provided fresh blue corn tortillas absorb it quite well. Best of all, this meal filled me up. Likely, had I ordered anything else, I would have left on an empty stomach.
My girlfriend and I split two deserts: the celebrated (and frequently Instagrammed, guilty of this myself) corn husk merengue and the manchego popcorn cheesecake. The merengue was everything I hoped it would be. Like with the burrata, Enrique Olvera’s textural mastery was in full display. The cheesecake, to my dismay, was another story. It tasted like passable cheesecake covered in Cheese Wiz and Smart Pop white cheddar popcorn. It’s a shame that that was the last thing I ate.
Overall, the highs far overshadowed the lows and I’m eager to return.

Cosme has a nice vibe albeit feeling a bit like an upscale office. Their menu has fairly authentic Mexican food (we had to google a lot!) but the egg white omelette, mole, and egg sopa were all nice dishes.
It’s a bit overpriced for what it is i.e. Not ‘American’ portions. But for a lighter fare brunch it’s very nice.
Cocktails are very strong — I tried the Paloma (grapefruit flavored) which was light and delicious, where as my friends had the bloody Marias which were quite strong and I’ve had better.
Overall a nice hide out away from tourists in union square but not a must see.
Side note: we did spot churros at another table and they look delicious!

Cosme has been on my list for quite some time, so with this NY trip I decided to just make it happen. I made reservations on open table a couple weeks in advance for 9pm on a Wednesday.
Upon arrival, it was bustling. I checked in with a manager-​type guy who didn’t communicate to the hostess so I had to re-​checkin at 9:20 but was then ushered to the seats.
Our server Marco came over, took drink orders, answered a few questions, and offered up guacamole/​chips while we decided. The tapas style menu was structured with meat/​veg items on top, vegetarian items in the middle, and the «bigger» dishes at the bottom.
SCOVILLE SOUR — Serrano infused Siete Leguas tequila with lemon, agave and garnished with a spiced cucumber. Not spicy. For my second, I had the guajillo-​infused… Warmer. I probably should’ve opted for the Arbol straight off the bat, but why ruin a perfectly good cocktail with *too* much heat?
UNI TOSTADA — I’m not a fan of uni. Never have been. When I saw that this was a top rated item I figured I’d try it. I had a bit with each component: the bone marrow salsa, avocado, julienne Serrano peppers, and cucumber, and I get it. It works beautifully. I just can’t get past the uni; personal preference. If uni is your jam, get excited!
BLUE SHRIMP a la VERACRUZANA — ceviche style with green and kalamata olives, avocado, yellow cherry tomatoes, drizzled with garlic oil. It was okay — but it wasn’t bursting with any discernible flavor. Not a whole lot of Veracruzana happening in this dish. Certainly not $ 22 worth.
BEEF TONGUE — carpaccio served with lettuce and a coffee oil and cactus. Tasty, but I’ve had better in San Jose.
OCTOPUS — delightful. Crispy on the outside, tender on the inside, over a purée of some sort.
DUCK CARNITAS — the reason people come here. They say it’s serves two. If you’re ordering other dishes, it’ll go a lot farther than that. We ordered 2 ducks for the group of 6 and had left overs; should’ve only ordered one. The server comes over and presents the whole breast and the proceeds to cut it up in front of you with instructions to douse with lime — total showmanship. It was delicious, but not $ 69 delicious.
Would I return? Probably not. Am I glad I went? Definitely.

Sat at the bar for a snack and drinks. The bar is super high and the seats are too! Don’t pull a muscle climbing up and down the stools, though I almost did.
The bartenders were friendly and helpful.
I asked for a medium bodied wine and the bartenders recommended a glass of the Antigua Rioja ($ 16) and it was really delicious and exactly what I wanted.
The beef tongue ($ 24) was one of the best I’ve ever had. They sous-​vide it so it’s extra tender and season it very well. The blue shrimp ($ 22) was smoked but still raw and it was almost like having it sashimi style but with that extra smokiness. Really interesting and delicious flavors from both of these dishes!
I definitely want to go back for the duck carnitas!

A hip, trendy, modern vibe in here with dim lighting and clean lines in the décor. It’s kind of loud both from the beating music and conversations.
The appetizer of blue corn tortilla and pumpkin seed salsa was tasty and a touch spicy. I liked it.
The raw fish with avocado and a little bit of basil was good, though not a favorite. The fish was cut a bit thick and the salt and pepper mix on top was rather salty.
The uni tostada was a small round blue corn tortilla chip topped with salsa, uni, and avocado. I really liked this one and would recommend it. The crunchy, lightly salty, creamy texture was excellent paired together.
The mussel tostada with chopped up pig feet meat and topped with about of romaine was okay. The taste of the spicy oil on it overwhelmed the whole dish. I didn’t taste much mussel and the texture didn’t work well for me.
The tyaluda reminded me of eating a salad on a large tortilla shell — the tortilla had black bean spread and it was piled high with cherry tomatoes, mixed salad leaves, baby radish slices, avocado, chincharrones, sliced jalapenos and a white cheese. It was a bit strange to me, I would opt out of this one.
The corn husk meringue was unique and quite good. The meringue was light, airy, and mildly sweet, it had some kind of filling inside, and some a salty cream on top. I recommend!
The caramel at the end was a nice touch.
Overall, the contemporary food here is interesting and worth trying. (The appetizers are pretty small and expensive though.)
The service was superb, the dishes were brought out one after another, and water glasses were constantly refilled. Waitress was friendly.
I would like to come back for the duck carnitas one day!

While the guacamole disappointingly lacked flavor, everything else we ordered killed!
The uni app was amazing and had a liberal
Helping ! And can be easily chopped in half so you can justify spending $ 20 on one cracker of it.
The raw fish app was also so good and fresh. My friends loved the scallops; I wish there was more of it.
The mushroom tacos were delicious. The duck tacos were great too and could easily be shared amongst 4 people and not just two like they described.
Their desserts were incredibly creative. The meringue and cheesecake desserts had me sit up with flavor confusion at first and then I couldn’t stop eating it.
Our server was incredibly patient in answering all our questions. We overstayed our welcome at our table, and he wonderfully moved us to the bar area and offered us another round of cocktails on the restaurant, which was really above and beyond!

The food was hit-​or-​miss, but overall I think the experience was deserving of 3.5 stars thanks to the friendly service and cool ambience.
Uni tostada — underwhelming. The smallish fried tortilla was very small and very pricey. Toppings are high-​end but didn’t deliver much in flavor or satisfaction.
Scallops — very refreshing and light but I found it overly acidic. I liked the crunch of the jicama contrasted with the soft and mild sweetness of the scallops.
Mushroom and squash barbacoa — Mild textures and mild flavors — it could’ve been so much better! The portion was larger, enough to fill 4 tortillas.
Duck carnitas: — amazing. A VERY hefty price tag but it was delicious and quite a large portion (fills 8 – 10 tortillas). Shred with your fork and get a good piece with both crispy skin and tender meat, then drizzle any or all sauces.
Husk meringue: highly recommend! It’s a very unique dessert yet also simple and unfussy. Delicate and airy meringue, milky and mildly sweetened mousse. Overall it’s a really nicely balanced dessert.
We thoroughly enjoyed the cocktails and the tortillas were memorably good, but many dishes were underwhelming. Still worth a visit if you’re willing to spend $$$

J’ai beaucoup attendu avant de me décider à écrire mon avis sur mon expérience chez Cosme car l’exercice s’avère finalement difficile…
J’en avais entendu parler des mois avant de venir à NYC et nous avions réservé notre table plusieurs semaines à l’avance c’est dire si on voulait y aller !
La cuisine mexicaine j’en suis raide dingue alors si en plus on me promet de la magnifier… J’avais donc une grande attente et une grande exigence quant à ce qui allait nous être servi.
Quand nous arrivons nous sommes installés rapidement dans un restaurant qui s’avère très sombre, très bruyant et rempli de gens tellement riches et poseurs que je m’en sens mal à l’aise.
Les tables né sont pas très espacées et nous nous retrouvons entre une table de 2 collègues (de wall street il semblerait) qui se prennent très au sérieux et un jeune couple dont la bague de fiançailles de la jeune femme doit avoisiner les 300 000 $. Elle ressemble à la riche américaine de base qu’on s’imagine tous. C’est LE cliché de la New-​yorkaise insupportable. Du coup en étant si proche de ces gens ça a forcément eu un impact négatif sur notre expérience. Qu’on le veuille ou non quand on est au restaurant (à 2 surtout) et qu’on est si proches des autres il est difficile de né pas écouter les conversations surtout quand on parle aussi fort que des new-​yorkais le font…
Nous commandons 2 entrées à nous partager ainsi que les tacos de canard que nous partageons.
Tout est très bon, vraiment ! Et les tacos de canard sont très copieux si bien que je n’arrive pas à finir ma part…
Les saveurs sont subtiles mais c’est épicé et pimenté. Je regrette d’ailleurs qu’il n’y ait pas eu une proposition de sauce plus douce pour le canard afin de changer un peu entre chaque tacos.
Cependant même si tout est très bon je suis quand même déçue parce que j’attendais de l’exceptionnel. Ca reste le meilleur restaurant mexicain dans lequel je suis allée donc je vous le conseille fortement si vous êtes davantage sensible à ce que vous avez dans l’assiette qu’à l’ambiance du lieu et qui sait??? Vous aurez peut-​être des gens très chouettes à côté de vous ce jour là !
C’est un 4 étoiles pour la nourriture mais un 2 pour l’ambiance…

Came here for brunch on a Saturday afternoon with a few girlfriends. I was absolutely STARVING — Mistake #1. I ordered the Egg sope which was the tiniest portion known to man — Mitake #2. I was still actually starving and wanting an entire burrito when I left. My friend ordered the kale tamale which although very tasty, was SUPER tiny. The Chilaquiles was the only dish with a decent portion and my friend said it was pretty good. Service here also needs a bit of work, we asked for the check about 3 times before it finally arrived 15 minutes later.
Come here if you are into the scene and trendy vibe, but not if you want a good satisfying meal. There are enough mexican restaurants in NYC to satisfy your enchilada craving.

Yes, it’s expensive, but the food is seriously about as good as it gets. We got:
— Burrata
— Blue shrimp
— Duck carnitas
— Husk meringue (dessert)
It was way too much food for two people, and it was very expensive, but it was all so good. The burrata was the one thing I might not get next time — it was very good, but I didn’t think it stood out above a typical good Italian place.
The blue shrimp was great. I love ceviche and this was one of the better ones I’ve had.
The duck carnitas and the husk meringue stole the show, though — both were among the best things I’ve eaten in NYC. In fact, I would say the carnitas tacos were the best tacos I think I’ve ever had in my life.
One thing we’ll definitely do differently next time is simply bring more people — the duck carnitas alone were (possibly more than) enough for the two of us, and we could have easily ordered the exact same amount of food for four people (and therefore split the bill).

Absolutely loved my meal here. Don’t usually love Mexican but this was fine dining with unique takes on traditional food and it was AMAZING. The restaurant itself is very pretty — modern, dimly lit, and trendy.
My boyfriend and I started out with the Cobia al pastor, the octopus, the burrata and the guacamole. The cobia was unreal. It was a type of white fish that I had never experienced before. The others were good as well. Then we shared the NY Strip Tacos which were delicious. I hate when steak is too chewy and this was not the case. For dessert, we shared this unreal corn husk meringue which you must get. It was so unusual and it was tragic when the dessert was over.
This is a solid restaurant in flatiron and I can’t wait to come back!

Etes vous prêts à tester le restaurant le plus en vue à NYC de l’année 2015?
Etes vous prêts à attendre un mois après votre réservation pour pouvoir déguster une cuisine mexicaine totalement innovante par le célébrissime chef mexicain Enrique Olvera (qui est à la tête de Pujol au Mexique: le 20ème meilleur restaurant du monde !!!)
Etes vous prêts à aligner entre $ 100 et $ 150 pour vivre l’expérience de votre vie?
Si vous avez répondu OUI à toutes ces questions, c’est que vous êtes d’excellents candidats pour aller vivre l’expérience Cosme
Situé dans un ancien strip club du quartier Flatiron, Cosme est un magnifique restaurant qui, malgré sa taille, a su garder une intimité (lumière tamisée) tables espacées, espaces lounge, pas trop bruyant.
A l’entrée, un très grand bar vous permet d’attendre votre table. Et si vous avez lu jusque là, vous n’allez pas le regretter: l’astuce si vous n’avez pas pu réserver est de venir directement (évitez de venir après 20h) et de vous installer au bar ou à l’espace lounge. Pas de réservation à faire et vous avez accès à l’ensemble du menu. Vous trouverez de la place sans trop de problème (n’hésitez pas à m’envoyer un petit message pour me remercier :))
Boire un cocktail au Cosme est totalement incontournable tellement ils sont bons!
J’ai testé le Ninja: Union Mezcal, Beefeater Gin, Cocchi Americano Vermouth, shiso, gingembre, citron vert et ananas deshydraté
Ensuite, il y a les incontournables: vous né devez pas repartir sans avoir goûté dans votre menu au plat et au dessert signature :
Plat signature: Les tacos de canard confit poêlé «Duck carnitas» avec oignons, radis, sauce verte pour $ 58. Ce plat est extraordinaire, il faut le partager au moins à 2 mais idéalement à 4 pour pouvoir déguster d’autres spécialités. Vous n’avez jamais mangé un canard aussi bon. Vous faites vous mêmes vos tacos.
Dessert signature: une pavlova à la mexicaine qu’il nomme «Husk meringue, corn mousse» pour $ 14 Ce dessert est à se damner tellement c’est bon: la meringue extérieure est fine et légèrement croustillante et accueille en son sein une mousse légère de maïs. Contraste entre le sucré de la meringue et la légèreté de cette mousse végétale.
Il y a des restaurants comme ça qui vous marque pour le restant de votre vie. Cosme en fait désormais officiellement partie.