Pinch

I went to this restaurant because it was highly recommended. Needless to say, it was overly priced, food was terrible and so was the service. The food came out cold, it was just mediocre and the waiter was a fill-​in so he didn’t care to be there. I had the short rib tacos. Nothing special. I bought 5 other people with me too. We were all in agreement, this place is awful and we are never going back!

Pinch is closed. :(

Went on NYE with friends. Was disappointed the booth taps were not working and there was no mint for my drink. The chilled shrimp were good and the potato wedges were crisp. Service was slow Will go back to use those taps!

Beer restaurant located on the second floor of the Empire City Casino. I really like the look of the place, it’s kind of like a high end old fashioned diner and a brew pub look to it. They have a few tables with built in taps. The tap tables have 4 preselected beers that you can use to fill your own glasses. With this option, you are charged by the ounce.
We opted to go for a regular table as my buddy and I will try any beer, but our ladies are more picky. They had a ton of NY beers to choose from and we all tried pretty good ones.
We had the beef short rib tacos to start. They were flavorful and delicious. We also had the charcuterie and cheese plate. It was good and had some really tasty choices, but also some ehhh stuff too.
I got the chicken sandwich which was basically a Caesar salad overstuffed inside of a pita. It was way too messy and not really very good.
The place was nice and the staff was helpful and attentive. The starters were good, but I was highly underwhelmed by the sandwich. The prices were also pretty high for what you get.

Huge selection of beers on tap but ONLY New York based beverages are served here. Even the wines! The do have some wines from Finger Lakes which are really good and I also like their cider eventhough the selection is limited on those. They have pour your own booths that you can sit at as well in the front of the restaurant.
It’s in a casino and has that kind of vibe but still has a nice style. Wait staff is very accomodating. The restaurant and the bathrooms are very clean. The food is good but a little on the pricer side for yonkers but it is in a casino so I get it. The portions are on the small side as well.

Oh where do i start? My first time at Pinch was for a Company party, I did my research before and the place looked great so i gave it a try, when i got to Pinch the restaurant looked amazing, the staff right when you walk in were friendly, they had taps inside the booths when you walk and the bar looked like they had 100 beers on tap… its funny i asked the bartender how many and she told me at the moment they had 100 beers on tap. I fell in love and that was when I walked in for a party for my company, at Pinch the catering service is absolutely immaculate, anything you need or you can think of they made it happen, it felt like the food was non stop, the trays were never empty the music was great and the staff had a this knowledge of the food and beer and how and where it was made it was amazing!!! Lets just say that night I was blown away by the service and restaurant that I had to go back… Second time the feeling was the same the service as well, great people they have working there… I ordered the Pinch Mac n Cheese app and my wife ordered the Oysters and we shared a tuna tartar it was amazing… I was told the chef that handles the restaurant is very well known and the cast that work with her in the kitchen was hand picked… For my Entre I ordered Rib eye for 2 and my wife had a Pork chop. My wife is very picky and for her to finish her meal I was shocked… She hasn’t finished a meal in a restaurant in a long time, I of course He-​man that I am finished my Rib eye for 2, that meat is supreme, I had to go and tell the guy on the grill that he should receive blessings from The Pope… I cant find good steak like that in a super market I would have to go downtown just to get great steak… Even that’s a stretch… After we finished we stood there me and my wife finished the night off with drinks she had wine which was superb and I drank my beer, If i could i would stay to try all the beers they had at the time. The managers came up to my table to make sure everything was fine and even started telling me about where and what beers there gonna bring in the coming month. I don’t know where they do that now n days some restaurants are quick to just get people out and bring in the next batch, Pinch is so inviting it makes you wanna stay… Some people maybe wondering why I wrote an essay because I want you (the reader) to understand this isn’t your ordinary sports bar or high class restaurant where you expect good food but cocky service or bad food and great service from a underpaid waiter that might or might not hate his job. I remember walking into this vintage 60s Diner looking place saying wow, I’m sticking to pancakes, and walked out like I just ate in a Master-​chef 5 star restaurant, I mean I guess you can say Pinch is a diamond in the rough, defiantly the best restaurant outta the whole casino and I go there 2x week with my wife, my family, Co-​worker and friends… Pinch is the all around package…

Massive menu of New York state beers… the food menu not so extensive. The food was good (though the French onion soup was topped with American swiss, not real Gruyère), but the noise from the casino is very distracting.

I’m a repeat customer… and the experience is consistently excellent.
I come in… Seated in seconds with charm and courtesy.
Before I settle, I get water and a menu from the very polite yet warm and punctual waiter or waitress. I’m addicted to and hence always get the very delicious caesar salad with quail egg. My order usually comes within 10 minutes or less.
Of note, I typically come at off peak hours to avoid the crowds like Sunday night.

I wanted to love this place! It came close! It has an extensive selection of NY craft beers which I enjoyed immensely, no issues there. The food is also delicious but a bit overpriced.
However, the environment is uncomfortable. My bf and I were packed into one section with everyone else dining at that time, basically elbow to elbow, while the rest of the huge restaurant was almost empty. I first assumed they didn’t have enough waiters but then I saw select people being seated elsewhere with plenty of space and served while they still packed people into our section.
A few kinks to work out but it’s worth stopping in if you’re in the casino.

Decided to try something new and headed to the track for a burger, beer and gambling. They say 2 out of 3 ain’t bad right. Well the beer and the gambling were good, the burger not so good. I ordered the Pinch burger. I asked for medium, they served rare. The patty had no flavor whatsoever. The bacon was cold and raw. The only good thing was the sauce. We ordered the potato wedges as an appitizer, which were great. We thought the rest of the food would be also. That’s not the case. My wife ordered the shrimp panini and there were 4 shrimp and it was cold. Make sure you get the blue point oysters. The others were small and thin. Because I ordered the potato wedges I decided fries with my burger would be overkill so I asked for mac-​n-​cheese with ham for an extra $ 3.00. I asked why that increase when it was a dollar more on the menu. I was told that’s because the chef makes the rules. I’ve had better mac-​n-​cheese from a box. The only reason I gave it 2 stars was for the beer selection. The other star was for the staff. They are very personable and accommodating. You would expect a place like this to have better food. Maybe next time we will just sit at the bar and drink some beers. If we ever decide to go back.

I am annoyed that I even have to write this review however I want to warn others not to go here.
To say I am offended by Pinch having the right to serve Craft Beer is an understatement!!! I take partial responsibility for my expecting something more from an establishment inside Empire City Casino…
Their Beer list is unnecessarily extensive leading to my belief that most Beers have been there for a LONG time. The staff is completely ignorant about Craft Beer, again my fault for expecting otherwise.
So now on to my specific visit, four of us went on a Friday night to try something different… And different it was. We were excited to see that they had tables set up with taps so that you can pour your own been which was cool, and they have about 20 beers that are deeply discounted due to amounts remaining. We sat at one of these tables and good thing because the waiter was nowhere to be seen for most of the evening. We really only went for a snack and dessert. We ordered the Shrimp Panini, Chocolate New York Stout Float and a Cheesecake. I think there were shrimp on the Panini however the bread was so hard that after cracking through it I can’t really say what was in the sandwich. The Float was left sitting on the bar for over 10 minutes to the point where the party at our table that ordered it actually got up themselves and grabbed it from the bar. The Cheesecake never came…
One of the Taps at our table was from the discounted beer list and when our check was brought to us the server said he had charged us for all the beers at the discounted price. Great! We thought until we looked over the check and not only did he not discount all the beers we were charged full price for the beer that should have been discounted. Ok so we ask for the manager as the server had disappeared AGAIN… the manager finally comes to the table and then disappears as well… we are left sitting there for 15 minutes… to the point where we left cash on the table and decided to just NEVER come back!!!

I’ve now eaten in Pinch several times. While I like this restaurant and want it to thrive, the only time I see people in this place is when the casino issues coupons for free meals to the better players (I am one of these and I have to tell you, I would never eat here if not for the coupons because of their prices). Sadly, it’s been practically empty on most of my visits (even weekends).
While the food is very good and the service generally friendly (though sometimes slow) the portions are small and the menu very limited. I think they should offer specials and/​or add to their menu. While Empire City desperately needed some additional restaurants, this is Yonkers not Manhattan and I think they miscalculated their clientele. Unfortunately I don’t think this place is going to make it unless they change up the menu a bit.

TERRIBLE SERVICE! TERRIBLE EXPERIENCE! TERRIBLE MANAGEMENT!
I honestly had the worst food, the worst waiter ever, i do not recommend this place, it is a waste of money. Over priced, with rude waiters and managers.

Awesome beer selection with employees whos pallets have only touched bud light and blue moon. The beer menu is presented on an ipad so if youre with a large crowd that will be extremely difficult. If you want to drink good beer with people who dont know about beer and mingle with the degenerate gamblers of yonkers stop by.

We had a fun time at Pinch. The beer selection is outstanding. A lot of fun to be had with the paddle beer tastings for $ 10. The bartender was really nice. We thought the food was good, fun menu selections. We would definitely go again. The desserts were top notch too.
Lost $ 20 at the casino — but that is to be expected!

Wow! 99 craft beers on tap all from NY state. Having a Wagner Valley Sugar House Maple Porter to go along with my beer marinated skirt steak sandwich! Yum! What a perfect pairing.
I mean, how can you go wrong when Pinch offers 99 New York State craft beers on tap plus a root beer? You can easily find a beer to your liking that pairs well with anything you eat here. What’s cool is that they are all NY State breweries represented. Great selection!
This new addition to the food scene here at Empire City Casino was a much needed part of the recent expansion of this place. It’s large with plenty of seating along with a fun retro-​style décor that harkens back to 50’s diner style. Large bar area with plenty of seating along it. Terrific 80’s rock and hair metal tunes playing. Service was outstanding. Our waiter had no problem bringing us multiple beer samples until we chose the ones we wanted with our meals. Technology in play here as the menu of beer, wine, and cocktails are presented on an ipad set on the table.
Sweet & Spicy Glazed Chicken Wings, Mini Beef Short Rib Tacos, Beer Marinated Skirt Steak sandwich were all solid choices and prepared well along with the plating. Reasonable food pricing for a casino, and the beers were in the $ 7 range. Too full to try any dessert. Save for next visit!
I do agree with some others here that they need to promote this spot more, and add signage to the casino to locate it on the second floor of the newly renovated area. It wasn’t too hard to find but surprised how empty it was for a Saturday night. With a bar like this and those beers on tap this should be a destination for any beer snob in the area.
Plus, they offer a growler program here. Damn, I wish this place was closer to where I live!

I have been here twice and will go this weekend. Staff was very accommodating, helpful and interested in us having a good experience. I am not a food critic but this place is real good The oysters were delicious, and we loved the lamb chop dish– best I ever had. I am not a drinker of beer but was impressed with the selection. The cool art deco style is very inviting. Definitely recommend Pinch

Really liked this spot. I was excited when I found out that they had self serve beer taps but it wasn’t in service yet :(. The food tasted great a very upscale restaurant. I had a burger and it was perfect. I like the fact depending where you sit at you can see the chefs making your food. It reminded me a little bit of the food network when they show the chefs going nuts because they are on the clock and have to get the meal done on time.

Based on the experience Sunday night, I’d go to Pinch again and recommend it. But let’s be blunt about a few things.
First, the not-​so-​good.
It’s not the fault of the resaurant, but it was a little hard to find from the south entrance to the casino. Noise level was not absurd, but it was set in a casino, so we had an expectation of noise. These are admittedly minor, and I didn’t factor them in to my considering recommending. (Give a few extra minutes to get there when you park in the lot.)
We had reservations that night, but there was no greeter. Having not been to the restaurant before, we were confused if we were in the right place. The charcuterie platter was good, but I’ve had better elsewhere — black forest ham, comte, blue cheese, prosciutto, cornichons, and mustard? That’s it? There were not enough «iPad menus» to go around, which made ordering beers difficult considering their large collection. On the topic of the bar, my dining companion had his drink order mixed up twice. My companion that night also got an extra side he didn’t order — so someone else did not get theirs.
The good.
Our server was pleasant, and personable. The waitstaff and personnel front-​of-​house looked and behaved in a polished, professional manner. The food menu was appropriate in size and it all stayed to the American theme — this is no diner by far, but the prices seemed reasonable for what was served, and the one-​sided menu didn’t make choosing food difficult. The atmosphere was funky-​cool, and somehow felt like it fit right in to the casino environment. Food was cooked the way we asked, and presented beautifully. Best of all, there was no food disappointment in the taste department! Food was delivered in a timely fashion. Unique dessert menu items certainly will make me consider eating there again! (Check out the «beer floats»!)
I’m recommending Pinch for the food, but am willing to accept service was otherwise having an off-​night.

pinch is located in the newly refurbished section of the Empire City Casino in Yonkers, a short drive north of NYC. Having read that this was part of the Alain Ducasse empire, I was high on expectation and excitement.
I’ve never dined at a Ducasse establishment before, (I missed the chance to try Adour) but after reading a NY Times article written by Ducasse himself, on how he cooks his steak, I knew that this dude was a sage.
The theme of this restaurant is an homage to the old school, 50’s era, drive-​in feel married with some modern gastropub ideas. The décor is inescapably red, I felt like I was sitting in a diner designed by George Jetson (or Spacely’s Space Sprockets) on rocket fuel that was opened in a giant Radio Flyer wagon. Very cool.
The modern flavors arrive in the form of a rawbar, ceviches, 99 beers on tap, and drink/​dessert menus on iPads. Throw in some fun dishes like short rib tacos and a tuna tartare accompanied by guacamole and taro chips, and you’ll quickly discern this restaurant from Johnny Rockets.
The food did not disappoint. The oysters were standard fare with east and west coast available. Salty, meaty, it’s hard to mess these up.
The short rib tacos were quite tasty, a nice chewy combination of sinewy beef and soft tortillas. I sampled the scallop ceviche, a nice summer pick. Again, a simple dish that’s hard to screw up, the flavors were there: a marriage of the sea and citrus.
With pinch claiming Ducasse heritage, I was eager to try either the rib eye for two or the hanger but the wonderful idea of placing a sunny side egg on the pinch burger was too much to pass up. The steak will have to wait for my next visit, that’s to say I did not regret my decision.
The burger was cooked perfectly, with the flow of juices dripping with every indulgent bite. Served on a delightfully chewy bun (I think it was a brioche), the crispy saltiness of the pork belly served as a wonderfully decadent alternative to your typical bacon topped burger. And the egg, oh, that egg! The wonderful epiphany that dawned on me when I used my burger to mop up the alchemy of runny egg yolk and beef juice will be burned into my taste buds’ memory.
For dessert, we basically sampled everything. The warm chocolate cake and pistachio was my favorite, the crème brûlée a close second. Not being much a of a dessert person though, I think I would just order a second burger.
Top notch service might I add. Our server, Diego, was personable, informative, and very attentive.
Here’s my only gripe. At the time of this writing, the restaurant has only been open a month. On a Friday night, the place seemed virtually empty! Now, I’d love to keep this place all to myself, but I understand that an overwhelming success is usually critical for longevity, considering how tough the restaurant business is in NY.
Management needs to work with Empire City on exposure and promotion, especially within the casino itself. My fiancée and I, having never been to Empire City before (we only came for dinner with some friends at pinch), were completely lost in trying to find its location. It’s on the second floor, near the refurbished area, but we had to ask a security guard to find the dingy hallway that led to pinch. Also, there isn’t a hint that pinch even exists on the premises. The restaurant isn’t even featured on the visitor’s map. Not a word! I had to double check to make sure I was even in the right casino.
Also, since it’s sort of out of the way relative to the casino floor, there will be limited foot traffic. I’m not sure of how many gamblers go out of their way to get a decent meal, but I’m guessing not many. Especially considering how many bitch about having to leave for a smoking area, I doubt they’ll want to foot it for some good eats. I doubt that very many even know that a high quality restaurant backed by Alain Ducasse even exists there. Fix this, pinch, I want you to stay open for years to come.
Considering how much of a snob I am, having to take the shuttle bus from the parking lot to the casino was nothing short of traumatizing. The bus reeks of degeneracy and delusion. Like my fiancée said, «It smells like sadness,» HAHA!
I didn’t know that a valet existed, but I will surely find it next time. Either that or I’ll throw my bike or rollerskates in the trunk.