EssexGreat, but RushedFood was great and the drinks were great, but we were rushed out of the restaurant VERY quickly. Don't come here to sit and dawdle.
At least they gave us free drink tickets when they said "Sorry, but we need this table," as we casually finished our mimosas.6/8/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat brunch placeFood was amazing, fun atmosphere. Great brunch deal comes with 3 complimentary drinks, but be warned that they won't serve alcohol before noon on Sunday.6/2/2013 12:00:00 AMGood food and reasonably pricedVibrant place, potato pancake is ok, wine list is reasonable
Risotto was good, plating was not. Lower east side crowd6/1/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat energy. Great Service.Great energy. Great Service. Great Food. Great Drinks5/26/2013 12:00:00 AMCertainly a Happy Hour!My girlfriend and I went for Happy Hour and took full advantage of the $1 Blue Point Oysters, as well as the half priced drinks they offer most days from 5-8pm. We had a fantastic experience and definitely will be returning.5/21/2013 12:00:00 AMUnlimited Mimosas! Food OkayLoved the ambience for Brunch on Sunday. Service was fantastic. After hearing so much about this boozy brunch spot I did expect better food. I got the mexican style omlet which the waiter recommended and it was OK. My friend got the eggs benedict on crab cakes and it was great.5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMDoesn't disappointI had been here a few times for happy hour, which is awesome, and was equally pleased with the dinner on Sunday evening. I had the arugula and beet salad as an appetizer which was so good. For an entree the scallops and risotto was a little salty for my taste but I enjoyed it as well. I was equally surprised and pleased that they have happy hour on Sunday nights too! I will definitely be back for their brunch.5/19/2013 12:00:00 AMPerfect brunchThe brunch menu is great! And the cocktails are really good. Everybody in the restaurant is so lovely. The atmosphere and the kind of people are perfect. I would absolutely recommend to go at list 1 time!!5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMamazing brunchLoved the food. Brunch menu was perfect. Price was even better. For 24 you get great food and 3 mimosas or bloody marys. Our waiter was very attentive. Placewas exteenely busy but they had it under control. We were a group of 4.. ordered what the waiters recommended ad we were not disappointed. I had the aristrocrat and the potato pancakes were to die for. I will do this place again and i cannot wait to go back5/18/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat for a boozy brunch + VegansSmall brunch selection/options. Simple but good food. Great vegan Mexican dish. Good for a younger crowd. Fun/open layout. Could use some updating (tables, etc).5/11/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Birthday Brunch PlaceIf you don't live in New York, you don't know how impossible it is to find a place that takes reservations for brunch. We had a group of 6 so there was no way I'd want to wait around somewhere for a table (or two). This was a great option. As everyone else has promised, the drinks kept coming. Great vegetarian and vegan options too!5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMClean PlateAlthough crowded for Sunday brunch, the wait when having a reservation was not unreasonable. The brunch special with three (3) drinks included has got to be the best deal in town. Waitstaff was pleasant and efficient. Food was "off da hook!". Everyone left with clean plates, full bellies and intoxicated attitude (that's a good thing).5/5/2013 12:00:00 AMFood was terrific! ServiceFood was terrific! Service was terrific ! Here are the negatives. Had an 11 a.m. reservation for brunch. Included in the price for brunch was 3 drinks (either mimosas, bloody marys or screwdrivers). When we were seated we were told that they could not serve alcohol until 12 noon, however, they could not adjust the price...REALLY ?!? It is also very loud.4/28/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat place to hang out withGreat place to hang out with friends for Brunch. We had a party of 5 for a birthday celebration and the Essex staff was cooperative with everything from seating us at a preferred table to handling our cake for us...at no extra charge. The mimosas kept coming, the food was delicious and the music was just loud enough to add a pleasant soundtrack to the occasion. Highly recommended!4/28/2013 12:00:00 AMI enjoyed breakfast there.I enjoyed breakfast there. Those blueberry pancakes are to die for. Literally. So good. The waiter was sweet enough to warm up the syrup for me. They were very busy in there and it gets loud so if you want a brunch where you won't be screaming over each other I wouldn't go here. But if it doesn't matter to you. I would suggest this place.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMThis was my first time atThis was my first time at Essex and I really enjoyed the ambiance. Very young/cool vibe. Would recommend as a spot for brunch as it is especially accommodating for groups. I made a reservation for brunch the night before and was happy to know that availabilities for were on Open Table with such short notice. Making a reservation in advance helped with the process. The menu offered a variety of classic and unique brunch dishes, which helps as my group of girlfriends have various dietary preferences. The 3 brunch cocktails were also a nice touch and my table even received an extra cocktail ticket each to have another at the bar. Overall, lovely spot in a great location on the LES and look forward to going again.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMLots of 20 something girlsLots of 20 something girls in for the almost all you can drink brunch.
The food was pretty good too! Wait staff handled our crowd and those around us really well.4/27/2013 12:00:00 AMYoung crowd at Sunday brunch.Young crowd at Sunday brunch. Place gets loud with lots of mimosas and bloody Mary's for everyone.4/21/2013 12:00:00 AMExcellent service!! LaurentExcellent service!! Laurent is an amazing server - Lexi a wonderful hostess.Brunch is super fun here, but there is always a wait so just make sure you eat well earlier in the day while you're waiting & enjoying a mimosa or bloody mary. Great for group events with friends on Sunday afternoon.4/21/2013 12:00:00 AMIt's quite good, though IIt's quite good, though I find essex to be over-rated.4/20/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat food and spot for brunch.Great food and spot for brunch. Warning: the bloody mary's are incredibly spicy and the noise level gets pretty loud, but I still recommend this place for a Sunday Brunch.4/14/2013 12:00:00 AMWent to Essex with my teenageWent to Essex with my teenage sister and she loved it.4/13/2013 12:00:00 AMWe had a birthday brunch thereWe had a birthday brunch there on Sunday, and our waitress was incredibly attentive with our drinks (which is always important for brunch!), and even surprised the birthday boy with a cake that we had given to the hostess. It went off seamlessly :). The food is always excellent (really anything on the brunch menu is a winner), and the crowd is super dynamic; so it's a great energy.4/7/2013 12:00:00 AMMy overall experience at EssexMy overall experience at Essex was great. I have been to a lot of "hot spot" brunch restaurants, and although the restaurant was PACKED when we arrived, they still honored our reservation exactly on time. We did not wait more than a few seconds to be seated. The food was excellent, came fast, and the mimosa refills were a great bonus!
Would recommend Essex to anyone!4/7/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat Brunch DesinationWe enjoyed our Easter Brunch experience at Essex. Our wait for a table was reasonable once we checked in for our reservation (maybe 10 minutes) on a very busy afternoon. The food was very delcious and the three drinks that came with the brunch got us nice and toasted. Service was also friendly and attentive. Also, it does get quite loud in there but parties of two should have no trouble conversing. I would definitely return.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMFood was decent, service wasFood was decent, service was great. They really try to pack in as many people as they can into a bit of a tight space, but overall I wouldn't hesitate to recommend this place.3/31/2013 12:00:00 AMWe really enjoyed our brunch.We really enjoyed our brunch. Food service mimosas all amazing.3/24/2013 12:00:00 AMOverall is good.. But we hadOverall is good.. But we had a reservations at 3:30 but wasn't seated till 4:20. So the reservation was useless. The people are great & the food was good. We will just walk in for a table instead of reservation next time.3/24/2013 12:00:00 AMAwesome food and staff. SuperAwesome food and staff. Super crowded and loud though.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMBrunchtasticSuch a good time. Best brunch in the city to date.3/16/2013 12:00:00 AMOur large group of 15 hadOur large group of 15 had a fantastic experience! The restaurant staff were incredibly accommodating and the food was excellent! Friday night prime time happy hour specials too! On the Lower Eastside?! A welcomed surprise! We'll go back again and again.3/15/2013 12:00:00 AMEssex was such a great time!Essex was such a great time! I went on a Thursday for their happy hour with some friends. The oysters were really fresh and the cocktails were delish! Liked it so much we stayed for dinner Mo was our server and he was very attentive to our table. He made great menu recommendations and was very friendly. I definetly recommend this restaurant.3/14/2013 12:00:00 AMGreat experience! CocktailsGreat experience! Cocktails and food were incredible! Naomi was smart, efficient and welcoming. We will be back!3/11/2013 12:00:00 AM