Graffiti Earth at Duane Street Hotel

This is our second visit to Graffitti Earth, and our 7th visit to Chef Mehta’s restaurants since we discovered him in 2009. We love his food and vision and have recommended the restaurant to many friends, several of whom have tried it for themselves and loved it. My only comment was it was weird being the only customers there on Saturday, I wonder if it was because we were early and/or the really nasty weather that day! We benefitted from attentive service and Chef Mehta came and spoke with us for sometime which was fabulous. I love the variety of flavors he produces and am usually persuaded to try dishes outside my comfort zone and enjoyed every one of them. One may think the plates are small but they pack so much flavor that you are satisfied after each one. Will definitely return.

Excellent, thoughtfully prepared food that is also sourced in a manner that reflects the need for today’s chefs and restaurants to do their part by buying produce and products that are sustainable and on a smaller scale of production than those offered by large commercial distributors.

As always, great place, great food, very original and tasty (even spacy)

Didn’t realize this was a hotel bar and not a full restaurant. The (very) small plates were tasty but the flat price of $17 for every dish was out of line (30% too expensive). The minimal wine selection (three different red and three whites) again at $65 each was way too expensive for the quality offered. I will admit we sat nicely, but the place didn’t seem fully conceived. Wouldn’t go back.

It was perfect! Chef Mehta is not only a culinary genius, he is an exceptionally lovely person .
I also really appreciated the emphasis on sustainability.
Can’t wait to return!

The owner is an iron chef runner up. Very personable and caring. Awesome human being. Definitely will visit and a must visit.

Graffiti Earth is ALL about sustainability, down to the napkin on your lap and the china & cutlery given to the restaurant by friends and family. Dishes aim to please with unique and bursting flavors, and for the most part succeed.

A strange experience. This really tiny restaurant has ten or twelve seats only. We were the only customers when we went on a Thursday night. Unfortunately, that just deflates all the excitement of dining out unless the food is spectacular, which it is not. The setting is modern and attractive, but the food is dull and not worth the price at all. All dishes are $17 and while that is not high for a restaurant of the class this aspires to, the offerings were small and boring. A lot of the garnishes seemed to be from bags of snacks that could be bought at any Indian grocery. The service was kind and attentive so didn't leave angry, just feeling sad we braved the broiling subway to get there.

I love Graffiti Earth! Chef Jehangir Mehta is a culinary genius. Chaime was our server, and he was perfect, charming and confiding and anticipating our every need. We were in NYC for the Gay Pride Parade and festivities surrounding the Stonewall 50 anniversary celebration. Chef Mehta sent out a beautiful dish made of colorful carrots representing the rainbow flag. Everything is delicious and original. I urge you to take advantage of a wonderful opportunity for a memorable meal.

The only problem I see with this restaurant is the address listed is 191 Church St. and the door was locked. There was no sign indicating entrance is at a different location
That would be helpful

Amazing food and a great intimate experience. Chef Mehta is so welcoming and has an amazing staff - always a wonderful experience!! The vegetable chat dumplings are an absolute must!

Food was ok, but not very interesting. Overpriced/overhyped.

Underwhelming and overpriced
Menu and menu prices not the same as shown in the app.

Food was great. Small, but nice space. Just don't understand why there were not more people there.

Everything about this experience was exceptional!!!

It is extraordinarily rare that I want to walk out of a restaurant after just the first plate (or at all), but this is an example. There are many things wrong with Graffiti Earth. The one server who was there was very pleasant and we liked him. But the menu is atrocious.

1) The menu looks inventive and exciting, but it is dull and bland.

2) It appropriates Spanish tapas only in portion size but not in price. The tapas ruse is well-known and unmistakable and especially cringe-worthy here. This is not a difficult problem to rectify. Offering zucchini on a piece of bread is not "zucchini hummus pizza" and it's certainly not worth $17. Neither is a tiny morsel of sauteed mushrooms in a Chinese bun. The list goes on (down the menu). I've been to plenty of tapas places, but this was egregious.

3) Please don't let on that you "tailor" to gluten free / celiac. Swapping out any item that contained gluten free (e.g. a garlic brioche bun, etc) for a sad piece of white gluten free toast is not "tailoring." It is thoroughly mainstream and boring.

Good luck to the staff there.

This was one of the most enjoyable dining experiences I've had. I truly appreciated the fact that the chef served each dish separately, rather than bringing everything out together. This allowed us to savor each dish to it's full extent. Chef Mehta personally came out to meet his guests and we were blown away by his humility and approachability.

Firstly, the food was excellent. When it came to the bill however, we we're left with a sour after taste.

The website advertises many of the apps as $12, however our bill had everything priced at $17 for 5 small plates (see image). After questioning the pricing, and showing the website, the waiter gave the most non-sensicle argument for the change in price. They had burnt the top part of the menu to remove an old address and conveniently removed the pricing from the apps. It seemed deceitful with intention. Please note my friends menu had a small piece of the original $12 remaining.

We have no problem paying for the food we consumed, a message I made clear to the waiter, however the pricing is not at all transparent. Had he been more dignified with the way he dealt with the situation we would have happily compromised with him, however he was rude and refused to listen to why this scenario might have been confusing for a patron and stuck by his convoluted reasoning.

Please update the website and advertise the pricing clearly on your menus to avoid confusion. The misunderstanding turned a great evening into something unnecessarily confrontational.

My friends and I had an amazing time here! The food is phenomenal and the service was excellent. It’s an amazing private experience. You feel so well catered to that you don’t want to leave.

My husband and I went to Graffiti Earth the other night and it was, hands down, one of the best meals we had in years. Everything is crafted perfectly with so many delicious flavors. Each plate is small, a perfect sharing size. And the vibe in the restaurant is cozy and intimate. I highly recommend a dinner there — you won’t be disappointed.

Food was good! Ambience is great. Service was a bit slow but we were in no hurry so it’s was fine

Simply fabulous

Great experience. Chef Mehta was our waiter during our dinning experience. Can’t beat that! Loved the yummy Indian inspired food, mix matched vintage cups and plates and yummy cocktails in beautiful crystal glasses. We felt horrible because we were originally a larger party but had several day of cancellations so we ended up being a small party. The space was a great place to catch up with friends in a pretty, quiet and intimate space. Thanks Chef Mehta!!

Chef Mehta is a charming culinary master with creative takes on his plates. A one-man-show, it is impressive to watch him operate, serving the 15 or so guests the place can accommodate. Although, the speed of service does take a hit. The plates were tasty but very small -- tapas-style fusions of vegetarian-friendly Indian and Asian flavors, and for the price there are ample venues offering better-value meals in both quantity and quality. That said, it was a unique experience, highlighted by the fact that Chef Mehta did everything alone -- from confirming the reservation via phone call to serving dessert to swiping my credit card and entertaining the child at our neighboring table. Ultimately it's a place I would definitely recommend visiting once... but maybe not more.

Delicious as per usual. The food is so interesting - nothing you've had before and completely speaks for itself without knowing that Graffiti Earth is also eco-conscious. Huge thumbs up. And the chef is the absolute model of a humble, thoughtful chef doing great work.

The Chef is wonderful and genteel and the intimate setting is perfect for a quiet dinner or for a small gathering. The food is delicious. The only caveat is the portions are tiny.

Exceptional! Every bit of it. The food was a wonderful blend of ingredients and spices that produced such wonderful flavors. The lentil ribs were to die for and the Indian Street burger is my favorite. I was disappointed they ran out of the veggie dumplings but that was the only downer of the evening. Elijah is a one man show. Taking orders and bussing and serving every table and fretting every guest. A charming young man with a winning smile- this night he confessed with pride that die to an emergency he was also the chef!!! Run- don’t walk!!

Not as good as it was. The wine list is very limited and expensive, the signature dishes are not as good as they were (pork bun, humous pizza, mini burger ….)
It remains a great restaurant and I hope it will get back to the fantastic restaurant it was.

Chef Mehta is a genius! Add that to his integrity, passion, and compassion and you have a recipe for an exquisite dining experience.

Need more vegetarian options. Also
Payment was cash and was not
Informed in the beginning.

The foods great but limited wine menu so you’re stuck with only pricy options. Also the ambience is extremely poor. It doesn’t feel like you’re at a restaurant

I never saw a smaller portion of food in my life.

The scallops were 1/4 inch each and they served 4 of them!
They also served 4 French fries with the hamburger slider. It’s unacceptable!!

I dined once at the now closed graffiti restaurant and had a great experience, so I very much looked forward to having my birthday dinner at Graffiti Earth. Sadly it turned out to be one of the most disappointing dining experiences of my life. Every single dish barely scratched mediocrity, and often not even that. Food was bland and ridiculously overpriced for the shoddy quality. The service too was spotty even though we were the only diners around, but frankly the food was so outrageously poor for a fine dining restaurant that it overshadowed everything else.

Had the waiter bothered to ask if everthing was alright I would have been candid about what I felt to be a ripoff, but he didn't so I'll have to express my dismay here.

This was an excellent find! The food was creative and flavorful. Our waiter Elijah was fantastic. Get there if you visit NYC.

Tiny place but great food and service - we really enjoyed the evening.

Amazing! Definitely will go back there again not only for the food, service and ambiance, but because we just love the sustainable food concept! What a hidden gem.

Delicious especially the caterpillar butterfly soup!

One of the best meals I have had in a long time. Amazing flavors, spices, unexpected combinations created by an inventive and inspired Chef. The whole concept is inspired.

From the first bite of the veggie dumplings, we already wanted to order more. The zuchini hummus, the scallop and mushroom pate and the kale salad were exceptional as were both the Indian "burger" and the pork "burger" we had. The only dish we didn't absolutely rave over was the squid fried rice, which is good but not exceptional.

It's a great place to go with people who are adventurous and curious diners - but probably not for the meat and potatoes crowd.

Fantastic food. Omg just amazing.

I wish Graffiti still existed, but this new incarnation is fantastic, intimate (not as tight as the old place) and fun. Big thumbs up. Food is delicious.