The Writing Room

very good food, nice atmosphere -- good neighborhood place

Awesome. Thanks

Great service with quality food. Was reasonably priced. Nice ambiance as well.

Came accidentally during the World Cup for brunch. Had the tv playing over the speakers. Was very loud. Service was slow but food was very good. Came because it seemed like a cozy place to have brunch but felt like a sports bar. Would possibly come again if they didn’t have sports playing loudly

No reason to go back.

Always delicious and great service!

Early dinner. The chopped salad was soggy & uninspired.
Service was very good.

Think it’s really popular place in NY, a lot of people, a little bit noisy, but I was alone, so, didn’t suffer from not hearing my partner) Food is good, just a little bit dissatisfied that during the booking I asked the table with soft chair but got a different one)

Awesomeee food and environment

I ordered the vegetable mezze and was in heaven!! The dish was simple but really healthy and delicious. I will definitely be going back. I liked the space but I think it could use more themed decor.

This was not the dining experience for which I hoped. Apparently a decent meal with decent service was too high of a bar for dad's birthday this year. We had no less than four people working our table. It was more awkward, uniformed and overlapping than efficient, seamless and attentive. I never got water on an oppressively hot day. Drinks were cleared away without asking if we'd like something else. Our starters did show up in a timely manner. However, I wound up sending mine back - something I simply never do unless it's a health concern. But in this case, the Yellowtail Jalapeno was crudely hacked fish, too thick to be called sashimi, so cold that the texture was mid-thaw such that all taste had dissipated, and it didn't appear 100% raw - perhaps it had been "cooking" in citrus, at least partially or maybe it was freezer burn? Our mains - we all had the Dayboat Scallops - were decent. The English peas weren't cooked enough so more mealy than bright and verdant, and the onions were yellow, not spring. Menu issue or kitchen issue? We'll never know, but my mother doesn't like the yellow so there was that. They were edible nonetheless. The three sides didn't show up with their mains. I was on my third of four scallops when I finally was able to bring it to the attention of one of our servers. She apologized, investigated, came back to explain that it was the manager's fault (interesting approach), and then advised that they'd be right out. My spinach arrived, though my scallops were done so it was more of a third course as it wasn't served on the side of anything. The mushrooms and fries followed quickly. To round out the meal, mom and dad opted for ice cream and the team was lovely enough to plop dad's ice cream in front of him with a candle and a quick get away. Then the Yellowtail of course made its way to the check. Ouch. The net: We ate a meal, it wasn't awful but it also wasn't without more issues than we can overlook for a repeat visit.

Amazing place! Great food, fun atmosphere, will definitely make this a go-to place!

A wonderful neighborhood restaurant with a varied menu. Staff is professional and engaging. Wine list is appropriate. Price point is suitable to UES crowd.

3rd time there for me. the food was terrible today. so smelly. burnt. egg benedict poached egg was 100% cooked like solid rock. Wow.. dont know what to say. I want refund...

It was great!

Excellent food but experience was hampered by poor service and loud environment. Wait staff not attentive. Wine not refilled. Delay to get dessert. Check hard to request from busy waiter. Perhaps management needs to hire more help.

I read the reviews about this restaurant and found them accurate. All the other restaurants around the Writing Room we’re teaming with customers, but the Writing Room was barely half full. The food was good, but pricey. I’m from out of town, and it appears the locals aren’t choosing this restaurant.

Portions were small and overpriced. Especially for 2nd Ave.

However, service was good.

Generally good. Drinks good, food decent, but my civatelli was too salty.
Ambience was good energy and vibe. Service was good.

Staff was quite pleasant I’ve eaten there in the past, however this time U was disappointed with my main course. My friend appeared to like hers.

Didn’t care for the salad options. Portions on the small side although the food was very good.

I was a fan of the Parlor Steak House which was nearby and had the same owners. This was my first visit to the Writing Room. The food was excellent. The service was initially slow so I engaged the owner who took out order himself. Thereafter the service speeded up. I will return so I guess that sums it up.

very noisy...

If you’re looking for the library-esque space, it’s only in the private room in the back.

It's just ok. Thr place is nice, but the service is lacking & the food is newer fantastic. Places like Hillstone offer better food & service for the same price.

This is one of the best restaurants on the Upper Eastside. Great staff , great food and great team overall.

The only reason for taking off one star was because the busboys were rushing us a bit. But other than that, wonderful place for a leisurely dinner with excellent food and a great atmosphere.

This restaurant is consistent: Good food, Bad service.
I have been here a few times for happy hour outside so I thought I would try it for dinner. I made a reservation for 3 at 8pm on Saturday Night. They sat us at 8:15pm. The waiter seemed annoyed, was unfriendly, and cocky. My friend asked if he knew what was in a Tom Collins, he said, "Yes". She proceeded to ask him what was in it and he admitted that he didn't really know. During the meal, the vent from the AC above me was dripping water on and my clothes, I told my waiter. The manager came over and said, "There is nothing we can do. We can move you but you're in the middle of your meal." Didn't bother to comp anything!

I was so excited to try this place, but was extremely disappointed. I admit the atmosphere is really nice, but other than that this place was a complete let down. Our waiter completely ignored us to the point where I had to go up to the waiter station and ask for the check and he did not even read us the specials for that evening. Also the bread is handed to you individually and since our waiter ignored us we got only two pieces each (and we had to ask for the second one). Also the clam appetizer had sand in it. We are never going back. I am not sure if we were discriminated against for being LGTBQ or for being so young, but either way it was a complete let down.

Now I truly understand what no mas means !
Was truly exhausted by the terrible service and disgusted with the mediocre overpriced food.
Best part was them upturning the tables right next to us like we were in a warehouse!
These people have no right being in the hospitality business.

We are frequent diners, and it never disappoints. Something for everyone to enjoy!

Food is good but way too pricey for what it is. Service is mediocre.

The Writing Room was charming, and the food was very good. My only complaint is how noisy it was. Even seated in a corner in the backroom in the restaurant, it was difficult to hear one another. In part, the tables are too close, but it is a happy, bustling restaurant and busy w vibrant conversations and laughing.
The decor is wonderful—- books everywhere adds a lot of atmosphere, and the food was delicious.

Everything was fine, ( but not great).
Slow service when you are first seated, but once you get their attention they are very attentive.
Appetizers were really good.
I think one was Yellowtail Jalapeno, delicious just over priced for the portion.
Salmon Tartar...very good
Fried Chicken, dark meat moist and good (not a surprise). Breast slightly dry but editable.
Salmon was good, but I don't know why people order Salmon in a restaurant. It's so easy to prepare at home.
I had the Scallops, those were fine . However, 4 scallops on a plate filled with green peas, and a few mushroom priced over $30.00 is insane plus embarrassing.
If I wasn't with my daughter I would have sent them back just because.
Yes, we will try it again. its in our neighborhood and it's a cool place.

Very lively brunch spot with a nice atmosphere, congenial staff, nice decor but also quite loud.

Always great when I go there.

We will definitely return! We had the oysters, scallops, bronzing,and tuna, with the cheese plate for dessert. Scallops and oysters ruled here!

We like coming here for brunch. Service is consistently excellent. Pancakes are always delicious. We were disappointed with the egg sandwich plate, so we won't be getting that again the next time we come. Overall, a good experience.

I made a reservations using open table stating it was for a 🎂 I arrived exactly at 8:28 for a 8:30 reservation
We were not seated until 9
There was no place to sit and the place was small and cramped and I asked a few times bc they kept telling me it will just be 3 more minutes...when I finally said I'd been standing for 30 minutes the manager launched into a complete tirad !! I will never go back again and hope this review deters anyone from going there as well
Who wants to wait only to be abused by the manager..and needless to say no 🎂cake or anything was offered ..no apologies for the wait time😓

Do NOT get the shrimp and grits. The grits were raw and so gross.
It was packed on a Wednesday night, and the service was really slow. We had to wait at least 20 minutes to get a server to come over. The food came out relatively fast, but was undercooked, so I would rather have waiting longer for better food. It was also very overpriced for what we received. My husband got the lobster roll, which was tiny, and had a tiny side of fries with it for $38. Not worth it.

I miss Parlor and was hoping that TWR would be a good substitute, but unfortunately, it wasn't.