The Smith- Lincoln Square

This is a hot spot - apparently - for brunch on Sunday. We got there at noon for our reservations and the hostesses were handling the crowd very well, but there was quite a crowd. My guess is this is the place to be - or one of them - on a beautiful autumn Sunday. The food was very good but pricey of course - this is NYC after all. And the service was very good - I have to hand it to them navigating the crowads and the noise can't be easy for the wait staff. I'd recommend it but if you are looking for a quiet conversation with a brunch mate, this is not the place. It's more akin to a bar scene for young professionals. I have not been described as that for 20 years.

Great Sunday Brunch. One of the best in NYC. We will return next time in town.

Our favorite place for brunch. Great atmosphere, great food, great service.

Great place for breakfast; amazing avocado toast! Lots of fun “extras” here, too, like the photo booth in the restroom area!

The food is good and the location is great—just in front of the Metropolitan Opera. The problem is service. My friend was given fries when she had asked for a salad. And the waiter was (I'm afraid to say) just not very friendly. I wonder if they are overworked, maybe that's not their fault.

Great place to have a pre-theater dinner. The food is delicious, service is good, and if the weather cooperates, the outside seating provides an excellent view of the Lincoln center. Enjoy!

Had reservation - arrived and the dining room was packed. However, to my surprise, we were seated within 2 min! We sat in the back dining room - a little strange to walk through parts of the kitchen to get there - but the dining space was totally fine. Being that it was very busy, was a little hard to get waiters attention but they were very good and accommodating. All 4 meals were excellent - 1 chicken pot pie (I will try to replicate at home 😊), 1 sea bass w/curry, 1 salmon and my husband had duck wings w/a side of smashed potatoes which was huge!
Good mix of drink selections too.

The Smith does not disappoint - very good food and excellent service.
Noisy but a fun place.

The menu is perfect for all the dinner guest, 8 to 80! The house wine is very good, service is wonderful, but it can be noisy. A must is the Mac and cheese- superb!!!

Great food and even better service!

A little bit of a downward slide for its food quality. Hoping it was a bad day and will The Smith will be back to snuff for the next visit.

I have a support dog and they didn’t want to let me in the restaurant with him. We wanted to sit outside so it was fine. I didn’t like what happened though.

I had been skeptical about The Smith for a long time. Had brunch there last weekend and finally understood its appeal. Everything was done to perfection - the food was delicious, the staff were warm and efficient, and the place is airy and elegant. I’m a fan! Kudos to the hostess at the front desk - it was a super busy day and there was a huge crowd at the door, including a large number of walk-ins. She never lost her cool and remained composed and friendly the whole time.

We came early for our reservation and were escorted immediately to our table. Both of us had a variation on poached eggs with either salmon or cornbread and they were both excellent. Service was top flight and the only issue was it was a bit noisy. Otherwise, this restaurant is one we highly recommend.

My friends and I wanted to find a good place for brunch before the matinee at the Metropolitan Opera. The Smith has the perfect location. Directly across Broadway from Lincoln Center. We had reservations for 5 of us and chose to sit outside as it was quite noisy inside. We were glad the weather was warm enough to sit outside. Noise is definitely something to expect if The Smith is crowded. Also don’t try to get a place to sit if you don’t have reservations unless they have room at the bar. The food was delicious, try the Benedict Johnny, it was fabulous as were the specialty drinks. Would definitely eat there again.

A friend recommended the Smith... it was great. Our meal was delicious. The service was good and the vibe was perfect. I definitely will be back for more.

Food and service very good, but the noise level is always challenging. Tough to have a conversation.

Birthday. Our waiter was gracious and professional. While we waited for guests another waiter also stopped by to make sure we were ok. I was so happy about the service. The food is always good. I want some of those chocolate chip cookies now!

Arrived 25 minutes early for 7 pm reservation, and they were able to seat me in about 7 minutes. Food was served quickly which was great because I had to make the opera in less than an hour. Salmon entree was outstanding, had pastrami seasoning which was interesting and delicious mustard sauce, but seasoning was not too heavy at all.

It’s my go to place for dinner before a Lincoln Center event.

Excellent! We had a very nice, efficient waiter. The burger and the gnocchi were both delicious. The prices are really pretty good for the quality and the neighborhood. I loved that flat and sparkling water were both provided both the table. Super convenient for Lincoln Center. We'll definitely be back. The menu was varied enough (+specials) that a) there should be somethting for everyone and b) you could do repeat visits without getting bored.

The service was great and the food excellent - - BUT the noise level was way too loud. You had to yell to talk to the other people at your table. The music was just over the top. The next time I will ask for a table in the back room - - it seemed much more conducive to have a reasonable conversation with the other people at your table without having to almost scream to be heard.

Had a fantastic breakfast. Food was excellent.

We have eaten there a few times, but this time we were very disappointed. The chicken was dry hand tasteless. That dish used to be so delicious. The taco special was tasteless as well. The calamari was flat, not crispy or flavorful. Food was very disappointing and way below expected standard.

We ended up going someplace else as the noise was unbearable

a little less loud than usual, but still one has to BELLOW to hear one's table mates. the food is good & the free seltzer always great.

The roasted chicken was really tasty. I choose a dessert with pears with cream and almonds not very fancy.
The place is noisy
I recommend to go with couples and friends

Dinner with a friend - great food!

Food and service were good. The Mac ‘n cheese appetizer was rather large and enough for two people as a main dish. Rich desserts. The restaurant has smaller tables to fit in more people. Besides the crowded rooms, the biggest negative was the annoying noise level. Strained my voice to have a conversation. Not a relaxed evening... We miss Josephina’s restaurant in that location.

Wonderful food and atmosphere! Highly recommend especially if you are going to an event at the Lincoln Center. I appreciated the care in which they handled my food allergy.

Food always consistently amazing. Service at bar for brunch was a bit snobby.

My favorite place for brunch because they have great eggs benedict (vegetarian version) and the best home fries I've ever had. Noise level can get crazy, but it's a fun environment and works for parties of two and ++++. Also serve a great Bloody Mary.

Our brunch meals were good but the noise level was painfully loud. Nearly impossible to carry on a conversation. We ate quickly and left.

Good food and service - very noisy and loud children

Perfect experience

Great food but crowded and noisy

On a weekend trip visiting the city. Never disappointed at the Smith!

The food was absolutely delicious, and the service was friendly and efficient. The squid ink pasta with shrimp and calamari was particularly wonderful!

This place to very loud and so over crowded that if the table next to you sneezes your food will get sprayed. While I appreciate they are able to use every bit of space they have the tables are so close together it's like you are speed dating with the people next you. I knew about the noise level before but went back because the food was great and our waiter last spring was fantastic. This time around the food was good not great and our waitress was awful. Very overwhelmed and had a hard time keeping up with all her tables or maybe she just gave up and decided to embrace the suck.

Loud but fun atmosphere. We sat outside for our friend’s birthday brunch and although the place was PACKED the service didn’t suffer. They’re very attentive and fast. When it started to get a little chilly outside they lit up the outdoor heaters without us having to ask. The food is good. Not mind-blowing incredible like their neighbor next door, Bar Boulud, but definitely good and not too expensive. All in all a great brunch! If I have one tiny negative it’s that I requested a candle on OpenTable under the “special requests “ tab but they didn’t do it. They probably didn’t read it or forgot.

The front desk was overwhelmed with people arriving so we ended up waiting for more than 15 minutes past our reservation time to get a table. There was insufficient wait staff to bus the tables which resulted in further delays. the Smith is a popular place that is woefully understaffed.