Friend of a Farmer

Restaurants, American Gramercy
4 out of 5 stars
(5user reviews)
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Friend of a Farmer
That farmer must be raising fowl. No less than seven poultry entrées are on the menu at this comfortable spot, including turkey meat loaf and a chicken breast stuffed Christmas-goose style and served on a slice of lemon bread. On your way to the dining room, take a gander at the pastry case: chocolate-peanut-butter pie, brown Betty, fruit tarts. Daily specials feature fresh fish and pasta dishes like portobello-mushroom lasagna. Daily breakfast and a popular weekend brunch keep the farmer’s hens a-laying.

Posted:

Venue name: Friend of a Farmer
Contact:
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Address: 77 Irving Pl
New York
10003
Cross street: between 18th and 19th Sts
Opening hours: Mon–Thu 8am–10pm; Fri 8am–11pm; Sat 9:30am–11pm; Sun 9:30am–9:30pm
Transport: Subway: L, N, Q, R, W, 4, 5, 6 to 14th St–Union Sq
Price: Average main course: $16. AmEx, DC, Disc, MC, V
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Average User Rating

4 / 5

Rating Breakdown

  • 5 star:2
  • 4 star:1
  • 3 star:2
  • 2 star:0
  • 1 star:0
LiveReviews|5
1 person listening
tastemaker

LOVE this restaurant.  


I have been there for brunch and for dinner. 


Brunch is my favorite because they have a lot of great and really fresh egg options and options for those with a sweet tooth as well.  They serve coffee in a french press and you really feel like you are in a cottage outside of the city.  The decor is extremely cozy.  


For dinner it was a little bit darker with a romantic vibe about it.  They serve THE BEST corn bread with their meals which is a great, homey touch.  I got the fish special which was halibut with some fresh vegetables and everything was cooked to perfection. 


Transports you immediately out of the city and directly to a distant farm estate with the most authentic and farm-fresh comfort food. Left me wanting to cuddle up and spend the night.

tastemaker

This really feels like an oasis outside the city. For what is it (farm fresh, local comfort food with a sort of Southern vibe), it's honestly just standard. Everything is fine, just not something to write home about. The line outside is also super annoying - given the quality of the food - and the staff are not attentive when you're waiting in line or to be served (or if  you need salt or pepper once you've gotten your food!!)

tastemaker

So damn close to being a really great restaurant. The food at Friend of a Farmer is very solid. Nothing you'll see countless blog posts on, or in articles on Eater/Grub Street, but it's definitely satisfying.


As you can expect, the menu relies on local ingredients, and the cuisine would probably identify as "comfort food". Think: chicken pot pie, short ribs, crab cakes. The stuff your dad would order. And the decor matches the theme as well. Super rustic, super cozy. Appropriate for date night as well as dinner with the 'rents.

Where it falls short, though, is in both focus and service. The menu is a little too long to truly support its "everything fresh and local" ethos, and the pasta section just seems out of place.


Also, the wait staff is less than attentive. We were there on a Tuesday night, so the place was just past 50% capacity. And still, getting the attention of any of the servers required us to nearly jump on the table and do a tribal dance. 


There's always a line outside during breakfast/brunch time so we decided to check it out to see what all the hype was about. I had the apple pancakes which were great but my boyfriend had the boomer special, and I have to say the eggs and bacon were pretty standard. It's a cute space with reasonable prices, but not worth a 1-1.5 hour. I'm guessing the NYU crowd accounts for most of the people in the restaurant so if you want to check it out visit when it's really early or during the week!