Brinkley’s Restaurant

Brinkley's

Brinkley’s New York restaurant–lively, cozy, and right there handy on the border between Soho and Nolita–is going to be a great place to stop in for a drink and a bite to eat on many a winter evening to come. Run by brothers Anthony and Tom Martingnetti, who have nicely transformed their eponymous Bar Martignetti in NYC into this handsome Victorian gastropub (it’s not TOO Victorian, mind you: the big flat screens keep busy showing such international sporting fare as rugby and football), Brinkley’s restaurant has a warm, comfortable feel to it, plenty of interesting, New York-only beers on tap, and solid to terrific plates of food coming out of the kitchen.

Brinkley's

Appetizing English Pub Food at Brinkley’s Restaurant

We’ve been twice now to Brinkley’s restaurant, once just a few nights after it opened, and then again about a month later, and both times have walked away happy and satisfied. Most admirable about Brinkley’s, perhaps, is the Martingnetti brothers’ commitment to locally sourced ingredients, both in the food and on tap. So while the English pub food menu often reads like you’re in, say, Yorkshire, what arrives at your table was, whenever possible, grown (or caught) close by.    

Brinkley's

Our first night at Brinkley’s restaurant coincided with the World Series, and the front bar area, no surprise, was hopping. We grabbed a table in the back and tried a couple of plates. The Shaved Cauliflower Salad, peppered with radicchio, pine nuts, radishes and raisins, with a hit of truffle oil, was clearly fresh and texturely sound but had a vague sourness to it that we wished weren’t there. The Stilton and Pork Sausage, however, was spot on–the cheese melty and sharp, the skin crisp, the meat juicy and sweet–as were the accompanying bubble and squeak (that’s shallow-fried cabbage, potatoes and assorted veggies on this side of the pond).

Brinkley's

Our second visit to Brinkley’s restaurant was earlier in the evening, and quieter (but just as dark, though… seriously, this is probably the dimmest restaurant at which we’ve ever eaten), but the kitchen delivered again. We started with our favorite dish so far, a hearty Butter Poached Pheasant and Kale Caesar Salad, which was inventive, generously constructed (LOTS of pheasant and cheese and anchovy lurking amid the leaves) and perfectly dressed. A definite winner. We enjoyed our Apple, Oatmeal and Stout Banger less, perhaps, than the Stilton and Pork model from our previous visit, but that’s more a matter of personal taste than kitchen execution, as the sausage and sides (sweetish onion gravy, creamy mashed potatoes, barely steamed bitter greens) were prepared with care. This is fresh, rustic English pub food that you’ll feel good about eating all winter long.

Brinkley's

Brinkley’s Restaurant NYC details

Brinkley’s restaurant in New York City is located on the corner of Broome and Lafayette Street, and is open daily at 5:00 p.m. You can check out the complete menu at menupages, here.  

Brinkley's on Urbanspoon

Posted in NYC Dining, Other Neighborhoods |