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the little owl

Critic's Pick Critics' Pick

90 Bedford St., New York, NY 10014
at Grove St.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-741-4695 Send to Phone

    Reserve a Table

  • Price Range: $$$

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
    • Almost Perfect
    • Exceptional
    • Generally Excellent
    • Very Good
    • Good
    Cheap Eats
    • Best in Category
    • Excellent
    • Delicious
    • Very Good
    • Noteworthy
    • Very Expensive
    • Expensive
    • Moderate
    • Cheap
  • Critics' Rating: **

    Key to Prices and ratings

    Upscale
    • Almost Perfect
    • Exceptional
    • Generally Excellent
    • Very Good
    • Good
    Cheap Eats
    • Best in Category
    • Excellent
    • Delicious
    • Very Good
    • Noteworthy
    • Very Expensive
    • Expensive
    • Moderate
    • Cheap
  • Reader Rating:

    8.1 out of 10

      |  

    11 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Cuisine: American Nouveau, Mediterranean
View Slide Show
Photo by Shanna Ravindra

Official Website

thelittleowlnyc.com

Hours

Mon, 5pm-11pm; Tue-Fri, noon-2pm and 5pm-11pm; Sat, 11am-2pm and 5pm-11pm; Sun, 11am-2pm and 5pm-10pm

Nearby Subway Stops

1 at Christopher St.-Sheridan Sq.; A, B, C, D, E, F, V at W. 4th St.-Washington Sq.

Prices

$19-$32

Payment Methods

American Express, MasterCard, Visa

Special Features

  • Brunch - Weekend
  • Dine at the Bar
  • Hot Spot

Alcohol

  • Beer and Wine Only

Reservations

Recommended

Profile

The little owl is another neighborly little place where the high quality of the cooking is out of all proportion to the restaurant’s unassuming size. There are ten tables in the tidy white space, and 28 chairs, and the most arresting feature of the room is the ceiling, made from antique stamped tin and painted gold. Thirteen dollars buys several plump grilled scallops served over a green, cheesy risotto mixed with fresh spinach and nuggets of lobster. These intricate little creations are the handiwork of Joey Campanaro, who used to work for Danny Abrams (the Harrison, the Red Cat) and who has perfected that chef’s uniquely pleasing American bistro style. — Adam Platt

Note

The wine list offers a nice selection of half-bottles, and the big bottles are generally well chosen and never over $100.

Brunch
Sat-Sun, 11am-2pm

Ideal Meal

Crispy soft-shell crab, pork chop, warm chocolate cake.

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Recipes at the little owl

8.1 "Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10		 Write Your Own Review
90% Would you go back?
90% Would you take a date?
9% Would you take kids?
45% Would you go on business?
63% Would you go on a special occasion?
Food: 8.2
Service: 8.1
Décor: 8.2
Value: 7.5

the little gem

antonybcn from 11201 | Posted on 8/8/09

Overall Rating: 10 (Highly Recommended)
Food: 10
Service: 8
Décor: 8
Value: 10

For a year I was not able to get a table at this place (I did not try so hard admittedly)... Now the hype is over, but it should not be. The food is absolutely delicious from appetizer to desert. A place I would like to go back and back and back to try the entire menu!

(just a) little disappointing

MaryHelen from 10014 | Posted on 4/9/09

Overall Rating: 8 (Recommended)
Food: 7
Service: 9
Décor: 9
Value: 8

For a recessional Wednesday, we were somewhat surprised to see that this pint-sized West Village neighborhood darling was totally packed. But then again, it's got all the makings for a perfect lunch: a light-filled corner space, cozy and casual, with the same, raved-about, seasonal fare for half of the dinnertime price. A tasty selection of wines by the glass came with (mostly) delicious food: crispy cornmeal-battered fried clam strips with tangy coriander aioli, cauliflower and sugar snaps topped with savoury, crunchy bread crumbs, and a well-dressed healthy sunflower salad with bibb and beets. BUT the insipid-looking goat's cheese gnocchi with rataouille and braised lamb bits was like eating nuggets of wallpaper paste swimming in a pool of chevre-flavoured slip. Let's hope it doesn't take them all spring long to sort out this dish on their seasonal menu.

Read All 11 Reviews >>

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