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Freemans
End of Freeman Alley, New York, NY, 10002
nr. Rivington St.
212-420-0012
| 7.4 | "Recommended" Average Reader Rating on a Scale of 10 |  |
If you want to get body chekced by your waitress...go for it
NYbornANDbread from 10463 | Posted on 11/17/09
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A quaint getaway from the hustle of NYC.Our reservation for 6 was seated quickly.10min later our waitress took our drink order &did not return w/ them for 20min.Btw appetizer &main dish(a complicated 6 orders of eggs)we waited an hour(barely seeing our waitress),asking other servers for water.Never checking on us, we had to remind her to bring the 6th plate& no explanation/apology was given for it taking so long.When the bill came,20% was a 'service charge'.We decided that our server did not earn 20% &asked the manager to lower it to 10%. As we left our waitress physically body checked a friend & yelled at her in the middle of the dining area 'she couldn't wait for the group to leave'. I am DISGUSTED that this is what transpired as service.The manager, although apologetic, took no action.
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HORRIBLE SERVICE
nycvisitor23 from 20008 | Posted on 11/17/09
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As a visitor to NYC, I was excited for a casual brunch with friends. Our waitress however, was HORRIBLE. Not only was the service bad (an hour for food, 30 minutes for drinks, entrees didn't come out together, had to remind her for things multiple times) but she PUSHED a friend that I was dining with. She then proceeded to say that my friends and I better be leaving because we had "ugly faces". The management's only response was to take a name and phone number. THIS IS ABSOLUTELY NOT WORTH THE MONEY TO BE TREATED LIKE THIS. I was absolutely APPALLED.
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Great Dining Experience
andrieya from 11103 | Posted on 4/7/09
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We sat at the back bar on a Monday night and the place was packed. Cocktails were a little too sweet. Artichoke dip is evil it's so good! Sardines--a very fresh app. Delicious dressing on the gem salad. Corned beef tongue-okay. Grilled Trout was good but boring compared to the best dishes of the night-- Do NOT miss the pork chop and the fluke. Capped with oh so good Bananas Foster. Highly recommended
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Lower East Side centre of the art scene in NY best dining in NY‎ -
markmwhelan from 10002 | Posted on 3/9/09
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Lower east side is the place to be for the art scene in New York and we were really happy to find Freemans after visiting the galleries on Orchard St (Michali Fine Art is incredible). Great food, service and the setting is like being back in the country restaurants in Ireland. Jesus, the food was just divine..look forward to returning.
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Excellent Oyster Shooter, cocktails, and various game dishes
franciskirigin from 11211 | Posted on 1/15/09
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Expect a two-hour wait for weekend brunch, even longer for dinner on a Monday night. No matter. Freeman's will not disappoint. The Oyster Shooter (vodka, Tabasco, Worcestershire, raw egg yolk) has healing properties. Even sticking with just appetizers for brunch or dinner, you'll likely be satisfied if not impressed. Being from and having spent a decent amount of time in Europe, I wouldn't, however, term the cuisine "European". There are definite European influences, but some of the dishes could more appropriately be described as North American game prepared in a backwoods home-style. I mean, just take a look at the taxidermy and, more notably, the mini-library of books at the bar in the back room.
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Great spot for unique atmosphere, gamey menu
Pylon from 13090 | Posted on 1/4/09
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We tried to get a seat one night, faced with a three-hour wait (due in part to a private party) we decided to come back the next night and stuck it through a 1.5 hour wait at the bar. It was the worth the wait for the excellent menu selection, great drinks from the bar and enjoyable atmosphere. The décor reminds me of a rustic hunting lodge as does the menu. The appetizers were all excellent, as was the roulade of rabbit I had. Everyone at the table had a good meal and it wasn't too terribly overpriced.
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nice decor, poor taste
sabahsabah from 11216 | Posted on 7/28/08
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the only thing this place has going for itself is the decor. quality steadily goes down as you explore the atmosphere, servers, and finally the food. while the artichoke dip was fantastic, the entree was so bad i left most of it. the striped bass was chewy and far from fresh while the sea of corn under it (why so much corn?) tasted canned. the overwhelming taste of corn also spoiled the flavors of the other ingredients (lobster, bacon, cilantro...). not sure how they messed up such an easy fish. disappointing.
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Freeman's Alley is brilliant!
GariSprott from 78212 | Posted on 7/27/08
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A high level off creativity brought this magical place to life. There are few bar / restaurants with the presence of Freeman's Alley. Yes, it can be noisy. Yes, it can be crowded. Yes, the wild-eyed tourists may exist (they are everywhere....sorry, you can't get away from them). The back bar is the best spot. If you have a large party, request the semi-private back room. The food is terrific. The atmosphere will take you to another time. The attention to detail is rare. Don't be put off by the Alley entrance. Don't miss the haberdashery or barber shop created by the same brilliant mind.
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if you just hopped off the double decker bus
henri from 10013 | Posted on 6/4/08
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The food was okay but it took forever to get the waitress attention, that was after being ignored by the host for over an hour "oh really you gave me your name I don't remember" we were seated next to super excited tourists who had never seen anything like this ... we could not have a conversation since everybody seems to be screaming in order to be heard. It felt more like I was in a Hipster theme restaurant on 42nd street than on the LES... definetly not worth it.
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Night in Montmartre
nickcope from 02906 | Posted on 2/20/08
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When you walk down Freemans Alley you are a time-traveler, a transport to a different place and time. If you are concerned with being promptly seated, respectful service, etc. then you are at the wrong place. The experience of Freemans is one of dedicating a night to a long conversation amongst friends, with good food and drinks in an amazingly curious environment. Just pretend that you are European.
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