When the guys behind Raf’s and Musket Room open a restaurant in NYC’s newest private club, chances are, it’s going to be a hit. But you don’t need to be a member to get a glimpse of how the Twenty Two live to eat. Cafe Zaffri is one of the best scenes in NYC now.

Atmosphere

The Twenty Two in London opened up a few year ago, and firmly established itself as a London scene. Tom Brady and Jeff Bezos are regulars, as are the chic Londoners who are members of the private club. Now, here in NYC, The Twenty Two is carrying on that vibe. This is one of the most beautiful rooms, filled with the most beautiful people that I’ve seen in a while, in New York. It reminded me of the glory days of Lotus and Bungalow 8 when everyone was at least a Tier 2 model. The scene of Cafe Zaffri, which is the public restaurant of The Twenty Two, is one of the best of the moment. If you don’t want to be seen (or see and be seen), Cafe Zaffri isn’t for you. Just ask Kendall Jenner, who was recently photographed leaving the restaurant by the paps waiting outside. Of course, Hailey and Justin, and a slew of other celebs have been spotted at The Twenty Two.

But back to Cafe Zaffri. Even without all the beautiful people catching up over a civilized meal, the room itself is gorgeous. The style feels Victorian modern, with stone fireplaces, rich floral wallpaper and velvet booths. Looking around the room, you realize what a proper dinner scene should be. They didn’t need to serve me a bite of food; the scene for me was a meal enough.

Food + Beverage

I’ll get directly to the point; the food is all serviceable, and I would go back to eat at Cafe Zaffri without hesitation. But as I mentioned, the cuisine isn’t the reason to put Cafe Zaffri on the list. We started out with the traditional Middle Eastern dips and pita. The portion size is what you probably should eat, but it did trend small. All components from the eggplant, hummus and labneh with roe were good, but unmemorable. They could have added more richness with olive oil, and on the labneh, a more generous serving of trout.

Our next course was better — chicken liver mousse on toast and the steelhead trout. Both were actually very good. The steelhead trout was clean and refreshing, in a light citrus marinade, with thinly sliced cucumber. My friend’s chicken liver mousse was the win, though — rich mousse piped on top of toast, and topped with berry compote and a sprinkle of crushed pistachios. We had an endive salad that was well-executed, with just the right amount of dressing, citrus wedges and herbs. The crab pasta was sold out by our 8:30pm reservation, so we opted for the skewers. The skewers were probably the most petite of the menu items, which I think it was a miss. The skewer service could have been more dramatic in presentation and certainly more generous in size. Everything was flavorful enough, but could use an upgrade of side accoutrements, like sauces and herbs. The Lebanese are renowned for their hospitality, part of which is the generosity of the food. If Cafe Zaffri could reflect this more, the food would be more compelling than it is.

Service

With trendy restaurants, you never know what kind of service you’re going to get. However, with a pedigree from the Musket Room and Raf’s (which have become a “cool kids NYC classic”), you have a team that understands that service is everything. The service at Cafe Zaffri runs like clockwork. Yes, the team is unnaturally good-looking — any of them, from the host to the waitstaff, could be a guest. However, the team operates with no attitude, and I would even say is friendly. The kitchen isn’t very open to modifications, and they tend to run out of certain dishes. Drinks take a little longer than needed. However, the waitstaff is attentive enough that none of the back-of-house stuff is a deal-breaker. I’m sure that with the team behind Musket Room, they’ll figure out the operations, and service will be a fine-tuned machine.

Overall: 7.5/10

FAQs

Q: Where is Cafe Zaffri located?

A: Cafe Zaffri is located at 16 E 16th St, New York, NY 10003.

Q: What are the hours of operation of Cafe Zaffri?

A: The hours of operation of Cafe Zaffri are as follows:

Q: What kind of food does Cafe Zaffri serve?

A: Cafe Zaffri serves Levantine/Middle Eastern food.

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