THE UPDATED REVIEW

This isn’t a new restaurant, and it certainly doesn’t have a velvet rope or Gigi or Kendall running around. What it does have, however, is one of the best fish and chips, and the city’s foodies, who call it their neighborhood joint.

Overview

Good news: You have a shot at a reservation at Dame restaurant in NYC. Everyone and their mother is in Europe this summer, so the city is quieter than normal. That also means that those difficult-to-get dinner reservations are suddenly within reach. In 2020, Dame started as a popup restaurant, but had to face the challenges of the pandemic soon after. The place quickly pivoted to a grocery that served up a special of fish and chips twice a week. Word spread about that dish — some called it the best fish and chips in NYC — and next thing you knew, people lined up around the corner to get in on the action.

Fast-forward a year and change, and Dame opened in 2021 in its current incarnation as a seafood-focused English restaurant. Today it’s still challenging to get a reservation, however this summer has been manageable. So the question is, is Dame restaurant in NYC worth it? Here’s the review.

Atmosphere

Dame is a casual, easy and unassuming spot, that is not driven by people watching or Ken Fulk design. Instead, Dame restaurant is the quintessential NYC West Village boîte. It’s not a gastropub, as it’s missing the requisite 1) bar and 2) dark English wood pub vibe. In its place is a pretty barebones dining room, with a dozen or so tables and counter seating. The setup doesn’t encourage you to linger over a long meal. A number of the tables have stool seats with no backs, and there’s no cushioning on any of the seats. The atmosphere is slightly more upscale than a seafood shack. The difference? The distinctly New York crowd. That, and tables are generally booked from 5:30 until the last seating of the night. Though that has slightly cooled now that Dame is now over four years old.

Food

Appropriately, the highlight at Dame is the food. Plates are meant to be shared, and you’re encouraged to sample as much as you can possibly eat. The dishes are slightly larger than those for tapas. For two people, Dame suggests you order five dishes or so. Is the food as special as reviews say it is? Well, there’s certainly a clear talent among kitchen staff to elevate the most simple dishes.

Dame comes on strong with the starters. The grilled oysters in a Chartreuse bernaise sauce stand out. You should order at least three per person. The menu changes frequently. The smoked whitefish croquettes and the squid and shishito pepper skewers that were staples on my last visit have been revised. In their place, there were lighter bites than the croquettes. The closest comp is a whitefish salad and trout roe with fried polenta. The squid is now served with scallion. There’s also a nice seasonal summer squash with peekytoe crab and tarragon that should be in the order.

The fish and chips is required eating. It’s what put the restaurant on the map. It looks like we have to say RIP to the lobster pot pie, as we haven’t seen it on the menu since the original days.

The Updated Dame Review

Each plate at Dame is a surprise and and unexpected delight. You wonder how you can be wowed by something that sounds simple. However Ed Szymanski is no run-of-the-mill chef. Except for the fish and chips, though, my original assessments was that I wouldn’t put Dame into my regular rotation. It was partly because of the extremely underwhelming wine list, especially by-the-glass options. Dame only had one red, and it was a chilled Gamay. Their wine list is so much better by the glass today; there are three good reds now available. I still think that Dame could seriously elevate the experience with a Coravin wine program. Plenty of people would be more than happy to pay $50 or even $100/glass of wine to pair with the food. But now I would put Dame as a good standby option in the Village. I have to thank my friend Matt for telling me he had put it on his list and that the wine list had greatly improved.

Service

Update:

Service has vastly improved where there is more hospitality and the servers are more cordial. I did not have a great experience on my last visit which is below just for reference. This goes to show that restaurants who have the foundation of good food are worth it to give another shot. A lot has improved in the tone and vibe of the service in Dame since my last visit in 2022.

Original Review of Service

I hope that on my visit, the service was an anomaly. The guy who took care of us was indifferent at best. Waitstaff overall weren’t passionate about the food or all that helpful or informative either. It just didn’t seem like the team was excited to be there. Not sure if it was an off night, but the service was uninspired.

Original Overall: 7.5/10

Updated Overall: 7.9/10

Over time Dame has gotten even better; less hype more substance.

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FAQs

Q: Is Dame open everyday?

A: Dame is open Monday to Saturday. The hours of operation are as follows:

Q: Do you need a reservation to eat at Dame?

A: After 4 years open, you finally have a shot at a reservation on Resy. Check the day of if you don’t get a reservation ahead of time. Slots often open up for early reservations and later evening around the 9pm mark.

Q: Does Dame have cocktails?

A: Yep. Cocktails are Dame’s strong suit. They have vastly improved the wine list since my first visit.

Service options: Dine-in · No delivery