Palmer’s

My boyfriend lives right down the street from Palmer’s. One Saturday afternoon he decided he wanted to try it out for breakfast. Being that we always walk past it and comment on this eatery every time we do.
Walking in the ambiance was quite pleasant. It was like walking into a time portal into a yester-​era. We were seated pretty quickly and our order was taken right away. The service was mediocre. The first thing we received was our coffees. I got a macchiato which was nearly ice cold and my boyfriend got the americano, which he didn’t complain about but he needed to ask for milk. We also ordered a Vanilla tea cream soda which was over priced, my boyfriend enjoyed it but I found it to be too sweet.
After about a twenty minute wait we received our food that was cold! I had the Eggs Benny with Pulled Pork Hash and my boyfriend had the Palmer burger. We both complained about the temperature of the food. His burger was under seasoned but he did enjoy his French fries. My eggs we the worst I’ve ever eaten in my life! One was supper runny and I don’t know how they managed to get water into a poached egg and the other was over cooked! The English muffin was not toasted and the homefries I did enjoy but they could have been cooked a little longer. I also found the pulled pork to be a little to sweet and not savory.
At the end, our bill was nearly $ 40 without tip. Which I found to be absolutely ridiculous! I could have made the meal at home for $ 20 and it would have tasted far better than Palmer’s. I will not be visiting this eatery again.

Came to Palmer’s for dinner and a drink or two with friends on a Saturday night with the understanding that it would not be packed, and would be an easy meal.
The positives are that it was exactly as expected. The place was sparsely populated, dimly lit, and had various sporting events on the multiple TVs. We were attended to right away for our drink order, and menus were provided. If you are looking for an extensive selection of craft beer, this is not the place. Very average selection (less than 6 – 7 beers on tap, I believe).
The beers took a while to arrive, but were at a good temperature and well poured. We ordered burgers, fries, and another appetizer. The burgers were very good. Slightly more upscale than I would have expected. The fries were fries. Not a mind-​blowing meal, but better than your average pub-​burger.
Service was a bit slow (as mentioned), and our particular server was very nonchalant in his approach. Not necessarily good or bad, just… different.
Overall — good food, sufficient beer, and very relaxed atmosphere.

My girlfriend lives in the building above and given that she just had a baby, it was very convenient for us to have a late lunch!
I had the Cobb salad and it was very tasty, very generous servings of everything. They accommodated my dislike for blue cheese by adding extra tomatoes, which i appreciated, and I love the way their fat and thick bacon crisps!
She had the chicken noodle soup, home made, said it was delicious, small on the portion size for the price though. Our friend had a burger, but it came with nothing, kinda just meat and bread, that was a little lame I thought and it wasnt cooked the way she ordered it.

AGAIN?!
This is my second time going to this pisspoor place and my second time being disappointed.
I went back for two reasons.
1: I give second chances
2: Another friend suggested it
We (the three of us) got there at 12:30 and were seated a couple tables from the door… and shortly regretted that decision. The door kept opening (despite the place only having about 10 patrons) by the staff.
We immediately decided on what we wanted to eat and our order was taken at about 12:35… note the time. Two burgers (medium with bacon, avocado, and cheese) and one chicken w/​waffles.
We chatted, laughed, got offered water, laughed some more, then noticed that the clock was ticking away. At 12:59 we started getting hungry and could drink but so much water. Mind you, we requested straws and the straws were placed half on a napkin and half on the table. –_​–
So at 1:10 we saw our ordered coming out… but, oh, that wasn’t ours.
We finally decided at 1:15 that we would just take our food to go, we didnt have a choice… our lunch hour was almost over. So I walk over and let the waitress know and she catches an attitude and says, «but it’s ready». To which I replied, «we will take it to go, is been over 40mins». So she boxed up our food and placed it on the bar. (Flashback)
The time on my watch was 1:21 and our order was STILL sitting on the bar. As calmly as possible, I asked the nearest waiter to bag our order and provide us with the bill. He informed me that our waitress would be right back, then she showed up like magic with two bags. We paid for our food and left.
But it doesn’t end there. Oh you thought this travesty was over? Ha!
We get back to the office and there is no avocado on either burger, nor did I find any bacon on mine. I guess that’s only for people who can wait for the avocado to grow.
Service: ⁰⁄₅
Price: ¹⁄₅
Food: ²⁄₅
Ambiance: ⁰⁄₅
Bathrooms: ¹⁄₅
Professionalism: ⁰⁄₅
NEVER AGAIN… NOT EVEN IF THEY PAY ME.

Palmers. What a mistake.
We went here for dinner a few nights ago, thinking that we’d get a quick and decent bite to eat before heading home. Although Palmer’s is pricy, we’d been here once before and remembered that the Cobb salad was amazing.
We ordered it again without a protein ($ 12 as their menus look like bad reprints and parts of the text are missing) and chicken parmesan, the only description of which is that it is topped with pepperoni. The food took a while to arrive, and when it did, the chicken parmesan was just that – breaded chicken, parmesan, and pepperoni, drier than the desert. The waiter later on confirmed that it didn’t come with pasta, but added: «it’s really filling, though.» After looking at him skeptically and mumbling that it’s missing something, we meekly said thanks and off he went. I ended up taking it home, boiling some spaghetti, and dumping a canned sauce on it, which made it much better. But for $ 15, I really don’t think that I should have to salvage a meal at home.
However, the worst part of the whole experience was when the check came. We placed a credit card on the check and waited for our server to come back for it. As it took a while, my boyfriend began calculating the tip, only to find that it had already been included in the total listed. The gratuity included (which didn’t list the percentage) seemed very high and when calculated, came out to more than 18%. 18% !
It kills me that if we hadn’t noticed and paid by card, there probably would have been an «additional gratuity» line on the credit slip, and we would’ve given them even more tip on top of what they apparently thought they deserved for two people, dry food, and average service.
Bottom line — Never again. Shady tipping practices and cardboard food is not a way to gain customer loyalty. Factor in high prices, and it completely negates how good the Cobb salad, with its delicious egg and bacon, is. It’s easily the best thing on the menu, which doesn’t say much for a «Café Bar Diner.»
FAIL.

I live in the building that houses this restaurant. I really, really want it to be good. Unfortunately, it’s not. The service is very friendly. In fact, the friendly attitude of the servers is the best thing about the place. But, the service is also really disorganized. The restaurant often feels under-​staffed, and the waiters don’t have much in the way of information about the food. The food comes out really slowly, and, worst of all, the food is really not good.
On the service end of things, my last visit included being seated and then left alone for around 10 minutes. When the menus came, they were wrinkled and a little dirty. I asked for a greyhound, described as grapefruit juice and vodka. The server reacted by pausing, contemplating, and then saying, yeah, we can do that. And then asked how much vodka and grapefruit juice should go into the drink, and whether or not it should be served in a champagne flute.
I gave up and ordered a mimosa, which the server did know how to make. It came just a tad warm.
I ordered huevos rancheros. The refried beans were more like soup, served between layers of unfried tortillas that were mushy and flavorless. The «cheese» was mozzarella which is definitely not what one normally expects, and it was almost nonexistent. And the fried eggs on top were way overcooked. The yolk was solid and a little dry.
The pico de gallo was just a pile of mealy chopped tomatoes, and the ranchera sauce was like no other ranchera sauce I’d ever been served. It was more like marinara, and not good marinara. And the whole thing was barely seasoned, so the strongest taste that came through was of the flabby, under-​seasoned, untried, and slightly stale tasting tortillas.
Next to the huevos, there was a pile of slightly purple but mostly grey hash browns. A little unexpected as a side with this dish, so at least I wasn’t excitedly waiting for them. But they were just gross. Rubbery on the outside, complete mush on the inside, no crisp, no seasoning.
Honestly, I’ve never been served huevos rancheros like this before, and I’ve eaten this dish all over the country and outside of it. I’ve had very good and pretty bad huevos rancheros. But I’ve never taken one bite and then just turned the dish away.
The waiter very nicely took the dish away and comped me my mimosa and the huevos. I thought that was very nice, but, like I said, I don’t think the servers are the problem at this restaurant.
My breakfast companion had an egg sandwich. The eggs were scrambled and dry. The bread was weird, and the whole dish was just not very well conceived and even more poorly executed. It was like one scrambled egg on a bad store-​bought challa roll with two slices of bacon and some lettuce and tomato accompanied by the same barely edible hash browns. It got eaten, but only because he was really, really hungry.
There’s a deli around the corner that serves a way better and bigger egg sandwich for 4 dollars. And that sandwich has a dressing. The one at Palmer’s was served dry.
His dish cost 9 dollars. The mimosa cost 10 dollars. So the bill was for 21 dollars. From my point of view, that’s not much to pay for a good breakfast. But for a bad breakfast that’s served in small portions? Expensive. The food is just way over-​priced relative to the quantity and quality. But at least they are consistent. The whole place feels like they are just scraping by, from the under-​staffed dining room to the under-​staffed kitchen, to the wrinkled, dirty, zeroxed menus.
Because the restaurant is in my building I’ve been to it a few times. The food has gotten worse since it first opened. The service has just never been good. The wait staff is very friendly, but the service is really disorganized. I’ve waited more than 20 minutes for food here before.
I would love to have even an average restaurant in my building. But this doesn’t cut it.

I came here for a Unilocal elite event last week and then did a follow-​up dinner to make sure the food wasn’t just good because it was free. I must admit, paying for the food did not make it taste any different — it was delicious and I’d make this a regular place if it weren’t so out of my normal routine. The meatball pizza is my go-​to order and trust me, I’ve already had my Staten island Pizza tour to know what good pizza tastes like. The thin crust is classic style and the ingredients are quality. I like how it all worked together and i’m glad I didn’t need to take a ferry to get it.
In addition to food, I also like to point out some interesting quirks I noticed. Beer comes from the 2^nd floor. The tubes remind me of Max Brenner for chocolate, but more heavenly for dudes. The little stools pivot out and close by themselves if not used (I’m a big fan of convenient designs reducing clutter). Overall ambiance was busy and bustling, and I enjoyed being in the moment with other happy customers.
A few things I saw that needed improvement was the bathroom (there’s one unisex in the back) and some of the staff (I felt a little unwelcome and ignored in the beginning). I understand it’s sometimes busy, but some places make it a priority to make the dining experience unique. I’m all for the quick bite and casual form, but I think the restaurant needs to pick one side and not try to balance the best of all worlds. I think the common diners have a large population and maintaining returning customers based on service should be more important than being innovative on some other areas.

Being right across the street from me, I’ve dined here a handful of times. So far i’ve had mixed experiences here:
Experience 1: (Dinner) Nice. Had an acceptable glass of white wine with cobb salad with portobellos. Tried the guacamole which was fresh, though not particularly memorable. Good, fast service.
Experience 2: (Dinner) Cobb salad with portobellos again. Good, just as i’d remembered it last time. Excellent service; had cute waitress with short hair.
Experience 3: (Dinner) Acceptable salmon with sautéed vegetables. Both a bit heavy handed with the oil, unfortunately.
Experience 4: (Brunch) Very good bloody mary, and a nice, hot, decaf americano.
Experience 5: Beehive cocktail was bit too sweet for me, but my company enjoyed it. Red wines by the glass varied on the scale of decency. The red zif really grew on me, however. Nice and spicy. Underwhelmed by the cobb salad. But what really killed it for me was the service. Why did it take the bartender 20 minutes to pour a glass of wine on a relatively quiet friday night? Even the guacamole came out first, which I was also underwhelmed by.
Conclusion: This place is okay, and it’s far too convenient, so i’m sure i’ll be back, maybe begrudgingly, per request of my friends. My main problem is the chilliness factor: it always feels cold to me in here! I don’t usually complain about this, but I wasn’t the only one to notice, and it’s uncomfortable! If it were warmer and they had wifi, i’d for sure be in here on a bi-​weekly basis.

I’ve come here several times but now I think it’s time to let this place go. When you walk in, there’s never a host or hostess to greet you, and the entry area is always crowded because the (small) bar is right next to it. Even when you’re seated, the service is inattentive.
The cocktail menu has «happy hour, 4pm-​7pm» printed on it – but happy hour only applies to beer and wine.
That said, the jalepeno margarita and the old-​fashioned are pretty good, and so is the pizza. I just won’t be coming back here for a while.

The place is nice. The service is great. The food is Ok. I’ve tried the pizza and it’s not as great as many other reviews say. I’ve also tried the cuban sandwich and it almost did not have meat in it.
I’ve tried the BBQ Pork burguer and that’s the only dish I’d recommend from Palmer’s.
It’s good.

Subpar food, poor service… I think that sums up this place.
The grilled pesto marinated chicken sandwich was dry, the red bellpeppers were soggy, and the chicken was rubbery. I guess the one positive thing was that the bread was good? But seriously, you can’t call yourself an «American diner» and not be able to produce an edible chicken sandwich.
Service was okay until the end when we asked for our check. The waitress took 6 – 7 minutes to get us our check, then came back without our receipts– apparently the computer system had broken. We told her we were in a hurry and so she said she’d do it by hand… then she took another 5 – 6 minutes to come back to our table. Seriously? Didn’t realize it took 15 minutes to add up two $ 12 dollar sandwiches and add in tax. They do make calculators for a reason…
Then she finally brings the check and says «Sorry ladies, since the computer is broken, it’ll be cash only». What? I generally don’t carry much cash on me and we would have had to go across the street to get cash from an ATM. When I’m in a hurry and have already spent 15 minutes waiting for the check, etc, this is the sort of surprise I don’t appreciate. Luckily between the two of us we managed to pay for our meal with cash… then waited another five minutes for the manager to get our change.
This place deserves zero stars.

I came here yesterday for the second time (the first being to take a friend a to grab a drink). A friend had a friend in town from LA and wanted to to take her out to explore the city. Since the weather was awful I suggested we go here to get a bite to eat since it’s so close Jay St to hop on the train after we were done.
The experience was good. Our waiter was nice. Nothing over the top though.
I ordered the Grilled Pesto Marinated Chicken sandwich and they both ordered the Palmer’s Burgers. My sandwich was a bit on the dry side and was overflowing with roasted red peppers but overall good not great because the chicken was marinated well. My fries were fresh, crispy, and warm, not seriously greasy.
My friend ordered a chocolate milkshake. The waiter kept forgetting to make it. It wasn’t at all decadent. My friend described it as a chocolate milkshake without the milk or creamy flavor. I tried a spoonful and discovered it tasted like freezing a powder hot chocolate drink. Yeah not the greatest. But the food, service and price for the food isn’t bad. They get 3 stars it’s A ok. Not bad, not over the top good. Just ok.

So you’re probably wondering, um, the rating hasn’t changed, so why bother writing an update?
The pizza. That’s why.
I finally tried the portobello mushroom pizza and it was the thinnest crust I’ve had to-​date, god, everything worked. The sauce, the overwhelming (thank you!) amount of cheese and the thick, hearty slices of mushroom. I even reheated it again two days later and got to enjoy it all over again. YUM.
Saw someone eating the guac and (homemade) nachos and ordered a plate of that too. Decent, but doesn’t hold a candle to the pizza.
My only wish is that they expand the pizza offerings, or the topping options.
Wonder how it would hold-​up being delivered vs. eaten hot from the oven…

When my girlfriend and I first moved to Brooklyn from Los Angeles, one of our first meals was in Palmer’s (since it occupied part of the first floor of our building). It was great. We ate there frequently. We got to know some of the owners and Managers and most of the servers. For the next few months, it turned into our favorite spot, especially for breakfast.
Recently though, it has really taken quite a nose dive. The owners have changed, the chefs have changed and most of the staff has been replaced. With those changes, the menu stayed virtually the same, but not anymore.
Now, their menu is a flimsy piece of paper with less items than a nudist’s dresser and poorer quality than a hobo’s pantry.
I feel so sorry for the servers that have been there and have to justify the poor decisions being made by their incompetent superiors. It made for an awkward moment the last time I was there and my disappointment in the place made my girlfriend and I walk out without ordering.
It is quite a shame. Sometimes change is good. In this case though, that platitude couldn’t be farther from the truth.
_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
Below is my first review of Palmer’s. Change is not always good…
My review may be somewhat biased because I happen to live in the same building but this restaurant is pretty awesome. My girlfriend and I have eaten there 3 – 4 times and each time has been pretty terrific! We’ve met owners and managers there and they, along with the servers, have been very nice and accommodating. The food has been great and the prices are also not bad. The décor is very hip and comfortable. I feel bad for the reviewers who have had unpleasant experiences. Hopefully, it was a one-​time fluke! As for me, I will frequent this place and their lovely staff, great tasting food and reasonable prices.

Wow, what a disappointment.
We came here because we read some good reviews and we like Building on Bond. So we decided to try brunch.
It started very nicely – the décor is great and the service was very friendly and attentive. The problems started when we got our food and drinks. The $ 4 OJ was definitely NOT freshly squeezed as stated in the menu. The french toast was just OK, much too sweet, but OK. The burger was just awful. The meat was absolutely tasteless, the bread was soggy and fell apart. The burger comes with an inch-​thick slice of onion (inedible) and an inch-​thick slice of tomato. The french fries were the worst fries I have had – cold, soggy and covered with salt.
It really feels like eating a bad diner food in a nice interior.
Oh, there was also super loud Radiohead station blasting… not a good mood maker for brunch.

Ordered takeout last night and had the WORST veggie burger in 15 years of vegetarianism. This «homemade» burger wouldn’t be made in anyone’s home because a BOCA burger is better. With the texture of a granola bar (not even the chewy ones), the size of hockey puck and the color of old clay… I was horrified and with below zero temps, it was too cold to return. My BF decided on an equally bad chicken sandwich and the fries could have come out of the freezer section at Brooklyn Fare… but worse.
As a former tenant in the building where this space is housed I was excited, but now I’m confused on all the rave reviews. Obvs… the lack of dining in the immediate area has Unilocalers excited over anything. The food here is sooooo baaadd… stay home and make yourself a mayo sandwich instead!

Awesome thin crust pizza. The meatballs are amazing. Warm ambiance and lively, kind waitstaff. It’s a great place to sit at the bar order a couple drinks and split a pizza.
Rumor has it that they are going to start delivering soon.

Ok, I’ve tried this place three times and they’ve failed me every time!
The only thing that keeps me going back is the House Rose… sooo good
Food ²⁄₅
Palmer Burger — way overpriced and bland
Fries — always over salted
Margherita Pizza with Arugula — meh
Salad — found a piece of plastic in my salad
Customer Service 3.5÷5 — not all friendly. the Aussie guy is cool although we sat out back and he did forget about us a couple of times.
I’m hoping this place improves and would be willing to give them another try when they do.

Thanks, Unilocal,for reminding me I’ve been to this place. It took several seconds to remember it at all.
Now, I don’t like to be overly-​critical, because I really would like to see this place do well. It is walking distance from where I live, and it would be great to have another local place to fan. Therefore, I’m going to be overly-​critical so that maybe things may improve and stir my heart to return.
If I lived in the high rise upstairs, I might give this place 3 stars for convenience. Located on the border of Fort Greene and Downtown Brooklyn, across the street from Metrotech, this place could do so much business. But if the service remains as amateur as it seemed, it might just be a good happy hour destination.
I really don’t like to review a place unless I’ve eaten there more than once unless the one meal was outstanding. But since I doubt I will return for food, unless changes are made to their menu, here’s my experience…
Was glad that cobb salad with a steak option was available. Unfortunately, it wasn’t grass-​fed steak, which has been shown to be lower in cholesterol than grain-​fed steak. But I needed an extra dose of iron. The best part about the salad was the maple-​coated, thick-​cut bacon. The second best part was that there was no iceberg lettuce. As for the meat and the dressing, meh. As with any salad, the sauce should be key.
They make Rasberry Lime Rickeys. It’s soda water, lime, sugar, and rasberry. Original Rickey’s had spirits, but since I wasn’t drinking that night, this non-​alcholic version I thought would be dandy. The only problem was there was too much ice, which diluted it too much, and it was $ 4.50. Seriously? What was the profit margin? $ 4.25? Sheesh.
The décor was nice. Lots of nice details. But the benches were hard and uncomfortable. At least the chairs had padding, which was better for my friend 9 months pregnant. (She had a steak sandwich, which she wasn’t crazy about. Her husband had a sandwich I can’t remember and fries that weren’t special either.) They have some booths which is nice for small parties, though with hard benches.
The staff was somewhat attentive, but could use some hospitality lessons. Go visit the South for a few days, I say. Though, that could be said for the slowly-​shrinking majority of Brooklyn restaurants. They seemed tired. Maybe they’re not making enough cash. Well, if they work on their welcomes and checking in at appropriate times (not before anyone has taken a bite) maybe their cash flow would improve.
It’s September 2012. Let’s see if there’s improvement…

It’s always tough to review a restaurant that’s just opened, but I’ll call it «constructive criticism» in this case since I’m in favor of any new business in downtown Brooklyn succeeding.
Yesterday was Palmer’s first day open; I stopped by before noon and grabbed a cup of coffee and chatted for a while with Dash, the manager on duty. As it turned out I had no cash on hand, so I promised to come in for dinner tonight and pay for it then.
Considering that this was the place’s second dinner service ever, things were on balance not terrible – but there were a few rather odd mis-​steps.
First, the service: It seems as though there were roughly two staff members to every one diner in the place, and everyone seemed shockingly busy. In the tiny kitchen alone there were three or four line cooks, an executive chef and what appeared to be a consulting chef, not to mention a dishwasher and a couple of bus boys buzzing in and out. The waiters themselves were friendly enough, though I had to ask for both silverware and a napkin – AFTER food had arrived.
I ordered the fairly creative bibb wedge salad, which was actually quite summery and refreshing – and more than just a mere delivery vehicle for blue cheese dressing, though I do wish I’d been given just a touch more dressing overall. I also ordered the linguine, which included perfectly cooked shrimp, tomatoes and artichoke hearts that were unfortunately not fully cleaned. The salad, by the way, arrived second, and after I was already half-​finished with the pasta.
Palmer’s also features some very interesting «artisanal tea sodas.» I had «The Doc,» which tasted like a fresh and herbaceous version of a Dr Pepper, though it got a little watered down by the time I was reaching the last quarter of the glass. A little less ice would’ve fixed that problem.
Apparently the restaurant computer system isn’t fully operational, as the waiter took my debit card and then meekly returned a few minutes later, saying that the connection wasn’t working and that they’d need cash instead. (There is an ATM next door in the Avalon building right past the elevator bank, if you need it, as well as a couple in the deli on the opposite corner of the same block.) No harm done, though.
I still haven’t paid for my coffee, though, and not for lack of trying – I asked the waiter to add a cup of coffee to the check (he didn’t), and then I even asked another server on my way out the door if I could leave a few dollars to pay for my morning beverage from the prior day. I was told to «just leave a bigger tip» next time.
So in sum, two things: Palmer’s has some definite room for improvement but I give them credit for making the best of it, and I’ll try them again in a week or two after things have settled down. And second – Dash, I TRIED to pay for my coffee… but no one seemed to want my money!