Tolani Eatery & Wine

2.5 stars. Not quite a 3 star joint because I would not return unless it’s for their BOGO Happy Hour deal at the bar. ONLY GO FOR WINE, NOT FOOD. Their sangria was acceptable, but not something I’d order again.
We found a cute spot on Amsterdam, among a clutter of other restaurants with equally as cute outdoor seating but for one reason or another, we chose Tolani.
They have an awesome Buy one, Get one Happy Hour deal on the weekdays but it only applies to the 6 – 8 bar stools inside of the restaurant. With that said, that’s the only plus-​side to this particular restaurant.
Their dinner menu is very limited. So, we decided to order a couple of their smaller bites.
Their bucket of fries was good. That’s the only good part of the meal.
The fish tacos were cold but I appreciated the fact that the tilapia was not fried.
We asked the bus boy to put in an order for their prosciutto and onion flat bread.
Somehow, some way, he forgot to put in the order and we stupidly waited for 20 – 30 minutes. Our waitress headed over and asked if we needed anything else since we were idly waiting, and when we told her we were waiting for the flat bread, she went to the kitchen to ask. She returned to tell us that the order was never put in. We waited another 10 – 15 minutes for the flat bread. It was disgusting. I did not realize that ricotta cheese can come in stringy, solid form. And the prosciutto was thick, bacon-​like shreds. And there were hardly any red sauce.
Do not go, unless you are eager enough for their BOGO HH deal.

They have a pretty long, solid wine and cocktail menu, but I wasn’t very impressed with their food. I ordered a bunch of small dishes to share with my friend, and while they weren’t bad, I didn’t fall in love with anything either. It has a nice, cozy ambiance and plenty of seatings available (including communal tables), and it tends to be less crowded than other bars in the vicinity, which is definitely a plus. I wouldn’t come back here unless I have exhausted my other options in the area though.

I was here October of 2014 redeeming a Groupon with my husband and 1yr old son we really loved how warming and peaceful it looked and felt inside when it was 11am on a Sunday. we enjoyed brunch with unlimited mimosas the food was great I would definitely come back make sure to reserve !!!

Came to this place with a friend for a lazy Sunday brunch and that’s exactly what we got: sloppy, unremarkable, lazy food.
Pretty sure the orange juice was just Florida’s natural OJ straight from the bottle. The eggs Benedict was meehhh: the eggs were overcooked and the hollandaise sauce tasted stale and looked almost congealed.
The best was the Nutella stuffed French toast which was not toasted at all and was all soggy in the middle where the Nutella was. By the time we cut into it, it just looked like bread pudding in the middle. To be fair, when we pointed it out to the manager, she offered to make us a new one (after a bit of –tude), which she «made sure it was done right»… Nutella stuffed French toast version 2.0 was slightly better (relatively) but still very underwhelming and frankly kind of disgusting.
Our seats outside and the weather was nice, so here’s two stars for that Not coming here again: I should have stuck to my bowl of kibble and peanut butter treats that morning.

Tolani’s is my favorite restaurant in UWS. Yes, it’s my go-​to place. I love their red wines and their tiny dishes.
In particular, their french fries are yummy, the mussels with curried sauce is always divine. If you’re looking for something more satiating then I would recommend the Kale salad or the fish tacos.
The ambiance is sexy, the wait staff always pleasurable and the food — delicious.
I also recommend sitting at the bar that way you don’t have to wait for a table or make rezzies. It’s the way I dine. I’m able to get my drink and food almost immediately. And I like being able to talk to people around me. I met the chef last night (nice guy), it’s always interesting to me when I meet the people behind the food. What’s the inspiration? Why that dish? Why those flavor combinations?

We had a afternoon full of bottomless cocktails (boozy brunch) for two hours, just the ladies and I. The hostess was really friendly and very educated about the menu. I really liked how she took her time to talk with us, answer our questions, and she took really good care of us. I think she went OVER and BEYOND to make our experience very welcoming and comfortable. The drinks were tasty also.
The group on was $ 60 bucks for 4 people (we had a specific menu to pick from). The waitress I believe just picked up $ 50 bucks in tips. I think it was a really really good deal. As much food and drinks that we had our bill was nearly over $ 200.00 bucks
It’s a great place for crowds, ladies night/​brunch/​evening. Maybe a family and friends from out of town as well. I really enjoyed it. I will be back. I just recommended this place to a few people and they loved it as well.

Brunch review.
Went for brunch for a large birthday party. The attention was really good. Although the place was pretty empty for a Saturday at 2pm.
Most everyone ordered the burger which is huge and you get a huge side of fries as well. Everyone seem pleased with their burgers. I ordered the breakfast polenta. It was alright. The «candied bacon» was more like burnt bacon and just a few pathetic pieces. Polenta was good. My egg was more over medium than runny. It’s a very light dish.
They don’t have unlimited mimosas anymore but the do have 20 $ carafes which is a pretty good deal.
The three stars are def for the service. The waiter was attentive and the staff really made an effort to accommodate our large group. They even brought out a cake for the birthday boy. Good choice if you need a place to accommodate a large group (we were about 14 people) for brunch.

This review is for dinner (not boozy brunch)
Since I live downtown, I’ve been spoiled by all the great places in the West Village and LES. Recently, I’ve been trying a lot of places in the UWS but haven’t been too impressed by anything – until I found Tolani. What a hidden gem! It has some of the best executed dished, by far, in a 10 block radius – outshining the Milling Room and Burke & Will. I was so impressed with every dish we ordered and I would say it’s on par with Alta in Greenwich Village.
— Rabbit Pappardelle: Everything was exceptional but this dish really stole the spotlight. The rabbit was so tender and the sauce had such an incredible sense of comfort that you can’t taste it and not instantly think of your favorite childhood memory of being nicely bundled up at home on a cold day
— Butternut squash ginger soup: I loved the beautiful creamy texture and the really interesting balance of ginger and celery root. It was delicious
— Grilled Salmon: The salmon was cooked to perfection. The skin was crispy and the inside had an exquisite, slightly raw pink ting. The sauce was really nice and I appreciated how they brought us some toasted bread to dip into it after we finished the fish
— Kale and shallots: This dish was simple yet beautifuly done and delightful. The menu said it was tossed in olive oil but it had a really nice butter-​iness to it
— Spaghetti Squash: A really nice light and fresh side dish that’s a good balance to the heavier pappardelle
— Fish taco: This was probably my least favorite. It was slightly acidic and I didn’t love what the taco wrap was made of
In addition to the food, I also liked the intimate setting and the giant chandelier nonchalantly hanging in the back corner. It was the perfect hideaway on a snowy night.
Being a wine snob, I can’t say I was impressed by the wine selection but the food more than makes up for it.

Waitress: can i see ur id?
Me: *shows her a copy of my passport on my phone* sorry im applying for a visa and dont have my id with me
Waitress: lemme check with my manager but u should be ok. ur older than me so.
UM. THANK YOU?

Went there last weekend on a brunch from groupon. The service was great, thank you Amy. The food was great flavor was on point with the omelet and fries
Ambiance was very cozy and warm and perfect for a date and a for small groups.

Came back for brunch and it was a cluster fuck. When we sat down at 12:30, the waiter told us that salmon was not available, chilequiles wouldn’t be ready for half an hour, they didn’t have any strawberry belinis but could make the peach starting in 20 minutes, basically nothing was ready.
Food was mediocre. Definitely some of the worst chilequiles I’ve had. The chips had the wrong texture, and there wasn’t enough cheese or salsa. Some of the other dishes were better: eggs benedict, fries, bacon, polenta.
Will not be coming back for brunch any time soon.

Went here for dinner tonight for a friend’s birthday. The service was spectacular and so was the South African wine. Thanks to our amazing waiter Igor. I wish they had a lot more items in their food menu, but the items we got were pretty good.
My favorites in this order:
Hand cut fries
Scallops
Fish tacos
My friends also enjoyed the following:
Lamb meatballs
Meat and cheese plate
Curry muscles
Their bread pudding are to die for. I will definitely be coming back again.

Had an awesome boozy brunch on saturday. The unlimited belinis were flowin and it felt real good.
When you first enter it looks like your typical restaurant/​bar but when you walk downstairs you are transformed into a romantic hide away. I love the lights and the vine everywhere. It felt cozy and sexy at the same time.
Food was great too! I had the BLT with avocado added for an extra cost and it was slammin. My brunch date (aka my bf) had the burger and I couldn’t stop stealing bites.
Shout out to Amy and Dean for being awesome hosts! We had a blast with you :)

Omg I love it here. Food is amazing! My friend had bought a groupon for 4 and it was everything we asked for. The tolani burger was delicious. It was cooked to perfection. I ordered the banana battered French toast which was mouth watering. The unlimited Mimomas and Bellinis got us so drunk and they still kept coming. Brunch was possibly the best I ever had. You have to go !

Came here for the bottomless brunch and was really impressed. Beautiful place, with great ambiance. Perfect spot for a group of friends or a special someone. Not too loud so you can actually hear each other.
Most of the tables are communal… Which can be nice if you want to talk up others.
Great service. Waitress never left our glasses empty. Great spot for additional $ 20 for unlimited mimosas and bellinis.

Small, but cute restaurant in NYC. Outdoor seating was full so they offered us garden seating which is downstairs and in the back of the restaurant. By «garden seating» they just mean outside in an alleyway surrounded by buildings where they happen to have a plant or two for decoration. I mean it is New York City so I understand, but don’t make me think I’m going to sit in a beautiful garden and then seat me in an alley. (No stars were deducted for this, by the way).
My friend and I used a Groupon we had purchased for brunch. The place had a good amount of patrons, and it seems like just about all of them were using the Groupon deal as well.
As for the food, it was decent. No complaints but also nothing to write home about. I ordered the eggs benedict and my friend had Chilaquiles which was like breakfast nachos. The service was friendly but really slow.
Overall, the place was nice but I wouldn’t return. It was a good deal with the Groupon.

This place surprised me. A small tavern with friendly staff and some great ‘tapas’ style plates. The grape/​goat cheese salad was terrific, as was the gnudi, but the highlight was the skirt steak. Fantastic. Best chimichurri sauce I’ve tasted. Least favorite was the salmon, as it is bland and the mustard sauce that it came with was, too.
Only real issue was the food took forever. Will def. be back.

The food was amazing, we had unlimited mimosas, the servers are really nice. When we first walked in we thought it was small and we were going to have to sit outside (which we didn’t want to because it was hot) but then they took us downstairs, and they even have an outdoor sitting downstairs in the back, it’s all very cute and trendy. It’s such a great deal for a lunch/​brunch I will def be coming back.

A friend of mine invited me to Tolani for a boozy brunch, an event that I’m not exactly keen on participating in given my less-​than-​stellar tolerance. A warm, sunny day and a laid back weekend were good incentives to say yes, however, so we made our way to this Upper West Side restaurant. It’s a cozy wine bar with brick walls strung with lights, and outdoor seating during the summer as well. Opting to sit at the bar, we started off with the first round of mimosas and started going through the menu.
I ordered my fallback dish for brunch: the Eggs Benedict. On the menu, they’re printed as having a side of home fries, but the server informed me it was a misprint and that they came with a side salad instead. Mistakes happen, but couldn’t they have crossed it off the menu instead of giving guests false expectations? The Eggs Benedict plate was pretty disappointing. Even at first glance, they’re flat and misshapen; the poached eggs appear as though they don’t even have a yolk given the even thickness of the eggs, the English Muffin halves were burnt, and the one slice of Canadian bacon between the two was almost laughable. The side salad was similarly mediocre; the leaves were slightly wilted, and overdressed with balsamic.
My friend’s Tolani Burger, which he requested cooked to a medium, came out completely well done. They offered to him another plate, and the Scrambled Eggs he asked for (because, how can you mess up Scrambled Eggs?) were a better alternative, even though they took 20 minutes to arrive. When we got the bill at the end, they still charged us for both the Burger and the Eggs, even though the latter was supposed to be in place of the poorly-​executed first plate.
I suppose I’ll sum up my experience at Tolani with what happened in the few hours post-​brunch: I went home, took a three-​hour nap, and woke up with a pounding headache due to the two (2) mimosas I’d had, made with less-​than-​average quality champagne. I can’t recommend Tolani for either the food, service, or their wine, which makes them strike out on all accounts.

came to this restaurant for brunch. Sunny day so all chairs outside where taken. Sat at the bar and asked for the menu and mentioned that we had purchased a groupon. The manager did not mentioned anything but the bartender said, the salmon, the burger and the steak are not part of the groupon deal and we need to pay 3 extra per dish if we wanted those. Also the eggs dont come with fries, its a typo. So i asked only eggs are available?
Well ordered the hamburger medium and my friend the eggs benedict with unlimited mimosas. My burger came and it was well done. i could only eat 3 bites and we told the bar person that it was just too dry. she changed it for what else? eggs.
Saw her serving mimosas and preparing them, one overflowed and she covered the pitcher with her bare hands and then just wiped them on her pants and continued to serve it out.
For this place being a wine place, i didnt see them pushing the sale of wines. Ambiance is ok, looks great, chill, large beer selection.
The bill came and the burger was not removed. i still tipped for more than what it was but not a place i would go back. sorry but no thanks.
PS: the eggs are good, superb but i wont go to a place just for eggs.