Food at the Gramercy Park Hotel?

[OliverB]

I will be spending one night this week at the GPH and I'm wondering whether the Private Roof Club is worth a visit for a staggeringly overpriced breakfast / brunch?

Chowhound isn't exactly the place to provide reviews of hotel dining, but I'm wondering if anyone has done the Gramercy for brunch and could provide feedback? Their basic continental breakfast sounds like the biggest rip-off imaginable... yet once we're splurging to stay there, it does seem to be a lovely setting for a light morning brunch. Any opinions?

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Gramercy Park Hotel
2 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10010

[gutsofsteel]

Maialino, a new-ish restaurant in the Gramercy Park Hotel, is very good. Their breakfast and brunch are terrific, as are all meals there.

It is not in any way "hotel dining." It is an excellent restaurant.

Have breakfast or brunch in the restaurant for sure.

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Gramercy Park Hotel
2 Lexington Ave, New York, NY 10010

Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[OliverB]

Thanks very much, what about the roof club?

It looks spectacular (no comment on the actual food) but I'm partial to giving it a shot... even if $40 for breakfast seems exorbitant!

[gutsofsteel]

Forget about the roof club - Maialino is in your hotel and it is excellent, has a superb breakfast/brunch, and is a lovely room as well, with delightful service. It is part of the Danny Meyer group, which includes such restaurants as Gramercy Tavern, Eleven Madison Park, and Union Square Cafe.

The roof club is a pretentious tourist trap, with uninteresting food.

Take a look at Maialino's menu on their website. There is really no comparison.

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Eleven Madison Park
11 Madison Ave., New York, NY 10010

Gramercy Tavern
42 E 20th St, New York, NY 10003

Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[OliverB]

Ah okay, thanks for the feedback!

I guess I was more enticed by the surroundings than the meal itself but if it's indeed a tourist trap, it's out! I'd heard of Maialino and hadn't planned on adding it to our meals because I'd always rather eat OUT of where we're staying (just a preference) but breakfast is certainly an exception so we'll give it a go!

Thanks again!

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Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[gutsofsteel]

In this case, Maialino is itself a restaurant many would recommend, no matter where you might be staying.

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Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[kathryn]

I don't even live nearby and have gone out of my way to dine at Maialino! It's actually one of the more popular restaurants in town right now. You'll see a mix of locals and tourists in the crowd.

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Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[jon]

i thought the rooftop bar was now being run by danny meyer. you are right though, in the past, the food on the rooftop was barely edible. haven't had a chance to taste it since ushg took over though. the setting and atmosphere up there is great and if its food by the union square hospitality group, i can't imagine that it would be that bad, and certainly any worse than it used to be.

[gutsofsteel]

The breakfast menu on the hotel website for the rooftop is boring breakfast food. Maialino is a really good restaurant with an excellent breakfast/brunch menu. There's just no comparison.

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Maialino
2 Lexington Avenue, New York, NY 10010

[jon]

no, i know that maialino is good, i've been there many times already, for breakfasts, lunches, and dinners. i'm just saying that i thought the rooftop club menu was or has already been revamped and taken over by the USHG so maybe the food isn't as bad as it used to be.

[jon]

as i said, the rooftop restaurant is being run by the USHG now. see link.

http://ny.eater.com/archives/2010/08/...

[Cpalms]

That new rooftop menu looks pretty good to me, and for what it's worth, I thought the brunch at Mailino was pretty lackluster...

[fm1963]

Agreed (re brunch), Though I do like the regular lunch and dinner menus.