Spice Market

Five of us went to Spice Market to celebrate my daughter Samantha's 25th birthday. We had been there before when they first opened and it was just too popular and crowded (for me) to truly enjoy the dining experience. But we were enticed by the tasting menu and thought it was time to give it a second shot based on the reviews. Antonio, our delicious waiter, suggested we just "go with the tasting menu and be surprised " . We just stated the things we really didn't like and he assured us we would not be dissapointed. Only one of us decided to go a la carte. We had already planned to stop on the way home to eat as we usually leave upscale Manhattan restaurants hungry because it's all about " pretty " food in large plates with something drizzled for decoration. WOW, were we wrong! For the first time EVER...we had doggie bags. The food was endless...each an exquiste masterpiece....all at the chefs disgression. My husband ordered a la carte. The tuna appy and the duck entree was..." th... Read more

This restaurant has become my go-to place when working in NYC. It's worth the subway ride or a taxi to get there. Every dish is an exotic co...

The atmostphere is great and relaxed.

cool place pleasant on the eye, good food, people watching, take out when they can be bothered, have had the pleasure of being refused take out as apparently they dont do it depending who you speak to.. an email to the manager changed this and was invited to full dinner no expense sparred but damage was done. a cant be bothered sense of mentality all to present in modern day society seems to have many fans here

If you want real Asian or Indian food there are plenty places in the city where you do not have to wait and wait and wait. This place is a tourist trap for those who are not accustomed to eating some of these dishes. The food all together was poor; try some real samosas and pork vindaloo and than come back to this place and you will know what I am talking about.. Fusion??? If that is the name they want to hide under for serving poor representation of a mix of several cultures food, ok. There is a huge staff of people working, running around in orange suits like chickens with their heads off; with all this staff you would think that you can possibly get another cocktail at your table within a decent time frame. No not even that is possible. Save your money and your time.

The decor is great. Always fun people watching, but the food and service are all over the place. Still fun though.

We went here for a birthday party in October. We rented out one of those little rooms where you sit on a fluffy couch around the table. That was really nice, as I ended up falling asleep on it after dinner lol. The food was OK, nothing spectacular.. I have definitely had more flavorful Asian food in less expensive places (and isn't that always the case?). The atmosphere was very nice and we had a great time. It's your typical Meatpacking restaurant.

While the food was okay and the decor/space is great the service was very weak. All the food was very heavily pushed upon our table. We were told that we really need to order an appetizer and an entree for LUNCH as well as rice and sides. They then forgot one of our rices and one of our sides, which never came but we were charged for of course. Probably will not return....

I went with a group of friends and had a great time. The food is always excellent and the atmosphere is very inviting.

We were at Spice Market last night and had such a great time that we're already planning another visit there! We made a last minute request and were actually accommodated. We got there on time to find the bar area packed and while 2 people (in a party of 6) had still not arrived, they promptly seated us downstairs. And what a beautiful and private room we had to ourselves! Our server MD was not only fun but was very helpful with recommendations. We had the spicy chicken samosas, and steamed mussels for appetizers and for the main course we tried the halibut, the cod and the short ribs. Needless to say, the food did not disappoint and we stuffed ourselves to a point where we didn't have space for dessert:( Our friends who are leaving the country (this was more of a farewell meal) were very pleasantly surprised and truly enjoyed their evening. Thank you!

I went to Spice Market for lunch with some friends this week, and had a great time. The staff was friendly, greeted us promptly and made recommendations. The food was great- the Black Pepper Shrimp and the Short Ribs stand out in my memory. Passionfruit Chili drink was awesome! My favorite desserts were the Apple Crisp with cranberry ice cream and the Banana ice cream. My only problem was that the servers seemed to not know that much about the food when asked questions (none too crazy- fairly common food allergens!). Also- they didn't remember who had which drinks (bar drinks & coffees), at a table of 6 this was a little annoying. You've got note pads guys- use them!

The food was great. The environment was great. The staff was very attentive and nice. We had a wonderful time. Highly recommend.

A group of friends and I went to Spice Market last night for Restaurant week and hands down had the worst experience I have had to date in New York City (3 years of dining). The service was poor, the food was mediocre at best, and the atmosphere did not justify the over priced items. Two of us ordered the restaurant week menu, and three others split appetizers and one entree. The food came out sporadically, with no order or rhyme. The three who ordered off the menu received their first and second appetizers before the restaurant week patrons received any food. Then when they did finally bring food out to us, it was our second course, and our first course never came. After this, our entrees did the same sporadic arrival (the runners not knowing who got what, or where it was supposed to go) and only HALF the entrees' rice bowls showed up to the table. The food was nothing special, and the fish entree was too spicy, it overpowered any other subtle flavors that would have made th... Read more

My friend and I went on a saturday night - we had reservations for 9pm and got seated promptly (we stayed near the hostess so she knew we were waiting). Once we sat, we ordered only drinks and appetizers (as each plate comes out when it gets ready) - the papaya salad was delish! We enjoyed our drinks and appetizers and then ordered dinner (as they are pretty quick in making the food). We ordered the green curry with white rice, ginger and garlic rice (the best I've ever tasted) and the tofu with pad thai which was also the best i've ever tried!!! The service was excellent and the seating prompt. We really enjoyed ourselves and would def come back soon!

The service and ambiance at Spice Market are nice, but the food is terrible. My friend and I ordered two appetizers, (pineapple shrimp, mushroom egg rolls), and she thought the egg rolls were OK, and I hated the pineapple shrimp. For our main courses, she ordered the Shanghai noodles, and I the Chilli Egg Noodles, and both were unbelievably bland that we took one bite and left it there. I love spicy food, so I told the waitress to make mine really spice, and she reassured me it already is spicy, but it was not. Oh, and the ovaltine kulfi, is not kulfi at all, and a lousy excuse for a dessert. As much as I love restaurants with nice decor's, Spice Market's pathetic excuse for spicy food is just not acceptable.

I was expecting more from this place...the ambiance is beautiful, but the service and food are lacking. Our server was very unorganized and the green curry I had was awful. I think there are far better places in the city where you can get better food for half the money Spice Market charges.

My husband and I usually walk the streets of Manhattan and typically we'll go into the first place that looks interesting. Oftentimes we avoid the pretentious, overly hyped establishments,but on this particular occasion, it was a Sunday night (on a three-day weekend), and we took a chance. The outside seating was empty, however the attendant outside insisted we must go on the list at the host stand indoors. No problem. We walked indoors, found that the building had a nice buzz, good lighting/atmosphere, was starting to acquire the rush hour of dinner and drinks, and seemed like the perfect date spot. Two, tall and handsome men at the stand kindly took our reservation, mentioned a 45 minute wait and gestured toward the bar. So far so good. My husband and I were on no particular time table, so we grabbed two bar stools and were happy to wait. The night began rough when it took 10 min. to get the attention of a bartender who impatiently threw a drink menu at me when I asked for a reco... Read more

After dining at Spice Market on a vibrant Friday night I was dissappointed. Not because the food was atrocious, but because I could not give the restaurant a lower score than zero. For any individual that considers themselves to have any sort of appreciation and understanding of food I would avoid this faux-culinary establishment at all costs. Classifying itself as "Asian street food", Spice Market desperately fails to replicate the cuisines of the world's largest continent. The food was neither Indian, nor Thai, nor was it Vietnamese, but rather, an eccentrically bland mix of the aforementioned cuisines all meshed together as if they were processed through a meat grinder that spits out spam. Perhaps the "meatpacking district" is the perfect location for such a grindhouse after all. The restaurant's grandeur-like appearance and pretentious decor only heighten and intensify the lackluster fare by deceitfully presenting itself as a "tantalizing restaurant" that provokes your palette. Wi... Read more

I had dinner with a friend during the week and the food was so so. I wasn't impressed with the menu or cuisine. I think this place is comprable to Spice which is MUCH cheaper. The food was extremely overpriced. I suggest other places in the city ie. Buddakan . This place is OVERRATED!!

I went last friday with a party of 5, when I had a reservation of 4. I arrived early and grabbed a Jack and Coke. I also asked if I could switch it to 5, which they said no problem. After all of our party arrived, we sat down in the lower floor, and the place looked nice; the decor very southeast Asia inspired. For apps we shared the samosas, which were not indian style with lots of potatoes, but mostly chicken. It was good, but not what I wanted, as I was really expecting more starch. The yogurt sauce was good though. The mussels came in a wonderful broth and were just barely cooked, perfect. The Thai chicken wings however, weremy favorite, having a good deal of crunch and heat. The mango slices went very well with that. The crunchy squid salad was very crunchy fried calamari but the squid itself was not chewy at all. The salad greens themselves were average but the squid helped bring out more flavors. The main dishes we had were the red snapper which was nice and flaky, the curry duc... Read more

I don't know what all the complaining is about. We went on Friday night around 10:00 during RW and other than a ridiculously crowded front desk area and a slightly rude host (only one was rude and when we complained the head guy made it up to us w/free drinks), the experience was really great. We were warned about the food coming out "when it's ready" so I was prepared for a non-traditional service but everything came out in the succession we wanted. The food was very tasty and the service was fine. Our waiter was a bit of a depressed flake but he got the job done and tha'ts all that matters. I would probably be a flake too if I had to wear those crazy outfits. The vibe in this place is really great - very tropical, very cool, and as the night wears on, it feels more like a relaxed club than a restaurant.. I would go back for sure. It's definitley my favorite JG place. And don't be intimidated - there were all types there, all ages, not just 20-something models. The decor is b... Read more

Went on a great first date here. The drinks were great...i got a Kumquat something...and it was really good. Great atmosphere and service as well. I will most def be back (maybe not with the same girl though). Overall wonderful experience.

I stopped in for a quick bite with a friend the other night. We were sat immediately. The server was friendly and extremely patient with us and gave great suggestions on what to order when I asked for help deciding. Our food started coming out, no exaggeration, 5 minutes after we ordered. Everything was delicious and fresh! I was mostly amazed at the service considering how large the restaurant is. I felt like we had VIP treatment! I will return to Spice Market again and again!

In short: the food is WAY TOO SPICY and i mean extremely hot, so hot that you need a lot of water with it... We could not say on any of the dishes that it tastes amazing, maximum nice, and some not even nice (the lobster role did not taste like lobster, the samosa was tasteless. Cocktails were very good but it's not the reason for going there.

Spice Market is a great place to eat. The decor is beyond words -- It looks like the inside of someone's indian themed home. The drinks were...

I just did not have a good experience at Spice Market. Sadly, I was extremely excited about this restaurant and decided to stop in for lunch with a friend. The host sat us at an incdredible table in the center by the open double doors. We sat there for about 10 minutes and no one gave us a menu. So we had to ask the host for our menus. Then we sat for another 20-25 minutes and not one waiter came up to us to take our order or to even say hello. We were very confused because all the tables around us were getting served except us. My friend had to get up and hunt down the host again to get us a waiter. After that we were a little frustrated...now to the food: I ordered the pad thai, and it was VERY acidic. I have had lots of padthai at several NY thai places, and im sad to say that this was the ultimate worst. I couldn't even eat it because it was so acidic. The coconut rice was mediocre, I like mine to be a little sweeter. Overrall, it was a disappointment, but the ambience ... Read more

My favorite restaurant- great food and atmosphere!!! I went there many times and every time service/music/ crowd were amazing

Spice market is one of the places that stand out on Meatpacking District. It is a wonderful restaurant, great food, with a dark brown decor that is unique in the neighborhood. It also has a small bar at the entrance which is nice for cozy night-outs and the so-called Chef's tables are great for eating while watching the busy life in the kitchen. Unfortunately, the whole experience is a let-down due to exceptionally rude staff (thankfully not all). I have been there numerous times, and unfortunately the experience has become worse and worse. The manager, Eric Olson, is especially a failure for not listening to his customers and being rude to them. Do not go there until new management takes over...

We took my dad for his 70th birthday . I cannot even begin to tell you what a lousy time we had. The main problem was that they have a weird system of ordering . Some got their main dish before their soup , or appetizers. We were a party of 10 and no one knew which dish would would come out first . Biggest problem was when they served my sister lamb instead of chicken!!!! They forgot my newphew's dish .Overall the decor was lovely but their method of handling the orders was lousy. The waitress said that they have 3 different kitchens and has no idea which part of our order will come first . What a stupid concept. The place was a bad idea. We had a reservation for Tabla wish we had gone back there instead.

This place is so over rated. After I went and had the worst experience, all my friends had the same version of "I didn't want to say anything but...." and they went on to tell me many different tales of how horrible their experience was too. Went for a birthday... and even the birthday boy had a bad time. No service and high high prices. Would never go back or recommend it to a friend.

The size and decor of this establishment is respectable but not an excuse for the poor service and quick turnaround that was experienced. Do entrees come out as your eating your appetizers? Are sides suppose to be served after you finish your entree? Perhaps it is the new "norm" to have your bottle of wine chill at a table across from you? How about being served the check before your table and more importantly your plate is cleared? The answer to theses rhetorical questions summarize my dining experience at this restuarant. The crtitics that rave about this place have to be on the payroll. High point was the dessert and candor of the GM attmept to rectify this situation otherwise extremely disaapointed.

As I read some of the reviews I noticed that there were some very negative comments written about the Spice Market. In reading these poor comments one can only assume that "rookies" are writing these. I recently went th The Spice Market with some family members and our experience was absolutely wonderful. We had ordered a pleathora of apps and entrees, coursing ourselves throughout the evening. The flavors of everything were none other than explosive. This menu is very innovative and exciting. Service was relaxed and professional. Drinks were fantastic!! My advice to anyone who wishes to attend The Spice Market for dinner it to allow yourself time to enjoy all of the very well ballanced flavors in every dish that you desire. FIVE STARS ALL THE WAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

this was my 2nd worst restaurant experience to date, however it was partially saved by a caring manager. I had some college frineds visiting NYC (some for the first time) and figured I'd take them to some hip NYC places first of which was Spice Market to start of the night. i was told that there would be 1 hr wait, which was fine, we went to Buddha bar for a drink while waiting and had a great time. the wait turned out to be another 40 min on top of that hour. No problems there, they were busy. we finally sat down, and got this cheerful asian waitress. ok 1 of those adjectives was correct :) she was all busines right away, telling us that we should order 4 appetizers and 3 entres. She got really annoyed when she brought out a bottle of wine (unopened) and i kindly explained that i thought it was available by glass so changed my drink order (bottle was not opened). our food.. thai spring rolls - average chicken mimosas - average salmon sashimi - it was warm and seemed cooked. curry... Read more

Yeah this place is hyped up- but with good reason. The food is adventurous yet delicious wtihout being overly avant garde. Never had a bad meal and I have been coming here for years. Also a nice downstairs bar area if you want to avoid the main scene. Fabulous place to impress a date or clients.

I went to Spice Market last Friday night around 7pm with 3 other people and we all LOVED THE FOOD. We were seated immediately, the service was good overall, drinks were tasty, and the food was outstanding. Every single item we ordered on the menu was wonderful, all tastes were satisfied and we can't wait to go back again. Standouts included the black pepper shrimp, shaved tuna, grilled steak, and the lobster dish all were delicious. For dessert the thai jewels were very interesting, it tastes like milky fruit. It's not cheap, approx $75per person that included drink, apps, enterees, dessert and tip.

www.worstfoodever com the site for people to post about the worst food ever, but only food places nothing else. That would be funny. lol

I was there with a few friends and we had an absolutely sensational experience. The place was crowded but not packed and the entire staff was exceptionally professional and very warm and friendly. The girls at the front door all had smiles and greated us like we were royalty. We were asked to go to the bar as our table wasn't quite ready when we arrived. The bar tender was just as warm and friendly as the hosts, made great cocktail reccommendations and quickly got us a round of delicious kumquat mojitos. We only waited a few minutes before our table was ready and the host brought a tray with her to carry our drinks downstairs. We had a great table where you could see all that was happening in the dinning room. The server was at our table instantly and he was also extremely friendly and offered great suggestions as to how we should order. Even a manager came by to check in and make sure we were enjoying ourselves. The servers food suggestions were absolutely fantastic. The flavors and t... Read more

I travel for work around the world. This is my New York stop must every time. The food has never disappointed me once. Every time I come to NewYork, they always have something new and tasty so I never get bored! The chef who created the dishes must have studied Asian food well. All the flavors are authentic but with a upscale twist...yet the prices are very reasonable. The managers are super nice. Wait staff gets busy but are very professional with my in-dicisive friends. My friend ordered something then changed her mind at least 3 times she made the waitress run back and forth to change her order at least 3 times! The waitress was super nice to us and made sure every one got what we wanted. Spice Market still remains one of the favs of mine around the world!

Friends and I had a great time at Spice Market. There was a fair crowd at the bar and the room was warm and inviting. Every table seemed full but when we asked for a table for 5 the host at the front desk was very polite in giving us our options since we didn't have a reservation. She asked us to have a drink at the bar and she would see what she could do. The bar was a little crowded but we somehow got our drink was relative ease and just as we finished with a toast a host came and got us and brought us to a grea table in the lounge downstairs. The server was well informative and gave us great suggestions. We all loved the food especially the black pepper shrimp and the ginger fried rice. The place was packed it seemed like everyone was having a great time and the food and drinks were spot on. I would definitely go back and recommend to all thinking of going! Great place!

After a long day at work, I met up with my two best girlfriends in Chelsea. We were going to go to this French place, but we saw that it had closed. Total bummer! So we started walking down and stumbled by Spice Market. Even though it is not loudly advertised with bright lights or a big sign, we took notice and decided to try it out. It was really busy and they could not seat my party of 3 right away, but the host was nice enough to offer us a small table in front of the bar. And boy, was that the right table. The server was very friendly, offered us great recommendations on the coacktails that they offer. I had the Ginger Margarita (which was a little spicy, but really great), my friend had the mojito (I think it was Kumquat) and my other friend tried the Saigon Cosmo, which was really tasty. The drinks were the perfect combination with the scene. We sat and watched gorgeous men and women fill this hip restuaraunt. And since we were in prime seats (one of three tables by the bar), ... Read more

I went to spice market the other night with 10 or 11 work friends for a colleague's last night in NYC. The table was great - it overlooked downstairs lounge and the open kitchen - the decor was stunning, but the people watching was even better. The head of our group worked the menu out with the server and the delicious food keep on coming. Most of the appetizers were amazing - the highlights were the samosas with a cilantro sauce, the lobster roll and the mussels (with a delicious coconut broth). The entrees were very good as well - the grilled chicken with kumquats was my favorite. The wine chosen by the sommelier was very good (and reasonable!) and worked very well with the selections - I believe it was a tempranillo for around $40. Overall, the experience exceeded my expectations, especially after reading the other reviews.

After hearing about Spice MArket for so long while visiting NYC for the wknd I decided to give it a shot and go there. I wish I had just heard about it rather than live it. The restaurant was SO BEAUTIFUL but ruined by the rude host. The host at the front was so rude when we arrived for our 9:30 reservation I nearly lost it. A little after 10 my husband went to check on where our table was and we were directed downstairs to the host downstairs. I didn't come to have dinner in a basement and when I requested to sit upstairs the host looked confused and told me that all walk ins were downstairs. aka they had lost my reseveration. We finally worked it out and got seated at a an incredibly small table. Everyone was running around and there were, who I presumed to be managers everywhere but noone bothered to bring us menus. Finally we got menus from an obnoxious girl who then disappeared. The pepper shrimp was interesting the tofu noodles outstanding the lobster drenched in fat and lost for... Read more

Offensively awful. Way over-inflated prices for instant noodles and garbage. I think i have been more satisfied eating a chain restaurant in the burbs. I dont mind shelling out the cash for a nice meal, but this place is just plain BAD. Leave it for the tourists.

The food is simply awful. Everything we ordered was swimming in a fat grease liquid that smell just disgusting. The noodles taste like...nothing! They come with an enormous peace of cold Tofu and a humongous industrial tool to serve it. The worst thing is the fried rice, it comes with one liter of burnt olive oil, 500 grs. of garlic and one egg on top. Like a bad joke. The place is nice though. Cool music.

My boyfriend and I received a gift card for Spice and despite reading the bad reviews decided to try it out anyway. We were sorry to quickly learn that all the bad reviews on here were absolutely true! We arrived 5 minutes early for our reservation and had delicious kumquat mojitos at the bar ( by far the tastiest thing I had the entire night) We had the chicken somosas and mushroom egg rolls to start. The chicken somosas tasted like spicy chicken tacos and the egg rolls were bland and had a slimy texture. I had the peanut halibut which arrived floating in a lukewarm bath of watery peanut sauce. The fish was very salty, considering how mild halibut usually is, and the peanuts just did not complement the fish well at all. My boyfriend had the lobster tail which was about the size of two mid-size shrimp and was finished in about 2 seconds. While the lobster was tasty, for $35 the plate really should have been more substantial. Neither of us are picky eaters but we do expect a de... Read more

Wanted to treat my newly betrothed sister and brother-in-law for a lavish brunch on a cold Sunday afternoon and thought of Spice Market as I had heard great stuff about the place. First of all, we all were impressed by the decor and the ambience. And the round of appetizers we ordered (mushroom rolls and chicken samosas) were very delicious but the 5 star rating started to fall quite rapidly after that...The delicious samosas appetizers we ordered with our expensive cocktail drinks never arrived and my sister's entree was served before we finished our appetizers. When we reminded the staff, they quickly apologized and made a lame excuse but they had basically forgotten about the samosas altogether. Then the rice served with the Thai curry for my sister was poorly cooked and so difficult to chew. At this point, 15 minutes after my sister got her entree served, my BIL got his dish which was very average for a $35 price tag! And we got the samosas while eating our entrees! And I am left l... Read more

Spice Market has nice ambiance and is located in one of the most trendiest nightlife spots. I was extremely disappointed after coming here for my girl friend's birthday. The service is beyond terrible! They kept switching the waitstaff on us. They need to hire more professional and efficient waitstaff. The waitstaff are rude as hell. The food took a million ages to come. Don't go here if you're hungry. The food is overpriced for what it is. It's not very tasty at all. Bottom line is, there are far much better restaurants in this area so just dine somewhere else.

I went there on a Monday night expecting to have outstanding service since it wouldn't be the busiest day...First , they never informed my 3rd party that we were seated, so he kept drinking at the bar not knowing even though she asked his name and everything...Anyway, the waitress seem to have gotten out of bed, had no energy whatsoever, and kept insisting on taking the order...When we ordered 2 appetizers and 3 entrees, they kept coming one at a time, even though the waitress started of saying it was a family style meal - the portions where very little and honestly how am I suppose to appreciate "rice" by itself!??! I asked them to send it back unless they brought everything together to which they replied "you know, steak takes 20 minutes..." - Very unprofessional, I thought the food was ok, nothing wow! Would not come back for dinner...

I am not of the regular meat-packing district venue attending variety, but I took my girlfriend here for her birthday. The decor was impressive and the vibe consistent with the pretentious neighborhood. When making my reservation, they gave me attitude and told me to be on time; a late check-in could result in losing my table. As such, we got there right on time, but they ordered us to have a drink at the bar to wait for one of the many open tables. Once seated, we ordered a few mediocre appetizers, but the entrees were really bad. I'm not trying to be a hater. They were really bad. The green curry was far inferior to a typical take-out Thai meal, and by the time we got to the lobster, we were so turned off that we only ate everything out of obligation. Additionally, if you're looking for a truly "Asian" experience, don't be offended when they serve you your towel with chopsticks! Overall, it wasn't so expensive for the meat-packing, but you'll have to sacrifice service and ... Read more