288 N 8th St

Easily booked a table for dinner on a Friday night in early April, but I'm sure that gets harder to do during the summer. Great chews and views - and drinks! I tried: + Wonderful nothings + fortune's fool + Barbarella + mambo no. Vibe + Ceviche + short rib barbacoa + gringa al pastor taco + Quesabirria + Tetela + Churros The best cocktails were the Wonderful nothings and fortune's fool, and the food highlights were the quesabirria and tetela. Ceviche was my next favorite. Barbacoa was great, but needs tortillas or something because it's just a giant hunk of meat. Al pastor taco is also worth getting. Great service, too. Would come back even just for drinks! Maximum rooftop vibes if you sit outside on the terrace.

I made a reservation at ElNico days in advance for a party of 6 to celebrate my birthday. I noted a food allergy for one of my guests and confirmed the reservation the day before. From the start, things went downhill. One of my friends arrived early and was told we'd be seated outdoors, but when I got there, the hostess seemed confused and asked "table for two?" despite me repeating my name and time. We were sat indoors, and she forgot to give us menus. When we finally got someone's attention, we were moved to a different outdoor table, not the main rooftop, but a side area. Service was completely unorganized. We had multiple servers, and our last waitress was rude, impatient, and dismissive--especially when we reminded her of the allergy we had noted. She acted like it was an inconvenience. The food was bland and underwhelming. The tacos were bite-sized but were packed with flavor. The drinks were disappointing. Three of us got the Jamaican Sunset, one had a passion fruit margarita, and I had a guava cocktail that tasted like straight smoke. It was undrinkable. When the server asked how it was, I told her honestly I didn't like it. Thankfully, the manager kindly came over and took it off the bill. Still, for what was supposed to be a special birthday celebration, it was a major letdown. Beautiful decor, but the service, drinks, and overall experience missed the mark. I won't be back.

elNico is a pretty aesthetic rooftop bar inside The Penny Hotel. Upon entering, I really liked their decor and colorful space, which was still light and airy. The outdoor space has a pretty nice view of the NY skyline, but it was closed for a private event the day we came to check it out. My friend and I came here just for drinks, so no review of the food. I had the Millennial Pause ($16) while she had the Fortune's Fool ($16). I wax so intrigued with the description on the menu, but unfortunately the drink fell a bit flat for me. I didn't taste any corn in mine nor the banana in the other. The drinks were pretty standard despite being pretty. It's a nice rooftop in the east side of Williamsburg, but not too special. It seems that their outdoor is dog friendly, which is a plus for me though.

I kicked off my Mother's Day weekend with drinks at El Nico in the Penny Hotel, and it was the perfect start. The space is absolutely beautiful--bright, colorful, and full of great energy. It's the kind of place that instantly lifts your mood. The bar staff was so friendly, and the drinks (I tried the espresso martini) were on point. A special shoutout to Iñaki at the bar, who recommended the Mezcalrita--it was so good, I drank it all night! His service and vibe really made the experience even better. Whether you're celebrating something special or just looking for a gorgeous spot to unwind, El Nico is a must-visit in Williamsburg. I'll definitely be back!

I met up with friends here. The experience was great. The drinks were fun. The appetizers were yummy. The service was very good. The ambiance was amazing. It was raining the day of my reservation so I was prepared to be disappointed but I really enjoyed my time at this rooftop restaurant with live DJ. The only thing missing was a dance floor!

I'd rate elNico four and a half stars. Mexican restaurant located on the rooftop of the Penny Hotel. They boast an enormous mezcal selection. We walked in on a gorgeous weeknight. We were seated just in term for a beautiful sunset dinner. An incredible view of the sun wanning behind the Manhattan skyline. I'd recommend coming here for a drink and watching the sun go down for an evening. Lots of outdoor seating plus a semi enclosed space. Wonderful layout. The bar has one of the best mezcal selections that I've come across. They also have one of the most knowledgeable bartenders I've ever spoken to regarding mezcal. She introduced me to a brand called La Venenosa which seems to sort a variety of distilled spirits from Mexico in small batches. The two pours she recommended were outstanding. A very impressive selection. Food wise, we started with the guacamole and chips. Seems like a great batch of avocados were recently imported, so it was no surprise that this guac was superb. Nicely seasoned and served with some deep fried chips. Guac was probably the best good item. Next we had the mole sampler. It included three types plus ultra crispy plantain chips. There was a traditional mole negro, a nutty mole, a mole verde, a pumpkin mole, and an horchata sauce. Fun to try the variety. We also ordered a couple tacos which were served alongside the mole sampler. We had the shrimp tacos and the broccolini tacos. I liked that they served them with the sampler as it presented the opportunity to dip the tacos in the sauces. For the main course, we shared the short rib. Would have skipped this item in hindsight. Service was great. Staff was attentive and accommodating. They kept our table clean and our water carafe filled. Pacing of the food was good too. As I mentioned earlier, the bartender was incredibly knowledgeable. There were three single occupancy restrooms. I believe they were all handicap accessible. I would definitely return to enjoy mezcal and watch another sunset.

The place was really packed on Saturday. Im not exactly sure if they were short staffed or if the service was extremely slow. We ended up just having one round of drinks and chips, salsa and guacamole. The drinks came about 20 minutes in but the guac took about 45 minutes so after that we just decided to leave and eat elsewhere. Also the guac is topped with chive oil which gave it an extremely strong onion flavor on top of the raw onions that typically come in guac.

Staff appeared confused. Came up to the table multiple times to deliver drinks that weren't ours and ours took a long time to come out. There was a hair in the ice cube in one of the drinks. Wouldn't go back.

This was a very nice rooftop. I went to an event called vibes n vino. For the first hour or 2 they only served wine during the event and later on opened the bar for other hard spirit options. The indoor outdoor rooftop was not open since it was too pretty cold at the time of the event. I'm not sure what the vibe is like outside of this vino event but it was really close the metropolitan L train station, literally a few steps away. A bit out of the way for me to go back but it was cute. And the bathrooms are color themed so you walk inside and it may be completely pink, yellow, red, etc. Really interesting and funky. My eyes were struggling to adjust lol

Everything here... was just a little off. They were out of several of the drinks, and out of most of the ingredients for some of the other drinks. My drink came with only 2 of the 7 listed ingredients. They still charged me $17. They didn't have the ingredients for their only vegetarian taco so they just put some avocado in a tortilla and called it a day. Literally just cold, sliced avocado. On a tortilla.. for $6. It didn't even come with cheese. What are you doing? We ordered appetizers, which somehow came last... and weren't very good. How did you manage to make guacamole taste bad? The salsas were flavorless. And $2 each. The ceviche came with 3 tortilla chips. It was fine, the sauce it was in was the star. The birria taco was very good but was also the size of my thumb, yet came with an entire cup of consomme. The rock shrimp taco was dry and bland. The service was subpar. It seemed like no one really cared if we enjoyed our experience (and we did not). We asked for the check and 20 minutes by without it. Other staff just walked past us and averted eye contact when we tried to ask for it. They certainly weren't crowded but our waitress literally only came by to drop off food. The atmosphere was OK. It's a lovely view. Definitely don't plan to be back & don't know if we came on an off day or whatever but im not sure how people enjoy their meals here.

TLDR: Easily one of my favorite places in the city for cocktails. Came in a group of friends on recommendation of Dial A Drunk. We basically ordered everything on the menu. Of what we had, my favorites were the Bidi Bidi Bom Fashioned and the Santo Pepino. I didn't see it on the menu but if they ever bring back the Passion Berry Negroni, that is also a definite must order! Tried a lot of the seasonal menu as well and those were just as great. Food was great as well. Felt like a crime seeing how expensive the tlayuda was but it was quite good. I think the guac is quite good as well. Service was attentive and friendly. Interior is quite cute. Would bring a date or a group of friends here. Overall: I feel like this place rivals many of the 50 Best Bars I've been to around the world!

The food, drinks, and views were amazing. But I would not recommend women to come here. My friend asked the server to charge her phone, and when we got home and was looking through her photos, we found a photo that the waiter had taken using her phone, asking her to follow him on Instagram. That is really creepy and unwarranted in any way. There was no indication what so ever that she was interested in him, she literally barely spoke to him outside of ordering food, asking for phone to be charged and paying the bill.

Such a cute rooftop bar at my hotel. My bf and I loved it so much we went two nights in a row for drinks before dinner. Beautiful view but I wish I was able to step outside to get the full experience. It's winter so covered, but you can still see a lot. Decor was adorable. The bartenders were very accommodating and friendly. He made up his own shot of vodka with grapefruit. Absolutely delicious!

Fantastic rooftop, awesome service! What more do you ask for? That is walking distance from central Williamsburg and the pier. You got that too!

The food was just alright, tbh. So I wouldn't go out of your way to have a meal here. But what I would say is come for the cocktails and the view (if the weather permits). Their servers are also highly skilled and some of the cocktails (especially the large ones!) come with some fanfare (you'll see lol). So file this under: Spots to come for happy hour when the weather is nice (and try to snag a seat outside to soak in that view!).

Super cute rooftop with beautiful sky view. Extensive tequila and mezcal bar menu, cocktails were boozy and delicious. Appetizer was really good. - Guac was done perfect, we ordered 3 times! - Oyster was really fresh that we couldn't resist to order another plate. - Scallop YUM. Entree however didn't stand out as much. - Steak has a lot of fats almost too much. - Bone Marrow was somehow served lukewarm and dried that there's was nothing really. I'd say drinks and bites outdoor would be perfect.

ElNico is delightful! The ambiance is next level & the decor is truly something. I really enjoyed my life bites & drinks. The oyster taco was my favorite, by far, but I also enjoyed the scallops crudo. Definitely try their cucumber cocktail - it's basically summer in a glass and was delicious. Extra points because this place is dog friendly too! It's actually named after the chef's dog, which is pretty precious if you ask me.

A delightful evening in Penny hotel, Williamsburg!! We went there for my friend's birthday. Great vibe and atmosphere :) Food experience there was AWESOME. Like a modern Mexican foods and you would have never imagined how herby, fresh they are! I got Michelada and 100% my taste!! My friend got Santo Pepino and that was beautiful looks and tastes great. We Started off with Guacamole and they are so fresh and nice savory. We got Shrimp empanadas and Crab Tlayuda which is like a pizza. That was full of surprise!!! They are both amazing but the Tlayuda took my heart. Beautiful looking some flowers going on.. So fresh and flavorful with yogurt! Just the empanadas was a bit pricey but overall, staffs were friendly, nice view of the Brooklyn and Manhattan skyline.. will definitely come back for Brunch as well!! :)

I had researched this place before a trip to NYC, and got a reservation weeks in advance. We showed up the night of (after getting a reservation reminder and text confirmation) and the entire restaurant was closed for a private party. I know that some restaurants use third-party reservation systems, but taking the subway out to Brooklyn just for this reservation and getting turned away was very frustrating. I suggest calling the restaurant to confirm if you are making a trip out there.

My girl friends and I came here to drink only and all of our drinks ended up being amazing! El Nico had a DJ playing who was playing the best music that was very house-vibes. If you go in the middle of July, they also have the carnival going on outside which is a fun time after you eat and drink here.

Wow. We came here for happy hour and everything was lovely. The space is so cute, inside and outside. The employees were all so friendly and service was a 10/10. We came for happy hour and oysters are $1! We got 48 lol. The guacamole was also pretty good. Highly recommend this spot, especially for happy hour!

We loved our first meal here though we noted the restaurant seemed to have taken a sleeping pill. At least they were friendly! And the food has promise. The whole enterprise, in this gorgeous space, seemed promising. Our second dinner here was fairly disastrous. Small things first. We asked for tap water but sparkling water arrived. They weren't listening. We ordered an entree but A VERY LONG TIME LATER they informed us they were out of it. The bathroom was broken. I had to wait on line with soap gelled all over my hands for the next bathroom to wash my hands off... My main issue is that half...literally half...the items we ordered off the menu never arrived at all. I'm talking appetizers, entrees, rounds of cocktails. Just disappeared into the ether. The food that DID arrive was either mediocre or terrible. The menu is fairly limited. We were stuck with the fish entree, which quite honestly, was disgusting. It was poorly seasoned, bony, flavorless, with only half its plated ingredients present. (I think on the left side?) Maybe the restaurant should re-brand itself and call itself LEFT or HALF or something like that. IDK??!! The thing I may never forget is an image of that loose black eyeball rolling itself around the plate, DEAR GOD.

This experience was so amazing! You take the elevator up to this incredible rooftop where the host greets you with a smile. We were a bit early for our res so we got a drink while we waited at the bar. This place is swanky! So cool and happening. I got a cocktail with gin and lacto-fermented cucumbers. I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. The views were great, the seats were comfy cozy, can't say anything about the food because we didn't try. Overall, great experience!

I booked this venue for a 40-person birthday party. The furniture and lighting is amazing, and I loved getting photos out on the rooftop during golden hour and sunset. You can see the WTC and Empire State Building as a nice backdrop. The cocktails were good, though not particularly strong. The fruit salad was more like a yogurt fruit bowl, though it was appetizing. I loved this place and the staff were very helpful and accommodating. Free coat check also available.

I'll start off by saying the ambiance here is top notch - great views, chic decor, and an outside terrace that adds up to the perfect Brooklyn rooftop. However, the service and food leave a lot to be desired at the price point. The night I went they were hosting a pop up event with a dj so I suppose it was busier than usual which could explain the situation. We started with some drinks, which were decent at $18 a pop. Followed with guacamole and shrimp tacos. The tacos were pretty small so although the order came with two each, we had to order more food to feel satisfied. We ordered the birria tacos and caramelized onion tlayuda but after 30 min there was no sign of either. We flagged down our waiter who informed us the ticket got lost and he would have to replace the order. We then got the tlayuda and never saw the birria tacos. Definitely understand situations like this happen, but I left still hungry and a little annoyed. While I did enjoy the shrimp tacos and guac, overall this place is a no from me. Maybe go for the happy hour deals and views but that's about it.

Came here for drinks before dinner after reading the reviews! I'm prefacing this review with the fact we just went for drinks and saw the reviews were sub par for dinner. The vibe of this place is definitely the thing that makes it 5 stars. The elevator to get in sets the mood with the lighting and the view is absolutely insane! We got off menu drinks and they were nice enough to make them for us. The chips and guac were solid (especially for the 10 dollar price point) I would say, go for the view!

Love restaurant at the rooftop of the Penny hotel. Came here for a sunset dinner and got did not disappoint. The staff was excellent particularly Victor. He was excellent and charming! We had the guacamole which was excellent, the caviar, the tzvaki, and then skirt steak. All of the small plates sampled where great. Was a bit confused with the mail which came with skirt steak and some bone marrow. The bone marrow was meant to be eaten with tortillas but the ration of bone marrow to tortillas didn't work. All of the drinks were delicious and more on the sweet side. If you have a shellfish allergy this restaurant may not be for you as many dishes were shellfish based! Will def go back for the food and the view of the skyline

Now this is a great cool spot..the atmosphere..the views..the food(I had the tacos)which was great & the staff was very helpful and professional..I enjoyed the music and the scenery..so yourself a favor and go visit this place

This place was very cute but I found it to be mid. The drinks are good and the service is amazing. Small plates and not many options on the menu. The outdoor rooftop area is small, but they have a free rooms sections

The view from the rooftop is gorgeous -- great spot for a date or a nice event. The cocktails were all delicious, and the service was great. I'd say the food was a 4/5 -- pretty good, but nothing special. The view is worth it, though.

Dined here with a large group of friends (12) on a Saturday night in February. You step out of the elevator into a vibrant restaurant atmosphere. The decor inside is modern and energetic. The music greeted us with matched energy and curated the vibe with a beautiful mix of genres. We were dancing in our seats the whole night lol! (I highly recommend going on a night when DJ Vidal is there...she was excellent). The service was a 10/10: attentive and courteous. The food? We practically ordered every appetizer and they were all amazing. Flavorful, beautifully plated, just delicious. Drinks were creative and very good (albeit not strong). My short rib entree (huge portion!) also tasted good, but I'll deduct a few points because everyones was very fatty. There was a cake cutting fee for our birthday girl's cake of about $35 if I remember correctly. Overall beautiful night, stunning view of the bridge, amazing music...I even appreciated how fun the bathrooms were for selfies! Perfect for dinner with friends, out of towners, or a date night.

Location, unobstructed view all over, courtesy of the staff...lovely place. So glad we found this gem.

Great place for views and an eclectic vibe! Interior is well decorated with fun splashes of color. Food was presented well & drinks were good!

I loved this place and will definitely be returning. The view is stunning and the food and cocktails are even better (if that's possible). It's a chic rooftop and great for groups or intimidate get togethers. I highly suggest the Brussels sprouts. The sauce is OUT OF THIS WORLD. The carnita tacos are delicious as well.

The Carnitas tacos were so good, I got a second order. I went right when they opened for an early dinner so the service was quick. Pretty cool looking space too.

Went to El Nico for Sunday brunch and it was such a great experience! Our server was so helpful and attentive. The place is stunning and the cocktails were sooo good. The whole table loved the rhubarb margarita.

i had a negroni it was really tasty to be honest and also it was something i has never try before, when it comes to the food we tried the tamal and scallop, the sauce on the scallop was very unique to try very tasty but the tamal was not that good. What you will find in el nico it's a beautiful view, and when it comes to the food you will find quality instead of quantity. So come here with a good money to spend and have an amazing time at el nico.! Plus the service was really good thank you so much

Beautiful ambiance, nice views, and great cocktails. The food however was underwhelming. I would only recommend going for drinks and guac.

Incredible views, great service, awful food. El Nico is perched above Williamsburg and has a stunning view of Brooklyn and Manhattan. This is a perfect place to get a drink -- their spin on a painkiller was amazing. They had plenty of zero proof options, and the waiter was happy to offer great recs. But the food... The guacamole was good, but somehow the chips were raw. The pink mole looked and tasted just... bizarre. We had an under cooked cabbage dish. We had a battered fish with *zero* seasoning ($64). The menu looked very interesting, but the execution, basics of cooking and seasoning, were not there. Hope that changes!

Okay SO definitely a beautiful (very Instagrammable) restaurant. The drinks were delicious and so was all the food, especially the octopus which I highly recommend. We also had the whole fish and oysters which were great but as with all the dishes here, definitely smaller serving sizes but still satisfied our table of 4 that just wanted light bites before heading out. That being said, the prices are, even for NYC, on the higher end so be prepared to splurge especially if you're drinking - we ended up spending close to $500 all in after a few rounds of drinks and the 3 dishes mentioned above + guac.

we came here for drinks and they were delicious. i was very impressed with the ambience, they had GREAT music playing. the only thing is that they are pretty on it about the seating situation but it just shows that they want to stay organized for other parties arriving which i can understand. overall, i would come back for some summer vibes with friends.

Over priced, tasteless food. This is a rooftop restaurant so you are paying for the view of Midtown. Nothing special about this place.

Came for cocktails on a Sunday afternoon. Very nice ambiance and service was impeccable.

In short, a 30-minute wait on cocktails led to all food items being delivered before the drinks came--and when the drinks finally arrived, they were lackluster, uninspiring, with one being so medicinal in flavor, we, along with three other guests that evening, sent it back. The server asked our table of five for our drink order within five minutes of being seated and receiving only one drink menu. When one of us went to order a drink minutes later, we only then learned three of the cocktails were unavailable. We placed our drink orders at the same time we ordered our food. All our food items arrived before our drinks did. The drinks took more than 30 minutes to come out after being ordered. The Passionfruit Negroni was unbearable in taste; when we sent it back, the server noted that it was the third time that night that drink was sent back. Although that cocktail was by far the worst at the table, none of them were standout stars. At the end of this unpleasant experience, the five of us requested the bill. When presenting five cards, the server was unquestionably annoyed. He asserted how difficult it is to split a bill five ways. We offered, of course, to put just one card down, but he explained he would proceed to split the bill five ways. When returning to the table, he placed all five checks down, rolled his eyes, and left without saying a word. As cliche as it is to say, this restaurant deserves zero stars, but sadly that's not an option for Yelp.

Amazing drinks and beautiful views! The guac hits every time :) for a relaxed dinner come during the week, weekends are always packed!!! Def make a reservation.

Great food! I had arroz con pollo and never knew how good that could be! Definitely go.

I made a dinner reservation far in advance and when I got there they sat my friends and I at some couches with basically no table to eat at, and when I asked them about that they had an attitude. Drinks were insanely expensive and half filled up when brought to us. We ordered apps because we decided we couldn't eat a whole meal hunched over at the small table. Apps were not good and again overpriced. I was excited to go to this new spot and was very disappointed.