The Expat

I definitely recommend the fried tofu bites and Bahn mi smash burger. We went here for a friend's birthday and they were able to comfortably accommodate 10+ people without issues. The food was delicious, the staff was friendly and attentive to our party and the atmosphere was extremely warm and welcoming. This place is worth checking out. We had 3 cocktails, an appetizer, 2 sodas and two entrees and spent about $80. A VERY reasonable night out for 2

A cute bar for meeting with friends or for a date. It’s great to go for happy hour to get drinks and snacks. I really like the chicken wings and the different flavorings they have.

The restaurant is a gastro pub and is in the basement and as you enter the bar is right in front of you, so its a drunkard's delight. The restaurant is pretty small, however, there is outside dining. Outside dining needs to up their game, it's pretty sloppy and some tables had bad lighting and right underneath the public CC cameras. Food: ⭐⭐½ Positives - The lemon curry pepper wings were good. It had a crunch to it and had a good zingy taste to it. The curry chicken quesadillas were very good. Earl grey hot tea was outstanding. Negatives - The Singapore noodles although came with a large serve, felt was lacking seasoning. The Tom yum chicken fried rice although smelled good, the taste didn't match the aroma, infact the food tasted stale and mushy. The Bo Luc Lac was delicious, but disappointing when it came to quantity. There were more cucumbers than beef cubes and it was cooked to well done 😐. The spring rolls were soggy and oily when served. Coconut rice didn't have the authentic robust coconut flavor. Service: ⭐⭐ The waitress who took our call, received us at our arrival, and who seated us was welcoming & cordial. However, the waitress who took our order was on the flip side. Initially was good, but turned out to make our evening a disaster. We placed our order and 20 mins later my wife had her order (fried rice). Unlike most restaurants, they didn't serve the appetizers first and my wife waited for the rest of the food to arrive so we all could eat together however minutes passed and nothing arrived. I had to call the waiter and sendthe fried rice back as it became cold. She looked pissed turned around and said in this restaurant we serve whatever is ready first and everything else comes after. In my head and the rest were thinking "so what's the concept of having appetizers (cravables) if you don't get it before the entreés". Anyways we let it go by and waited more. 10 mins later she comes in and in a mocking tone explained: "since you wanted everything together, they are remaking your food". We all had facepalms😐. 10 mins later the server came and explained it to us for no reason and this time said next time you have to tell us if you want appetizers first. But isn't this common sense to serve them first???!!!!. Anyways we got the food and it wasn't up to par. Ambience: ⭐⭐⭐ The restaurant looked very dull as the first impression led to it being in a basement. Lighting was low, tables and chairs didn't match, some seats were right underneath the NYPD cameras, and tons of marijuana smoke from the streets. I would let others know to dine in and have less than 5 people as the tables don't fit larger groups. Overall: ⭐⭐⅓ Suggestions: Use basmati rice or sona masoori rice, might help with the mushiness of the rice. Explain the customers the order in which they might receive their food. Waitresses need retraining in people skills. Please make rounds to ensure people have full glasses of water.

The basil fried rice was amazing and so were the drinks. The staff is very attentive and friendly.

I came here after a friend recommended their chicken and waffles to me. The service and vibes of this spot are pleasantly rustic and chill. The wait staff were very comfortable making recommendations, which I really appreciated. While visually the impressive, I personally didn’t enjoy their take on chicken and waffles, as it leaned too far into the savory side (they added spring onions and some Asian seasoning). The skin completely fell apart the already small portion of fried chicken and it was very dry and lacking any fat. The syrup, however, was wonderful!

Came here for brunch and it was amazing! Every dish was delicious and fresh and the cocktails were strong and tasty. We ordered the Vietnamese omelette, Thai basil fried rice, spicy mango salad, and lemon curry tater tots. I'll definitely be back!

The Expat is a fantastic spot that never disappoints! I’ve been here several times, and every visit is consistently great. The food is delicious, and the service is excellent. The unique basement setting, with windows halfway visible, gives it a special charm with beautiful natural lighting. Highly recommend this hidden gem for both the atmosphere and the top-notch experience!

The food here was ok, but nothing special. The chicken pad thai was pretty run of the mill and the lychee rose creme brulee was more like pudding with a lot of sugar on top. I don't think they torched it enough to be crisp and crunchy. Nice idea but not a great execution. My server / bartender was nice but seemed a bit overwhelmed and not super attentive. The place has great ambiance and a nice vibe though. I would maybe come back to try something 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars