Global street eats, American mains & cocktails in a splashy space with a lower-level lounge & DJs.
"What It Is: A big restaurant/club on the Lower East Side where you’ll see large groups of people taking shots and picking at food Perfect For: Wasting Your Time And Money We’re currently working on a guide to the least-worst party restaurants in NYC, so we decided to have a full dinner at Vandal. This place is from the same people behind Lavo and Tao (which should give you a good idea of what goes down here), and the menu is similar to that of a school cafeteria where you might get pizza one day and stir fry the next. We had a few things, like tortilla soup dumplings and steak tartare that was spread on a big pretzel - and none of it was the worst food we’ve ever had, but we didn’t like paying money for it. The space was mostly filled with large tables of people taking shots, and, while it looked like most people were having fun, we’re going to do our best to never come back. Verdict: This is a theme park for adults with corporate cards. You should avoid it, but if someone drags you here, just eat a pepperoni pizza." - hannah albertine, bryan kim, katherine lewin, hillary reinsberg, chris stang, matt tervooren
"Nolita: The second of two closings this week for Tao Group Hospitality, Vandal has permanently closed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic. The sprawling, 22,000-square-foot space with a restaurant and two separate lounges opened its doors in January 2016." - Luke Fortney
"Tao Group’s Bowery restaurant Vandal now features an optical illusion exhibit called 'Endless Chess' in its entryway, designed with black-and-white stripes and objects to pose with." - Stefanie Tuder
"Vandal is a big restaurant on the Lower East Side, and it’s from the same people behind Lavo and Tao. Like those places, this is a spot where you can eat pricey, mediocre food while you enjoy a party atmosphere and reflect upon the fact that you probably don’t want to be here. The menu is all over the place, with things like tortilla soup dumplings, shawarma salad, and pizza - and, while the dumplings taste like they were recently defrosted, the pepperoni pizza is surprisingly not bad. But the rest of it is much worse. So unless you have a corporate card and you’re just looking for a place to drink your dinner, you shouldn’t come here." - Bryan Kim
Ahu K
noory Croos
Stephanie
Emily Hunsley
Mahima Srivastava
Dario Marchena (Bowtie FL20-5)
H. Blake
Aylin Azmin