107 West

2787 Broadway
(between 107th St & 108th St)
New York, NY 10025 (212) 864-1555

I almost don’t want to give this secret away. This wonderful neighborhood spot hosts great food amidst great decor, and even a contained quirky sport bar scene. Americana with a Tex-Mex & Cajun soul.

Price $$$

Decor***

Light and airy with gorgeous light wood floors, a serene small water feature by the bar, a huge greenhouse style windows at the front lets in wonderful sunlight during the day. Dim and candlelit at night.

At night, the restaurant is dim, candlelit and romantic – and then you hear these shouts and yells. There is an interesting neighborhood bar scene with some eccentric regulars. Occasionally, it does get a bit loud for my taste, but ultimately it is a part of the fabric of the restaurant and there is something endearing about it a

Food****

I’ve been coming here for years. Their brunch is wonderful. Delicious biscuits and muffins are served while you select brunch. I love their Scottish Eggs Benny (benedict): standard benedict of poached eggs on english muffin but with delicious smoked salmon. I am very picky when it comes to Eggs Benedict ( I will later review a few places I have gone to specifically for the raving reviews off their eggs benedict and hated it!). Here, the eggs are poached perfectly – soft yolk but not runny whites, the salmon arrives in perfect condition- smoked and translucently pink and not pale pink and overcooked (a mistep of this dish is allowing the salmon to cook from the heat of the eggs).

Lunch and Dinner

I have never had a bad dish. American classic, tex-mex, cajun creole, and pastas. They have a wonderful chicken sandwich. Also the black bean crab cake and maryland crabcakes are very good – lots of crab meat rather than all breading. Penne in spicy tomato sauce is a simple dish that is simply fabulous. And this is one of those places where the regular house salad is dressed wonderfully. I usually chalk it up to high quality olive oil. Regardless, it’s very tasty.

Service****

Service has always been wonderful. The waitstaff, hostess, and bartenders are always very nice and attentive. Most recently, there has been a new waiter this year – a sweet, soft spoken waiter who is so attentive and on point in this very sweet, quiet way. In some restaurants you have these wonderfully intentioned attentive waiters who are just very abrasive and you feel like your conversation is being interrupted or your vibe is disturbed. This is never something I would review in a negative light of course. One should certainly pause for that awkward interruption with appreciation because the waiter is simply doing his/her job and doing it well. However, in contrast, the waiter at 107 West that I speak of provides a wonderful service in a way that simply adds to your experience by not wanting to become the focus of your experience.

Overall****

I love 107 West. A great neighborhood spot for brunch, lunch, or dinner – even a place to go for drink and settle in for a nice comfortable evening. Again, the bar gets a little rowdy at times, and the bar is not my personal taste, but I don’t feel it really detracts, but rather adds to the flavor of the place.
Added note: They have another location in Inwood which I have not been to yet.