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Spice Market Restaurant

About.com Rating 3.5 Star Rating
User Rating 3 Star Rating (2 Reviews) Write a review

By , About.com Guide

The Bottom Line

When celebrity chef Jean-Georges Vongerichten opened Spice Market in 2004, it was a Meatpacking District pioneer and the hottest spot in town. Today, Spice Market still attracts crowds with a menu inspired by Southeast Asian street foods and an awe-inspiring decor featuring soaring ceilings and a Buddhist temple motif. It's a great place for wowing out-of-town visitors or bonding with a group over shared family-style plates.

Pros

  • Great bar scene
  • Striking decor
  • Excellent for groups and out-of-town guests
  • Reasonable prices for a celebrity chef destination

Cons

  • Food doesn't live up to the hype
  • It's still not easy to get a table during peak times

Description

  • Location: 403 West 13th Street at 9th Avenue
  • Getting there: A,C,E to 14th Street and 8th Avenue
  • Hours:
    Lunch -- 12-5:30 PM Daily
    Dinner -- 5:30PM-12AM, Sun through Wed; 5:30PM-1AM, Thurs through Sat
  • Reservations: Call 212-675-2322

Guide Review - Spice Market Restaurant

Spice Market makes a memorable first impression. The converted warehouse space is huge, the ceilings are high, and there's an homage to a Buddhist temple dominating the center of the room.

The seating is low and casual, great for groups. Groups will also love that all of the dishes are served family-style so they're perfect for sharing.

The menu includes a wide selection of dishes based on Southeast Asian street foods. The highlights of the appetizer menu include spiced chicken samosas with cilantro yogurt, Vietnamese spring rolls, and a crunchy squid salad with ginger, papaya, and cashews.

You may want to stick with the appetizers and skip the entrees. The chicken with kumquat-lemon dressing was uninspiring and the cod with Malaysian chili sauce was a disappointment.

Luckily, the desserts ended the meal on a delicious note. The Ovaltine kulfi with caramelized bananas and spiced chocolate sauce was truly tasty. The passion fruit sorbet was surprisingly flavorful, especially when paired with the accompanying ginger cookies.

User Reviews

 1 out of 5
Old Spice, Member lindacooperbowen

When the Spice Market first opened it was attractive, exotic and unique. The food was a bit precious, but the atmosphere was a treat... festive. But time passes and too much ""festivity"" results in a hangover. The place looked rather dusty. Our table top, bare, had a long scratch. There are no flowers, no color except for the saffron-colored costumes of the waitstaff. Lots of service and service people, too many actually. Yes it was lunch and winter - the desserts were almost all frozen. The food was not special. Whatever this restaurant was before... that's history. Eat elsewhere.

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