Sarah R

"Went to Freshtarian on Saturday night with my husband. The restaurant itself is very pretty, with candles flickering and a roaring fireplace, but the food was barely edible and the service was mostly atrocious. Our Groupon included 1 shared app, 2 entrees, and 2 glasses of wine. The wine was about the only good partexcept the glasses had oil stainsfingerprints all over them to the point where we had to ask for new ones, which never came so my husband got them himself. The waitermixologist Ian was very busy but was polite and apologetic about the slow service His rushed but well-informed explanations were delivered with a friendly smile. The other waiterbusboy looked like a kid in a rockband that worked construction all day. He was arrogant and seemed annoyed when I asked for new glasses because the ones on the table were dirty, and why the food was taking so long. We finally got our app, which was a little stale but edible, and we were so hungry at this point we just ate it. The entrees were decent, and just that. semi-fresh ingredients and the salmon was most definitlely frozen but good. Strip Steak was just OK. Will NEVER go here again unless they get they're act together with the food quality they claim to possess and hire more polite servers besides the only one that was there. We also could not understand why this place was so packed, and why there was only 1 real waiter scrambling to take care of 10+ tables at once, with new tables continuing to walk in."

"January 16, 2020"

anonymous

"After reading all the great reviews I decided to give this place a shot. The menu sounded appetizing and I've recently had a good string of visiting new restaurants and finding the experience enjoyable Bayou, Bin 5, Nurnberger. The ambiance of the place is really great. They had some live music and the ceilings were high, it was really captivating. The space is nice and the tables are spaced appropriately with each one not being on top of another. Unfortunately I cannot say that I had a positive experience at Freshtarian. To start I went with a group of 4 and we had the pre-fixe menu which included an appetizer and an entree each. The options were fine. Collectively we ordered stuffed mushrooms, asian spring rolls and the ribeye, snapper and pasta dishes for the main courses. The appetizers took about an hour to come out. The appetizers were fairly good although the food did not taste like it just came out of the overgrilletc. I personally liked the spring rolls, and the mushroom was good except for the tomato sauce that was on the dish that seemed like a tomato paste I'm not sure what exactly what is was but we did not care for it. After we finished appetizers we waited about another hour for the entrees. The entrees came and the fish was so overcooked that it was curled on the edges. The steak was chewy, cold and did not seem to be a quality cut of meat. I can't speak for the pasta dish but the person at the table who ordered it was not very impressed. To sum it up I will toss up my experience to a "bad night." I can't imagine with all the good reviews the place being like this commonly. I wish the evening would've turned out better, but to be blunt it did not."

"January 16, 2020"

Jim

"We went to Freshtarian tonight and overall found it to be a very positive experience. I had the 16 oz. ribeye and my wife had the vegetarian seasonal vegetables. Her only criticism was that zucchini is not really seasonal in November, although the dish was well prepared. Maybe some winter squash should be included. The ribeye was excellent, by the way and the glass of organic red wine that I had with it was superb. We happened to go there because we were going to be in the area, but we would certainly make a point of returning there in the future with other dinner companions to sample other entrees. Give a try, you won't be disappointed. Jim"

"January 16, 2020"

anonymous

"Excellent customer service. The food was delicious. I came early and had the prix fix menu- a great deal for $18 considering most entrees are $18 or more. I ate the spring rolls, chicken with beet chutney, and the raspberry cheesecake for dessert. The spirng rolls and chicken dish were excellent. The chicken came with roasted veggies including fennel and they were roasted nicely; not overdone the way some resaurants overcook veggies. My friend had the carrot Ginger soup, the pasta primavera, and the carrot cake. My friend said the primavera sauce was bland but I didn't taste it. I did taste her soup and dessert and both were excellent. I kinda wished I got the carrot cake because it was a little better than the raspberry cheesecake. Overall cute place very good food and great service."

"January 16, 2020"

anonymous

"As someone who has several food allergies and eats mostly raw and organic, I was so excited to try Freshtarian. When I told the manager Iam that I had food allergies, he was ready to write them all down so there would be no issues in ingredients used to modify my food, if necessary! I ended up having a rib eye steak, which I haven't had "out" in years and it was perfect! The side of vegetables was a nice size portion.I absolutely left full! My boyfriend had the carrot ginger soup... and he's not a "super" healthy eater and was impressed. His mango beet chicken had him flawed. For $20, a free range rib eye, and for free range chicken, pre fixed menu, $18 is great. Free range should be more expensive... but you would pay those prices, sometimes more, for less volume of food and cheaper nutritional value at any run of the mill chain restaurant. The service was great, the food was amazing. New favorite place!"

"January 16, 2020"

Lo`

"The most difficult part of writing this review will be deciding what the BEST part of my visit to Freshtarian was. It all starts with the staff. They have the friendliest staff, I have ever encountered. The waiter kept our refreshments full, and never got in the way. He was attentive and unobtrusive at the same time, with a pleasant smile on his face! Then there was the entertainment, a duet of singers known as "Songbirds", they were wonderful, talented and didn't hesitate to take requests. Lastly, but certainly not least, the food was incredible. I had the roasted vegetables, and spiced quinoa, which was excellent. I had a taste of my date's salmon which was also delicious. We ordered the spring rolls with apricot sauce, and it was also fantastic. We were also given a complimentary appetizer. Then there's the atmosphere! Freshtarian is located in this lovely little venue, complete with copper accents over the windows, a stone fireplace, candles, and wooden floors. From food to atmosphere, Freshtarian is a five star place. No doubt about it. Now I just need to get all my friends to go, too!"

"January 16, 2020"

anonymous

"I live in Richmondtown. The food and service was great! This place puts almost all of the places in Staten Island to shame! The quality of the food and the friendly service would place this in the top 3 on the island. It well worth the trip from anywhere in Staten island. I would recommend it to my friends in Manhattan also. Go to this place you will not be disappointed."

"January 16, 2020"

anonymous

"What a great place to have on the island. Finally a place that serves good food, really good food which you can tell is fresh, hence the name freshtarian..."

"January 16, 2020"

anonymous

"Went there a few weeks ago and was very disappointed. There was one server working and making beverages. No one to clear the tables. The wait for everything was very long, the interior was too dark and they were unable to provide more light. We asked for an extra crudite plate but it never came. Leftovers to take home were not delivered to the table. The food was good but the waiter was only able to give us a general description of what may come on the plate depending on what was in the kitchen and what the chef felt like. They were out of all desserts except the bananas foster which was mediocre."

"January 16, 2020"

anonymous

"My son and I went to Freshtarian for an early Saturday evening dinner, what a nice place! We sat on the deck, and had a lovely meal. My son had the spring rolls appetizer and pasta primavera for the main course. He is a vegetarian, and not easy to please. He loved his dinner! He also really enjoyed the fresh vanilla cream soda, homemade. I had a red snapper entree with mushrooms and capers in a lemony sauce along with fresh string beans and a great corn salad. The portions were perfect, not too big, not too small, the service was cordial, and the owner/chef came out to say hello. Very homey, warm ambiance, we will definitely come back with the entire family -- soon!"

"January 16, 2020"

anonymous

"Very interesting food which is very tasty. Just what Staten Island was missing, a healthy dine in restaurant using all fresh products which are not grown on steroids. I would suggest to offer some lower priced entree's so we can enjoy this restaurant more often."

"January 16, 2020"

anonymous

"My husband and I had a delicious dinner at Freshtarian. We ordered the spring rolls, pasta and red snapper. Really enjoyed the pumpkin cheesecake. Everything was very tasty and well presented. We felt like we were at an upscale Manhattan restaurant without the fancy prices. We had the $18 prix fixed dinner; very reasonably priced. The staff was very friendly. We had dinner inside and then spent time on the patio enjoying the entertainment which changes every evening. We will definitely be returning."

"January 16, 2020"

anonymous

"We dined at Freshtarian last Saturday night with a party of four. we split asian spring rolls, warmed lentil pate and and an eggplant appetizer - loved all the appys - my personal favorite was the warmed lentil pate. My husband and his friend ordered filet mignon - meat was fresh and tasty. The only complaint my husband had was the filet mignon was cut and not served whole. My friend ordered the red snapper - The chef came to our table to tell us he couldn't sell the snapper because it wasn't fresh enough - we appreciated his honesty and loved that he did this. My friend and I ended up ordering black rock bass - it was outstanding and so fresh. The chef also gave us complimentary vegan cupcakes which were quite tasty - Overall we had an excellent experience at Freshtarian. - As of last Saturday they did not have a liquor license - We will definitely be back to support Freshtarian."

"January 16, 2020"

anonymous

"I recently dined there w/a group of 4. We ordered several appetizers & main courses. The food is very fresh & delicious. The main course fish dishes were excellent. However, the appetizers are far too pricey & very small, even for 2 people to share. Gluten-free pasta dishes should be an alternative to regular pasta dishes, so that it's palatable to all. Again, certain dishes on the menu are priced too high. Gluten-free menus should not be an extravagance, but a reasonably priced & tasty alternative for those on a special diet."

"January 16, 2020"