LA transplant with standout veggies & pizzas, but NYC vibe needs a boost.
Willa Moore reviews Gjelina NYC, an American and Italian restaurant in Noho, noting its pleasant but ultimately unremarkable vegetarian dishes and pizzas, which fail to live up to the legacy of its LA counterpart.
This New York outpost of the famed Los Angeles restaurant offers a Californian-inspired menu with an emphasis on fresh ingredients, particularly its vegetable dishes. While praised for its grilled blue oyster mushrooms and some breakfast items, the NYC location has been noted to lack the ambiance of its West Coast counterpart. The pizzas and some other main dishes have received mixed reviews, leading to an overall sentiment that the experience is
The menu features a strong focus on vegetables, with the grilled blue oyster mushrooms being a standout. Pizzas and some pasta dishes, like the saffron spaghetti, have received mixed reviews, with some finding them uninspired or too fatty. Breakfast items like the Lemon Buckwheat Ricotta Pancakes are recommended.
"The grilled blue oyster mushrooms are frequently highlighted as a must-try dish. Breakfast items like the Lemon Buckwheat Ricotta Pancakes and Sprouted Purple Barley with Poached Egg are also recommended."
Customers generally find the food to be good, with a particular highlight on the vegetable dishes, though some feel the NYC location doesn't quite live up to its Los Angeles origins in terms of ambiance.
Important Note
Some reviewers feel the NYC location lacks the ambiance of its Los Angeles counterpart and that some dishes, particularly pizzas, are not as impressive as expected.
"Gjelina is mentioned as a potential fit for the user's request for California-style, plant-forward food."
Positive"Gjelina features an excellent 'vegetables' section on its menu that can constitute a full meal."
Positive"A commenter reiterated that classifying a restaurant as a 'chain' simply because it has another location in a different city is an imprecise definition, implying Gjelina should not be categorized as such."
Neutral"A commenter disagreed with Gjelina being called a 'chain', noting it has a location in LA and mentioning 'Gjusta' as a related, positive establishment."
Neutral"A commenter viewed Gjelina as a decent option on the list but noted it is a chain and suggested its original incarnation (likely in LA) is superior."
Neutral
