Black Tree
“The food is all farm-to-table and locally sourced, but they're not obnoxious about it.”
“The fall pig, the lobster roll (seasonal), the short rib, grilled cheese (with ham) and the duck (seasonal) are all sublime.”
“The winter pig sandwich, comprising of braised pork belly, apple jam/sauce, and mint on fresh, ciabatta bread, was AMAZINGLY good.”
Black Tree
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
I was having a crazy Saturday night in and saw on Diners, Drive-ins and Dives this gem being featured. When I see a well-made pork belly sandwich, I just knew I had to check this place out. The uniqueness about this place is that it focuses on Farm to table ingredients.
I came here during Sunday brunch hours and not realizing that only brunch items are sold during brunch, the menu was limited in sandwiches but fortunately they had the main sandwich I was looking for: the Pig's sandwich. It seems that they vary the ingredients to accompany the season which is great. In my sandwich, there was greenpoint braised pork belly, a beautiful fried egg, cooked down apple slices, all encased by a wonderfully crisp ciabatta. Delicious! The pork belly was super soft, the fried egg had a runny yolk and the apple was mild, perfectly complementing the rest of the sandwich.
I also shared the breakfast burrito that was stuffed with scrambled egg and arugula. It was huge and everything was perfect for sharing. The service was also super nice and attentive. I would love to come back during dinner hours and try their short rib and mushroom sandwich.
Sidenote: The only thing I wish they would do is update their website. The menus do not reflect what I was offered when I came, which was slightly frustrating because I had every intention of ordering the short rib sandwich which was shown on their brunch site but not when I sat down.
Ate lunch here today. Came in and the place was pretty empty but the bartender Bianca made me feel right at home. I had the hummus plate, two blood orange pale ales, a cocktail, and a shot (oops). The food was super tasty. Hummus is served with pickled veggies, cinnamon apples, and amazing warm toasty bread. Cocktails and beer were bomb af too. A very chill spot to stop by if you're in the lower east side and want a discreet classy drink or snack.
This place is the perfect place of a cool bar and the food is amazing. The winter's pig sandwich will make you wonder if you ever ate pork belly before. The pork belly melts in your mouth and just coats every nook and cranny of your mouth! The flavors was interesting but worked so well. The apple jam complements the pork so well and the bread was the perfect vehicle to hold the goodness inside. There will definitely will be a return trip. The meat is butchered in house and you can taste the difference!
Loved this place! So glad my son suggested it! We had no reservation, I'm not even sure they take reservations. At 7pm on a Saturday we were able to grab 4 seats at the bar. We had 2 arugula salads, the chicken wings, potato artichoke dip and a sandwich, 2 beers and a wine and the bill came to $88 not including tip. Service was great and the food was fresh and delicious. Great light dinner for 4 for an awesome price in NYC. I will definitely be back when I'm in town.
One of my favorite places to eat in LES. It's a small place, half the restaurant is bar/counter seating. We were quoted a 45 minute wait for two but we asked if we could sit at the small counter across the bar and they kindly cleared it off for us.
On the menu that week were different types of pork sandwiches. We were told they take in an entire pig and use it to make different dishes until they've used up the whole pig. So we both had a different kind of pork sandwich and their heirloom tomato salad. The sandwiches were decently sized and the pork juicy and not overly salty. My favorite was the heirloom tomato salad served up on a small cheese board – the most refreshing thing I've tasted in a while. It was almost as if they plucked those tomatoes right off the vine before they served them. Very pleased with the food and service, can't wait to go back!
Okay Black Tree is now a cash only place so just be sure to have lots of money with you lol. Despite this minor annoyance Black Tree is incredible. Great bar vibe with incredible food. The staff is always friendly and welcoming. I have been here before for lunch and loved it but last night elevated my opinion even more. The pork belly bao was delicious. The pork bun was perfectly light and airy coupled with the gelatinous pork belly. Just on point. This place has moved to regular rotation now.
Another restaurant my girlfriend discovered on Food Network via Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives. Black Tree is definitely a dive as it is really dark and small. The thing with restaurants featured on TV is that they're usually hits or misses. Black Tree is a hit with its seasonal menu concept featuring fresh in season ingredients. However, I'm not sure how I feel about seasonal menus as they have pros and cons as well.
During our visit, we ordered the clam chowder and the short rib sandwich (which happened to be the dish featured on Diners, Drive Ins, and Dives)! The clam chowder came in a huge bowl that serves well as an entree. I love how every spoonful consists of bacon, potatoes, and clams. A good chowder to me has at least equal parts clams to potatoes ratio because let's face it, who really wants to just slurp soup with just potatoes. The bacon was a great smoky addition that didn't overpower the soup. My favorite component to the soup however was the cheese bread. You can tell the bread was cut and stuffed with cheese and other components, making dipping the bread into the soup so much more flavorful. Though given 1/4 of a loaf, I wish there was more! The short rib sandwich was so flavorful as well as the short rib to bread ratio was 2:1. There was so much short rib that it kept falling out of the sandwich with every bite!
Now back to my pros/cons comment on seasonal menus – it's a pro because you know there's always new items to order, but the con is that when you're craving a particular dish, it may not be there. I often find myself craving the clam chowder/bread and short rib sandwich and am patiently awaiting their return.
To anyone heading to the Lower East Side soon, go to Black Tree. To anyone not visiting that neighborhood soon? Change your plans, and then go to Black Tree. This restaurant gives farm-to-table mentality a cool,edgy twist. My boyfriend and I went here and loved it. While the menu changes each week based on available ingredients, I must say that the artichoke dip was on another level (it sounds dramatic, but I'm serious) and the duck plate we shared had us wanting more. The restaurant itself has a cool, semi-industrial flair; however, it's small so try this option during off-peak eating hours.
Need anymore incentive to spot by? Just check out its Diners, Drive-ins and Dives episode. You'll be sold.