Caroline Schiff is an award-winning pastry chef, cookbook author, and culinary public figure recognized for her innovative dessert creations and expertise in sourdough baking. She was named a Food & Wine Best New...
5
Can only speak about brunch, but really enjoyed our experience at Gage and Tollner. The restaurant is stunning, like an old piece of NYC saved from the past. Service is old school polite, quick, and efficient. They have a great cocktail program here and I enjoyed my first Sherry Cobbler, an old school concoction you don’t see on many menus. The brunch offerings were really good, we enjoyed the wedge, Dutch baby and a fantastic burger. Can’t wait to go back for dinner!
I had my birthday dinner here and wow did we eat good. The food was outrageous! There’s a reason this place is famous. The mains were to die for, but special mention to the hash brown side which was more of a thinly sliced crispy potato. My god it was probably the best potato dish I’ve ever had!! Left this place fat and happy.
Dinner at Gage & Tollner was an outstanding experience. We were glad to have a reservation—there was a line when we arrived. The dining room felt intimate and transportive, with a classic, old-world charm, and the staff were attentive throughout.
We started with oysters (a mix of East Coast varieties), shrimp cocktail, and crab soup—everything fresh and well-executed. The Kaluga caviar with blinis was a highlight: smooth, buttery, and paired perfectly with sparkling cava.
For mains, the pork rib chop was cooked beautifully (though the sauce wasn’t our favorite), and the Atlantic hake was light, flaky, and nicely presented over cabbage. Sides of mashed potatoes and creamed spinach were rich and satisfying. We finished with a baked Alaska that was easily enough for three.
Overall, a fantastic meal—refined, memorable, and definitely worth returning for (next time, the steak).
Gage & Tollner is a truly special place with an incredible history. The interiors are absolutely beautiful, and I'm so glad the building has protected historic status so future generations can continue to experience it. Dining here really feels like stepping back to 1879, when the restaurant first opened.
The food and drinks were so good, and the service at the bar downstairs was outstanding, welcoming, personable, and genuinely fun. That was one of the highlights of the evening. However, the service at our table paled in comparison, It came across as rushed and detached.
Even so, I'm glad we visited. The history, and unique atmosphere make Gage & Tollner well worth experiencing, especially if you appreciate great food, cocktails and timeless character.
The appetizers were the star of the show, which is a huge bummer when the ribeye is $170 for a steak so chewy and tough that it was a struggle to cut with the provided steak knives. I have cooked grocery store steaks that were more tender than what we were served. The sauces were ok, but the roasted garlic was almost hard, which is a terrible example of how to roast a head of garlic. If you go, I recommend sticking to the appetizers, pasta dishes or the cocktails and just enjoy the ambience. Service was excellent, I hope they swap to a new vendor or take some time tenderizing the low quality steaks.
