Even worse than English food.

as close to perfect as I've experienced in the burg--the food, service, ambience--all lovely. true, it's expensive for brooklyn, but you knew that before you came. i was let down by nothing. on the contrsry, i was absolutely enamoured.

I really have loved my experiences at Dressler, but I definitely find it a tough "sell" to my friends. I must admit, I must have been lucky because most people I know have had dissapointing experiences there. The problem doesnt' exactly lie with the food, which is good and pretty consistent, but rather the pricing. The fact of the matter is that actually you CAN get far superior food for the same price in Manhattan. Brooklyn, or rather Williamsburg has lower rent and should be cheaper and honestly the dishes are less refined. That doesn't mean it's not delicious, but it's not 25-30 dollars delicious...so as a result I'm often left with noone to go with me to Dressler because it's either overpriced, or overrated, but I'm hoping things change soon because we really could use a fine dining restaurant in the neighborhood. Why no tableclothes?

Absolutely spot-on. The dining room is incredibly beautiful and elegant, without a hint of pretension. The staff is consistently friendly, professional, and never ever pushy. While the cuisine doesn't exude any "wow" factor, it is consistently delicious and perfectly prepared. And I love how they'll tweak the menu to squeeze in more seasonal ingredients. The must-try dish du jour? The cod with summer corn and cherry tomatoes...perfectly flaky and light, and the veggies are summer sweet. Snap this dish up while you can!

i think everyone needs to realize that dressler is not supposed to be another Diner...it is SUPPOSED to be a little more upscale. sometimes people want something nicer..if you want something cheap and casual, Mcdonalds is right down the street!

OMG, what a bunch of asses, complaining. It is hand down the most elegant thing here! The reality is sometimes you just want nice and not a grunge factor because you can afford it. Grow up what are you doing to contribute beauty here where there once was ugly. Food is a 9.4
service was impeccable for its price range, portions were ample. You asses wouldn't know shit about the running a business let a lone creating a unique luxury product. And if your really can't stand elegance. I under stand this guy owns 3 restaurants in a three block radius, Dumont and Dumont burger. Haven't been to Dumont but Dumonts burger is the best damn burger I have ever eaten. Ease up, it's hipper, and younger than PL's.
Brooklyn is home to many great restaurants and this guy knows how to run a restaurant! Check him out!

I've eaten her 4 times and highly recommend this place. I've tried most of the fish dishes and was most impressed with the Cod and Halibut. The wait staff and host were both friendly and the cocktails were good. For the quality of food, the prices aren't bad. Ambiance is great.

Our party of three arrived on time for our reservation, and then waited five minutes to flag down a server to order a cocktail. We were tartly informed that she wasn’t our server, and thus rendered completely incapable of helping us. While waiting for our server we served bread, but no water. I can only assume they wanted us to work up our thirst, but this was not the case for when our server did arrive she asked for our dinner order. Fifteen minutes or so later, we were given our cocktails and our wine simultaneously. This junior varsity maneuvering should have prompted us to go, but in the interest of informing the public I coaxed my companions to stay a little while longer.
Dressler does not offer specials, nor does it allow substitutions. To me, this is the spawn of chef ego, insisting that we eat the food the way it was meant to be prepared. This line of arguing works until dietary restrictions and food allergies come in to play, and then its self-righteousness shines. The menu was so overly sophisticated that two of us ordered the plain salad and the “Rib eye.” Imagine our alarm when we served what looked to be a strip steak. We mentioned it to the server and she quickly corrected us, insisting that it was indeed a rib eye steak. Now I am no stranger to this business, and do not need to recount my resume to justify my reaction that I was not served a rib eye steak. Let’s just say that for one it was far too lean. When I pointed this out to her she said that it was marbled with fat. I nearly went cross-eyed. When I asked her to demonstrate the marbling effect on my piece, she said that the chef must have trimmed the marbling. That ranks easily as the top five stupidest things I’ve ever heard. Furthermore, any chef with a head for food costs would be foolish to buy a rib eye steak, only to trim away the fat that gives it its entire flavor. Even now, a full week after the dinner, I’m incensed.
Since we left without desert, after paying roughly $75 per person for two courses a bottle of wine, and a cocktail, I am unable to comment on the dessert menu. And why bother? If you are reading this I highly recommend you steer clear of Dressler. Believe me; you can admire the only nice thing about it from the street

Yo Gil,
Yeah I mean Diner (Opened 1999) that's opposite the Gretsch luxury condos (Opened 2005). Presumably you live in the latter.
And yeah I am talking about the hood where Peter Luger is. Another reason not to go to Dressler.

Easily the best restaurant in Williamsburg. The space is gorgeous, the entire staff very friendly and we had the best margaritas of our lives here.
The fig salad with toasted almonds and blue cheese is recommended! The free form ravioli and pork were both superb! I couldn't believe the rich and fresh flavors. For dessert I was blown away by the brownie with pistachio. My boyfriend's rhubarb and strawberry tart was sublime and intense.
Go, now. And don't bitch about the prices. It will be a memorable meal.

Herbie says:
"You come into Diner's hood but you don't get it."
You mean the Diner that's directly across from the Gretsch luxury condos? You mean the hood where the oldest (and best) restaurant is Peter Luger, which is far more expensive than Dressler?

It's great to have Dressler here. The place is beautiful inside - one of the nicest interiors of a new restaurant I can think of. My experience here has been hit-and-miss though. The pork, which many have raved about it, was cooked well-done (I asked for it medium, which is what they recommended), totally bland and tough. I knew it was a fluke, but a 25 dollar one. Meanwhile, the duck was amazing...the first time I had it. I liked it so much that I had to go back and have it again, but it was way underdone (raw in the middle), a huge disappointment. The artichoke salad is great of course, but you can get it at DuMont. The rabbit ragout was good, if a little unrefined. The sturgeon appetizer was excellent, and every dessert I've tried is delicious.

Although people are claiming this place is a great deal, much cheaper than a Manhattan counterpart, I don't know if that's really true. This isn't the equivalent of Daniel of Per Se. I'd say entrees are a few bucks cheaper than they would be in Manhattan, although the portions are more generous here. All in all, I'm glad this is here, but it's inconsistent enough that I'm wary of going back. Hopefully the rave reviews won't go to their heads. Meanwhile, I'd say DuMont is more reliable. Of course, service at both places is a little unwelcoming.

Great food & service. If you are eating at the bar, get the ribs, wow, were they good. The roasted chicken is recommended!

We have eaten here twice now, and have had a pleasant experience both times. I would recommend the fish dishes over the pork or duck entrees. You can't go wrong with the artichoke salad as a starter - it is the same one served as a special at Dumont - fried artichokes in an herby creamy sauce with white beans and arugula. Had the spring pea soup with lobster on last visit and it was very simple and fresh, letting the high quality ingredients speak for themselves. Would like to see some occasional specials or seasonal menu changes. Sommelier is knowledgable and approachable.

I've eaten here almost once a week since its opened and its been great every time. The staff has always been friendly especially the general manager. The duck, chicken, and pork have all been amazing. I think this is a great addition to Williamsburg and I’m glad to see them get the 2 stars from the Times.

I'm sorry, but to walk into this place in the middle of craphole Broadway on a weekday and be turned away for not having a reservation when there were multiple tables open is pure assholism. I've eaten at Dumont almost since it opened and watched the service decline as the prices and the wait time steadily increased...but never was I turned away. Guess what Dressler, you aren't Peter Luger's, so get over yourself. Pandering to the bridge and tunnel crowd won't last...try to remember who your regulars will be. And I don't mean Gretsch Building residents.

I took my boyfriend here for his birthday and needless to say, I was disappointed. The salad was overly bitter, the steak I had was tough - making it hard to eat, (even though I had it cooked to medium) and the service was slow.
I still have hope for this place, as the ambiance is amazing. But I'm not sure when I'm going to want to spend a lot on a possibly mediocre dinner.

1. Malibu: It's ok to use full words - you don't have to make up shortened versions of everything.
2. Herbie: Can't say "Go back to Manhattan" b/c these guys are Brooklyn
3. Noodles: What? If you drink 10 Jamesons? Who drinks 10 Jamesons?
4. I haven't eaten here!

The much anticipated knee-jerk crowd has done its thing. Good riddence to the nay sayers. The skin on the perfectly roasted chicken was a sublime eating experience. Some finishing salt would be nice. Who knew fiddleheads and ramps could make it to Williamsburg? Duck although not rendered out enough and sliced too thick, was acceptable and cooked to desired doneness. The accompanying sides for said entree were at once intense and focused in both flavor and presentation. Service aside, wines left something to be desired. The list was a bit presumptuous, espcially by varietel category. Yawn. BTW, if you drink 10 Jamesons' with your burger at Restaurant X, your bill is roughly the same as it would be here. Do the math, take the time, and explore Dressler and their affable staff. The space alone is worth the visit.

The much anticipated knee-jerk crowd has done its thing. Good riddence to the nay sayers. The skin on the perfectly roasted chicken was a sublime eating experience. Some finishing salt would be nice. Who knew fiddleheads and ramps could make it to Williamsburg? Duck although not rendered out enough and sliced too thick, was acceptable and cooked to desired doneness. The accompanying sides for said entree were at once intense and focused in both flavor and presentation. Service aside, wines left something to be desired. The list was a bit presumptuous, espcially by varietel category. Yawn. BTW, if you drink 10 Jamesons' with your burger at Restaurant X, your bill is roughly the same as it would be here. Do the math, take the time, and explore Dressler and their affable staff. The space alone is worth the visit.

I agree with Herbie. Who can afford this place, seriously.

$25 entrees? Screw this place.

You come into Diner's hood but you don't get it.

Go back to Manhattan.

omg i love this place. went on night 2 and was surprised to see how well they had their shit together. the burger tops Diner's in my book. i know it's crazy! cerviche was yummy too. was a little freaked out when a bartender filled 6 plastic pint glasses with beer and when we asked where they were going, amused, dude said they were going to the kitchen staff. and off they went. whatevs. food was still super yum. and they take rezzies- thank god, which is odd for this 'hood.