Contra New York - Buy Reservations

had a good time at Contra with some friends as a sort of belated birthday dinner. We each picked a few items off the prix fixe menu and sampled around -- good food but definitely not filling (as expected, I guess). Flavors were light and highlighted the seafood in each dish well, but maybe I wasn't feeling it that day because I just don't have the strongest impression of the dishes. Favorites were the hiramasa and the soy tofu, but I did not like wagyu crudo :( 5/10, was still enjoyable but maybe just a one time experience. For a Michelin star restaurant, probably one of my least favorite so far. Would rather go somewhere else considering the price point.

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Really popular spot in Soho and great vibe and super awesome service.Went with the chef's choice tasting menu (4 savory and 1 sweet) and overall was pretty satisfied. Couple of clunkers in there (celery root, eel) but the waygu, monkfish and strawberry dessert (like a strawberry cloud) were amazing.Biggest issue was the kitchen got backed up and at times they were like 25 minutes between courses. Definitely too much for a five course tasting and also this place has one single-hole tiny bathroom for an entire restaurant of people. Could've been excellent and wound up mostly pretty good instead.

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Bar seating was spacious, no problem enjoying the meal. Service is friendly, I formative, but non-intrusive. Food is refined with some tastefully bold flourishes.

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There was a sociopath named lulu. She was screaming. The drinks taste like poo. Another person here was screaming because they wanted alcohol. I will never be coming here again

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Two of us split 4 plates and were completely satisfied and too full for dessert! Inventive, phenomenal dishes you wouldn't find anywhere else. The eel in particular blew my mind - it was smoked and soft, similar to pork belly and just a joy to eat. If anything, some of the dishes felt a little safe and mild (hence the 4 stars instead of 5) but that could have just been how we ordered. Will absolutely be coming back to try the rest of the menu!

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The entrance is small but there are quite a few tables inside. We had Contra Spritz, Gim-less and Hibiscus & Lemon as drinks. We ordered blue prawn, crab, and smoked eel & potato ecrase as appetizers, lobster tart and lamb as entrees, satsuma mandarin and amaranth as desserts. The food taste good but nothing really stood out to be honest. The service is good. This place is worth trying but I don't think I'll come back again. I was expecting the food to be better given that it's a Michelin one star restaurant.

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They have a nice wine menu with skin contact wines as well.

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Came here for New Years Eve dinner which was $200 per person this year, more than their typical set menu which is $110. Favorites were this oyster and caviar dish as well as the lobster tarte. I don't think either of them are on their regular menu, but were more special dishes for NYE. Overall, I thought the food was good / creative, but nothing spectacular in terms of taste. I likely wouldn't go back again, but really glad I gave the restaurant a try. I think the restaurant is very thoughtful with their dishes and they have an open kitchen concept where you can see them making the food. While I appreciate the creativity with the dishes, taste and ingredient wise, Contra wasn't quite my cup of tea.

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Wine pairing wasn't optimal. An extra glass of wine was given, which we didn't request, and we were charged for it. Dessert was the only home run. The only reason I'm posting this is because we discussed how it was one of our worst meals of 2021. Wildair was a much better experience. I may give this place a second shot but I won't subject my friends to such crap.

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I want to preface this review and rating with a bit of my background: My boyfriend had been dying to go here, the menu and options are very much his palette (bold/rich flavors, unique pairings, one of the kind type meals). When I saw the menu online, I knew this restaurant would be an interesting experience because nothing really stood out to me (I think it might have been a bit too unique for me to comprehend what it could potentially taste like) and there were no real "entrees".We had a reservation at 8pm on a Saturday night, they promptly seated us. The table itself was rather small and it was very close to other parties. It didn't bother us but not the place to have an intimate conversation without everyone overhearing. It also meant for wandering eyes when the food arrived and finger pointing (lol) but that's to be expected at a unique restaurant like this. Our waitress was really sweet, I wish I remembered her name. She was kind enough to tuck my coat into the chair (no coat racks/hooks/coat check) and give us her thoughts on our order. She helped me pick out a tasty natural wine and suggested the smoked eel which was my favorite dish we ordered that night. Hat's off to her! Let's get into the food now: The start was the delicious sourdough bread with whipped butter. It was decadent and delicious as bread and butter is. We asked for seconds and they did not forget it about as the previous reviewer mentioned. Super generous that night with the bread and butter (as they should be!). Our waitress suggested we potentially could order the whole menu given the plate size which I'm glad we didn't.. extremely $$$ and based on what we did get, I don't think it would've been worth it. We got the fish tartare (amberjack), wagyu beef crudo, crab, smoked eel & potato and the monkfish. I have a nut allergy otherwise I think we would've considered the celery. ($170 total) What I would get again (keep in mind, these are small portions): - amberjack tartare (great texture, light sauce, a great starter) - smoked eel & potato (delicious flavor, they complimented eachother well) - crab (my boyfriend loved this, the dashi was too salty for me but he thoroughly enjoyed it) What I would skip: - wagyu (I really wanted to love this but I think I went into it thinking it would be like a carpaccio, instead it's really focused around the mole, the meat is simply a vehicle to house it. The mole was quite sweet and I think I had expected something different so it threw off my experience) - monkfish (This has potential, it was wrapped in chard leaves and had a "dumpling" on the side with pureed squash and sunflower seeds but the flavor just wasn't for me. A bit too savory/smokey and I didn't think it meshed well) Overall I would not come back but it was still a good experience to try out in NYC. If I lived in the neighborhood I would consider going by for a glass of wine and a few plates but it's a come hungry leave hungry type of establishment for a dinner meal unless you're willing to shell out.

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The soul was taken out of every dish. How do you spoil amazing blue prawns? By wrapping them in an overpowering shiso leaf and serving them with an unnecessary vegetable crudo and bland sauce. The prawns didn't stand a chance against that team. It was the most spectacularly unremarkable dish. The rest faired better but every dish was somehow wrong. Potato ecrase w smoked eel - tasted like a fairly good gastropub brunch dish. But the tiny serving made any 'comfort food' feeling impossible to achieve. Arugula leaves thrown on top - unseasoned and without any dressing- were just sad. Waguy beef crudo was a total miss. The medley of seeds and sweet mole completely killed the meat itself. A pity, it could have been just served w sea salt and olive oil and be great. Best dishes were the crab in broth and boudin noir. There was nothing wrong w them, but neither were they great. Just solid. Overall, the food felt like a science lab experiment where the people cooking don't get any joy from eating. Trying to combine flavors that don't usually go together can yield amazing results, just not here.Service was great though.

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Well executed food with bold flavors, obscure wines and great service in a laid back atmosphere. Great for dates or a fun night out. The menu is a la carte but also offers carte blanche (I think 5 savory and 2 desserts of the chef's choice). The 2 of us opted to order most of the small menu and a bottle of young pinot that turned out to be good. The pilsner was really crisp and good. We shared:Fish tartare - the ramp kimchi added nice umami. Would order againWagyu beef crudo - came w a mole sauce and chili (not spicy). Would order againCrab with dashi broth - the broth was so flavorful and delicate. Would order againSmoked eel and potato - little bits of eel and creamy potatoes. A bit heavy but I would order againBlood sausage and beans - slightly crisp top, subtle flavors. It was good but I don't think I'd order it again Pork secreto - thinly sliced pork quickly seared so it's super tender and moist, served with big brussel sprout leaves. While it was delicious, it was too much meat by the end of the meal and I wouldn't order again, but if you're a big meat eater, this dish is filling.Date dessert with chicory coffee and sweet cream - delicious way to end dinner. Would order again. I think 6 dishes (including dessert) would be enough for 2 people, but if you're 2 dudes then order 7.

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