Brunching At Bijan's

Having lived in NYC for nearly a year now, I have made a point to try as many new restaurants as I possibly can. But even in doing so – I know I haven’t even made a dent in the overwhelming variety of establishments in the city. When it comes to restaurant experiences, I’m usually focused on the moment that I’m having with people I'm with, as well as the amazing (or in some cases not so amazing) food we’re having. I haven’t documented some of the better places I’ve gone to in recent months. But now that we’re quickly moving through 2018 already – one of my resolutions was to do more blogs about my dining experiences – as well as provide my honest review on them, even if they weren’t so great.

To kick things off, I wanted to talk about my experience at a Boerum Hill restaurant - Bijan’s. They’re a Persian-inspired restaurant with a creative and intimate vibe that appeals to the hipster and artsy at heart. It turns out that I’ve visited this place twice in the past 3 months and didn’t realize it until my second visit. The first experience was a date I had in back in December – I thoroughly enjoyed the veggie burger, herb fries and rose wine that I had. But just this month, I went on a brunch date with my friend. In researching places to go, I found this place and saw it wasn’t too far – I didn’t recognize the name but immediately recalled the restaurant after stepping into the doors once again. 

Feeling The Bijan Vibes 

As I mentioned, the restaurant is chic and cozy – the décor/art throughout gives the place a hip vibe. They even project TV programs or old black-and-white movies on the back wall, which is a nice touch and makes the restaurant feel like it’s full of activity. I don’t know – I just really like being in the restaurant, it’s so me. Aside from the wide, “community” tables, the individual tables are super close together. I mean, many NYC restaurants have tight spaces, but this seems more on the tighter side. My main complaint regarding the layout – but anyway, let’s talk drinks.

On this occasion, I had better luck with the drinks than my friend. I ordered two rounds of the Bijan Bee – which consists of “Prosecco With a Splash [of] Peach Nectar” according to their website. It pretty much tasted like a Mimosa, just with a peach twist. Loved the taste, and obviously loved the sweet buzz it left me with through the meal and after. My friend, on the other hand, ordered the Bijan – which consists of “Vodka, Pineapple Juice, Mint and Elderflower, Garnished With A Dusting of Cayenne” according to the website. As you can see from the ingredients, there is a lot going on with this drink – and we personally didn’t feel that translated to a pleasing taste. Enough about the drinks – let’s move onto the entrée.

How The Entrée Stacked Up 

So, I honestly found their brunch menu a little underwhelming. Don’t get me wrong, it had variety, but it leaned a bit too much toward eggs than I personally care for. With that being the case, and not really wanting a salad or a burger, I decided to go with their pancakes. I mentioned this in my review of Vinegar Hill House – pancakes are usually my obsession when it comes to brunch.  Surprisingly, I took a bit of a break from them for like the past 6 months, so a reunion has certainly been in order.

• Good News: Loved the presentation of the meal – super pretty and always enjoy when pancakes are decorated with my favorite fruits. The serving was solid – three large pancakes that filled me up like they’re supposed to. The syrup was just enough and wasn’t overwhelmingly sweet.
• Bad News: They were cold. Not that I need my food to be super-hot, but I believe pancakes are best when they’re warm, soft and comforting (for lack of a better word). I will say that the restaurant was very cold when we went, so it’s possible that quickly took hold of the pancakes - but I feel like they should have been fresh and hot enough to overcome that.

Final Thoughts 

Time for the main question – would I recommend going to Bijan’s? Given that I had two experiences and they were both for the most part good ones, I would say yes. Especially if you reside in Boerum Hill or surrounding neighborhoods – it is definitely worth checking out. I would say, however, that dinner would offer a more intriguing experience than brunch. The service I received when I went for dinner versus brunch was far more positive – the wait staff was more attentive and focused. Also, you can only pay with cash for brunch – which the waitress didn’t tell us until we received the check. If you pay Bijan’s a visit or have already visited in the past, I welcome you to share your experience with me.