I have heard nothing but praises for April Bloomfield’s The Spotted Pig in the West Village. By the way, what IS a gastropub? I found this very detailed analysis of gastropubs in England over at Pubology. Most of what I have heard about The Spotted Pig was how awesome their burger and shoestring fries were.
I was more curious about their other food beyond the burger, but I do love some shoestring fries with rosemary. So, when my sister was in NYC for a wedding photography gig, I used the chance to take her to The Spotted Pig and finally find out why everyone loves this place.
The Journey to The Spotted Pig
West Village is a mystery to me. I rarely go beyond 6th Ave and W. 4th St because West Village is like a maze, a jungle of buildings where the layout of the streets makes no sense at all. I once got lost with a friend after seeing an art show.
We thought we were going in the correct direction but ended up somewhere completely different. It doesn’t help that most streets in the West Village aren’t numbered. It’s like the ever-changing maze in Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire. That’s how I feel about the West Village. I might randomly find a nice restaurant, only to lose or forget where I first saw it. But now that my phone has a map function, this might all change.
Arriving at The Spotted Pig
After taking my sister to check out The High Line in Chelsea, we walked over to The Spotted Pig around 6 PM. They open at 5:30 PM for dinner, and I hoped that arriving around 6 PM on the Friday of a long weekend would make getting a table quick. When we walked in, I was half right and half wrong.
The room was already crowded with diners, but we only waited 10 minutes for our table. We were led up to the second floor and seated in a tiny nook with five other pairs of diners. It was a bit odd to sit in that small space with 10 other people. It was dimly lit, and as it got darker outside, they dimmed the lights even lower. Dimly lit places always make me sleepy.
Food Rundown
Pre-Entrée Choices
I had already checked out the menu beforehand, so I knew what I wanted. My initial picks were the Chicken Liver Toast, Poached Duck Egg with Lamb Tongue & Flageolet Beans, either the Grilled Skirt Steak with Summer Beets & Horseradish Cream, or the Crispy Pork Belly with Bean Purée. Of course, I also wanted the shoestring fries. That’s not too much food, right?
My sister, however, was quite hungry. She wanted the Chicken Liver Toast, the Pig Ear Salad, and possibly the burger or the Crispy Pork Belly. I thought that was too much food, and she agreed once she saw how big the burger was. Since she ordered the two things I wanted to try, I ordered the Poached Duck Egg with Lamb Tongue and the Crispy Pork Belly. I noticed that three tables around us had ordered the Corn Soup with Chanterelles, and it looked delicious. I love corn soup, but I stuck with my original order. Watching those same tables also struggle to cut into the pork belly’s crispy skin added to the anticipation.
Main Courses
When our food arrived, we were given small plates of olives and salted almonds to start. I rarely eat olives and almonds, but these were pretty damn good. My Poached Duck Egg with Lamb Tongue was incredible. The egg was perfectly poached, and the lamb tongue had just the right amount of “lambiness” for me. Combined with the beans, it was a perfect Fall comfort dish—I wanted another bowl.
The Chicken Liver Pâté on Toast was a standout. The pâté was the best I’ve ever had—so flavorful. The bread was just as impressive: crunchy on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. It was, hands down, an amazing dish.
The Pork Belly and Burger
And finally, the Crispy Pork Belly and my sister’s burger arrived. Sadly, the pork belly was disappointing. The skin wasn’t crispy at all—I couldn’t even cut through it with a knife. I had to repeatedly stab it to break it into smaller pieces. The fat and meat were overly soft, and the entire slab just fell apart into mush. It was a sad experience, and even the bean purée on the side didn’t save it.
The burger, however, was a hit. Topped with a “wig” of shoestring fries, it came out perfectly medium-rare, as ordered. While I’m not a fan of strong, stinky cheese, the Roquefort was tolerable. The toasted bun was excellent, but the patty itself was so soft that I missed the texture. Despite that, I preferred it over the pork belly.
Service and Final Thoughts
The service at The Spotted Pig was excellent. Our waitress was incredibly friendly and apologized multiple times for the wait, which honestly felt normal to me. She even offered us a free dessert, which we initially declined because we were too full. But she insisted and offered to pack it to go. We ended up taking home the Walnut, Chocolate & Amaretto Cake. It was a bit dry the next day but still decent.
Overall, it was a great meal, despite sitting in a cramped nook and the pork belly being a letdown. I still don’t fully understand what a gastropub is, but if they’re all as good as The Spotted Pig, I want to visit every single one of them.
