Penelope

I went to Penelope for dinner around 9pm on a Saturday night with a friend. My friend lives in the neighborhood, and thought that 9pm was late enough to avoid having to wait. We opened the doors to the restaurant, and walked into a queue of eight people. We were told the wait was a half hour, so grabbed a drink at Banc, a few blocks away and returned at 30 minutes later.

The line of people had disappeared by the time we returned, and we were welcomed by a friendly host and waiters. I was surprised at how cute and quaint the restaurant was. I felt like I was in West Village, not Murray Hill. The food is comfort food, great if you're a brunch person like me. The menu has salads, sandwiches, mac & cheese, and pot pies.

We ordered a spinach artichoke dip to share, and I ordered a chicken pot pie for main. My friend ordered the "nice chicken meatballs" sandwich. The spinach artichoke dip was delicious: hearty, with just the right amount of all the ingredients (not too creamy or cheesy). It came with three different types of bread, which were all delicious. The sandwich (yes, I tasted it) and the fries that came with it was great, and so was the chicken pot pie.

The service at Penelope was great. The waiters were courteous and friendly. It feels like the type of place you can linger at for hours (if you ignored the huge line out the door). The menu is very reasonably priced. If you're up for brunch-type food, this is a great option in Murray Hill.

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159 Lexington Ave
(at 30th St)
New York, NY 10016
212-481-3800
http://www.penelopenyc.com/