Bananas

I’ve been to Bananas twice in the last three weeks and I’m already figuring out when to go back. The food is seriously incredible — Chef K is a wizard. The scallops fried rice, chicken pancakes, and octopus were all absolute standouts. The onion dip with chips are a must. The cocktails are just as good. Dania behind the bar is amazing — super welcoming and makes a killer drink. The cucumber fizz was refreshing and honestly the best summer drink I’ve had in a while. The whole vibe is just fun. Great energy, great service, and everything on the menu feels thoughtful and delicious. Easily one of my favorite spots in the city right now.

I got the chance to try this wonderful for at this new restaurant in city! When I arrived I parked on the street nearby. I walked into the cutest restaurant. I was served by Tenzin and she was great! I had: West 32 Reserve Soju Nola BBQ Octopus Etouffe Shrimp Alfredo Dynamite fried rice The drink was delicious! My favorite dish was the Etouffe! All in all, I had a great experience!

Had dinner here and everything was so good! The fusion of favors in every dish was wonderful. My favorite dish was the crab fried rice and octopus. The meatballs in tomato tom yum sauce were also delicious. The restaurant itself was beautiful and can sit big parties if needed. There is also a kitchen counter where you can watch the chefs cook as well. Overall a great experience and can’t wait come come back to try more items.

​Bananas is a bold and playful Asian American restaurant in New York City's East Village. The restaurant reclaims the term “banana” a colloquialism for Asian Americans perceived as “yellow on the outside, white on the inside” by celebrating the fusion of Asian flavors with American comfort food. ​ The menu is a creative blend of East and West, featuring standout dishes like the krapow chopped cheese, dynamite fried rice, karaage pancake, and char siu. Bananas offers a unique dining experience that combines inventive cuisine with a vibrant atmosphere, making it a must visit spot for those seeking a fresh take on Asian American dining!

More like 3.5 stars. Everything was reasonably enjoyable but there were some lowlights. My friend texted me after she dined here to recommend it - she knows I'm a sucker for Asian fusion - I immediately went the night after. Our group of 6 got the following: Tom yum meatballs - the most memorable part was the fact that the sauce did evoke Tom yum at all? Shrimp dumpling etouffee - didn’t add rice to this but maybe should’ve since it was super salty. Otherwise not too unbearable since I only had 1-2 small bites. Dynamite fried rice - really like the crispy/burnt rice at the bottom of the stone pot, flavorful but again a bit salty for me. Karaage pancakes - fried chicken was pretty good although pancakes fell flat (could’ve been fluffier and not as dry). Condensed milk makes everything better tho. Char siu with caramelized banana - the pork itself was tender and delish but I did not enjoy pairing it with banana at all. IMO why over complicate an already perfect thing with extras? I’m all about innovation and playing with new flavors but it just didn’t make sense to my palate. Pad krapow chopped cheese burger - this was my fave dish! A Thai spin on a New York classic, the beef was really flavorful and I liked the buttery toasted bun. Rosemary fries were dece too. Any type of Asian fusion is usually right up my alley but I don’t think the food was special enough to justify the price so I wouldn’t go back. Additionally, we were surprised to discover they automatically charged 25% for gratuity bc we had a party of 6. Tipping culture has rly gotten out of hand in America. They may be able to do well based on hype initially bc some of the dishes could go viral on socials, I’m just not sure they can sustain repeat business.

WOW! I went to @bananas_nyc last night, and yummmm! What a restaurant! Seriously, I had no idea what to expect—I’m not even sure what New American cuisine really means—but I definitely know what a delicious food is! And this place is Absolutely incredible. Every dish was amazing—fresh, innovative, and bursting with flavor. Some hints of Asian influence, plenty of seafood, and one of the best hamburgers I’ve had in a while. 🍔🔥 I wanted to lick the octopus plate at the end, the sauce was that good. 🐙 And on top of it all, the team there was so nice…

Such a fun concept and the food is delicious! The service was phenomenal and everything was amazing. The udon was incredible, the perfect texture. And the poached pear was so refreshing and unique!

A handful of standout dishes among an experimental Asian fusion menu. I ordered 5 items: (1) shrimp etouffee, (2) char siu pork, (3) garlic rice, (4) chopped cheese krapow, & (5) banana ice cream. Some were better than others. Shockingly, the etouffee and chopped cheese were my favorite of the bunch. As a southerner, I was impressed by the authentic flavors throughout the etouffee and enjoyed the wonton wrapping as a spin on a Louisiana classic. I think it would've been more texturally interesting if they pan-fried the wontons, but it was otherwise delicious. As for the chopped cheese--10/10, no notes. The rosemary fries paired well with the basil within the burger, creating a fresh herbal taste despite the heavy, fried, and cheesy components. I'd reorder both of these dishes. Unfortunately, I had poor experiences with the char siu and ice cream. The char siu and ice cream were textural nightmares. The char siu was overcooked, as confirmed by my Chinese partner, which defeated the point of boasting the long marination time. I'm not sure if the kitchen was just having an off day, as other reviews note its tenderness. But that was not my experience. Separately, the ice cream toppings were poorly executed. The bacon bits were so hard that it physically hurt to bite into them. Similarly, the hardened peanut butter drizzle was difficult to break apart and would just slip off of the ice cream. Due to both of these issues, the intended flavors were not well integrated within the dessert. They need to go back to the drawing board with those two dishes. Overall, I found that the dishes were really hit or miss--but the hits were so good that I'd definitely return. I'm interested to see how this restaurant continues to evolve! For more honest food reviews, check out @chloenicholle on IG & Substack.

Go bananas for Bananas! We enjoyed a lovely dinner here. Vibes, staff, and food were beyond our expectations. First off, food had amazing flavor with unexpected twists. I'd definitely be getting the following next time: 1) onion dip - just get it. Shrimp chips were crispy to perfection and this onion dip was ADDICTING! 2) dynamite fried rice - soooo flavorful without being overwhelming; I've had a lot of fried rice in my life and this did not disappoint 3) Char Siu Banana - if someone told me that caramelized bananas and char siu are the perfect marriage on a dinner plate, I'd be giving you strange looks. But it actually was one of the most memorable dishes I've had in awhile. I'll be definitely bringing friends back to try this unexpected but delightful combo. We also got the wonton etouffee, miso Caesar salad, and krapow chopped cheese. These were quite good as well. We ended dinner with the homemade ice cream - very refreshing and light flavors. Drinks: I enjoyed a nonalcoholic drink, the unified ferments soba. It's a little sweet with a familiar taste of soba noodles - unexpected concoction of deliciousness. I feel like non alcoholic drinks are often after thoughts at casual and fine dining places. But not here! Wow, I'll be getting this drink again when I come back. Staff were phenomenal. So attentive and so kind. Ambience is great for date or friend hangout.

My friend heard about this new Asian fusion place that popped up recently, so we dropped by to give it a try for a recent Friday dinner. Our res was at 6pm and there were still plenty of tables when we arrived; while never full, it did get busier in the next hour or so, so probably best to plan ahead with a reservation. We ordered a few dishes to share: - tom yum meatballs: biggest issue was that the sauce barely tasted like tom yum. the tomato flavour was incredibly dominant, and while it wasn't your typical marinara, the typical hot/sour flavours of tom yum was muted, if at all present. the meatballs were fine, but nothing special. Overall it felt like a generic dish you could find at an average Italian restaurant, except billed as fusion cuisine. - dynamite fried rice: I did quite like this dish, but not memorably so. Overall the savouriness of the scallops, roe, and mushrooms worked together well, albeit a bit too salty overall. Portion size was definitely a bit small (esp for the price and for a rice dish). - char siu: the roasted pork was quite good -- very savoury and tender -- and I liked the slightly-sweet sauce. the caramelised bananas were also fine, although I think a little bit too sweet for my taste. The confusing part, to me, was that the juxtaposition of the bananas and the pork felt very haphazard to me. We tried eating them together (in one bite) and separately, and it didn't really feel like either of them enhanced the other (or, in particular, like the bananas were necessary for the dish at all). I find that Asian fusion is a hard cuisine with which to please everyone, and to that end I don't feel as though the food was lacking in terms of execution or intrinsic quality, but rather that (in my opinion) there was a bit of a more fundamental disconnect in these dishes in terms of the cultural background/fusion and their actual manifestation. It also contributes, I think, that the price point seemed to be really quite too high for not just the aforementioned quality, but also the portion size of the dishes we ordered, which definitely tended to be on the small size. (tl;dr it was quite expensive for what amounted to be a pretty average meal.) On the bright side, the service and ambience were fantastic. Everyone we interacted with - the servers, host, etc. - were all very lovely and checked in on us regularly throughout the meal. The place is decorated really nicely (you can tell it's relatively new) with a light, natural, minimalist style with interesting contemporary art on display. It seems that other reviewers were all thoroughly impressed by their experiences here, which make me wonder if perhaps we ordered the wrong dishes this time haha. Still, I'm not jumping at the chance to come by again, but perhaps another visit someday to try other parts of the menu may be a good idea.

I came here for a friends birthday and it was such a nice vibe! The food was a combination of Asian classics with a twist taking inspiration from various countries as well! They were able to accommodate a large party (there were 8 of us) and we were able to share some great bites and some sake as well! The staff is super knowledgeable and gave great recommendations for us! Personal favorite was the caramelized onion dip (the shrimp chips it comes with was addicting) and the etouffe! Highly recommend this place if you're in the east village!

Cuisine: 8 Service: 8 Decor: 8 Value: 7 Overall: 8 Let's start with the name "Bananas", which applies to Asian Americans who are culturally adapted to the US, but still "yellow" on the outside. This concept is apparent in their restaurant, helmed by chef/owner Chris Ng (formerly Blue Ribbon & Bond St) and Kyaw Lwin (formerly Yakiniku Futago, Hasalon, and Shmoné). As you walked into the long, narrow, white space adorned with banana and tropical theme, you will notice a few tables upfront, followed by a nice looking bar stocked with various sake. Due to a local school nearby, they have a license for beer and wine, but not hard liquor. Continue further into the restaurant, there is an open kitchen with about 10 seats that overlooks the chefs at work. To the left and back are more tables for mostly 2-4 patrons. For the evening, I would say that the meal just kept getting better, with the last savory dish being the climax and the reason why I know I will return. Below is a rundown of what we received in order. Char Siu (7/10) - This 48 hour marinated piece of relatively lean roast pork had a lot of savory flavor. Not as sweet as most of what you'll find in nearby Chinatown, though I thought the caramelized banana pairing might take the sweetness level over the top, but it didn't. However, was the banana necessary? Probably not imho. Chopped Cheese (5/10) - Tbh, this is a fun fusion concept that needs better execution. I love krapow and had it almost daily while I was in Thailand. Don't be shy, a bit more birds eye chili and some extra Thai basil would really improve the flavor profile. Also, please make sure the ground beef is not dry and it definitely needs more white cheddar. Lastly, the fries lacks that crispy and airy texture I seek, as well as a hint more seasoning. Meatballs (8/10) - Excellent sauce made with tomato and tom yum. Without telling me, I may not have recognized the tom yum flavor that distinctively. However, the tender and fluffy pork meatballs were elevated immensely by the kick of spice. Delicious! Fried Rice (8/10) - I was told that Chef Lwin's background from Burma was the inspiration behind this dish. It's really not a fried rice, more of a stone bowl rice (no crispy bottom though) topped with crabmeat. I would almost called it crab floss due to its dehydrated nature after being fried to a crisp. Such intense crabbiness. So good. NoLa BBQ Octopus (9/10) - Wow! Bananas! First possible entry for my top 10 list of 2025 and the year has just started. Having my fare share of NoLa BBQ shrimps, this sauce was outstanding. I would have loved a little char and smoke on the octopus, but the interior texture was perfect, with the right amount of chew. Poached Pear (7/10) - It was just something sweet to end the night. The restaurant plan to have more dessert options after fully open. Nothing special, but also not bad with the blue cheese pairing. I do wish there it was more Asian inspired - maybe add some Asian spices or use a Korean pear. The owner and staff were all very friendly, including the chefs behind the kitchen bar that were sharing their preparation process, cooking methods, and other details of what we were eating. Only small gripes would be for the servers to learn not to reach over customers to serve or remove plates, and to refill water more diligently. These small kinks will likely be worked out over time anyway. In the end, I would consider this new restaurant a cute little neighborhood spot. They have a few dishes that were memorable for me, and hence, I'll be back soon to have them again and try other interesting items on the menu. I'm rooting for you Bananas!

I finally ate at Bananas in the East Village. The space is cozy, with a cool, kitschy modern vibe that feels fresh and inviting. The menu is filled with familiar Asian American dishes, each given exciting, creative flavor twists. Every dish I tried had elevated flavors with mouthwatering combinations that I found both comforting and inventive. I can't stop thinking about the shrimp chips with onion dip, octopus, crab fried rice and shrimp alfredo. Based on what everyone else has said that has been to Bananas too, it seems that every dish on the menu is crave-worthy too. I have so much more to try! The service was also top-notch. Everyone was friendly, attentive, and made me feel right at home, contributing to the overall positive vibes I felt the whole time I was there. Overall, I'll definitely be back again and again! I think Bananas is a perfect spot for a week night dinner, for a special occasion or if you just want to impress someone. Tip: Bananas is on Resy so it was super convenient to reserve a table. -ACK, NY

Food was amazing and my family and I enjoyed all the dishes. ! My favorite dishes were the Karage Pancake, Nola style Octopus, Crab fried rice, Caramelized onion dip, Shrimp Alfredo and for desert we had the Poached pear.

My wife and I went there recently with some friends. The place is nicely and whimsically designed and decorated with artwork in the front comprised of many different, tiny bananas! Their offerings were all yummy, especially the marinated steak frites and fried rice. The char siu was a tasty and novel pairing of delicious pork and caramelized banana. Service was very friendly and attentive. Will definitely go back!