Stopped in with my pup so excited to check this out. Exceeded my expectations. Elegant space, cool vibe, welcoming adorable owners and baristas. And btw I’d go for the perfect cappuccino and their almond croissant even if I didn’t have a dog. But I do. So basically now we may never go anywhere else.

I mean really, what more can a girl ask for than a coffee shop that also has an endless supply of dogs walking through the door? I love the outdoor space here at Black Lab Cafe, it's the perfect spot to both people *and* dog watch on the Upper West Side!

The food here is amazing! I highly recommend the Lemon Square. It’s not too sour, but you still taste the lemon.

My favorite coffee shop in NY. Definitely a go to place either to have a coffee or a matcha (puppy lavender matcha is very good) while you work, or have a nice lunch (their fish tacos are super good). Staff is SO nice and helpful. Great customer experience. Also there are always so many dogs to pet!!

We were running late for the coffee plans and ended up having dinner- so glad we did! Everything was delicious! We ordered several dishes and all exceeded expectations. I highly recommend both salmon options - the salad was perfect. Service was above and beyond with friendly welcoming staff and timely service. Canine companion rates this place 100 stars.

Kellie French

Wonderful happy hour. We had oysters and shrimp. Waitstaff was great. Ambiance wonderful.

Melissa Trendalert

The restaurant was busy yet, we found a table pretty quickly. Tasty sliders, oysters & appetizers. The ambiance had dimmed lights & it was a bit crowded, yet comfortable. The staff was nice and the food came pretty quickly.

Pam Smith

In the city that is always shouting for attention, Crave Fishbar creates a sense of quiet authenticity. Fresh, delicious seafood prepared simply that allows the ingredients to speak for themselves. We came for the oyster happy hour and stayed for an amazingly prepared branzino. The perfect Friday night. Ambience is subtle, delicate lighting including candles. This is sheer comfort, a place to be with friends and family lingering over dinner. Staff is attentive, answering every question, and made us feel welcomed, almost like family. A gem, if we lived in NYC, this would be our go to. We will be back.

Nancy Harper

Loved the large selection of oysters but the amazing calamari stole the show! The unique presentation made in the group favorite. Don’t miss ordering the calamari for the table !

SoulJourney D

Sydney D. was an excellent server — attentive, pleasant, and professional throughout our visit. The food was amazing, and the service elevated the entire experience. I truly appreciate coming to this restaurant; it’s always a pleasure, and my expectations are consistently met.

Robert Buchanan

Best Oyster Happy Hour, variety of oysters, small plates, and drinks. Attentive service

THE EXPLORER

We have eaten here several times over the last couple of years. This past week we went with our friends and had a great time. We ordered several dishes to share including fresh clams, salmon and tuna over fresh corn. All were amazing as we were expecting. Everyone there is very friendly and professional. Looking forward to our next dinner there.

Nabil

A Manhattan gem. The highest and best tasting oysters. Tacos are home made and amazing flavour. A must try. Carlos was extremely hospitable and amazing host. Kaylee is a model and an example of what a service needs to be. Oysters are a must to try.

+1

Maria Ortiz

Absolutely love this restaurant! The oyster selection was a seafood dream come true; fresh, briny, and just plain delicious. I was in oyster heaven! We snagged some oyster sliders (crispy, flavorful little bites of happiness!) and the salmon tostada. The salmon was fantastic, but I gotta be honest, the tostada itself was a tad on the crunchy side. The real showstopper for us was the plancha grilled octopus, it was cooked to absolute perfection, melt-in-your-mouth amazin! We also dove into their drink menu and tried three different concoctions. My personal fave? The Hugo Spritz. Sweet, bubbly, but with a sneaky kick – just how I like it! Beautiful decor, perfect for a relaxed night out. We're already planning our next visit!

+2

Stacy P

Crave Fishbar Valentine’s Day 2025 4 Course Prix Fixe Menu $85 per person was perfect and memorable! Thank you to our server Michelle for recommendations. The manager and team were attentive and caring to customers. We especially liked the variety of delicious and fresh gluten free menu choices. Friendly fun vibes, cozy warm interior, and wonderful dining on the upper East Side!

+4

MasonZ.

Great, Great, Great 👌👍🏽 👌 food, service and atmosphere . The canadian oysters mix is yummy, tacos are delicious, and pasta and salmon so so 😋 we came at night without reservation to celebrate a wintery birthday after a long walk in the city and it was awesome. The lady at the front was awesome 👌 charging our dead phones and checking on us nicely if we need anything else and gave us some more tips in the city. It is pricy tho. Would be great if they would have like more reasonably priced winter pkg.

Mark Goddard

To clarify all my reviews are based upon expectation vs reality. From the moment we were greeted by the host, this restaurant was on point. Excellent polite service and very prompt. The cocktails were decent and good ipa's. To start i had oysters, my wife had the cauliflower soup and my daughters boyfriend had the calamari. All were excellent, especially the soup. Was great in flavour and great consistency. Mains were superb. Just brilliant. My tuna was perfectly cooked and the sauce complimented and balanced the dish but the bed of corn was the showstopper. My wife had burramundi with asparagus which was cooked brilliantly with a great sear. The veggie pasta was brilliant and the salmon was again greatly cooked. Crispy skin but so well cooked it remained succulent and the accompanying components balanced the dish well. All.in all I would highly recommend a visit here. I would eat oysters to begin, cauliflower soup and the tuna. What a lovely combo. Great service, great food and great night!

+8

YKK

Crave Fishbar is a great place for seafood lovers and one of the best dining experiences I've had in a long time. We were there during the happy hour so we used it to our advantage and had a lot of their happy hour oysters which were amazing. Even though it’s happy hour you get a bunch of different options for your oysters. They were incredibly fresh. We also tried the octopus and calamari, and both of those dishes were great also. The octopus was tender, with just the right amount of char, giving it that smoky flavor that pairs so well with the natural richness of the meat. And the sauces they used for the calamari and octopus added a lot of flavor. The service was great as well which is difficult to find in NYC unfortunately. We’ll definitely be back soon!

Ernest S Chiu

Absolutely no doubt this is the best oyster seafood bar in New York City!!! CRAVE is the flagship food heaven spot known to midtown city dwellers, workers, and discovered by tourists from around the world. The carefully thoughtful sourced seafood from all over the U.S. is incredible culinary experience everyone should try while visiting this hidden gem. Lobster, whole fish, oysters, tacos, grilled octopus, clams - all exceptionally fresh. A new sushi bar is popular too! Cocktails/Drinks/service also fantastic! Owner/staff (Brian/Carlos) known for great details, hospitality for many years! Expanded to both West and East side locations for good reason! Enjoy!

+3

Heather Dolland Tamam

I had no idea that fried fish and waffles are a thing. But apparently, they are. This is absolutely the place that I would expect to discover such a find. I've been a patron for many years, but this was the first brunch. Love that when I can't venture over, delivery is an option. Food and drinks are always amazing.

+4

Jason R

I absolutely love Crave and excited that they have reopened after being closed after the pandemic. And Crave has come back in near perfect form. Fantastic spot for oyster happy hour. They have ample dining space inside as well as a cute outdoor dining setup. The happy hour prices for food as well as drinks are very budget-friendly and everything was absolutely delicious. Must come for Happy hour Oysters! Only $1 each oyster, and you can choose from both East coast and West coast oysters. West coast oysters are bigger, thicker, and more buttery than the East coast. East coast oysters are all mostly small and salty. I also like how the waiters explain which type of oyster each piece is, and they print out a paper for you, listing them. Service was wonderful as well. Our waiter checked in on us a couple times before 7 pm to make sure we could put in any final orders before Happy Hour ended. Quick tip: this place may be more suitable for couples or small groups (up to 4) since the amount of oysters you can order at a time are limited.

+17

This corner coffee shop has a cool vibe inside. After ordering an iced latte I was accosted by two happy dogs, not something I was upset about. There is a nice outdoor patio to sit at. The cafe just opened, so their kitchen isn't open yet. Once they have some food to buy I will be sure to return.

Came here because I used to have a Black Lab and miss her terribly, so hoped for some Black Lab related theme. I'm surprised that they don't even have a pic of black labs on their walls while having some other smaller sized breeds. No tennis balls, nothing Black Lab related, really... The food was ok, but not to come back for. Cappuccino was alright.

Emily Liu

Had a fun time at Crave Fishbar. we got the 24 oysters during happy hour (wish we could have gotten more!). The fish tacos were delicious and we also absolutely loved the calamari. I feel like personally, the Brussels sprouts kind of missed the spot for me. But other than that the food was great and our server was very nice. They even made us bees knees as drinks even though it wasn’t on the menu- and it was really wonderfully made.

Jamie Oh

Took my mom here and got some fresh oysters, pasta, and seafood stew. They have a great deal on sundays - $45 for an appetizer, entree and dessert. Service was excellent and especially the oysters were great!

Dmitry K

A good oyster place. Excellent selection of fresh oysters. We tried about 10 different sorts and were extremely satisfied. Good service, atmosphere. Seafood is well cooked, high-quality and fresh ingredients. A little lack of taste or refinement. Normal prices.

M K

Made a reservation for a weeknight. Seeing positive reviews for happy hour we gave it a try. After comparing the prices to the a la carte and drinks menu I only found some cocktails that were reduced by a few dollars but the bites were the same price per portion- just reduced the portion and price in half. The calamari and nigiri were disappointing- covered in mayo and smallest portion for the price, the nigiri was soaked in sauce where all the rice fell apart… oysters were on the expensive side for claiming the HH and some of the west coast ones didn’t have much flavor Server was great attentive and efficient Left hungry although spend $100+ had to stop by another restaurant

My recent experience at Black Lab Cafe in New York City was far from what I expected. Despite its name hinting at a pet-friendly vibe, I was surprised to find out that pets weren't allowed inside. This decision took away from the cozy atmosphere I was hoping for. Walking in, I immediately noticed the lack of warmth. Instead of the lively presence of pets, the space felt cold and unwelcoming. This absence definitely dampened the mood. On top of that, the service was mediocre. The staff didn't seem very engaged or interested in making the experience enjoyable. It felt like they were just going through the motions. The food and drinks also left a lot to be desired. The coffee was stale, and the pastries were dry. It seemed like attention to detail was lacking across the board. Overall, my visit to Black Lab Cafe was disappointing. It's unfortunate that such potential is being held back by their no-pet policy and lackluster execution. Unless they reconsider their stance and improve their overall experience, I'll be looking for other cafes that prioritize hospitality and inclusivity.

!!No longer dog friendly!! Should have been open and communicated this or tried for partial hours that were dog friendly. Instead just showed up one day (with the pup) and can no longer go in. There were many many other problems with the business that should have been addressed first before banning dogs…strange move. I know the team tries hard but have to be honest here, food is nowhere near good enough to survive as cafe alone. Coffee is fine but not worth going out of your way when there are other great options in the neighborhood

All these one star reviews are completely correct. This place was such a great addition to the Upper West Side. But now that they don’t allow dogs anymore, why bother? There are plenty of places to get coffee and such. Why couldn’t the owners just leave well enough alone? They will certainly my not make more money as a no dogs allowed cafe! That was the whole point in going there!