Bonfire Grill

Excellent! Ordered the mango salad and steak sandwich, delicious! more

All of the burgers we ordered were very undercooked, including the turkey burgers. Definitely wouldn't recommend. more

Depends on what Bartender you get : been going there for a few years now. the Menu is the same, the service is slow, the food is ok and the manager Brian is cool. Pops in and out all the time, but runs the place decently. I think the place still does not know if it's a bar or a lounge or a restaurant. The restaurant side is usually over crowded with people on first dates, but the bar side is tricky. mainly 3 bartenders, the blond, the irish chick with the thick accent and the other Girl. the Skinny blond is probably the friendliest, makes a decent drink and comps you once in a while if you're in there and get recognized. the other girl is kinda ok but is so busy running the kitchen, the bar, the floor that she forgets she's not the manager and just always looks over whelmed. Now the Lady with the Irish Accent... she should never work there ... it's not an Irish bar, go next door and tend bar there, no 1 understands you and worse no 1 wants to put up with your nasty, dirty, filthy attitude. if you're not "" friends "" with this one, you're going to have to wait to get your watered down drink for a while ... The wait staff is very stiff, never really smile and dump your food in front of you ... pricing is not cheap. Good Luck .. hope you get the blonde to make your drinks :) more

The service was exceptional considering the fact that it was jammed pack at 11am on a Sunday. Pros: Great Service Cons: Crowded more

I went to Bonfire with a couple of girls around 10ish on a Saturday night to get some drinks because it was nearby and the outer decor looked decent. Some of us ordered the raspberry mojito after being enticed by having ""it's awesome"" on the menu. It some kind of slightly reddish ""mojito."" I couldn't tell what it was because all it tasted like was seltzer water. I am an avid mojito drinker and this drink had no sugar a splash of flavored rum (and when i say splash, i mean more like a drop) ONE mint leaf, may be two limes slices, ONE crushed raspberry loaded with seltzer water. After notifying the bartender, she snaps back ""well that's how it's SUPPOSED to be MADE."" We just wanted some sugar or something. it was NOT minty, NOT sweet, NOT sour from the limes, it was so bland and just flat out awful. If my original purpose was to drink some seltzer water, I would have just ordered it from the beginning. The bartender reluctantly grabs the two mojito, mutters that all she would do was add more rum (so shes splashing rum all over the drink, on the side, not bothering to clean it off) and walks away. I don't know how that drink could have possibly turned more horrid, but it did. All the drinks that require effort were horrid. Thank goodness you cant go wrong with bottled beer. So the bartender comes back and asks us if we wanted another round of the same drinks. In the meanwhile, none of us touched our drinks because it was watered down and the bartender was rude over and over again. How do you ask if we are ready for another round when all of your glasses are full. okay, so if you don't know how to make a mojito, its fine, but don't bark back at a customer telling them that its supposed to taste shitty. I got an extra dirty vodka martini with three olives, and I assumed you can't go wrong with a martini... it's simple; vodka, drop of vermouth, olive juice and olives. shake with ice. Tell me why my martini came with no olives and I had to ask for them five times. My martini was watered down. Perhaps they water down their liquor bottles to save money. I don't know. But if you want nasty service and nasty drinks, you should definitely waste your perfectly going evening with a rude bartender who obviously needs a hug. Pros: local, decent decor Cons: horrible service, bartender with awful attitude more

I've been to BG a few times with the same results ... the female bartend staff are consistently hostile to female customers ... the last time I was there, at 2pm on a Monday, the music was blaring and there were a few drunk guys at the bar ... I asked the waitress to ask the bartender to turn the music down (they were playing Avril Lavigne), instead she made it louder and danced around hitting utensils against the bar while she danced ... it was bizarre ... the waitress tried to tell me that the music in the eating area was off despite it clearly being on ... in short, I won't be back. Pros: Decent food Cons: Bitchy staff more

Good service, good food, pleasant atmosphere--full enough, on a Sunday afternoon, without being too noisy Pros: salmon benedict more

What a nice bar & grill in Forest Hills. Staff is super friendly, great burgers & salads, and cool martini list. It is upsale but not overbearing. Nice alternative to the rough crowds at the other places on Austin. Pros: staff, great food, happy hour, more

I've been going to the Bonfire since they opened. I had mixed feelings about Bonfire. I wasn't a huge fan of the previous manager. The new guy Brian is rally friendly and makes you feel welcome. \r \r The Good:\r I love the burgers, wings, steak sandwich and salads. The Saturday night Band is awesome. Staff is so nice. Nice draft beer selection and quality scotches. They put out free snacks in the beginning of the night and randomly. The one owner Jon is a really cool guy, has no problem buying back a round. Happy hour prices are really good. Nice upscale clientele, nice change from Burros or Tap Bar.\r The Bad:\r The Tuesday jazz bands sucks the life out of you (please get rid of them). The place can get cramped; I wish they would take a table or two out of the dining room. Dinner specials can get kind of boring; they run the same one for a week.\r \r The Ugly-\r My hangover Sunday morning.\r Pros: burgers, appetizers, great band, staff rocks Cons: smallish. jazz band more

Bonfire is what is it. This is not 5 star dining. However Bonfire puts out a really tasty and consistently good meal. The staff goes above and beyond what is expected. Decent wine selection and a great beer draft selection. The new manager is a really nice guy. I frequent Bonfire twice a week, solo and with my family. I am never disappointed. I would refer to Bonfire as the Cheers of Forest Hills. Hint--Happy Hour prices can't be beat (top shelf drinks for $5). Pros: great staff, good food, cozy space Cons: little small more

I went to Bonfire Grill tonight with my colleagues from work. Two of us arrived there first around 720pm, and asked when Happy Hour ended. We were told 8PM. However , when the remaining 6 of our party arrived at 735pm, The same waitress informed us that Happy Hour was actually only until 7pm. ( This is after our initial order of drinks and when we wanted to order more drinks)\r In actually fact, the sign outside the restaurant clearly states Happy Hour 12noon until 8pm. We pointed this out to the same waitress and we were told that she needed to speak to the manager about changing that sign. \r She then conveniently returned 5 minutes past 8pm to tell us that Happy Hour did actually end at 8pm and now that it was 805pm , it was now too late to order any more drinks!!! This is the last time I bring my friend/colleagues to this place. Cons: Food is Bland. The advertisement isn't always true. more

I go to bonfire about 2 or 3 times a week. great place for a beer and a great after work snack. Strongly recommend this place. The staff is not only friendly but very professional. hadn't been there for a month (vacation) after the first time i went but the bartender remembered all are drinks. Little concerned about management/owners. When something goes wrong they panic and end up making it worst. overall BEST PLACE IN FOREST HILLS Cons: ownership more

This is a great restaurant. It is a nice atmosphere and the staff is very polite and friendly. I recommend the nachos! The burgers are good too! Pros: Good food Cons: some entrees are pricey more

I had brunch with a friend at Bonfire a few weeks ago. I was excited at the possibility that finally there is a place that has a traditional brunch menu much like NYC and now in Forest Hills. The menu was decent; however, the food was a little weak in presentation and taste. The restaurant uses hardware utensils for everything except for the coffee for which they provide a plastic stirrer as if it were a take out order (this was a bit insulting). The Salmon Eggs Benedict were LOADED with a salty salmon and the home fries were really- really greasy. Needless to say, I didn't eat them. I looked across the table from us where someone was eating pancakes which were the width of a 13 inch pan (this doesn't make you want to eat them unless you want to stuff your face, as they say).\r Moreover, they have the right idea with the salads until they load them with dressing which causes the greens to sag. \r The managers walk around checking to see that everything is to your satisfaction, I think this sends a great message to the patrons. \r Overall, this restaurant has great potential and could be the preferred place for people in the area; however, it's unclear as to which direction they are taking. Meaning, is this another local diner, a chain food Fridays/Pizza Uno's? Who do you want to attract to or detract from this place? -And finally, would you serve a guest at your home a plastic stirrer or serve them greasy potatoes? What's your message and how much business are you looking to make?\r Pros: Friendly Staff Cons: Improve presentation and some food items on the menu more

To be completely honest, I was very hesitant about going to eat at Bonfire. I had walked by it many times before it opened and was excited by what was going on inside, but I waited a few months to read reviews. The initial reviews were not that great... so I waited. July 2008 came around and I decided I needed to try it to judge for myself.\r \r I LOVED IT.. and I STILL love it.\r \r The dinners have been delicious. I've had 2 pasta dishes, the thai chicken appetizer, a dessert, and many drinks over the course of 5 visits. I don't normally frequent a place to eat a lot, but Bonfire is a place to go to over and over again. \r \r Happy Hour has really great deals at the bar, so it has become the meet up spot for me and friends when heading home from Manhattan. When eating dinner you can even spot the chef stepping out to talk to guests about their food. From observation, she really seems to put a lot of love into the food. I also realized the restaurant has the same menu as another favorite... ""Choice"" in Manhattan. They both share the same owner. I loved that place.. but now I can get everything right in my own neighborhood. I have to try my favorite at Choice, The goat cheese and spinach salad (with bacon.. yum), at Bonfire now.\r \r Bonfire is a great addition to the constantly getting better, Forest Hills. :) Pros: Great Service, Friendly Staff, Delicious Food, Great Happy Hour Cons: Small Space, Music is too quiet more

It is rare in NYC when you can find a restaurant where the staff makes you feel like you are actually appreciated in the restaurant. The food is delightful and the ambience is something that is sorely needed in Forest Hills. Pros: Ambience, Service and Food Cons: Parking more

I met some girlfriends for brunch on Sunday and It was fantastick. The food was excellent and the service was also good. The nightime crowd has gotten better, it's a classy group that hang out there now so if you haven't been in a while, give it a try again. Pros: food Cons: parking, little expensive more

The Bonfire Grill is a diamond in the rough (the name is deceiving). The food is outstanding, service is good, and the atmosphere is not like any other on Austin street. Cool down to earth bartenders and the manager Mike is a riot. The chef walks around and greats the guests. Your business actually feels ""appreciated"". They are partnered with a restaurant group in Manhattan (been to Choice, great restaurant). Bonfire's dining room is kind of small, so I suggest going during the week to avoid waits. Overall, a great night out and not a rip off . They do however need to add some more desserts, limited selection. We live in the area and love that we have a go to place! Nice compliment to Austin Street. Pros: ambience,flat screens, great food, beer & wine list, nice staff Cons: dining room is small & limited desserts more

Had dinner with a friend there and the service was ridiculously slow. We waited and waited and waited for our waitress the whole night. We waited for her to take our order, we waited for her to bring our food, we waited for her to bring our check, we waited for her to bring back our check once it was paid. All that waiting and the food was not all that great. The food was average and much expected from a restaurant like that. more

We had excellent food on Saturday evening at Bonfire and even better service. We were a party of 12 and were worried that the small restaurant would be overwhelmed, but they were ready for us everything was great all night. Drinks came quickly as did appetizers. The spinach dip was delicous and was a very generous portion. Everyone ordered something completely different from burger to shrimp & scallops to filet mignon, and not one person was disappointed. Bonfire is on of my new favorite spots. I can't wait to go back for brunch! more