Everything Zen
A Far East Village Gastropub

Turn down the lights.

Find yourself a nice quiet space. A cozy carpet square, perhaps. And breathe deeply.

We’re going to meditate for a moment.

On the best burger in the city that nobody is talking about.

Introducing The Toucan & The Lion, a sliver of an East Village restaurant where the drinks, decor and comfort food are prepared with a touch of Zen (and/or sriracha), now open.

They call this an Astropub (gastropub + Asian kick – anything to do with the Jetsons). But what they really mean to say is “this is what British fare/cocktails would taste like if England were located in the Pacific Rim.” See that meat pie—it’s got massaman-curried goat inside. And that Old Fashioned—worked up with house-rendered sake vermouth.

It’s probably for the best if you go ahead and treat this as a date spot. For one, it’s sleek, modern and full of hanging terrariums. For another, it’s only big enough to fit a few stark white two-tops. For another another, you’re not going to want to split the fall-off-the-bone, espresso-glazed pork ribs more than one way.

So you’ll eat those. Clearly. Just make sure you leave room for the burger. It’s a LaFrieda patty topped with bacon and cashew butter, served on a toasted Chinatown bao bun. Oh, and it comes with a side of fried pickle spears, too.

But alas, no fortune cookie.