The Toucan and the Lion

The Toucan & the Lion.  Who thinks of these names?!  Either way, it caught my attention and I am glad it did!

As you enter through the (nearly unmarked) front door, you may experience momentary panic at how small the restaurant is.  Take a breath and look to your right - there are more than just the few tables in that first room as the restaurant expands to a second room.

Front room - its a bit tight but lots of big windows

Second room with more seating

If you are faced with a wait (arrived around 7:30pm on a Wed night and we had to wait approx 45 min), try to snag a seat at the bar.  The bartender is really friendly and great at helping you select a drink.  Speaking of drinks, The Toucan & the Lion has some AWSOME cocktails.  Definitely try as many as you can!

Bar area - snag a seat and feel free to ask the bartender for a recommendation.  He was awsome!

Chalkboard by the bar with the specials

Cocktailssssss

One of our (many) cocktails...I can't tell you which one this was, but I can tell you it was good!

While perusing the menu, our server let us know that everything comes out when its ready so we opted to just share everything family style.  And good thing we were given the heads up - the food really did come out one by one with the Arctic Char taking the longest time.  Definitely avoided an ugly scene at the table by sharing everything as we were all super hungry.  (Pics below were taken with no flash so apologies on the darkness!)

Fried Pickles!  These came out quick.  My belly thanks you for your promptness. 

Burrata - once you start digging it its oh so soft and oozy...I can never resist Burrata

Beef Short Rib Tacos - excellent excellent excellent and quickly devoured

Scotch Egg - I loved the mayo aioli sauce served under the eggs!  These were tasty, but nothing compares with the bad-ass Scotch Egg that I had at The Breslin. 

Burger - Nice and juicy.  And the bacon is a plus!

Duck Confit Mofongo - awsome presentation with the egg right on top!

Arctic Char - this dish took way too long to come out.  I actually forgot we had this and was about to ask for our check when this was finally placed on our table...

Overall, I loved the energy, bartender, and drinks!  Food was fun to try as well.  If you're in the neighborhood stop by and let me know what you think.

Piggy says Yes!

The Toucan and the Lion
342 E 6th St (btwn 2nd and 1st Ave)
212-375-8989

Thanks for reading - Piggy KK