A coworker of mine had passed a sign for Cannibal and, being a smart person, thought it looked enticing. It only got more exciting when he realized that they served an entire pig’s head. So we went… for lunch.
He sent me the menu and I realized that Cannibal is from the same people that do Resto, and right next door. I had been meaning to try Resto for some time after hearing great recommendations. So I was excited to check it out.
Each table has a bowl of almonds and a nut cracker. Sadly, we were all a bit tentative with the cracker and soon gave up on the pursuit.
The restaurant is small with a long bar in the center where you can sit on (unfortunately uncomfortable) stools to chow down. It is decorated in such an eclectic way that I cannot come up with a word to explain it accurately.
In the back there is an actual butcher.
With a delicious looking case.
I love pussy willows, and I love pixie sticks. What they are doing next to each other as decoration in a restaurant, I have no idea. But I was digging it.
They also had some Big League Chew among the high-end culinary ingredients on the shelves.
The menu consists of “snacks,” charcuterie, and tartares…
…plates, cheese, and dessert.
The slow roasted half pig’s head was listed with fennel, honey, and cherry peppers. I was instantly crushed that I couldn’t eat it, but the chef assured me it was very little peppers. So I tentatively took some bites… and then just couldn’t stop.
Holy crap this thing was fan-freaking-tastic. We picked every last piece off this thing. There is no clean way to do it, so we just went for it. And damn… I can’t get over how good this was. (And at $55, it was a good amount of food that fed 5 of us).
We also got some additional dishes, including the lamb tartare, which had red onion, capers, harissa aioli, and egg yolk. I didn’t get to try this due to the harissa, but everyone said it was very good.
We got a “snack” as well: Pretzel Knödel with sweet mustard. I’m still not sure what this was, and it was a bit soggy, but it tasted pretty good. I probably wouldn’t get it again though.
And then we all decided to have a few nibbles of the pigs head cuban sandwich, which came with head meat, smoked ham, gruyere, and pickles. This was SO tasty! A great way to taste that delicious head meat without going whole hog (har har har) and getting the full head. (This is also available through June 1st at Madison Square Eats on 5th Ave and 25th Street)
They also had some yummy looking cookies in jars on the bar. So we just had to get one… really… we HAD to… what choice did we have?
And it was 100% fantastic.
Cannibal also has a cute picnic area out back, where we enjoyed some beers.
I highly recommend Cannibal, especially if the idea of half a pig’s head sounds good to you. All the food was way above par, fun to eat, and very memorable. I look forward to bringing many food-lovin’ friends back here soon!
Total Nom Points: 8 out of 10
