My spouse and I visited
Piggyback for dinner on a Saturday evening in mid-February 2020. Piggyback is
open daily for dinner as well as for weekday lunch. Guests can book a spot
using the online Open Table reservation system.
Piggyback opened in January
2020 on West 30th Street between 7th and 6th
Avenues in Midtown South/Chelsea/Koreatown, not far from Madison Square Garden.
(We were attending a concert at MSG after our meal, and Piggyback provided a
quality dining option nearby that accepted reservations.) Chef Leah Cohen and
her husband Ben Byruch own Piggyback, along with older sister restaurant Pig &
Khao on the Lower East Side (see our separate review from May 2017). Previous
to December 2019, Piggback was located in Jersey City. Chef Cohen attended the
CIA before working for renowned chefs like Daniel Humm at Eleven Madison Park
and Anne Burrell at Centro Vinoteca before/between traveling extensively and
working in both Italy and Southeast Asia (she is half-Filipino). Chef Cohen has
competed in the Bravo TV show “Top Chef”.
Piggyback occupies the
street level of a dense row of buildings. The main dining space is long but
narrow, with some tables near the front windows, a long L-shaped bar, a
semi-open kitchen with tables adjacent (some of which share a banquette on one
side), and additional stand-alone tables in the rear. Exposed brick walls, an
antique tin ceiling, and Asian murals, newspapers, advertisements, and posters
create interesting décor. Adjoining event space called the Wayback Bar adjoins
the back of the Piggyback dining room.
Piggyback serves Asian
cuisine. We shared two dishes: the Okie Toast (shrimp, cabbage, fish flakes, and
mayo atop thick softly toasted bread [similar to the texture of shrimp toast])
and the Choeng Chee See Ew (rolled rice noodles, egg, pork belly, bean
sprouts). Piggyback has a full liquor license, so you can enjoy wine, beer
(even some on draft), and cocktails.
We enjoyed our dinner at Piggyback; the service, food, and
atmosphere made for a pleasant experience.
