The Dynamo Room
The Dynamo Room is a relatively new steakhouse located in the Penn District, right next to Madison Square Garden and in the heart of the area. The whole area feels like Times Square, considering how there are a lot of police presence with a lot of crowds. The restaurant seats 200 people, and I was easily able to make a reservation at 5:30 PM for 4 people without any issues. What initially attracted me to this restaurant was the summer restaurant week menu. For $45, it seemed like a good deal, especially given that the items seem to represent their normal menu.
Ambiance & Service
The interior has that steakhouse vibe, though I found it odd that the table seats were very low to the ground, and the booths were very tight. The sound levels were pretty loud once it started getting populated.
The service was definitely hit and miss, but I chalk that to maybe it’s a recent restaurant. Our servers forgot to bring the drink menu a few times, and the host awkwardly reached over our table to help us cut the prime rib. There were just things that need a bit of polish if they wanted to make it feel like a true steakhouse experience.
Food
The summer restaurant week was $45, which was a pretty good bargain for what you get. It came with a choice of appetizer, entree, and dessert. As I mentioned earlier, the more important part of this is that most of the items appear to be from their normal menu.
The NY Sour ($13.95) came with Abstinence Malt, Honey, Passion Fruit, and Curry Leaf. This non-alcoholic drink was surprisingly very tasty. My partner enjoyed this, despite it having some smoke to it. The passion fruit and honey were very harmonious.
The Cabernet Sauvignon ($25.95) came from Silver Ghost, Napa Valley, CA 2023. I ordered this to pair with the burger and steak. This was a full body wine that finishes very smooth. It had notable vibrant mixtures of berry flavors with some mocha and spices.
The Mixed Lettuces & Herbs as part of the summer restaurant week menu came with shallot vinaigrette. The vinaigrette was OK, as I felt it was a bit overdressed.
The Dynamo Burger as part of the summer restaurant week menu came with an 8 oz dry-aged beef, sharp cheddar, grilled onions, and special sauce. I ordered this medium, and I thought the burger was just OK as well. The ingredients seem very typical, especially compared to other places.
The Beef Fat Fries came with the burger. These came super extra crispy with some very nice flavors. The one caveat with this though was that it was oversalted.
The Prime King King’s Cut ($115.95) came with shredded horseradish on top. The server will pour the au jus over the steak after they set it on the table. The prime rib was actually very soft and very delicious. It surprisingly had a good meat to fat ratio unlike some past steakhouses I’ve been to (e.g Monkey Bar). Despite the flavors of this being superb, I think it’s still not as good as one of my all-time favorites, Keens, and the price is definitely on the expensive side.
The Chicken Kiev as part of the summer restaurant week menu came garlic butter-filled, crispy chicken breast, and classic mash. At first glance, I thought this was like a chicken cordon-bleu. When you cut the chicken, there’s an oozing of green garlic butter. I want to say it tasted like pesto, but I don’t remember. Regardless, it was decent.
The Saturn ($21.95) came with gin, passion fruit, macadamia, and Makrut lime. My partner ordered this as a mid-dinner cocktail, and we both agreed that this was an awful drink. It seemed like the ingredients clashed with each other extensively, and there was no harmony whatsoever.
The Chocolate Espresso Cake as part of the summer restaurant week menu was decent. The chocolate cake wasn’t super sweet, and the flavors were very subtle.
The Carrot Cake as part of the summer restaurant week menu was my preference over the chocolate espresso cake. This tasted slightly sweeter with notable hints of ginger.
Overall Impression
The Dynamo Room will likely be a popular place to go to if you’re around the Madison Square Garden area post-event. Its atmosphere very much attracts that type of crowd. Food wise, it’s good but not great. There wasn’t anything that we got that was significantly memorable. It feels like this would be a safe bet due to its 200 seats if you can’t find a restaurant around the area. However be prepared to spend slightly higher prices for food that isn’t as good as other places nearby.
Yelp Jabs
Easily one of the best new restaurants to open recently and definitely the new top spot for a nicer meal before or after an event at MSG right next door.
This Elitist is one of the more well known Yelp influencers who gets invited to every restaurant opening because of their mass followers. Generally, his reviews have consistently miss the mark if you have higher standards. Of all the restaurants I’ve went to already, I would not classify this as “one of the best new”. It definitely will fall into the gimmicky restaurant post-MSG, but if you are willing to walk, there are better restaurants around the area.
It takes a really amazing experience for me to write a review. This place exceeded my expectations. Great atmosphere, amazing drinks and food. The staff is attentive but not intrusive. The quality of the food is unparalleled. One of the best meals I’ve had in a long time.
This was also this Oakland Yelper’s first New York City review, so not much there.
Revisions
- Aug 15, 2025 - Initial revision.