Bars - Hells Kitchen/Midtown West

HELL’S KITCHEN/ MIDTOWN WEST/ THEATRE (38th-59th, West of 6th)

The Door: Lounge. 508 9^th @ 38-39; Dive-ish Lounge; Middle Eastern themed; Sexy staff; Young Professional crowd and Hells Kitchen locals mixed in. Happy hour 4-7pm, $4 beers, $5 wine, sangria.

Lansdowne Road: Sports Bar. 599 10^th Av @ 43^rd; Off the chart good Sports Bar; Every day, all day – one 20 ounce draft & 1 bottle $4. 13 huge TVs; Great food; Have private parties here; Happy Hour. Ice bar/ rail to keep drinks cold. Great website. Yankees fans.

BXL Belgian Café: Pub. 125 W 43^rd @ 6^th Av- BWay; Known for excellent Belgian beer; Moulle & Frites; (Mussels and fries to the uneducated); Perfect Times Square lunch or after work spot. Great service and very fair prices.

St. Andrew’s: Scottish bar. 120 W. 44^th @ B-Way-6^th. Bar & Grill; Live music at times; Upscale pub with excellent grub; Great pre-theatre drink spot or after work/ show. More upscale than most; Bartenders in kilts. Classy establishment.

Jimmy’s Corner: Pub / Dive Bar. 140 W. 44^th @ B-Way- 6^th: Awesome Juke. More laid back for the area. Great sports bar as well with a boxing focus; Almost tourist free; Time Square locals. Fun & friendly staff. Everything inexpensive.

Rudy’s Bar: Dive Bar. 927 Ninth Ave @ 44^th-45^th; Dive bar w/ character! Cheap pitchers. Fantastic juke. Free Hot Dogs. Crazy place; Mix of curious new comers & Drunken locals; A must see; Giant pig outside. Rock bottom prices.

Bull Moose Saloon: Pub. 354 44^th @ 8-9^th; Great Theatre district option; Super cheap beer and tons of drink specials – esp Happy Hour; Two levels; Pool table; Live music on occasion.

The Irish Rogue: Irish Pub / Sports Bar. 356 44^th @ 8-9^th; Great bar – friendly waitresses; Great food/ pub menu; 13 Large plasma TVs; Happy Hour 11am-8pm every day; Brunch on weekends; Live Music; Darts; Pool; 2 levels. Good for private parties.

Kemia Bar: Lounge. 630 9th Ave @ 44^th; Moroccan themed; Fantastic food – tapas style; Sexy lounge with couches and great décor; Mood lighting Perfect date spot. Chill out. Belly dancers on weekends.

Film Center Café: Restaurant/ Bar. 635 9^th Av @ 45^th; Incredible brunch – all u can drink for $8 (plus food); Sexy waitresses; Great bar though more of a place to eat; Really cool joint. Artistic crowd;

Mercury Bar: Sports Bar. 659 Ninth @ 45^th; Excellent number of flat screens; Large and tasty menu; Brunch menu; Singles scene; Overall a good, solid bar; Young-ish; Happy Hour 4-8pm; Football Sundays.

Connolly’s: Irish Pub. 121 W 45^th @ 6^th Av – B-Way; One of the best, most reliable and popular after work spots for Professional crowd; Two levels; Private Parties; Good place to grab 2-3; late 20s to 30s crowd; Excellent food – can go for dinner. Live music on weekends. Strong drinks.

Perfect Pint: Sports Bar. 123 W 45^th St @ B-Way – 6^th Av; Irish pub with endless TVs; Large- 2 levels; Perfect after work spot; Amazingly good bar grub for the area- giant menu; 30 Drafts; Private parties; Large place.

Playwright Tavern: Irish Pub. 732 8th Av @ 45-6th; Not overly touristy for a Times Square bar; Two levels- tons of seating upstairs; Large pub menu of food- decent to good; $5 beer specials; Good pre- theatre spot.

Deacon Brodie’s: Irish Pub. 370 46^th @ 9^th Av; Long, narrow Irish Pub; Super Friendly Bartenders – offering frequent buy-backs; Great Happy Hour spot and actually a good singles scene. Traditional pub feel in this tourist popular area.

O’Lunney’s: Irish Pub. 151 W 46^th @ B-Way-6^th. Spacious place. After work/ show. Good for Times Square where you expect tourists; Good drink specials; Great décor and friendly staff. Perfect for a meal. Clean/ cool décor. Large menu.

O’Flaherty’s: Irish Pub. 334 W. 46^th @ 8^th-9^th; Large pub with lots to do! Sit by the Fireplace; Play Darts; Shoot Pool; Excellent Bar menu; Live Music on weekends; Even cozy couches on one side.

House of Brews: Brew Pub. 363 W 46^th @ 8-9^th; Top beer selection- 80 Beers from 30 countries; Beer-lovers dream and decent pub fare as well; Friendly staff; Beer samplers; Great for groups.

Joshua Tree: Sports Bar/ College. 366 W. 46^th @ 9^th; Same owners as Tonic & Mercury Bar. Two levels; They try hard – more of a place to eat; Friendly staff; Happy Hour 4-8pm; Great to watch a game or dine; Beer inexpensive.

Blarney Stone: Dive Bar. 307 47^th @ 8-9^th; Used to be 30+ Blarney’s in NYC... now just a few. Ultra Dive bar, filled with locals and dirt cheap beer & happy hour specials. True classic. Not fancy, that’s for sure! $3 beers and cheap food.

Mean Fiddler: Irish Pub. 266 W 47^th St @ 8^th Av; Large pub with live music at night; Huge bar area with endless flat screen TVs; Bar staff can be forgetful; Happy hour noon-8pm, $3,50 bottles; Good jukebox; Touristy bar.

Latitude Bar: Bar/ Lounge; 783 8^th Av @ 47-8^th; Singles scene; Popular 8^th Av hotspot; DJs 4x a week; 3 levels inside including roof deck; 20 flat screens so great for sports; Very extensive, upscale bar menu. Website is excellent. Clean and more upscale though a bit pretentious.

Hurley’s: Irish Pub. 248 West 48^th @ 7^th-8^th; Large, 3 levels and a terrace. Clean, good Irish Pub scene mixed with tourists. Cheap beer. Gets packed on weekends. Good food and a great selection near the theatres. Sit Down dining available- large menu; Excellent beer selection.

Social Bar Grill & Lounge: Bar/ Lounge. 795 8^th Av @ 48-49^th; 3 levels; Upscale Sports bar; Cheap drinks but lots of people; Outdoor deck & great singles scene. Major scene to meet & one of the coolest spots in the area. Sexy staff. Must try on an evening out in Hell’s Kitchen. Same ownership as Latitude.

Tonic: Upscale Sports Bar; 727 7^th Ave @ 48^th-49^th; 3 levels, Excellent Food; Has large/ multiple TVs on each level; Lounge feel; Nice Irish bartenders; Little pricy for genre. Very clean, cool looking and sharp; One of the best sports bars in the city; Very good food. Happy hour 4-7pm;

Perdition: Neighborhood bar; 692 10^th Ave @ 48-9^th; Super Happy Hour- 11am-8pm; Live Jazz; Big spot; World Cup- Soccer friendly; Hospitable staff. Nice, clean bar. Food til 3am; Great beer/ liquor selections. Pub feel. 15 person open bar packages – great for groups/ birthday.

Playwright: Irish Pub. 202 W 49^th @ B-Way-7^th Av; Not overly touristy for a Times Square bar; Two levels- tons of seating upstairs; Large pub menu of food- decent to good; $5 beer specials; Good pre- theatre spot.

123 Burger Shot Beer: Sports Bar/ Pub. 738 10^th Ave @ 50^th; Dollar mini burgers, $2 shots; $3 beers; The $5 wings are super good; Fries amazing- overall, incredible food, cheap drinks to watch a game. Meat market-ish. Dirt cheap and fun.

Druids: Irish Pub. 736 10^th Av @ 50-51^st; Garden out back; Highly rated; Great crowd. Known for upscale Irish food; Not overly crowded; Great beer; Not terribly cheap. Decent pours and more of a formal Irish Pub scene. Great for a date.

Rosie O’Grady’s: Restaurant/ Bar. 800 7^th Ave @ 52^nd; 2 levels sit down restaurant & bar. Great after work or theatre place. Upscale lounge-bar downstairs, with very attractive furniture; Excellent seafood & Steaks; Meals/ happy hour/ pre or post theatre spot.

Russian Samovar: Restaurant/Bar. 256 W 52^nd @ B-Way-8^th Av; The draw here is the flavored Vodkas; You can not taste the Vodka but they are full strength. Also, Great Russian food. Suggest coming for Vodka & appetizers.

Bamboo 52: Lounge/ Restaurant; 344 52^nd @ 8-9^th Av; Incredible happy hour place; Sushi bar with high end food; Sexy cliental and staff; Great music and friendly place; Singles scene; Exotic drinks; Clean, fun and energetic. Perfect for after work groups.

Coppersmiths: Sports Bar. 793 9^th Av @ 53^rd; Great Food; Cool looking inside; Drink specials every day- happy hour 3-10pm - $3 drafts, $12 pitchers; Spacious & Laid back Inviting feel; Tons of TVs. Neighborhood sports bar.

Bar Nine: Dive Lounge. 807 9^th Av @ 53-54^th; Multiple rooms going far back inside; Cool, alternative type of scene; Velvet sofas; Post-college scene, regulars and sports fans; Basic comfort food; Chill scene; East Village type of bar on West side. Live music; Happy hour 3-7pm- $10 pitchers.

Disiac Lounge: Lounge. 402 W. 54^th @ 9^th & 10^th; Small, cute, not bad background music, little outside patio at the back. Kind of chill. Latin feel – but not a big place. Multicolored tables, cozy places to sit; Impress a date here; Friendly, caring staff.

Flute: Wine Bar. 205 W 54^th @ B-Way-7^th; More of a champagne lounge as the name suggests; Trendy... lots of women frequent this place. Sexy feel and classy; Not cheap; Fancy, large selection of wine and champagne; Date spot; Sofas and comfort.

Faces & Names: Bar & Grill. 159 W 54^th @ 6-7^th Av; After work spot; Large space with tons of couches and cool places to hang; Sizable bar as well; Extensive food menu- perfect to start out the night or lunch; Private Parties; Ideal to meet people – especially a group.

Fusion: Lounge. 818 10^th Ave @ 54-55^th; Top After work spot; Mixed crowd of locals, & 20-30s barflys; Neighborhood bar; Sofas; Great for Mixed drinks; Candle-lit tables; Outdoor garden.

Rumors Bar & Grill: Irish Pub. 933 8^th Av @ 55^th; Great sports bar as well with – Baseball & Soccer focus; Friendly bartenders; Excellent beer and happy hour specials. Nothing special, but a solid bar.

McGee’s Pub: Irish Pub. 240 W 55^th @ B-Way-8^th; Upscale pub. 3 levels of fun; 16 HDTVs; Internet jukebox; All major sporting events of TV; Lunch and dinner served; Spacious as hell; Happy hour specials including beer of the month- $4. Three rooms- very long bar. Brunch 11-4pm.

Lincoln Park B&G: Sports Bar/ Dive. 867 9^th Av @ 56-7^th; Quirky waitresses- say hi to Jacki; Cheap drinks; Sizable menu; Lots of TVs; and a cool cave-like setting make a great chill bar. Monday = $3 drafts; Wed = $1 mugs Bud Lite; Thurs= Ladies nite.

Jake’s Saloon: Upscale Bar and Grill. 875 10^th Av @ 57^th; Very classy looking space perfect for lunch or a few finely made drinks before an evening out. Happy hour 11am-8pm every day. Older crowd.

DJ Reynolds: Irish Pub. 351 W 57^th @ 8-9^th Av; Upscale scene with gourmet bar food; Solid after work option; 20 ounce pints; Standard set-up and ideal for lunch, daytime drinking or a casual dinner; Good place to meet up after Central Park.

Hudson Hotel Bar: Lounge. 356 W. 58^th@ 8-9^th; Very trendy, huge hotel bar. Drinks pricy beyond belief but place is awesome. Check out the Library; Upscale all the way and a red hot nightspot; Dates, singles, pick-up scene.

IANNATION.COM

Ian Hunter's Guide to Manhattan and Bergen County, NJ's Best Restaurants, Bars, and Gourmet Markets