Pretty good reviews...mixed, of course, everyone stresses this is a neighborhood place--one person says " run of the mill fun bar" but then others say "my favorite place in the neighborhood"
Rathbones Restaurant
Categories:
Pubs,
American (Traditional)
1702 2nd Ave(between 88th St & 89th St)
New York, NY 10128
Neighborhoods: Yorkville, Upper East Side
(212) 369-7361
- Nearest Transit Station:
-
86 St. (4, 5, 6, 6X)96 St. (4, 6, 6X)
- Delivery:
- No
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Price Range:
- $$
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner, Late Night
- Music:
- Juke Box
- Best Nights:
- Mon, Tue, Wed
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Loud
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
103 reviews for Rathbones Restaurant
Review Highlights What's this?
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"this place has very delicious wings for a very low price." In 44 reviews -
"Great local spot with good food for a UES sports bar." In 21 reviews -
"If you're looking for a local watering hole on the UES, this is it." In 3 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
103 reviews in English
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Review from Adam H.
This review is for Happy Hour alone.
Shared some drinks with a good friend this past Friday. The only reason we came was because it apparently is the bar where him and another good friend of mine would have lived above after college. Living above a bar probably not smart, but coming here for Happy Hour is definitely a good decision.
They had a variety of 3 dollar domestic bottles- think of your standard swill, and 3 dollar domestic drafts, which are only Cold Hard Coors Lights. Or you can pay 4 bucks and get drafts of Sam or BK Lager, which I will take any day of the week. All of this lasts until 7pm.
There is plenty of seating and plenty of tvs for sports, but if you can try and get a spot out front I would recommend that. Posting up in the window is also equally good.
We didn't get food, but the menu looked pretty decent. Not sure when I will be in the area again, but I would definitely return. I did make the rookie mistake of leaving my debit card behind and when trying to get back in I had to show my id, so it might devolve into a typical UES place after 7. Who knows, who cares, the Happy Hour is good enough for me. -
Review from Ted O.
This place just didn't do it for me. We stopped by for a beer and some wings between errands.
The beer selection was about normal for a standard pub (i.e. nothing impressive, but all the standards). The wings weren't very good. I could never figure it out, but either the chicken or the blue cheese was approaching the spoiling date. It wasn't quite gross yet, but it left an unpleasant taste in my mouth.
I don't typically frequent the UES, but when I'm back I'll probably be looking to go somewhere else. -
Review from Christine S.
Manhattan, NYIf you're looking for a local watering hole on the UES, this is it.
The menu here is pretty typical of a bar. Fried stuff, sandwiches, soup, french fries, etc. However, if that's what you're in the mood for, you came to the right place. It's nothing out of this world, but its satisfying, greasy food.
The drinks are also typical bar fare. Beer on tap, beer in bottles, mixed drinks, shots. Maybe wine? I'm not sure about that though. Come here for their happy hour. 2 draft beers (sam summer & guinness) cost me $11. WHAT! So cheap for nyc. I was expecting the bartender to say $18, at least.
The place itself looks like a normal pub/sports bar. Nothing special about it, but it's clean aside from the sawdust being on the floor (not sure why it's there) but thankfully, it doesn't have that gross old beer smell when you walk in.
The staff is super nice. Helpful and quick. The bartenders are also great. They don't just skip over people that have been waiting at the bar for a while.
I'll probably be wandering back here if I ever travel uptown again. -
Review from Michael M.
Manhattan, NYThe best way to enjoy the "Wednesday Wings Special" evening with friends after a though day!
The chicken wings and fries are so delicious and a pitcher on Wednesday is only $10! -
Review from Ryan W.
I stopped in here on Monday to watch the game and get some food. It is a nice sports bar on the Upper East Side. This place has been in business for a long time so I figured they must have been doing something right (especially with all that 2nd ave. construction). Out of the normal selection of bar food I chose the Rathbones burger and ended up being very pleased with my decision. It held up perfectly to the standard of a pub hamburger. I believe on Monday night they have a wing special at the bar during football games and on Wednesday they have wing night with 35 cent wings. I do not normally find myself going out on the Upper East Side, but that bar was one of the better places I have been too. -
Review from Emily O.
New York, NYI am a big fan of rathbones. It is a fairly divey bar, but the food is decent, the sunday- thursday deals are pretty great, and it is always a chill atmosphere. I had my boyfriends birthday party here in March and they were incredibly accommodating and reserved us the whole back of the bar even though we probably did not need all that space. Thanks rathbones for always providing a good time and for always having bruce springsteen playing at some point during my visits :) -
Review from Denise W.
Barcelona, SpainI had a craving for some hockey and the boyfriend had a craving for some cheap wings... so to the internet for research on places with wing specials! We found that Rathbones was offering 35-cent wings until 11:00pm or whenever they ran out on this lovely Wednesday night. It was definitely a happening place: loud like any other pub when it's crowded. We had a brief wait before being seated in a small table in the corner. A baseball game between the Yankees and the Mets was going on at the time, so most of the television screens were tuned into that game. Boooooo. I lucked out by getting a seat that had an angled view of one of the few screens broadcasting the hockey game, although I still couldn't see part of the screen.
The waitress took our order of ten BBQ wings and ten buffalo wings with carrot sticks, celery sticks, and bleu cheese dressing on the side. Being on a budget, we ordered water. The waitress said there was normally a drink requirement but since we had been waiting for a while, she was willing to waive it for us. Sweet! The BBQ wings were nice and had a decent balance of sweet and tangy to them. The buffalo wings were a bit dry and not too appetizing.
We stayed for the entire hockey game, ordering ten more BBQ wings in the process. The waitress suggested we try mixed BBQ and buffalo sauce on the wings. She brought us two wings of the mixed sauce for us to try. While it was a nice change of pace, it was not as good as the BBQ on its own. When we got our bill, the waitress had charged the two mixed sauce wings as complimentary. How awesome is that!?
For the price we paid, it was a good deal. The waitress was awesome since she waived the drink requirement, was timely at refilling our waters, and the two complimentary wings. Other than our waitress, it was a typical grungy pub environment: loud and full of frat boys. -
Review from Lena L.
Six people sit down to a meal and each order sandwiches and beers, some even two beers.
All six people clobber their sandwiches & fries leaving no indication there were even sandwiches.
Six people get a check.
How much is it? $180? No you say, how about $80. Yup $80. 2 FER TUES.
U. Must. Go. -
Review from Catherine F.
New York, NYAn ultimate dive with cheap beer, darts and an older, less pretentious crowd. A two-star on most days (in thinking about the competition), but can quickly redeem itself if you're in the mood for something simple. -
Review from Jesse S.
New York, NYRathbones is a little fratty but I still like it. They have a different special each night of the week and I usually find myself there on Wednesday nights for .35 wings and $7 pitchers......wings are delish too! They are a little annoying about "your entire party has to be here or we wont sit you" but that's not too unusual for NYC. I'm a fan. -
Review from rory h.
Long Island City, NYA far as your local watering hole goes this place is the best. While the decor and outside appearance may not be much, the food is great and the staff is super nice.
They have all kinds of good daily specials but wing night Wednesdays are the best. The wings are cheap and they are sooo good. Very crispy, not too big or small, and you can choose your spicyness. The burgers, chicken sandwiches, steak tips app, and fries are also really good. -
Review from Todd B.
To quote Paula Deen, it is what it is. It's not a gastropub or restaurant that pretends to serve food to satisfy the food critics, or even Yelpers. It's a run of the mill fun bar with food that has some fun trivia nights that attract the fraternity crowd and other Gen Ys in the neighborhood. I had a good time, and that was all that mattered. And the wings were good. Amen. -
Review from Brooke Lee A.
New York, NYI love you.
I have one suggestion...a veggie sandwich. Toasted veggies with cheese on your cheesesteak roll, please.
I think there should be a vegetarian option on the menu.
Other than that, I am in love. Sawdust and all. -
Review from Tommy K.
The place gets packed and loud. It was nice to sit outside when the traffic is gone from the streets. Good burger and really like the fries. Service was excellent. Frat scene, not my typical place to visit, but decent food and beer prices. -
Review from Gamal H.
The food here is decent, but this isn't a restaurant. It's a post frat pub that happens to have food.
We often stop by Rathbones on the way to someplace else, because my partner likes the wings. If you pass by you'll see tables outside most of the year and someone will invariably be wearing their college sweatshirt.
As you walk in, there is a bar on the left and tables on the right. No one ever sits at the tables. They just cluster around the bar and watch the 7-8 games that are on any given Saturday.
The place is dark in a menacing way and although a lot of the people seem to know each other, they're not quite friendly. It's not the most inviting place, although the hostess is usually very nice.
Most of the time, we don't even get a drink. We just talk to the waitress, grab our order and head home or to East Side Tavern (because it's a nicer place with bigger drinks and personal TV's in the booths) but if you want bar food on the UES to go, you could do a lot worse than going to Rathbones.
Have fun.
G -
Review from Sarah K.
I have been to Rathbones MANY more times than my # of check-ins would lead you to believe. As in, I have had dinner here instead of the millions of other choices within a 3-block radius about 95% of the time.
I think the food that I've had here is pretty decent bar food. Most of the time I just get a hamburger, which they always serve on an English Muffin instead of any form of bread that I actually like, and it's a good burger. Nothing fancy, served with a crapload of fries, which are usually drenched in salt. The wings are pretty solid. Their ribs, only served on Thursday nights, are pretty good, but the mini corn muffins on the side are not exactly on par with a piece of cornbread at a bbq joint. I've had their cobb salad with avocado, which is ok, but needs an appropriate dressing choice. My sister once ordered their tuna melt, which is literally a can of tuna per slice of bread with melted American on top. During brunch there are several standard choices for a really fair price.
I don't know why anyone would want to sit outside here, unless they are smoking or brought their dog. It's right on 2nd Ave, across from the bus stop, in the middle of the subway construction. I actually don't understand why anyone wants to dine on any sidewalk of a busy avenue in NYC, because of the noise and the fumes, but whatever.
I think the food is great for what people want at such a neighborhood place. The reason I am here a lot is that my uncle lives around the corner, and I have dinner with him almost every week, or sometimes Sunday brunch. I wish he would expand his choices more, so I could check out some places other than Rathbones, but he loves coming here so I don't complain. Rathbones has been around for quite a while. My parents used to live in the same place around the corner, so my family's been frequenting Rathbone's since the 1970's. It's changed a bit since back then, but it's still a solid local spot.
They have specials of some sort every day of the week, including a cheap wings special, cheap bottles of beer, French Dip Fridays, and the aforementioned ribs. They have plenty of TVs to watch the game on instead of talking to who you're there with. The staff, while probably having a few more customers than they can handle at times, have always been nice to me. The guy who runs the place is really friendly.
After reading my review, you're probably thinking, ok...why the 4-star review and not just a solid A-OK 3-star rating? I think it's just because I've been here so much and a lot of the staff here know my uncle and are so nice to him, so I bumped it up to 4.
So if you're here on a busy night, where everyone else in the place is clearly in their 20s, and you see a white-haired guy in the back furiously eating a cheeseburger, sitting with a girl who is young enough to match the crowd but perhaps not fratty enough, it's probably me! Come say hi! -
Review from Phil H.
Sitting outside during the beautiful weather is always a nice perk at Rathbones and is such a relaxing experience. Al fresco seating in the front of this terrific locals pub with two flat screens showing the day's games is winning. Terrific wings to munch on, friendly waitresses, drink and food specials Mon-Fri. Always a solid choice if you can get an outside table on early evening hours to unwind after a long day at work.
Now that the weather is getting nice I need to add a few cheat days to my diet to devour some tasty wings on Wednesday nights wing special!Listed in: Yes, I have a drinking…, Places that I love, My UES faves!, UES eats above 80th Street, Mmmm....Burgers. Meat. Meaty…2 Previous Reviews: Show all »
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4/7/2010
Ahhh - the nice warm weather, comfortable nights, and sitting outside at Rathbones having a beer and… Read more »
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4/7/2010
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Review from Kellie G.
Yorkville, Manhattan, NYOverall it's good. Nothing too exciting. We sat outside and our server forgot us. Not much for a vegetarian to eat. My boyfriend thought his portion was a bit small. But the food was good. -
Review from Stephanie C.
New York, NY3.5 stars but I'm rounding down but I love wings and you need to really wow me to get a 4-5 star.
Came here on a total whim with bf. We were in our PJs so don't worry about "getting dolled up" for this pub. Wed nights are .35 wings, and $10 pitcher for beer (we got Coors Light as that was the special.. draft would have been $3, otherwise they had I think Heineken Light, Bud Light, Michelob, etc... I don't really drink non light beers.. or beers at all rather).
We ended up sitting outside around 8pm- on nice nights, go for the al fresco option as inside it's crowded mess. Waitresses are super nice and will take care of you even if you're outside...
The wings came out promptly, and were hot. A plethora of blue cheese is given if you like that (I do not). I also don't take BBQ flavor, so that eliminates 1 out of 2 flavors (the other being buffalo). Not much to be surprised above flavor wise- wings were nice and crispy (a plus) though given how much sauce they had. Of course, BBQ is way saucier and sweeter. Buffalo is not too spicy.
They have good representation of drums and wings.. maybe slightly more drums (booness).
Can't comment too much on the atmosphere since I didn't step inside but you can surmise the usual UES frattiness. Nice waitresses though, so overall a pleasant experience.
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