Sunday, October 20, 2013

Cock and Bull British Pub and Restaurant- Midtown

This place gets mostly pretty good (or very good) reviews with a sour apple or two

Funny, I have never noticed it before

Cock & Bull

4.0 star rating
54 reviews Rating Details
Categories: British, Pubs  [Edit]
23 W 45th St
(between 5th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas)
New York, NY 10036
Neighborhood: Midtown West
(212) 819-1900
Make a Reservation
Nearest Transit Station:
5 Ave. (7, 7X)
47 - 50 Sts - Rockefeller Ctr (B, D, F, M)
Grand Central - 42 St. (S)
Hours:
Mon-Sun 11 am - 11 pm
Good for Kids:
No
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Street
Attire:
Casual
Good for Groups:
Yes
Price Range:
$$
Takes Reservations:
Yes
Delivery:
No
Take-out:
Yes
Waiter Service:
Yes
Outdoor Seating:
No
Wi-Fi:
Free
Good For:
Lunch, Dinner
Best Nights:
Mon, Tue, Wed
Happy Hour:
Yes
Alcohol:
Full Bar
Smoking:
No
Coat Check:
No
Noise Level:
Average
Good For Dancing:
No
Ambience:
Casual
Has TV:
Yes
Caters:
No
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes

Review Highlights   What's this?

  • "Quite possibly the best chicken pot pie I've ever eaten." In 5 reviews
  • "...is definitely a great place for a quiet drink and chat in midtown." In 10 reviews
  • "Nice English style pub in Manhattan." In 10 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
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54 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 60 friends
    • 140 reviews
    New York, NY
    8/30/2013 1 check-in here
    LOVE this place. Friendly service, yummy food and drinks, after work crowd.

    Chicken Lliver Pate and Bacon Sandwich w/ sliced apples: friggin amazing. crusty bread, wonderful mix of flavors and textures, and BACON. almost too good to be true.

    Beef and Ale Pie: buttery flaky crust, soft tender beef, rich and hearty stew. Almost made me forget about my crappy day at work.

    Oh and great cocktails. Love me some Pimms.
  • Review from

    Brooklyn, NY
    8/7/2013
    I wanted to go here because it reminded me of my trip to London and it had roasted bone marrow, one of my favorite (though hard to find) dishes.

    Cock and Bull is definitely more of a happy hour, after work bar. When we went for brunch, it was very empty, though we did have a group of guys doing some early bachelor party (?) drinking. Our server was a bit sarcastic but friendly.

    We got the bone marrow, a banger salad, and codfish sliders to share. I pretty much always love bone marrow, but I have had better at other places. The bones were sliced crosswise and had a generous amount of marrow, but the dish needed some sea salt or parsley to really bring out the flavor. The banger salad was interesting. Greens, mushrooms. carrots, cheddar cheese, and pork sausage. It was very filling for a salad. The sausage was good, but I wasn't crazy about the rest of the salad. The codfish sliders were surprisingly good. The fish was breaded and fried perfectly.

    Not a place I'd ever go out of my way for, but overall a solid meal.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 16 reviews
    WALL STREET, NY
    8/4/2013
    the service was great and very entertaining. the food was far better than most English pubs that i have eaten in England! the ham & cheese sandwich is far from those likely found in the UK. its MUCH BETTER.

    clever drink menu & good prices. i recommend.
  • Review from

    • 2 friends
    • 160 reviews
    Hoboken, NJ
    10/13/2013 1 check-in here
    Good eclectic menu here and everything tasted great. They have bone marrow as an app and it comes with a lot of bread for dipping, very good! It's a big place with lots of seating and the service was good too. Guinness was also very smooth. The fish tacos are also noteworthy.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 7 reviews
    San Francisco, CA
    10/14/2013 Seated via OpenTable
    I have travelled extensively in Ireland and the UK and like good pub food. This place does NOT have it. We ordered the Shepard's Pie, which was inedible due to the salt content. Also, not true Shepard's Pie, basically just hamburger in a tomato sauce, with instant mashed potatoes on top. The Pie did not come with English chips (large cut French Fries) and was $16.75 for about a dollar's worth of ingredients.  To top it off the noise level was excruciating.
  • Review from

    • 31 friends
    • 14 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    9/29/2013
    Loved this place. Nice quite place for a pre-dinner drink. If you are looking for a bar where you can go, and actually have a conversation try this one. :)
  • Review from

    • 36 friends
    • 14 reviews
    Laveen, AZ
    9/8/2013 1 check-in here
    Great comfort food and great service. The place is a tidy, friendly pub. Good ole English pub grub.
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    8/14/2013
    This is a cute bar in Midtown with great service, decent decor, and excellent service. For dinner, I tried the chicken pot pie. It was toasted nicely and the inside was very filling and not too heavy. The portion was just the right amount. My friend ordered a salad, which was huge, so be forewarned. For drinks, the gin and tonic with blueberries was a bit strange but interesting. Our waiters were very friendly and accommodating. Overall, a nice atmosphere and good meal!
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    6/12/2013 1 check-in here
    Found myself here on a rainy Monday night to grab a drink with a few coworkers after work. We picked this bar because it's literally 5 doors down form our office and again, it was pouring rain.

    The staff was friendly and helpful. The food was ok, I have had better at other bars in  the area, but it wasn't terrible. We shared the meatball sliders, cup of chips (fries) and the scotch egg.

    They have a pretty good selection of beer and ciders on draft. And the price was comparable to the area. A bit over priced with no happy hour, but I expect nothing less in midtown.
  • Review from

    New York, NY
    4/24/2013 5 check-ins here
    Met up w a hot date for a quick bite and drink before his class. I had the chicken leek soup but it was basically just a chicken soup. So disappointing. The fries were pretty tasty which I snagged from my date's burger plate.

    I had their signature Moscow Mule which is DANGEROUS. It tasted like a lime ginger drink and I could not taste the vodka at all. Definitely felt it when I tried to walk to the restroom afterwards.

    Also, great service. :)
  • Review from

    Buffalo, NY
    3/11/2013
    Yelp, why so little love for the Cock & Bull?  This joint is a genuine Aladdin-esque diamond in the rough that is Midtown West.  You will find a half dozen dozen (do the math for fun) Irish pubs in the neighborhood, but none of them boast the wide selection of spirits or the fantastic food.

    Walking into Cock & Bull at 6.30 can be an intimidating experience.  Chock full of bankers with bursting wallets, bursting egos, bursting belt lines, Burberry coats, it's enough to drive a fella mad.  Do yourself a favor and skip happy hour.  Show up at 8.30, and find yourself a space at the long expansive bar.  Lean back on your barstool and appreciate the detail that was put into designing the decor of the place.  Soft lighting casts delightfully snug shadows across the length of the floor.  Or, for a change of pace, score a seat upstairs in at a table, round or long.  To me, this area is the key.  It feels like the cabin of a ship, quite nautical.  At any moment, I expect a sea dog to stride in with rolls of maps.  More often, it's a waiter.

    So order up... if you can even decide what drink you'll choose.  Cock & Bull has a great selection of craft brews along with all the usual American standbys.  Better yet, ask for a recommendation of one of their choice whiskeys or bourbons.  They have a wide array from both the U.S. and abroad including aged choices and craft whiskeys.  None of the other spots in the neighborhood would even consider such an assortment.  To them, Jameson is *it*.  But you've just ordered a Knappogue Castle neat.  Kick your heels back.  Another decision approaches.  What to eat?

    Start with an appetizer.  The chicken liver pate is an excellent first stop.  Thick, rich, and unfortunately but inevitably artery clogging, thinly sliced toast accompanies it, providing a delightful crunch.  A Scotch egg may be a good choice, too.  The sausage it's wrapped in is succulent.  So what if it's unhealthy?  You're getting some protein there.  Uninspired?  Then just get yourself some fries!  Crispy and deliciously oiled though never oily, I sometimes speculate on whether the specks I see are salt or sprinkled cocaine.  I personally prefer to eat my fries with mustard, so imagine my delight when I was brought a bottle of Colman's mustard.  Incredibly, they don't take French's or house mustard and fill Colman's bottles.  They are providing you the good stuff, mustard that will stand your hair on end, mustard that will make Jesus cry.

    But can a man live on appetizers alone?  At the Cock & Bull, maybe.  But that doesn't mean you shouldn't leave room for an entree.  The chicken pot pie is an inspired choice.  Thick, almost solid inside, the glaze has a hint of bleu cheese that pulls the entire thing together.  Or do what I prefer.  Opt for a burger.  Sure, you can get a burger anywhere.  McDonald's, Shake Shack, HB Burger.  Whatever.  You won't find a burger like this.  They make burgers one way: burger, bun cheddar, onions.  You won't find avocado, wasabi, or any other arcane additive anywhere near their meat.  Instead, you get something simply yummy.

    Once happy hour ends and the bar clears out a bit, you will find all types at the Cock & Bull.  Sitting down by the bar, I've met European martial artists, engineers from Texas working Sandy recovery, snooty theater-goers, bankers (of course), hipsters.  Its location brings all sorts, and the atmosphere is such that there's no reason to mingle.

    So grab a bar stool and don't let go until you're stuffed, sauced, or suddenly aware that if you don't leave right then, the R train will stop running and leave you with a two hour commute back to Bay Ridge via the N local.  (Oh dear.)
  • Review from

    Atlanta, GA
    6/18/2013 1 check-in here
    Went here for lunch. Nice bar / restaurant in the middle of Manhattan. They have a great beer selection. We went there for lunch. The menu is limited but the food is very good.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 9 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    8/6/2013
    Nice pub atmosphere with plenty of space and is rarely crowded (a good place for a date or a laid-back drink with friends). Happily and somewhat surprisingly, it is usually devoid of the ex-pat snot bags that pervade this area.  The dining area is really nice and separated from the bar.  Nice staff, good drinks and a reasonable list of beers.

    Not a fan of British food, but I did enjoy the meat/beer pie and some sort of amorphous pudding.  My g/f (who is a Brit) said she enjoyed the Welsh rarebit and fish & chips which I thought was catagorically gross.
  • Review from

    Scarsdale, NY
    1/31/2013 1 check-in here
    I have only been for drinks so I can't comment on the food. From what I've seen I really do like this place. It takes me back to Holborn, London with the 5pm gatherings! I was so amazed to see that they had John Smiths beer! If you're in the area and want to go on a quick trip to the UK, pop in and have a pint!

    I will followup after trying the food.
  • Review from

    New York, NY
    3/4/2013
    This review is based on my bar experience only and not the food.  Although I am not really a fan of British food to begin with (sorry Brits, you just are not good cooks) so it doesn't really matter anyway.

    I came here for a drink after work with a friend of mine.  We arrived around 6pm and it was relatively packed already, but we managed to score two seats on the stools against the wall.  I really liked the atmosphere here and it did remind me of some pubs I've been to while in the UK - it has a bit of a cozy feel to it.  I also thought it was quite comical that they keep with the British theme even in naming their drinks and various food items.  Personal favorites were the Pipa-tini, Mini-Me Platter and the Fat Bastard Platter.  I ordered a Moscow Mule and it came in this cute little tin cup with a picture of a mule on it and said "Moscow Mule."  I wanted to steal it.

    If I ever find myself looking for a pub in midtown or if anyone asks I would certainly recommend Cock & Bull!
  • Review from

    • 10 friends
    • 31 reviews
    New York, NY
    7/26/2013 1 check-in here
    This place is amazing. Amazing ambience, great choice  of drinks and the food was also awesome. I had ordered the chicken pot pie and the NYC steak - both were good. Their bonafee pie is something that one should definitely try.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 4 reviews
    Civic Center, Manhattan, NY
    8/23/2013 1 photo
    Great atmosphere, low key decent prices. Central location in midtown. Definitely be here more often!
    • Beer and cider

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