Monday, November 4, 2013

Tammany Hall Tavern- Midtown East

Good reviews but not without a couple of complaints ( what else?)

People like the Happy Hour after work and it looks like this is big for the "frat party" scene, which one person did not like at all

Tammany Hall Tavern

3.5 star rating
57 reviews Rating Details
218 E 53rd St
(between 3rd Ave & 2nd Ave)
New York, NY 10022
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(212) 355-6607
Nearest Transit Station:
Lexington Ave./53 St. (E, M)
51 St. (4, 6, 6X)
59 St. (4, 5, 6, 6X)
Hours:
Mon-Tue 11:30 am - 12 am
Wed 11:30 am - 1 am
Thu 11:30 am - 2 am
Fri 11:30 am - 4 am
Sat 4 pm - 4 am
Sun 12 pm - 12 am
Attire:
Casual
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Garage, Street
Price Range:
$$
Good for Groups:
Yes
Good for Kids:
No
Takes Reservations:
Yes
Delivery:
No
Take-out:
Yes
Waiter Service:
Yes
Outdoor Seating:
No
Wi-Fi:
Free
Good For:
Dinner, Late Night
Music:
DJ
Best Nights:
Mon, Tue, Wed
Happy Hour:
Yes
Alcohol:
Full Bar
Smoking:
No
Coat Check:
Yes
Noise Level:
Loud
Good For Dancing:
Yes
Ambience:
Casual
Has TV:
Yes
Wheelchair Accessible:
Yes
Dogs Allowed:
No
Daniel K. said: "This is my fav place to come to for a casual drink with my bros. On thursdays they have a great deal of matching shot for shot, and the prices are very reasonable.   The food is always great and the staff is super friendly! It also…" read more »

Review Highlights   What's this?

  • "1) The $1 oysters are definitely the best." In 13 reviews
  • "Their upstairs bar is lovely and has ample room if the downstairs..." In 9 reviews
  • "Best fries in Midtown - Parmesan Garlic." In 8 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
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57 reviews in English

  • Review from

    • 25 friends
    • 21 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    9/16/2013
    Tammany Hall is an excellent place for happy hour if you're in Midtown East. They even let you win free happy hour if you enter your name into a drawing, which is excellent because you can invite 25 friends!

    Their upstairs bar is lovely and has ample room if the downstairs fills up. Last time, I spoke with the manager, Harry, and he was incredibly helpful with meeting my party's needs.

    My one suggestion is that you expect it to be loud because it's often packed.
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    9/5/2013 3 photos 1 check-in here
    walked into this bar w/ NO expectations & walked out actually liking it!

    they've got a chill downstairs bar area which is where we had our drinks.. & little did we know until we were about to leave that there's also a HUGE dance floor upstairs
    ---nachos: not bad & good to share! chips were a bit too thin though
    ---fried mac N cheese: comes in cubes, just okay
    ---calamari: flavorful & soft!! not rubbery like most cheap bars!

    NOTE: free drink w/ yelp checkin!!

    ONE GRIPE: the service was kind of slow & the bar wasn't that busy
    • Fried Mac n cheese
    • Nachos
    • Meyer berry martini
  • Review from

    • 1 friend
    • 12 reviews
    Rego Park, NY
    8/11/2013 1 check-in here
    My friends and I were in the area and we were looking for food. However, we stopped here when we saw their happy hour special. $4 sangria got us in the door.

    We went on a Tuesday night and the bar was full but not packed. We found a table, ordered our sangrias and then decided to order food. The Mediterranean plate and the fried calamari, both of which was surprisingly good  and generous in size.

    While I was there they were passing around a paper to sign-up for a contest. I got a call a couple of days later and ended up winning a free open bar for an hour. I was allowed to bring up to 25 people and we took advantage of this awesome deal.

    The bartenders were great and it wasn't difficult to get more drinks from them. At first the drinks were definitely watered down but they seemed to get stronger as the night went on (maybe because we were all getting drunker). We were able to order mixed drinks, beer, or wine.

    I would definitely come back again if I was in the area. They have an upstairs area that looks like you can reserve for parties and they have a small area in the back where you can sit and eat food. Next time I plan on trying more of the food there.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 15 reviews
    New York, NY
    10/25/2013
    Nice fun place to hit up right after work.Great for happy hours.

    Good:

    -Pull pork sandwich
    -French fries
    -Grilled cheese sandwich & tomato soup
    -Beer specials
    -Nice upstairs
    -Loud but chill patrons

    Bad:
    N/A
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 8 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    10/24/2013
    This place would have gotten 3 stars from me if not for the fact that they are ALWAYS handing out free open bars like candy! As a result, me and my entire office find ourselves here at least once a week. They have great happy hour specials and their fried mac n' cheese cubes are the amazing. Just try to get in early, lest the place be swamped by suits by the time you get there.
  • Review from

    • 61 friends
    • 25 reviews
    Little Neck, NY
    10/11/2013
    Good spot to grab a drink and some apps and catch up with friends/watch the game. Place is packed and has good energy. If downstairs is too tight they have another bad upstairs.
  • Review from

    • 24 friends
    • 271 reviews
    Brooklyn, NY
    8/16/2013 1 check-in here
    I am not going back as it is not our kind of place to hang out or grab drinks.
    Attended a benefit there in the spring.
  • Review from

    • 5 friends
    • 43 reviews
    San Francisco, CA
    10/1/2013
    Much better since the new ownership. A good place to watch games and get oysters. And it's a dance party Friday/Saturday nights (a slight clubby/bar scene those nights)
  • Review from

    Brooklyn, NY
    7/24/2013 1 check-in here
    A decent spot for after work drinks and munchies.   Not too crowded, great service and a decent overall vibe.

    We came here for predinner drinks and even came back for post dinner drinks.

    Overall, a very cool experience, I'll be back if I'm in the area.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 92 reviews
    New York, NY
    6/8/2013
    It's sort of a long narrow room, which I guess is maybe where the name came from.  A fine place for simple drinks if you're near, but doesn't have enough going for it to go out of your way to come with so many other options on the same block.

    The fries are good and the entrees ok.  Of course, there's the usual array of bar food like wings, etc.  (yawn.)  Nothing we had stood out.  They have what looks like a lonely oyster bar in the back corner, which kind of looks like they are trying to do something similar to what you find in the Winter at nearby PJ Clarke's.  I didn't see anyone having any, so I steered clear myself.

    Service was reasonable and friendly.

    They need to do something to make themselves stand out from the crowd.
  • Review from

    Brooklyn, NY
    7/3/2013
    Solid HH spot.

    Super crowded suit crowd. Luckily, my friends were able to snag a table, so I didn't mind the crowd too much.

    Peach prosecco was on the HH menu but was a little too sweet for my liking.  Quickly moved to beer.

    $1 oysters all day mon and until 7 the other days.

    Didn't try any of the other food though.
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    6/8/2013 1 check-in here
    I remember this place from when it was called something else!  Pretty happenin' bar that has some bumpin' music going on.  Yes, the free drink via yelp check-in is pretty sweet, you can have any order you want!  Friendly bartender, too.

    It's also pretty easy to win a free open bar for an hour here, if you drop your business card.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 2 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    Updated - 10/15/2013
    Noisy, crowded, rude staff, awful doormen and I think I got food poisoning from the food. This place gives frat bars a bad name. AVOID!

    1 Previous Review: Show all »

    • 12/11/2012
      If underage drinking, people being sick in the toilets and so many people you can't move is you… Read more »
  • Review from

    Briarwood, Queens, NY
    4/18/2013 1 check-in here
    Great spot for happy hour.  They also have $1 oysters.  They have an upstairs if you ever need to reserve a space for an event.

    It gets pretty crowded but would go back.
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    7/24/2013 1 check-in here
    Pretty cool place, but maybe a bit too lit up for the tavern feel. Check in on Yelp scores you a free drink and they have an oyster special till 7, so that makes me happy too! Perfect bar to hang out afterwork to meet up with some friends to pregame before dinner and worth it for a post game as well. Not a bad place to hang out if you are in the area.
  • Review from

    • 41 friends
    • 40 reviews
    Jersey City, NJ
    5/8/2013
    I was here for an open bar so I can't fully judge the stiffness of their drinks if you pay a regular price for them but I swear I drank more soda than whiskey.

    There was a DJ playing - it was a Saturday. Very loud, on and off crowded.

    Kind of into it, but I wouldn't bring it home to my parents.
  • Review from

    • 202 friends
    • 75 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    4/26/2013
    This review is only for HH.

    Ordered the oysters. YUMS. $1 all the way

    You can hold me anyday.

    Cocktails.. can be worked on. But $5.. cannot complain! You get what you paid for! I ordered a cucumber martini. Prettyyy strong but not quite like a regular cucumber martini like regular places. Still.. not bad. The beers were better but.. it is like.. how can you go wrong with beers? haha

    I like how the oysters were clean and fresh. They did take a while to come though. You can see the bartender/guy popping them open.. and it took 40 mins.. to come with 20? oh dear. Thank god he is not a surgeon. Poor patient might have died from prolong exposure to air with his/her body split open.

    Very hot in here. People take chairs away from tables. Hostess love to tell you they are not a waitress. Tolerable. $1 oysters. Give and Take. Your choice :)
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 44 reviews
    Manhattan, NY
    5/11/2013
    I can only comment about their drinks, not the food items.

    I came here for company happy hour the other day, and the drinks here were bad. I tried three different cocktails on their happy hour drink menu, and they were all not so good. My colleague ordered a draft beer, and she had to send it back because it was way flat - not drinkable at all. The waitstaff on the other hand were very friendly and attentive.
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    2/27/2013
    I hosted an event at Tammany Hall Tavern and all I have to say is the event staff did a great job holding my hand and making sure the event went smoothly.
    We were hosting a game watch with my alumni and the alumnus of the rival team, and it couldn't have been a better place for an early afternoon game.
    Tammany offered us some drink and food specials and let our alumni bar tend and keep the tips for our respective groups.
    The wings were much better than anticipated and there were ample TV's with the sound on during the game.

    I'm thinking of hosting more events here in the future, they made it so easy, and I can let my friends bar tend!
  • Review from

    • 68 friends
    • 32 reviews
    New York, NY
    3/25/2013
    I've been here several times with friends for happy-hour. It's always a good time and the staff are awesome.

    I've been there when its packed and other times when its pretty quiet. Either ways, the service is great, and the food and drinks are fairly priced. Their garlic/Parmesan fries are bomb!

    Great place for after work and to watch a game. Ask for Alexis, she's a doll!
  • Review from

    • 84 friends
    • 158 reviews
    New York, NY
    1/10/2013
    I absolutely LOVE Tammany Hall. I really do. I cant say enough good things. I was reading some other reviews and I feel like they are irrelevant. Obviously Tammany Hall is not a weekend party destination. This is not the place you come to on a Friday or Saturday night to dance. This is a place you meet friends at for happy hour or dinner. Now with that being said these are my favorite things about the place:

    1. The Staff - everyone, and I mean everyone is super friendly and happy that you're there. If they don't mean it then they are great liars. From the oyster shucker to the hostess they are great.

    2. The prix fixe dinner on Tuesday: 3 courses plus unlimited beer, wine, and sometimes cider for $35. Need I say more?

    3. Oyster happy hour - $1 oysters daily during happy hour and all day on Monday (I think)
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    Updated - 10/15/2012
    Have been back a few times and am very pleased that they have an upstairs area for my team to hang out after our kickball games. Very spacious and a nice place to hang with friends and watch the games on tv.

    we have also tried a bunch of the food items now (fries---which have a nice seasoning, sweet potato fries, nachos, sandwhiches). it was all quite good. nothing to write home about but pretty much what you are looking for when it comes to some lunch type bar food

    1 Previous Review: Show all »

    • 6/26/2012
      Came here with some friends after playing a game of kickball. Place was Ok, food was decent. The… Read more »
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 15 reviews
    Charleston, SC
    9/6/2013
    This place is awesome!!! I stopped in here the other night because I was in town on business, and I thought  the band that was playing was awesome!! The food was okay (fried chicken and waffles), but the atmosphere more than made up for it. Spoke with Harry, one of the managers, who was really nice and cordial. I'll be back next time I'm in town.

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