Van Diemen’s Bar + Kitchen
“Where the hell in NYC are you gunna find a happy hour on a weekend from 11-close.”
“And yet, Murray Hill, I somehow find my way back to you and some of my most memorable anecdotes were conceived on your dirty streets.”
“Had my birthday celebration here, rented out the loft area with private bar and room.”
Van Diemen’s Bar + Kitchen
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Coat Check: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Solid bar food. We only popped in quickly Friday night to eat but noticed it was packed with people watching the game. So many TVs everywhere. Not a bad seat in the house (as it should be at a sports bar).
We inhaled the pork tacos and mac and cheese. So good! Food was better than expected. Cocktails were great, too.
The bartender was awesome and so cool! I think her name is Mina? Not sure but I saw that someone posted a photo of her with the caption "Mina." She was great! We sat at a table (not at the bar) but the few minutes that we interacted with her were so pleasant, she was so accommodating.
Even though we only stayed for a short while to eat, I wouldn't hesitate to come back.
The energy at this sports bar always puts me in a good mood. The food though, the food is something else for a sports bar! The chicken Lollipops, beef sliders, and the mango fish tacos are all delightful. I am not a fan of veggie burgers, never was, however, my opinion changed drastically after trying the veggie slider here. They have an array of signature infused cocktails, my favorite cocktail is the Old Overholt Rye drink they have on the menu. It's like an old-fashioned, but with its own twist. I like the DJ here, he plays a variety of chill music on slower days and club bangers on party nights so that everyone has a good time. They also have order for pick up or delivery option. Don't forget to check in here for a free beer! Also, the owner is very nice and will make sure you don't leave without a full belly and a smile on your face.
Comically poor service. On a Tuesday evening (see: opposite of busy), it seemed nearly impossible to get our orders in, not just because it was hard to get the attention of the staff, nor because half of what we wanted from the menu was not available, but also because from what we did order, some of our orders never made it to the table. I wanted to like the place, don't get me wrong, but just a few of the "little things":
– My 'medium' burger was the most gory thing I had seen all week, it was so rare.
– The French Onion Soup we ordered just never made it to the table; note it was one of the four food dishes we ordered, so it wasn't really like there was an abundance of orders going in to get lost within.
– Out of the two PBRs we ordered, only one made it to the table. The second one found its way over a solid 15-20 minutes later. These were also mischarged, despite the explicit price being listed on the front of the menu.
– We were only able to ask/receive pitchers of water a solid hour in.
– Also not necessarily a bad thing, but we definitely received someone else's tequila soda at some point. It was too difficult/taking too long to get the staff's attention, so we ended enjoying it, oops.
It was also frigid inside, so perhaps the 'melted cheese' on my burger couldn't help but turn into plastic immediately, so that one I'm not sure if I can really say much on.
Overall a confusing, if not sad, experience. But hey, I did get a free beer from the Yelp check-in offer. So there's that.
What happened here? Where did that laid-back, Australian sports bar go?
There are still flashes of it in the delicious sliders, the solid wings, the excellent fries (I'd avoid the nachos though), and the flatscreens all around. But when the sun goes down and the DJ comes on, this formerly calm and pleasant bar turns into a deafening Tonic clone. If I wanted that, I'd just go to Tonic down the street.
A few pieces of advice, if you decide to head here:
1. Go early, and leave after happy hour unless you don't actually want to talk to the people you're with.
2. Even if you and all your friends are drinking Guinness, don't let yourself get talked into a tower of Guinness. The pour matters too much.
3. Beware the bathroom. It's at the end of a long hallway, and chances are the light will be dimly flickering as an unavoidably creepy attendant watches you pee. Better off just peeing into your empty tower of Guinness.
(Don't actually do that, you idiot.)
Murray Hill has no shortage of bars. What this neighborhood does suffer from is a shortage of GOOD bars. Van Diemens is a great spot I keep coming back to, mainly for the customer service and overall fun time.
Recently, some female friends and I went to VD's to watch the Rangers game. The energy of the place was high, but not tense. Some guys were talking to my friends and an employee checked on us to make sure we were OK with that. The gentleman (maybe a manager or a bouncer?) seemed concerned with our well being, but not trying to "block" any action, if my friend was interested in the guy. It was a classy move.
Jayme, the bartender, gets this place the 6 stars all on her own. She is warm and engaging. She always tells you the specials. Go on a night that she's working and you'll definitely have a great time!
VD's has happy hour – every day, even on Saturdays they have $4 drafts. It's a sports bar, but you don't have to even like sports to appreciate it. Their music, food and atmosphere are all top notch. In an area where a bar needs to work hard to distinguish itself, I think VD's has.
Average bar. Average service. Average atmosphere.
Bunch of tv screens to watch the game.
Food: SLIDERSSSSSS & Cesar salad (homemade Cesar dressing) both totally recommend. The fries are handcut— ehh a little soggy not as crispy as I would like. Seems like these fries were just chilling before we got them.
The beer is pretty flat. With a bunch of guy friends and 4 of them complained that the beer tasted like cider not beer. I guess that's what you get for having $40 special–all you can drink select beers and 2 apps or wings.
The house gin tastes pretty bad. Don't get it.
Go for neat drinks or bottled beer!
I hate sports bars but the food and vibe here were good if that is what you are looking for. Service is good too.
Their clientele seems happy and I could tell there were lots of local regulars in there (I am not). The food is a definite upgrade from your ordinary sports bar. The fish tacos were decent and I am from the Capitol of fish tacos, San Diego. Wings above average too! And in house made bleu cheese was the cherry on top of my experience!
Love this place. Great for everything from brunch to dinner, to football sundays. My friends and I found ourselves here more than often.
As for drinks, the beer list is relatively standard, however they always offer discounts for various drafts, events, etc. So typically, we stick to whatever is being offered. This ties into probably my only beef with the place, which is that the drinks are a little more expensive than some other spots in the area. Not ridiculous, but certainly not cheap.
As for the food. Don't loop this place in with some of the other bars in the area. The food here is good. Their burger is very good, as are there wings, sandwiches and other items. I do typically stick with the burger, however I love getting a plate of wings with their football specials in the fall.
Don't normally go out here later at night, but I hear it can be a pretty good time. All around, great spot and will keep coming back!