State Grill and Bar
“We enjoyed A Hearty Salad, Jalapeño Bacon Tater Tots and a Branzino for the entree.”
“Food was great…ordered Ribeye, succotash, tater tots (bacon & jalapeño with aioli) crab cake was a bit overdone, but it tasted great…the taste made up for it.”
“Given this is at the base of the Empire State Building, I was expecting sub par food fit for tourists, like us!”
State Grill and Bar
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Coat Check: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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Bought the prix fixe + Empire State Building package for an easy, lazy, why-haven't-we-been-already date after we had other plans nearby in the morning and afternoon. We entered through the Empire State Building to what looked like an abandoned entrance/waiting area and the place was empty. After waiting for a few minutes and hearing someone talk in the kitchen, my husband wandered in the kitchen. He noticed people but didn't get a reaction. We also noticed a bartender a bit who didn't say anything to us. Awesome. I wasn't really having it but we had already paid and ventured in further to find the main entrance.
To make the prix fixe "worth the money," you have to get the most expensive options. I wasn't in the mood, got a burger for my main. That was a mistake. It was the most bland, tasteless burger I've ever had. My husband agreed, but his entree was fine. Our respective soups were fine. The bourbon flight, fine. Desserts, slow but fine. The place filled up as we sat and waited and waited. Service, spotty. Someone came to check on us quite early on when things seemed fine, but after that, it was downhill. Felt myself aging as we waited for the check.
Nice ambience, could improve in other areas.
Went here to meet friends for a restaurant week dinner. The service was lovely, so I feel bad to give it not such a great rating, but I wasn't that impressed with the food. The meal started with an amuse-bouche of pepperonata and caramelized onion which was surprisingly lacking in taste. My meal was then a crab cake for an app, the homemade cavatelli w/ Bolognese and ended with a pineapple upside down cake. The crab cake was good, though small and came with some dressed watercress. The cavatelli was good too, but I have had (and made) better pasta. The dessert was altogether forgettable… cold cake and tough pineapple. I don't know if my sister's short ribs were any better, or my friends swordfish. They looked good, but I don't particularly need to go back. Sorry to the attentive staff.
Came in here today for a business lunch.
Service: AWESOME. They really know what they are doing here, everyone from the hostess, to the manager, to the waiter, to the water boy was spot on. This was one of the best services I have had in a long time. Only thing I would change, is I would make the food come out a bit faster (especially at lunch). Other than that perfect.
We both had the Business Express lunch. The menu is very clean, great design, great options.
I had the Seafood Soup + Branzino. The soup was nice and light, good flavor. Needed a bit of spice, but after I spiked it with hot sauce it was good. The Fish was perfectly cooked and came on top a nice bed of veggies. It felt light and fresh and was delicious.
My friend had the Soup as well and the Chicken Chop, Chop. It was a nice chopped salad, but nothing to write home about.
Lastly we were treated with a nice little bite size cookie and cake like thing. Both were very good.
Perfect experience. Great for a business lunch, or a quiet lunch. They take reservations, which I would recommend because they tend to get a little busy.
I went to State to meet some college friends and talk about our start-up.
We were all happy that it ended up being restaurant week as we got a little bit more than expected.
I got in early and ordered a cocktail at the bar. The bar tender Daniel prepared a concoction for me that, he, himself had placed on the menu. As a new york native, it was a charactature of the Manhattan; with rye, a touch of apple brandy, garnished with a Quince and its syrup.
I would have had the creator refill my cup if I wasn't meeting for business.
I sat next to an architect at the bar, and as a practicioner myself, we shared the experience of being able to watch the chef and line cooks orchestrate behind the bar separated by noise canceling glass.
Dinner and service offered much more than I expected; being in the same building as Heartland Brewery anyways.
Hostess took our coats, server explained the meal intimately, and the food was creative new american.
Combined, my collegues and I ordered risotto with quail egg, roast duck salad, beef rib, and sautéed octopus. Finished with chocolate cake and then flan with green tea ice cream. Luckily we shared.
All dishes were served timely, cooked proportionally, and had an over all nice disposition.
I will return with a date, friends, or for business.
When you walk in to this restaurant, which is inside the Empire State Building, you see a beautifully decorated restaurant. I was very surprised there was only one table occupied with customers.
We were seated by the window so we could watch the city life while we waited for our breakfast. After we placed our order, we waited, and waited, and waited. Considering the restaurant was empty, I was very surprised that it took over 45 minutes for our food to arrive. When it came, it was cooked well and looked nice, but it didn't have much flavor.
The wait staff is very nice. We never commented on the wait, and they still brought us a breakfast platter with muffins and croissants as an apology for the wait.
Overall, it's a beautiful restaurant in a great location, but the food itself didn't stand out, and you need to plan on waiting a while to get it.
Love love love. I didn't know what to expect since I thought it would have been a very touristy restaurant, but it was awesome all around. The food was spectacular (steaks for both my husband and I) and the service was flawless.
A+ happy hour. Will you ever feel more like a New Yorker than doing HH at the base of the Empire State Building? Anyway, they run $10 cocktail deals from 4:30 to 7 Monday to Friday,
The 33rd Street Manhattan is wonderful. It has some apple/pear flavors with apple cores as garnish. Pretty damn good.
They also give you these freshly made deep fried thin chips. They're delicious.
Bathrooms are downstairs, and they're pretty fancy.
All in all, this might be one of the best happy hours in NYC if you can stomach the area.
In a land where tourists swarm and building employees just need refuge and a good, stiff drink, State Grill is the shelter out of the rain (sometimes literally!).
Great happy hour wines for $5. The Patina collection is the real thing, so don't be worried and go for it.
The jalapeno tater tots are worth the visit alone, but you'd be sad to miss out on their other app selections of lobster mac bites, calamari, and pretzels. It's fair-priced and the staff is always warm and friendly.