Hourglass Tavern
“The happy hour special of a beer in a brown bag and a shot cracked me up, and I love how committed Bettibar is to its theme.”
“Anyway, this review is obviously about Betti Bar, the adorable "hidden" bar located in the Theater District above Hourglass Tavern.”
“Short rib sliders were a great start and the garlic shrimp with polenta was filling even for an appetizer.”
Hourglass Tavern
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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This tiny little spot on Restaurant Row is truly a gem. My friends and I wanted a place with good variety, so we decided to try our luck here. Two of us got the Orecchiette Primavera and the other ordered the Salmon. The food came promptly and was absolutely delicious. The pasta was seasoned well and the veggies tasted fresh. They also offer inexpensive drinks and a prix-fixe dinner menu for people heading to or from the theatre.
The ambience has an old, small tavern feel to it. There are 3 stories (restaurant on 1, bar on 2, and lounge on 3). The first floor sat only about 25-30 people, but the cramped space was in no way cumbersome during our meal. We lucked out getting a spot, but i'd recommend making a reservation if you're planning to come on a busy night. Service was excellent as well. Our water was knowledgeable and made some recommendations to my friends. He was also attentive and took time to chat with us.
I'll definitely be back whether it's for Brunch, Pre-theatre Prix-Fixe or another nice dinner. The prices are excellent and the food is divine.
Found this place after a quick search for brunch spots in the Theater district. It has fours stars and nearly 500 reviews so figured it must be good!
Well turns out those reviews must be for dinner/bar because they just started serving brunch not to long before we went (back in March '16). And well they still have some kinks to work out at the time.
We made reservations for 11:30am (which is the time they open of Sundays) and when we arrived it was clear they we not ready for us or the other customers who also were arriving for 11:30am reservations.
We were taken to the third floor and sat at a table right next to the waiter prep area. Since I assume the kitchen is on the first floor this area is used as a bar/coffee prep area by the waiters. Several times during the meal all we good hear was the head waitress (for lack of better name) explaining to the other waiters what to do. Not very pleasant.
I ordered a mimosa and coffee to drink. I later discovered (I overhead the waiters taking) that they had flavored coffee. For my second coffee I asked for that since was never offered it.
To start they brought out two mini muffins, which would of been nice if mine wasn't burnt.
For my meal I got the Oven Baked Potato Pancakes and cheese grits. The potato pancakes were good and came topped with smoked salmon. But the cheese girts we not edible. The cheese was hard as could be on top. I sent them back and had to ask for them to be taken off the bill. My fiance got the Seasonal Belgian Waffles which we would of thought the strawberries would of been in the waffles instead of simply on top. But they were still tasty.
All in all not sure I would go back again for brunch. The services was slow and the food wasn't all that good.
what a gem of a find in HK! this is for bettie bar on the second floor above hourglass tavern.
first, $5 happy hour until 10pm, love it! this covers white or red wine, sangria and all of their bottled beers. Suggest coming here with only a few other ppl as it is small and obviously gets crowded with these types of deals! there was 4 of us total and we definitely lucked out and were able to grab some seats at the small bar as other patrons were leaving.
the bartender was super friendly and engaging, he was also playing some great thursday night spotify tunes (who doesn't like some random TLC jams?!). while we didnt get much food, the hummus appetizer we did have was very delicious and tasted homemade. the meatballs we originally wanted to try were already SOLD OUT so will have to stop by again in order to try. the bartender said they were one of the tastiest items on the menu.
Location/Accessibility : Super convenient location for me; just 4 blocks away! Nice short walk and pretty easy to find. Pretty much right in-between the 42nd St and 50th St stops on the ACE.
Ambience : Inside on the first floor seemed a bit tight. This kind of deterred me from wanting to sit inside, to tbh, I didn't get a great look at the place. There are also several floors to this place which I didn't get to see. Unfortunately, I'm not able to comment much on this aspect. My boyfriend and I decided to sit outside since it was a nice day. For the most part it felt like the nice outdoor mini cafe vibe, but since the restaurant is close to the corner of 9th Ave, when sirens were coming down the street, you sure did here them blare (but eh, expected in the city).
Service : My boyfriend and I were seated promptly with our reservation. Often when I sit outside at restaurants, I can't help but feel forgotten because there are such long periods of time in which there is no contact with any servers/runners/etc. This wasn't an issue here! Our server was good and made sure to address what was necessary, both good and "bad." Now, when I say bad, it wasn't even bad. Our drinks took a while to come out, but he apologized upon delivery. Otherwise, the food came out in a timely manner and he was very attentive and polite.
Food and Drink :
So, I never really drink bc it's so hard for me to find a drink that I like. Usually, I get drinks when it's a social outing just because, but always find myself having to down it just so I don't waste the money. However, the brunch drinks were $5, which is a pretty good deal in the city, so hey, why not?
Mad Mimosa w Peach Nectar – So, typically I'm not a fan of mimosas bc I complain that they're still more bitter than I like. This mimosa was a great hit though! Very bubbly, but also very sweet! I would definitely get it again.
Cinnamon Strongman – my boyfriend got this, and I tried it. It certainly didn't taste like there was any alcohol in it, but there most definitely was (that Asian glow doesn't lie!!). My kind of drink, although I would prefer something a bit sweeter.
Mango and Peach Juice *complimentary* – these are included with your brunch??? How nice! How often do restaurants charge (more often OVER charge), for a glass of juice? While these glasses were small, boy were they concentrated. I very much appreciated that they didn't skimp out and water it down as I would've expected of a "free" drink. Brownie points!
And of course, the food…
Strawberry Muffins *complimentary* – How nice, and how cute. The muffin wasn't overly sweet, nor was it heavy. It had a really nice and natural strawberry flavor. A perfect start to brunch.
Oven Baked Potato Pancakes – If you like smoked salmon, this dish is wonderful! Salmon itself was awesome, and the potato pancakes were amazingly crispy! Add the dill sauce to it for a really refreshing element.
Eggs and Short Rib Hash – Eggs cooked well : over easy. Accompanied the hash well! The short ribs and potato were very flavorful with a great texture. If you like crispy hash though, then this probably isn't for you. My only complaint is the amount of pepper in the hash, as I'm not big on bell peppers (although it did add some nice color to the dish). But for anyone that is, this is a good dish for you!
While I probably won't be back (on a mission to try as many places as possible during my limited time here), overall, this was a great brunch spot! Certainly recommend giving it a try!
Relatively cheap for a Sunday brunch in midtown! It looks tight when you come in but there's also outside and upstairs seating.
Brunch came with cranberry muffins and $5 happy hour WUT!!!! I got the red wine sangria which was cool and refreshing.
Entree: spring smoked trout—served O green w quinoa and pita bread. So light and perfect for brunch cleanse.
My friends got the eggs w short rib hash and Belgian waffles which they cleaned off their plates.
4.5 stars. Came here for the Bettibar (second floor of this place) happy hour and was not disappointed. First, let me just say that the only other late happy hour that I've found and really enjoyed is Verlaine, so was really happy to add to my list! Bettibar has $5 sangria, well drinks and beers until 10 pm. I tried the sangria and it was delicious-very fruity but also fairly strong.
I also tried one of the pulled pork sliders-10/10. They pack a spicy kick and go really well with any drink you're having. Definitely a great place in Midtown West!
I've been coming here for years and I love this spot. There's really nothing especially special about it, the food is just ok, the drinks are just pretty standard, but I love the atmosphere here and I always seem to run into friends or acquaintances. The third floor is my favorite but the second floor bar is cute too and can get very busy. I love Hourglass!
Have eaten dinner here as well as frequented the speakeasy type bar upstairs and love both. It's my go to whenever I'm meeting friends in the HK area. $7 mystery beer and mystery shot and $5 wine at happy hour. Dinner was very standard chicken breaths, mashed potatoes and veg, hearty, no frills and a very reasonable price tag. Great service and the owner always remembers me whenever I come back. Love the ambiance but can get really crowded in both places quick. Recommended early arrival for happy hour seating.