Haymaker Bar and Kitchen
“Two blocks south of Penn Station/Madison Square Garden on the Eighth Ave side.Good cocktail list – I had a Jack Rose which was fine ($12).”
“Even the chicken wings stood out, with their Thai-accented chili and garlic rub.”
“The decor is rustic meets modern minimalism, the space feels very open and is good for large groups or an after work happy hour.”
Haymaker Bar and Kitchen
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
Not only did the destruction of Penn Station remove a historic landmark from the City, it also left a huge section of Manhattan cursed with medicore fast food joints and awful options for the bridge and tunnel crowd.
While both the mayor and the governor are attempting some large-scale change, this restaurant this stepped in and started addressing the issue now. Pre-train food shouldn't be hard. People want a pint and some fried food before a long journey, especially in this age of no and/or limited food while onboard.
This being New York, I'd hope the beer could have some flavor and the food have a bit of a kick to justify the sure to be elevated prices. Haymaker succeeds on both counts.
There's a long draft list with good brews from near and far, which seem to hold plenty of surprises and limited run beers. The bartenders also know what they sell, and even can offer a bit of advice even in the middle of the Friday evening crunch. Even the chicken wings stood out, with their Thai-accented chili and garlic rub.
Quality meats, good hops and a great location. No wonder it was crowded on my visit.
Great bar, much needed in this neighborhood. Sensational, extensive, well-curated draft beer list. Almost as importantly, this list is divided into In Rotation and Next In Rotation. The menu has little sad face stamps next to beers which have been tapped and happy face stamps next to the "Next Ins" that have been promoted to The Show. I've been here twice, and each time, they had someone grabbing all the menus and updating the active draughts in as real time as possible with an analog setup. This kind of commitment to accuracy is incredibly commendable. But wouldn't mean half as much if this place didn't have such a wonderful beer list – diverse in both style and breweries represented. Strong local representation (LIC Beer Project, Other Half Barrier) with an excellent assortment of incredible, non-obvious beer gods (Jolly Pumpkin, Hill Farmstead).
Ate one full meal here and a couple of snacks the next time, but the food was great each time – excellent brussels sprouts, great burger, very good mac and cheese. The spicy aioli thingy they serve with the french fries is incredible (and you're talking to a ketchup purist here). The bourbon/whisky selection is exemplary and the cocktail list seems interesting, but, frankly, I've yet to get past the beers.
Finally, just love the vibe here as well – it's really a place designed primarily to comfortably hang and socialize and drink good stuff. Great music (bar-controlled by iPod I believe), but background enough that you're not screaming to chat with your friends. Similarly, there are sports on the TV, but muted and in the background – even during the Final Four, which I was trying desperately to escape. The front has ample seating at huge windows with a great view of… well, random construction on 29th street, but still… on a spring day with the windows open and an excellent pint in my hand, it felt luxurious.
came here for a later dinner on thursday night. it was pretty empty so service was fast. they had an impressive beer & drink menu. the food menu was small but had solid sounding american options. we ordered wings, a cheeseburger with fries & the mac n cheese. the wings were really tasty and even though they arent served with bleu cheese dressing, ask for it because its clearly homemade and so good! the cheeseburger was cooked perfectly and the fries had an excellent seasoning, they were hot and crisp. the mac n cheese left something to be desired. it was lacking any kind of cheese flavor and was dry. we let our server know about the mac n cheese disappointment and they immediately took it off the bill. great service!
Finally a good new alternative around Penn Station! Haymaker is a great bar, with a cool hip atmosphere, much needed in the area – where you usually have to deal with dark old Irish bars, chain food restaurant, and so on so forth.
The list of draft beers is impressive. Too many that I ended up asking one of the bartender. Me and my friend also share French fries, delicious, salty, with herbs and crunchy enough.
Thank you for being there Haymaker! Keep being like you are. We needed you.
I came here with my sister for a drink. Did not try the food.
We sat at the bar and had a great time. The bar tender really seems to enjoy his work. He spent time with my sister having her taste beers and ciders and figure out what she likes (all blindly). It turns out he convinced my sister who never drinks beer to order, finish, and enjoy a sour.
The beer selection is excellent and the atmosphere is relaxed. Really enjoyed this place.
Outstanding beer list, hands down. I just wish the food were up to this level.
I just dined here with a friend and ordered the wings, the ribs and the burger (medium-rare).
Both the ribs and the burger came barely warm, which is already disappointing. Maybe they were waiting for the wings, as we were brought all dishes (2 appetizers and 1 entree) at once (big mistake).
The sauce of the ribs was beyond smoky, almost inedible, while the burger (incredibly thin) was too cooked and very boring (we even added cheddar cheese for $2). A $17 burger should taste better than this.
The wings were the only "highlight" of the meal, although nothing memorable.
Overall, a good place for a drink, but eat elsewhere. Out check was almost $70…
A well curated craft beer tap list (welcome for the neighborhood) and a great space, especially with the windows open in the front when it's warm.
12 oz. pours range from $7-10, with the prices pretty spot on for the premium you pay when enjoying craft beer in New York. They seem to get Hill Farmstead a lot, and also carry a good amount of locals with Other Half, Threes, Finback, etc.
They thankfully do 8, 12, and 16 oz. pours. I do wish they put the 8 oz. pours in a proper glass though, leaving some space for the aroma, instead of a short water glass filled to the brim.
Food:
The cauliflower ($10) comes a bit chill, with a oil based dressing, peppers, lots of capers. A decent starter to share for about 2.
The burger ($15) came cooked well towards medium rare as I requested, but a fluffy huge bun completely overwhelmed the balance of the burger. It could have used a bit more sauce and the chopped iceberg kept reminding me of a Big Mac. Then again, though could've been on purpose. It comes with a ton of great fries on the side.
I came here on a date a few weeks ago. Definitely a midtown, post-work crowd here on a Friday night. Pretty crowded, but not ridiculously so. We got spots at the bar pretty quickly. A kickass beer list. I'm pretty committed to trying out new beers when I get the chance, but even this place had several I had never even heard of. A cool vibe and a great option in midtown.