212 Hisae’s
“Overall, pretty solid place if you're looking for cheap drinks in East Village!”
“I would've never thought to order them, but I actually liked them better than the Hisae's Crab Cake.”
“You also get free edamame with your order!”
212 Hisae’s
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Before I start rambling, I want to say that the famous Grandma here is absolutely adorable, won my heart, and would have me coming back despite my pretty low rating.
To keep it pretty short and sweet, the food here is not stellar. Having ordered a lot of things here including kimchi dumplings, shrimp and grits, mussels in wine sauce, cauliflower pancake, and teriyaki steak, I can say that you should probably skip the food outright. The cauliflower pancake was pretty okay if you want a snack. But the teriyaki steak was probably better taste-wise, as it was fatty and meaty and exactly what you want while consuming lots of alcohol.
I'd come here on a day that I want to drink but am very poor. $4 a drink is super cheap! However, after ordering extensively, their drinks all tasted the same by the end of the night: vodka-ish with a bit of flavored soda. The best drink I had here was probably the strawberry margerita, but it did have a cheap tequila aftertaste to it.
Despite the low-grade marks, I do love the grandma here sincerely, and would probably drink cheap drinks in her presence again here, because she is so sweet.
Great budget friendly restaurant/bar that has shots, beers, and cocktails for $3-4 . The waitress was quick and accommodating despite the busy atmosphere. They also have good seating arrangements for small or huge groups (ours being 9+). Only 'con' would be how they only have no one liquor and limited selection of beer (sapporo or ipa). I guess it's a must for keeping the prices low without breaking the bank for the business.
However I did enjoy my time here and will probably be back if in the area when I'm in need of a cheap drink without it being Continental.
This place officially became my go-to place for cheap drinks. $4 cocktails and shots, COUNT ME IN!!! They have a wide selection of drinks and the drinks themselves have a good amount of alcohol in it. My friend and I were given a bowl of edamame to munch on while we waited for the food to come. We devoured the edamame in no time but our server was nice enough to give us refills.
My friend ordered a Curry Udon and we shared a side of tempura. We noticed that the udon they served were actually just regular thin noodles, but the dish itself wasn't bad. There an abundance of vegetables. On the other hand, the tempura was slacking. It was extremely flaky and I personally wasn't a big fan of the dipping sauce that came with the dish (basically soy sauce). Overall, I'd say food was average.
During my stay, I also encountered a friendly elderly woman who I think works for 212, but she saw that I had my charger out and encouraged me to use the wall outlets to charge my phone. The workers here are also super friendly so I highly recommend this place if you want to get buzzed and have a good time.
All the reviews on this list are pretty spot on. All you need to know is that their drinks are 4 dollars. Super strong. The waitress are really friendly but the bouncer looking guy at the front is, for a lack of better words is an ass. The ambiance here is kind of interesting. They put the loud and obnoxious younger crowd in the back and try to place the older and smaller groups in the front to try and create two "crowds" for the restaurant. Either way, I think its kind of trashy, but who can beat the cheap drinks in NYC, where the prices are standard on a daily. 4 stars.
If you want a good deal for drinks, 212 Hisae's is one of the places to go to if you're in the Saint Marks area. Currently, their drink menu is set at $4 for a cocktail drink, unless stated otherwise. Plus if you're smart about your drink selection, you can get a buzz without having to spend a lot. I had the regular mojito and I was expecting it to be very diluted for $4, but it was good and had enough alcohol to keep me happy.
While the drinks are a good deal, the food here is subpar.
Kimchi fried rice ($7): It reminded me of Chinese fried rice. It's a sizable portion for one person — just enough to fill you up. But there was barely any kimchi in there because I didn't find it spicy or flavorful. Plus, the "fried egg" is actually cut up and mixed into the rice. *womp womp*
Tempura Udon: My friends ordered the udon and they found it very one-noted. The noodles are thinner compared to regular udon noodles. Note: All the tempura udon dishes came with A LOT of tempura vegetables. While it's a big bowl of noodles, don't expect crunchy tempura…most of the breading was mushy and soggy, which is pretty disappointing.
But my favorite part of the night was their service. Even though my group was seated all the way in the back of the restaurant, the waitress made sure to check up on us regularly. I didn't mind being seated in the back because we ended up being the only group there. However, towards the middle of our dinner, a very large party came in and was seated in the back too. They were extremely loud. While nobody in my group verbally complained to the staff, an elderly grandma who works there came over to our table — looking very annoyed and apologetic about the noise. She ended up giving us a round of free shots, super cute and very sweet of her.
Bottom line: I loved their customer service and drink deals, but don't come hungry.
This place is pretty solid and not sketchy for cheap drinks. I thought this would be a hole in a wall was pretty big. There are tons of tables for groups. There is a menu for food which some people order but it seems that most just come here for the drinks.
Everybody gets a bowl of edamame when they sit down.
You get what you pay for with the cheap drinks, but as long as you follow my tip, you will be fine
TIP: do not order a fruit flavored drink (strawberry, cherry, apple, etc.), it tastes disgusting and one drink tasted like straight up potpurri. You will remember the days when your mom made you shove take that awful cough medicine down your throat, get drinks that are the original or unflavored,
The gin & tonic is the best followed by the daiquiri, mojito, lemon drop shot, the sangria is good too.
Our waiter & bartender was Ronnie and he was the best! He even gave a free shot cause he felt bad that he made us move over a little so the people at the next table could fit.
Only downside is that waiting for the waiter took forever.
Came here on a random weekday for happy hour with a friend and totally did not expect how budget friendly this restaurant was!
They have an extensive drink menu with cocktails and shots ranging from $3-5 each! The lychee martini is pretty on point! Definitely my favorite and it was unexpectedly strong o_o
It was pretty empty when we arrived around 6pm, but slowly started to fill up as the night progressed. By the time I left, which was around 8, the restaurant was pretty packed. Seating arrangements seems like it could accommodate any types of group.
I ordered three of the small plates (Fried calamari, Mussels and the crab cake). The portions were a little bigger than expected, but don't expect too much because they are tapas after all. The fried calamari was alright; there was a little too much batter for my liking and it fell off the squid way too quickly. By the end of my meal, we had more batter on the plate than squid. The mussels will probably get you the most bang for the buck 'cause they actually pile it onto the bowl for you! Plus the sauce it's drenched in is terrrrrific! The crab cake was enjoyable as well!
Would probably come here again for some cheap drinks and if i'm not starving or anything!
Service is crap and there isn't much of an ambience, but the drinks are dirt cheap (only $4!) and they're delicious! I mean, I don't know how much alcohol is actually in them because my lychee martini was sweet, but not strong. But, they're so cheap, just keep buying more till you get tipsy! Also free edamame!!! And no wait!