Brendan’s Bar & Grill
“The wall and ceilings have a beautiful early 19th century vibe and the wood detailing add a bold touch.”
“One more time we are in NYC and "scouting" a place for a light dinner, since Brendans is across from the hotel and we love the Art Deco interior we decide on it.”
“We were seated by the fireplace but it was just casual enough where we didn't feel out of place in jeans and walking shoes.”
Brendan’s Bar & Grill
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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I came in to Brendan's to have a drink while waiting for a dinner reservation across the street. Big mistake. The place is too warm inside, with a slight odor. It reminds me of my old attic in summer.
I ordered a glass of pinot noir and my girlfriend ordered a pinot grigio. Another big mistake. We love wine, but we were both enormously dissatisfied. It was gross; not even passable. The music piping through the speakers was good, so there's that.
Overall grade: D+.
We were staying on the same street and had called for a pint here a couple of times during the day so thought we would try it for dinner.
My wife had the steak and I had fish and chips.
The lady who served us was nice enough and we took one of the small tables with bar stools opposite the bar.
The fish and chips were terrible ( and about $18 ) both the fish and chips were frozen and looked more like a child's meal. My wifes steak was nice though but again served with frozen chips.
I told the lady that the fish and cips were not acceptable and why on earth after they spent so much money on a nice bar and restaurant would they serve frozen to fryer food ? I wasnt rude to her, she is only trying to make a living but I did ask her to take the plate away and to make sure she didnt charge me. We both ended up sharing my wifes steak dinner.
Of course we didnt go back in, I made sure I tipped the correct amount as it wasnt the girls fault the food was rubbish. And I dont want all you yelpers to think your british friends dont know how to tip when in the USA !!
My boyfriend surprised me with a weekend in New York for my birthday. We went here for dinner after a long day of sight seeing. I was amazed. Just like France L. said in her review, it is like sitting in the dining room an old grand hotel with the high ceilings and stained glass walls.
I had the Lemon Garlic Shrimp and Penne dish. This was incredible. On the menu, it does say spicy so I simply asked them for it to not be spicy. Easy fix. My boyfriend ordered a burger and he said it was so good but it was under-cooked. In the restaurant's defense, if it's not a hockey puck, my boyfriend isn't happy.
I did ask for a glass of wine which took forever to come but when it did, I was happy. It was great.
The only reason this little romantic dining experience didn't get 5 stars is because of how hot it was in there. I didn't understand that. The waitress was a bit spacey and everything but i could look past that. I could not look past that heat though.
Came here for lunch the other day. It wasn't that busy. We were seated right away. Our server was very attentive. I went with the pesto chicken panini (with tomato, mozzerella, lettuce and fries) and my friend went with the crab cakes which came with salad. We split our food. Everything was good. Basic, but no complaints. We were in and out with no problems. I would go back again if I were in the area and wanted a quick bite to eat or maybe to grab a drink or 2.
A colleague and I stumbled on this gem in midtown a few days ago looking for a solid lunch. Boy oh boy did we find what we were looking for around 35th in Grand Central vicinity. I was impressed with everything except (once again) unfriendly, snotty young hostess. More on this at bottom; I can't let her ruin a good review or what was an otherwise TOTALLY satisfying and bargain of a NYC lunch. Anyway, as others noted on Yelp: attractive, old architectural gem featuring 30' ceilings; 80-year old floor and wall tile; beautiful woodwork and gargantuan, ornate dark wood back bar! Irish feel, Irish hybrid menu, broad range of cuisine however.
Great place to grab a lunch, and I see our fantastic meal was not an aberration, but consistent with the other reviews. Apparently they have some great cooks in the back cuz everyone on Yelp raves about the food. Count me in as a raver: Lentil and bacon soup, fresh and delicious; Dover Sole plated with fresh sautéed broccoli and a side of sautéed carrots. Sole was beautifully prepared, grilled with a beurre blanc and a large portion to boot! I've recently seen Dover Sole for 30-40 bucks everywhere, so this was a steal. I will return to this gem of a restaurant on next trip into the city.
Oh yes, lest I forget. To the blond hostess working the desk Tuesday 10/15 at lunch: Sorry we bothered you by stopping in for a meal at Brendan's. Snippet of advice: lots of things to do in NYC with your time, and lots of opportunities, so if you are bored with this job and can't fulfill the simple duty of being nice and pleasant as the front-of-house face, do something else. Your attitude was lame-o.
Prices: 7 bucks for the lentil soup, 16 for the Dover Sole. To say these prices are reasonable is understating. NYC? Midtown? Ambiance? Great place to eat and although we had water only, the bar had lots of great draft beers.
i came here for lunch twice. The prices are very reasonable and the portions are large and well presented. I got the turkey avocado wrap and i was able to take one half home. I always order mashed potatoes instead of fries and they always make it look super fancy. My waitress was also very nice. I must admit that I do like to come here for the fancy interior. The wall and ceilings have a beautiful early 19th century vibe and the wood detailing add a bold touch. They have a staircase and fireplace too that gives it an extra cozy vibe. I believe it was the home of a very wealthy NY businessman before it became a restaurant.
They have Guinness and Irish stew special, what's not to like. Service at bar was good, great selection of drafts. Irish stew special was average. Convenient to my hotel, nothing special but I'd come back.
I came here for a couple drinks on a Saturday night with a co-worker. When we arrived, we asked if we could sit at the tables as opposed to sitting at the bar since it was already preoccupied. The bartender immediately stated that the kitchen was already closed. It did not apply to us since we weren't coming here for dinner. However, we were surprised that the kitchen was already closed for NYC on a Saturday at 10:00 PM.
The atmosphere was ok, but not enough seats at the bar. The service was terrible. We were waiting to close out of our tab and the only bartender on clock walked outside for a solid 15-20 minutes. Therefore, we could not close out until he returned. I ordered an apple martini and was one of the worst apple martinis I have ever had. It had a slight apple flavor, but did tasted more like a watered down cherry drink (hence the cherry that was included).
I wouldn't recommend this place for drinks. Even though this review is only based on their cocktails, I was very unimpressed.