Gatsby’s Bar & Restaurant
“This is a great place to duck into to take a break from shopping in SoHo.”
“I had the spinach dip which was without a doubt, the best spinach dip I've ever had.”
“I've been here a ton and love to watch football here on Sundays because they have like 20 TVs!”
Gatsby’s Bar & Restaurant
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: 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.
Life is about expectations. And having had the lowest expectations possible walking into Gatsby's again for the first time in what feels like a decade, I must say that I was pleasantly surprised.
Friends of mine were hosting their birthday party here, and it turned out to be a pretty solid choice. Now, I didn't plan this party so there may have been some snags behind the scenes, but from what I can tell it was fairly well run.
To be sure, we didn't ask much of the bar. But they were able to:
1. Pour simple drinks and shots efficiently.
2. Play 50 Cent's seminal hit, "In Da Club."*
3. Keep it clean enough that I wasn't one of the numerous reviewers complaining about some mystery stench.
I did leave before 1 am when it started to turn into a sweatbox, but that back bar seems like a pretty good place to host a gathering. If you're looking.
______________
*OK, we didn't ask them to do this. But they did.
2AM in the morning, looking to have a couple drinks with the girlfriend and come across Gatsby's. A place that screams "hole in the wall dive" which I don't mind one bit. The bartender was extremely nice and helpful and the beer choices were simply ok. I can't say much was awesome or bad about this place…so I had to settle at a simple 3 star average rating.
With so many options, I'd only come here again if I was in the area.
Dark, dingy, interesting, narrow bar space in the front but roomier in the back. Paid $15 for a cocktail that I could careless for. Will I be back? Probably not.
I try to make it into Gatsby's once a year, as it's a good way to keep myself grounded from all the hip bars/lounges/clubs taking over the city.
Gatsby's to me is that just-out-of-college-crowd spot that serves cheap drinks, plays good music and doesn't care how you act or if you decide to just start dancing.
I've had many a good night here, that's for sure.
This past Saturday, however, I was taken back at how quiet it was. Went there after a long birthday dinner at La Esquina nearby and thought we'd be walking into a den of craziness, but instead, ended up with seats at the bar.
So, we decided to create our own craziness by doing a few Irish Car Bombs, which did the trick, especially as I hadn't had one in like 5 years.
As a sidenote, the guy next to me at the bar asked "are you still allowed to call them that" (car bombs). And I was like "yeah" and ignored him the rest of the night, lol. I mean, how politically correct is this world coming to? It's been like 20-30 years and the IRA is pretty much gone now. Whatever.
I've never had food at Gatsby's, nor would I ever, as it's too much of a dumpy bar for me, so I can't attest to that.
But I can attest to it being a fun spot for only one simple goal – to get drunk and have fun. Or, to just grab a drink or two and then leave to a better spot, which is what we did.
As long as you keep your expectations low, Gatsby's can be fun! Don't let the low rating dissuade you, but stick to the drinks.
I've come here a few times but most recently was a few months ago with my old coworker to enjoy some mango margaritas. I don't remember if they were on happy hour or not, but we were being bad girls during our lunch hour…come to think of it, we were saints for not imbibing during the San Gennaro Feast, instead we hopped in here.
The beer selection here is nothing to write home about, but their cocktails are fun and really pack a punch. Prices are pretty much reflective of the neighborhood (take that as you will). I feel like Gatsby's is the kind of place that's good to catch up with people, kill time while waiting to meet up with someone or maybe begin your night since it's close to trains and such.
I haven't tried their food here aside from their french fries which my old coworker and I ordered with melted cheese and bacon…I had also requested gravy but they did not have any…clearly we live on the edge, lol. I remember them being okay. Just okay.
Service here was friendly and all the bartenders I've met in the handful of times I've been here have been friendly and efficient. That being said, I would come back here if in the neighborhood and perhaps looking to kill some time. 3 stars.
I went into Gatsby's not expecting much.
Usually when I say that, or write it, I follow it up with I was pleasantly surprised. Not so much here.
My friends had setup a party there, and I was very grateful it was early. 9:30. A good amount of time before it was sure to be flooded with young 20 year old's who scream loud obscenities when they take a shot or when someone bumps into them when they are attempting to take a selfie.
We also had an open bar in the back, so that was pretty sweet. I ordered the Stella on tap, and wow. I didn't know Stella could taste so bad. Does this place know how to clean their tap lines?
After that I stuck to basic cocktails. Vodka seltzer. They managed to get that right. Score.
The DJ was playing good music and we were having a fun time. It was by the back as I mentioned. There was a smell, and seeing how the bathroom is right over there, it's not hard to figure out why.
Sure enough, as carriages started to turn into pumpkins and colts turned to mice, the place began to overflow with obnoxious loud patrons. It was scary, and hard to leave through the masses. I think we lost one of my friends. He will be missed.
Actually, I like it. Really cute pub in/out, very clean, and wonderful service. What's not to nearly love?
Downside: no happy hour, and no specials that come with it.
Upside: came in late after a feast at Lombardi's, and too late for a happy hour anyway.
A wide selection of drafts, and Jordanne gave us the best service. Kudos! Gracie! Fab!
This is one of those times I wish I had done a quick Yelp check before agreeing to stop in.
It's not to say that the meal was terrible. It's just that everything was very lackluster.
The bartender saw us when we came in, and nodded when we asked if we could seat ourselves. She saw us walk to a table. She saw us sit down. She saw us settle in.
Why, then, did it take her almost ten minutes to even bring menus to our table? There were exactly three people at the bar at the time, and one was clearly a friend of hers. There's really no excuse for the wait.
The menu is as you'd expect: bar food with an okay liquor list. At that point, I was craving a damn beer (wine all week is great, but sometimes this chick needs a Guinness), so I ordered myself a pint of the dark stuff (the aforementioned Guinness, to make it plain.) My friend with celiac was beside herself to find they had a gluten-free beer in bottles, and one that she regularly buys for herself. My other friend ventured out of her comfort zone and ordered a hef.
For food, I gave the briefest thought to ordering a salad, then thought, eff it, I'm on vacation, and ordered their burger. With cheese. And bacon. Both of which were an extra charge.
One girl ordered the pulled pork sandwich, the other ordered the beef nachos. Did I mention we were on vacation?
Anyway, the wait for food, not so good. It's not like the place was stuffed to the rafters with people. And it's not like we ordered complicated items.
The burger was okay. I never understand the use of the gigantic, pillowy buns for burgers, though. It overpowers the meat, and ends up taking away from the eating experience. And you know I love me some bread. The burger was a tad dry, and kind of hard to get down. Fries were decent, though.
My other two girls seemed to enjoy their food. The nachos were huge (it'd make a good sharing appetizer), and the pulled pork sandwich came with pickled onions and sweet potato fries.
Our waitress, meanwhile, was intensely interested in her friend at the bar. So much so that she failed to notice our empty water glasses, our equally empty beer glasses, and our mostly eaten, fully done here plates.
It was an okay choice for the moment (turned around, disappointed that the nearby creperie lacked chairs or any kind of a dining area, and desperate for lunch.) I'd just suggest scoping out other options if you're in the area.