The Folly
“Also on offer are lobster mac and cheese and fish fry options, as well as chicken meatball skewers, burgers, and other bar-friendly bites.”
“The bootlegger nautical feeling is fun and inviting, makes you feel like you are on a ship in the 18th century.”
“It's true, the octopus skewers are very small!”
The Folly
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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So came here for a birthday HH on a Monday. I walked up the block trying to find the place with my google maps in hand because I'm horrible with directions. I look up and say it should be right around here then I see a sign and stairs to go down. Immediately I'm thinking, its downstairs, oh gosh this is some divey mess of a bar. But I was pleasantly surprised. The decor and atmosphere of the bar was very nice. I almost felt like I was above ground but then slow cell service reminded me that I was still indeed underground. But, seriously it has a very trendy atmosphere and great HH prices. A frozen drink, draft beer, house wine, well drinks, $6! I would come back here again for afterwork libations.
Wonderfully satisfying mac and cheese and a great bartender.
Loved this bar! Stopped here before a movie at the Angelika on a Monday. Our bartender was the sweetest coolest guy ever, I wish I got his name. He made me an awesome Horn Blower, which was a Prosecco and gin creation that I really liked. The vibe inside is really cool also! Highly recommend.
The Folly
NY: Manhattan: NoHo
8:30pm Saturday 12th March 2016
Three Stars
At 8:00pm, the place was pretty mellow with no bouncer, room to move, even a place to sit. Our friends were not here so we left for an hour to get a bite to eat at Dos Caminos. Upon our return, there was security, the place was packed, and we were even asked to move away from a bar counter in the back because it was reserved. We ordered drinks from the waitress but she was slammed which made receiving beverages quite infrequent. Overall, it was a decent place to drink.
So this is a nautical themed bar that's very cute and quaint. They didn't have the drinks we wanted so the bartender made us some Mai Tais. The drinks were downright disgusting. He was telling us how he made them with almond milk and I was just not feeling the drink. I would come again on a different night- to get different drinks to experience it again.
Walking down Houston, I saw their neon RUM sign from across the street. Had to take a quick look. About 5:30 PM and the place was still quiet. Long bar. Don't recall any background music. I went with a gin cocktail which was just OK.
Good neighborhood bar.
I'm truly shocked that the Folly has so few reviews to its name. Total disbelief. Houston Street is a highly trafficked area, yet the Folly seems to have been dismissed/ignored by many. This was further evidenced by how empty the space was on Tuesday night. Granted, it was the Tuesday after Memorial Day Weekend (meaning that the world was driving one giant struggle bus) but it was eerie nonetheless. Other than that oddity, my experience at the Folly was lovely. They make great use of all that the ocean has to offer–and I don't just mean food.
Walking in, the theme will smack you across the face immediately. Old-timey chandeliers (among other types of gorgeously-creative lighting, portholes, netting, candles, lots and lots of wood, exposed brick that appears somewhat dilapidated…the gist of this is that you really need to step inside the Folly to understand the grandeur that is the interior here. It's like a more down-to-earth version of the Titanic. And there are no Kathy Bates-type characters walking around looking to snub you for peasantry.
For some reason, I assumed the Folly was as much a restaurant as it was a bar. WRONG. Similar to what I've seen on any number of websites, this spot is marketed a bar with "elevated bites". That said, these aren't just "bites". The food here is seriously yummy and far better than your average bar food. Most bars serve fish tacos and some serve very good ones. The Folly does these bars all one better. This seafood-centric menu is high quality yet priced the same (or better) said "bars". On this particular night (probably because it was late for dinner/completely empty), there wasn't any sort of organized table service. The bartender and busboys were attentive/friendly/hospitable, but it did strike us as a bit odd that we were instructed to go up to the bar to order. I do NOT, however, this think is typical–this night was an anomaly. And ultimately, nothing inconvenienced us.
Given that I am indeed writing about a bar, I'll dive into the drinks first (get it??). The Folly has a nice list of creative cocktails–many of which are twists on classics (dark and storm, vesper, French 75, to name a few)–as well as craft beer (draft and bottled) and surprisingly inexpensive wine.
I was in a liquor mood so I honed in on the cocktail menu. Sticking with the ocean theme, the cocktail menu here is split into "rum" and "not rum" sections. I'm not a big rum drinker, but some of the combos piqued my interest enough for me to opt for rum for the night. I first tried the Tapping the Admiral (Flor De Cana Extra Dry Rum, Ancho Reyes, Clementine, Fresh Grapefruit) because man, do I love clementines. Much to my delight, the most prominent flavor in this cocktail was indeed the clementine. I'm a sucker for sweet-and-spicy anything, so this cocktail was right up my alley despite the rum. All cocktails here appear to be served with a large stick of wood (think a supersized chopstick), which have no function other than to conjure up images of a shipwreck in the olden days. I also tried the Bender (Mount Gay Black Barrel Rum, Fernet, Lime, Q Ginger Beer) which is a more sophisticated Dark and Stormy. Wonderfully refreshing–highly recommend them both.
And now for the food! Below, the damage:
-Salted Cod Tater Tots (A-)
Emphasis on salted. But given the name, that's to be expected. Straight up, these were just well-battered pieces of cod. Impossible to compare to OG tot, which is forever queen. But these were still tasty and hit the spot as our first plate of the night. They come with two different dipping sauces (one appears to be tartar-esque while the other is a dill/yogurt mixture) so pick your poison. Not literally. That would be bad.
-Shrimp Dumplings (A-)
I wish I asked what else was in these babies other than shrimp. Some sort of green, perhaps? They were one of the specials on Tuesday night so there was less info. We were looking to swap in a small plate for an entree-sized dish, and this one fit the bill. Flavorful, comes with yummy sauce, crispy but not too overdone.
-Octopus Skewer (B+)
See picture. Two teensy pieces of octopus, two cherry tomatoes and two potatoes on a skewer. When an octopus dish ANYWHERE is six bucks, pretty safe to assume it's going to be miniature. Size aside*, the two baby tentacles were cooked well–not the best octopus out there but it certainly holds its own in the octo-phere. Solid.
-Lump Crab Mac & Cheese (A-)
This was our one entree dish of the night. Our plates were so different that it's hard to really compare them on the same spectrum, but if I had to choose I'd say this was my favorite dish. Cheesy goodness and wondrous morsels of crab. I never eat this type of food, but if you stick seafood in anything, it's a good bet I'll throw my typical diet out the window (or overboard, if we're staying thematic here). Minus the crab, I'd give this mac a B+, but can't deny the magic of fresh crab.
*Cue debate on whether or not size matters
Fantastic!
Just celebrated my birthday here and the staff was amazing, location amazing, drink prices and drinks amazing.
What can I say this place is amazing!