The Half King Bar & Restaurant
“Hit this place up for happy hour or an early dinner then walk the high line down to the West Village.”
“It was the perfect "bar" feel that I wanted, and it was a nice respite from Chelsea's trendier bars.”
“I always order plain fries (though the sweet potato fries are good) alongside just to eat with the broth.”
The Half King Bar & Restaurant
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Went tonight and thought service was great, but I think the menu is entirely overpriced. I got a chopped black quinoa salad, which I did enjoy, but after tax and tip (no drinks) my salad was $24, that just seems absurd to me considering the atmosphere. It's a cool pub, but at that price, I really need to be blown away. My friend ordered the buffalo chicken tenders and said they were pretty bad, she sent them back in exchange for a turkey burger which she said was good. These are Manhattan prices, but I guess for what they are asking, I was expecting just a little bit more.
There must be some fun happennings in the kitchen at this restaurant, as all of the servers made it clear they had much better things to do than serve our table.
First, waters were plopped down to drink, and we were asked 'drink?' I mean guy, really, if you want to be somewhere else, just go, but don't make us feel like we're inconveniencing you by deciding to eat here tonight.
We started with the meat balls and the calamari. The calamari was fried, but that's about it. There was absolutely no flavor, and they were served with tarter sauce which was a bit strange. They are not fried clams. The meat balls were good, but I am not sure I am huge fan of the buffalo. And there was a LOT of buffalo on the menu.
The pizza was a hit, and my turkey avocado mango wrap was good, but the french fries were horrible. I am not a big fry eater, but I know well enough when they were bad, and these were some of the worst. Cold, soggy, like they'd been sitting out for hours. Just not good.
Even the person who delivered our food just dropped it at our table like he would rather be anywhere else. He even handed my Mom her meal and didnt clear her appetizer plate so she was stuck holding it, and he just walked away.
Food was just blah, and the service was nothing short of horrible. I'd say hire some new staff, and you have a chance, Half King, to be better. Let me know when you do, because otherwise, I will not be back.
Had second breakfast on second Sunday here (aka brunch on Memorial Day after having already gone to a deli for a bagel)…
The food was pretty good. I had a bursting–exploding!–omelet and a mimosa that was so good I was pretty sure I was going to abandon all plans of moving to Chicago and just take up permanent residence at their bar. That is, until their bartender (Lauren?) came over and noticed that a bit of foil had gotten into my glass and she replaced my nearly empty mimosa free of charge to compensate for her mistake… on her own initiative… seriously, customer service like that doesn't exist in my home city! (Except at this one gay bar, but, well, you're reading a review about New York, not Providence, so there's that.)
I was beyond impressed with their staff, though. Cohesive, friendly, fun… they all bring all of themselves to work and it shows. It is a RARE staff that makes you feel like a part of their conversation, but it was a fun experience, and I now know more colorful adjectives to describe omelettes than I thought existed…
Really, after a morning of killing time before my bus home, walking around the city, and finding this charming little pub, I'm tempted to just move in and drink mimosas forever, and something tells me it would be cheaper for me to do that than for me to rent a flat in this city.
They also have a pretty good whisky and bourbon selection.
Came here on a Tuesday night around 9pm with a group of 6 and was able to find a table. It was quite lively for a weeknight, and some brave souls were even out on the patio despite the rather chilly conditions (but I'm speaking as a visiting Californian so take that how you will). We just ordered a round of beers and some snacks to accompany them–they were having a special of mushroom quesadillas and they turned out to be surprisingly good! I'm always amazed when I run across decent Mexican-style fare in NY. Our server was on the ball and we all had a very nice time.
STEPH JUDGEMENT: A solid place for a casual meet-up with friends!
Not impressed. Very poor service and not great drinks. Had a waiter that barely spoke to our table and never checked on us. Close to the highline, but definitely not worth going to. Burgers were decent, but not much else. Avoid the waiter in the DTD shirt. Not worth it-try somewhere else.
The half king has a really delicious menu! I am not sure if I was so very inebriated that I couldn't help but love what I ate, but our table's consensus was that it was a very good meal!
I had the salad with mushroom, bacon, onion and almonds it was as delicious as it was simple! I ate all of it! My hubs had a bison burger with cheese and bacon and a side of sweet potato fries! It was the bomb! Seriously delicious! Even the brioche bun.
Prices are a little higher than you average pub food, but it is well worth it as the food is tasty and the portions filling!
The Half King Bar and Restaurant
NY: Manhattan: Chelsea
9pm Tuesday 22nd April 2015
Three Stars
After some Zog Bowling, we wandered into this 23 Street eatery. We were immediately seated at table outside. The service was overall good. The wait for drinks and food was on the longer side. I had the Shepard's pie. The portion was decent, the lamb was okay, and the potatoes were rich but not creamy. I would have preferred to have some peas or something with a contrasting texture.
The food was great! I had the tuna wrap it and was seared on both sides, a little overcooked for seared tuna, but I think it was a good thing. Not sure what quality fish they get since they are kind of a pub. In any case, the flavors were delicious. Lots of great beers on tap and lots of TVs in the bar. Service wasn't amazing, but worth 4 stars and I'd definitely return.