The Shakespeare
“The food offering was exceptional and really made this pub in particular stand out:
The Scotch egg was served warm, made with a pork belly sausage.”
“This basement level bar, beneath The William Hotel, is easy to miss from the street but don't pass it by.”
“I don't like the warm cask ale, but watching my boyfriend revel in it was endearing, and worth including in this review.”
The Shakespeare
Takes Reservations: Yes
Delivery: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Coat Check: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Has Pool Table: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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3.5 stars. Stepping inside The Shakespeare is like stepping out of New York City. In a word, this place is quaint, its has great ambiance in an intimate setting. There is a feeling of warmth in its den-like interior – which makes it great for dates. It serves pub grub, but of the British variety. Their cocktails are really, really tasty and the beer selection is extensive. For the majority of my visits to this pub, I drank not ate. The food I did order was mostly appetizers and side dishes – average fare. Most people I go with are delighted they serve Scotch eggs! However, what I enjoy most about this pub is that is different than most other places you'll find in the area.
This place is beautiful. The outdoor dining area was completely empty when we arrived at 5pm. It became very busy around 7pm.
Potted Crab Salad- Served with crunchy toast. It was creamy and flavorful. I enjoyed it. ($14)
Scottish Salmon Gravlax- Lovely presentation. It was delicious, but a bit salty. ($13)
Organic Scottish Salmon Burger- I didn't really enjoy this as much as I would have liked. The burger and chips were rather bland. ($20)
Banoffee Trifle- Layers of fresh banana slices, chantilly cream, and toffee chunks. Wow, I absolutely loved it! It was so light and refreshing. Definitely the highlight of my meal. ($18)
I went today for Mother's Day brunch and this place was very good. We weren't sitting in the actual pub/bar. But that didn't dampen the day or our spirits.
Our waiter was excellent! He was attentive and respectfully.
I had the full English breakfast and I loved it! I cleaned my plate. My parents had eggs Benedict but without the salami. The waiter said they could substitute so mom had English sausages and dad had a side salad. It's great when a restaurant can be accommodating and adaptive to the customers.
Try this place out and order delicious English cuisine.
Shakespeare is one of two pubs that carry Fullers London Pride on tap in NYC, don't leave without trying this pale beaut'. They have other British classics on tap like Old Speckled Hen and Young's Double Chocolate Stout. Cheers
The food is elevated pub food. The gazpacho I had was refreshing but very acidic. Fish n Chips ($25) is absolutely brilliant – a hearty beast of cod battered ultra crispy revealing flaky layers and hands down the best tartar sauce I've ever had, bloody delicious.
The triple chips ($8) is a great appetizer – think 'triple fried' fries; Scotch Egg ($10) is amazing. Milk Chocolate Tart ($8) with the hazelnut nougatine, UTTERLY GOBSMACKED, the hazelnut flavor is to die for, just try not to fall arse over tit when you eat it; Banofee trifle is supposed to be good as well. If you have a flat nearby, buy an extra dessert and take it home, you'll thank me later mate.
Whoever the chef is he is off his trolley because everything here is bloody brilliant
Located in the basement of Williams Hotel, British Gastropub with good food/brews – pri$ey. Pip pip!
Plenty of seating both indoor and outdoor. Romantic, social, casual – all themes present here. FYI Cocktails are NOT the same with the Raines Law Room, but it is still good, though limited. I helped myself to an old-fashioned. The Mint Mule was ok, but had this syrupy aftertaste that didn't sit very well with me. However, I'd say save your appetite for drinks for Raines Law Room next door.
Had to get the Chicken Liver and Fois gras parfait (which is also served at Raines). Even someone who dislikes pate can't say no to this delicious delicacy. One thing I wished they would do is give additional brioche toasts that accompanies the dish. There's so much liver and not enough toast!
The brussel sprouts were different from any brussel sprouts I've had. I'm used to crispy and cheesy ones. These were more soft, as they had been cooked in tomato sauce. Different but still delicious. However, I do still prefer the crispy texture versions.
What makes this place stand out beyond all restaurants I've been to was the amazing team led by Tibo. The service was really top notch, starting from the hostess who greeted us at the door and escorted us to the table, to the servers, bartenders, and of course the amazing manager, Tibo. They pour their hearts into the dishes that they serve. Everyone kept checking in on us, including the hostess, making sure we were having a great time, and we were!
We were able to try the scottish trout, a favorite of Tibo's, which came paired with his favorite white wine. Now I do have to disclose that this, the wine, and few desserts were given as a service. Everything was delicious including the fish and chips, the tandoori chicken salad's meat was on point – very tender and juicy. Scottish Salmon Gravlax was also good, a tad salty, but flavorful. It's a very light dish, so don't order if you're hungry.
My favorite part of the night was the desserts. OMG. The banana toffee trifle was heavenly! But the manager had us try the chocolate tart and ice cream, and the chocolate mousse.. If you had to pick 2 desserts, I highly recommend the chocolate tart and the trifle. (Anyone else think about Rachel Gellar attempting to make her "meat" trifle from Friends?). You can also have your dessert served at Raines (albeit on a separate check of course).
If you are interested in Raines Law Room, I would highly recommend visiting following your meal. It was too late for me to make a reservation online, but when I first walked into the lobby, I spoke to the hostess if there was any space available, and he said that there were. He told me I could give him a 30 min heads up before dinner ended so he could set aside a table for our group. I'm telling you, I haven't been to many places in NYC, but this is one of my favorite places to go and I am planning on bringing any visitors who come to this place! Why waste searching for other places where you risk not getting excellent service when I can always get top service here?
I ate at Shakespeare's with some friends during a weekend trip to New York. We initially entered through the lower doors, which, it turns out, is where the pub is located. The bartender was kind enough to lead us upstairs to the host stand, where we were quickly seated in the back of the building.
The restaurant is nicely decorated and gives off a good impression of fanciness. Our table was elegantly set beneath a large chandelier. The wine list offered a good number of choices (we opted for the Prosecco) and our waiter was attentive and unobtrusive, popping up conveniently whenever we needed him to fill a glass or take an order.
I had the fish and chips, a favorite of mine. The fish, a large portion of cod fried perfectly, was presented in a wooden block, and the long, thick cut chips were served in a can. The serving size suited my appetite, with enough of the fries to share.
My companions similarly enjoyed their food (the avocado toast, the tandoori chicken salad, and the salmon burger). We were underdressed but the staff still treated us with as much courtesy as anyone else. For someone like myself who harbors a fancy for English cuisine, this place is a no-brainer.
I really wanted a full English breakfast (17). The Shakespeare has the real deal and it's amazing. Everything down to the tomato is well prepared.
Banger- especially tasty
Loin bacon
Black pudding
Portabella
Tomato
Egg
Baked beans
The upstairs room is really quiet and beautiful, great for catching up with a friend. The downstairs pub shows soccer games.
I had never had Scotch eggs before so I can't comment on how they stack up against others, but these had so much flavor! I've come to The Shakespeare a few times for happy hour but on the most recent occasion I ended up ordering some food. I was pleasantly surprised by the snacks and will probably make a habit out of ordering those Scotch eggs! This is a good spot to come for a date or after work drinks in the Midtown area.