Waterfront Ale House

“The burgers are always awesome and they have some creative twists on the regular fare – like buffalo calamari and venison chili.”

“Perfect for a pre-movie drink/dinner near Kip's Bay Theater, WAH has a wide variety of micro-brews on tap and by the bottle.”

“It seems to be just enough east, and just run-down enough that the Murray Hill bros pass it over.”

Waterfront Ale House

Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes

Price range.

$$ Price range $11-30

8 reviews

  1. Stopped in for a quick drink after work.  I had some kind of rum punch which worked well on a hot Summer afternoon.  Bartender was very nice, professional.

    Selection of draft beers is impressive. Food menu looks interesting, I need to come back next week for lunch.  They have a coupon thing going – free beer with any entree – but I don't know if the free beer is from a limited list – usually in these situations you do not get a free craft beer.

    Worth a try if you are in the neighborhood.  They are now open for brunch Saturday and Sunday – very limited menu – breakfast stuff.

  2. Still kicking after many years, Waterfront Ale House is one of the few taverns in this town that haven't changed one bit. Still the loud music, still the rowdy-and-surly-looking-but-actually-sweet waitress who's been there forever, still the mix of old regular, NYU medical students, and a dollop of Murray Hill bros and broettes.

    Though their venerable beer list is no longer the best game in town–or even the neighborhood–it's still reliable and never disappointing. The food has also aged well, with a nice array of burgers and sandwiches. I had myself a reuben on my recent visit and it was good. I haven't had a chance to partake of the free popcorn, but one of these days after a late night feature at Loews…

    Stay real, Waterfront!

  3. had a good time here. place is what you would expect from a tavern in terms of food–lots of pulled meat sandwiches, pretzels, wings, etc. the beer list was extensive with a lot of rare seasonal beers offered (including the beer of the week, which is only $5). i got the quesadillas, they were perfectly cheesy and warm. only drawback about them is they are served with only sour cream, no salsa. i heard good things about the angus burger and chicken fingers from my friends, though. im giving this place a 4 instead of a 3 because of our server Debbie. She was always there when i needed a refill on my beer, was super helpful when explaining the menu and a general pleasure to be around.
    overall a cool place to grab a drink and solid bar food.

  4. Really fresh food coupled with amazing beer. I had an Oyster Po' Boy and a Weihenstephaner.

    Oyster Po-Boy Special:
    -fresh fried oysters were super tangy and fresh but the rest of the sandwich was decent, and there were only 4 oysters, I wish they added more. Little too much bread. Enjoyed this with a nice, tall glass of Weihenstephaner, floral banana Hefeweis, simply delicious!

    Craft beer dream! I was in shock when I saw the Goose Island Bourbon County Brand Stout bottle($22), which is extremely hard to find. They have other great options on tap as well.

    They have rotating daily food specials and a beer of the day.

    I'm definitely gonna back and try some of their other seafood offerings!

  5. The service may not be that great, but this is a true neighborhood bar with a solid neighborhood feel. Similar to but not as good as the white horse tavern, this spot has good drinks and surprisingly good food (try the mac n cheese).

  6. I live less than a block from Waterfront Ale House and decided to try it just the other day. I've lived in the neighborhood awhile now and just haven't had a chance to get there. I placed a takeout order for buffalo wings not knowing to expect. They were just alright. I've been wanting to stop in for a drink and maybe eat there. People have told me great things about this spot and I look forward to trying it out again. Maybe I'll try something different next time!

  7. My objective was to find something cheap and healthy for hang outs with a former coworker this past week. The other request was for it to be in Murray bro Hill. I'm not sure if I struck gold on all those or any of those lol.

    Things that are good about this bar and why it's not a just meh, 3 stars: Their happy hour is decent for the area. They have a beer of the day ($4.50) that rotates regularly. This particular day it was Yuengling and I passed because everything else was only $5 until 7pm. Pretty decent selection on tap. Had both a Kona and Longtrail brews I like. I know I bookmarked this initially before because online it said they had an extremely hard to find bottle from dogfish head. I didn't inquire about bottle selection but may come back for that one.

    I ordered their pulled chicken sandwich. It's freaking AMAZING. The sauce it glistens in is ridiculously good and there was so much meat on my bun. So many jokes inserted here. Though I think for its price tag it should seriously have fries with it instead of the lack-luster bland coleslaw and pickle. My buddy ordered the brat sausage and garlic mashed potatoes along with chicken fingers. I helped with his potatoes. Good but not outstanding. They could have used more butter and garlic for sure. Don't be skimpy. Load them taters up. Food is …..decent-acceptable. Beer and liquor options – above average for the area with a solid happy hour. They also have free popcorn (which is still usually a big deal to me in bars) and a tantalizing sounding desert menu.

    Annoying qualities? The youngins that gathered here was quite the crowd for a Wednesday evening, hollering and blocking the door, selfies, jumping up and down. But it wasn't too bad.

    I can see this being a better lunch spot as you can get a beer and a sandwich, chili, salad, etc for only $11.50.

  8. I love this place for a low key dinner. My husband loves their hamburger, but I'm not a huge burger-lover, so I've tried other things. The french onion soup is very good, but overpriced. The texas chili is NOT my favorite AT ALL. But finally, the other night I got the fish and chips…. it was SO SO SO good. I honestly couldn't believe how fresh the fish was for this corner pub. It blew my mind. They also have free, self serve popcorn when/if you want. They also have a pretty large selectoin of beer and some wine available. Definitely nice for a very casual dinner, especially if you're seeing a movie at AMC Kips Bay right near by!

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