Bar 89
89 Mercer St
(between Broome St & Spring St)
New York, NY 10012 (212) 274-0989
- Nearest Transit:
Prince St (R, W)
Spring St-Lafayette St (6)
Spring St-6th Ave (C, E)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Music: Juke Box
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: No
- Coat Check: Yes
36 reviews
Neighborhood: Manhattan/Midtown East
"Heading to see "Rent" on broadway we made reservations 3 weeks in advance to the 21 Club. It was the perfect romantic stop for dinner.…" read more »
85 Reviews for Bar 89
My teriyaki pork salad was inedible. This is coming from a person who somewhat enjoys airplane and hospital food. The pork strips were thin and rubbery. The main ingredients in the marinade were most likely soy sauce, loads of salt and some MSG sprinkled on top. Terrible!!
Food aside... (which is pretty hard to get around, since isn't that the most important part?)...Ok, so maybe I can't get past the awful food. Really Terrible!!!
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For my friends and I, Bar 89 was chosen years back solely due to its famous bathroom. At the time, we thought it was novel and quite interesting. I still think it is interesting but I have gained more reasons to go back. I cannot put my finger on it but I simply like the place due to the high, high ceiling. I feel as if the vast open space above my head provides a privacy that other bars do not have. Sure the drinks are pricey (but average for Manhattan) and the food is average (I've only had appetizers) but the conversations that I've shared and overheard at this bar were amazing. It's almost as if people were having uninhibited conversations due to the vast openness of the place and I was allowed to partake in all of them. Truly a unique place, for me anyways.
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What can I say , this bar is a gem. The drinks are a Little on the pricey side but well worth it . The bartenders are friendly and the drinks are yummy. Oh, you can't go to Bar 89 and not have the wings .... my favorite are the Buck "n" wings a tangy sauce that is to die for. Overall a nice experience.
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i've been here a couple of times now, and each time the experience didn't live up to the hype of a soho swanky restaurant/bar. the first time was in the middle of the night, and the bar was PACKED. my friends and i had some drinks and left not long after. it was just too noisy and crowded for my taste. also, some quasi-famous hip hop star was at the next table and was annoying the heck out of me with his entourage.
this time, i was there with a group of girls for a bachelorette party weekend. the ladies in waiting and i got there right as they were opening for lunch so we were the first table seated. i wonder why they chose to put us all of the way in the back when they could have just as easily put together some tables near the front.
anyway, the server should have warned us the large meant LARGE, for the appetizers, from what i could tell, could feed an entire football team. no joke. i don't know about you, but if i'm in a nice, scene-y bar with famous people and models, i don't want to be tempted with buffalo wings.
can you imagine this happening:
i pick up a wing with bright red sauce dripping from the end and put it in my mouth, nibbling at the juicy meat and cartilage, gnawing to the bone, sauce haphazardly landing everywhere, face splattered and grease dribbling down the side of one cheek.
george clooney: is this seat taken? *points to chair across from me*
me: *sauce still on face crickets*
orlando bloom: george, can't you see the girl is eating, stop bothering her. here, let's sit at the other end of the restaurant.
me: ...
george: sorry to have bothered you. *walks away*
me: hurrychewchewchewswallow WAIT! chewwipefacewithnapkin WAIT!!! OF COURSE YOU CAN SIT HERE!!! chewswallowchewswallow*saucestillonfacewithpieceso fchickeninteeth* WAIT!!!!!!
not cool at all.
********************
the bathrooms are unisex and super high tech. all of the stall doors are see through until you lock them and they instantly fog over so no one can see in.
hmm....i wonder if they've ever malfunctioned?
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This is definitely one of my favorite places. Think typical pub food done SoHo style. Good food, very nice presentation, very reasonable prices. There are complaints about the prices of drinks, but this is Manhattan, the land of pricey cocktails. At least at Bar 89, you feel like you are getting your money's worth. Every time I've been, the drinks were very well made. The Caipirinha is tasty and whimsical, being sweetened with pink rock candy. The Sidecars are also a favorite of mine.
Then there are those famous bathrooms. If you don't know about them, it's worth it to come here and have a drink just to see them. It probably won't blow you away or anything, but they do really fit well with this place.
I generally don't like coming into SoHo because of the touristy crowds, but I'm always down for going to 89. Just don't tell too many people! I like how I can walk in and wait no more than 5 minutes for a table.
i actually only had a lemonade here... but i LOVED the decor inside this SoHo joint and omg THE BATHROOMS ARE THE BEST PART BY FAR.
they are beautifully modern and amazing. dim, chic colored lights...
the door stalls are see-through and you go in paranoid as hell but you close it and the glass door fogs up and you go about your business.
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Toilets are cute...$19 martinis are absurd. Used to come often...won't be back. Have fun, tourists!
Go for the toilettes, stay for well-made (if pricey) drinks.
A slick and spacious tourist trap in a frou frou neighborhood over-run by foreigners looking to take advantage of the weak dollar.
Best place in Soho to take a shit. Hands (and pants) down.
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Speaking only to my enjoyment of quite a few cocktails, the beauty of the bar, and the kitsch of the bathrooms.
I liked this place a lot.
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Its all about the fogging bathrooms for me. I like the idea of being able to see people as I'm poopin'. The food is pretty good. I heard a rumor that Bar 89 is owned by the people behind TGIFridays. Is that true?
There are some similarities although complete opposite decor and no flair. However, I have to say that I've enjoyed all of my experiences at Bar 89. I cannot say the same thing for TGIFridays. Last time I was there, I got sick immediately after eating my meal. I spent 20 minutes in a non-fogging bathroom and my day was ruined.
Its a bit expensive though. A burger, an appetizer and 2 drinks and my portion was $65. Seems a little excessive. Then again, I've spent more for less.
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This is my ALL time favorite bar, and although I don't live in the city anymore, I was so happy to read the great reviews. I look forward bringing my hubby here for drinks, food and fun. The chocolate martini is delicious! Just don't forget to lock the bathroom door ;)
Bar 89 was introduced to me by my hubby when we were young and still dating, like 5 years ago, and since then, we got married, and it's the spot I always take my friend to when they come visit me.
Great food (burger and dessert), nice dcor, cool bar and fabulous bathroom  I am not kidding!
The only thing is some of their table is too small, when you go there when its packed, its kind of annoy, but I still love you Bar89, waffle fries and buffalo chicken wing!
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I used to live just down the block from this place and passed it every day as I walked home. I never bothered to go in because I feared high prices for tiny dishes - inferring this of course from the ridiculously self-consciously cool decor. However, one night a guy leaving the place urged my boyfriend and I to go in, saying it was his favorite bar ever.
We ending up having a great time at Bar 89. The cocktails are very inventive and festive, although a little pricey. The portions are huge and the salads have so much stuff on them I can barely find the lettuce (Read: Great on quantity but inconsistent on quality). The waffle fries are a solid afternoon or evening snack.
As for the atmosphere, the severs were nice, the artwork is hip, and the bathrooms are totally bizarre. The bathrooms are worth the first trip to the restaurant, I suppose, but then you'll be coming back for the drinks and decor.
I went here with a friend of mine on a Sunday day trip up to the NYC.
We were seated and we place our orders fairly quickly but we didn't feel real hustled to do so. The place has a lot of light, probably due to the big skylight above the bar that looks like a cross section of a wing if you are on the top floor.
I had a burger, of course with peppercorns. It was done just the way I ordered it and the sauce was very tasty and flavorful. My friend had a chicken sandwich with avocado. She said the chicken and the avocado were good, but that there was a little too much bread on the sandwich. In addition to my burger I had coffee which was excellent . On top of that was that didn't have to ask to get more coffee, the server anticipated my need for caffeination.
My friend told me that I should use the bathrooms and so I did. They had an interesting bathrooms set up that you have to see for yourself.
I'd like to come back sometime and have drinks there. They have some really good single malts behind the bar.
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This place is chic and trendy. That's the only nice thing i can say about it. Food wasn't that great. most of the choices were just burgers. I mean it wasn't that bad. It's just that i had higher expectations because a couple of people had recommended it. I had a chocolate martini first time i came here and the second time a Caipirinha. Both made horrible.
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Bar 89 a glamorous burger joint with great drinks, and reasonably priced (for SoHo). The decor is really funky and modern... I want my apartment to look like that!
The food was delicious and the portions are huge. We still had room for dessert though. The waitstaff was very friendly and service was quick.
My only complaint is that here was a little too much butter on my burger...
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I hate to bring discord, but I don't think Bar 89 is worthy of 3 and must less 4 stars. The place is sorta cool and the bathrooms that fog up are quite an attraction (although they are not very clean...). The prices are reasonable as well, but the food is only so-so.
One of my friends claimed that they had the BEST burgers in NY. The first time I got the salad there (I know, LAME). My husband and our friend both got the burger au poivre. Emphasis on the "au poivre" here; there were just so many peppercorns in the sauce that their overstimulated palate was able to register nothing but the pepper. My salad was big and good, so I was happy with my choice. My husband decided that next time he would just get the cheeseburger and see what this "best burger" claim was all about.
So we went back last night. It was us and 4 friends. We all ordered different sandwiches (the chicken calabrese, the china's lil' chicken, the portobello sandwich, the 89 club), one salad and once again, my husband gave the burger au poivre a chance to redeem itself and ordered the au poivre sauce on the side.
The first weird thing was that all 2 chicken sandwiches and the portobello sandwich were pretty much the same, and all came with some mysterious concoction of hot jalapenos (the menu makes no mention of how hot these sandwiches were) with onions and other unidentifiable objects. On the side or not on the side, the au poivre burger was once again mediocre. The fries WERE good, but each sandwich basket also came with a random assortment of melons, ONE carrot, ONE piece of celery, etc (what they called "vegetables of the season' or something rather). My friend didn't like her salad either. So there we were, 6 different dishes and nothing I would really call "good."
The only redeemable thing about Bar 89 is the friendly staff and the good drinks.
Bar 89 is a work of modern art. The architecture, design, decor all fit together to create a lovely atmosphere for delicious food and even better moods.
-2 stars for slow service.
+1 star for the explanation of why the service was slow (they were preparing their homemade honey mustard sauce) and a complimentary plate of fries for our patience.
+1 star for the unique bathrooms and ceiling art displays.
The sauce was worth the wait.
Take a trip to the bathrooms. Going poddy has never been this fun.
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I really do love this place. I've been coming here for the past 10 years....i always order their wings platter, nachos, and their hamburgers. Be prepared to share it with a friend tho because their portion size is not small. Their chocolate Martini and Cosmo is yummy! I've brought so many out of towners and friends here just to check out their bathrooms. Definitely a great place to go if u're not too hungry but want to lounge with friends.
Their decor changes from time to time. IT's fantastic...like going to a gallery. I remember stepping in and seeing old school landline phones (w/extension cords) along the wall. It's two levels, but the second floor seats less, but that's where their infamous bathrooms are situated. I like to be seated on the lower levels because I can wave down a waiter more easily.
I like wings. This was my crazy college days stomping grounds w/a more "upscale"/poshy twist (away from the regular bar scenes). I'd go with my group of gal pals and order up a platter ($25) of combo wings: buffalo, dragon & buckin' wings (i love the buffalo and buckin' da bestest). It comes with a little side of celery, fries, bleu cheese dressing, and their yummy waffle fries (i usually get and extra side of this).
Other appetizers that I indulge on and aren't bad: their Nacho Supreme is great to covered w/all all these yummy toppings (i like fire, so the jalapenos do the trick), Water Chestnuts (wrapped in bacon and dipped in honey) and their Hell's Fire Chips (chips topped w/bleu cheese and hot sauce).
For the entree the sandwiches are filling. I usually find myself eating 1/2 of it and when I'm seriously hungry I'll eat 3/4 of it.
For chicken sandwiches, my normal orders that keep my lips a smackin' are: Buffalo Chicken and China Lil's. Their burgers aren't bad. They're tasty and juicy, but I prefer more taste factor, so I opt for the chicken.
The downfall for coming: table space & the drinks. Don't get me wrong, they're great alcoholic drinks, but if you get anything else, it's not worth it. They charge so much for a soda. REMEMBER: when you order for water, make sure you tell them tap (if you don't want to pay). If so, they'll bring you out their imported water to serve you (costly, but tasty). The tables are small and if you eat like i do, it's going to be on crowded table.
No visit is final till you make your pilgrimage to their infamous bathrooms. These see through stalls quickly fog up (the glass that is) to obstruct dirty men from peeping into what your business is. Although everyone uses each stall (5 in total) as unisex, there are markings on the floor that show gender use (M or W - two each, the one in the middles is uni) .
I try not to do large crowds...it's a hassle, but do call in to see if you can reserve and make accommodations beforehand.
It's posh, it's trendy, it's got good food...i think I'm due for another visit. Enjoy!
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Love this cozy place in Soho. It's the combination of a diner and a bar all into one. I went during the week and even on a Saturday, it's not terribly packed in there. You can get a table if you aren't with huge group. HUGE and I mean HUGE diner sized portions. Food is great, I like the Buffalo Grilled Chicken Salad. Of course the bathrooms are a trip. You can see through to the stalls and can also see out of them as well. Totally transparent..but it's all an illusion!
Reasonably priced and we had a cute waiter that looked like Nick Carter ..but cuter and less acne.
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Ricky and I had an early dinner (early being 6:00pm) on a Wednesday night at the atmosphere at Bar 89 was perfect. The staff was friendly and the service was perfect. We shared delicious buffalo wings for an appetizer and Ricky got the burger and I got a turkey, bacon and avocado sandwich. I must admit - the fries were my favorite:) After I used the restrooms, I then knew why Ricky asked me if I had to go to the bathroom before he took me out to dinner. The bathrooms were crazy! So just make sure to use the restrooms to really complete your Bar 89 experience.
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The very first time I came here was to meet up with my friends who were visiting out of town.
I don't know what happened but I got really really trashed from their flavored martini's. The next thing I knew I was at club Exit and falling all over everyone because I couldn't maintain.
I usually like to bring my out of town friends here since they get a kick out of their neato toledo restroom.
I always asked them if they want to use the restroom. If they say no, I say YES, YOU DO!!!
They think I am crazy for forcing them but when they do go and check it out, they're like OMG the restroom is awesome.
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Call me a globe trotting alcoholic but this bar is what attracts me to New York over and over again. It warps me into imagining being on a Sex in the City episode, it's a sexy, chic bar with wild drinks and great eye candy. I'm a fry fanatic and the crisscuts are just as surprising as the coed bathroom, a must have experience!
As a grad student of the arts, this place is on a list of places to visit.... The actual interior isn't that compelling, but as everyone and their mom has already stated, the bathroom doors transform from transparent to translucent based on occupancy. It is cool the first time.
My friend and I arrived there pretty early, 10 pm on a Saturday night, and it wasn't really bustling. That's okay though, we were in the mood to talk. I asked the nice bartender where all the beautiful people were, and I think he said that was it. So sad. At around 1130, midnight it started getting more packed. Still, we didn't see any hotties. No diggity. No doubt.
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I go here once a month with my substitute girlfriend (she's my homegirl that treats me like a boyfriend... but we're both strictly dickly) Anyway these are the main points about Bar 89:
1) Great decor (has hanging wings on the ceiling and an ethereal, starry night theme)
2) Attentive servers
3) Food (on a 1-10 scale) 7
4) Don't expect quick service on a Friday or Saturday night
5) The bathrooms are cool (check 'em out and u'll see what I mean)
Oh yea... they give you refills on your drink without asking you and definitely charge you for it. I wasn't too mad about it that night cuz I did need another drink... but what if I didn't have the money for the second one?? Lol. Overall, good place to take a date or a few friends to grab a a sandwich, some fries, and a drink.*
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Fancy bathrooms, Good burgers and interesting decor. I like how they give you melon with the burger. One burger is enough for 2 people so consider that before ordering.
I believe the owner has copyrighted the phrase "appearances can be deceptive". Now if you don't believe me, take a look at their web site bar89.com or walk along Mercer and risk missing the bar along the way. And then, when you walk in, prepare to be amazed by the space--it is quite impressive. If you are still not with me, you are probably already a regular at Bar 89.
This is an ideal venue when you would like to hang out with your college buddies, a special companion or even a business associate. The high ceilings and the conversation-friendly nature of the space are distinctive features. The nachos are admirably good as nachos at food-bars go. And the bartenders are appropriately serious yet friendly. The drinks--whether a martini or a sangrita--are robust but pricey.
The bathrooms on the second floor present a unique challenge--folks can see you do your thing through the glass. Just kidding--the glass turns opaque when you engage the latch on the door. Just don't forget to use the latch, unless of course you are deliberately ...
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My martini was f-ing huge!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Plus, I am happy to have Mercer street alternatives in soho to Merc Bar, which despite the great smell, is not always what i'm looking for in that particular 3 block radius.
Not so big on the hanging paintbrush chandelier. This would definitely be an appropriate time to use the phrase 'wtf...?'
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Me: "So where are we eating?"
Friend: "I think there's a place with cool bathrooms near here..."
Friend: "I really don't remember where it is though."
Me: "Okay, let's go on an adventure."
Me: "Cause you know, eating and bathrooms go together hand in hand."
Yes we did find the place.
Yes the ambiance is indeed great.
Yes the bathroom is indeed unique.
Yes I would bring a hot date here.
Yes I would order their Sidecars.
Yes the Burger Las Brisas is good.
Yes there was a critter / cockroach prowling on the floor while we were dining.
Yes it did take our server forever to take our order and to get our check.
No I did not think the place is worth the hype.
No I will not return to dine at this establishment again.
Okay I lied. I will come back to this place secretly just to try out more of their cocktail. Hopefully their critter problem will be resolved by my next visit. Bar 89 earns three stars due to our laggy server and the critter encounter.
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Five or six years ago this used to be drinkery/people-watching/stylin-n-profilin' So-Ho(t) spot with good eats. 2008: Bar 89 is a mere shadow of that once pristine liquid hot image. The food has gone down hill. My friend ordered an Asian-esque chicken salad and got a sandwich slathered in terror-yucky glop as opposed to tasty teriyaki sauce. The burgers are still on par for the most part, but lakc that extra oomph which make it kinda sub-standard taking the price into account. The fries are pretty decent.
The decor is pretty on point and yes the fog-up bathrooms are cool, but since the space is pretty much unchanged since this place opened...it really needs a refreshing and a bit of un-dating itself. Since this place set the standard for glitzy smooth SoHo eat/drink spots years ago. I think the managers need to re-boot the soundtrack/music for this place as it seems that they just crank the music to make this place seem hipper than it is. Don't get me wrong the place is not uncool, but seems to be trying too hard. Also this place needs to go back to an unofficial dress code...Bar 89 used to have most of SoHo's finest sauntering throgh this place post-work, post-dinner, post-anything, etc. I think this place looked better because its prior clientele actually. However now, the people going look like either bridge-and-tunnelers from out deep or people trying to look like they live or work in SoHo. Also, are they carding people going into Bar 89...some of the people drinking there look like they are under 21 and they aren't even sharply? I mean jeans, Timz, caps, fayx leather motorcycle jackets, etc. what is this a bad 90s rap video. I think the current clientele has scared off the prior audience that made this place---a place to be and be seen.
The excellently sticked bar and the hardworking waitstaff are its saving grace. Though the bartenders need a bit more energy and the waiters seem to need a bit more help because service can be slow. Also, can someone tell them to hire some attractive women in this place? I took my best friend here to cheer him up and it was a dude-fest! Jeez.
I really like this place. It's not my favorite bar or restaurant in NY but it receives high marks for a few things.
1) The grilled vegetable platter is out of this world.
2) The drinks are stiff in the shiek kind of scene you'd expect at a trendy SoHo bar.
3) water/soap sensors, automatic paper towel dispensers... bathroom attendents with all sorts of cologne you'd never wear. I've seen it all... but this place makes you want to use the restroom just to use the restroom. Fog glass door... too cool.
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This is my favorite spot for a casual lunch or dinner in Soho. Not just because of the fascinating bathrooms (the bathrooms are unisex and the glass door on each stall is clear when you first walk in, but turns opaque once you've fastened the latch), but because they have the great casual food (it doesn't get any better than the portobello mushroom sandwich with those heavenly waffle fries and fresh fruit) in a very trendy and fun atmosphere. They have a nice selection of wines and yummy mixed drinks. I've never had bad service here (though from reading some of the other reviews, it's seems that other folks have). I've always had very nice, attentive waitstaff.
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Been here a while ago, only remember that it was crowded at night, the basket of finger licking baffalo wings, and a really modern restroom.
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I went here for Martini's with friends and of course after a few drinks we headed to the bathroom. If you don't know already, the bathrooms are unisex with clear glass doors, yes clear as in see through. When you close the door and hook the latch, the glass on the door begins to fog.
The drinks were good but, the main attraction was definitely the bathroom.
There are almost 50 reviews and Bar 89 has a solid 4 star rating. And here's another one.
Bar 89 is a good bar, nothing too spectacular though. It's classy and sophisticated, and the bathrooms are always a crowd pleaser. I wish there were more cute banker boys in Thomas Pink shirts and Hermes ties instead of forlorn 30 something single women who lunch. But I guess that's just a matter of location, and not the establishment itself.
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I've been here a few times, and I can't seem to recall anything I consumed. However, if for nothing else, you should take a visit to at least check out the restroom, which is memorable :) The doors are transparent, and they smoke up once you lock them from the inside. It's kind of a voyeur/exhibitionist-wannabe fantasy.
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I'll give this place a 5 star because it really suits my taste. I stumbled across this place on a recent visit to NYC. Went in for a late lunch. I was really surprised at how nice and open the place is. Really interesting mix of urban grafiti art and modern decor. Very cool. Food is excellent, drinks also excellent.
They have a dish called Fire sticks or something. Not to make it sound like a sports bar, but its think potatoe slices, fried, then arranged on a plate with blue cheese and wing sauce then baked. It may sound like a gut bomb, but it is THE bomb in my opinion.
Great mojitos, and a nice atmosphere.
Place really transforms at night to be an 'in' spot. If you want to be seen go at night, if you want to enjoy a nice meal in a relaxing atmosphere, go during the day. Its on Mercer and easy to walk right past. Very small signs on the door...easy to miss.
Wont disapoint.
WBV
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This place was a little empty when I stopped by on a Thursday night, but I was impressed with decor and bathrooms! The food was surprisingly good as well. If you're looking for a chill bar w/standard bar food in SoHo, this place is worth a try.
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be prepared for the portions, either go after a 3-day fast or be prepared to give your leftovers to a bum.
plus, be ready to eat meat with butter. while they serve raw vegetables alongside the burgers, that doesn't make up for the burger.
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