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Categories: Sports Bars, American (New) [Edit]
Neighborhood: Long Island City"Stove is quite possibly my favorite Astoria restaurant. The staff is knowledge, friendly, and fun. They have Guinness and Smithwick's on…" read more »
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I cannot stress enough how much I LOVE Blackbirds! It is the perfect bar for drinks after work or a lazy Saturday afternoon. It doesn't try hard to be trendy or have a theme, the bar is long with plenty of stools, there are plenty of tables, and even dart boards in the back. It still has that clean and shiny new feel to it.
The staff is great (Anthony, my favorite waiter, is absolutely adorable) and the bar service is quick. The food service is slow, but the food is pretty darn good. I'm a big fan of the spinach dip and chorizo and mushroom puff, and the regular assortment of bar food is equally fine (cheeseburgers, fries, etc). The beers are great (try the Frank something or another with a monk on the front). I'm a huge fan of the Dunkel.
Blackbirds also does a great job with activities - there is trivia on Thursday, bar bingo on Tuesday, Sunday brunch specials, and I believe a few weekly things as well.
All in all, my Astoria Cheers!
The people that run this place are jerks! The service is slow. The bartender that wears a Giant's jersey real doesn't care whether or not customers are satisfied. He has an awful attitude. I use to go here for football on Sundays, I would have to beg for them to put my team on even though the place was almost empty. Then for my last straw I walked into an empty bar asked for a TV to show my team, when I asked, the reply from the slow waiter was "We're not showing that one today". Then another jerk( the bartender's brother) said "we'll put it on, however it's subject to change".
Give me a break I've been there for 9 Sundays this year, I know you recognize me, and that's how you treat returning customers? You can watch, we'll take your money, but if someone else comes in and wants to watch another game, we'll change the channel.
I was a regular Sunday customer, and that's the way I'm treated. I don't usually complain about places but this place deserves to go out of business.
I can't believe I wasted my money to help this establishment. Good riddance!
Would you pay $12 for a long island iced tea in Queens???
Do you like your bartenders as cold as your beer?
Come to blackbirds: a great place to be overcharged by apathetic bartenders in a place that looks like "the cheescake factory."
As a bar, LOVE IT! As a restaurant, meh. Bar food at best, but I wasn't drunk enough for it to taste amazing. My burger was burnt and overcooked and The water straws were impossibly tiny, which I thought was weird. The beer selection is great for cheap prices!
It seems they have a great brunch but I've never had it, but probably worth checking out.
My group of 16 arrived for Sunday brunch. Blackbird's was ready, with a bagel, pastry, lox, and fruit stand already set up. A waiter arrived to take drink orders (included in the price). He also took pancake and waffle orders.
The omelet station by the front door churned out one of the best I've ever had.
The only fruits they had left for their fruit pancakes were bananas. The pancakes were delicious, but I'm not crazy about bananas in them. Why can't they have enough fruit to last till 1pm?
I can't say I understand why a sports bar has bands during Monday Night Football, but then again, some mysteries are just meant to go unsolved.
Friendly bartenders, nice people and an all around cool atmosphere. Very clean, especially for a sports bar. Lots of TVs around with good sightlines. Decent beer selection. They have good sound for the bands that do perform, but like I said, why during a sporting event such as MNF which obviously brings people into watch the game?
The Yankees were in first place, and it was the beginning of a four game set with Boston. I yelped sports bars and this one came up, so why not.
We arrived at 630 for a 705 game. I was wearing yankees gear, so that it would be obvious i was there to watch the game. I felt like a big spender so we went with Franzikaner (favorite) and some of the starter beef tips.
Beef tips, well done, on garlic bread, with melted mozzerella. 9.95. Ok, over priced, a little, but no problem i was feeling like a baller and we were hungry. Not bad.
Heres where I minus a star. God bless these young ladies who have to waitress at sports bars, but its not rocket science. It took more than 15 minutes to find the yankees game. The first inning was over, after the waitress had to go and get someone else to work the tv.
she comes by after seeing we had finished our beers, and the steak tips. "oh did i mention wings are half off during the game?"
no
no you didnt.
7:40 our first order of wings arrive. Not bad, lets get another
8:45 our second order of wings arrive.
wait.
really?
yes.
In short.
Beer- good
Food - good
Wait staff timing - needs improvement.
Granted this is a terrible review because I'm hung over from last night, but i want to make sure if any is interested in this place tonight, make sure you have time to burn.
Small menu with some ok food. We were here early, and the only table ordering food, and I think the chef had to grow the tomatoes to make our dish. Service was nice, but erratic.
Bartender didn't know how to make the drink special, so we had to go without.
Have to come back during the bar-ing hour and readjust my assessment. Otherwise, it was just a boring sports bar with slow food service.
What sets this apart from other similar bar/grill joints that I've been to?
1) the music isn't blasting. some people actually like having conversations in bars (unthinkable these days!).
2) the music is good. bonus points to whoever or whatever was responsible for the chunk of Iron Maiden tracks that came on (or perhaps the jukebox feared me unleashing the power of the Dark Side on it). mostly classic rock, some metal, and 90s alternative - all in all, good stuff!
3) aesthetics/lighting/atmosphere. not too bright, not too dark.
4) a few TVs with various sports games on, as well as a dartboard set up - a nice nod to being a sports bar.
5) the menu has a fair amount of options. there is a whole page of appetizers, lending it the feel of a tapas bar. lots of options - sliders, calamari, chips w/ salsa, and many more. the entrees tend towards fairly standard bar food - burgers, sandwiches, and wraps.
6) good choices of beer - Radeberger, Rogue Dead Guy, Franziskaner, Weihenstephaner, and a few more. what they lack in quantity they compensate for in quantity.
7) windows! holy crap, you can actually see the outside world. even on a rainy day, you can sit and people watch.
my only quibble was that the service was a little lagging at times. not a huge deal since we weren't in a rush, though. also, I live in Brooklyn, so it's a bit out of the way for me. however, if someone was hosting an event here again (we were there for my friend's birthday) I would definitely go back!
Recently went to Blackbird's for a surprise party on a Friday Night. For a Friday, it was not packed at all. I'm not sure if that was from the rain earlier, or whether it is just quiet on Fridays.
The selection of beers was nice. It wasn't large, but there were definitely some quality tap beers on the list like Hofbraü, Franziskaner Hefe-Weien, and Weihenstephan Dunkel. Although I didn't get anything from the bottled beers, that selection was decent as well.
The food here was quite good as well. I had the Niagara, which was a roast beef sandwich with horseradish an au jus sauce on the side. The horseradish was quite potent, so only a little was needed on the sandwich to give it a nice kick. Add the sauce, and the salty bread used, and it was quite the tasty sandwich.
The Friday I went started off the Cajun Friday's there, so they had some New Orleans items as well. I had a hurricane, which was good and was reminiscent of one I had while in New Orleans a few months earlier.
Although a ways from Hoboken, I would definitely travel back if friends were holding something there.
I've only been once, and heard that the service is inconsistent. But my one experience was great. About 5 of us showed up around midnight, and found out that after 11pm, you get a free pint of draft beer with any order of bar food! So, that's pretty great. The waiter was cool made sure to keep an eye on empty beer glasses. They had Rogue Shakespeare Stout on tap! The grilled cheese on texas toast w/ tomato, bacon and avocado was great too.
I usually frequent this bar for the late night menu. The waiter is usually very attentive and the clientelle is laid back. I live two blocks away from this place, and although there are 20 other bars within a 5 block radius, Blackbirds gets my vote everytime.
Mixed drinks are pricey for a neirboorhood bar, I am not trying to impresse anyone or hook up, so can we reconsider the $10.00 martinee? This is Astoria, not Tao beach in Vegas....
Tried Brunch for the first time today and it was pretty good for the price. Everything was good with the exception of the home fries. The potatoes were very dry and starchy.
It's not often that I venture outside of my home borough for anything other than work, Saturday morning footie and Sunday afternoon hockey. Born and bred in Brooklyn*, there's not much to want in my humble South Slope neighborhood. I have cool bars (Sidecar and Draft Barn), good food (um, maybe not so much) and a laundromat that knows my name.
But what I will travel for, and what doesn't exist near me, is a good sports bar. You'd think with all the Park Slope dads, someone would want to just watch the game with wings, but sadly that's not the case.
So it was with much trepidation that I crossed two rivers to get to Blackbird's on a Thursday night for trivia with some friends who were counting on my unrivaled sports and history knowledge to help spur them to victory.**
What I found upon entering Blackbird's is what I've been longing for in South Slope. Nothing fancy, there was nothing about Blackbird's that appeared to be trying too hard. It was comfortable with itself and it's great beers on tap (I highly suggest the Franzeskaner Hefe-Weissen), really, really tasty fries and an assortment of appropriately-priced appetizers.
The rest of the bar is exactly what you'd want and expect -- a long bar down the left side with high-tops on the right, emptying into table seating in the back. There's at least three tv's behind the bar, with plenty more elsewhere and on a Thursday of NCAA Tournament time, all the games were on.
My only complaint was a bit of slow service, and forgetting our food, but my only REAL complaint is that it's not closer to my apartment (or the subway -- it's a good 10 - 15 minute walk from the Steinway stop.)***
* - Meaning I've been there ten months since moving from Manhattan.
** - We finished third, thanks to my incorrect assertion that Jimmy Carter was the most recent President to get a doctorate after getting out of office and my inability to recognize Boris Badnoff, incorrectly labeling him as Snidely Whiplash. Never play trivia drunk.
*** - Or a 30 minute walk when you start off going the wrong way like I did.
I like Blackbirds...they have an interesting selection of beers, I like the atmosphere, and the food is decent for a pub. However, the service is slow and the music could be better. They frequently play soft hits from the 80s--like Phil Collins...weird.
We've been to quizzo a bunch there. Don't like that they've raised the buy-in to $20...if you don't have 4+ on your team, that's a bit steep. They should just make it $5 per person or something like that.
As for the food: the hot roast beef and the grilled cheese with bacon, tomato, and avocado are both really good; the burger is huge and pretty good, and I'm not so sure about the wings...we asked for them medium, and they were too spicy to finish...maybe the waitress got it wrong. And she added an extra sandwich to our bill one time...then took like 20 min to fix it. Oy.
I love the food and the selection of beers at this place. The decor is perfect and the atmosphere is fun and lively. The music is always at just the right volume.
The most interesting menu selection is the portabella mushroom. Try it!
So, what prevents me from giving Blackbirds 5 stars? The service is consistently slow and erratic. I know that our bill would have been a lot higher had the wait staff noticed that our beers were empty.
We love Blackbirds. Its within walking distance to our house and its a very welcome addition to the neighborhood. Great food, great drinks, darts, juke box, and a touch screen game on the bar make it awesome. Its a great place to go hang out and have drinks to to have dinner. The only thing I wish is that it had more food selections. What they have is great but more healthy dishes would be good. But for a night when I dont feel like being healthy I would order the fries with this orange sauce they have, I think its like chipotle sauce. Its so good!!
And the staff is friendly too!
Bingo on Tuesday night. Franzikaner Hefe-Weizen. Great crowd. Do it.
I am sad that they took away the free chips though. Those things were damn good. RIP chips....you will be missed.
So, this is my first Yelp review and its a great place to start. Even though Blackbird's opened less than three months ago, it has already become of my favorite places for dinner in Astoria. The staff is always able and friendly, the beers on tap are varied and delicious and the atmosphere is solid. It is kind of unique to Astoria: think upscale Sports Bar with a touch of bistro. Mix in live music, darts, a beer tasting and upcoming Halloween Costume Contest and you have a fusion of everything classy but easy going.
The food is also pretty great. They have a small collection of both small plates and entrees. I've been there half a dozen times and haven't gone wrong yet. From The Hanger Steak to the Sliders to the delicious veggies choices, its all tasty and worth a try.
So, all in all, big thumbs up.
It's a testament to the diversity of Astoria that an American style Bar/Restaurant would stand out this much amongst the crowd. It's exactly the type of place we've been missing in the community.
Blackbird's offers a sort of American Tapas feel, with small dishes ranging from Seared Tuna Skewers to Sliders to Arugula Salads, all in small portions so you can save some room for the delicious craft beers on tap. The staff is pleasant and the bar itself exudes a very relaxed vibe. Great for sitting, drinking and knoshing on some very well done American style food.
So if you need a something different from all the Greek/Italian/Morroccan/Egyptian/Brazilian/Thai/Co lumbian/Bosnian/Japanese/Venzuelan food that abounds. Stop by Blackbird's... It's what you crave.
Was a pleasant surprise. Went there after a dinner down the block with a group group of people I had just met. Had actually walked past the place on my way to the restaurant and thought on the outside it seemed a bit pretentious. The large bay style windows that frame the place on 30th Ave struck me as odd and the fact that it was rather dark inside at 7:50 PM told me it was going to be a tad bit stuffy inside.
Suffice to say I was quite wrong. I didn't sample the food, although the burger smelled amazing - one of the people I was with had one. The wine list was decent, but I honestly didn't look at it much. Instead I sampled from the beer menu, which was a pleasing list. I had a Rogue stout, a bit of a chocolate flavor (nice) and a Coney Island Ale (a bit hoppy, but a nice bitterness to it). They also have the typical beer hall beers and standard wheat beers on tap, plus a small but nice bottled beer list. Additionally, they serve a barley wine, something I've recently discovered and begun to enjoy on occasion. I enjoyed it there and wouldn't hesitate to go back, especially when I'm on that side of Steinway St.
Plus, I got a free hat last night. FREE! A Hat. I needed one for my penguin.
These are the top 10 things that make Blackbirds an amazing place:
1) Unusual beers on tap for affordable prices (and happy hour specials).
2) Great bartenders and wait staff.
3) Jukebox with an eclectic mix of music (from Louis Armstrong to Frou Frou, Lenny Kravitz to Tom Waits).
4) Lots of flat screen tvs for game time.
5) A great mix of food: healthy, unhealthy, small dishes and large entrees.
6) TUESDAY NIGHT BINGO! If you win, which someone at my table did, your whole group gets a free shot and the winner gets a Blackbirds T-shirt.
7) Nice people: you always leave with a new friend.
8) Relaxed atmosphere. You can show up in anything, I guarantee no one will judge.
9) Location: on 41st and 30th Ave, 3 blocks from my house.
10) The owners: they're incredibly nice!
ok - i'm no expert on sports bars, and i was only here one time, for a decidedly not sporty event. there was a woman i was (am) interested in, a very creative and talented singer/guitar player, creative cute and smart. (have I veered from the point, here?) I came to see her play at their weekly songwriters/musicians night they have on mondays, as a lets hang out and see if we think this is worth pursuing sort of thing (clearly i did - i mean i actually left manhattan for this). I thought things were going pretty well, (i have veered from the point, for sure, by now)until after she drove me to the subway (i thought that was encouraging) she said something to the effect of you're a good guy, and an excellent poet, but this is NOT a dating situation. fuck.
anyway - i will not hold any of that against blackbird's. it isn't their fault. It is a well designed, spacious bar, very comfortable, and not icky in that way sports bars can so often be. their beer selection, while not huge, was not limited to bud and coors and the ilk, but had some very interesting ales to choose from. I didn't have any of the food, but what i saw people eating looked good (seemed like half the people had their spinach dip on the table) - standard bar fare, done well, which is just what you want from this sort of place. Bonus points for a sports place having a night where they showcase music.
Would i travel to Astoria for a place like this, without a woman i was intrigued by at the end of the journey? No. not a chance. if i lived nearby would i stop in for a beer. i'm sure i would, especially on monday nights.
Small menu which is sometimes nice when you're not willing to read a book to order something savory. I like the tapas feel in a bar atmosphere. The exterior of this place is so odd. It resembles a cheesy Italian-American wedding venue. It sure doesn't scream "sports bar" by any means but if you are ever there on Bingo night, when the sponsored softball team comes back from a game, you realize it then for sure. It's an energetic place and the staff is friendly but when it gets busy, there is often a wait. And Bingo night is super loud btw, in case you were thinking of having a nice meal with a chat on the side. Icksnay on that.
Blackbird's has a great beer selection and a really good vibe. I hate to say it, but the food is just a little hit-or-miss. I ordered a pasta there once that had too much garlic by an order of magnitude. The Spartan pizza is a miss as well. That being said, I am borderline obsessed with the sliders and the spinach-and-cheese dip. My boyfriend and I go to Blackbird's regularly and are pleased as punch as long as we stick with the tried-and-true menu items.
Love Blackbird's! Took them long enough to open, but it was worth the wait. A perfect compliment to Dillinger's. Blackbird's late night menu is outstanding (not to mention it comes with a pint!). The waiter needs some work, but the owners are outstanding.
Quaint and friendly - they have a large and diverse menu with a lot of really appetizing options. I enjoyed my first visit immensely and am looking forward to going back.
Just got home from Blackbird's and I have to say that my boyfriend and I are fans. I agree with Ian R. - definitely a testament to the diversity of Astoria. We had an olive tampanade w/ toast and bratwurst with sauerkraut to start, followed by, what we classically consider a French Dip and a burger. Great service. Great beer list. But at the end of the day, it's mainly pub grub. Definitely give it a shot... It was well worth our walk.
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