On a mobile device? Try our mobile site, optimized for faster browsing.
5th Ave-53rd St (E, V)
57th St-6th Ave (F)
5th Ave-60th St (N, R, W)
Loading...
This bar makes up one of my favorite memories in New York with one of my bestest friends...
My friend and I had just arrived in the city for the weekend and we had an hour to kill before heading to MOMA for free museum night. We had seen this place listed as a good place to splurge on a classy cocktail. Well, we didn't realize that the bar was in this hotel, so we spent a while walking up and down the block until we figured it must be. So, seeing how nice the hotel looked from the outside and how informally dressed we were, we almost chickened out... But, we made our way inside and to the bar a bit sheepishly, just waiting for someone to call us out on the fact that this bar was totally out of our league, but, no one did. In fact, the nice man who waited on us (who was in a tux!!) even refreshed our snack bowl (it was divided into 3 and included wasabi peas, a nut mix, and pretzel nuggets....and I couldn't help but think that they probably buy these from Trader Joes!!).
Anyways, we ordered a couple drinks and ate our share of snacks. It was pretty empty when we showed up but filled up by the time we were leaving. An attractive young woman wearing a very short skirt and knee high boots sat down near us and my friend was convinced that she was a "high class hooker" (which is very hard to mouth across the table with out being heard) and we eagerly awaited her companion to show up. Well, we guessed wrong, and it looked like she was just meeting up with a girlfriend for drinks...
Anyways, to wrap up this rambling story, we loved our drinks and the snacks and the people watching. What we didn't realize until we were on our way out was just how strong each of the cocktails was... (at $23 a pop, we could only afford 1 a piece) we were quite buzzed! To say the least, we had a very different experience on the way to MOMA and once there than we had expected, and it was all very memorable.
So, moral of the story: go to free museum night at MOMA and instead spend your money on a shi shi cocktails here.
When I walked into the King Cole Bar to meet a friend before we caught a broadway show, I was beaming already. Famous cocktails, A large mural behind the bar. Hmm - going by my experience with the one other place that has these two in common with the King Cole Bar (Angel's Share, duh), this sounds like a success formula.
Clearly, even the mad servers at Angel's Share who run after me occasionally for tips AFTER I've tipped them 20% didn't prepare me for the underwhelming experience at King Cole Bar.
Drinks:
Was the Red Snapper pre-made? Probably, because they brought it out to me in exactly 30 seconds. Either that, or these guys have the worlds fastest mixologist.
Was the Jazz Me Blues (grey goose pear, st. germain, champagne) delicious? A resounding yes.
Moolah:
I'm hardly one to raise my eyebrows at expensive cocktails. But a $24 dollar price tag on a cocktail made even me flinch a little bit.
Ambiance:
Clearly, the rich and the famous in the city love their drinks. The place was brimming at 6:30 PM on a Thursday, with people in Tiffanys and Bottega Venetas spilling out casually from the overflowing little space. Inside, it is warm, the the mural looking down at you, Old King Cole silently laughing. It's classy.
Service:
This was actually the sorest point of the evening. My friend and I slipped into the only place we could find, at the side of the bar. The server joked with us for a little bit and told us he'll try to stay out of our way.
He didn't. During the course of the next hour,
he politely nudged me (understandable).
another server rammed the bar flap on my arm because I, like an idiot, had to go ahead and place my arm on the bar top (accidents do happen).
bartender took away those delicious nuts from right under my nose after I'd ALREADY told him once that I was still working on them! (WTF).
How I wish I had better things to say, but I've really seen better, you know. I'm used to cocktail bars treating me like I'm special. Because I am.
one of my ultimate favorite date cocktail place. Small, elegant, great champagne cocktails, romantic and usually beautiful people amidst tourists.
They don't take reservations and the wait can be long if you don't get there by 7.
I was inspired to come into the King Cole Bar after tea and lunch in the St. Regis restaurant. Throughout lunch we kept hearing these loud, amplified laughs... what we like to call the "business laugh".. it's funny and we wanted to experience it up close and put some faces with the laughs. Especially the one that sounded like a straight up ghoul! Total Scooby Doo villain laugh..love it.
The King is pretty packed during the day, especially during lunch hours. At night however it's definitely a bit more laid back. The daytime crowd is very business lunch, or just getting out of work. At night the crowd is a mix of some of those people and people on dates.. one of which let out a conversation so vapid and senseless my friend and I actually left to go to a nightclub. This older guy who looked like the dad in American Pie, younger girl who looked like Fantasia(it wasn't)... she's trying to sound smart and says the mural reminds her of the "photo of Dorian Gray" and that if she had one wish "I'd wish to be beautiful forever, I just don't know what it will be like to not be beautiful anymore". One get the title right, two I don't see the Dorian Gray connection at all, three thanks for making me laugh.
The drinks were ok. I ordered a mojito, which was bad.. no sweetness at all. The Kir Royale's were tasty tho, very fresh and light champagne with the perfect amount of chambord. The specialty drinks menu wasn't offered until I asked for it and I ordered something off of that menu that was quite tasty but I umm, can't remember what it was.
The bar itself is very traditional in style and a great place to sit and have a couple cocktails. It's not a place to get drunk, it's a place to enjoy your cocktails. I say go for the experience, it's worth checking out at least once.
Oh, King! How I adore thee!
thy humble servant hast pondered hours and hours to describe thy beauty, majesty, and awesomeness yet my inadequate mortal words couldst not depict its attraction and my mind can't fathom its power.
Although I couldst not put price on what thy hast to offer, thy exquisite stiff drinks didst not come cheap. For once I wouldst gladly pay $16 for a simple vodka tonic, $20 for simple bourbon on the rocks, up to $40 for some specialty drinks. Your humble servant believeth that the kingly experience shouldst be matched with a kingly price.
Thy has also provided delightful munchies such as mixed nuts (macadamia, cashews), wasabi peas, and pretzel nuggets for our hungry souls.
Oh King, how long to see thee! Thy Ole King Cole painting/mural which is the backdrop for the bar will stay with me forever. Thou provide a place of beauty, class, and luxury with certain familiarity and comfort.
Surely, this is a place fit for a king, a place for American royalties such as Kennedys, but surely not for the spoiled youngsters like Hiltons.
Manhattan hast been blessed with thy presence, the presence of the King. Your humble servant wouldst remember thee and wouldst always long for thy stiff drinks and beauty. parting is such sweet sorrow.
Best Bloody Mary ever. 'Nough said.
I plan on coming back to sit at the bar and try out their other drinks.
Sublime.
King Cole Bar was one of the few places in the city where I could hear myself have real conversations, and without downing alcohol like a sponge. Every mouthful of free nuts (almond cashews macadamia you name it, definitely made up for the pricey drinks) sent my bubbly dignity to new heights of adulthood. The pomegranate martini kicked ass, otherwise I wouldn't have guessed the farting story in the mural within 3 minutes.
I thought this place was really sexy, and had a very nice feel to it. I met for drinks at this place one afternoon, and enjoyed the whole experience. There is a HUGE mural by Maxfield Parish on the wall that really adds color, and feeling to the place. The service was great. I had a glass of wine ,and my friend had a vodka. It was spacious, but not overwhelming. The place oozes class, and sophistication, and although busy, you can still hear and hold a conversation. It's not a cheap place, but it's worth it.
OK someone explained to me that one day a bunch of clever literary and artistic types were drinking at the Algonquin Hotel back when it was cool and all the writers from the New Yorker drank there, and then someone bet Maxfield Parish he could not portray the passing of wind in a painting. He took up the challenge and painted Old King Cole on the wall of the St. Regis hotel bar. Now that I look at the painting closer, everyone *is* looking at each other like "who cut the cheese?" It was the king, obviously. That's why no one can say anything. Go see it for yourself.
Even the foyer is classy. The glittering crystal chandeliers and marble floors convey stability and… Read more »
I'm more of an old school, classic kind of girl and that is the way I prefer my bars. I'll be honest and say that I learned of this bar from the "Devil Wears Prada" movie. I was impressed with the backdrop in the movie, but now that I think of it, that might not really be the bar. Nevertheless, the restored Maxfield Parrish is a splendid backdrop for the bar, but I I personally like the one at the Palace Hotel better. They have my Ricard, which is a bonus, but it's like $17 a drink, which is almost triple what I would pay at Scala's, but they give you a double pour, well so does the bartender at Scalas.
The crowd is pretty mixed. Lots of glam women sporting fur coats that I would die for, a few sugar daddy potentials, and a few kinky perverts recruiting for menage a trois (fast talkers sporting Guido 80s era black leather blazers). This establishment is worthy of a splurge and addition to my "must do list in New York!"
This place is absolutely amazing. To maintain the integrity of the room, please dress appropriately.
While I would argue that we had a "3 star" experience, I don't want ot knock this bar just because it was jam-packed and we couldn't get a seat. If we had been able to get a table and enjoy our drinks in a more relaxed position, I would have probably loved the experience. After all, it was a holiday weekend, so what did I expect?
This bar sits in the lobby of the St. Regis. We heard some people talking about how they had shot a scene for "Devil Wears Prada" in the bar. It took us a while, but we were finally able to remember the scene (I won't spoil it for you......go have a drink and figure it out yourself).
In terms of a bar, it doesn't get much cooler than the King Cole Bar. Very old school, very dark, very classy.....I just wish there had been a place to sit and enjoy the scene.
Where the Bloody Mary was invented.
Try a Bloody Mary...duh.
These guys remember your name even if you aren't staying for a year.
It is a nice bar to finish off at after some shopping. It is old school New York with that great mural that makes the bar.
A few nibblies and drinks will lighten your wallet, but in a town where he new bars and nightclubs look more and more like Miami and LA than NY, it is nice to have this bar to return to and soak up old world charm and the industrial age relics that go with it.
much like other reviewers, the mural at the king cole bar is what initially drew me in. the "theme" of the mural is the king farting while his servants (cabinet members? handlers?) all react.
luckily, ive been able to get a table each time, and ive been "dressed appropriately," which makes you feel grown up as you shell out $20 for your black label (rocks) and your girlfriends glass of pinot noir...and no, eating copious amounts of the free wasabi peas is not a natural hedge.
this place is marked by a strangely disparate ambiance. on the one hand its a taste of high-society: the service is not overbearing, but quietly attentive, the drinks are stiff and large and on the other? the last time i was there my girlfriend and i were flanked by a balding, middle-aged banker and his 23-year old asian prostitute, and nelly (andele, andele mami, EI! EI!, uh ohhhh! whats poppin' tonight?).
I have an appreciation for decadent old school New York hotel bars, my favorite being the Algonquin Hotel, followed closely by the Pierre. Sure, I SUPPOSE some would say I am out of my league here, financially speaking. I am not to the manor born, but I do believe my confidence level would have the staff think otherwise. HA!!!!
Let's face it, I am a bar lover and although critical, it doesn't take all that much to make me happy if the service is good and there is an acceptable red wine in the house. And I can throw them back in a dive bar just as easily as a swank cocktail lounge.
My friend and I waltzed in here last night and sat at a table that had three small bowls of snacks. I couldn't believe my eyes--macadamia nuts in the mixed nuts? Impossible to resist!!!
Love the ambience--very dark, wood paneled, and that freaking mural!!!!! They have an adequate cocktail list, even if not the most innovative, but I would think most people come in here for a scotch or something. Not me. I'm a chianti kind of girl, and the wine list did not disappoint.
Very pricey, in fact, much pricier than the Algonquin and definitely a bit more than the Pierre, even. But, I do allow myself a splurge every once in a while. It makes the New York life worth livin'!
The St regis is a beautiful old school bar. It has more of a lounge feeling than many of the others in the area (the plaza) and fewer tourists. Great service and good drinks with a comfortable vibe. Minus one star for being a 40-60 year old crowd.
No music. No television and with any luck - no [tacky] tourists. The King Cole Bar remains one of the few remaining classic hotel bars/lounges where you can hide in the wood paneled splendor of a quiet corner and pretend to be adults. [Actually, I am an adult.] The King Cole doesn't have a gimmick - nor needs one. A perfect place for a pre-dinner cocktail before strolling into Adour. Mon dieux!
I don't know if it was just an off night or what, but I left totally unimpressed. The crowd was like a bad horror movie or 80's flick and the service was terrible.
The wine was good but that didn't make up for the wait or the fact that the waiter seemed to want nothing to do with us.
A favorite of mine and some of my tribe. After a few hrs of Xmas shopping we ( two friends and myself) made our way to the King Cole Bar. It was surprisingly crowded. There was a group of people waiting at the door, we of course forced ourselves in, harking our arrival.. "Alcoholics Cummin' Through!" There was no room anywhere at the bar, so we picked a corner and put all of our bags down and waited for our drinks. This place is great for a martini or something serious. I had a few Manhattans, with Knob Creek...a favorite.
As for a dress code, i have never worn a jacket here, except maybe a fleece coat or something like that. This time I was was wearing a cashmere sweater with a worn out pair of chinos.
The cool thing about this place is that alot of people don't really know about this spot and the drink prices keep the screwheads out. Also it seems a good number of celebrities of stage, screen, sports, etc have a sip or two here. Its a great bar to get a serious drink without the nonsense, TV crews, autograph hounds, gawkers, etc..
Beautiful space. The restored painting as the backdrop is breathtaking. This place really makes you feel like an adult, with its dim lighting, wood-paneled walls and velvety seats. The little bar snacks (roasted nuts, wasabi peanuts) were zingy and fresh. But, the prices were simply too high. I mean, my guest's Campari and soda was $20 w/o tax and tip. My bottle of Amstel light was $12. I guess if money were no object, 5.
5 stars only because maxfield parrish, one of the greatest american illustrators, painted the mural (entitled King Cole, hence the bar name) in the backdrop of this bar.
other than that.....there was a sign that said "proper attire required" prior to entering. my friends and I played ignorant tourist people (but we knew we wanted to check out the mural) and wandered "aimlessly" towards the bar. the bartended politely asked us to leave, but we were too amazed by the mural that we sort of ignored him. he noticed that we were admiring the mural and offered us a matchbox (you should ask for one!!!) - the mural is printed on it as well as their business info.
later that week I met with one of my teachers (thanks for the drinks) there for a couple of drinks. no, we didnt dress up but arrived with our comfortable attire. they offer free mixed nuts and macadamias. they were delicious. and their drinks are potent, but goooooood. not too sure how much the drinks were, but being a high-end hotel that this establishment is located in, i suspect everything being pricy.
gentleman make sure you wear a jacket when stepping into this shrine of decadance. though far from cheap, this cozy yet posh watering hole is a wonderful spot to take that midtown edge off. snack on wasabi peas while pondering the notorious maxfield parrish mural behind the bar. stay away from this place early in the week unless you wanna be propositioned by hookers.
We had drinks here the other night and I forgot how much I enjoy it. It is not for everyone but I enjoy it when you want something different. It has an old mens club feel with dark furniture and older bartenders. But the mural on the wall over the bar is interesting, the service is impeccable and the drinks are always good. I think they still have a dress code (I was in a suit so I didn't "test" it) but I don't know how much it is enforced.
Yelp'er Discount
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Complimentary Admission ($20…
Neighborhood: Hell's Kitchen
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Upper East Side
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: Wine Bars
Here's where I like to go when I'm feeling like a…
In honor of one-of-a-kind institutions that make…
Everything about where I've been in New York.…
