The Ginger Man
- Nearest Transit:
33rd St-Park Ave (6)
34th St-6th Ave (B, D, F, V, N, Q, R, W)
42nd St-5th Ave-6th Ave (7, B, D, F, V)
- Hours:
Mon-Thu 11:30 a.m.-2:00 a.m.
Fri 11:30 a.m.-4:00 a.m.
Sat 12:30 p.m.-4:00 a.m.
Sun 3:00 p.m.-12:00 a.m. - Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Music: Juke Box
- Best Nights: Thu, Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: No
- Coat Check: No
35 reviews
Neighborhood: Manhattan/Midtown East
"You can't help but stare at all the toys hanging from the ceiling and not feel like throwing a temper tantrum if the white glove waiters…" read more »
78 Reviews for The Ginger Man
Love this place. Best selection of beer on tap (I think it's 40 or so) and a good selection of bottled brews, too. The best is the back room, with poor lighting and old couches, has a very good homey feel. Gets pretty loud, even in the back. Not really my first choice to watch the game, but if you go there for a great beer selection, it's your bar.
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The ambiance is what will first draw you into the Ginger Man. Chandeliers, vintage posters, dark woods, and moody lighting all make the feeling right. Unfortunately the mood is spoiled by the much too loud music.
The place is big enough to hold the crowd that its popularity draws. There are booth tables and stools at the long bar, as well as some loungier couches and chairs. Pick a seat and order a beer, but don't expect the best service on a Friday or Saturday evening. The beer list is great, though be careful as some of the imports are way overpriced. Then sit back and have a good time with friends.
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I first went here when I was in college and a group of friends came to the city for a weekend. Being the only one remotely familiar with the city I was the one designated to pick where we went and what we did. My friends and I love (LOVE) beer. We always try as many new kinds as we can. My brother told me to go here.
Walking in and seeing their beer selection....I almost fainted. There are so freaking many. It's like a beer mecca. We stayed here for a bit then went somewhere a little more upbeat.
The Ginger Man is a good bar for those who want an after work beer or a relaxing place to talk and mingle(it's not that loud). There are a lot of cute boys there every time I go.
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Yes, thay have a lot of beer on draft and yes, they have a lot of bottled beer. But, this place has little personality. I honestly think it lacks ambiance 'cuz I hate to drink beer in a big room. I really prefer somewhere home-y, snuggly, etc. Selections is good but the problem with huge selection is that you sometimes don't get guidance to what could really be good or what you might think is good. I prefer smaller menus from somewhere that might have more specificity in selection of their beers.
If you want just a broad selection of beers, come here for sure. Excellent selection...but not my kind of place. I'd prefer somewhere else.
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I thought this place was great. I went after work with a friend. I'll admit the selection of beers can be a little overwhelming if you're not that knowledgable about beer. It was pretty crowded after work on Friday, but luckily we were able to get a couch in the back lounge area. I would definitely recommend this place for after-work drinks, or a small get-together with friends.
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A ginormous selection of beers from all over, with pretty okay prices. Nice spacious lounge in the back. A pretty chill atmosphere and cool decor. But the crowd kinda sets this place back -- every time I come here there's a sea of young to middle-aged professionals in their button-downs flooding the place from their midtown offices. I always feel extremely young and extremely un-interested in the crowd. A good place to try out different beers, but unfortunately the atmosphere is really lacking.
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I love beer and I love a decent selection and the Ginger Man has that. Unfortunately it doesn't have the other things I like in a bar. That would be eyecandy and people my age.
Not saying Ginger Man is bad but I will like some of it's beers have to age a little bit before I am ready to make this place a regular spot.
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Popped in here on a Saturday evening w/ a large crew, most of us from out of town. Their beer selection is great and the staff seemed very unpretentious about it. Prices were about on par with similar joints in Boston that I'm used to, although some of their less common bottles had a really severe markup on them.
The menu was basic, but worked well with the beer list - everyone in my group enjoyed the food that they ordered.
This is a place that I'd definitely hit up again the next time that I'm in town.
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If you love beer, this is the ultimate. There are close to, if not more than, 30 beers on tap on any given day. The options are incredibly diverse. If you think experimental beer entails Amstel Light or a bottle of Sam Adams, keep looking, this isn't the place for you. While they frequently change the beer options, there are consistently numerous options from each major genre.
The crowd varies, depending on when you visit. Looking for a quiet pre-dinner beer? This is your place...Want to pre-drink before a night at the Garden? Check...Going on a Weekend night? Yeah, not so much.
However, it is inordinately hard to find a place that consistently has Duvel on tap and Dogfish Head WWStout in bottles (!!!), making this a great option.
Ginger man is outrageous. So many good beers on tap - this is a proper place to tie one on after a completely shit day at work.
Great decor - really buzzing with activity and lots of people having fun. Generally attractive crowd here - great for people watching. The only minor annoyance would be the posers crowding the bar and not letting anyone in to order a drink....I guess that's why they make stun guns.
The Ginger Man gets four stars for the selection of beers, but I have to take one off for the crowd, which seems to be teeming with leering middle-aged men and underdressed early-twenties girls. It's not my sort of place, but it's enjoyable enough for post-work drinks.
Ok place. Good selection but rather costly and was packed when I went. I believe I had a Kiuchi white ale, which was great, among other drinks. The food was good.
61st review of Gingerman, so what can I add to the discussion? I'm more interested in reviewing the crowd, since we all know that the beer list is amongst the more all-encompassing within the city. Plus the bartenders will tell you when a special beer sucks and not to order it.
If everyone reviewing the bar says that the crowd at G-Man's is d-baggish, then is the said reviewer a d-bag themselves? I love the G-Man. I think that the crowd is full of d-bags. Does that make me a d-bag by association? I don't think so, for the following reason:
-- I'm not a blatant ahole to everyone around me.
-- I'm not the 45 year old married guy, blatantly hitting on the 23 year old girl.
-- I'm not talking loudly about my portfolio.
What I usually am doing is sitting at the bar, enjoying my 8% Belgium beer, well on my way to blacking out and falling asleep on the Metro North.
The best way to enjoy the G-Man is as follows: 1) ditch work at around 3.30 in the afternoon 2) start off the night with a Chimay tripel (see my picture for a demonstration) and 3) enjoy the relative d-baggish-free environment for the next 3 hours. When the d-baggery begins hunker down at the bar and defend your space like William Wallace.
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The beer selection at Ginger Man is phenomenal - just don't waste your money on their bottled beer. You can buy most of those at any specialty beer store. Go for the beers on tap, especially the cask ales. They're rarer, fresher. The decor is classic New York bar - pressed tin ceiling, dark wood, cozy booths. This place is almost magical on a Sunday afternoon, when it is not too crowded. You can sit by the window and get some lunch to match your beer (Ploughman's to go with English style bitter; Bratwurst to go with German style beer, etc).
PS: people are slightly off on their assessment of the crowd. I think this place *does* get an afterwork business crowd (the headquarters of Credit Suisse is in walking distance, for example). But it also gets serious beer dorks, who generally happen to be male, white in their 30s or 40s.
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on the beer selection alone i give it a 4 stars... u definitely feel like u're in some sorta saloon when u come here cuz everything has that "old" feeling to it... even th people...
otherwise older crowd, crowded after work, loud,
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Another great meeting place after work. The GM always makes everyone happy. Huge beer selection, something like 85 from all over the world. Seating can be limited at times. Cocktail waitresses are always on their feet if you cant make it to the busy bar.
Order one of the hand twisted pretzels, dip in your beer. Super yummy!!
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I've been here for lunch mid-week and it's generally a local business crowd. This is a great place to go after work on Fridays as well. The beer selection is fantastic. I've had the Guiness stew and it was so-so. The pretzels are pretty good. Not the best place to eat though. I just enjoy trying the beers and checking out the crowd.
Even though most of their offerings are overpriced, but you can't complain too much, since they do have a great selection.
But of course, despite all the options, typical exchange between your average Midtown clintele and the bartender goes something like the below:
"What you need?"
"A Coors Light."
"Don't got it"
"Ummm, Miller Lite."
"Nope."
"High Life?"
"No, I've Bud, Bud Light, and Yuengling."
"Oh . . . I'll take a Bud Light."
And, yes, the place is fully packed with the likes of the above folks. Oh, well, let's focus on the positives:
- Unbeatable selection of beers.
- Nice lounge area in the back (better get there early).
- Knowledgeable bartenders (and I swear, they are all females).
- High alcohol levels in a lot of the beers they offer.
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Came here on a Saturday night around 11:30ish. It was PACKED. It was so crowded everywhere especially around the bar since everyone was ordering drinks. The bouncers actually walk around inside to regulate, which I didn't know. The drinks were maybe slightly above average price. The bartender was kinda slow but it was also a very busy night though.
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Came here on a Friday night. Casual but not too frat-boy. Good selection of international beers. Weird mix of Beatles songs and random hits from past years. The waitress was nice, and there are reaaally comfy couches in the back. As far as I could tell, they were clean. Just come here to let loose and act silly after work, don't bother paying attention to the crowd.
Maybe it's the floor staff from Macy's. Maybe local bankers working late. Whatever it is, this place is packed from 8-Midnight, then it suddenly thins out like a 30 year old's hair. Yeah, there are lots of suits, but also business casual, and some jeans and t-shirts. It looks like the LATE after-work crowd, getting in that last pint before hitting the trains for Long Island or New Jersey. The beer selection is good, especially the taps. Prices are not cheap. A glass of domestic craft beer can be $7.50. The best food values are the sandwiches at around $8. Everything else is high for what you get (half a dozen ship for $12???) The crowd and staff are friendly. The music is a bit loud, but not a complete conversation stopper. --Drink Club NYC is a roving group of NYC drinkers
Even this beer hater can appreciate ;-)
Yes, they're known for their beer selection - it did look quite good. I loved the ambiance and the layout. It just felt cozy and on that cold evening, it was just perfect.
Fun place to try, for sure, in the mass of sometimes personality-less midtown. I'm not hating, I'm just saying...
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Walk right into this joint and head to the bar. Once there, grab a beer menu and wish yourself happy hunting. With more than enough beers on tap, order one you've never heard of and sit back. You're going to enjoy this.
Be sure to engage bartenders in conversation. Almost all of them know a ton about beer and can certainly help you find a beer to meet whatever desire/need you may have. Also, if hungry, check out the hot dog offerings. I like the Chicago.
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So 4 Korean FBI Agents and one roundeye girl walk into a bar... What does the roundeye girl see?
3 words:
CHIMAY...
ON....
TAP...
Fuck...
Me...
Good...
Yeah...
!!!!!!!!!
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Pretty nice, but way different than I expected. I am a big fan of the Ginger Man in Chicago, hell it was like a second home to me for awhile. This one was alright, but a way different ballgame. It's more upscale-ish, way more crowded, to the point of being difficult to get one of their fine beers much less sit down. I would probably like it better if it was less crowded, but at this point it doesn't hold a candle to the Chicago one.
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Gingerman is another one of the real long timers in beer bars in NYC. With 60+ taps, you can always find something to drink that you will like, however a good number of the crowd is swilling Buds while loosening their ties after coming in from a long day in the office. Which is one of the letdowns of Gingerman. The afterwork crowds can be insanely huge, making it difficult to get good service. I suggest Saturday afternoons instead.
The decor looks slightly pre-fab, but upscale and dignified nevertheless. They really keep the place clean and in shape, including the bathrooms. Very high ceilings and framed beer posters up front, and in back a cozy little room with lounge couches and such. Table service can be spotty at best.
The food menu is very limited. They have a small kitchen with one guy humping away making small cheese and fruit plates called "beer buddies" and some decent sandwiches. Food here is pretty pricey for what you get. Still, with the biggest tap selection in the 5 boros, and cask ale to boot, anyone who really likes beer should hit the gingerman at least once.
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Beer Beer Beer. And good. From Miller light to England's extra dark porter. If its a beer they have ti covered and mostly all on tap. Can get crowed on Fri. Sat. but really nice if you can get a seat in the back lounge. Overall a great atmosphere.
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Dear Belly,
The Ginger Man has a wall of 66 beers on tap. Wanna join Butt? He's going to sit in the pleasant lounge chairs in the back to chat with his teammates.
Peace.
Sincerely,
Stephen
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The Ginger Man in Austin, TX was one of my favorite bars! Of course I had to visit the one in NYC as I am not aware of that many bars around here with a comparable draught beer selection. Great place for large and small groups and beer lovers.
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It was ok, not great, and I would return if I happened to be in midtown craving some beer.
The selection on tap is great, varied and not too pricey. The service was spotty and I tihnk might have been better had we ordered food. One waitress came rushing over when we open the food menu. I was just looking, not hungry I told her. She came back when our beer glasses were empty.
The scene is very much after work business casual or suits. Lots of men but I think they were more interested in the beer than any female in the place.
The space is big, so it would be a good place for colleagues to meet afterwork for some yummy beers.
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The Ginger Man has a splendid and broad selection of beers, and rotate seasonal draughts regularly.
The bar is unusually spacious and accommodating, with excellent booths opposite the comfortable bar; areas immediately in the front and the back of the bar have couches, low tables, and comfy chairs.
The food selection is passable but not outstanding; the sausage-y sandwiches serve a certain need, and the cheese plate is okay but not inspired.
The waitstaff are not uniformly knowledgeable about the beer selection; if you have specific questions, ask at the bar. One of the especially nice aspects of the Ginger Man is that they open before mid-day, which makes for an excellent luncheon or lazy afternoon -- I am quite at home sitting in the chairs up front with a book and a pint.
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The beer selection is fantastic. The tap wall is a sight to behold. The single malt scotch selection aint bad either.
Problem with this place is that it has no TV's (maybe that's a good thing for some, but I'm a sportsaholic), and they don't have any fried foods (I'm sorry but bars need to have fried foods). And it can get crowded with other corporates like myself. I guess I can't really call that a problem if I'm contributing.
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The gingerman deserves 4-5 stars for the beer selection and in my opinion a negative number for patrons. Not much of a bar person to start so places that have a great selection of bevs tend to get the biggest douches imaginable! The bartenders here are friendly and one of them is a fantastic artist. There are paintings/chalk drawings all over that she has done. Anyway if you go here on an off night you will be very happy otherwise good luck!
Any beer drinkers out there?
I am sure there are other places that have this many beers on tap, but it is still nice to see a place that takes pride in serving the carbonated concoction. From Ales to Stouts, and everything in between, even the often misunderstood Lambec's (beers brewed with fruit, I know it is odd and girlie, but worth a try once).
The seating areas are nice, and have some good chairs. I have been here early and late, and I prefer the early, empty times myself. You can really sit back and really appreciate the beer list.
The restrooms are private stalls in the back, not too bad, 3 Flushes.
Oh man. When I was in college at NYU, I was somewhat involved with Green Party politics and I went to a couple of the campus Green Party meetings. This is because I believe in local power, stricter environmental policy, the end of corporate tax breaks. Most of the kids at the NYU GP were there because they were skinny white hippies that believed in smoking cigarettes, flat chested unshowered Skinny White Bitches and generally being pretentious assholes who have no friends of another race.
When college GP people grow up, they end up at places like the Ginger Man, where they can wax poetic about the beer selection but are mostly there to be faux-liberals and hang out with other white people. I was there last night and this shit is CROWDED (whiteys love a selection of European beers) and full of sorta cute ex-frat guys, their SWB asshole girlfriends. One of these bitches was pushing me and my friends last night with her bony elbows. I was like, "dang bitch don't you have some food to throw up?! SHIT!" ugh.
The guys here are the kind that love Audrey Tatou and think Pam from the Office is the perfect girlfriend. puke.
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I had the misfortune of ending up at Ginger Man on a Friday night. It was fine for the first 20 minutes as we were lucky enough to get a booth and a decent waitress but as the night progressed the crowd of post frat boys and sorority girls grew louder, drunker and more belligerent. They were incredibly obnoxious and rude. They pushed us anytime we were up, spilled beer on us, left their used glasses on our table without apology. Despite being asked politely several times to leave their dirty glasses somewhere else they gave us nothing but the attitude that accompnies those bloated with alcohol fueled self importance.
Never going back there. EVER.
There are plenty of other places in the city with equally impressive beer menus.
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Lots of great beers... some not so common ones too. Bartenders weren't too knowledgeable about the beers but it was okay because they gave us about 5 tasters each before we picked one. Nice holiday/winter brews. Really good atmosphere, good place for a date or to chill with friends. Went on a Sunday evening and it wasn't crowded at all. They also have a soft pretzel on their menu for 2 dollars :)
66 beers
suits and suits and suits
large booths and big areas for after workday drinking.
good for a group of beer drinkers....which I was hanging with- many Brits- who were happy with the slection of beers.
For me- the Veuve Cliquot was excellent
food- is acceptable if hungry. comfortable couches to sit and laugh and somewhow although crowded- you can still have conversations without shouting.
and the music selector has esp- just talk about a band and a song so later- it's playing!!
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Awesome beer selection. They have Bellhaven on tap!! I think this is the first place I've been to that had Bellhaven on tap.
Food selection sucks. After my 2nd beer, I wish I had some nachos or fries to munch on but they didn't have the traditional bar menu items. This made me want to leave and get a cheap hot dog off the street.
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Yet another place that has been on the "to do" list for quite some time now. Well, I'm glad I finally had a chance to check this one off.
*****First off it is very important that I note that I went during an off peak time. This was before a concert at MSG and so we were able to secure a very large table for just 4 people. That said, I think the relaxing vibe added to my enjoyment of the place. The decor was great - especially the thick, oversized butcher block tables. Then again, I like most places that have the dark wood everywhere.
I decided to order a Reuben too, which, while not authentic at all (very little meat, thick gourmet slices of bread), was actually really good if you just treated it as a sandwich you had never tried before.
As for the beer, which I guess is the main selling point of The Ginger Man, much credit should always be given to places with such expansive selections. I am always a big fan of trying new things - going to new places, trying different food, music, etc. - and so a place that stocks a fair amount of good beer that I have never tried will score high in my books, provided everything else is pleasant. Since everything else was great, I would definitely recommend this place, if your into beer, however, I still cannot speak for TGM at peak times at night.
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