Upper West Side
Amsterdam Ave. and 80th St.
This might be where I cross the line into reviewing a spot that really is close to being a restaurant.  But the bar takes up most of the space, so forget that original thought.  Quiet spot on the Upper West Side where you can enjoy a quiet drink and some decent appetizers With a friend or two.  Anymore than that and you’re sitting at a table.  a few TV’s, friendly staff, above average beers at slightly above average prices, taste fine.
Amsterdam Ave. btw 84th and 85th St.
Used to be Slightly Oliver’s but now it doesn’t feel so much like a fancy bar with beds in the back, because that should’ve ever been a thing?  Definitely feels more like the bars below 82nd and Amsterdam, but there’s a lot more space for the crowd to spread out.  Crowd ranges from young to early 30’s, staff is friendly, above average beers at slightly above average prices, taste fine.
Stone Rose (Time Warner Center)
Used to be called the Stone Rose, and out of the two bars up here (“up here†meaning vertically within the building), this one is probably my least favorite of the two.  Crowd is a mixed bag, mostly an older mixed bag, seating is usually reserved, but there’s a decent amount of space at the bar with some standing table room behind it.  Cocktails are on the menu at above cocktail prices, taste alright.
Amsterdam Ave. btw 84th and 85th St.
Well, they serve pickles of various types, and I think nothing more needs to be said…What?…This is a beer blog? Â Fine. Â Place is usually always crowded, with a decent amount of tables up front, with dining in the back. Â Service is nice, crowd is a mix of everyone, above average beers at above average prices, taste fine, and pickles.
79th St. btw Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.
Used to be the Sunburnt Calf, and they have really filled the space in.  What used to be a long open bar area now has more personality, but a much smaller drinking space.  Probably fits around 25 at the bar, but what it lacks in space it makes up for in charm.  There’s a “speakeasy” upstairs, but that’s for another time.  Bartenders are friendly, crowd is late 20’s to 30’s, drinks taste good, cocktails at cocktail prices.
59th St. and Broadway
One of two bars in the Time Warner Center, this one has a pretty sweet view, though definitely lacks in space.  If you can’t get one of the few tables here, there about 8 bar stools to try and grab, otherwise you’re out of luck.  All wine and cocktails, crowd is older with an occasional tourist tossed in.  Service is friendly, drinks a little pricey (~$13 for a cocktail), taste fine.
Amsterdam Ave. btw 84th and 85th St.
Well, to sum it up in one sentence, it looks like a place where you can grab drinks in the front and then sleep in the back? Big bar up front with plenty of high tables to sit at. The back is all laced tables, so unless you like eating under mosquito nets, stay up front. Very attentive staff, goof food to nibble at, above average beers at slightly above average prices, taste fine.
105th St. btw Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.
Nothing like its namesake in Los Angeles, this is a quiet bar that comes across as an old school pub mixed with the feeling of a great bar someone built in their basement…feels like there should be carpeting in here. So the bar space is small but there’s plenty of room behind the wall separating the place. TV’s for sports watching, a quiet crowd that doesn’t get too big. Average beers at average prices, taste fine, food’s good.
Broadway btw 104th and 105th St.
I’ll start with the positives; big space, TV’s scattered around. The downsides; you get some weirdos sitting in here, and since there aren’t that many people in here, you notice them more. Older crowd from the neighborhood…really not much us to say so I’ll end it with average beers on tap, average prices, taste alright.
Amsterdam Ave. btw 106th and 107th St.
In an effort to keep updating the Upper West Side and by updating I mean make noisy/more lively), we have another sports bar that is usually crowded and is not that big of a space. If you don’t get seats, you’re cramped up front near the bar, and there’s always a crowd shuffling by. All that being said, it’s a good sports bar, lots of TV’s, and the food is pretty good. Wait staff is great, and hot, and the beers are average prices for average beers, taste fine.
Columbus Ave. btw 105th and 106th St.
I guess it was a matter of time before a Hipster bar came this far uptown. It’s a dark yet huge space, small bar in the back, a couple of tables in the other corners, and a pool table right in the middle. Crowd is college kids mixed with Hipsters, remains a small crowd for most of the evening. Above average taps at average to above average prices, taste fine.
Broadway and 108th St.
Back in my college days, this place was called Cannon’s. Though the name has changed, the place is still the exact same. Columbia crowd that rolls in on the dot around 10PM on a Friday night, and I couldn’t have gotten out of there fast enough. However, prior to that fateful hour, the place is kind of like a big empty room with seats lining the walls. Plenty of TV’s, staff is friendly, average beers at average prices, taste fine.
Broadway btw 101st and 102nd St.
I like it. A simple, well-lit dive that doesn’t have a lot of room, but you never feel crowded. Full of seats, TV’s spread around, and you are going to get an older local crowd that are all pretty friendly. Your normal pints, average prices, good happy hour, taste fine.
Amsterdam Ave. and 109th St.
I like it! It’s a really laid back, average sized bar that draws a crowd ranging from locals to Columbia people, all in that good 23-35 range. Lots of TV’s for watching every game available, good pitchers specials and average priced pints for average beers, good food, can get a tiny bit warm (something my Polish friend swears was the reason for her falling asleep…), but definitely a nice hang out, for lack of better words.
79th St. btw Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.
Definitely more space than its downtown brother, and definitely less people. There’s a pretty big bar space, lots of room to stand around, and if you come for brunch, heads up that most of the drink specials have milk in them. Is that a selling point? Who knows, but my calcium intake was superb that day. Very nice staff, average prices for drinks that taste average, and, of course they have your specialty Aussie beers.
Amsterdam Ave btw 76th and 77th St.
I first went to this bar because the other Amsterdam Ave bars were crowded. I now go because I can always get a seat, watch a game, drink very cheap beer that tastes fine, and play beer pong, if the mood takes me. If beer pong isn’t your thing, they have Air Hockey…yes, Air Hockey!!! The bar gets a good sized crowd that can become a sausage fest at times but it’s still tolerable.
Amsterdam Ave. and 73rd St.
Could’ve sworn this was a diner every time I walked by and after entering, it looked like I was right. This bar is a little run down but the beers are taste great, average prices with good deals, and the extremely cute female bartender definitely has me bringing people back. One problem, there’s no café. A couple of runs across the street to Gray’s Papaya should suffice.Â
Columbus Ave. and 78th St.
Much better upgrade from its Amsterdam, now closed, location. One negative, stairs to get to the bar, which is practically hidden from street level. I was shocked at how much room is in this place. The place stays pretty lively, it’s one of the few bars on Columbus Ave.. The staff is very friendly, average beers at average prices, definitely would come back in again.
72nd St. btw Broadway and West End Ave.
Odd that they would open up a branch right down the block, but this may be why I didn’t go to school for marketing. There are basically zero bars west of Broadway so they must be looking to capitalize on the crowd who don’t feel like walking too far. However, there is next to no space in this bar, so I’m still mystified. This place is tiny, but still has the charm of the original. Prices are average, beers taste fine, crowd a tiny bit older.
Amsterdam Ave. and 76th St.
I guess it was inevitable that a bar with microbrews would show up on the Upper West. The main attraction is that it wasn’t like the other bars a few block north on Amsterdam, more of a 30 year old bar full of people who have actually grown up. It definitely keeps a good low-key profile while still drawing a nice sized crowd. Taps were average prices, taste fine, lots of microbrews.
Amsterdam Ave. btw 108th and 109th St.
While downtown takes care of the NYU kids, the uptown branch sees to the Columbia crowd. The owner must really love booths in a bar because it seems like they’re waiting for VIP’s to show up to this sports bar and sit in them. All you find here is the college to post-graduate types watching every available sports game the American television world has to offer. They have your yard-long beers, lots of taps at average prices, but the service is hit or miss with some waitresses having to serve the entire 3 rooms.
Amsterdam Ave. and 81st St.
Newer bar to the already packed Upper West Side college scene. It was a little empty on a nice, sunny Saturday but that’s because they don’t have the outdoor seating (also the fan base) that its neighbors have. However, I’m glad that there’s something different up here. The service is nice, good taps, average priced beers, and a quieter crowd that doesn’t need beer pong to have a good time.
Amsterdam Ave. and 83rd St.
I’ll give the bar credit, everyone in here looked like a veteran. Though they all definitely looked as if they fought in the first Gulf War and before. It was a definitely an older crowd in here who, and I can’t blame them, was there to stare at the hot bartender. The pints, while average priced and tasting good, were definitely one of the only pints I’ve had that stayed cold the entire way down. Good amount of TV’s for sports watching too.
Columbus Ave. btw 84th and 85th St.
I was sold on this place because I was told there was a Journey cover band here on most Saturday nights. I came on another night. Oh man. So, in the light of day, it’s more of a lounge, where the main bar is, with a small bar in the back. I can’t even picture this place being able to contain the sounds of Steve Perry. There’s not a lot of bar space up front, a good amount of seats in the back but there’s nothing going on back there so it’s kind of lame without the alleged entertainment. The service was great though, the beer tasted fine and was your average prices. Oh wait, we tried to come in one night to see said cover band and they asked my friend to take his hat off, so we left. Another minus point.
63rd St. and Columbus Ave.
Well, it’s a good place. But I always feel like disturbing people eating when I come in here with my softball team. There are two floors to this place, always stay upstairs even though the space at the bar is small but you can at least be a bit noisy up here. The taps are good, decently priced, but good luck trying to get a Mets game on TV.
Columbus Ave. btw 68th and 69th Ave.
Okay, while I liked this place, the next youngest person after me was probably 35. With that out of the way, this was actually a pretty cool bar. There was a good amount of space, sports on TV, good service. The only downsides were that the pints were very slightly above average prices and the Bud Light tap tasted better than the Stella.
86th St. btw Broadway and West End Ave.
One of my favorite bars in the city and definitely one of the friendliest. Good food, great music, great tasting beers that are average prices…truly one of the only true pubs in the city. Great place to bring friends and sit chatting about nothing, most of the time with the bartenders, until closing time, sometimes beyond.
72nd St. btw Amsterdam and Columbus Ave.
You might walk right past it if you weren’t looking, but this bar directly north of Lincoln Center is a really nice place to go for dinner and a drink. It can get a little crowded in here but the staff s good at handling the crowd. The food is pretty good, the taps taste good as well, and they are average prices.
Amsterdam Ave. btw 80th and 81st St.
Definitely not as jammed packed as the other Amsterdam Ave. bars across the street, it has its fair share of older costumers so that’s one explanation. A little divey, the beers are average prices and taste fine. Wait, as an addendum, they recently cleaned it up a bit in order to lure some of the crowd from its neighbors. Meh, still not my first choice but by no means a bad place to drink.
72nd St. btw Columbus and Amsterdam Ave.
One of the divier bars near Columbus Ave., this small bar is a little run down but an excellent place for finger food. The beers are average prices and taste fine and the food is good too. It gets really crowded after Central Park events, decent sized crowd of older locals the rest of the time.
Amsterdam Ave. btw 80th and 81st St.
One of the trio of bars in this neighborhood that cater to college kids and young adults, this is probably my least favorite, but still an alright bar. Alright place to watch a game and enjoy average priced beers, there’s a separate room in the back for those who want a bit more quiet but not lose the attractive clientele that frequent this bar. Two downsides are the amount of stairs all over the bar and it gets really crowded really fast.
Amsterdam Ave. and 83rd St.
It feels like my Den Mother’s living room in here, minus the booze, but definitely with the fish tank. There’s not a lot of bar space here, most of the room has been given up to seating…must have been a diner beforehand. So, people pushing past you aside, the beers tasted fine, about average prices, and not much going on in the way of a crowd, mostly a young crowd that wants to avoid the nuttiness of the bars two blocks south.
Amsterdam Ave. btw 81st and 82nd St.
Completing the trio of college/young adult bars on the Upper West Side, this bar is known for good, cheap food, plenty of cheap pitchers, and the beer pong/flip cup tables set up in the back amidst plenty of TV’s. Great place for happy hour, meeting people, and home to contenders for possibly the best looking female bartenders in NYC. I take this bar out of the trio *the other two being Jake’s and Bro. Jimmy’s). however, avoid when a school decided to hold their sports night there because there is no room.
Amsterdam Ave. btw 83rd and 84th St.
I was surprised when I stumbled (literally) into here. I wound up putting this bar as one of the tops on my list of bars in this area. There are lots of beer choices here, good music playing. Not a great place to meet new people but definitely good if you have a group that wants to go out and have a fun night out. And popcorn!
Columbus Ave. btw 85th and 86th St.
So I thought about how I felt about this bar and I’ve landed on the fact that I liked it. It was a little empty but there’s a nice amount of coziness and space to the place. The wait staff is very friendly, the beer is average prices, tastes fine, and there are plenty of TV’s to watch sports. Plus, the food is actually pretty good.
Columbus Ave. btw 69th and 70th St.
The first time I came here, I thought it was an alcoholic diner. They have since redone it and are now clearly moving away from Alice’s and into a proper pub, though they still have the checkered table cloths on the few tables. The bartender is very friendly, the beers taste good and are average prices, and it doesn’t get overly crowded.
79th St. btw Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.
Some bars like to stand firm whilst the neighbors get with the times. This is one of those bars. This railroad style bar feels like a diner. They have a few TV’s behind the bar, with your average priced drinks that taste fine, and plenty of room to stand, but mostly just the locals who want to avoid the crowds on Amsterdam.
Amsterdam Ave. btw 95th and 96th St.
A tiny bit too clean for a dive bar, but still close enough. I liked the food in here and the people, sort of the anti-dive bar crowd. It’s a good place for watching a Texas game or basically any college football game. The beers actually taste good and are average prices. I really have no idea why it’s called “Dive Bar” actually, probably out of irony for it’s location.
75th St. btw Columbus and Amsterdam Ave.
What to say about this place. If you’re there before 7, you can still bring a group of people and not be crowded. Anytime after that, just walk right back outside. Yes, it is a fun bar with lots of different taps that taste good and bottled beers at average prices. Yes, there are a lot of good people to meet there. But they could probably ditch the fish tank to get some more room in here, because people never leave once inside. Bonus points for free candy on the bar.
Amsterdam Ave. btw 81st and 82nd St.
When the college crowd gets too much for you, head a few steps north on Amsterdam Ave. and stop in here. A quieter, smaller bar, it caters to people who just want to sit and drink, as evidenced by their unique offer: you order your first Guinness and your name is entered into a computer. After drinking 100 Guinness, over a lifetime of course, you receive a plaque and your name on the wall with other sultans of stout. Don’t now if they still do this promotion. The other taps tasted fine and were average prices.
Broadway btw 92nd and 93rd St.
There aren’t that many bars this far up on Broadway, but it’s worth the trip. There is usually a live band at nights and a fair amount of sitting space. The service is good and the beers are average prices and taste fine if you don’t want to go to the usual Amsterdam bars in the area.
Amsterdam Ave. btw 74th and 75th St.
Stopped in for a drink and realized I was the definitely not like the others…straight. I had a couple of drinks, actually watched baseball on TV, enjoyed the music, and actually was able to relax after a day of work. No annoying college people and a cool bartender who didn’t chew my ear off while I drank decently priced, tasty beers…what’s not to like about this place?
Amsterdam Ave. btw 80th and 81st St.
Where does one begin with this bar? This place is home to college kids and adults alike. Plenty of TV’s for sports fans, the food is reasonably priced with really good wing specials. The exceptionally cute waitresses may have a slight attitude but I’m sure it comes from being constantly hit on. The bouncers here are annoyingly trigger happy which is its only downfall, meaning a frown will have them swarming and throwing you out.
Amsterdam Ave. btw 79th and 80th St.
Your typical college student bar. Nothing but college kids and 1 or 2 creepy old men who are there for the women that will usually get up on the bar and dance. The Christmas tree of bras that hangs over the bar is hardly ever added on to any more but the beers are average prices that taste fine, and there’s a little back area for dancing.
Amsterdam Ave. btw 83rd and 84th St.
Bar? Diner? Who cares, they have Rolling Rock on tap, and only that from the looks of it. While the tap tastes fine, if you’re not like me and don’t enjoy the beer from “the glass lined vats of old Latrobeâ€, there’s your PBR and regular bottled beers. The beers are your average prices. It’s right on the upper fringe of the Upper West Side college bars and it doesn’t get much of a crowd to fill its decently sized space.
79th St. btw Broadway and Amsterdam Ave.
Upper West Side usually means a sports bar, and this place is no different. There’s a good amount of space in here and basically has the same packed crowd as the rest of the bars in the neighborhood. One benefit is that it’s close to the subway, but other than that, it’s just your average bar. Pints taste good, average prices, lots of TV’s.
79th St. and West Side Highway
Good crowd, yes. Ability to get a seat without smoke from the grill engulfing you, no way Jose. Average priced beers that taste fine, yes, but it can take a while to get them. It is outdoors, kind of, but your best bet to sit is show up really early. It gets a little packed but nothing that can’t be handled.
Amsterdam Ave. and 80th St.
Whoa, talk about out of place. And I mean not only me being in this bar/lounge, but this place in the neighborhood. If you are one of those people that like club music and don’t want to leave the Upper West Side, go here. The drinks are pricier than normal, taste average but there’s not much to do here but pick a corner and be left alone. Downstairs is the “club portionâ€â€¦I guess.
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