Blue Bar

Just shady enough for a midtown bar. Crowd is a good mix of creepy finance dudes with their mistresses, your oddball European tourists, and a smattering of everything else. Décor is pretty trippy and drinks are decent. Consider this spot a decent option if you want to catch up over drinks with a friend or coworker.

This was a really cool spot to have a post-​dinner cocktail before returning to our room! My boyfriend & I were staying at the Algonquin Hotel and decided to stop by late in the evening for a drink. Christian the bartender greeted us immediately, explained the speakeasy-​style of the bar and then made us delicious drinks which were exactly what we were looking for! He did an especially good job with my boyfriend’s second drink when he requested a «Jack & Coke without it being a Jack & Coke.» The drink prices were very high, even for NY, but we knew that going in so we didn’t mind. It was totally worth it for the experience and the great service!

My friend and i met up in Manhattan to catch up after a long time apart. We went to Bryant Park for the Winter Festival then wandered around to find a spot to grab a drink. I was thinking quite, cozy and uniquely New York. Then we stumbled upon the Blue Bar.
This place is unlike any place I’ve visited before, I don’t go out in Manhattan often. It was such a nice experience drenched in an aura of old New York. The menu is even shaped like an old book. The part that wasn’t so cute was the prices of the drinks but my friend and I splurged and each got the Matilda. The waiter was very kind and friendly and told us our drink was named after the hotel cat. I love cats so I loved that. The restaurant has a blue tint and old fashioned chairs. We were able to sit there and nurse our drinks for a long time. Very quiet and calm atmosphere, good for having a conversation. They even gave us some seasoned popcorn to snack on. We definitely enjoyed this place. I’d recommend if you’re willing to pay $ 17 for a not so strong drink and a cool classy atmosphere.

My friend and I came here for drinks after Lantern’s Keep and the Royalton proved to be too crowded, which probably should’ve been an indication of the quality of the bar.
We both ordered the Matilda for our first drink, but our waiter ran away before we could order the fries. For $ 17, you get an extremely mediocre drink in something akin to a really tall skinny shot glass. Things didn’t improve with drink number two. I went for the cucumber martini and my friend opted for a dirty martini. She said it was very very dirty, but drinkable. Mine, not so much. It came in the same glass as the Matilda, but looked sort of like bad swamp water. I’ve had straight cucumber juice as part of a juice cleanse and it was still better than this. I couldn’t taste the alcohol at all, just green cucumber pulp. On the third try, we did actually get to order those fries, although neither of us liked them very much.
We were actually going to stay for a third drink (and try wine this time) since we still had an hour before the show we were going to see, but when we tried to order, the waiter misunderstood and brought us a check. We took that as a sign it was time to go and ended up getting a drink at the theater instead.

I feel like I got taken for a ride here. As an avid Manhattan drinker, I asked for one. Manhattan martini with Bullet. The bartender recommended using another whiskey and I agreed. The only thing he forgot to mention that it would go from a $ 14 martini to $ 25. When the bill came I asked why it was so high and he said its because of the whiskey I chose.
It would have been nice to have known the prior!
Last time going there

Nice upscale spot to grab a drink with friends or meet for a cocktail date. I’ve been here three times. It is small, but service is good and the drinks are good.

I understand how it gets crazy in the state if emergency, but can’t believe the management here… waited over 40mins and took us one hour to get a drink… switching the seats twice, took us another 15mins to get a menu and never got a server till we finally moved to the bar by ourselves and more yelling and wait to get a drink… we spoke to several people to ask for a menu/server…unless it’s emergency and stuck this hotel, never come back…

Blue Bar is my typical second choice when the main lobby at the Algonquin is full, as it was a couple days after Christmas (naturally). The drinks are the same, the gruff waiters are the same, and the ambiance is darker and more like the kinda joint where you might see Carol and Therese sipping martinis and eating steak. That is, rather than a posh hotel lobby where you might see Parker and Benchley sipping martinis and eating steak. Heh. The ghosts, they are all still there.
Drinks are expensive. If you don’t give a damn about the Round Circle or the hotel’s rich history, you’re not going to love this place at all. I mean… your round of drinks for the two of you will get you a decent meal somewhere. And if you’re looking for a chic hotel experience, you’ll probably be looking for the Mark Hotel bar. Here you’ll see the over 60 set having late afternoon that turns into evening cocktails. I’m AOK with that.
The drink menu has improved from your typical sugary sweet drinks and martinis made with Smirnoff (of all things. I still can’t believe that was a thing here), so that’s wonderful. They’ve also switched from mixed nuts to a bag of crack… I mean, extremely oily and spiced popcorn. I stuck to one glass of red wine and my guy had a decent Moscow Mule.
At first we were seated at the single most awkward table in the place, right by the door, actually almost in a direct path to the door, and when a better table opened up and we asked to change, we got some attitude, but whatever, people. Don’t expect warmth and kindness here. Like I said, the waiters are gruff and that’s just how it is. I smiled at a waiter on the way to the bathroom and he glared at me. Suddenly all was right in the world.

This place is blue, everything looks blue. If you take a date there you will look… blue.
The wine is very expensive, $ 18 a glass, martinis are ok and $ 12, and good beer is limited. And this is during happy hour! Service is friendly, though.
However, too many other good bars nearby, skip it.

This place takes you back to the 40’s, in a good way. My wife and I spent a whacky Christmas Eve there in 2013, we still talk about it. Great bartenders, an eclectic clientele and outrageous prices. We loved it all.

I experienced Blue Bar as a «closing time» spot – you know, that last place you stop by after a long night of drinking at multiple venues, so my review might be colored through cocktail goggles.
I remember that we had the munchies, so we got some edibles to go with our drinks. The Brooklyn Potato Pancake was crispy but a bit too burnt, and the Tomato Soup with Sourdough Cream Cheese was amazing. For drinks, we got the Mary Pickford and The Matilda. I remember the pours being rather generous (though still Midtown Manhattan prices), but I honestly can’t remember anything else about them. Which is generally a good thing, because I’m a pretentious snob when it comes to mixology.
Also, the bar is really blue. And when you’re on your nth drink of the night, that kinda makes you feel like you’re sitting in the ocean.

Very upset. Ive been bar hopping through Midtown for years BUT I’ve never felt so ripped off. I went with a friend and4 drinks later im at 120 bucks! Now in reality captain morgan is 18.99. Why is a drink 30 bucks? I quickly paid n proceeded to leave BUT was immediately approached for a TIP! You have to be kidding me. I would advise never to come to this tourist trap of a place.

How The Algonquin Hotel management could have replaced the Oak Room with this dysphoria-​inducing room awash in blue neon light I will never understand. The hotel is rich in history and has a carefully maintained patina in the lobby. The Blue Bar, by contrast, is not only downscale, it’s also very expensive, even by NYC standards. I was never enamored of the need to get to the Oak Room for a mediocre meal and then need to wait for an hour for the performance to begin. But, the wood paneled room wreaked of NYC night life. It was an experience, and I saw some great cabaret performers. This is the first time I’ve ever done a review that advises people to avoid a cocktail bar. I hope that management finds a more fitting use of the space.

If your going to do Manhattans in Manhattan this is the place
It’s part of the Algonquin hotel.
The Manhattans are fantastic and potent. Three had me 6 sheets to the wind. Thankfully I didn’t try a fourth.
Had great fun with the bar help trying get them to figure out the other Indian Tribes in the original six nations. Algonquin, Iroquois, …
I had 5 of them the help staff got one.
Nice comfortable seats and centrally located, nice place for a Sunday afternoon cocktail.

We stopped in here on a whim & what a great find! Very old school New York. From the music to the décor & the bartenders. We felt like we stepped back in time. The crab cakes were very good& the hubby loved his Manhattan Rye cocktail. We will definitely stop back in on our next trip.

Chose the Blue Bar to meet out of town guests staying at the Algonquin Hotel.
Pluses:
* Well-​known destination bar
* Convenient midtown/​Times Square location
* Upscale. Suitable for business get-together…and not too noisy
* Good not great selection of bourbons including Russell’s Reserve, Buffalo Trace, and Knob Creek Rye.
Gripes
* As others have commented, you might need a loan
* Gin martini served in chilled silver cup… kinda cool to look at, but changes taste of the martini
Tip/​Opinion: For business and friends out of town, Blue Bar is perfect; for local friends and work colleagues, I’d find an Irish Pub

My new favorite bar in Times Square. I’ve dined at the round table which I think is same hotel but never at Blue Bar until this weekend. Coolest bar in Times Square so unique. They serve the martini in a silver cup with no stem and it was the coolest looking glass I’ve ever seen. The popcorn was quite tasty. All the beers were from Brooklyn dug on that. Was a little slow there but don’t care. I’ll be back. Only gripe was I wished they had more of the usual vodkas I like.

Oh man. It just wasn’t my style. The blue lighting was cool for about 1 second when we walked in, and was then just annoying, and not particularly flattering. The bartenders were complete hams. Christian was very friendly, which is great, but at times a little much. I laughed at the other review on here by Tyler L. I really agree with what he wrote. My short take is: popcorn — good. Drinks — overpriced. I won’t be back.

True
To name
It is blue.
Poor beer list and
Overpriced cocktails. Nostalgia can’t save.

Blue Bar is an institution, but that doesn’t make it good. Apparently the bar has obnoxious blue lighting throughout because an old playwright and famous patron felt that blue made women appear prettier than they are.
I can’t really describe how awful it is in execution:
— One, the lighting makes you feel like you are in a cheap strip club
— Two, the décor is about as nice as a strip club
— Three, the drinks are priced about the same as a strip club (i.e. overpriced)
— Four, you’re surrounded by old men and tourists (I guess that is sort of like a strip club also)
To sum it up, the bar has really no redeeming quality whatsoever other than the popcorn they serve. It is way overpriced and really I can’t imagine ever going back in there unless you told me that they had strippers. Even then it is a stretch.
In addition when you get back into the light of day (or night) the world has this weird pigmentation… like if you were all of the sudden in the movie Vanilla Sky chilling with Tom Cruise. It is trippy.

This place is super fancy! A very high class place to have a few drinks and some overpriced appetizers. We did not look at the menu or reviews prior to sitting down, and our eyeballs popped out of our heads when we saw the prices. We were actually looking for happy hour somewhere. And found this place by accident. The blue lights and dark atmosphere really drew us inside. This is not the place if you want to throw back a ton of drinks and be a loud, sloppy drunk lol this is more of a fufu place you go to when you want to slowly sip on a glass of wine, and enjoy some amazingly prepared food.

After spending most of the day roaming Manhattan with a co-​worker, we decided it was time to grab a drink somewhere and relax before dinner. My original plan was to visit the Lantern’s Keep — but I quickly discovered that we were too early (they weren’t open until 6pm). Apparently my happy hour clock is out of sync.
A nearby hotel doorman recommended Blue Bar to us, so off we went! If you like classic cocktails and you enjoy a little history, this place is for you.
The interior is very cool with the blue lighting and I really like the booths where you can relax with a small group of people. Upon entering, one of the servers let us choose where we wanted to sit and took our drink order within minutes.
I will warn you in advance that the prices here are steep — but you will also find this at other places around Manhattan that are in the same caliber as Blue Bar. A cocktail will set you back $ 16 and a glass of wine will run you between $ 16 – 19. Beers run between $ 8 – 12, depending on what you ask for.
Take a minute to flip through the cocktail menu. This is the little cloth-​bound book that is sitting at your table. There is some interesting reading in there that will tell you all about the history of the bar, as well as the Algonquin Hotel. Being a fan of classic cocktails, I went with the «44^th Street Manhattan», and it did not disappoint — excellent choice if this is one of your favorites.
A small cup of popcorn goes on every table, but if you find this snack to be too light, they also have a small menu of miscellaneous snacks you can choose from. Calamari, pork sliders, shrimp cocktail and crab cakes, to name a few.
Since we were heading off to dinner next, we tried out the herb steak fries, seasoned with garlic and served with a spicy ketchup that will have you asking for more. They were the perfect choice to hold off our appetite — and tasty, too…
Blue Bar is a great place to relax with a drink in a comfortable setting and meet some really nice people. It’s pricey here, but the service is good and the atmosphere is both classy and cozy. If you are ever in this part of Manhattan, I really recommend giving this place a try — I don’t think you will be disappointed.

The guys who work here are seriously so nice. I really wish I could remember their names. Just — all of them! Very friendly and welcoming.
We happened to have a few drink tickets from our stay at the hotel. I loved the Madeline cocktail. My mom got a pear martini, (her favorite) and she said it was the best one she ever had. (I had a sip and it wasn’t the BEST I ever had, but it was still better than some others) ;-)
$ 22 – 25 for one martini is a bit… yeeahhhh… I mean I know it’s NYC. But I’m glad we had the drink tickets.

If you’re feeling pompous, pretentious and upscale, Blue Bar is a fantastic place to be. Part of the Algonquin Hotel, Blue will most likely be one of the priciest bars you have ever visited. Swanky, plush with nothing but blue LEDs lighting the place, the bartenders are experts, and as such, do not ask them silly questions.
Do not come here if your go to drink involves Red Bull or a Midori sour. This is a bar’s bar that caters to the high powered crowd in the area. The cocktails are strong and crafted by experienced bartenders, and you will only feel slightly depressed when you see the prices.
Manhattan, Gin and Tonic, Macallan neat. What else does one need to order?
I removed one star because you can either have a couple of drinks, or buy dinner for a family of 6. Otherwise, it’s a great place.

Not to razz on the Blue Man Group, but you’re bound to look like one should you enter the place, due to the colored lighting. (No offense to the Blue Man Group — they’re awesome!) Still, don’t let that stop you, because it’s all fun and laughter once inside. I’ve been in here twice now, two nights in a row with some friends. Good times indeed.
As many other reviewers on here also identify by name, you will do well if you interact with the barkeep Christian. He knows his drinks, is definitely a professional, and your evening can only improve once your conversation begins with him!