Dorian Gray Tap and Grill

A busy place on Friday nights, the space is a fun place that can be casual meet-​up location for drinks and dinner. The selection is small, but items are well-​made. The Truman Capote drink is bubbly and sweet.

I live in the neighborhood. I have always loved coming here. Until tonight. It was dead but it still took 30 minutes to get my food. Once it was ready I heard the bell in the kitchen ring but neither the bartender nor the server were anywhere to be found, luckily the guy in the kitchen brought it to me. Once I finished and ask for the bill I was informed that their credit card machine was down. Not a great time to tell me after I’m done, you should have told me that when I sat down. Was then met with attitude which was not appreciated. Get some new staff.

If you order anything from the oven (mac n cheese shepherds pie) dont touch the serving bowls. No one warned me that the bowl would be hot– like normal people do– and ended up screaming at the top of my lungs in pain. How in the world was i supposed to know that my dish would be 450° and sing my flesh. I instantly felt my skin bubble up while letting out a couple dozen curses. Did the staff care? No. And I’m pretty sure dogs arent allowed in food establishments? But there was in fact a large dog in the facility.
The only redeeming quality was the food. The fries and mac were pretty good. But thats about all i have positive to say.
I dont see myself returning in the future.

Really liked this spot, went there on St. patty’s day! It was crowded but had a good vibe. All my millions of drinks were good and we didn’t have to wait long for anything despite the crowd! I’ll be back :)

Nice casual pub in the east village with a cozy warm vibe, and a great layout for getting together with a couple or number of friends.
The ambiance: wood tables, benches and chairs with little pillows adding warmth. Literary themed décor; white painted brick walls with framed photos of famed writers/​authors. Layout of tables is great for small group seating/​a number of people meeting. Also a charming table at the front near Windows that open in warmer weather.
Beers are great; they have an IPA I really like.
Service at the bar and tables– always friendly.
Food:
–The wings are very good, a big hit with my picky son.
–Bacon lollipops are usually very good and a must try. A couple times here our groups of friends ordered seconds. Last night they were dry and overcooked; the first time that happened.
–Have also had the Shepards pie which was great.
Many good times, conversations and memories here.
Highly recommend as a nice casual east village place to have beer, comfort bar food and meet ups with friends.

super late brunch! until 5pm. Good deal and comes with 2 cocktails

The Sunday brunch here is delightful. My favorite place to go for waffles and mimosas. Nellie is the best server. Ellie is the second best. Ask for them! They truly go above and beyond. Ross is ok. The new guy Paul seems ok too.

Based on Oscar Wilde’s renowned novel «The Picture of Dorian Gray» which this business enhances a literary theme. Iconic photos of renowned poets, authors, novelists, writers and playwrights throughout history are plastered on this Irish/​English restaurant and bar’s walls. As a poet/​writer myself I came with a fellow good friend who is also a poet/​writer which we challenged each other’s intellectual knowledge by identifying renowned literary figures based on our respective higher education and literary backgrounds which is significantly better than karaōke. It was very interesting for the avid literary enthusiast and inspirational to write more. Each writer, novelist or poet is very unique to literary history. How many can you identify?
Oscar Wilde– Irish author, playwright and poet
D.H. Lawrence– English novelist, poet, playwright, essayist, literary critic
Maya Angelou– American author, poet, dancer, actress
Robert Burns– Scottish poet and lyricist
James A.A. Joyce– Irish novelist and poet
William S. Burroughs II– American novelist, short story writer, essayist, painter, and spoken word performer
Samuel Beckett– Irish novelist, playwright, theatre director, and poet
Walt Whitman– American poet and essayist
Hunter S. Thompson– American journalist and author
Ernest Hemingway– American author and journalist
William Shakespeare– English 17^th century poet and playwright
Allen Ginsberg– American Beat Generation poet
Albert Camus– French Nobel Prize winner author and journalist
Franz Kafka– German novelist and short stories writer
Jack Kerouac– American novelist and Beat poet
Party of two on a Friday night for dinner composes of:
For Her: Steak Frites $ 18.00– abundant with portion and meat is tender, the French Fries are not shoe string cut in authentic French fashion but solid. Portabella mushroom is embedded in the salad which is not my thing. This entrée is suffice to eat my fill as it reminisce my previous visit to Paris, France.
For Him: Shepherd’s Pie small $ 8.00– classic Irish entrée to eat my friend’s fill of comfort food.
Neither of us indulge on libations specifically by choice. Wait staff is attentive, friendly and allow us to walk around the dinning area with our little identification literary challenge of their iconic photos. The menu is themed to a literary setting of «Chapter 1» for appetizers/​starters, «Chapter 2» for entrees/​main course, and «Chapter 3» for dessert/​coffee. The bill is presented inside a Trivial Pursuit book which is so cool and intellectual as I have never played the game. Party of two Q&A each other with random questions of various categories. Rustic tables are un-​level slanted and long wooden benches in a tarnished décor in a very casual atmosphere. Yes, plastic is accepted for payment method.

Sometimes fate smiles fondly on you. Discovering this tucked away hideout was a real boon. Unpretentious and exceedingly cool — Dorian Gray doesn’t give a f#$k whether you like him or not. I love how the floor slants. I love how the tarnished décor makes you feel like you can kick your feet up and relax. I love how the food is 100% legit in its own right (the burger & fries were very Westville-​esque, but here one doesn’t have to endure miniature seating and long wait times). Lastly, I love the beer selection and the fact that they serve Pilsner Urquell in the fat custom pint glass with the handle. We will be back, mark my words.

Great Irish pub for beers, friends and rugby. Been there several times during the 6 nations this year and it always was a blast. Never tried the food though plates I have seen looked fine. I am now hooked to come visit more often.

Great place to watch rugby and enjoy a pint.

The best place to watch RUGBY in NYC!
Not to mention it is a proper Irish pub that knows how to pour an excellent pint of Guinness, or open a $ 2 can of PBR, if that’s your thing.
The bar is often lively, well into the night. People mingle, an excellent mix, free shots, some dancing.
Proud to call this bar my local.
One of my favorites, and that is probably more for the people I’ve met, than for any other reason.

Stopped in for brunch on a Sunday around 1:45pm. Friends and I had intended to go to a different restaurant but the wait was beyond ridiculous, so we wondered around and stumbled upon this restaurant. There was no wait with little patrons inside which we thought was odd for Sunday brunch, but we were so hungry that at that point we didn’t care.
Atmosphere was perfection! Quaint little pub with bookshelf lined walls, soft music, and picnic style tables, with cute little couch booths lining the front Windows!
We were seated and given our menus immediately and tended to by the sweetest waitress! (Never gave us her name, but she was an adorable brunette with glasses) took drink orders right away (what I love) and our food came out within 30 minutes, maybe less! Everyone gushed over their food (we had the veggie burger, waffles, french toast, and wings, which by the way were some of the best I’ve tasted, and they give you 12!) and $ 15 for a meal and two drinks, what’s not to love?!
$ 20 minimum for debit cards which kinda sucks, but honestly, check this place out. Food and service is awesome!

Dorian Gray. not sure it has anything to do with the Oscar Wilde novel… and i don’t think it does. don’t think there is a portrait that deteriorates as it records moral depravity. well maybe there is one like there is in the novel, but I have NOT made it to that inner circle of the bar. but that’s neither here nor there…
any/​s/​way.
Dorian Gray is a charming understated pub. nothing garish or screaming «WE ARE AN IRISH PUB – GET TANKED HERE.» it’s a woody interior and classic copper bar top. plenty of tables, chairs, and barstools without being a cluttered mess. there are two flat screen, tuned to sports SNY, ESPN etc. it has a comfy feel/​rustic flair. not overly modern or sterile. and enough room to stretch without putting out someone’s eye.
they have pretty standard draft selection: Blue Moon, Guinness, etc. 10+ taps ($ 6-​$ 8). all solid selections. i spied pabst and naragansett among many others on the cans/​bottle list ($ 3-​$ 6). there were wine choices as well, but who goes to a pub to drink wine. boo. standard well and premium booze selections obviously slanted in favor of the irish whiskies of the world. and there was a signature cocktail list.
onto the carbs, proteins, and vegs…
small plates ($ 6-​$ 10) and large plates ($ 12 – 20) here. many common pub fare comfort foods: wings, jalapeño poppers, curry fries, sliders, mac n cheese, bangers n mashed, burgers, shepherd’s pie, etc. pay attention to the chalk sign outside as that has sandwich specials ($ 6-​$ 9) that seem to run all day.
ordered the grilled cheese w/​bacon and tomato which comes with a cup of tomato soup, just how your mom made it or you wished she made it! grilled cheese was perfect combo of gooey melty dairy and salty bacon. this is not an artisanal sandwich. this is a down home sandwich, made on simple toasted bread, great cheese, etc. not some fancy schmancy with foams and reductions. sometimes the classic version needs no alteration. it serves as almost a time machine back to those truly comforting moments of eat and drink from years past. :)
primetime (crowded) slots seem to be the standards TH, FRI, SAT nights and SAT and SUN brunch. that’s when the locals surge here for eats, drinks, shenanigans, etc. Sunday evening was relatively quiet. just a few locals and transients, nursing beers and chatting. my kind of Sunday night bar.
service. friendly. smiley. and quick. on a Sunday. perfect for winding down. sat at the bar, so i could eat, drink, and tablet/​web in peace – served by the bartender Sterling (sp? maybe i misheard her name. oh well. ack.) my bartender-​ette was intuitive enough to know that i just wanted to work, eat, and relax. i am sure they would have allowed me to solo a table since it was not über busy and the place seems pretty easygoing. they do have waitress service here if you sit at a table. both femmes were easy on the eyes which is always a plus in my book.
music & acoustics = great. the bartender’s playlist mix of all that music from the 70s, 80s and 90s that gets no more barplay in the newfangled gastropubs. lol. radiohead. queen, 3 doors down, offspring, etc.
my only small qualms was the Guinness was not a perfect pour (lack of foam at top), but i’m sure it’s because the tap lines are due to get flushed since they probably pour a lot of Guinness here.
i will definitely be back and tour more of the menu.
p. s.–for those looking for low-​key birthday bars. this is a good one. not expensive. friendly staff. and lots of booze and food choices.

This place oddly never seems to be doing enough business, but I’ve really like to the cozy bar and food served up here the few times I’ve went. The bar is dark, the service is attentive enough and it’s located on a quiet block in the East Village. It’s not a where I could possible provide lots of hype for, but it’s satisfies and is the perfect setting for a weeknight beverage on a fall or winter evening.

Solid brunch fare for just $ 15. Nothing too special.
15% brunch discount with a Unilocal check-​in.

Very rustic with a neighborhoody feel. We only stopped in for a quick drink but the patrons and staff were friendly to chat with. Solid beers on tap. Good prices. Will have to come back and try their brunch. The pub food looked and sounded promising.

This bar gets 4 stars for a few reasons
1 — I came here after the NYC Marathon with a medal on and got a standing ovation
2 — I came here after the NYC Marathon with a medal on and the bartender bought me and the girl I was talking to a shot of tequila
In short, great crowd, great bartender, great time. Extenuating circumstances abound, but I’m a fan! I did like the dark smoky ambiance, the seating by the windows, as well as the great drink pricing. If you’re in Alphabet City and need a drink, could do much worse than this. Also was very laid back in general without any of the staff or patrons being loud, obnoxious, or bro’ey.

Been here a few times to watch rugby, for which there is usually a lively and fun crowd. The beer selection is decent enough, though hardly built for a craft beer maven. But it’s ok.
After my first time here I was ready to give this place a 4 or 5 star review, but after my lost recent visit that is no longer the case. Originally, what I liked about Dorian Gray was the good food, accessible brunch menu, and a price that could not be beat. It was $ 15 for an entrée and 2 drinks — woot.
You could choose a good number of brunch items, ranging from breakfast fare to a burgers, blts and grilled cheese.
However, that is no longer the case during rugby matches. The price of the exact same brunch has been raised to $ 25. It is written out on a piece of paper, and you are handed a menu that displays the brunch of yore with the original price that would be available at that price when rugby isn’t on.
Wtf? Not against people making money, but it took away what we liked about going here for rugby, in addition to a great environment. There’s enough places to go in the city and watch rugby, and not get a deal.

Eric and I came here when it first opened and had a very nice experience. The food was good (shepherd’s pie and bangers and mash) and very friendly service. We hadn’t gone back but last Friday, after a trip with my dad to the Bronx, we came back tot he East Village and definitely needed some food and drinks. We went to a restaurant on Ave. B but noticed after we sat down that it was cash only and we are not fans of cash only especially when it’s over-​priced. So we walked down 4^th street and decided to go in. They had a beer and burger special for $ 10 which we both got. The burger was one of the best I have had in quite awhile. Served on an English muffin, it was really nicely seasoned and had a lot of cheese. Fries were good and they had Magner’s on tap. The bartender was very friendly and we really enjoyed it but I think what was nicest for my dad was hearing the bartender speak Gaelic with some customers sitting next to us at the bar!
We will definitely be back.

I was SO excited for a Book Club meeting at Dorian Gray, but overall, I was disappointed. The location is pretty far off the beaten path in Alphabet City. And though the décor is very much that of an English pub, it is all dive bar. The seats aren’t very comfortable (no backs), the service is slow, and they happened to be «out» of half the drinks were ordered.
I did enjoy my Mac Attack macaroni and cheese dish. But I won’t be back anytime soon.

What one Unilocaler had said in a review was right. This pub does not scream, «HEY! LOOK AT ME! I’M IRISH!» No excessive use of the Irish flag. Or the color green. Or shamrocks. Or Irish jig music. Or leprechauns.
Sitting in this pub actually made me feel like I was sitting in a pub back in Ireland — it was clean, but not too clean; there was football (aka soccer) playing in the background; and of course, good craic.
The only thing that wasn’t too authentic was the food. I’ve been craving a good shepherd’s pie ever since my trip back in March (see my photos and review for Cronin’s in Killarney). The one that I had here was just BAD. The ground beef in it tasted like they had dissected some Chef Boyardee ravioli and extracted the meat from there — salty yet flavorless at the same time, if that makes sense. The mashed potatoes on top tasted like Betty Crocker’s Potato Buds* (remember those?!) The crapload of cheese melted on top was just too much and didn’t pair up well with the rest of the dish.
So why the three stars? They did have a pretty good happy hour special. $ 1 off drinks until 7 p.m. (came in on a Friday night). I also liked how they had big and small portions of a lot of their dishes. I opted for the small shepherd’s pie and I’m glad I did — I don’t think there was any way I could have stomached a large one.
Is it worth coming in just for the happy hour? Probably not. You’re in the East Village — there are tons of other places to grab a drink. Not to mention, this place is located in bumblefuck.
*Yeahhh…this review is hardly an advertisement for the aforementioned processed foods.

My experience here is begging for five stars. However, I was suffering from severe dehydration at the time and couldn’t even enjoy a cocktail or full meal, so I’m withholding the fifth star until after my next visit.
This pub is one of the most authentic Irish bars I’ve been to in the city. No giant Irish flags, no shamrocks, no excessive use of the color green. Instead, it tackled the «feel» of an Irish pub. Not the «LOOK HOW IRISH WE ARE. WE SERVE GUINNESS» kind of feel that most mock-​Irish pubs have, but a real, «je né sais quoi» European coziness that only an Irish pub can have. I loved the brick walls, skinny layout, and array of Jameson bottles at the bar.
Because I wasn’t feeling well, I selected plain ol’ water (5 glasses’ worth) and the hummus platter. Not surprisingly, the hummus is best for sharing. It comes with a big dish of olives, which is the part that says, «Yeah, this is meant for more than one person.» Okay, fine. The pita bread was pleasantly toasted and the hummus was nice. I couldn’t finish all those olives, though. :)
I’m super excited to return here for brunch and an Irish Coffee!

Good cocktail list and I enjoyed the Cavanagh with bourbon and ginger, pretty classic combo. The food here is good. We ordered the mac and cheese, Irish breakfast and the raspberry salad (quiet a large size too). Everything was good and pretty quiet on a Sunday evening around 7:30PM.
Bartender was friendly and attentive. Thanks!

I dropped by this bar after dinner with some friends. It’s a comfy neighborhood bar with a cute literary theme. Some of the cocktails are named after a writer. I went with the Oscar Wilde Martini which has vodka, cranberry juice, ginger ale and fruit. The drink was sweet, but not overly so. Also two of its ingredients are made with fruit, so it will help with your daily veggie/​fruit serving requirement. At least, that’s what I told myself to justify ordering another martini.
The bathroom was clean and lined with pages of a book if you are bored.
My friends and I had some fun identifying the writers whose portraits are posted on the walls. There was one picture of a man with a full white beard that extended down to his chest. I’m pretty sure that was Gandalf from Lord of the Rings, but my friends disagreed.
Overall I had a good time at this pub.
/​/​— — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — — –
They also serve food here.

This place was awesome. We needed a last-​minute location for a friend’s murder mystery birthday party, and they were perfectly accommodating at noon on a Sunday. Our waitress was absolutely great, working around the strangeness of our party, getting plates for cake, handing out forks, and they didn’t charge us some exorbitant fee for any of that, which was amazing. Everyone here was genuinely nice.
PS there’s a sweet check-​in deal on 4sq where you get a burger and a beer for $ 10. My medium rare burger was ACTUALLY medium rare as well.