Harlem Public

LOVE!!! Harlem Public is my Cheers bar; I’ve lived in this neighborhood for three years, and it was the first place I had dinner at upon moving to my apartment in NYC. I feel welcomed every time I come here, and HP staff is like a family! Even if I just wanna stop in for a quick $ 4 «mystery beer» after work, it’s always great service and a great atmosphere.
Way above average pub/​bar food!
I brought my burger enthusiast mother here when she visited, and she raved about her burger!
The peanut butter burger may sound weird, but TRUST ME you have to try it once in your life.
The Mac and Steez is on POINT. Guac and Hummus are homemade and always delicious!
And the sweet potato fries… I would just keep eating them until I ballooned up if they let me!
The beer tap list is always changing and it’s great to have so many new options all the time! They have very good and unique cocktails, also always changing it up and adding new ones! Margarita? Yes. Peppermint punch in the winter? Yes. Pumpkin beer with a cinnamon rim in the fall? My fav. The Purple Rain? Please. Don’t tell me you don’t love a good Prince drink.
This place is the bees knees and everyone I bring here always loves it. It gets super packed for dinner sometimes, especially on the weekends and at brunch. But that means they are doing something right. Definitely an awesome Hamilton Heights spot, and I am so lucky to live right across the street from it!
Also, free popcorn people… How can you go wrong?

Instant denizen of Hamilton Heights the day it opened, due it’s being an oasis in a previously slaked neighborhood for great beers and a solid grill. Often tricky to find a bar stool, yet when secured, the menu provides ample creativity in pub fare. Good music, sports tv when desired, and young talent both pouring and needing some attention. Cocktails are a bit unpolished, but hey, that’s why you came — the unpolished. Luck had been consistently found — and taken home. And the eclectic neighborhood will give you diversity in all hopes. Maybe a bit to college scene of late… but that provides surprises.

This place is super chill, affordable and I love how close to home it is. I had the loaded grilled cheese and it was bannngggging (really good) lol. I would’ve never thought cheese, bacon, doritos and guac would go so well together. I love how they have indoor or outdoor seating options (I sat outside). Also the service was super fast and efficient. Just a little FYI for management, better lighting in the ladies room is necessary!!! Otherwise, I love this spot!

This bar is a staple in the Washington Heights area for the younger crowd – after 3 yrs of living in Harlem, I’d def call it the «hot spot». It does tend to get loud ‘n sweaty though… Call me a grandma, but I enjoy quieter, relaxed lounges to loud bars where you have to talk over each other, like here. I’ve been here for 2 different birthday parties and was crowded and just really hard to hear.
However, last night when I went with just a friend and we sat on the outdoor patio, it was just lovely. We had two different servers (one must have gotten off his shift and left without telling us) but at any rate; both of them were super nice and smiley, and separated our items on the check so we had two separate bills – always much appreciated!
Food was tasty – we ordered the attractively-​named «chicken chunks» and the black bean chipotle hummus. And they had a FAB-​looking Strawberry Julep! I stuck with their reasonably-​priced wine, though.

A couple of friends and I came here on a Friday after work, and it was packed! Putting our names on a list, we waited in the bar area.
I eagerly had been anticipating the strawberry pop rock margarita, which lived up to expectations. Once seated, we placed our orders. I chose the wings since I was in the mood for hot contrast, and I chose well. My friends enjoyed their food, too.
I highly recommend Harlem Public if you are in the mood for bar food with a kick– and drinks with a punch!

A couple of my friends decided we should have lunch here and I must say I was happy we did. This was my first time and it was a good experience. It is a cute decent spot that has outdoor seating as well. Once we walked in we were seated right away which was good. I ordered for myself the turkey burger added bacon to it and sweet potato fries. It was delicious so juicy and seasoned so good. Such a good portion too tat I can’t wait to go back. We chill spot good to go with friends to get beer and food and just hang. Service was fast which was good but the waiter forgot to refill our waters but hey as soon as we let him know he went right to it. I will be back for sure to try other stuff.

Love at first sight!
Nice spot with good beer and wines, good good and very good service.

Hump Day! What/​e you do, make sure you don’t wait to sit outside. The lady that takes your name down will NOT look for you. She has a southern accent with a dirty blond hair style. If you don’t stay on top of her, she will not remember you asked to be seated outside. Smh. BUT the bartenders are so cool. We sat at the bar. I do not recall their names but it was 2 welcoming ladies (AWESOME DRINKS). Very down to earth. We waited an hour to sit outside and then went with staying inside. The «host» forgot about us. The service is way better, and the food is closer lol. Just a heads up. I would give this place 5 stars, but the chick taking names sucks.

The absolute MUST HAVES on this menu are:
1. Loaded Grilled Cheese — mother of goodness, this is heavenly! Thick sour dough bread, two cheeses, bacon, guacamole, and Doritos?! I HIGHLY recommend ordering this with a side of chipotle mayo. It’s filling and delicious!
2. The Peanut Butter Burger… another delicious find. The meat and PB combo seems strange at first but if you love burgers and love peanut butter — you won’t be disappointed. The peanut butter becomes all melty and delicious.
Their fires are also pretty good (again — I would request a side of chipotle mayo for these!)
I was unimpressed with the cocktails though. Twizzler lemonade didn’t live up to the Unilocal expectations. But the food and atmosphere makes it worth it.
Definitely a must-​go-​to spot.

An Uptown Gem.
Good beer/​wine selection, delicious (and strong) signature cocktails, warm knowledgeable staff, cozy (tiny), relaxed, ambiance. Very reasonably priced (I think their most expensive cocktail is $ 11, and the most expensive item on the menu under $ 20). It’s tiny, I’ve had to wait for a table every time I’ve gone, but still find it to be worth it.
Menu highlights —
AVOCADO FRIES — what mad genius thought of this? How do they manage to keep the avocado perfect under the crust? I don’t know, just order them.
Loaded Grilled Cheese — Out of this world. Flavor experience. Be sure to pencil in gym time for the next day, because you will demolish this sandwich.
Public burger — the blend of short rib, chuck, and brisket makes just about the most tender juicy burger i’ve ever had.
Mac & Cheese — Perfectly creamy, and not overly salty. The shells are done a little Al Dente which gives a nice bite. Really good with the pulled pork add on option, they balance it well.
Fried pickles — only place i’ve ever eaten that does them fried in cornmeal; the slight sweetness is delicious.
Wings — Their Hot is not my favorite — they aren’t really spicy, and I personally really dislike getting a strong taste of ketchup in buffalo wings; However the Apricot BBQ are great.

I love this burger spot in Hamilton Heights. Always good quality burgers and a great drink selection. It’s a nice place to go after work or if you are craving a good burger!

Downtown vibe, uptown pricing.
Nice group of people. The host definitely had the «downtown –tude» if you know what I mean. Waitress was great and didn’t make you feel rushed.
Had the avacado fries and Mac stac, definitely going back for some more.

Harlem Public, why did we just meet? This place seems to draw quite the crowd, and it’s clear why: great service, branded bread (how awesome and gimmicky), delicious food, communal tables and free popcorn. I’ve died and gone to Harlem Heaven.
There is plenty that’s already been written about this place, and I have to agree with the overwhelmingly positive responses. I was here with two of my buddies, drinking and watching gymnastics on the TV screens. We were here to catch up, and I’d never been, but I’m happy my friend Brian suggested Harlem Public to be our meeting place.
The fried chicken thigh sandwich is amazing. Period. I’m always looking for a good fried chicken sandwich and there was nothing I would change about this one. The bread was buttery and soft; the chicken moist and crispy, but not greasy. I stole a bit of Brian’s basil hummus, which was also to delightful and so fresh!
Drinks: Leblon berry caipirinha was great, but you should try a BACKWOODS BABY. I don’t really know what’s in it, haha. But it’s delicious and strong, and has an egg white foam. Just go for it– you’ll enjoy.
Bathroom was surprisingly clean for how busy they were. Overall, a wonderfully laid back experience with finger-​lickin’ food. I don’t know what took me so long, but I plan to make many return visits.
Bonus: my server recognized me from our Dartmouth days, «so give a rouse for the College on the hill». Service was excellent– Thanks, Josh.

I am a fan of this place.
The second time I visited, I went to the larger bar part. We sat at the bar and ordered grilled cheese sandwiches.
Now let me tell you, these are not your growing up at home cheese in single packages grilled cheeses with no gooey factor. Even though they do have a traditional one that my friend ordered. Her cheese was just as gooey as mine! These are some ooeey gooey custom grilled cheeses on sourdough toasted bread with cheeseS of your liking! Mine had cheese and pesto and I wanted to melt on it, it was so good. I didn’t know I liked grilled cheeses so much. But I do and I will go back to try the others on the list.
Tried the Pruple Haze for beer which was yum. Make sure you get it extra cold to really taste the flavor.
One critique– the music was not my style at all. One the restaurant side I know there a top hits vibe going on mixing the genres which I love. The bar side was playing heavy metal music that cramped our vibe. While it be for some it wasn’t for us. It was one of the reasons we left. but we ended up just going to the other side for some more beers.
Love that they have two parts to appeal to different crowds.

If you happen to be stuck between Washington Heights and Harlem this is a great, great pub. Some of the friendliest service I’ve had in a while. Also they have some crazy dinosaur sized burgers, and if you don’t believe me look at the pic!
PRO TIP: THEY HAVE A POP-​ROCKS MARGARITA

For a Friday night, this is the place you want to be. It’s busy and loud but not to the point that it’s unreasonable. Although the place was full when I arrived, I was able to snag a bar stool by the window pretty quickly. The atmosphere is inviting and comfortable and it seems like the perfect place to unwind after a long hard day.
Service was impeccable. Our waitress checked up on us often to make sure we were ok. The food came within 15 mins of ordering and the drinks were instantaneous.
I recommend:
— Twizzler Infused Lemonade= refreshing with a twist. I was surprised to drink it and realize that they have perfected a concoction to taste exactly like twizzlers in liquid form. The alcohol is lighter in this drink. It’s a good choice to start with if you’re not trying to get crunk too quickly.
— Loaded Grilled Cheese= crazy. All the things you questioned about grilled cheese is now made possible with this sandwich. Doritos, guac, Swiss cheese and more– it’s all blended together to make a unique taste that longs you craving for it again and again. I inhaled it… honestly look no further this will satisfy you I promise.
Overall consensus? Will definitely be back next time with more friends. Great 1^st experience.

Came to Harlem Public to catch up with a friend. It’s extremely loud and a little tight, but the music is on point, the food is good, and the staff are great!
We got there at about 9pm on a Friday night and it was packed! There’s very limited seating so we put a name down for a table. We saw a little corner by the bar and made the best of it for the meantime. We ordered our drinks and food with the bartender and enjoyed the vibe.
The Bandit Three Thieves Pinot Grigio is a really good brand. I enjoyed it a lot. I ordered the Mac and Steez with chicken… very good, until it got cold. Then you really see how cheesy it is… but that was my fault because I was running my mouth. It came out piping hot and creamy. It also looks like a small portion but it’s pretty filling.
The tater tots are amazing! My friend had them instead of fries with her vegan burger and I enjoyed quite a few. They give a lot of tater tots on the side with a burger.
The staff were fun and friendly from beginning to end. The host was dancing, the servers were dancing… it’s such an upbeat place. We had a great time and I will definitely return!

Can I make it through this entire review without using the dreaded «G» word? I’ll certainly try. I don’t want to add to some BS socioeconomic study about Unilocalers (I’m aware that that’s a reference that won’t make sense in a month from now).
Anyway, I’ve been told that Harlem Public (and At The Wallace next door) are now the destination drinking holes for people in the upper, upper west side. Places with craft beers, good food, and at HP, highly experimental cocktails.
I mean, seriously. There’s a mango strawberry margarita with a pop rock rim. For the record, it’s tasty.
Speaking of tasty, the food is also on the unique side. They have avocado fries that are actually done quite well. The last time I tried something similar, they were soggy and fell apart. But not these. They are structurally sound and really good, if not too rich (especially with the buttermilk ranch).
For food, the peanut butter burger was just too zany to pass up. Surprisingly, it wasn’t the first burger I had with PB (and likely won’t be the last). It’s a great flavor pairing. HP also has their signature burger with daily fresh ground meats. I’d definitely go back to try that one out.
Be warned that HP gets crowded, but someone will help you get a table if you let them know. We sat at the bar and had a good time. Oh, and as the other reviews have attested to, the bartender Hagan is a cool guy. If they have the bacon vodka around, he’ll make you a hilarious drink that tastes like breakfast. Do it.

I’m knocking a star because it gets crowded FAST, & when others are at a table, they tend to stay forever.
BUT! It’s not enough to keep me away!
The food is pretty solid. I’ve enjoyed the avocado fries, the veggie burger, and of course… FREE POPCORN. Free is for me, always.
I also strongly appreciate the variety in their drink menu. It keeps you wanting to come back to try new things. I’ve loved a handful of specialty cocktails (the Twizzler was notable) & also their seasonal brew specials. I once ordered a pumpkin hard cider. and the bartender handed it to me with a cinnamon rim… and I almost kissed the bartender.
If you’re in Ham Heights, even just as a visitor, this is a MUST!

Awesome neighborhood spot. I had the pulled pork and side salad, and my dining companion went for the peanut butter burger and fries. We had the avocado fries to start — do NOT miss these — and it was more than enough food. I took home half of my delicious sandwich, and the salad, which was a meal in itself. I had a bite of the PB burger and while unexpectedly good, I think it’s an acquired taste and I don’t know that I could eat one myself. The only downside was that our service was pretty slow, but I would return because the food is so good!
Update ⁵⁄₂₀₁₆: the salad with squash and stuff is really good, and the sweet potato fries are amazing.

Me gusta la selecion de cerveza los tacos de pescado el harlem public burger y el ambiente bien juvenil