Matts Grill

For the past year, I’ve spent dozens of nights and Sunday afternoons at this ordinary pub. The food was decent and inexpensive, if not great. But what attracted me was the burgeoning music scene, not the food. I’d been there maybe twice in 15 years before discovering the music. The bartenders would quickly know you by name. There were trios that would play, and some of the best musicians around would get up and sit in, singers would drop in to sing or two — not an open mic, just if the bandleader knew the singer –and I spent literally thousands of dollars here. I brought people who’d come and listen, and eat and drink. I even had my birthday party here last year, with a large table for dinner and over two dozen of my friends over the course of the night. I even had the Canadian CEO of a major company come by, and he bought rounds of very expensive drinks for a lot of people. Sometimes local celebrities like «Jackie the Jokeman» would drop by. But the owner, a guy who looks like he just walked off a six-​pack of Sam Adams beer, never liked this scene. He’d hire some of the best local jazz musicians, but he just wants them to be «background.» I’m sure some people come for «background music,» but that’s what elevators are for. A sad end to what was about to become a legendary spot. I’ve likely spent my last dime here unless they come to their senses. RIP Matt’s Grill, we barely knew ye.

Oce again, i was running errands and suddenly realized that I was hungry and wanted a burger. I was looking around where I was and found Matt’s Grill. I was seated by the window promptly and got my drink. I got the Matt’s classic burger which came on a pretzel bun with lettuce, tomato, bacon and dressing. It was a good burger-​medium well but was a handful to maneuver. It was however delicious. Fries rounded out the meal. I got a cup of coffee before i left. It is a decent sized spaced wcith tables a, nd booths towcards the back with the restroom in the rear. The staff was very accommodating and it is reasonably priced. The bartender that day may have been an owner. He said goodbye and thanked me for stopping by. I would recommend and return.

This place is great for what it is. I usually just stop in for a few beers and to enjoy the friendly service. I recently decided to try the food. For 17 bucks I had a pork chop smothered in marsala and mushrooms mashed potatoes and asparagus. The food was very good and I was very full for that price in that neighborhood this is a rarity. Is it as good as the numerous high end places within a few miles (Per se, Marea, Le Cirque, Ma Peche, ETC)? No, but those places cost a hell of a lot more and are for special occasions not for everyday dining, Again, this place does what it does very well.

Didn’t love this place. The pub feel is promising but the food was just not good. Grilled chicken salad and veggie burger were both boring and just underwhelming. Seats are uncomfortable too.

Just went to Matt’s Grill, hunting for a place to get out of the cold, and found a gem. The food is typical American fair, very tasty, and hit the spot that we were looking for, but what really made the meal awesome was the staff. We had excellent service from everyone in the restaurant, the hostess was super friendly, our waitress was just awesome and it was just one of those fun experiences that you remember for a long time. It ended with our waitress and the girls high kicking like the Rockettes out on the sidewalk. If I lived in the neighborhood I’d be there all the time, of course I would have gained many many pounds.

I just left this restaurant. I ordered the meatloaf and husband got the burger. My meatloaf LITERALLY tasted and had the consistency of dog food. My hubby tried it and agreed. I only was able to eat a few bites without feeling sick. Waitress noticed I hadn’t barely touched it but didn’t say anything or acknowledge it. I feel like I was ripped off. Hubby had burger which was really dry.

Favorite bar in Midtown. John is the best. Late night stop for drinks with friends. Great music and the kitchen is open late.

After a movie night with my ladies who have been the besties for 15years now, we were looking forward to one quick drink before calling it a night. As a true Unilocaler, I looked for places near the Lincoln Square theater area on the Unilocal iPhone App that would work great for an affordable drink in a nice bar. We stumbled upon a few places that were too crowded and noisy. My friends and I had not seen each other for nearly a month and were looking for a more low key and chill bar. From the outside Matt’s Grill looks like an ordinary pub, but the people inside greeted us with a smile and a «welcome we are glad you came» look that if I was in the neighborhood more often would make this a go to! I loved the beer selection and wine selection but was in the mood for a Lagunitas IPA. John our AMAZINGLY INTUITIVE server brought the bottle of Lagunitas with an ICE COLD MUG. It is as if he read my mind that I was in desperate need of an ICE COLD BEER! We enjoyed our first round and when she finished hers my friend asked for another beer. When I was nearly done, John read my facial cues and instantly brought me another one. I watched customers sitting next to me at the bar order food and was salivating as I saw them eat. A few minutes later, after asking for some water, John brought a bowl of hot, crispy fries for us that made me feel like dancing along with an ice cold glass of water with a lemon just like I love it without even having to ask. Needless to say, I had a uniquely incredible experience due to a receptive server that knew exactly what I wanted when I wanted it by simply reading my body language! I would come back again in a heartbeat when I’m near the area during John’s work days, Friday-​Monday! I hope John gets this message although I told him already, he made my Friday night:)

A few nights ago we were searching for a casual place to grab dinner before going to the theater and after looking at some menus thought that Matts Grill looked warm and friendly. The restaurant is small with a large bar that takes up the major area of the space but it feels like everyone eating there are friends. And the bartender greets every customer with a grand hello and goodby! We had salads and outstanding sweet potato fries! The hamburgers at a nearby table looked awesome! I’m planning to return soon to check out other items!

I wandered in here the other day after my annual Yankee Stadium trip to NYC. I had a burger, fries and soda. Would be nice if they served iced tea or lemonade. The waitress was very nice and the food was fast and good. It looks like a nice little place to hang out.

I came here for the Live Jazz Sunday Brunch and had a great time. Sarah Hayes and her guest artist Dave Williams were terrific and Dave the Bartender is great. I especially liked that, even while the band was playing, you could still hear the person next to you. It’s amazing how many venues in New York don’t seem to understand that you don’t need to blast the volume for people to enjoy the music.
Very mellow, very fun … I will be back with friends.

I was actually planning on visiting another restaurant, but the weather to this out-​of-​towner was «bad» enough to stop me in my tracks. I looked up, saw Matt’s, and went in.
I don’t know how often they have live music, but they had a small jazz group playing, which made the overall atmosphere fantastic. Friendly staff. Food was all right, but it really seemed like a nice place to get a drink, enjoy live music, and relax.

Two stars would be enough.
First of all, we were walking for the whole afternoon till evening, and we just want a nearest restaurant. We found Matts Grill which of course we Unilocaled first. I found 3 stars for this restaurant on Unilocal and thought this would be ok. Plus there’s a Tripadvisor signage on the entrance. So we thought, let’s try. I ordered burger with «fresh» French fries (as described in a menu) But what I got is a burnt French fries! Seriously! Burnt & bitter! My burger is so dried! Plain! The bacon inside (bacon normally makes everything delicious) doesn’t even work for this dish. My friend got seasar salad with chicken a which she’s just alright with it. The only one good thing about this restaurant would be the staff. They are so friendly and smiley. I wish they could change the chef, so the business would keep running with the good staff.

As the three stars say, Matt’s Grill is A-​OK.
It’s a decent choice for lunch or a drink, but nothing particularly overwhelming. It’s definitely a healthier and fresher alternative to the pub food at Rumours across the street. I’ve had the cobb salad, blackened chicken breast salad, and grilled chicken paillard salad. All were good salads — good portions, ingredients, freshness — but nothing remarkable.
The restaurant isn’t usually too busy, so it’s a good place to come with a group.
Matt’s Grill is worth checking out if you’re in the area, but I wouldn’t make a special trip for it.

Enjoyed a nice burger lunch here. Bar is nice and seems to be a place for locals around the neighborhood. However the atmosphere is nice for anyone. No hustle bustle and not crowded. Pretty chilled and calm. So stars for ambiance and friendly staff. Burger wasn’t anything special and don’t know if I want to try steak if they couldn’t get burger to be that amazing. Still if you’re nearby and want to grab a drink check out here.

Clean inside and nice staff. The food was good enough, but nothing to write home about. I got the BBQ chicken which was a little dry. My boyfriend got the meatloaf which he said was good.

I’m giving Matts 5 stars not so much for their food, but for the calming, friendly ambiance, super friendly bartender and $ 14 mason jars filled with vodka and raspberries!
I’m kind of a cheap date, so after the first straight vodka, shaken with ice and poured into a martini glass, I had to take things down a tad. The bartender was kind enough to humor me and got me a tall glass filled with ice cubes and some OJ so I could ration my portions more sensibly. I AM a grandmother after all! My daughter throughly enjoyed her 3 tall, ice cold Guinnesses. It wasn’t long before we felt we needed to get some food in our stomachs.
I got fried calamari, daughter got some fancy chicken finger type item. It was hard to tell at this point. But we both cleaned our plates, so I guess the food was good!
The other best part was walking into matts!
We were leaving a show, and the streets were so crowded and noisy that matts was an oasis of warmth and calm. My daughter has the mason jar with the remainder of the infused raspberries in her purse right now, and will undoubted enjoy them when she gets home in a few hours!

Matt’s Grill is a bar with decent food options. We came here as a big group during lunch hour and they have enough tables to accommodate us. The restaurant itself isn’t too busy so we were seated right away.
I want to say the salad I got, Cobb Salad was great. It is creamy and they gave you a ton of chicken, cheese and bacon for that matter. It is definitely filling and delicious. One of my coworkers had their Chicken Pot Pie and honestly they put too much chicken in it and it did not even look like a pot pie. Some other people ordered their Turkey burgers but one of them was undercooked.
We also waited 40 minutes for the food to come out when the restaurant itself wasn’t busy. The waiter did not pay attention to our group for the most part either. I am not sure where they think they should be spending their time other wise?
If not for the service. I would have given this place a higher rating. But for the lack of service and inconsistent food quality, I think a 3 will justify.

I was here on vacation and came here for some dinner with a couple of friends as it was close to our hotel. I would not recommend this place.
While the service was friendly, it was extremely slow. The meny was small, but looked tasty. Too bad the food was awful. I ordered the buttermilk fried chicken. The potatoes were good — if you put the gravy on it. But the chicken was awful. It was way over done. I guess I shouldn’t have been surprised because the food took FOREVER. I had to ask for extra gravy to drown moisten the chicken up. You got a hearty portion, but I would have much rather a smaller portion if the food were good.

Une bonne adresse trouvée un peu par hasard en flânant dans les rues newyorkaises.
Le big Matt Burger est très bon, nous avons tous choisis le même plat et aucun de nous n’a levé ‘objection. De plus l’ambiance pub fait bien plaisir et c’est free refill au niveau de l’eau. Ca change de devoir demander à chaque fois à boire.
Par contre, oubliez la viande saignante, le plus bas niveau de cuisson aux USA c’est «Rare» et ce qui correspond à mi saignant, mi à point.

So I recently started a new job in the neighborhood (Feb 11^th actually) and I have not eaten outside of my cubicle or building since then. My last job also resulted in mostly in-​office lunches and not many opportunities grabbed to walk around and get fresh air. With it being a Friday and my having waited to take lunch until 3pm because I was interviewing up a storm — the company cafeteria had closed at 2:30pm forcing me to go outside and enjoy the BEAUTIFUL afternoon weather. Starving and feeling antsy, I decided to go out for a bit and was aiming to bring lunch back to my «workstation»…but then I found Matt’s Grill.
I was greeted by the awesome bartender on staff, Nuala (pronounced Noo-​la), who was a really pleasant and friendly woman with a charming Irish brogue. She informed me that wine and beers for ONLY $ 1 (!!!) with the purchase of lunch. I informed her that I had indeed known this thanks to the sign outside and I signed up immediately for a delicious red, red wine.
For lunch I ordered a grilled chicken sandwich with bacon and cheddar cheese. Was supposed to come with tomato, but I asked them to hold it and it comes with a smokey jalapeño mayo which I asked for on the side because I’m a huge pussy when it comes to anything with the word «jalapeño» associated with it.
My sandwich was pretty fantastic if you take all things into consideration. My chicken was a really healthy amount of juicy, white meat, chicken breast that was nicely charred and not flavorless in the least. A friend of mine who had been here before noted on my instagram photo that he felt this place has bland food — granted that I’ve only eaten here once I have to disagree based on my lunch and my observing the lunches of the folks around me at the bar.
This is very much an Irish pub/​grill type place — if this sandwich were from an Indian or Latin place then yes, it would have been insanely bland — but you know what you’re getting yourself into when you go to a regular neighborhood grill place — my sandwich was fantastic as were my french fries. So crunchy and potato-​ey.
My $ 9 lunch was divine along with my $ 1 glass of wine that was poured into a small, traditional carafe and really turned out to be two nicely-​sized goblets full (so really almost $ 1 for TWO glasses of wine) — not to mention that my lunch portion was also super generous and could have easily turned into lunch and dinner… but I’m a food monster so I crushed it :).
Matt’s grill is not only a bargain, but delicious and they have a pretty impressive selection of bourbons (no idea why exactly I noticed this, but I did). I’m so happy that I stumbled upon this gem and I really, really look forward to coming back here and trying something new. I’ve heard positive things about their meatloaf and mashed potatoes. Mmmmm, potatoes.