The Penrose

Dope bar in the UES with a chill vibe. Food was good, I would recommend the fish tacos or the fish and chips as my date and I really enjoyed sharing them. The drinks were really good as well, I would recommend the warm apple cider or the Old Sam something (can’t exactly remember the name). If you’re looking for a nice chill bar with good food and fun time, check this place out it doesn’t disappoint.

I LOVE LOVE LOVE this place! The drinks, the food, the atmosphere — it’s all wonderful. Be sure to get the El Campeon cocktail and a side of the crispy brussels sprouts. You will not be disappointed.
Note: this place is always crowded and loud but so worth it.

Went there a few weeks ago on a Saturday night expecting to have a great time with friends but instead had an awful experience. Seems the bartender were on a bit of pressure because the place was packed and that made them behave like we were bothering them, had attitude towards us not only that made us wait even for a cup of water but the people next to us were waited right the way all the time. I think they need to work on how to handle pressure and how all customer should be treated the same way… Is there a zero start on this?

The UES has long needed a bar like this. I can’t speak to any of the food just yet, but it’s certainly a lively spot to end the evening with a cocktail. If you’re so inclined, they’ve got a Dirty Pickle Martini with McClure’s spicy brine.
As the poem goes:
I like to drink martinis,
Two at the very most.
Three, I’m under the table,
Four, I’m under the host.
All I’m going to say is that he was a sweet, gentle man.

Came here for brunch for the first time after coming many times for drinks at night and the food was great!
Got there around 12:45 for brunch (Sunday) and I was told it would be a 25 minute wait, but it ended up being around 5, which was obviously a pleasant surprise! I also REALLY appreciate that they take down your number and text you when it’s ready… why doesn’t every place do that these days?! But anyway the wait wasn’t bad at all.
We got 2 orders of the Croque madame and 1 order of the eggs Benedict… the eggs looked gorgeous and had such nice presentation, meanwhile the sandwiches came on plain plates with no garnishes or anything and no side salad which it is normally served with. Not even some lettuce on there, which the eggs did come with… very weird. But taste wise everything was good and the croque madames were very filling! Got an orange juice too which tasted fresh!
Side of fries was GIANT… if I remember correctly there were two sizes and we got the smaller so definitely not necessary to order a big one! Was a really big bowl.
Our waitress gave us a lot of attitude which was frustrating, because we had no demands or anything that one would generally find annoying… we ordered straight off the menu, didn’t take long, etc… the only thing we asked for was change but she acted like each request was a hassle which was really annoying.
Other than that, would definitely recommend coming here at night for drinks. It’s a fun spot but a line does form outside!

Great brunch spot, cool scene… And not super crazy expensive cocktails. It’s a great upper east side spot. Have gone for dinner before too– not a lot of options, but really great food.
Suggest getting their bloody Mary’s and burgers.

If a place is going to be this absurdly pretentious it ought to at least be good.
Basically it is every single pub that serves food only with a soul patch and puckered anus. No thanks.

The Penrose is a delicious gastropub and bar in what can be the very sterile environment in the Upper East Side. The focus here is very clearly fresh and flavorful food and excellent drinks executed flawlessly.
I’ve been here for both dinner and brunch and I’m a sucker for their fried oysters and oyster sliders, I’m from the south and they get it right. Their bar is wonderfully stocked, freshly squeezed juice mixers, nothing canned as far as I’ve experienced.
Clientele, I mean would I call it a yuppy UES group? Yes, I would, but they’re generally good people.
I recently spent New Year’s Eve here, tickets were 95 dollars but it was a three hour open bar with almost nothing excluded and heavy appetizers. Not much dancing but good music and they sold just the right amount of tickets so it didn’t seem overcrowded. They had a good smattering of crowns, hat and noise makers.

I’ve been coming to this place pretty much since it opened a few years ago. It felt like an oasis on the UES — a nice, clean, comfortable bar/​restaurant (without TVs) and with a great menu, cocktails, and draft beer. The prices have always been on point for the quality you receive.
This is one of my favorite brunch spots on the UES. The menu (about 10 – 12 items) offers a few dishes for whatever cravings you may have (sweet, savory, light, hearty, etc). The bacon, egg, and cheese on a brioche is always a solid choice, and their french fries are heavenly.
Service is always nice and efficient, and if you get there at a decent time (before ½pm), it’s easy to get a table (even for parties of 4 or more).
As good as when it opened, this place is not to be missed!

Walked in this cute spot on a Saturday afternoon to have a drink. The place was nearly empty and the kitchen was closed so we only had 2 drinks.
I had a scotch and my friend had hot Toddy which tasted like a blend of medicine and tea… in a good way hahah
Their menu offers an extensive choice of drinks including whiskey and scotch. Hands down to that. Would definitely come back to try their food another time.

Generally speaking The Penrose is a goto place in the UES, as there are no TVs, it’s cute/​well decorated, and the drinks/​fun is good. However my recent experience was so bad that I sadly needed to change my outlook on this place due to service.
My girl and I showed up for brunch on New Years day around 1PM, yes it was busy. However this was expected as the place had posters on the wall for the past week or two advertising that they were going to be open for brunch and to stop by and have the first brunch of 2016 with them. Therefore the management should have expected a large crowd, but instead they had clearly understaffed the place. After being seated, here is where the trouble started:
1) After being seated, about 10 minutes went by with no one coming by to ask for an order, drinks, etc. We finally flagged the hostess that was coming by and asked when we should expect someone to help us. She offered to take our order, which was very nice, we placed our order for drinks and food.
2) Another 10 minutes went by and no drinks. We had to flag a person again and they checked on them, 5 minutes later we had 2 out of our 3 drinks ordered (missing coffee), we didn’t say anything as to not continue to be bothersome.
3) They come up to us twice with food with the wrong order. Finally they asked us what we had ordered, they had got it half right. They said they would fix. About 5 minutes later they come and deliver my food and say they are working on my girl’s. I stated, «So what I am supposed to do, let this sit and get cold while you just now start on hers?» We were getting fed up so my girl said to just gohead and eat ahead of her so it didn’t get cold. Too late my dish was already barely warm.
4) About 20 minutes later (after I had completed my meal) the other order of food came out. They talked with the manager and comp’d both of our drinks.
5) The bill came and we put down two cards to have it split, the receipts come back for us to sign and I sat and stared, and the amount was wrong (we think they rang out a higher bill and split that instead)! We had to flag a person down again, had them void the transaction and fix the mistake.
If it was one or two things that went bad on this brunch day, I could see, but the parade of mistakes, decisions, and poor management caused us to be late to an engagement and a very poor experience.
As others had said, the management here and service definitely appears to be an issue. I would advise stopping in for drinks at the bar, but avoid food and any table service.

The Penrose is one of the best bars on the UES. It’s a great place to come for drinks, to go out, to come with friends, to meet someone, even to come for brunch. They also have live music on Sunday nights, and I’ve always had a good time at that.
The bar has a great vibe as well. It is classy, and there are no shlubs. Every time I’ve been here – plain and simple – people look nice. The bar also has an interesting décor, with lots of antiques.
One thing to note, this place gets packed on weekend nights. So, that’s a sign the place is good.

Went to the Penrose since it was so close to my friend’s place where I was staying to meet up with another friend for drinks and dinner! There was a wait for dinner but we just put our names on the list and had drinks at the bar. We got good seating.
The drinks were delicious and the bartender was pretty friendly, which was nice. The ambiance is great and chic and definitely a place I would hang out and get drinks at on the regular.
As far as seating they seat multiple different parties at one table so for private conversation I don’t know if this would be the restaurant of my choice, but for a good time with friends, this is definitely a place to go!

Nicely decorated and Lively bar with an upbeat atmosphere and vibe. Great non fratty crowd
I’ve mostly been here for after dinner drinks but have eaten appetizers here a couple times so we could get a table: the seasonal salad and shrimp cocktail are both good. And the oyster sliders are a must have here. They are delicious !
Drinks are well made, and bartenders are pleasant though can time take to get drinks due to usually a pretty crowded bar.
There is a narrow bar area then a room in the back with tables and standing room.
The most recent times I’ve been here the bar and back seating areas were filled so we needed to stand.
Not a place to go for drinks if you want to sit down and have conversation. But recommend for atmosphere and if you want to be out in a nicer bar upper east.

Penrose
NY Manhattan UES
7:45pm Saturday 14^th November 2015
Four Stars
This upscale gastropub was pretty lively and filled with a younger demographic. The hostess was able to squeeze 7 of us in a booth. I had a spicy pickle martini and the chicken & waffles. The drink was splendid. The chilled Titos Vodka, Cucumber brine, and spicy pickle garnish made for a great evening cocktail. The two pieces of chicken was delicious. The skin was deep fried to an extra crispy texture and medium to dark brown color. It adhered well to the tender, juicy chicken flesh. The overall flavor was salty and heavy seasoned but in an enjoyable way. Surprisingly the chicken breast was better than the thigh. The half waffle was light and fluffy but not nearly enough crunch. Plus I want a full waffle when get chicken and waffles. They did not provide me with any butter. The maple syrup was decent.
The service was fairly decent for such a busy place.

This is a rough one for me.
Upon walking up to The Penrose I noticed that it had a cool vibe right away. Making good use of nostalgia clutter… lots of luggage, books and cute drawings of animals. Add some great music and a lively brunch crowd, I was feeling lucky that I found the place.
Service was poor-​ish.
Our server was prompt and nice but… he brought old bitter cold coffee and idn’t bring cream and sugar with it. It’s brunch and coffee matters
Food was great.
Very pretty Penrose Spritzer… taste like orange High C.
Egg and cheese sandwich was amazing and simple.
Large fry was really enough for three people.

Great atmosphere — makes you want to stay and hang out a while. Tons of drink selections including an extensive beer list and house crafted cocktails. Lots of seating as well!
It is certainly clean — last night you could smell the cleaning supplies more than anything (nothing like a lemon scented bar…). Definitely could be a worse smell, though.
Definitely stop by for a cocktail.

This is going to be a long one. I came on two different occasions, brunch and dinner, and both times, I was actually blown away by the food. Like it was actually very very good.
Brunch– I came here with my sister as a treat for my birthday and we got the Fried Chicken and Waffles and Bacon, egg and oyster sandwich.
The Fried Chicken was great and crispy while moist on the inside. The waffle was a good standard waffle. Easy for sharing as they give you two pieces. The dish that blew my mind was their oyster sandwich. The bun was strong enough to hold all the goodies inside: the crunchy bacon, fried egg and one of the most delicious fried oysters I’ve had in a long time. It was huge and juicy on the inside while still crunchy on the outside. I was surprised that it was neither soggy nor shrunken up from the fryer. Two thumbs up Penrose. I would 100% get that oyster sandwich again. Only negative from this meal was their Bacon Bourbon Mary. It was waayyyy too sweet. I struggled to finish it. The oyster made me forgive this drink mishap.
Dinner — I went with my roommate and it was just as delicious as I was able to make it right in time for happy hour, ends at 7pm.
We started off with the Beer Battered Mcclure’s Brooklyn Pickles. The pickles were the thickest cut fried pickles I’ve ever had. It wasn’t as crunchy from the fryer as I would typically like it but the pickle held the crunch since it was thick and with their smoky sauce, it was still delicious and plenty to share with a small group of people
.
We then got the Spiced Beef Sandwich and Grilled Octopus Salad. Both stupendous. The spiced beef sandwich had more than enough meat and it was moist and tender. The grilled octopus was also a huge portion with plenty of perfectly cooked octopus. Soft with a nice, fresh grilled taste. The lemon breadcrumbs were a great counterbalance to the char.
Overall the food was awesome and not even that expensive for what you are getting. I’m glad I live just a block away because I would be more than okay with going back and trying more dishes (or just getting that oyster sandwich again).
One comment for the restaurant: the wait staff to seat you are situated in the middle of the restaurant, past the bar. I understand that would be a convenient location for people to be seated during busy weekend evenings but I don’t see why it would be necessary during brunch hours. As a newcomer, it was confusing for me as to why no one was approaching/​seating us once we entered.

Solid choice for the upper east side. I’ve been here for both brunch and late drinks, both were great experiences!
Brunch — I don’t think they are bottomless, but they do pour some STRONG drinks and they’re not crazy expensive. So two of their drinks will get you to that brunch sweet spot.
I had the avocado toast and it was DELISH! Generous portion of bacon and the bread was super fresh/​homemade tasting. It was also a pretty big portion, I would definitely recommend this place as a fun brunch option in UES.
Drinks — There are two bars, the one in the back is usually less crowded, they have a few beers on draft and helpful bartenders who will help you pick out a beer. I got just normal well drinks and they were good, not too expensive. The vibe was 20s-​30s and there were plenty of places to stand (seating was scarce) at around 9ish on a saturday.

Wish Unilocal could do half stars! It was actually 3.5 stars.
Very loud bar, but the inside is nicely decorated. I’m a fan of their ceiling which lets light in, so you’re not sitting in complete candle-​lit darkness. We came here for dinner on a weekday night; no lines, and we were quickly seated. I ordered the smoked beef sandwich, and fiancé ordered a burger. Split a side of fries. While my sandwich was good, the mustard inside was just overwhelming. You know that feeling where you eat a slice of wasabi and your sinuses clear up? There was one bite where there was way too much mustard that wow… just way too much. Sadly, also because of too much mustard, fiancé didn’t want ½ of my sandwich, which meant I didn’t get to eat ½ of his burger, which was way way better than the sandwich. Will come back next time for a burger, and try these fried oysters that everyone else on Unilocal is raving about.