Albert Hall Tavern

Sadly, this was replaced by a sad Irish pub that has nothing to do with the greatness that once was. The neighborhood really misses Albert Hall Tavern!

Ok. I have been to Albert Hall Tavern a few times for lunch, which has always been fine, not great, but it’s close to my office and I am sucker for burger/​beer deals. However, the soda is ALWAYS flat, and the bathroom setup is incredibly weird, and there are always flies. It’s gross. Also, don’t have the deviled eggs. I couldn’t eat deviled eggs for months after trying them here.
Anyway, I went there again recently after a couple of months for dinner with a few friends before a bowling party at Frames. First off, they were closed for renovations for a while, and it seems they reopened the place before finishing in a desperate bid to make up for lost money. There were wires hanging down across a few tables from giant TVs that hadn’t been hooked up yet, and they changed the name of the restaurant but didn’t change it on the menus or their website. Ok, I get it, not everything can be polished and ready in time, but it was sketchy.
Our waitress was new, and when I asked for the beverage list, she had to go write down all the beers on tap. The place doesn’t have a printed drink menu, I guess? Weird. Took about 10 minutes. Finally, we all had our drinks and chose our food. My friend got a wrap that has avocado in it, and some truffle fries.
Food comes out, mine is fine, my friend has no avocado and regular fries. She brings this up with the waitress who clearly has no idea what to do. Goes off and disappears for a while. Finally another waitress comes up and and says the chef swears he put truffle oil on the fries and she can bring out some avocado. At this point, we don’t have much time before we have to leave for our bowling party so we say, whatever, forget it. We get the check, which takes another 10 minutes to get from our waitress (mind you, the place was EMPTY).
Finally she brings it, we split it up between cash and credit, I put down my card, my friends throw in what they owe plus tax and tip in cash. The waitress takes it, we explain how it is to be split up. She is gone for 20 MINUTES, with two managers at her station trying to help her figure out the bill. I have worked at restaurants before, and splitting a bill between cash and credit is NOT difficult. In my experience, you charge the card first with the amount written down, then leave a space for tip to be added on. Add on the cash to cover the rest of the bill and part of the tip.
She comes back, and hands me my card, but doesn’t give me anything to sign. I ask her where is the receipt to add tip and to sign. She gets confused again, and explains she already took the tip out of what I paid. I asked for clarification, and off she goes for another 5 minutes to get the receipt to show me. My friends left to go reserve a lane at Frames while I wrangled with the bill, but I finally gave up because the whole situation was so ridiculous and paid my friends back for the part of the bill they inadvertently covered for me.
Needless to say, NEVER going back. Mediocre food, dirty restaurant, terrible lighting, and bad service. I know the girl was new, but she had us as her one table. No excuse.

Ok, so in reality the only reason this place gets 4 stars is b/​c of the service and the endearing way they have come to embrace their «living social» deal (at a time when most venues look down or scoff on them).
The waitress was awesome, cheery and seemed totally happy when we declared our living social deal. She then brought us our very own personalized menu meant specifically for the deal, which welcomed us and told exactly what we could get (a burger, a craft beer and a bourbon/​cocktail).
Needless to say the burger was pretty mediocre (amidst a city where burger competition is so stiff) and the food was so so at best. I wouldn’t come back for the food but the service, friendliness, and overall vibe of the place is definitely inviting and worth coming back for a drink at least.

Came here because HK lounge had a long wait and the music that was playing there was not helping my hangover. So we decided to walk across the street and check this place out. It was ok… nothing special, but decent drinks and service. Not busy at allllllll. So it was a little quiet because there were only 4 other parties there and looked like we were the one of the 2 parties that chose to go with the unlimited drink option. food was good and drinks were as well. so many other bunch places in the city, so would not make a special trip out here for this place.
*Enjoy*

Like a few others, I came here for the Living Social deal that included two burgers, two beers and two bourbon drinks. There’s nothing that really tops that, so it wouldn’t be fair to judge them based on this deal. Instead, my 3-​star rating pertains only to the taste of the food itself, the quality of the drinks, and the service.
The burgers were definitely edible, and the fries are good in small portions, but they’re nothing to wet your pants over. The best part of the meal was the bourbon cocktails, which were surprisingly potent and tasty.
Actually, I changed my mind. The best part of the meal was the tall Asian hostess who spoke with a lovely Russian accent.

I took a couple out-​of-​towner friends here, as I was looking for a quick place for brunch in the same area as where I needed to drop one of them off at the bus. There aren’t a lot of decent options, but the menu looked good.
We had a good experience! Our food was fresh, and came in perfect sized portions (if you want a crazy big plate you won’t get it here, but I’d much rather quality over quantity). And you get a complimentary alcoholic brunch-​related beverage, so considering that their prices are really great for a midtown establishment. (I didn’t love my mimosa, but I’ll chalk that up to them using a champagne that was a bit dry for my taste.)
Our waitress was genuinely British, which is a nice touch. :) More importantly, she was friendly, as was the busboy (or fellow waiter, I couldn’t tell). And for a gastropub, I liked the décor and the vibe.
Knowing the rest of this neighborhood, this is definitely a good spot if you want a pub that also has good — not greasy and heavy — food.

So this place had a reboot and there is a big sign out front, come in for a free glass of wine with your meal. Great! I step inside to a nice looking «bar».
Its a big, clean space with a long dark wooden bar and crazy looking beers on tap.
After I ate, I’m putting on my coat and I hear a dude say, «Lets see what the Unilocalers say». Well guess what Mr. smirky face? I heard what you said and you’re gonna get my first real review of your place.
Someone greets me when I walk in the door about 12:30. The place is empty. I mean, no one is here. No bartender, no one in the restaurant?
Finally, the hostess comes around the bar and we start talking wine. I settle on a Cabernet Savignon. Holy Moley! Generous pour? This dude gave me ¾ full of a really big glass!
I order a $ 10 burger with gruyère cheese and onions. The burger is brought to me and its really undercooked. I tell the bartender and he orders another burger for me.
A bunch of dudes walk in and they order lunch as well as a few beers.
The guy sitting next to me asked for a refill on his IPA. He’s brought back a dark beer? He says, I asked for an IPA, the same one you gave me? The bartender is arguing with him, saying see? Here is the IPA and pours beer in a small cup. (Its dark) The guy says, I’ll have another of the same beer that you gave me earlier…
Now my 2^nd burger comes out pretty quickly. Thats a damm good burger! And for $ 10 bucks?! Score 10 for Gryffindor!
So the same bartender give me the bill. He charged me for the free wine?! I say dude, What’s happening? He says there is no free wines!
Really?
I take him outside and show him his banner! He says oh, sorry and charged me $ 10 bucks for a banging burger with a glass of wine that has me buzzed…
I’ll be back for the Fish and Chips!
(heh heh. I spent $ 10 bucks for lunch and drinks today)

This review is from november 2011; I’ve been informed that Albert Hall Tavern has changed it’s MGMT since this review was written so it may not reflect the current experience;
If you’re a food person don’t bother. TGIFriday’s caliber food posing as a place with a few michelin stars on the wall…
The atmosphere is fine — music was a really nice touch (live band, very good fit) — but the food is super weak — service was OK — They kinda market it as a «gastro» pub — implying the are into for the food — BUT the food was super bland… uninspired and the meat wasn’t the highest quality — the menu is defiantly trying to convince you this is high end food –but the taste and presentation are a far cry from high end food. (wilted lettuce, gross onion and a tomato stump on the burger — overall presentation looked like a 5 year old threw it together)
not worth the money for dinner — probably a lovely spot for drinks — but if you want to eat there are numerous alternatives in this area (mostly above 41^st in hells kitchen proper) that serve much better food…
Oh I will say, they nailed the french fries. Very nicely done fries.

Albert Hall Tavern is a gastropub located in Hell’s Kitchen. We were brought here via a LivingSocial coupon.
For a table of six, we ordered the following for dinner:
— Raw Littleneck Clams
— Raw Malpeque Oysters
— Bone Marrow with Deviled Beef and Pickled Beets — YUM!
— Roast Whole Branzino with Meyer Lemon and Garlic
— Seafood Angel Hair Pasta with Wilted Arugula, Whipped Potatoes, and Tomato Citrus Vinaigrette
— Roasted Half Chicken with Potato Gratin and Mushroom Gravy
— Skillet Burger with Fontina Cheese
— Sauteed Broccoli Rabe
— French Fries with Duck Fat and Truffle — MUST GET!
Drinks:
— Prohibition Amber Ale
— Delirium Tremens Belgian Golden Ale
— Gavroche French Red Ale
— Cabernet Sauvignon, Line 39 2007, California
Overall, dinner was pretty good. Bone Marrow is WORTH A TRY. French Fries with Duck Fat and Truffle Oil is a MUST GET. Atmosphere and ambiance a plus.
Food Rating: 3.5

With a lively bar scene and better than average food, Albert Hall is an excellent alternative to the 347 Thai restaurants on 9^th Ave. We wandered in on a Friday evening, and although they were 3 patrons deep at the bar, there was many an open table in the cozy dining room in the back.
The host seemed slightly offended that I didn’t laugh at his [admittedly lame] joke. If you’re out there sir, I’m sorry. I had a long day, and I just needed a drink. I do appreciate the levity, and the excellent service that you and your staff provided.
I would have gladly made a meal of their appetizer offerings (a trio of sliders never seems like a bad idea), but we opted only for the bone marrow and the artichoke dip. The latter was nice and artichokey (this is absolutely a word), a pleasant departure from the usual spinach/​cheese concoction. The rich and mellow marrow came atop a bed of salt; an attractive presentation, but one that can result in mouth-​puckering disaster if the garnish happens to melt into the pickled beets on the side. Both the dip and the rich marrow were accompanied by rock-​hard crostini that nonetheless did the trick.
Our entrees were well executed, but seemed slightly stingy at the price point. Perhaps they could’ve offered a better bangers to mash ratio, but dipped in the accompanying gravy, with a bit of caramelized onion, each bite was bliss. My companion rarely bypasses fish and chips on a menu, and here was no exception. The portion was a bit skimpy (at $ 17), but the tartar was homemade and quite good, pairing well with both the fish and the fries.
The food certainly seems solid at Albert Hall, although I’ve had bigger and better for a bit less cash. But such is life. Such is Manhattan.

Let’s just say a stone’s throw away from Port Authority is not typically my favorite neighborhood in the city. My latest visit to Albert Hall Tavern proved unable to dissuade me from this stereotype. Allow me to break it all down for you, folks:
— Host seats our party of four.
— I struggle to squeeze through space between bench armrest and tabletop.
— Host details Happy Hour specials. Leaves.
— Host returns a minute later to inquire if a waiter has approached us. One has not.
— I peruse the menu, wonder if even tourists know just how jacked up these prices are.
— Waiter #1 approaches. I attempt to order Happy Hour beer.
— Waiter #1 informs me Happy Hour ended over an hour ago, despite host having just gone through ordeal of announcing discounts.
— I still order the damn beer.
— I prejudicially profile a few drunk, scantily clad, middle-​aged women and their johns, I mean, dates at the bar.
— Waiter #2 delivers three beers (we ordered four). One of said three is wrong (for you math majors, only half the table’s order has been delivered correctly thus far).
— Party of four silently agrees one drink per person will be enough here.
— Waiter #2 delivers remainder of correct beers.
— I drink said beer like it’s college all over again, pondering while I pound why such a nice attempt at Jazz Age dark wood décor would be wasted on such poor service.
— Waiter #3 drops off the bill. My beer is charged to me at Happy Hour price. A small victory, paired with the small feeling I may have misjudged this place.
— Bill also includes an additional $ 30 of booze. This belongs to the table adjacent to us. Small feeling vanishes entirely. Victory remains.
— Waiter #3 apologizes for mistake when this is called out to him, resets our check to what we truly owe.
— Party of four pays bill. Still leaves tip.
— I struggle to squeeze through space between armrest and tabletop. Again.
— I exit and I’m still in Goddamn Midtown.
Key take-​away: if you are able to look miserable enough at Albert Hall Tavern, it could end up being Happy Hour prices whenever you’d like!

I came here with the living social deal with was 2 courses for 2 and a bottle. We were giving 4 choices each for apps and entrée and some of them were not what was advertised with the LS deal. Which was fine, unless the food totally sucked.
To be fair we did enjoy the appetizers. The muscles especially was quite tasty, the broth was good enough to drink. Bone marrow was also very good but why in the world do they put a big lump of salt under the bone? Its a messy dish and if you happen to accidentally scoop up some of the salt it becomes inedible. For entrees I had the half roasted chicken and my partner had the sausages and mash. The chicken was extremely dry to the point that I could only finish half of it. The sausages were passable but as an entrée its just boring and underwhelming.
And then the bill came and we were charged an extra 7.99 billed as «Open Food». Which the server uncomfortably explained was the added cost of using the living social coupon. I said nothing and paid. I mean.“open food”… really? if you don’t like the agreement you set with living social then don’t run it in the first place. You will only end up screwing the customers you are trying to attract.

Décor– 4 stars: proper lighting makes everyone look more attractive
Music– 5 stars (thanks Kory)
Bartenders– 4 stars, they know their Bourbon/​Whiskey
Bathroom– 4 stars, clean as a whistle
Food– 4.5 stars, Cauliflower & blue cheese soup and the duck fat & truffle fries are worth returning for (the ahi sliders are delicious too)
How am I just learning about this joint?
Thanks Unilocal!We can’t wait to return.

Being the jaded New Yorker that I am, I have a tendency to walk by bar/​pub/​restaurant places and ignore them since they’re a dime a dozen in Manhattan. This is especially true in the area around midtown on the West Side. I would have probably never gone to Albert Hall Tavern on my own, but I was invited to a little get together there last week and boy, I may have to rethink my jaded self with these types of places!
I have generally found these places to be super loud, crowded and uncomfortable. Albert Hall was almost the exact opposite. It was spacious, relatively quiet, comfortable temperature-​wise and the setting was really nice. It looked like something out of an old Victorian Era novel, with ornate items on the walls, pages of old books used as an elaborate wallpaper in one section, wood booths and amber lighting which created an awesome ambience. Another nice touch: a live jazz band playing at a nice volume in the background.
The bartender (I didn’t catch her name) was very sweet and mixed some good drinks for us. She was kind enough to mix up something I had just found online and I had one of the tastiest Riesling wines I’ve had in ages there. This alone is awesome, but the food is what truly made this experience great.
Much of the menu is not your typical «wings and things» type menu. Case in point? The dishes we ordered:
FRENCH FRIES
What’s the big deal? It’s fries, right? Well, yeah… except they’re cooked in *duck fat* with some *truffle oil* on top! These things were so incredibly tasty it was clear it was a heart attack in a dish. These things are dangerously addicting and had a wonderfully decadent and earthy flavor. The texture was crisp on the outside, and most on the inside. Brilliant!
BANGERS AND MASH
Spicy sausages, carmalized onions on a bed of wonderfully tasty potatoes, what’s not to like? When you combined all three of those elements it was awesome. The sausage was spicy and savory, the onions added a sweet element to the mix and then the potatoes provided a neutral canvas for those two flavors to blend. It was wonderful!
Congrats Albert Hall, you’ve made a jaded life long New Yorker a bit less jaded about one type of foodie experience. That’s high praise!

Update for new menu trial. The last time I came here, tried water melon salad and soft shell crab, which I heard their new addition (I usually order my favorite tar tar and didn’t really noticed the menu is renewed.). And the soft shell crab turned to be my new favorite!
The watermelon salad was delicious with the hint of basil and lemon, somewhat goes well with beer too. But the most memorable for that night was soft shell crab, which was so delicious with really soft meat/​shell with flavorful batter outside. Highly recommended!
Although I come here all year round (since it’s in my neighborhood), like this place especially during summer time. With beer, summer breeze, and the long sunset, I can totally be refreshed after work!!!

Got the Livingsocial deal for two course pre-​fixed meal with a bottle of wine for two.
For appetizers, we had the bone marrow and the steamed mussels as the waiter recommended. The steamed mussels were surprisingly good! and the creamy soup the mussels were in was so delicious! I seriously wanted to drink it.
The bone marrow was pretty interesting. You are pretty much really eating the bone marrow off the bone… but it was pretty good. tasted like soft cow fat. in a less greasy way
For the entrees, we had the cheeseburger and the fish and chips. Both were ok. Mine fish and chips were a little bit too greasy. My stomach was very upset the whole night after that. And the tartar sauce was tasteless
The place is very dark and cute and look very classy BUT the music of choice they play in there is very odd, they play Lady Gaga songs. I love Lady Gaga but it just doesn’t go well with the ambiance in there.
Service was ok. somewhat slow. the waiter was friendly but we did not see him again after he took our order.
Will return for the mussels

I came here with my other half cuz of the Living Social deal as well. Overall, we were more impresed with the appetizers than the entrees.
The first thing our waiter did was take our voucher number from the phone and then told us that the meal includes 2 appetizers, 2 entrees and a bottle of wine (we chose the Malbec). For appetizers, we shared the Bone Marrow and the Mussel. For entrees, we decided to go with the Duck Confit and the Fish and Chips.
Bone Marrow– It was delicious! Much better than the other ones I’ve tried before, and both the caramelized shallots and picked beats were good sides to go with the Bone Marrow. For those who haven’t tried Bone Marrow before, it’s a delicacy; the texture is almost like steak fat, but you would not feel the grease when eating it. Yum yum~
Mussels– Wow, this one is special! I LOVE the broth. At the beginning when they brought us olive oil and bread, I told my fiancé that I was going to go easy on the bread tonight. But then when I tasted the mussels broth, I took that back. I was soaking all the soup up with the bread and was half stuffed before my entrée even came out. We both liked it so much that we immediately decided that we would come back here just for the mussels.
Now on to the entrees: my fiancé enjoyed his duck confit. I took a couple of bites from his dish and I thought it was alright; duck meat was good and I liked the beans, but I could not take a second bite of that blood sausage. I guess it was an acquired taste and just didn’t work for me. As for my fish and chips, I thought the fish was great; deep fried, but fish meat was very tender. The chips were supposedly prepared with duck fat and truffles; call me low-​class, but I prefer regular fries.
Aside from the food, service was okay. The waiter was friendly and gave good recommendation of appetizers. However, he didn’t stop by again until we called for check. We had to call for our water to be refilled, and was not too thrilled about that.
Anyway, not a bad deal with Living Social, will be back for the mussels and love that telephone booth cabinet! =D

Partial to the name Albert– we headed over for dinner after movie at Chelsea.
This area is slightly below Hells Kitchen– I will call it Hells Kitchenish.
The spot has allot of cool features. it’s décor– including red telephone, wood benches, wallpaper and great loos…
The service started off as super friendly and attentive…
My friend Karen ordered a Belgian beer which arrived in a beaker and wooden holder– mad cool presentation…
Started with artichoke dip
Me– mac and cheese
Karen– Fish and chips
Dessert– Fig custard
Artichoke dip (warm) with homemade chips and toast was delish. Mac and cheese was super cheesy, gooey good.
Fish and chips was spot on– chips cooked in duck fat and truffle oil with skin on were thin, crispy and packed with flavor.
Fig custard was cold ground figs– too rustic for me. Took a long time to get credit card bill, and space can be a tight squeeze otherwise– loved it!

Brunch was horrible. The service was slow despite just one other guest being there, it took 20 mins for cold apps, 45 more for the entrees.
French toast — awful, they use french baguette for the toast — Fail
Simple roast chicken, obviously cooked much earlier, dry, overcooked.
Everything is extra, dishes come with nothing which is a bit odd, sides are also pricey $ 6-​$ 8 so your meal adds up very quickly. The roast winter veg was tiny chopped carrot and parsnips in a overly greasy tiny dish $ 8.
Fries, frozen but were crispy.
We thought about he oysters but as most of them were sitting above the ice we felt it was too risky.
I don’t think this place is ready for brunch, but nor is the menu.
The room is beautiful the concept great, I really wanted to like it but our brunch with just two mimosas was $ 96 before tip.
I’d have to say some of the earlier reviews maybe shills.

The fact that this place opened 3 weeks ago and was BOOMING last night is a testament to its quality. I can’t say enough good things about Albert Hall –what a hidden and long overdue gem smack in the middle of the dismal no man’s land of Manhattan that separates upper Chelsea and lower Hell’s Kitchen.
The atmosphere is charming– nicely low-​lit, with walls lined with book pages; fresh roses on every table. The craft beer list is phenomenal and the price point is astonishingly reasonable.
We had possibly the best waiter I’ve ever had in Manhattan; James was incredibly attentive, despite his set of tables being consistently occupied. He and one of the runners kept us well occupied with bread as we took our time choosing food. James recommended the mussels and artichoke dip, as we vacillated between entrees and apps — his suggestions were spot on. James didn’t miss a beat: he immediately sent over more bruschetta bites before we had a chance to even notice they were running low, as we scarfed the incredibly rich artichoke dip (topped with homemade potato chips), and he graciously spaced out the «first course» with the timely arrival of the mussels and loads more bread so we could soak up the marinade. Per James’ recommendation, we topped the night off with a slice of cherry pie and a shot of Jameson!
Water levels never dropped; staff never ceased to be conscientious of our needs.
Honestly, this was an incredible dining experience (and also an affordable one!) Six beers, two apps, and a dessert later, and our bill was under $ 80 — - highly recommend but, for my sake, just try it out when I’m not trying to score a table! ;-)

Place is awesome. Good vibe but its very dark as far as lighting goes when you’re away from the bar. Came with a group of 5. Our waiter was courteous but not chatty. Guess she didnt want to interrupt? Ordered the Mac n cheese and it was delicious and I’m particular about my Mac. Everyone else enjoyed their food and I would easily make this a happy hour spot. Good food here.