Middle Branch

Strong 3, almost a 4.
I’ve been to a lot of mixology bars so I’m basing my score on that genre as a whole.
I’ve been here 3 times and the drinks are decent. I’ve yet to have one that I was blown away by though and made me want to come back for that specific drink.
Interior: small/​intimate/​dark. As someone else noted, a lot of first dates here which is very entertaining to watch as you can’t help overhearing convos when you are that close to each other.
They will make you drinks based off of a few requests, I’ve had some pretty good mixes that way along with some eh’s.
Upstairs is basically the same, just with seating, same exact menu.
Overall, it’s a nice little mixo bar near my office. I won’t be here often, but I’ll def pop in on occasion.

Great spot, good drinks. Yes. it’s small but I had no trouble grabbing a table.

50 first dates.
No, I’m not talking about recurring daily amnesia where you find yourself inexplicably married to Adam Sandler, I’m talking about the actual number of first dates that go on at Middle Branch every night. Basically, from my observation, everyone in the place, when entering, greeted their companion with, «Nice to meet you.» Love is in the air, people.
Coming through the nondescript door on a Monday night, there’s a few high tables with a bunch of standing room, with stairs to the upstairs seating area, and a bar in the back. The area is very cozy and dimly lit, but there are no chairs, so it is literally standing room only. This was more like the «waiting area» for people on their dates. Not a bad idea. Once space was freed upstairs, people in the «waiting area» would go and sit down in the equally dark and intimate tables.
I went with my usual old-​fashioned, and it was pretty good. There was a bit too much leftover sugar on the bottom, but the drink was very strong, they used some pretty good ice, and as I had 3 of them, they were all made very consistently. I also tried a bartender’s choice, which was vodka with pineapple and mint flavors. A bit sweet for my, but very well mixed and very strong. I’m still feeling it today. Yikes.
The only knock, weirdly enough, was the actual service. The bartender was actually really good at making the drinks but was fairly impersonal, and when we were moved upstairs, the upstairs guy was way too busy checking his phone, and kept us waiting for a couple minutes, while also banging into people’s chairs without apology. Woof. Prices are expensive at $ 15 a cocktail, obviously, but the craft and quality is there, so you can’t really complain. I mean, you can complain, but it’s just not gonna get you anywhere.
I’ll take Little Branch over Middle Branch any day, even though Little Branch is smaller, but this place ain’t too bad if, for some godforsaken reason, you live in Murray Hill.

Loved this very hidden speakeasy. Great cocktail selections. Very cute and quaint and my favorite part were the metal spoon straws.

A bit hard to find — Middle Branch is below street level, and the lighting inside is somewhere between pitch dark and movie theater. I almost missed the security guard by the door asking to see IDs. We came too late to snag a table in the upstairs area (and I think our group was too big anyway, better to come with two or three people at the maximum), and spent the rest of the night in the downstairs standing-​room, trying to make out the words on the cocktail menu.
It appears that all of the fancy swizzle drinks have been phased out for a winter menu. I chickened out of trying anything too adventurous and ordered the Aperol spritz with a fancy cracked ice cube (how do I go about making these at home?) and orange wedge. Good but not $ 12 good. Also, pretzels and nuts are complimentary, you just have to ask the bartender to pour some out.
Bonus points for a cool, swanky spot in Murray Hill, the awkward piece of land between Bro Fest ’99 and the Land of Suits and Chopped Salad.

«WOW. WHAT IS THIS DOING HERE IN MURRAY HILL?!» — This was my initial thought as I was going down their short entryway staircase, opening their inconspicuous and kind of hidden door and pulling back their leathery-​feeing curtain back and entering their dimly lit, sexy AF, standing only room — English basement style.
Upstairs is also beautifully lit with a gorgeous floral motif on the ceiling, maroon leather booth nook things, wrought-​iron gates and decorative details, lights in pineapple-​shaped light fixtures and a whole lot of, «perfect first date”-ness. There are french doors upstairs that will lead you straight to the upstairs part if you want to avoid the downstairs standing room… but you shouldn’t. It’s sexy.
Middle Branch is the latest place (albeit it opened in 2012 and I’m late since I rarely imbibe in this part of town) opened by Sasha Petraske (of Little Branch and Milk & Honey fame). He is basically credited for having revived the speakeasy, prohibition-​era styled bar scene in Manhattan. Trends are trends for a reason though and speakeasies are always a plus in a city where people like to see and be seen (aaaaaaand be scene).
Cocktails here range from $ 14 – 16 but apparently there was (thankfully!) a Happy Hour that we weren’t aware of as I was in a party of 4 people in which 7 drinks were consumed and the bill came out to roughly about $ 50. Huzzah!!!
My first drink was off of their «strong» cocktail section — it was called «The Preakness» — it consisted of Rye, Benedictine, Sweet Vermouth and Angostura Bitters stirred and served up with Lemon Oil and Brandied Cherries.
It was fascinating to watch the bartender/​mixologist (the second title just feeeeels more appropriate for this kind of a place…) was fascinating and it was fantastic. Definitely a sipping cocktail — one that is complex and worthy of me not tossing back as I maybe would with saaaaay, a White Russian? Lol. Be classy here folks, BE CLASSY.
My second drink was off the menu because they do suggest that you can work with the bartender if you’re in the mood for something different and I wanted my second cocktail to be something on the sweeter side. I legit asked for something with the flavor profile of CAKE. Out came the coffee liquor, something with vanilla beans and some foamy egg white stuff. MAN. It was a delicious, booze-​filled liquid dessert. No regrets here. Too bad it’s not on the menu because it was faaaaantastic.
My coworkers went with the Live Wire (Balvenie Doublewood, Remy Cognac 1738, Byrrh Grand Quinquina, honey, cardamom and grapefruit bitters served on the rocks with an orange twist) and a few Stone Fences (Bourbon and Fresh-​pressed apple cider, served on the rocks with an apple slice) and we were all really happy with our choices.
It’s been quite sometime since I’ve given something on Unilocal 5 full stars, but this place is definitely worthy. It’s my new favorite bar in this neighborhood and I definitely hope to be back sometime soon.
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NOTE: It’s also right across the street from S’MAC. GENIUS LOCATION. GENIUS. Cheers! :)

Good date spot, and surprisingly not crowded on a Saturday night like it’s West Village sister, Little Branch. But it also doesn’t feel as authentic speakeasy — more like just a cool NY bar. Dimly lit, but not so dark you can’t see anyone. I like how the upstairs area feels totally different than downstairs. Upstairs is more of a sit and have an intimate convo, downstairs is stand and chat it up while you enjoy drinks.
Cocktails are good, but nothing out of the world. Really amazing mixology places have like layers of flavors in their cocktails that you realize only after you’re halfway through your drink. Middle Branch’s cocktails use all fresh ingredients and make everything legit — they’re just missing that mysterious morphing cocktail element. Shrug, I’m more of a straight scotch cocktail person anyway.
Of course this place is expensive. $ 15 – 18 per drink. Just know it before you come here. You pay for the ambiance, people.
Bartenders and the doorman were all really cool and down to earth here — so very hard to find in Manhattan speakeasies. Snobby attitudes kill the vibe, no matter how cool the place is.

Fantastic drinks … Really creative and well done. Would’ve been a 5 if the staff weren’t so snooty and they only served nuts.

Anytime a patron twice the legal drinking age is ID’d at a bar at 6:15 PM mid-​week, it’s always an inauspicious beginning.
Middle Branch’s drink menu scoffs at «mixology» and understandably so, yet cocktails composed with rather simple liquors still run $ 15. A basic bourbon like Buffalo Trace or Evan Williams is $ 14 and Eagle Rare the incomprehensible sum of $ 20. Eagle Rare is a lovely spirit indeed, but that’s roughly half the amount you’d pay for an entire bottle at any reasonable liquor store.
You might think that at $ 15 a pop a joint might have a wide variation of specialty cocktails. You would be quite wrong, as there’s only about a half a dozen such libations in total.
My choice of cocktail was the «It’s a Toot»; corn whiskey, amaretto, bitters, fresh ginger and lemon juice. A candied cube of ginger was supplied as a garnish and one certainly can’t accuse Middle Branch of holding back on the lemon. A «brandied cherry» and an orange wedge were mentioned on the cocktail list, yet neither was actually supplied.
As the bartender sported an especially cheesy smile throughout his excessively long shaking of my cocktail, I couldn’t help thinking that clown attire would’ve been more appropriate than his typical «speakeasy» garb. At least I avoided suffering the indignity of being squirted with seltzer from a siphon bottle.
So I dragged my drinkable if cherry-​less offering to a nearby table. You might think that at $ 15 a pop a joint might have seating available. You would be quite wrong. At least downstairs; there is apparently an upstairs section which may or may not be standing only.
Even the Don Lockwood cocktail stolen from Dutch Kills here is botched as the bastards merely use chocolate bitters rather than the appropriate MOLE bitters.
No olive branch here for Middle Branch.

Middle Branch is a good speakeasy spot in Murray Hill (where there aren’t many places like this). The drinks are very good, as are the bartenders, and you can tell them exactly what you want and they’ll whip something up for you which is great (for example, I told them I liked gin and girly drinks, and I they gave me some sort of raspberry yumminess).
The drinks are expensive at $ 15, but that’s pretty standard for an NYC speakeasy with quality cocktails. This is a good date spot, but keep in mind it’s all standing room, which could be awkward.

I think the drinks are awesome, and I know this is NYC, but $ 15 is still a little steep in my opinion for a shot of whiskey and some feathered orange peels.
Overall I really like Middle Branch and recommend it to anyone.

I really like this place. Their cocktail list isn’t as adventurous or extensive as some of the other big hitters, but that’s ok because you can just tell them what you like!
I walked in, told the bartender what I liked and he made me a drink and broke it down for me. I preferred the improv cocktails to the menu so I ordered one that was basically on the other end of the spectrum and he nailed it.
In addition to making awesome drinks, the staff is incredibly nice. They’re nice in a shy, ‘catering-​to-​you’ way, not in the ‘we’re trying to sell you something’ way. They’re super friendly and I never felt like I was being waited on, they were just casually checking up.

The location of this speakeasy surprised me because I’ve been to many restaurants on this block, and never noticed this was here. We were seated upstairs right away when we came in after midnight on a Saturday. We were lucky to score a table right next the open balcony door which gave us a view of the street below. It has a great atmosphere with attentive staff that brought out our drinks quickly. The menu has a lineup of delicious, strong cocktails. I went for the Muddle w/​Blackberries (You can have it with strawberries as well). Look forward to coming back.

Delicious cocktails and really great service. I watched the waiter hover and not interrupt a conversation, mine and other ppl’s, but wait politely by for a good moment to swoop in. Seriously great service; the kind that is often unnoticed but you DO notice when it’s not there. Bravo.
I love a good Aperol Spritzer for those hot days when something refreshing is needed and too much proof might dehydrate. The blackberry smash situation, which I also sampled, was divine.
It was a bit loud (Thurs. 6−9pm), but that is to be expected for the area. You can put a nice bar in Murray Hill… but you can’t prohibit the denizens from patronizing it. Oh well, one can dream! ;)
I would go back again in a heartbeat, especially on a quieter night, maybe Mon-​Wed.

Pretty awesome bar with a speakeasy feel in Midtown. The ground floor is standing room only with a bar and floor-​to-​ceiling windows that open when it’s nice out. Upstairs has seating for small parties, but from what I could gather, there is a wait to be seated.
We came here as it was one of the bars for our LOADed Cocktail passport. And the bartender whipped up some rather impressive cocktails from the Zacapa Rum and the Wild Turkey Whiskey bases. There is a crowd, pretty much all the time, so you do have to wait — but it’s not a long wait and the drinks are definitely worth it. It wasn’t as good as Randolph Brooklyn or Happiest Hour, but close third after Happiest Hour. And given that I live in the neighborhood, I’ll definitely be back.

Oh middle branch how I wanted to like you so. My expectations for you were I guess too high. I should have known when we attempted to try little branch a while back. What terrible service!
Came with a friend late on a Friday night. We entered through the curtained doorway and got a seat right away upstairs. The doorman/​host was a little brusque in manner but it wasn’t too bad. We were seated quickly upstairs as well but never received our menus until after the waitress tried to bring over incorrect drinks. She actually attempted to bring over another table’s drinks twice in the span of 15 minutes! This was a little odd given the fact that the entire room of maybe 10 tables was only half filled. Strange to be making so many mistakes.
When we finally received our menus, we Decided to try their specialty drinks. It took a while for the waitress to return. T
My friend ordered
The drinks were made well and we wanted to order another after we finished but the waitress never came back! She was chatting with the bartender and waiter. When she finally did make rounds, she was too focused to notice that other tables needed service. A waiter actually took my friend’s empty cup away but never asked if we would like something else.
After waiting quite some time, we actually made a game of how many times she would come around before noticing my empty cup. I think we counted at LEAST 4 times before she actually noticed people trying to flag her down. It was funny because the couple at the table next to us were laughing at how long it took to get their check also. The receipt also came back to them with no pen!
Eventually, we decided it was too late and we wanted to just get the check, which was also a huge ordeal.
Thanks middle branch for the good drink (we never got to «drinkS»). But no thanks for the horrible service. Maybe it was a fluke but I’ll probably never return. There are other cocktail bars that charge less than $ 15 for an equally good drink with way better service!

Valentine’s Day 2015 (yes, delayed review…). Snowy evening with the red lights from the Empire State Building shining a few blocks away and the cozy interiors of Middle Branch beckoning.
The entrance is hidden down some steps because it’s one of those trendy cocktail bars; albeit, no password named for a cocktail inventor of days past. There is an upstairs and downstairs bar but as it wasn’t too busy when I went, only the upstairs was in use. It’s dark and intimate with tables closely situated to each other. However, you don’t feel like you are intruding on other couple’s conversation in your proximity, making it ideal for small groups or dates.
The cocktail menu is extensive with classics, variations on classics, wines, and Middle Branch’s own creations. With Petraske and Schwartz at the helm, you are in for a delicious drink whether you go with a MB original or Penicillin. I went with bartender’s choice and told him I enjoyed Fino Sherry, light on liqueurs, and mentioned my favorite base spirits. He created a tiki-​like drink with Agnostura, fino, citrus, and other elements. A bit sweet for my taste but beautifully presented! Drinks run at typical NYC prices ($ 14ish) but are worth the effort and quality of ingredients put into it. Middle Branch is a great option for the area and easier to get into than some of the Brooklyn or East Village bars.

I loved my visit to Middle Branch. Who knew that below a townhouse, you’d enter into the prohibition era world Middle Branch has two floors– downstairs appeared to be more standing room and upstairs had tables. Both sections offered a classic speakeasy vibe. Middle Branch is unpretentious and comfortable, yet classy. Regardless of the small space, and tables close together upstairs, it wasn’t as tight as it appears. The ambiance was nice– lots of dimly lit candles (my date and I hung out so long we went through about 3 candles) and not too loud– really kept with the intimate feel.
Of course, I fancy any type of prohibition era cocktails and Middle Branch did it right. First I ordered a whiskey sour egg white and it was delicious. But– its the bartenders choice cocktails that shine. Each one was made flawlessly. Our server Sharon asked all the right questions and Daniel the bartender delivered. Daniel put together some classic drinks with innovative twists and layers of flavor. Sharon was incredibly helpful and friendly and made sure I was having quite the experience with each drink I ordered. Everything was delicious. Sharon even took the extra effort to write down each cocktail I had right before we left. Going that extra mile really topped off the night and will make me return again.
Peanut Butter cup– order it. You won’t be disappointed.

IN SHORT: Adding to Sasha Petraske’s speakeasy-​esque cocktail kingdom is Middle Branch, an offshoot of Little Branch in the West Village. No surprises here though — drinks are still deftly clever and jarringly potent.
THE STORY: Middle Branch offers a lot in the oversaturated Murray Hill drinking scene. Down a quick couple steps to a concrete patio and through a curtained door on 33^rd Street lies a two-​level mecca of superb cocktails, perfect for both mingling and catching up with an old friend after work. The first level is standing room only, and typically more boisterous and crowded, while upstairs those lucky enough to arrive early can snag a cozy table or bench. The atmosphere up here is meant for those who already know each other, but is never very crowded until the heart of the evening.
The cocktail menu itself is long, and in most cases, it’s more exciting to leave it to the bartender’s choice to mix you up something to fit your fancy. All cocktails are $ 15, so there’s no risk in asking for a champagne based drink and receiving a bill for Dom Perignon. The St. Germain Cocktail is also perfect for those who like something a little sweet, but there’s no wrong order here. And if you happen to be downstairs musing over the menu, there will be plenty of locals around to ask for advice.

Very nice addition to the Murray Hill area close to where I work. It’s the sister speakeasy cocktail joint to downtown Little Branch. Lacking the bro-​fisting that is normally seen in bars around these parts it’s a classier choice to score a liquid refreshment. Heck, Home On The Range is a terrific cocktail, and at $ 12 a bit cheaper here than most speakeasies in NYC!
Been here a few times now for an after work cocktail. As it’s kind of hidden in what looks to be just another residential brownstone you can easily walk by, but it’s not all that hard to find. There is a plaque on the face of the building with the letters MB along with a wrought iron fence that surrounds it. As it’s a two story place the open windows with patrons seen drinking during warmer weather kind of gives it away.
Head downstairs to the lower level, walk through the curtain, and enter a dimly candle lit bar area with plenty of communal high tables to rest your elbows on and enjoy a cocktail. Mainly standing room here. The upstairs features a brighter lit room with tables and chairs along with waitress service. A bit more upscale looking. The doorman/​host will direct you where to go if you have parties larger than two, or if on a date and want a more intimate deal upstairs.
The libation menu is pretty simple and reminds one of the Little Branch offerings. Many cool and fun drink names with descriptions, but I usually go with the Bartender’s Choice when I am feeling more adventurous as per usual in a speakeasy spot. Make me something with bourbon or whiskey and I’m a happy camper. Can’t go wrong with the great mixologists at these places. I did get a Home On The Range which I really enjoyed, along with a sazerac, and a few other boozy concoctions that escapes my memory. Yes, my liver still hates me.
It’s a laid back spot that is just so perfect for an after dinner drink to relax and unwind. I am a sucker for a quality cocktail bar with a speakeasy ambiance. Such a different and welcome vibe than the normal bars that dot the Bro-​Murray Hill area offer. What it lacks in frattiness and bro-​fisting it makes up for with exceptional cocktails and atmosphere.