Wicker Park

Typical UES bar — couple of good beers on tap (Sam Adams seasonal, Stella, etc.). The food I have heard is not very good, but finger foods like mozzarella sticks — how can you screw up mozz sticks?
After a fun day in Central Park, Wicker Park is a good place to unwind with some friends (and maybe meet a UES lover…).
They had a fun DJ spinning for a while on a Saturday night & that is always a good time.

I had this pub for lunch. They have pretty decent salads and they happy hour deals are pretty good. I think 4 or 5 dollars for a glass of wine :)
Standard bar on the UES

Those of you complaining about your undercooked meat experience at Wicker Park… I hope you’re still alive! This place was just shut down by the Health Department.

Food is decent and inexpensive, but the service is HORRID. the wait staff is rude, unhelpful and inattentive. You seriously sit for 20 minutes before someone brings you a glass of water, and the bar takes FOREVER to pour a beer. The outdoor seating is nice but it’s another excuse for the waitresses to completely ignore you until you threaten their tip, and then out of nowhere they can’t leave you alone.
I’ve been here 3 different times and it’s always the same. The food is almost worth it but literally the service is so bad I never want to go again.

Called ahead to reserve their open bar special for my 21^st Birthday. Got a call and was offered a free open bar for 3 hours, a bottle of champagne, and a reserved booth. When I got there, they didn’t have a booth ready. We were forced to find our own seating whereever we could manage for my crowd. The $ 25 open bar for all of my guests was a great idea. Or so I thought. I could definitely drink $ 25 worth of alcohol in 3 hours. The problem is the bar is so inefficient at serving you in a timely manner. We spent more time waiting to get drinks than we did actually partying.
The bartender had no clue how to make drinks. My friend asked for a certain shot and had to explain to her how to make it. Then I asked for a round of lemon drop shots and we got straight vodka. Not to mention the shots had ice in them.
We left to go to a different bar before the 3 hour open bar was up. It was a total disaster. Horrible atmosphere, awful bartender, no preparation as far as reservations go. From what I hear, this place is good for brunch. But stay far far away after 4pm.

Went for a Sunday brunch. Not thrilled about the breakfast food. Lunch food looked good. Didn’t love it. $ 10 for a small mimosa– Find somewhere with unlimited specials :)

Nice waitstaff and bartenders. Fun atmosphere. However, they overcoked my hamburger (asked for medium rare, closer to rare than medium and got mediun-​well, closer to well done; the turkey club was tasteless and light on the bacon; and the poached eggs one of us ordered was more like boiled eggs (way too hard/​over-​cooked).
On top of it all the heating was not working on a 32 degree day. Not much fun.
Would I come here again to hang out and have drinks only? Maybe (if I brought a heavy coat to stay warm). But i’m unlikely to ever come here again for the food.

OMG, why have I only been here once? I live in the neighborhood, I love brunch and day drinking is awesome.
Yummy bloody marys and a great big serving of eggs benedict, followed by a cookie dough smash? I’m a happy camper.

This restaurant was shut down on Thursday, November 18, 2010, by the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene. Wicker Park gets one star (a) for the circumstances that brought about the closure; and (b) the misleading statements on their website and door that seek to obfuscate those circumstances.
It’s a shame — prior to this revelations, I might have given Wicker Park three or four stars for a standard yet comforting casual pub atmosphere with decent food.
According to the NYC Dep’t of Health Website (
), Wicker Park received a staggering 58 points in health violations on September 20, 2010. They were reviewed by the Dep’t of Health again on November 18, 2010. This was, presumably, the Department’s customary «you have 2 months to improve or else we are shutting you down» review.
Wicker Park management clearly did not put those two months to good use. Far from improving, Wicker Park got worse: It scored a mind-​boggling 76 violation points and was immediately shut down. Among the violations in this November 18, 2010 inspection was:
– «Evidence of rats or live rats present in facility’s food and/​or non-​food areas.»
– «Evidence of mice or live mice present in facility’s food and/​or non-​food areas.»
– «Live roaches present in facility’s food and/​or non-​food areas.»
– «Filth flies or food/​refuse/​sewage-​associated (FRSA) flies present in facility’s food and/​or non-​food areas.»
– «Food/​refuse/​sewage-​associated flies include fruit flies, drain flies and Phorid flies.»
As of the date of this review, however, Wicker Park’s website provides that it has been «closed temporarily for minor renovations & emergency repairs.» As of November 20, 2010, the front door of Wicker Park featured a sign stating that it was temporarily closed for «structural» renovations — right next to the Dep’t of Health mandatory posting stating that it had been closed.
Although I am not an expert on these things, I would not consider Wicker Park’s next steps in response to these severe health violations to be «renovations» or «repairs,» «structural» or otherwise. Extensive professional cleaning and extermination is what comes to my amateur mind (although perhaps some alterations to the facility may be in order, that’s probably not the heart of the problem). Accordingly, and in my opinion, Wicker Park’s statements are misleading at best and lies at worse. What is more, the owners of Wicker Park must think their patrons are stupid: Although I am not a guru on the operations of city government, I doubt the City’s «Department of Health and Mental Hygiene» would have any part in reviewing facilities for «structural» problems — and thus Wicker Park’s juxtaposition of the two signs on it window is a risibly poor attempt at perplexing its customers.
Of course, Wicker Park probably deserves a 1-​star review for being shut down due to health violations and their apparent disregard for what I imagine was the Dep’t of Health’s September directive to improve dramatically ASAP. But I still might not have been compelled to write this review were it not for the restaurant’s apparent attempts to blur the true cause of their closure. It leaves me with no confidence that they would ever genuinely remedy the problem.
If and when Wicker Park whips itself back into shape, I will not be back. Some place else is going to have to make me a cookie smash.

We arrived on a Saturday at 1pm so there was a great energy there with a mixed crowd of upscale folks.
It was a tough decision between the great items on the brunch menu or the sandwich menu (a free drink with the brunch). We went for the filet mignon sliders and the ribeye cheesesteak which were incredible! The sliders had bleu cheese on the filet mignon and the ribeye held its own with the cheese and onions. And the french fries were habit forming (crunchy, perfect, tasty) and arguably some of the best we ever ate!
And the prices were good too! It’s probably a great bar (full at 2pm) too. It’s definitely more than a bar, today it was legitimately delicious restaurant with a very helpful team concept of service staff.

2.5 stars.
We’ve walked past this place many times, and from the outside, it looked inviting. So we came here once for brunch.
Yeah, seeing the Chicago Bears t-​shirts on patrons and the waitstaff gave me the impression that it’s the neighborhood football pub with a Chicagoan fanbase, which makes sense given that Chicago has a neighborhood called Wicker Park. Big TVs with football playing everywhere and people cheering and drinking on a Sunday afternoon.
Back to us… we sat down for food. Standard brunch selection but they do have a $ 12.95 special for some entrée and a drink (OJ, coffee, mimosa, bloody mary, etc). We both ordered one of the special dishes: huevos rancheros and the salmon benedict. Salmon benedict was ok, but I cannot write enough about how the huevos rancheros was soooo poorly made. The crispy tortilla tasted like cardboard, and on top of that was eggs, salsa, and a dap of guacamole on top (I asked for sour cream on the side). I couldn’t believe it. I could have made better dish than the one I ordered.
Perhaps it’s best to go there to catch a game and enjoy the atmosphere, but there are better brunch places in the area.

There are almost too many restaurants around the Upper East Side to choose from. Just taking a walk down third or second avenue can leave you in hunger decision limbo for hours. Let me help you out by saying that Wicker Park is a great hunger killer.
Start off your feast with the chili dusted black bean and cheese dip… ya, let that soak in for awhile. This is actually the dish that brought me into this establishment when I took a look at the menu. For my entrée I was torn between the grilled cheese philly and the wicker stack burger. Luckily enough my friend got the latter and I stuck with the former, and let me tell you both were out of this world. Combine crispy fries into the mix and you’ll punch your hunger right in the face.
All of the deliciousness of the food is only enhanced when you enjoy the outdoor seating on a warm summer day in New York City with some ice cold beer. Bar food can be found anywhere, but Wicker Park does it right.

Atmosphere is great!
Lots of outdoor seating!
Friendly service!
They take
certificates!
But the FOOD IS BAD
I’ll return to the bar…but only for the drinks.

Wicker Park has inadvertently become my go-​to brunch spot and late night eats spot. On the weekends when I’m running around and want to grab a bloody mary and a quick bite, I’ll stop in here and it is great. My standbys are the omelet and the fillet mignon sliders. At night, the burger on an english muffin with cheddar and crispy bacon hits the spot with a few glasses of wine. The hand cut fries are usually pretty good, too.
All in all, this place isn’t mind blowing, but if you’re looking for a nice spot (especially in nice weather) for a quick bite, this place fits the bill. The servers and the host, especially are always very friendly and accommodating.

This place is just mediocre all around. It definitely serves a purpose for the generic UES crowd, but it’s not for me.
As a bar the beer selection is weak, and I just have a moral objection to paying $ 5 for Bud Light. As a brunch spot Wicker could be amazing. It’s got outdoor seating which is ideal for people watching on a nice warm hungover morning. And they offer a nice brunch deal. But unfortunately the food is just really bad. It’s nice that it’s not overpriced and they even throw in a free drink. But even that wasn’t enough to make it worthwhile.

For the most part this is your rather typical loud, crowded, fratty sports bar, which would normally rank very low on my chart. However, the night I came here they actually had a deal going on for a 3 hour open bar for $ 30. Considering the amount of damage one can do in 3 hours, that’s a good deal. It seemed like this was something they did regularly too.
One of my friends got sick and had to be taken home, but I’ve never seen bouncers so nice to a guy who was just puking in the bathroom. I’ve dealt with with angry and violent bouncers so it was quite refreshing to meet a bouncer that was actually polite, concerned with our situation, and joking around with us.
I would normally have no desire to ever come to a place like this again, but if they’re running that all-​you-​can drink special, I’ll think it over.

Typical UES bar, but not nearly as bad as Dorians. Wicker park is more for the boys who out grew Dorians, probably why I like the place. I went to a preppy private college, and well, the rich preppy scene kind of grew on me, what can I say? If you like the frat boy turned finance boy, this is your place. If you are one of those boys, still your place, as long as your not looking to pick up girls here.
Average beer selection. I haven’t had food yet, but it looks pretty good when I’m there. I’m sure its standard bar food. It’s a good place to go with a bunch of guys to watch football, especially on Sundays. Most of the bartenders are cool, Tom with the headband is a little weird (ok totally nice guy, but he wears a headband…) Bartenders know that it’s always filled with guys and joke about it, so definitely don’t go here to pick up chicks.

«Where did you guys eat last night?»
She replied, «Wicker Park.»
«Oh, I love their brunch,» she said.
Every time I mention this bar, someone mentions how satisfying his/​her brunch was. While I’m not sure how difficult brunch is to prepare, especially considering the customer is usually hungover and fed more booze, I can my pulled pork sandwich was not very good. To sum it up in one word: bland. My pulled pork sandwich was missing something and that something was taste. The potatoes, prepared in the French manner, were not crispy and flirted with soggy [a french fry sin]. The coleslaw provided was as bland as my sandwich. If I wanted a bland meal I would have staid in my apartment to watch the Yankee game and fix us both peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. I guess I should have.
She ordered a goat cheese salad that was served in a tortilla. She wasn’t really impressed either. Her bitterness lingered when she paid the bill.
I know, I know. We should have gone for the brunch.
Note: I have also been here at night to experience the bar scene and it can only be described as hit or miss on nights that are void of sporting events. Sometimes Wicker Park epitomizes the worst of the UES bars and crowds and sometimes Wicker Park is a ghost town after 10PM. Luckily I can check on my walk home from the subway.

Wicker Park as metaphor for the Upper East Side: upon arriving it looks like an upscale bar/​restaurant. Scratch the surface, however, and you quickly find the fratty core, marked by mimosas in pint glasses & brunch specials that include «5 Bud Lights», apathetic service and crappy food (lukewarm grilled cheese, cement-​like homefries, etc.).
Fine if you’re there to have a few drinks and chat with friends. There’s outdoor seating too. Avoid the food.
Also, contrary to what their $ 15 t-​shirt says, Sunday is not much of a Funday at Wicker Park.

We dined here for lunch, and sat outside. It was great to sit there, and enjoy people watching. I ordered the ahi wrap, and it came with this great seaweed salad.
It was just a good place to stop, and my food was not good for ordering something healthy.