Robert Emmets

the waiter took our drink orders then asked if we were seeing a show, we said no do she asked if we would mind waiting for others to go 1^st, we didn’t mind. 30 to 35 mins passed and it got ridiculous so we got up and left, they need to hire more waiters and the head waiter was useless. Avoid this shithole of a place.

I deeply regret coming here on my last day in NY. Food was not good and service was terrible! We were going to go try Shake Shack, which is right in front of this restaurant, but we didn’t want to wait in line and decided to try Robert Emmets. The waitress was rude and unfriendly. Do not go here! Not only is the food bad but the service is terrible.
Beware: Rude waitresses!!! Terrible service and food!
Just wait in line and go to Shake Shack instead!!!

I’m not sure what’s with me and finding bars that need their taps cleaned, but I seem to have mastered it. Stick to bottles of beer if you decide to venture here for a pre theater drink.

The only reason I went here was because it was next door to a theater I had tickets at an hour later, and didn’t want to start looking for a place to eat. Beer selection was good, but the food wasn’t. I ordered the beef and barley soup and they served me a basket of stale bread. ugh. hey, at least I didn’t get sick!

I love this bar and its bartenders! Why? Because, I know what I’m walking into when I visit. This is the kind of bar you pop into for cheap, stiff, non-​modified drinks – either to knock one back after your shift has ended, or to sip on a cocktail before you go to your Broadway show, or to get rowdy over a televised sporting event decked out in the team jersey of your choice.
I’ve noticed that a lot of the poor ratings for this establishment come from out-​of-​towners who have chosen to dine at Emmets for pre-​theater. DON“T be one of those uneducated diners… Emmet’s is a BAR foremost – and, yes, shame on them for advertising their Irish-​like pub as a wise choice for dinner.
The advice guide for Emmet’s is as follows:
Here for a drink?:
–Tip appropriately on the first round and watch how heavy-​handed the pour gets on the second round
–Understand that these bartenders have a regular following. Don’t yell out «HEY YO, OVER HERE»:…the bartender HAS noticed you, but often takes a minute to get over to you because he values the connection with that regular guest he’s talking to. (Now: should the bartenders acknowledge you when you come up to the bar regardless of engagement with a regular? yes… and that is why I am knocking off some stars)…but they have seen you and will pour you a stiffy for your wait IF – you wait poliitely.
–DON“T say: «I’ll have a vodka martini, straight up, extra extra dirty, just a splash of vermouth, shaken extra hard, 3 olives, and give me the shaken ice… Emmets’ ain’t the place for these sorta particulars. DO say, simply: I’d like a Kettle One martini, dry, with olives… done and done. If you have to modify your drink more than that, then either go across the street to the more upscale CaVa Brasserie, or just order a friggin’ vodka tonic and call it a day.
Here for dinner?:
–Well, you must be from out of town, because no local would EVER – pre-​theater, post-​theater, off-​night, whenever – order dinner here. It’s just not that kind of spot.
In sum: Emmets is a BAR. No disguising it. It’ s quite close to a pub. It’s open during day/​evening hours, but it’s really a late-​night destination. Come here for chicken fingers, incredibly heavy potato skins, quesadillas, buffalo wings, and finger-​food that is garnished with an all-​purpose orange slice for their version of aesthetics.
Pop some quarters into the juke box, root for your favorite sports team, get shitty after a long night of traversing NYC, indulge in light beer or the worst martini ever, and shut the f@#! up, because YOU made the mistake of coming here for your pre-​theater dinner destination.

We had a wonderful experience at Robert Emmets. We had been waiting in line AGES at the famous pizzeria next door, and with no table in sight, we gave up and walked into Robert Emmets. Seated right away.
I had spinach ravioli with mushrooms, some sort of vodka cream sauce, and sundried tomatoes. It was original and delicious. My husband had the Bookmaker sandwich (which wasn’t actually a sandwich), and he enjoyed it. It came with cajun fries and they were very good. Our friend had the Emmet Sandwich and he enjoyed it as well. Nice large portions, decent service, overall a good experience.

Maybe I just caught this place on a good night. I was in the city for a show and I wouldn’t normally eat in the times square area but it was late, my friend and I were exhausted and starving and stumbled onto this place.
We were seated immediately, ordered two beers and checked out the menu. My friend ordered the fish and chips and I ordered the seafood pasta special, it was served in a cream sauce but I asked if they would substitute a marinara and they did with no problem.
It was DELICIOUS. Tons of seafood, great sauce, the pasta was cooked perfectly and my friend loved her fish and chips.
Our server was super friendly and attentive. I mean, as a bar, I would probably pass, at 10:00 on a Saturday night there were not a ton of people in there but if you are looking for a place to get some decent food in the theater district, I would check this place out.

Sorry, but the food here is garbage. I went the first time because a group of us had decided prior that the place was roomy enough. I ordered a salad which was wilted, runny and tasteless. I brushed it off.
Then my 2^nd visit was because we were short on time and our show was down the street. It was AWFUL. Terrible soggy dumplings, bland chicken enchilada, rubber frozen beer battered shrimp. Crap. I could’ve gotten better shrimp from Long John Silver. Think of the worst possible chain restaurant. That’s the kind of cooking you can expect here. But it’s very spacious, has two floors of tables and two lengthy bars. Friendly bartenders with charming Irish accents. No offense boys, but not enough to sucker me in for a 3^rd time.

Well, they can’t all be winners…
Before a riveting night hanging out with the one and only Guy Fieri at his Flavor Town of fun in Times Square, I decided to pop into the first bar I saw with a TV to catch the tail end of the Giant’s (MLB) playoff game… and that destination turned out to be Robert Emmets. Being New York City, there’s a lot of posturing needed to really stand out, and for that reason, I have no idea how this place exists. Maybe if it were in Boise, I’d understand… but NYC? Sure it’s Midtown, but the cheesy elevator music ringing throughout and boring décor somehow made Guy’s American Kitchen look as hip as Death & Co.
I suppose the folks behind the bar were nice when they weren’t staring like zombies into their cell phones… but it’s not enough to ever persuade me back.

Here is my story and I’m sticking to it. I was headed to the shake shack because I’d heard it was awesome. But, the line was well out the door and down the street, full of dedicated, patient, and soon-​to-​be soaked patrons. First a sprinkle, and then a deluge started to fall on my umbrella-​less self. Time for plan B!
I popped in here across the street and found prompt and even slightly friendly service and very stiff pours, even for a non-​regular like me, while I waited for the monsoon to cease.
The food was average bar stuff but if that’s what you want, they serve it here.

Looks like Emmet’s could use a little positive press here.
I had my first legal drink here the moment I turned 21… Watched the clock strike midnight at Times Square, walked a few blocks over, and had myself some booze.
What’s better, I had a ton of illegal drinks here BEFORE I turned 21! I suppose I don’t mind revealing this, seeing as how I’m 30, and any statue of limitations is long past us…
That’s right, Emmet’s, in my experience, never really did a very good job of checking IDs. As long as you walk in like your farts smell like Chanel No. 5, they most likely won’t hassle you.
And really, what’s the big deal anyway? I’d rather my [hypothetical] 19 year old drink in a public place than inevitably do it behind my back in a less safe environment… Kids will do what they will do. I did, and somehow I didn’t turn into a raving psychopath.
Emmet’s is a cool place too. Dark, dank fun. A great place for all ages, and I mean ALL ages ;).

We were near Times Square and looking for dinner. We were all hungry and didn’t really want to spend hours trying to decide on a restaurant, and ended up here. Turns out we should have kept looking.
The bread they served had obviously just come out of the microwave. My French Onion Soup was incredibly salty; all I could taste was salt. My entrée (salmon special) was alright; the accompanying mashed potatoes were barely edible and the vegetables had just been thrown in a steamer. The fish, vegetables, and mashed potatoes had pretty much just thrown on the plate together with some dried parsley tossed over it as a garnish.
Worse than the food however was the service. My water glass was empty for the entire meal, I kept having to ask to have it refilled on the rare occasion the waiter showed up. The other members of the group had similar complaints: the waitstaff was entirely absent and we had about four different servers throughout the meal. Worst of all though: we got the check and found an automatic 18% gratuity added to the bill. We weren’t a large party (table of 4) and there was no notice on the menu or otherwise about a gratuity added to the check. Although my standard tip is at least 20%, I was planning on tipping less for this miserable service. The automatic gratuity just added insult to injury.
In summary, just one word: AVOID.

I stopped here before seeing a show for a quick drink so I can’t comment on the food except the fries (which were meh).
The music seemed to be rock, mostly grunge rock from the 90s.
Staff was nice enough and offered prompt service.

Good for an after work drink or a late night one. Bartenders are usually very friendly.
:)

For some reason I always have a fun time here… I’ve never had the food but the drinks are good and F’N STRONG! Whatever you do, you gotta have a Blue Hawaiin here… One of the strongest drinks you will ever have!
Nice after work spot or good for a medium size group of friends to come, kick it and drink.

So I went to NYC for the day. On 10÷8÷11, I hopped on the church bus, rode up there, and went to see «Memphis» (the musical). We had two hours to kill before the show. Mara G. and I stopped in Robert Emmets around the corner for a quick bite and a glass of wine. Fortunately, we were seated immediately and we mentioned to the waitress that we were trying to catch the show.
We both ordered the cream of chicken vegetable soup. It was delicious. So creamy. Chock full of vegetables that were not mushy. Tender chunks of chicken. The one ping? It could have been hotter. I don’t know if it had been sitting or if it wasn’t so hot because we were near the door or what but it just wasn’t hot enough.
The basket of bread was hot, though. Nice and steamy. Piping hot. And the butter melted all into every crevice. Yum. The sauvignon blancs that we ordered? Pretty good. A mid-​day happy hour was going on because of the football games, I think, so we got those glasses of wine for like $ 5 or $ 6.
Fast, quick, delicious, convenient. I’m a fan of Robert Emmets.

Hmm. maybe we came at a bad time.
Walked in around 2−3PM to an empty restaurant with NO STAFF in sight. We kind of sat ourselves down, hoping that someone would come.
Eventually a server came out and took our orders.
Fairly nice restaurant, decent food.
I ordered the filet mignon. It was alright. It was sliced extremely thin, which I don’t like so I was a bit upset about that. Wasn’t overcooked or anything though. Dessert was good. Ordered the cremebrule.
Why I don’t like this place? OVERPRICED.
AND THEY HAVE A REQUIRED 18% GRATUITY.
we had 4 people. SERIOUSLY. usually, it’s over 8. i would even understand if it was 6 people. but 4 people!!!
AND IT’S NOT LIKE WE GOT GREAT SERVICE. annoyed. never coming back.
overpriced decent food and they charge you for the non existent service.

I don’t care what the others say. This is our new favorite bar in midtown. Why? HIB. (um, that stands for Hot Irish Bartender)
I have not eaten any food here. I’ve only been for drinks. I think that makes a difference in your experience. Low expectations.
The atmosphere is casual and unassuming. All hardwood– very faux-​Pub.
Just drink. Enjoy the Irish lilt.

Not. Good.
I understand that Robert Emmets is a restaurant in Times Square. And I know that doesn’t set a place up for a glowing review. BUT, my mom and I were seeing a Broadway show and ended up in the area a little early and not starving but needing a snack. I consider myself a food snob, but not enough of one to refuse going somewhere that may not be great when convenience is key. Sometimes, food is just food. However, the food at Robert Emmets was actually horrible. We ordered the beer-​battered shrimp, and never have I tasted such bland shrimp or such a horrible sauce. It tasted like applesauce… but…worse. I can’t even describe.
Moral of the story: Robert Emmets is convenient to several Broadway theaters, but one would be better off at McDonald’s if convenience is the only goal.

This is a cute bar. But it was freezing today. We asked if the heat could be turned up but nothing was done so already we had started out on a bad note. Drinks are not mixed well here. I had a truly week margarita and a so/​so French kiss coffee and one crème brûlée. Ended up paying 45.00 with tip. Way overpriced for the quality of liqour (just two well drinks).