The Shakespeare

My wife and stopped in for happy hour and a bite to eat. My wife was coming from work so I got there 15 minutes before her. I was surprised to see an empty bar but it was just 5pm on a beautiful Saturday. I was worried the bar wasn’t open as there was no bartender. Eventually the bartender appeared. After my wife arrived, we had to flag down the bartender for service. We are still the only people at the bar.
More employees showed up to prepare for the night. This is done by ignoring everyone in the bar area and turning your back to the customers.
The food and drinks were good but I am not sure I want to go back due to the service.

Stopped by here on a Thursday night after an event for a pint and snacked on their avocado toast appetizer. Since it was an off night, it was relaxing place to unwind. Bartenders were friendly. I have been here on for an event once before and this place can get crowded quickly.

This pub is a hidden gem in midtown. My husband and I were meeting three friends for brunch — all English majors — to celebrate William Shakespeare’s 400^th birthday. It’s located at the bottom of a boutique townhouse hotel called «The William» (the former Williams Club) so it’s easy to miss. Don’t. The atmosphere is traditional wood with a rustic feel. The room to the left has a pool table and a few tables. To the right and a few steps down is an informal long bar also with small tables dotted about the room with a few big screen TV’s. There’s a unique «private room» sectioned off at the end of the bar for a quieter spot in the corner. Without hesitation the five of us grabbed it. When you want service you tap a small sliding door and the bartender is on the other side ready to take your order. (Anyone remember the show «Laugh In»?)
The food was surprisingly good, with a majority of the selections being traditional English fare. Fish & chips, bangers and mash, scotch eggs (no one ordered), black pudding, crumpets, ginger beer, English ketchup… along with some standard brunch selections. My mushroom and goat cheese omelette with a mixed green salad (I was the only non-​English major) was perfectly done and delicious. As was everything else served. One person felt the fish was a bit heavy on the batter but the chips were a hit.
Even the bathroom’s wallpaper mirrored the English featuring stamps with Monarch’s on them. We took a tour of the hotel upstairs and were surprised by the clever and tasteful renovation. Completed 3 years ago it’s a boutique feel set in an old townhouse yet the two themes blend. Some classic club feel (persian rugs, upholstered furniture, very early 1900’s) mixed with modern colors and textures. A nice change from the typical — and now predictable — hip chains. The hotel apparently prides itself on convenient elongated stays (some rooms have working kitchenettes) and the prices seemed reasonable (they vary according to the calendar). If you’re visiting NYC you can’t beat the location, just 3 blocks from Grand Central and located off Madison. It’s also within walking distance to Broadway without living among the horrendously noisy Times Square crowds.
We decided it would be our NYC meeting place. Meanwhile my husband and I can’t wait to go back and try a full course dinner in the upstairs dining room. Stay tuned.

Summary: good option for dining on special occasions, where you don’t care about the food and the bill.
Ambiance: best part with solid 4 stars. We were seated in «the Williams» above the pub. The restaurant has the wonderful balance of moderately dim lighting, enough space between tables and traditional English-​style decoration.
Food: 2 stars. All I can say is either the chef accidentally broke the salt bottle that night or the owner stocked too much salt during discount season. The only thing that didn’t taste salty was the tap water we got.
Services: 1 star. We waited for over 15 minutes every time when someone took our orders, brought the check and gave us our credit cards back. We waited till reaching our limitation and I tried to ask the waitress who seated us to take our orders; she appeared to be utterly perplexed as I was asking her a philosophical question.

I ate at Shakespeare’s with some friends during a weekend trip to New York. We initially entered through the lower doors, which, it turns out, is where the pub is located. The bartender was kind enough to lead us upstairs to the host stand, where we were quickly seated in the back of the building.
The restaurant is nicely decorated and gives off a good impression of fanciness. Our table was elegantly set beneath a large chandelier. The wine list offered a good number of choices (we opted for the Prosecco) and our waiter was attentive and unobtrusive, popping up conveniently whenever we needed him to fill a glass or take an order.
I had the fish and chips, a favorite of mine. The fish, a large portion of cod fried perfectly, was presented in a wooden block, and the long, thick cut chips were served in a can. The serving size suited my appetite, with enough of the fries to share.
My companions similarly enjoyed their food (the avocado toast, the tandoori chicken salad, and the salmon burger). We were underdressed but the staff still treated us with as much courtesy as anyone else. For someone like myself who harbors a fancy for English cuisine, this place is a no-​brainer.

This place is beautiful. The outdoor dining area was completely empty when we arrived at 5pm. It became very busy around 7pm.
Potted Crab Salad– Served with crunchy toast. It was creamy and flavorful. I enjoyed it. ($ 14)
Scottish Salmon Gravlax– Lovely presentation. It was delicious, but a bit salty. ($ 13)
Organic Scottish Salmon Burger– I didn’t really enjoy this as much as I would have liked. The burger and chips were rather bland. ($ 20)
Banoffee Trifle– Layers of fresh banana slices, chantilly cream, and toffee chunks. Wow, I absolutely loved it. It was so light and refreshing. Definitely the highlight of my meal. ($ 18)

The Shakespeare and the Peacock have now become one. Upon coming here I was surprised at how big this place was. Started off at the basement only to be led up to the second floor which had a rustic feel to it. We were seated outside on the patio and it felt like I was no where near New York!
The following was ordered:
Potted crab salad with toast — Crab salad was creamy and tasted really fresh. Cute presentation!
Scottish salmon gravlax — Very delicious. The combination of the paper thin radish, cucumber, and sorrel will bring me back.
Organic scottish salmon burger — This will bring me back again and again. This is one very delicious salmon burger and I am normally not a fan of these. I found the patty to be very juicy and flavorful. The play of flavors from the red pepper relish and the chancellor sauce had my taste buds singing. This was absolutely amazing. Would highly, highly recommend this. This comes with a side of thinly sliced potato fries; I did not like this too much. I found it too greasy.
Banoffee Trifle — For a dessert, I felt pretty healthy eating this! Just the right amount of sweetness to satisfy your taste buds. The bottom is a base of graham cracker crumbs topped with caramelized bananas, topped with freshly whipped cream and bits of toffee. I totally recommend this!
Overall, I loved the food, thought the service was great until crowds started flowing in and enjoyed the calm atmosphere. Do come early as it gets packed around 7pm.

I really wanted a full English breakfast (17). The Shakespeare has the real deal and it’s amazing. Everything down to the tomato is well prepared.
Banger– especially tasty
Loin bacon
Black pudding
Portabella
Tomato
Egg
Baked beans
The upstairs room is really quiet and beautiful, great for catching up with a friend. The downstairs pub shows soccer games.

Closing 4 hours early when my friends and I braved the rain to get to this place. Screw this dump. I wish I could give –5 stars

I had never had Scotch eggs before so I can’t comment on how they stack up against others, but these had so much flavor! I’ve come to The Shakespeare a few times for happy hour but on the most recent occasion I ended up ordering some food. I was pleasantly surprised by the snacks and will probably make a habit out of ordering those Scotch eggs! This is a good spot to come for a date or after work drinks in the Midtown area.

Love this place!
The atmosphere is classy yet rustic and brings to mind an ale house from 19^th century England (in the best of ways)
The prices are soo right and Craig is the bartender you want!
Would recommend this place every time!

I went today for Mother’s Day brunch and this place was very good. We weren’t sitting in the actual pub/​bar. But that didn’t dampen the day or our spirits.
Our waiter was excellent! He was attentive and respectfully.
I had the full English breakfast and I loved it! I cleaned my plate. My parents had eggs Benedict but without the salami. The waiter said they could substitute so mom had English sausages and dad had a side salad. It’s great when a restaurant can be accommodating and adaptive to the customers.
Try this place out and order delicious English cuisine.

While we picked the bar for the novelty of the name and its proximity to the library, the experience was well worth it. The mint mule was refreshing and well mixed, the ginger old fashioned spoke to the talents of the bartender and waiter and excellent guide for nightlife in Manhattan, Terrell Brown. The bangers and mash was flavorful, hearty and the onion gravy mixed perfectly with the mashed potatoes. The burger ordered medium rare was juicy and fresh with the Stilton cheese, shredded lettuce and bacon. Came at 2:30 on Monday and had the place to ourselves. Excellent service.

3.5 stars. Stepping inside The Shakespeare is like stepping out of New York City. In a word, this place is quaint, its has great ambiance in an intimate setting. There is a feeling of warmth in its den-​like interior — which makes it great for dates. It serves pub grub, but of the British variety. Their cocktails are really, really tasty and the beer selection is extensive. For the majority of my visits to this pub, I drank not ate. The food I did order was mostly appetizers and side dishes — average fare. Most people I go with are delighted they serve Scotch eggs! However, what I enjoy most about this pub is that is different than most other places you’ll find in the area.

It’s pretty rare that I have the urge to go and have British food, so when I decided that I did, I didn’t have the first clue as to where to go looking. Luckily, Unilocal has a search app for just this, so long story short, this seemed to be the best rated place in midtown.
The location is kind of innocuous, and it’s very easy to miss since the sign is very small. Actually, the sign is tiny, and you’re more likely to spot the image of shakespeare’s head than you are the actual words on the sign… but just keep looking around and you’ll find it.
The place has an intimate vibe, and is dimly lit, but not so dimly as to detract from the experience. They have a bunch of good drink options, but when I went I got the apple cider. It didn’t taste alcoholic at all, but it was still great.
As for the food here, there are a lot of authentic options, but I went for the bangers and mash. I felt it was extremely good, and was reminded of the fact that I can’t remember the last time I had British food. The price leaves a little to be desired, but considering the location of the restaurant, I’m sure rental prices are quite high.
Great place

Silly me, I came here for lunch again and I think this visit broke a record – nearly two a half hours of lunch because the wait service was scarce and inattentive.
We came in without a reservation this time, and were told it would be a 10 – 15 minute wait for a table. Ok. Phone numbers were exchanged and text was promised when a table was ready. We headed to the bar for a drink, and 30 minutes later, still no table. The host stand was abandoned. We ended up ordering lunch at the bar: for restaurant week, I had the celery and stilton soup, shepherd’s pie, and banoffee trifle. The food was delicious, yes, but the time between each course was quite long. No one asked if we liked our food or if we needed any other drinks. No one checked up on us at all, unless you count the fellow who brought our food out and took away used plates.
Lunch should take maybe an hour and a half. But two and a half hours? Way too long. We never saw the girl who took our order after it was submitted. After looking around for someone to give us our check, we finally had to ask the bartender – who knew nothing about our bill. What is with this place and the bill awkwardness? If you don’t really want my money, then by all means, maybe I’ll just walk out next time you hold me hostage for two and a half hours.

I had such a weird experience here. Most of it came from the waiter. I forget the gentleman’s name, but he was peaks and valleys. The way he described their daily appetizer with charred greens and delicate egg yolk was superb. Totally sold us on the dish, which turned out to be mediocre. Great salesman! But then throughout the course of the meal he dropped plates on three separate occasions. You’d think that part of the job description of waiter has to be «able to carry plates and not drop them all the time» but maybe it’s not. Maybe the most important thing is to upsell. I don’t know.
Some of the food was great. Loved their take on a Scotch Egg. But the Shephard’s Pie was one-​note and pretty weak. They had a good beer selection, a nice atmosphere considering the neighborhood and a bar scene that went from lively to dead in an hour.
If they could take the bad parts and make them good, this place would be a gem. But there’s work to be done.

Found this place through Unilocal as we were desperately trying to escape the hordes of Santas at SantaCon last weekend. It is adorably perfect and really brings to mind a proper British pub. They have wonderful standard British fare including a full English breakfast, Irish porridge, Scotch eggs, crumpets, golden syrup. It’s quaint and cozy, perfect for a winter morning or evening and reasonably priced with perfect portion sizes (not too big, not too small).
Half of our table ordered the chive scramble with smoked trout and a crumpet and not a crumb was wasted. Everyone was so pleased. My MIL ordered the fish and chips (because duh) and it looked spectacular. She was thrilled and I hear the fish was fried to perfection. The chips were enormous and just a bit soft in the center. A real treat. The Scotch egg is enormous, though perhaps not big enough for a meal on its own. It was beautifully crisped on the outside and the center of the egg was still a tad runny. A masterpiece to behold.
I’m definitely putting this on our list to visit again.

3 – 3.5 stars. Came here to grab a beer while waiting for Raines Law Room (upstairs). They have a fantastic selection of beers at very reasonable prices. I just wish that the beer itself were colder. I ordered the Shakespeare Pale Ale, but the lack of coldness really detracted from the otherwise pleasing taste of the drink.
In addition, they ran out of two items on the menu that I tried to order, which was a little disappointing. Seems like a great place to grab a casual drink. Not really somewhere to turn up at though.

Had a good feel. It was a lot like being back in london and in one of its old pubs. The only thing off was the music. For some reason, listening to the Jackson five just didnt feel right.
Food was average. I had the fish and chips. It was good but not great. A good pint selection. I would recommend for after work drinks, or a quick lunch.

I came here for Saturday brunch with 3 others. I was generally very unimpressed. The place was literally empty, we were the only people there. The sole waitress disappeared halfway through, and we had to run around the restaurant afterwards to look for her in order to get a check. Eating at a restaurant should not be this difficult.
I had the scotch eggs and fries. The scotch eggs looked better than they tasted. I thought the sausage was too salty, and the dish in general lacked complexity in taste. The fries were well fried and rather crispy for the chunkier size. I liked them a lot, just wished there was a good aioli sauce to pair it up with!
My boyfriend got the omelette, which honestly looked very wimpy. I could have fried something like that by myself. My friend who ordered the scotch pancakes didn’t finished her dish. My other friend had the peacock Benedict. He didn’t seem to have any strong opinions about it, but based on the looks, the eggs looked extremely drenched in hollandaise sauce.

After a tasty drink and a not so tasty snack, the gal pal and I headed to The Shakespeare for something a little more substantial (and delicious). The lower-​level entryway feels like you’re entering a secret, intimate clubhouse with dim lights, hot hostesses, close tables and tight spaces, and a kind of inexplicable British charm.
Pretty punch hypnotized with Bourbon, mint iced tea and floral cucumber and sweet Pimm’s and Chambord with tangy sweet lemonade quenched thirst.
The creamy rosemary and herb-​laced pot of homemade ricotta swimming with olive oil and aged balsamic was absolutely delicious spreading across the warm bread.
And then there was the burger, fat and stacked high accompanied by tall wide «chips.» Its toppings were dreams – super smoky bacon, white melted cheddar, a perfect house blend patty, thin sliced pickles, pungent red onion and lettuce– mingling to create refined pub fare and complex bites. It was more than a burger; it was catharsis and a feeling.
The Shakespeare offered ambiance and attentive service. It dished up lovely refreshing drinks and flavorful food evoking pub moments. It was perfect for gossip and support and hearty laughs.

Ambiance sympa, plutôt en mode old school British côté restau et plus cool côté bar. Service agréable et burger vraiment bon.