Black Emperor Bar

Been here a handful of times so far, and each time I am impressed with the consistency and quality of the food, as well as how the bar has grown since I last visited. Not pictured here are the chicken wings that we ate before remembering to take a picture. Was very happy to see an expanded cocktail menu. The “Pinkies Up” is the way to go. As for food, you can’t go wrong with any of the choices. Tried the butter tater tots for the first time and they were spot on. Go here. Eat the food. Drink the drinks. Enjoy life, because that’s what this place is for.

Best bartenders, great atmosphere and cocktails made to suit. A most stop on any New York City adventure. I really love the ambience and feel of the bar. They serve amazing bar food and have in my opinion the best Toki Highball in NYC and it is on tap!

Beef burger and the fried chicken sandwich are must try! Beef burger - The crust of the bread brings the burger to the next level. The kimchi mayo is legit!!! Come here before October since the burger spot behind it is just pop up now. Btw the beer was good as well, it was only $5 (happy hour)

Black Emperor was a nice bar, which was buzzing but had no wait on a Friday night. The Slow Ride and Highball house cocktails tasted great. But, I'm not here to talk much about the bar. I'm here because this is currently the only place I can talk about the best burger I ever had in my life. The 10 oz Korean dry aged steak Burger (pictured below) tasted incredible. It is currently there as part of the HIM pop-up, in advance of the restaurant "NoWon" opening soon. Simple, juicy, perfectly cooked, with an amazing 'Murica cheese (that I'm still not sure exactly what that means). The other food from the pop up, including the tots, chips and guac, and peppers, were all sensational as well.

Cool atmosphere and decor, plus a decent variety of canned/bottled beers but sadly let down by being drastically understaffed. We waited at the bar for 10-15mins just for service and while the prices were very reasonable for Manhattan ($6 - $8 beer) it's just not worth the lack of service. I noticed there were also people seated at tables trying (and failing) to get waiter service, plus there seem to be similar complaints in their reviews. Hopefully it's a resolvable issue.

TLDR: Great drinks, tasty eats, cool atmosphere, awesome service. Japanese themed decor and Asian inspired menu. Try the Toki Highball for a refreshing summer beverage. Chef Jae Lee pulls out all the stops with a top-of-the-line menu. Try the crispy ramen chicken wings or the wagyu beef burger—serving only 5 a day! Everything you could hope for in a local watering hole. More: The space had been the home of the former Shoolbreds. A favorite of many locals, Shoolbreds was a casual but nice spot and with plenty of good beer, decent bar food, great vibe, and excellent service. So, any new spot had big shoes to fill. Leave that to John Bush and David Massoni, who partner again to bring us Black Emperor. The name and decor are inspired by a real Japanese motorcycle gang (bōsōzoku) named Black Emperor, that was famously captured in a documentary of its namesake. Bush and Massoni were two of the three partners of famed Three Kings Restaurant Group, created with chef Dale Talde. After the closing Talde restaurant in Brooklyn, Bush and Massoni (sans Talde) have ventured into the East Village for this offering. Definitely worth stopping by. With Jae Lee at the kitchen's helm, you can expect many tempting bites on the menu. Lee draws from his time as Executive Chef at Momosan Ramen (famed Morimoto spot) as well as Executive Chef at Hotel 50 Bowery more recently. He's proving an innovative figure in the NYC food scene, and no doubt this is yet another step in a great career as a restaurateur.

Mmmm Watermelon margarita and Toki Highball. I like this place, the foods delish and the service is great. I’m all about the chicken wings.The bartender is chatty and friendly too so that’s a plus.

Went with 5 friends. Every new item we got was exquisite. But we all had a unanimous agreement that the burger was easily the best burger we have yet had in our 30-40 years on this planet. Chef and Owner were very kind as they came to check on us. Oh! And great drinks. Next time I'm in town I hope to stop at the full fledged restaurant.