Playwright

Gaelic Football, Irish Breakfast, and bottomless Mimosas anywhere in the world is a good day. Mine sure was. From Sean's command of the bar to the Irish ex-pats teaching me the game, Irish hospitality was at its finest. Great deals, great food, great service, and something the Irish have become known for, the best Bar in NYC!

Delicious! Old fashioned, welcoming pub with delicious food. The beef stew is hearty and fork tender. And the gravy is just like my Moms!

We spend some days sitting at the street drinking and enjoying the atmosphere. Cold beer, nice service and good snacks. Leon, Arturo, Macedo and Ana Marie made our days special. A place to enjoy around Times Square!

Arturo recommend me Joyce Burger and some marzen beer which is one of my favs beer. Burger and service was amazing.

Had a nice lunch at Playwright Tavern today! The food was really enjoyable, especially the Thai chicken salad, which was flavorful and well-prepared. The venue is very spacious with plenty of TV screens, perfect for catching a game. The bartender was friendly and attentive, adding to the overall positive experience. It's a solid choice for anyone in the area looking for a drink or meal in the Times Square area.

This place is authentic and worth it on holiday w/ family get/togethers . The staff the food and atmosphere is the best . From wing appetizers to NY Strips main course w/ various drinks to apple pie and various coffees deserts . The bill was over $200 w/ 13% gratuity included plus we added more tip because of the professionalism from the wait staff and chefs . In the Big Apple you have to pay to have a great time and 202 Celtic Pub is worth it . Next family holiday get/together in the NYC right here .

Nice bar, but very very cold, had to leave our coats on. Alot of people left while we were there! Decent pint of Guinness, waitress was nice, but only one working.

Came across this pub by walking down in New York exploring since this is my first time going to New York. I love the atmosphere and the life entertainment when a man was singing in the other room where people were drinking and having a good time. The food is very great the service was also great. I would definitely recommend this place when I come back to visit New York again

A great experience my last few visits. The staff is friendly, attentive, and efficient. Fresh Guinness, poured properly. The guacamole and chips were fresh (although the guacamole was a tad too spicy for my taste). I highly recommend it!

So I got a message from Yelp saying that people were complaining about my review. To be fair, I am editing it, but I stand by what I said. It's the only way to explain the HORRENDOUS service. The restaurant didn't even give a courtesy reply. Review or no review, I will never go back and I encourage you all not to as well. Do yourself a favor and don't go here. I even gave them a chance before posting this by emailing them and I got no response. I know better than to expect even 3 star service in a Times Square area bar but this TAKES THE CAKE. Went to meet my bestie at this bar. I feel like we went here in the past and had decent service, so I said okay let's just go here again. We get to the front door and there is a lady hawker and she says (looking at my headband that I created that CLEARLY says ART) "oh is it your birthday???" I was like ughhh ....whatever lady, birthday has a LOT more letters. But it's okay, I don't expect people to understand creativity. We sat down. We asked for a cocktail menu. The lady server was very nice and handed us a menu. This is literally were everything went south. I guess we took a few minutes too long to order. We tried to flag her down but she waved us off and told us to ask the gentleman behind the bar for service. He was DEEP in conversation with the two people next to us. I got his attention for exactly two seconds and he just stared at me and went back to his chat. Finally the lady bartender asked us what we wanted and served us our drinks. After talking and drinking for a bit, we wanted something to nosh on. We tried again to get the male bartenders attention but he was still completely wrapped up in his conversation and couldn't be bothered with our order. We finally asked the bar back to please kindly put in our order for nachos. He did a good job service wise. The lady bartender served us one more round as the male bartender (who was supposed to be serving us!) continued to ignore us. We got our nachos ( they were decent albeit a bit too spicy) and the bar back was nice and service oriented and got us extra sour cream. Finally we had enough weird lopsided service. I asked the lady bartender for one more drink for me and the check. She said OK and then promptly disappeared. This is where its gets REALLY BAD. While waiting for this non-appearing check, we flagged down the lady who was the hawker outside. We asked for a manager, she asked why, I said we are not liking the service, are you the manager? She says no. I say okay I'd really like to talk to the manager. She's says okay and she also disappears. Then the original female bartender comes by and is like OH WHY DO YOU WANT A MANAGER? And I'm like this service isn't great, are you the manager? Her answer? IM KIND OF A MANAGER IVE BEEN HERE 20 years. I'm like can I please talk to the actual manager? She leaves. We now ask the bar back to PLEASE get us the real manager. After a while some lady comes down who is barely coherent. I think she was in charge of washing the restaurant linens. I told her my grievances. She says (about the two people he was completed occupied by) they just got off shift so they are talking. And then she just pets my arm and says sorry sorry like I'm a cat whose tail got stepped on. And then she went wandering off. CLEARLY this was NOT a manager, in fact I feel like they pulled her randomly from a table. I'm DONE, so I start to pay the check. NOW the original male bartender comes around "Oh I'm sorry was it me? What did I do? Let me make it up to u". This 100% would not have been necessary if he had just provided the bare minimum of service. I paid my bill in cash because I 100% didn't trust them at this point. I told him NO DO NOT WORRY WE WILL NEVER BE BACK. I CAN SPEND MY MONEY IN A MILLION OTHER PLACES. I paid the check, NO TIP. I would not even have paid that check but I didn't want a fight. Do yourself a favor and go to APPLEBEES up the block where the lovely server Melissa works at the bar on the main level with courtesy, promptness and graciousness.

Service was friendly and food was okay. Ordered the Asian chicken salad. Presentation was excellent, but some of the chicken had grizzle in it.

Very friendly staff; clean inside, and very groovy place - the pub occupies an entire beautiful old townhouse, with lots of old wood & exposed brick. Very good black & tan. Food was also very tasty & prepared with care. I had my standard Caesar salad and wings. However - eight buffalo wings WERE SEVENTEEN DOLLARS! This is not the right price - THIS IS PRICE GOUGING! I left feeling gouged, & still hungry.

This is a great place to eat before the theater. Within walking distance to several from the Paramount Hotel. I had my favorite fish and chips. Two large pieces of fish, cooked perfectly. Chips were "crisp" and full of flavor! Almost too much to eat, but I did it! The service was great, friendly wait staff. By 6:00 p.m. the place was full. Very fun and the interior was very "pub Wood". Would go again next time I am in New York. (visiting from Colorado) p.s. nice clean restroom

Had a great, first time experience here. Came from a long drive down from Buffalo and needed a place to eat and just sit down to take a break from driving. We decided to eat outside to get some fresh air. It was nice. We ordered: - traditional Irish breakfast: Irish sausage, bacon, black & white pudding, eggs any style, grilled tomato, home fries and toast - James Joyce: Irish bacon, cheddar, fries - bottomless mimosas - bloody mary Food was delicious and sitting outside was cozy, despite the NYC noise. The servers were knowledgeable, polite, fast and efficient.

After a loud bar the night before, we walked to Playwright to enjoy a nightcap. Again, happy to have a nice pint of Guiness and my colleague a glass of red wine. This place was nice a quiet and a conversation was possible. We did order some french fries and the barkeep kept on trying to take it away. Not sure what their rush was then a neighbor at the bar came over and started talking to us about how great he was and started using profanities. Then his friend came and nudged him saying they had to leave because the wifi was not working, and the guy guzzled his entire glass of beer in a milisecond and left, thank goodness. Soon thereafter, the barkeep asked if he can take the french fries again. They turned the lights up so I can only assume that this bar was closing early or something Weird.

Would not recommend this restaurant to anyone! Far from an Irish pub. The food was decent but the SERVICE was disgraceful...especially when the bill came as it gave you two different prices one for cash/debit and another for credit, even when you pay with a debit card it will go through as credit due to the system when this was discussed with the server they said there is nothing they can do as it's there "system" which is definitely bullshit...why give two prices when you are going to charge the customers the higher price...

Really enjoyed the atmosphere. Prices are reasonable for Times Square area, service was very good, food was good. Fun place!

We were walking from our hair salon towards the east side when we stumbled across this restaurant. Oddly, Yelp did not show this restaurant as being in the vicinity. So we were happy when we walked past and saw the menu posted outside, which boasted of comfort food. My dining companion was thrilled with her salmon and mashed potatoes with broccoli. I made a mistake in ordering the Cobb salad. Because the Irish are not particularly known for their cobb salads as far as I know. While the salmon was perfect, the chicken in the cob salad was a bit rubbery. When we first arrived, we were placed at the back near the kitchen. Initially, it was fine, but shortly after we were seated, the table right in front of us filled up. So we felt squished and pushed into the corner because of the large table of people. By and far, the highlight of the evening was the young South asian woman who was our server. She was not only attentive, warm, and welcoming, but it was as though we had a family member working at the restaurant whom we were visiting. We will return, but I will be careful what I order.

First meal in NY/Manhattan. We had the shrimp scampi and the Guinness beef stew Both were very good. It was a quaint place but loved the vibe of this Celtic pub

The perfect place to go with friends for drinks! The atmosphere, the views, the drink selection makes it a winner!

So cute! Fun crowd, fun music, great food, we'll be back! It would be such a fun place to have a friends gathering!

We happened in here looking for a place to get out of the rain and have a midday snack. It was pretty slow, so no problems just walking in. Service was decent- because it was so slow I think sometimes they forgot about us. We got the truffle fries and burrata appetizer. Both were solidly good. The truffle fries were nice and crispy. We would probably come here again if we were in the area but wouldn't necessarily make a special trip over.

Great service and good food. Felt more like a neighborhood bar than a big city elite scene. I actually enjoyed that the most about it. Truffle fries were cooked perfect and came out piping hot and the wings were cooked perfect. I had low expectations for the wings but wound up being very surprised. I think this was actually my second time here except my first upstairs. Next time we are in town we will probably make this a regular stop.

Love this place & especially the Sinatra singer on weekends, Kurt. Can't wait to go back!

The Playwright is a quick and easy place to get food and drinks near Times Square. The have outdoor seating even during the winter (it's heated no worries). It's mostly Irish food with some other options sprinkled in. I ordered the chicken pot pie which was delicious!

Great service. Tasty cocktails. Friendly staff. Had the onion rings as an appetizer. Will go back again.

On my next pub stop while visiting the big Apple my Spidey senses lead me to the good ole Playwright Tavern on 8th st. Great little Irish gem in the heart of midtown with plenty of drink options and genuine bartenders. Always stop in here when I come to the city because sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name and they are always glad you came! Hah! They also have live music some evenings. Can't speak in the food as I'm always here on a liquid diet Don't forget this pitstop when visiting NYC. Salud !

Wanted a quick lunch before a matinee show. This was very close to the theater. It was raining so hard so we didn't want to walk too far. We were seated right away and ordered our food. Our server was attentive and the food and drinks were good. I had the shepherds pie and it was perfect for the cold and rainy day we were experiencing. My daughter had the James Joyce Burger, and said it was good. They did not rush us at all. The restaurant was very nicely decorated with pictures of Irish poets and playwrights. Celtic symbols. It was definitely a good choice for us.

Grabbed dinner here before a show and had a good time. The restaurant is at the top of a narrow staircase, but luckily it's reasonably spacious once you get up there :) We told the server / host (I think she was serving both roles, and doing an excellent job!) that we had a show at 7 PM, and she told us "Everyone has a show at 7 PM" with a smile on her face. Fair enough! It definitely reassured us that we would be able to eat our food and still get to the show in time. I ordered the shepherd's pie and my wife ordered the mushroom ravioli. The food came reasonably quickly, and my shepherd's pie was decent. Nothing too amazing but it was a hearty portion and wasn't too horribly overpriced (considering the proximity to the theatre, I was expecting worse). My wife really enjoyed her mushroom ravioli - I sampled a piece and thought it was pretty tasty, especially the sauce! As promised, we got in and out quickly and managed to catch our show. I'm not sure I would come here if I wasn't seeing a show at the nearby theatre, but if you're in a situation where you need a decent meal quickly, this place definitely hits the spot.

Atmosphere was very good. Beer was great. It's a bar. The biggest attraction to me was the fact they were blue lives matter. Bring a challenge coin or a patch. The bartender will appreciate it very much. Service was fast.

Stopped here for a bite to eat before a concert. We were seated quickly, food arrived quickly and the order was right. Excellent burger and salad at reasonable prices. Oh, and the wings were AWESOME!

Great spot for either lunch or dinner if you're in the area. Plenty of traditional pub fair options including fish & chips, Guinness stew, and your typical selection of burgers and sandwiches. Guinness runs $10/pint, but I guess to be expected in the area around Broadway and so many shows! Staff was very friendly and quick with our order, so I'd come back here for a drink or quick bite on the way to a nearby venue.

Charged me $18.29 for a basic Stoli vodka! Don't come here unless you want to be ripped off. (expensive NYC place is about $14 currently in 2024)

A convenient place to grab a burger or no frills entree. Theater district location is a plus. Be aware that 18% gratuity is added to all checks as well as a fee for credit card use so check your bill carefully if you wish to dispute it

I've been coming to Playwright for most of the 30 years I've been in New York. I would mostly come on holidays and for special boxing events with friends. On every occasion, I would have dinner and drinks and sit for several hours at the bar. It has been my place for many many years. Last night, I came to see a boxing match. I had dinner and alcohol on the second floor, but towards the main event they had technical issues and asked if I wouldn't mind paying the bill and continuing to watch downstairs. No problem. There were seats at the downstairs bar, but as my girlfriend and I already had food and alcohol, we wanted to detox a little bit and ordered some water. We had been sitting at the bar for a half hour before a belligerent bartender tried to kick us out of our seats so he could sit three of his friends who had just come in. I explained to him that I've been to the bar for 30 years and that we had just had dinner and alcohol upstairs and they asked us to relocate because of a technical issue. He said "I don't care. Bar policy" and wouldn't be reasoned with. He just wanted us to spend more money. Ridiculous. He continued to talk out of the side of the mouth as the other bartender solved the problem by bringing more bar chairs so the new patrons could sit and we didn't have to give up our seats. Any normal bar with reasonable service and hospitality would've understood that we spent money upstairs and were relocated downstairs and would not have given this a second thought. But we felt harassed by this guy who was belligerent and frankly more obnoxious than any of the patrons for the rest of the night. Even in a loud bar, this guy was the loudest person there, cackling with his buddies, while the rest of the bar were trying to watch this pay-per-view event. He couldn't pick up the social cues that he was irritating other patrons. Everyone was kind of looking at each other. Then at the end of the night, as I'm leaving, he couldn't let it go. He kept talking about paying patrons sitting at the bar. I didn't say anything because I didn't feel the need to repeat myself or escalate anything given his small-minded temperament. I just thought he was behaviorally challenged. It's sad, but after 30 years and the treatment I received in front of my girlfriend, and the general lack of respect and disregard of the facts of this situation or for the history I put into this place, I'm going to be going downtown to Carraghers for sporting events going forward. At least there, I've never been mistreated. Enter it your own risk. I just wanted the owner to be aware.

Cute little Irish tavern. You walk in down stairs and THERES a little bar, as you walk up the stairs, there's the sit down restaurant section. Walk around the corner and there's the live music bar. The only thing is the drinks came out super slow as we waited about 10 min To get our four drinks. We weren't able to order at the bar since we took a table. Still a super cute quint place

This little pub is near our hotel, so we decided to check it out. Even though it's near Times Square, it is really chilled. Hubby and I simply wanted apps and drinks. We opted for nachos with no meat and mozzarella sticks. I mean you really can't go wrong with nachos and cheese sticks. I got a glass of shiraz which was a tad overpriced, but I understand it's all about location. Our server was attentive but not pushy. My water glass stayed filled. The food was simply a 3, but the service and cleanliness of the place made it a 4.

This place is not wheelchair accessible even though it very easily could become accessible. It very well be a nice bar/restaurant when you get inside, but I will not be paying to be forced to sit outside of a place that is lazy, cheap on accommodations, and behind the times

Located not far from Times Square, this bar closes late, drinks are well-poured and staff are friendly and attentive. Mixed drinks were $15 each, which was a few dollars more vs. what we'd paid anywhere else in Manhattan. That said, when every other place in a several block radius was closed or closing (disappointingly early for the supposed "city that never sleeps") this place was seemingly still going strong - and on our second night here, the door man quickly recognized us from the night before. Restrooms are a bit odd to get to - located at the bottom of a relatively narrow staircase.

This place was cute! A few different stories with the top one having live music. The band at the time was really good, playing some good throwbacks. We just went for a few drinks, but each drink we had was delicious. A couple beers and cocktails.

the line for ramen at ichiran was way too long and we had a matinee show to get to, so we found 2 seats at the upstairs bar here and ordered burgers (and guinness and powers). the burger was REALLY good. very unexpected. i got the one with irish bacon and cheddar. cooked perfectly and very fresh LTO. you could do a lot worse in this area of the city.

It's a pub with pub food, a small outdoor eating area of about 20 outdoor tables. The pretzel is gigantic and delicious, with a crunchy outside and soft tasty inside. The shrimp scampi is spicy and delicious. The stew w Guinness is very tasty with tender meat and a very tasty sauce. I'd like to see more vegetables in it. Service is attentive. A pub worth hanging out at.

The worst service i've encountered in NY. They're rude, hasty and super impatient. and not in a cute NYC old fashioned way. maybe it was an off night but everyone i encountered there was just rude. i went upstairs and 2 ladies just go "you can't be up here it's closed" to which i replied "oh i'm sorry, is the bar open?" and another guy comes around and he was nice, about to lead me to the bar and the ladies yell at him about something and he turns around to go back to work. like man, he was helping a customer. then i go outside to find the bar and almost go through the wrong door and a worker literally pushes me away from the door. crazy rude. avoid at all costs.

After seeing the Music Man, cold and hungry, we wandered into the Playwright. It was full of lively conversations so we decided to head up stairs to the restaurant. It was quiet and we were quickly seated. Ordering a cup of Irish coffee we decided to also try the chicken pot pie. We were not disappointed. The Irish coffee was great with it's warm, subtle coffee with baileys and whip cream that warmed our cold bones. The pot pie was flakey with tender chicken, bright peas and carrots. A helpful hint is to salt and pepper the pie to your own preference and it's amazing. The service was attentive and the place was clean. A hidden gem on your walk from any show.

BEWARE OF EXTRA CHARGES!!! This place is beyond sneaky, they like to add a credit card fees regardless of you paying in cash. Also, they add gratuities for 3 people. There was a QR code on the bottom of my bill if I wanted to pay and be able to change gratuities but they decided to Completely Scribble on it so you can't scan it. I would understand if the food was a 5 star maybe, however the food quality was horrible. You might be better off going to a fast food place.

The Playwright on 49th st is a classic Irish pub in the heart of time square with great food and drinks and live music daily. The kind of place you'll want to come back to again and again. Yes it's that much fun. The staff are fun and friendly and the ambience is comfortable. Highly recommend!

It is a nice place, that has a great location! It is located almost on the Times Square. They serve good pub food. I ordered Grilled Turkey Burger and it was good. The drinks were amazing. I had White Chocolate Martini. It was s tasty. The place by itself is pretty crowded, they have tables outside as well.

Would be nice to have a server come to my table more than 1 time every hour. Other than that the drinks are good and prices aren't that bad.

Busy...busy...busy Walked in and hit the stairs toward the bar as we stopped in for a quick bite and a drink. The hostess/greeter seemed overwhelmed as well as one of the bussers and slightly annoyed when seating us. In which they came off as rude and short tempered with us. We ended up sitting in the bar to take advantage of their happy hour specials which were not bad and ranged from 4-6 bucks for cocktails. Not bad especially for the location so close to the theaters! We opted for the regular nachos for a snack and not the best/worse thing. What you'd expect for bar food. I will say our actual server was awesome! Overall not a bad value for the drinks!

Friendly staff, great service and a simple but delicious menu. The potato skins are incredible with plenty of bacon, cheese and other goodies stuffed on top. A top notch stop on your way to a Broadway play.

We dropped in off the street on a Saturday afternoon and were seated upstairs. The staff were attentive and friendly. The menu seemed like a mix of Irish and Italian fare. I had the vegetable pappardelle which had a wonderful flavor and chockful of fresh, crunchy veggies. The pasta was cooked perfectly. What was most impressive is how hard working the waitstaff are as they kept our glasses full as they served a full house.

Playwright offers exactly what you'd expect from a midtown Irish joint: overpriced pub fare jam-packed with tourists. Like most folks dining at 6pm on a Saturday night, I was here before a show. The sprawling, multi-floor restaurant had one focus: to cram as many people in as possible. There wasn't much of a wait to snag a table, though, and service was actually pretty quick considering the crowds. The menu features exactly what you'd expect (classic bar appetizers, salads, burgers) with some old-school mains like bangers and mash, shepherd's pie, fish and chips. I went with the James Joyce burger: a well seasoned patty with cheddar and Irish bacon. It was juicy, tasty, and filling but nothing out of the ordinary (and a few bucks pricier than it should be) You could definitely do worse for eats in the neighborhood

Spent an afternoon there watching playoff football games. Staff was very attentive and accommodating.

Two stars because they have an amazing happy hour but their food is pretty gross so I can't rate them more than that. The hummus was chunky and chalky. The pita chips were so greasy it was hard to eat. Come for drinks and get food elsewhere!

Stopped in for a beer before the show. They have a pitcher for $20, probably the best deal you'll find. It's in the middle of Times Square, so there's plenty of people watching!

Awesome people, awesome place, awesome New Year's Eve party, awesome, awesome, awesome!

A nice Irish pub & restaurant in Times Square. Excellent food and service. Brought my cousins who were visiting from Houston and they too enjoyed it a lot. Thomas was our server and he was beyond exceptional. He was polite, courteous & went the extra mile for us. I asked for an Arnold Palmer and they didn't have it but he said he will happily make it for me anyway and he did so and that too pretty quickly. I ordered their vegetable curry with rice pilaf which reminded me so much of my childhood and my guests enjoyed the lamb stew & Shepard's pie. Great food, impeccable service!