The Ginger Man

"When your friend says, “Let’s go check out a beer bar near Bryant Park,” you may assume that their office moved to Midtown, or they need someone to drink with after their ice skating date didn’t pan out. But The Ginger Man actually has enough going on that you should check it out whenever you want a big space with a huge beer selection (around 70 options on tap) in a convenient location. The back room looks like the common room of a grad library, so keep it in mind when you want to drink beers on a couch that’s not in your apartment." - matt tervooren

"In terms of selection, this is one of the best beer bars in the city, and one of the best bars full-stop near Bryant Park. It’s nice and spacious, which also makes it a prime Happy Hour spot for all the finance and lawyer people getting out of work around there. There are also couches in the back, which for some reason seems to be important to people." - katherine lewin, hillary reinsberg

"We’re sorry to inform you, but you have made the wrong decision by agreeing to see this person who’s still in love with you. It’s too late to back out now though (since it’s happening in 45 minutes). Going to a restaurant is absolutely out of the question. Instead, you need a bar that’s dark, semi-sterile, and the opposite of romantic. The Ginger Man should do the trick. It’s a giant bar in Midtown East where most of the people standing next to you probably work in finance - a career with very little left to be desired." - Hannah Albertine