The Playwright Irish Pub

The atmosphere was the best part about this place. And I'm not talking about the staff. Our waitress looked miserable and charged for refills. The food looked better than it tasted. Chicken tenders were very gristle like and impossible to eat. My friends burger was so dry she about choked. It's a gorgeous building though. The architecture outside and the warm decor inside with burgundy was nice.

This was such a great find after our Empire state building expirence! Great food! Great staff and very reasonable price! They even made my son a special drink because he doesnt drink soda and wanted a refreshing drink other than water.

Spent four evenings at The Playwright due to the cold weather and the close distance to our hotel. All the staff we met were very welcoming. Comfortable and warm atmosphere. Drinks and food were excellent. Can't fault there service. I look forward to visiting them in the future. We'll done guys!

It’s always a pleasure to stop by here on a Sunday afternoon and get greeted by Alex & Emad. Always a smile, a cherry hello and tasty cocktails and food.

Stopped by The Playwright after a long day in a professional training and couldn’t have picked a better spot. Alex made the night. She was attentive, quick with service, and made everyone feel welcome.Even during a busy rush, she kept the vibe fun and easygoing. Exceptional hospitality — exactly what you hope for in a great Irish pub.

A bit pricey, but honestly worth it. It's a chill place, with a very good atmosphere. The burgers are great, as well as the draft beer selection. If you go during a Knicks game, odds are you will see people watching it and cheering.

Mazon is really nice! Give us a few shots. We love this pub so much

i loved this place so much! we're on vacation and weren't sure where to go out for drinks, we walked down the street and stumbled upon this place and oh my god are we glad we did. the bartender Mazum was amazing, he provided excellent and personable service. drinks great, we would highly recommend this place to anyone of our friends visiting and we will be returning!!!

The Playwright is a New York institution. Ask your friend from Iowa which bar they went to in the city on their last 'vacation'. It was likely this spot. Been here forever. Quality experience always. People know it. Right in the heart of midtown, you really can't go wrong.

Stopped in for a snack after walking along a street fair. The crabcake sliders were surprisingly good although they could just omit the bun. The onion rings and fries were listed in a way that made it seem like they came together but it was an either/or situation. The onion rings were fine anyway. Started getting crowded as we left presumably because the nearby theaters had let out after a weekend matinee so popular, but not too busy to not walk in.

This is a very generic Irish pub. I came here before with coworkers. Compared to the other bars on this block, it is the most humble and unpretentious one. The happy hour (Monday to Friday 4pm-8pm) is not bad, with $6 beers. There are also a bunch of TVs as well for watching sports. However, there is nothing unique about it - it's like all the typical Irish pubs you see around midtown.

I will make a liste what I think on come on lone with friend and family, great drink , great food when you Order have a amazing time also if you like sport TV is on who ever like sport, but the ny steak was good .! I mean good the taste of the meat was amazing! Don't forget the RED WINE !!!!! Awesome to have a good evening in experience! Have a fabulous night!!!!!!

This is not an Irish bar. The people who work here are nice but the food is subpar and the drinks are weak. Maybe it was Irish once upon a time, but the Irish Playwright is a tragedy.

I think I'm obsessed with their buffalo chicken tenders with blue cheese dressing. They serve an crazy amount of these things. And the curry fries are delicious! The food surprised me. As a pub, there are, of course, dozens of televisions broadcasting sporting events. They have a good selection of beers. Overall, they have a pleasant atmosphere. 4 stars - I need to come back for those chicken tenders.

Zum zum was amazing!! He is the best bartender here! Great vibes at the bar and it was a great time with him serving!

Mazun was an amazing bartender and was so hospitable and kind. We will definitely be back!

The kitchen here performs at a level few others reach. Delicious dishes and attentive staff left nothing to be desired. Allow me to highlight that no restaurant matches this level of customer attention. The surroundings balanced comfort with sociability. This place covers every dining need.

Awesome place gave me a free refill 10/10 cool guys would reccomend! Shirley temples are good. Environment feels very welcoming, great place to stop in for a drink real quick

Classic pub vibe! Have a few classics on draft along with serving well drinks, etc. Food was also classic pub fare. They have a second floor you can rent out for parties! Bartenders were nice too and pretty quick.

Mazum made our day, week, year. The best place in the area. Lots of drinks, incredible music, and great conversation. We feel so lucky!!

Solid midtown burger. Always a seat, always a friendly barman. I did notice a couple of sections of wall that didn't have a tv hanging on it, but there's always room for improvement.

We came here a few times in our 2 day stay in NYC. We were at a hotel on the same street with family & we stopped in for drinks a few times. I had Mango Habanero Boneless wings which were delicious. One late night I had chocolate martinis that were so yummy as well. Service was good & friendly.

Mazum was the best bartender of my life. The connect and playfulness is is unmatched. I would go to this amazing bar simply for him! Next time you go, and there will be a next, ask for him, and he will make your night!

Exceptional service from the moment we were greeted at the door by Richard. The barmen, food and atmosphere were equally exceptional - you will not be disappointed here. My friend and I stopped by on the off chance for lunch one day, saw they were going to be open Christmas Day (it was truly a Christmas to remember thanks to Richard and Lois, barman). We have even been back, and no doubt will again before we leave NYC. Thank you guys - you're the best

Loved the Pumpkin Espresso Martini. Wish I could have tried the entire fall menu. Their chips were solid & the French onion soup also!

Great spot in a super dense and crowded location. It was a bit hard to find because of all of the construction going on in the area. Came to grab some drinks with some friends and the place was pretty full. Sat near the bar to catch the game and only ordered drinks. Tried out a few beers. Service was great and the beer tasted good and fresh. The place and area is pretty rowdy though, so definitely not the type of place to have a quiet evening out. Lots of great options in the area and this one definitely stands out. Would recommend as a place to hang out with a group of friends for an evening.

Mazum was a stunning bartender. Truly a very attentive man. This place gives great vibes and I will definitely be back:)

Great Drinks Great Vibes Great Music we love we love we love we love we love we love we love

This place is horrible the bartender over charge me and added a tip !! When confronted about it he denied it and shook it off !! Watch out don't recommend!! Also there was a fruit fly in my drink

There are a lot of great pubs in NYC - put this one on the list. A classic Irish Pub but also with some food choices you wouldn't expect at an Irish Pub. Stopped in here for what became a few drinks. Wonderful and friendly bartender (John) made us feel welcome and we ended up spending almost two hours here. Will gladly return again soon. Very convenient location as well. Great for pretty much any occasions like after-work drink, quick happy hour, or large group gathering. Also, the place is an old house with several floors and rooms. Every corner is a surprise.

Mazum was an amazing bartender! So kind and such great service. The music was great and vibes were chill. Would come again!!!

Loved this bar! The bartenders are so friendly and we felt so welcome! The drinks during happy hour were super reasonably priced ($10 a cocktail, the fruity girl is great!) and the nachos were amazing. The crowd is lowkey but friendly and the bathrooms were super clean which is always nice. All the drinks are served in nice glasses and there's a good variety of drinks on the menu. Great experience overall and we visited on a slow Tuesday night.

The food was amazing! My sis and I shared the calamari and mozzarella sticks and both we're great! I had the Caesar salad with chicken and my sister had the Mushroom Swiss burger with fries and everything was great! The second time we visited I got the messy burger (with my own substitutions) and she got the same burger because she enjoyed it so much! The service and ambiance was amazing; everyone was nice and accommodating. I'm a tourist of NYC but I'm coming back in April and they will see me!

The food was straight up bad. I don't think they know what shepherd's pie is, but someone should tell them it has potatoes on top. The wing were edible, but no more than that. The drinks were okay but my old-fashioned was very sweet (I know some people like that so personal preference.) We ate the wings, each had one bite of the shepherds pie, and then went and got Korean fast food.

I love this place. I dropped my wallet on 8th Ave. I have an app called Tile that locates my wallet. I followed that app to this pub. I am not sure why. In fact my wallet was found by an honest person who turned it in to the police with nothing missing even the money in it. But the staff at this pub which was filled with lively friendly clients was very sympathetic and supportive and even treated me to a free beer (without my wallet I had no money). I feel blessed that losing my wallet lead me to this pub.

If you're coming here and Mazum is working you're in luck!! Best service we've gotten in a minute for sure. Super welcoming and hospitable and reasonably priced, especially for the area. I would recommend for anyone looking for something casual and chill!

Great place to watch any sport. But the best part is the pena madridista Hala Madrid.

Excellent part of the Playwright group of Irish bars in midtown Manhattan. This one is right by Herald Square, and walking distance from Madison Square Garden.

Advertises on their website they have happy hour M-F 4-8pm. Didn't honor that because there is a game playing on their TV's??? Anyways got charged full price because there's a game on- which isn't noted they would remove happy hour on their website or instagram.

Terrible service. Sat at bar and handful of people in there, no one near me so I was very visible and bartender managed to ignore me for 15 mins. Needless to say...bye bye!

On our recent trip to New York, this ended up being our favourite bar. We had lunch in here a couple of times and the food was great. The staff and the ambience in here are mainly what made us want to come back. One bartender in particular was called Al and he could not have been more helpful. Knows Nee York very well and helped provide us with some tips re the local area. I would highly recommend this place. Thank you guys

Hole in the wall find in NYC. We were wandering around late after theatre and dropped in. It looks and smells like an Irish Pub. Stale beer and all. We had Shepard pie and a curry. Both were top notch.

Unbelievably poor service. Took over an hour to get a burger and fish and chips. Wait staff pays zero attention to anyone. Food was marginal at best. Took 15 minutes to get a bill. Ridiculous.

Average sports/Irish Pub. Has a standard oaky, wooden vibe. The nachos were also super standard. Canned cheese with canned jalapeños and salty chips. Solid place to hang out for Football Sunday

My review for Playwright: Playwright Irish Pub is my go to pub whenever I go into the city. I've taken friends and family members whenever visiting NYC. I'm across the river. The drinks are always on point, you get what you ask for. I've ordered a variety of dishes from the kitchen and not a one has ever been a disappointment! Brianna, our usual bartender is phenomenal! She knows my cousin and I by name, her drinks are always as ordered, water available as she knows we always request some. Brianna always takes out some time to chat with us without neglecting the rest of her customers., The service workers are also very polite and courteous and always acknowledge our presence. If I see tourists looking for a place to eat I always recommend Playwright!! Definitely a 5 star pub ! Ruth Smith/ aka" Cuqui".

Cute little spot next street over the crazy Times Square area. Our server was very nice. She was attentive with our drinks. Very knowledgeable of the menu. We had an issue above our heads with the air conditioner vent leaking condensation due to the humidity outside. Our server right away moved us to a new table with nothing but apologies. All 3 of us ordered the beef stew. Pretty amazing with a scoop of mashed potatoes in the middle of the bowl. We asked for some bread to dip into the gravy. The bread was really good too! After a long day walking the city sights, this meal satisfied our hunger and brought comfort, being far away from home.

- Bartender literally barks at me when I order a club soda and legit said I'd need to drink hard alcohol if I wanted to stay. When I replied that I wasn't drinking, he grudgingly poured the club soda - There was a mandatory 20% gratuity on our bill which I've never seen in all my years in New York City (other people ordered drinks that satisfied the bartender in terms of alcoholic content; we were a party of 4) - Had to flag the guy down to order any other drinks after the 1st round - Air conditioning was on barely enough to keep from sweating

Dope bar, dart board went crazy!! Happy hour all day all summer is a great vibe. Come here if you're in the area and want a good time!

Happy New Year, everyone! I attended a 40+ New Year's Eve Singles Party, Playwright on 31 DEC 2023. I will say that while Playwright has a decent-sized bar, an upstairs that is very accommodating to larger parties, & is in a fantastic location --I would say that it attracts an older, more mature crowd. Alcoholic Drinks: 3.7/5 It's likely the stress of such a busy night, impacted service, and quality of the drinks. They do have a great beer selection. I recommend keeping drink requests simple on very busy nights. Food: 2.5/5 We ordered BBQ Chicken Tenders, A mushroom, Swiss burger, & Chicken Eggrolls with Sriracha ketchup sauce (too spicy). I didn't enjoy the food. The environment was welcoming, the gentleman at the door were friendly, & the decor gave great vibes. I would recommend Playwright to mature New Yorkers, & any tourists who want that classic Irish Pub vibe. Parking: There is a public garage a few doors down, often it's first-come-first serve. I recommend using a Parking app. **I don't have pics of the food this time around. Overall Experience: 3/5

My wife and I stopped in here for a bite and a drink. It's like four doors down from our hotel and we really enjoy Irish Pubs. The building is really neat. It has indoor seating and outdoor seating. The main building has at least three floors but I we never explored any floors aside from the main floor. The staff was very friendly and prompt. Our drink orders came out quickly and our food came our extremely fast. I don't think we waited a full ten minutes for our emails. The cider I had was likely the best I've ever had. I ordered a large pretzel and fries. Both were really good. My wife ordered a burger and she loved it. The mustard for the burger and pretzel was a very spicy mustard that was addictive but it will sure clear our nasal passages. LOL. I think it's more horseradish than mustard. Be careful with it. For dessert we shared a chocolate mousse cake and it was mouth watering. The bill was a tad steep but it was worth it. Refusing to honor the Yelp discount was a bit annoying but did take away from the experience.

maxum and seamus were amazing !!! Absolutely loved the service and the drinks were mixed perfect. I adore the vibe of the pub and recommend everyone to visit

It really hurts me to do this review because I am all about supporting local businesses and everything, but so much from my dining experience here just went wrong. 1. The food is simply dreadful. I had fried calamari and it was saltier than sea water and lacked flavor. Honeslty the worst fried calamari I have ever had 2. A member in our group didn't get her food only everyone else had finished eating (we waited 10 min for her already). Look, I think the server and bartender were super nice and all, but at least for my experience, they couldn't get the basics right.

Great and friendly service. Excellent but pricey burger ($20). Fun atmosphere. Worth the visit.

We visit every time we are in New York City. Friendly service and great location! We will continue to go back

Came here to get a drink one evening and I will be coming back for more! Great ambiance, great service, great place to watch a game.

Great service! The fries are amazing! Whoever is on aux needs a raise for their music taste!

Came here for happy hour, nice pub with a good bar. Many tvs for sports games to view