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    The Gem Saloon

    4.2 (321 reviews)
    Open 11:00 am - 2:00 AM (Next day)
    Updated over 3 months ago

    The Gem Saloon Photos

    Business Info

    THE GEM SALOON ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Moderate noise
    Casual
    Trendy
    Happy hour specials

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    Recommended Reviews - The Gem Saloon

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    Inside and ceiling
    Rebecca M.

    Stopped in for a quick lunch and was surprised by how delicious and reasonably priced the lunch specials were. The double smash burger and fries were perfect. The grilled cheese was very tasty and the spinach was fresh and perfectly seasoned with garlic. The food was better than last time and we will definitely be back. The bar area and restaurant were clean with friendly and efficient staff. A great place to go for lunch or a drink and snacks after work.

    Buffalo Chicken Bowl
    Claire S.

    I have to say that the Buffalo Chicken Bowl exceeded any expectations I had when I popped in here for dinner. The ingredients were all fresh, and I love that the blue cheese comes standard on the side. I would order this meal again if I returned--it's filling and perfect for a hot day. I sat at the bar, and the bartender was great. I never went without water and she made sure I always had what I needed. The atmosphere is casual.

    Trixie burger
    Cecilia L.

    Met a friend for lunch here today at 2pm. The place is pretty big between outdoor seating, dining room, bar, and upstairs seating, and it was pretty empty at that hour, so we had no wait to be seated in a booth by the bar. Since we haven't seen each other for a while, it took us a while to look at the menu, but our server was so patient waiting for us to catch up and let her know when we were ready to order. I was impressed by all the vegan items on the menu as well as items that could be made vegan. It makes it easier for a vegan and non-vegan to enjoy a meal when we can both have a delicious filling meal! My friend got the roasted tomato soup, and I got the Trixie Burger with fries. The soup comes in a bowl and is a decent size for a lunch (even though it's on the starter menu). She enjoyed it and said it satisfied her soup craving. The Trixie fell apart as I ate it, but that's a good thing because that's how I know it's housemade! Normally when places have a vegan burger, it's spicy, so I was happy to see it wasn't spicy at all. I loved the flavor of the burger and the fresh greens and cucumber on top was the perfect compliment. The bun was soft and held it's own with the burger being filling. The fries were so crisp and perfectly salted, and the portion was enough for the two of us to share. Our server was great checking in on us and letting us keep chatting throughout the meal and the food was delicious and filling. I would totally come back next time in the area.

    Bellini
    Kim O.

    I'm happy to see there are still reasonably priced restaurants with good service and decent food around. They are becoming increasingly hard to find. Met some friends here for brunch. Their brunch menu is pretty much what you would find at any restaurant that serves brunch (steak and eggs, burgers, pancakes, etc). The only exception is that you get one complimentary drink with your brunch which was nice. I had the Bellini and while it tasted good it didn't have any kick to it. For my entree I had the Whiskey Burger which was delicious and cooked to a perfect medium which is how I like it. The truffle fries that were an extra charge was well worth it because they were delicious! Our waitress was amazing - she was patient as we asked for a million substitutions to our orders and checked on us often. A solid place that I wouldn't mind going back to again.

    Raj S.

    Great location . Nice ambience . Lots of options to drink and eat ..went for a party here and it happened in top floor . Service was good . Food bites were good . Some of the small bites were average . Some with bruschetta and cheese . Wish there were rest rooms in all floors . Had to go 2 floors down and the restrooms were small .. overall a good experience . 4 stars ..

    Lisa E.

    Absolutely loved Gem Saloon, a huge place with a bar that encircles the middle of the space. So you have the large bar area, small booths, and lots of standing room. Rustic, but neat & chic décor..this was once Rodo Bar which closed mid 2014 , a neighborhood staple for 27 years.! Gem Saloon has been here since 2016, the owners of Phebe's & Penny Farthing.(I'm trying to recall if the space was Bookbinders in the early 80's) The nicest bartenders & staff, our group was able to chat with Joan who is an owner. We were there as a group but the Happy Hour seems extremely generous Mon-Fri. 4-8 pm with a vast selection of wine/bottles/drafts/Seltzers & Cocktails. Additionally, each weekday has it's own drink special. If you have a group, you can plan a great little party and have the area sectioned off & food platters spaced out. The drinks were excellent, made well, in proper glasses, with proper garnishes. I lived in the neighborhood in the mid 1980's and this would have been my go to bar. At that time, there was little around. The Della Rose, Maker's Mark w/ fresh blackberries is a standout. One thing, it is loud ! I'd add some softness to the ceilings to keep it a bit more conversationable.! I look forward to returning sometime soon.

    Chili Nachos with beautifully melted cheese! Soooo good!
    Ellen F.

    I've been in the neighborhood for a few years now and seem to keep coming back to this place. The food is and has gotten so good! We're talking, best wings in town and epic chili nachos! They let the cheese melt and almost get crispy on the nachos. Like WOW good! The drinks are frigging solid too! I'm a bit of a cocktail snob. I don't drink just anything (I wish I could but as a yout 'quoting great Joe Pesce' I overdid it). I like a good, shaken Vodka Collins. I'm happy to report, my drink is always gooooood! I've tried their pink sangria and it's yum too! The staff is always so kind and friendly. They smile when they come to your table or if you're at the bar, you feel welcome. I love that they seem like my friends rather than staff. I prefer the regular tables over the high top booths. My short legs always fall asleep from dangling or because of where the bench hits the back of my legs. Anyway, yesterday it was raining, they gave us a low top table and had the windows open. It was simply amazing!

    House-Cut French Fries
    Mandisa N.

    Love this place for their daily drink specials and happy hour. It seems to be popular with the after work crowd and can get pretty busy. The staff I've interacted with have been very friendly. Drinks: I wasn't too big of a fan of their margarita. The espresso martinis and daiquiris are good. Food: The portions of their fries are insane and they are really good! I wish there was a little bit more to the lemon garlic shrimp but I wasn't too mad at it.

    Megana V.

    came here for happy hour and the drinks were 5/5 and food was 3/5. got the aperol spritz for $6 and the hh is from 4-8 which is more generous than most places around the area!! tried the buffalo mac and the nachos. wish the nachos had more topping. buffalo mac was really cheesy but chicken in it was soggy. overall super worth for drinks and will be going back for drinks.

    Chicken sandwich
    Lorrie H.

    Stopped here for lunch recently. Menu had a decent variety to choose from. I ordered the chicken Tuscan salad and my husband ordered the grilled chicken sandwich. Service was good and food came out pretty quickly. The salad was very good. Chicken sandwich was tasty although the slaw on top was a little messy. Overall a good place to stop in and grab a bite to eat

    Two Draft beers! Kona and Coney Island Pilsner
    D P.

    Came here last Friday night around 6 PM. It was pretty packed at that hour, but we were sat in the back corner where there was plenty of room. Our waiter was super awesome, friendly and just had a good vibe about him. The beers on draft were fresh and not Skunky. We ordered the brussels sprouts and cauliflower to share, which were great and our waiter refilled our beers super quickly and managed to do all this when he got a huge party of 15 birthday people. Definitely recommend this place.

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    7 months ago

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    11 months ago

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    5 months ago

    Yummy happy hour margs !! Just kinda crowded when we went. Would go back for happy hour for sure

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    30 days ago

    Grace is chilll and she was a good waitress. This place is a gem. The food is very good.

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    2 years ago

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    4 months ago

    Always an awesome experience. Servers are super attentive and the food is excellent. Our go to brunch spot.

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    7 months ago

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    8 months ago

    Great service and food! The smash burger was perfect and the fries were amazing. Highly recommend going here if you are in the area!!

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    Business owner information

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    Jo B.

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    Page 1 of 9

    The Gem Saloon Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - The Gem Saloon

    Do they serve outside this time of year? (December)

    Yes

    What is their current happy hour and is it only at bar?

    What is their happy hour?

    4-7 half priced drinks

    Do they serve beer towers?

    No the do not

    Don’t See Your Question? Ask Away!

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    4.1(1.9k reviews)
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    Met family in Manhattan, and they had already made a reservation for all of us…read more We were seated promptly and drink orders were taken. Once drinks were out, then food orders were taken. Everything was quick, no waiting. Food was very good. I had the chopped salad with salmon, my wife had the grilled cheese with tomato bisque. Everything was pretty much perfect. Where we sat, we could see the open kitchen and the open fire oven. My cousin's kids were really interested in it. It got a little noisy when more parties were sat, but we could still mostly hear each other. Plus the host took a pic of all of us and the storefront when I asked. Not everywhere will do that. Only negative I could say is that it was a bit pricey, but I figured that's New York City pricing, as it was $30 for my salad plus salmon, which is only like $18-20 here in Maryland. But overall, still an A+.

    I would like to give 3.5 stars: actually 5 stars for the service, which was exceptional from start…read moreto finish. The server, Chad, was personable, knowledgeable and very efficient. Only 3 stars or so for the food. It was ok, but didn't knock my socks off. I mean, it really was fine, but not the wow I'd been led to expect. And then less than 2 stars for the ambiance, which makes me sad. The decor was fine up to a point. Lovely bar stools. But the corner we sat in? None of the photos on the walls around us were straightened or hung equally. It was a bit disturbing (ie not relaxing) and confusing to the eye. And the music was this weird mash up of disco and 70s harder rock. Weird, as it is supposed to be a higher end dining experience. Hm. I would hire the server, but would look someplace else to spend my money on another meal in the area.

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    Monkey Bar - Smoked Whitefish Caesar (~$28)

    Monkey Bar

    4.3(483 reviews)
    1.3 miMidtown East

    Amazing vibes and food! We got a lunch reservation and I was surprised at how busy the restaurant…read morestill was. Service was a bit slow but not an issue. The waiter was really nice. I ordered the non-alcoholic ginger drink, spicy rigatoni pasta and the truffles pasta and Monkey Bread. Everything was so light and fluffy. None of the food felt heavy or greasy. Would definitely come here again!

    Made a plan to reserve a table 21 days previous to when we would be in the city - and was able to…read morespike one. There is currently construction and scaffolding in front of the place, but you'll see signage where to go at the opening of the scaffolding. We walked in, past the bar and checked in. We were seated within 5 minutes. I ordered a bourbon old-fashioned and we ordered crab rangoon as a starter. There were a lot of them and the sweet chili sauce was great. For my entree, I ordered the vodka rigatoni and a side of buttered broccoli. The vodka rigatoni was really good - liked the flavor and a decent size of pasta. The broccoli was really good for some reason to me. Also tried the truffle mac and cheese which was incredibly rich and tasted great. As a dessert, we had the chocolate pie which was dense, rich, and topped with a huge dollop of whipped topping. I really liked the atmosphere of the place, loud roaring 20s style with jazz playing. Plus I kept finding myself checking out the mural on the wall. Try it for yourself - but worth the fight to get a table.

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    Bryant Park Grill - Lemon Chicken

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    3.4(1.3k reviews)
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    Our group of 5 met here for Saturday lunch and were seated in the large covered dining room. I…read moreenjoyed the atmosphere, which reminded me of a garden atrium and felt serene. Waitstaff were excellent and all service was top notch. The food was prepared well and fresh. I enjoyed Cobb salad and other diners selected a Thai duck salad with papaya and mango, Caesar salad, crab cake, watercress soup, and crispy Canadian salmon with spring vegetables. Everyone enjoyed their selections.

    Didn't check the reviews beforehand because we only intended to have drinks, but should've known…read morethat places like this are only for the atmosphere. We asked if we were able to just sit at a table for drinks, she said yes. The wine selection was minimal and not good, but we ordered 2 glasses anyway. We asked the server if we could order bread for our son. He said "I'll bring bread after you order food." We told him we were only there for drinks but were happy to pay for a bread order. He begrudgingly said okay. After being there 10 minutes, we decided we wanted an appetizer so went for the tuna crudo. Not did it taste awful, it didn't even look appealing. It also oddly came out with a massive piece of grilled bread?! Bizarre combo. Do yourself a favor and just sit in Bryant Park, don't waste your money here.

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    Friedman's - Shakshuka

    Friedman's

    4.0(3.4k reviews)
    0.7 miMidtown West
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    Salads and soups were well-seasoned and enjoyable, though the steak was a bit flat. Tableware and…read morepresentation were refined, making for an above-average experience

    Had reservations for 2 on a Saturday afternoon and the place was packed. We got there about three…read moreminutes late, but they seated us within 5 minutes in a booth. It was our first time eating at a Friedman's location. It had a nice diner feel to it, with a mix of booths and tables. The brunch menu has a variety of breakfast items, salads, sandwiches and burgers, starters, and entrees (fish tacos, grain bowl, fried chicken). I like that several of the items are naturally gluten free, and some can be made gluten free by request. We decided to go with three breakfast items from the brunch menu: I got the shakshuka, my sister got the Nova Benny, and we got the lemon ricotta pancakes to share. All 3 dishes were great. The shashuka came with grilled ciabatta, perfect for dipping into the sunny side eggs and tomato sauce. My sister loved that the poached eggs and smoked salmon of the Nova Benny came on top of a crispy potato latke. The pancakes were fluffy and the lemon ricotta and lemon zest elevated their flavor. Our server was friendly and attentive, and he asked us if we had any allergies when he took our order. He came by several times to check on us and refill water. I would return to Friedman's when I'm in the Herald Square area, or check out one of their other locations in the city.

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    La Pecora Bianca - Garganelli

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    4.2(598 reviews)
    0.8 miMidtown West
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    My friend and I were visiting from LA and our hotel the Archer recommended this place for dinner…read more It's right across from Bryant Park. We loved it so much we went back and second time for dinner. The first night we sat at the bar (it was crowded and we didn't have reservations) and made some friends who recommended Ivan's (the bartender) espresso martinis. Although we were drinking some white wine we decided after finishing those we would try them. Ivan makes them special with a little Bailey's! They were incredible! Like a dessert but not too sweet. Ivan shared his recommendations with us and we had some good conversation. We ordered a pasta dish with shrimp and Brussels salad as well. All very tasty. A couple of nights later we went back and had the rigatoni with red sauce which was phenomenal and our favorite and the Toscana salad, also great. The pastas taste homemade and everything is so fresh, including the bread. We of course ordered espresso martinis again and Ivan thought it might be us again and came by to say hi. He makes the restaurant feel like family! I will definitely be returning to this restaurant in my next visit. It is now my favorite restaurant in New York! Thank you so much Ivan!

    I travel to the city for work and often need a place to dine solo. From the outside, the vibe…read morelooked warm and inviting. That's exactly what it was. I sat at the bar and ordered a simple pasta with red sauce, some meatballs, and broccolini. The pasta was perfectly al dente and absorbed the red sauce nicely. I appreciate that I was not offered grated cheese or fresh ground pepper. It was served as the chef intended, showing off the tomatoes, accented only by the herbs and spices. It was not too oily either, if anything it could have had a touch more, but again this let the tomatoes come through. The pork and beef. meatballs are dense and served in a thickened tomato sauce. The bread that comes with it is nice for finishing that gorgeous sauce which does have a sprinkling of parm. The broccolini had a a touch of garlic and served with a lemon. You can judge a restaurant by its guests. The other solo diners beside me were locals, there for the food. Next time I'll try the vodka sauce with burrata.

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    The Gem Saloon - bars - Updated June 2026

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