Category Archives: Bars

Celebrate Bastille Day this week at Harlem’s bier international

We just celebrated our Independence Day. Now its time to celebrate the French! This week bier international in Harlem, our popular and most successful beer garden to date, is honoring our ally by organizing three days worth of events celebrating Bastille Day.

Starting tonight (July 12) there will be live music with Floanne,  a native French talent (actress, singer and director) based in New York City. Hear ‘Its ok to be alone’ by Floanne.

Wednesday (July 13) they will have a DJ spinning Afro-French beats. Thursday (July 14), bier international will have live French accordion music playing. And of course, their menu will feature French specials in honor of Bastille Day along with your favorite beer.

So if you want to celebrate Bastille Day right here in Harlem, bier international, located at 2099 Frederick Douglass Blvd, is giving Harlemites plenty of opportunities! Merci bier international!

Harlem’s Honeycomb Burgers aiming to open by end of summer

I was at Chocolat recently enjoying their happy hour (more on that later) and while there I inquired about the status of Honeycomb Burgers, located on Frederick Douglass Blvd between 119th and 120th Street. The word is they are hoping to open the place by the end of summer. Harlemites can hopefully expect a new burger joint around August or mid September. We all know the drill when it comes to opening these establishments. Deadlines are very fluid. Let’s keep our fingers crossed that the hamburger prices will be reasonably priced at Honeycomb Burgers in Harlem!

Leon Ellis, the owner of Moca and Chocolat, owns Honeycomb Burgers. He is clearly expanding his restaurant business in Harlem and will soon dominate this particular block in Harlem once his third business opens. Good for Leon and best wishes for continued success! Can’t wait to have a burger there!

20110711-122235.jpg

20110711-122246.jpg

A crowd descends on Harlem Tavern opening night

Jul 2, 2011 @ 11:56
20110702-113325

By HarlemGal
Harlem has a new beer garden and locals definitely turned out in large numbers to be the first to see it first hand. Harlem Tavern, located on the northwest corner of 116th Street and Frederick Douglass Blvd., opened its doors at 5 PM sharp July 1 and folks were lined up along the outer wall to get in. By 6 or 6:30 PM the entire place was packed with uptowners. And when I say packed, every table inside and out had patrons sitting anxiously awaiting to try out the food and beverage menu. By 7 PM, I checked my online accounts and several people20110702-113357
checked into Foursquare from Harlem Tavern and photos of the place from inside were posted immediately to Facebook. The place was completely full in two hours and the kitchen and bar were blasted with orders. The design and layout of the place had no problem seating the crowd. We had seats outside and it was nice and comfortable. Harlem Tavern is going to be a great place to drink, eat and people watch. Stop by this weekend. They are starting brunch from 10-4 PM.

20110702-113541As for product, I am not going to get into reviewing the food, drinks or service yet since last night was their first night of business. I want to give them some space and time to get their service dance down. All I am going to say is the wait staff and owners did their absolute best given what was presented before them-a tsunami like large crowd. The bar and kitchen got so backed up, it was going to take them all night to get caught up. I left before 9 PM so not sure what happened after then.

I know the owners of Harlem Tavern are seasoned restauranteurs. They own several joints in the City so they know what they are doing. I plan on 20110702-113550
returning real soon. However, when I left the place last night all I kept thinking was “they better hire more staff pronto!” They need more workers ASAP! Last nights turnout proved, along with bier international’s success, there is a demand in Harlem for outdoor dining/beer gardens. Last nights attendance proved that-in my view. There had to be at least 300 or more people in attendance.

There was one more thought that crossed my mind when I left Harlem Tavern last night “gold mine.” Harlem Tavern and bier international are complete gold mines. It is obvious or it will be. Walk by these places and see for yourself! Beer gardens in Harlem…are gold mines!

Sign says Harlem Tavern officially opening July 1

Jun 30, 2011 @ 12:05
By HarlemGal
A reader provided us with a nice photo this morning about Harlem Tavern! I believe the photo says it all-opening day at Harlem Tavern starts at 5 pm, July 1! See you there! And a big thanks to our reader!!! You know who you are! You are the BEST!

20110630-120424

20110630-120449

20110630-120506

Harlem Tavern delays opening to Fourth of July weekend

Jun 28, 2011 @ 10:45
By HarlemGal
If you were planning on stopping by Harlem Tavern tomorrow night, June 29, don’t. They’re not quite ready yet. They just passed their last inspection last night (June 27) and over the weekend they put out a call for more food runners. They were needing a lot more help. Given all this, they are now aiming to open this Friday if all goes as planned.

So if you are around over the holiday weekend, there might be another place in Harlem to sit outside to eat and drink! In the mean time, check out their menu and drink list, here. When they open, you’ll be ready to order when you arrive! Stay tuned…

20110628-103425

Harlem Tavern to open next week

Jun 24, 2011 @ 7:08
title-1
By HarlemGal
UPDATE: Harlem Tavern is having a soft opening this coming Wednesday, June 29! Not the 27th!
The day is near when Harlem’s newest beer garden will officially open to the public. Harlem Tavern recently had their gas turned on, all the hires are in place, and this week several days of training occurred. When I last spoke to the owners, they said “give us one more week.” That was this past weekend. Plus all the major traditional New York press are reporting what we have known all along, Harlem Tavern is scheduled to open next week.

We hope our series called Inside Harlem Tavern was helpful and that it provided you with first-hand information on what’s expected to be one of Harlem’s hottest establishments on restaurant row. See you at Harlem Tavern!

20110624-065641 20110624-065713

Harlem to become outdoor music stage June 21

Jun 20, 2011 @ 7:57
By HarlemGal
On June 21, look around in Harlem. You may hear music everywhere. Harlem Park to Park (HP2P) and its HP2P businesses are taking part in Make Music New York, the citywide free live musical celebration on Tuesday, June 21st.

From 11 a.m. to 9 p.m., participating Harlem Park to Park businesses will become impromptu outdoor stages offering live musical performances and some select specials. A complete list of business are listed below.

Harlem Tavern fun facts, inside Harlem’s up and coming beer garden

Jun 19, 2011 @ 9:44


By HarlemGal
We continue our series called Inside Harlem Tavern. We recently told you about how Harlem Tavern is going unisex all the way with their toilets. Let’s now turn our attention to the fun facts about the bar and restaurant opening up on the corner of 116th and Frederick Douglass Blvd.

  • Total square footage: more than 6,000 square-foot
  • Seating: 150 inside, 150 outside
  • Outdoor light fixtures: designed similar to look like the ones in Central Park
  • Music: weekend brunches with live jazz
  • Culture: art from nearby galleries
  • And exact address and phone number: 2153 FDB and 212-866-4500

We have a pretty good idea on when Harlem Tavern is opening so stay tuned.

Harlem Tavern goes unisex with you know what!

Jun 17, 2011 @ 14:09

20110617-014633 20110617-014657 20110617-014707

By HarlemGal
First we told you about Harlem Tavern’s menu and drink list as part of our Inside Harlem Tavern series. We continue our series with a topic that some might find odd or unnecessary, but we think it is important strategic information to have. And hey…this topic everyone deals with. It is commonly know as mother nature and when mother nature calls-at least for me-the question I will immediately ask to anyone and everyone is “Where the h** are the bathrooms?”

When I visited Harlem Tavern recently I actually asked to see the lady’s room. I wanted to know where they are located. Well, I found out there is not exactly a lady’s room. There is not a men’s room either. Harlem Tavern went…UNISEX with their bathrooms. There are several stalls with closed doors lined up against the wall to the right when you walk indoors. It is all closed off. Don’t worry. Its only when you wash your hands that you may or may not know the person standing right next to you.

I was sort of surprised when I saw this. I thought with all that space inside why not send the men one way and the gals the other way? I guess the owners figured let’s save on space indoors and give patrons more outdoor space for eating and drinking. Oh well. See you in the Harlem Tavern bathrooms.

First look at Harlem Tavern’s cocktail list

Jun 14, 2011 @ 9:00
20110614-121635
By HarlemGal
As promised through our Inside Harlem Tavern series, we have some additional information on their menu. We now turn to their cocktail list.

First up is the Banana Sidecar: Hennessy, 99 bananas, and fresh lemon juice. This drink will be shaken and served in a martini glass for $12.

While you’re sitting outside at the corner of Frederick Douglass Blvd and 116th Street, how about drinking a Harlem Sunset? This drink will include tequila, cherry liquor, and pineapple. Yummy. We like this drink already and plan on ordering it ASAP…cause it has Te-qui-la! And its $10.

Next, can you say these words really fast? Tavern Rum Runner. It is catchy…huh? This will be served on the rocks in a mason jar for $12.

And last but not least is the Scottish Mule, which will have gin, cucumber, and ginger beer all for $10.

All these cocktails sound de-li-cious! And if you don’t want a cocktail, no worries. Harlem Tavern plans on offering 20 beers on tap and 60 craft beers in the bottle; as well as a selection of frozen drinks!

So the area that was a gas station, will soon be an eating and drinking station for Harlem humanity! The transformation of this space and menu will be well received! We will all find out soon when we physically will be going Inside Harlem Tavern!

20110614-121701