(212) 332-7620

20 West 50th St.
New York, NY 10020 40.758983 -73.978298

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Neighborhoods: Midtown Center, Midtown

patinagroup.com

Last updated 9.05.11

Category:

Nightclubs , Bars & Pubs , Bars & Clubs

Payment Methods:

Gift Certificate , American Express , Visa , Discover , Diners Club

Bar & Club Special Features:

Specialty Cocktails , After Work , Outdoor Seating

Smoking Permitted:

No

What People Are Saying About Rink Bar

Featured Review

Karen Hudes

Contributor

In Short – When the weather turns warm, Rockefeller Center sends the Zamboni ice machine home and opens up its outdoor, below-ground-level rink as a restaurant and bar. Colorful umbrellas set a festive tone for the place, which, in addition to tourists, attracts a large after-work crowd. The menu offers burgers, salads and pastas, as well as a cocktail list that includes specialty margaritas and frozen drinks.

ambiance
100.0% positive
  1. The view is awsome and the drinks were really good!
drinks
50.0% positive
  1. The view is awsome and the drinks were really good!
  2. beers for 18.50 is way too expensive.
  3. Who wouldn't enjoy emptying their wallets on overpriced crappy drinks, in a well known establishment, run by a bunch of inexperienced 20somethings?
  4. Service at the main bar is slow, but service at the satelite bar is usually especially speedy.
  5. This used to be a great place for happy hour a couple of years ago - the drinks were good and strong and specials were reasonably priced.
  6. have to say that it is the best place for a casual drinks.
food quality
100.0% positive
  1. The server was friendly and the food was just average and over-priced.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. This used to be a great place for happy hour a couple of years ago - the drinks were good and strong and specials were reasonably priced.
  2. have to say that it is the best place for a casual drinks.
service
50.0% positive
  1. The server was friendly and the food was just average and over-priced.
  2. Service at the main bar is slow, but service at the satelite bar is usually especially speedy.
  3. The service is as cold as the ice skating rink it becomes during the winter.
  4. It was equally pleasurable meditating on the phone to instrumental Paula Abdul hits, while waiting on numerous occasions for the oh so attentive management to follow through with simple requests.
value
50.0% positive
  1. don't know what the other reviewer is thinking, Rink Bar is a great value for happy hour.
  2. Good after work place for happy hour, half price Cosmos & great Mojitos!
  3. The mojitos (which used to be the best anywhere) are horrible - made with some awful fruit mix and no rum, for a higher price.
  4. Who wouldn't enjoy emptying their wallets on overpriced crappy drinks, in a well known establishment, run by a bunch of inexperienced 20somethings?
  5. Munchies weren't too expensive but they could have better prices.
  6. beers for 18.50 is way too expensive.
wait time
0.0% positive
  1. Service at the main bar is slow, but service at the satelite bar is usually especially speedy.
3 Star Rating: Average

05/31/08

Pretty decent, average everything

by sarahlane15

Went here for brunch/lunch last summer, the hostess was sorta snobby, we were sat at a nice table. The server was friendly and the food was just average and over-priced. Wish we would have checked out the bar scene there. The scenery around is lovely, wish we would have been there around christmas with all the lights and what not.

  • Pros: Great people watching, great fresh squeezed juices
  • Cons: Food was mediocre
3 Star Rating: Average

08/30/06

Gone downhill fast...

by schase711

This used to be a great place for happy hour a couple of years ago - the drinks were good and strong and specials were reasonably priced. However, the quality of the drinks and service has steadily declined. The mojitos (which used to be the best anywhere) are horrible - made with some awful fruit mix and no rum, for a higher price. Service is almost non-existent. The management seemed to be trying to drum up business with typical bar gimmicks (girls in bikinis handing out promotional junk), but it just ruined the casual atmosphere. They would be better served to hire a decent, POLITE waitstaff.

It's still nice if you want a convenient outdoor spot or want to show an out-of-towner around, but it's not the quality spot it used to be.

  • Pros: Location
  • Cons: Service & Quality
2 Star Rating: Below Average

06/11/06

A Figment of MY Imagination!!!

by jlo0930

I must say....the cosmos and mojitos that were premade in jugs earlier that day (or week who knows??) were outstanding!!! I know if I were a tourist visiting NYC I would surely visit the Rink bar and pay 8-10 bucks for the delicious T.G.I Friday's quality drinks. It was equally pleasurable meditating on the phone to instrumental Paula Abdul hits, while waiting on numerous occasions for the oh so attentive management to follow through with simple requests. Who wouldn't enjoy emptying their wallets on overpriced crappy drinks, in a well known establishment, run by a bunch of inexperienced 20somethings?? Is my sarcastic tone oozing out of the moniter?? Good. Mission accomplished.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

11/06/05

Rinky Dink

by b00pi3flak3s

Its midtown, its a rink, and its a bar located in Rockefeller Plaza. What more could you ask for? Probably some decent service and lower prices for sure. It used to be such a fab place to hang out and now it has steadily become a pain in the neck during the good weather months in which it is open. The service is as cold as the ice skating rink it becomes during the winter.

  • Pros: Drinks, Atmosphere, Prices
  • Cons: Service
4 Star Rating: Recommended

09/09/05

Expensive? - Not during happy hour

by stephanie05

I don't know what the other reviewer is thinking, Rink Bar is a great value for Happy Hour. They have different specials per day, from Happy Hour until close. For Example: Monday night- $2 Rolling Rock Drafts. Wed Night- $6 Peach-tini. And these are just random highlights. There are three different specials each night, one of which is always a beer, and is never more than $5. For midtown, its a steal. And Rink Bar is gorgeous.

Service at the main bar is slow, but service at the satelite bar is usually especially speedy.

  • Pros: Great Happy Hour
  • Cons: Odd Crowd, Lots of Tourists

The Details on Rink Bar

Place Categories:

  • overpriced drinks
  • cold service
  • great place
  • polite waitstaff
  • great mojitos
  • attentive management
  • way too expensive beers
  • friendly server
  • great value
  • convenient outdoor spot
  • not too expensive munchies
  • great rink bar
  • good weather months
  • elegant setting