Schiller's Liquor Bar

The Scene – Owner Keith McNally should find a way to bottle his formula: Uber-chic Balthazar and Pastis have long been the default hangout for the famous and fashionable, and Schiller's follows suit. Wine bottles painted with prison-block letters line the walls; cool, flattering light streams through north-facing windows; and busboys with Heimlich maneuver instructions printed on their T-shirts--it's a downtown bistro aesthetic that makes every diner (or drinker) feel chic. Service is good and usually swift. – – The Food – At dinner, a nicely gamey chopped liver…

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Editor's Tips

What to Drink:: Wines are split into cheap, decent and good. Prices top off at $8 a glass, $19 a carafe. At brunch, cucumber and mint freshen up the Pimm's Cup; the bloody mary is spicy and just right.
Know Before You Go:: The restrooms, located downstairs, can be confusing: Enter a gender-marked door and find a common washroom. Keep to your side of the room--restrooms are through the second pair of doors.
Bar Scene:: Located in the thick of the Lower East Side's most bustling area, boisterous boozers take over after the weekend dinner hour, when the restaurant seemingly transforms into a full-scale bar.

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User Reviews (91)

ambiance	69.79000091552734% positive	“Casual atmosphere with good food” “It is still consistent - very fun ambiance, good food and a great value compared to many other trendy NY spots.” “Very cool atmosphere, as a matter a fact ran into people we knew!” “Why waste your money on this place, with ok food, poor service, not great drinks that aren't cheap, not comfortable seating dingy nasty bathrooms (they need to renovate those dungens).” “The atmosphere is terrible too bright too loud.” “All in all I definitely recommend this place, the food was excellent, the atmosphere fun and young much more inviting than the other 2 restaurants Pastis and Balthazar.” “The place seemed fun but it was pricier than I thought considering the food was not that great.” “GREAT, boisterous atmosphere, and while loud (not a sound-absorbing surface in the place!)”
dessert	100.0% positive	“Only redeeming menu items is they have one good desert, a taffy cake with ice cream.” “the french martini and the white chocolate martini were excellent, one of the best drinks i've had in the city.” “When we passed on dessert, he sent over a delicious english toffee cake(on the house) with a big ol' sparkler in it and said "Happy November, girls” “When we said that we would like coffee, the maitre d' offered to buy us dessert if we would just leave the table!”
drinks	80.26000022888184% positive	“This is a great nighttime place to get a late dinner or a nice drink.” “Why waste your money on this place, with ok food, poor service, not great drinks that aren't cheap, not comfortable seating dingy nasty bathrooms (they need to renovate those dungens).” “Overall, the food and drinks were good.” “the food is consistenly great, the drinks are always strong and the service is always friendly-” “the french martini and the white chocolate martini were excellent, one of the best drinks i've had in the city.” “The watercress salad was way too lightly dressed, the welsh rarebit was so super small, and the drinks are overpriced.” “had a great time with a group of friends, music was really good and the bar is beautiful.” “The wine is GOOD, and cheap.” “The food is decent enough and the drinks are stiff, but someone should tell McNally to have a talk with these people.” “Food was great and even including some brunch drinks price was very reasonable.” “They use the best stainless steel taps for their beer, so the pour is always good.” “When we said that we would like coffee, the maitre d' offered to buy us dessert if we would just leave the table!” “The drinks, food, and service were great.” “sat at the bar with a friend on a slow afternoon.” “and give as attentive food service at the bar as you would get at a table.” “Great steak frites, really yummy cocktails.” “had the grilled chicken with salad and it was really good as was the "Decent" red wine.” “They have a poor wine list of overpriced bad wines.” “drinks at the bar were AMAZING.”
food quality	74.56999778747559% positive	“The food was good and very reasonably priced and our server was excellent.” “Schiller's has a cute bistro feel with some excellent food.” “It is still consistent - very fun ambiance, good food and a great value compared to many other trendy NY spots.” “Friend had the shrimp appetizer, loved it, and i dug my watercress/bleu cheese salad.” “The place seemed fun but it was pricier than I thought considering the food was not that great.” “had the grilled chicken with salad and it was really good as was the "Decent" red wine.” “Food wise, we got nachos as appetizers which were pretty good and i had the hangar steak with fries--steak was ok, fries were crunchy, which i liked.” “and give as attentive food service at the bar as you would get at a table.” “Duck and fish & chips were decent, nice server, good prices, cool old world bathroom.” “As for the food: French onion soup was tasty but greasy.” “The food used to be OK but the burger was charred on the outside and raw on the inside, and the pumpkin salad was tasteless.” “Went their for a friend's birthday and thought the hour and half wait, ridiculous noise, insulting maitre d, and incredibly crappy food were bad enough.” “Bar steak was not bad at all, fries were boring.” “Who cares about McNally if the food sucks, you can't hear, the host insults you, you're squeezed into a teensy weensy table and on top of it, you WAIT FOR ALL THIS?” “Like the place and the food is good at decent prices.” “The food is decent enough and the drinks are stiff, but someone should tell McNally to have a talk with these people.” “Casual atmosphere with good food” “The watercress salad was way too lightly dressed, the welsh rarebit was so super small, and the drinks are overpriced.” “Great food?” “The salad was somewhat overpriced.” “service there was excellent, food is good, and prices pretty good.” “The food was terrible.” “Great steak frites, really yummy cocktails.” “The food is not the best around, but the prices are not outrageous enough to complain about.” “not great food.” “It sort of ruined a burger that would have been quite delicious.” “Overall, the food and drinks were good.” “When we passed on dessert, he sent over a delicious english toffee cake(on the house) with a big ol' sparkler in it and said "Happy November, girls” “great food.” “If you want good food in a young, casual setting without breaking the bank, this is the place to go.” “Drinks were good, but food was average.” “We were not seated until 10:15 and the food which came quickly was overall disappointing, uninteresting and not good.” “Even the hotel on Rivington's burger is less expensive than the unseasoned bland burger at this place.” “All in all I definitely recommend this place, the food was excellent, the atmosphere fun and young much more inviting than the other 2 restaurants Pastis and Balthazar.” “the food was great but the prices are to much.” “the food is consistenly great, the drinks are always strong and the service is always friendly-” “They were delicious and at our table only seconds after ordering them.” “The drinks, food, and service were great.” “Why waste your money on this place, with ok food, poor service, not great drinks that aren't cheap, not comfortable seating dingy nasty bathrooms (they need to renovate those dungens).”
menu variety	100.0% positive	“Only redeeming menu items is they have one good desert, a taffy cake with ice cream.” “Was very knowledgeable of the menu, had great recommendations.”
overall	100.0% positive	“good place” “This is a great nighttime place to get a late dinner or a nice drink.” “If you want good food in a young, casual setting without breaking the bank, this is the place to go.”
service	83.81999969482422% positive	“excellent service!” “The food was good and very reasonably priced and our server was excellent.” “The food is decent enough and the drinks are stiff, but someone should tell McNally to have a talk with these people.” “When I realized that people were actually impressed with this mess of a place because of some hot new chef, all I could think was this emporer has no clothes.” “Duck and fish & chips were decent, nice server, good prices, cool old world bathroom.” “The waitress was very nice, though.” “and give as attentive food service at the bar as you would get at a table.” “The waiter(his name was James by the way) was charming and funny.” “Why waste your money on this place, with ok food, poor service, not great drinks that aren't cheap, not comfortable seating dingy nasty bathrooms (they need to renovate those dungens).” “The waitstaff is not that friendly.” “Staff was abundant but clumsy; the waiter visibly noticed my table rocked back & forth, but did nothing to fix it.” “Very cool atmosphere, as a matter a fact ran into people we knew!” “the food is consistenly great, the drinks are always strong and the service is always friendly-” “Waited 1 1/4 hours for a table, watching as the rude hostesses seated THREE people in a SIX top.” “Our waitress was also great (despite the pressure from her manager to get us to get up after dinner b/c it was getting very crowded).” “service there was excellent, food is good, and prices pretty good.” “The drinks, food, and service were great.”
value	64.06000137329102% positive	“Food was fantastic -- especially for the price.” “Duck and fish & chips were decent, nice server, good prices, cool old world bathroom.” “Why waste your money on this place, with ok food, poor service, not great drinks that aren't cheap, not comfortable seating dingy nasty bathrooms (they need to renovate those dungens).” “Like the place and the food is good at decent prices.” “The food is not the best around, but the prices are not outrageous enough to complain about.” “The salad was somewhat overpriced.” “This is an overpriced Applebees.” “Even the hotel on Rivington's burger is less expensive than the unseasoned bland burger at this place.” “They have a poor wine list of overpriced bad wines.” “The wine is GOOD, and cheap.” “This place is such a great value!” “It is still consistent - very fun ambiance, good food and a great value compared to many other trendy NY spots.” “service there was excellent, food is good, and prices pretty good.” “Food was great and even including some brunch drinks price was very reasonable.” “The watercress salad was way too lightly dressed, the welsh rarebit was so super small, and the drinks are overpriced.” “the food was great but the prices are to much.”
wait time	33.3299994468689% positive	“It took about 20-30 minutes to be seated as the place was absolutely mobbed, but the host was very polite about the delay.” “Worst Restaurant Experience in a long, long, time.” “sat at the bar with a friend on a slow afternoon.”

12/09/11

NYC Nightlife

by arielamir

NYC NIGHT LIFE

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Ariel

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07/21/11

Average food, extremely rude staff

by Salvo

Went there on a friday night, the place was overcrowded and loud, full of tacky people. We couldn't even hear each other talk. The food was pretty low quality, cocktails were ok but expensive. The service was terrible, in particular the door staff were extremely unfriendly and rude. If you are looking for a nice place to eat, avoid this bar.

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02/01/10

This place is all about the drinks

by Bethany Leddy

The energy of Schiller's is electric even on a week night. If you can get a seat the place to be is definitely at the bar. With an extensive list of expertly mixed cocktails Schiller's lives up to the name Liquor Bar. This is a great place to meet neighborhood locals or sexy foreigners. Don't be intimidated by the hulky bartenders, their friendly charm will keep you coming back again and again.

Brunch, lunch, and dinner are well priced. Standouts include the Fried oysters, Onion Soup, and Steak Frites.

Come on the right night and you just might be sitting next to one of the celebrities who make Schiller's a local stop when in town.

Pros: Fantastic knowledgable bartenders

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08/26/09

Felt like a Parisian bistro...food quite was good

by rpristin

We ate at Schiller's on a weekday night. Wasn't too crowded. Got a table right away. We had the bibb salad, hanger steak and pan fried trout with asparagus. The food was fresh, well-seasoned. The steak was seared on the outside and pink inside - very flavorful. The trout was crispy on the outside, tender inside - very tasty. Drinks were good. We liked the atmosphere. The service was just fine. Pricing wasn't cheap but not out of line with other comparable NYC bars and restaurants.

Pros: Attractive place, tasty food
Cons: A little hard to get to

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04/18/09

Avoid at all cost

by mikeandrus

We had a reservation for 9:00PM and didn't get seated until 10:30. We were a large party but they never told us they wouldn't be able to accommodate us -- they took our reservation, took our credit card to hold it, and when we got there it was "5 more minutes, 5 more minutes" for an hour an a half. The food used to be OK but the burger was charred on the outside and raw on the inside, and the pumpkin salad was tasteless. The steaks were tiny and tough, and the cocktails, which used to be amazing, were small and poorly mixed. The space was cramped and crowded with loud, tacky, annoying people. One of the worst restaurant experiences I've ever had in 20 years of living and eating out in New York. They should close.

Pros: None
Cons: Mediocre food, mediocre drinks, overcrowded, loud

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Editor's Tips

12/09/11

NYC Nightlife

by arielamir

07/21/11

Average food, extremely rude staff

by Salvo

02/01/10

This place is all about the drinks

by Bethany Leddy

08/26/09

Felt like a Parisian bistro...food quite was good

by rpristin

04/18/09

Avoid at all cost

by mikeandrus

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