The Wheeltapper Pub

06/08/09

Oasis of an Irish Pub

by hmlt686 at Citysearch

This place is a hidden gem. It doesn't look like much from the outside, but once you walk in the door, you can't help but feel good. The pub is decorated in a railroad theme, with lots of Irish railroad memorabilia that's actually pretty interesting. It consists of two bars connected by a longer room reminiscent of a railroad dining car. There are lots of nooks and crannies, a fireplace, and just a really warm and comfortable atmosphere. The BIG surprise is a large outdoor patio just off the rear bar. The patio is loaded with garden planters, has an outdoor bar, heat lamps, and a movable awning for when rain threatens. The staff seemed to know everybody, and by the end of the night, they knew us, too. The menu is mostly pub fare, but it was done surprisingly well. I had one of the best burgers I've ever had, and my wife had halibut that she raved about. You have your chicken wings and your mozzarella sticks, but there was also duck quesadillas and humus on the menu, too. I also had one of the best and biggest pints of Guinness I ever had - our waitress called it an "Imperial Pint" . The crowd was friendly, and the music was good and not too loud. the only downside was that the restrooms were kind of tough to get to. I'll definitely be going back.

• Pros: incredible outdoor bar, cozy, friendly and warm
• Cons: outdoor space gets crowded

06/05/09

Had a great time

by wyattbjc at Citysearch

I and some friends stopped by after work for some food and drinks..I had expected a regular pub but was pleasantly surprised by the restaurant size and outdoor space, we ordered drinks which was very well priced for a hotel bar and ordered food from the menu(hamburgers, chicken fingers, sliders, potato skins and chips with a homemade cheese sauce..the food took a while to arrive (approx 20 minutes)this could be attributed to how packed the place was..the food was amazing and the portions for the price quoted was surreal..I will definitely be back and will tell others about this GEM of a find.

The outdoor patio space gave me the feeling of being somewhere exotic but still surround by tall building..The Wwheeltapper pub and Restaurant is located at the Fitzpatrick Grand Central Hotel at 141 East 44th Street between Lexington and Third Avenues.

• Pros: Patio space
• Cons: No drawbacks

05/03/09

Patio hot spot!

by trigirl09 at Citysearch

This place is a great find, hidden away inside a hotel I would never normally go in to, but just having moved to the UN area I was looking for somewhere local to hang out and relax.  The inside of the pub itself is OK, but the real gem is an amazing patio at the back of the hotel which you wouldn't know was there unless you walked through the pub and out the back.  We saw their sign on 44th Street last weekend during the mini heatwave, and decided to give it a shot as good outdoor drinking areas are a bit thin on the ground in that area.  We were so glad we did.  The patio has a rustic look and is welcoming with some greenery and artefacts which create some character.  The bar menu has some lite bites which are good value for money - we tried the hummus and the duck quesadillas - both well presented and good sized portions.  There is also a full dinner menu which we plan to go back and try in the next couple of weeks.  My companion drank Guinness (this is an Irish place but not overwhelmingly so) and I had a glass of well chilled Chardonnay, nothing out of the ordinary but just what we were looking for.  The menu also had some summery cocktails on it which I thought was well done considering that was the first really warm weekend we have had and they were clearly ready for it.  Service was very friendly and accommodating.  I can see this place being a real hot spot in the good weather and we'll certainly be back."

• Pros: Amazing outdoor space
• Cons: Hidden inside a hotel

02/05/09

Flawed fundamentals of innkeeping derail this train-themed pub

by eldenfrente at Citysearch

Factual rundown of lunch hour experience at Wheeltapper Pub, picked because of its convenient location, just east of Grand Central:

1. It's 1 PM on a sunny weekday; the place is more than 3/4 empty.

2. Friend and I order drinks. Mine's a martini, straight up. No brand specified, so it's a "well" drink. The cocktail arrives at room temperature and, as I find out later, is priced at $10 --elsewhere the price of a premium brand 'tini..

3. Place orders from the menu. My choice is the house burger, enthusiastically touted on the menu as an extraordinary dish. My friend orders a curry entree.

4. While we wait we have to ask for a) water, b) bread and c) knives to butter the latter, since only forks had been placed on table.

5. Half an hour passes. Both our orders arrive, stone cold. We send them back.

6. Food returns, about 10 minutes later, obviously reheated (goodbye burger medium-rare...). Waitress does not offer to make good with refills or whatever.

7. Where's the taste? I've had better tasting burgers at Wendy's.

Get the picture? Wheeltapper is an Irish joke... I'm not going back.

• Pros: Location, decor
• Cons: Food, beverages, service

12/03/08

nice atmosphere, decent food and drinks, expensive, resentful waitress

by jekoontz at Citysearch

Went out with a couple of coworkers a few weeks ago and got rowdy, doing namebrand shots (which turned out to be $10 a piece, yikes!). We were sitting outside, which was actually nice even in cold weather due to the heat lamps. The outside waitress was decent, but it was busy so drinks came a little slower than we would've liked (had to do the whole "order two drinks at a time" thing in order to not be waiting forever).

Everything was fine and dandy until we got our gargantuan bill which was much higher than expected. I had to run to an ATM to get more money. While I was gone the rest of my group paid for the bill, and put about a $30 tip on the $400 bill- however they knew I was coming back with more money for the tip.

Not knowing this, the waitress gave us a little tongue lashing when she returned the credit cards, making us feel like irresponsible delinquents despite the fact we were fully intending to give her a decent tip ($70-80). Of course we still left the extra tip money, but then it seemed like we were only doing it because she guilted us into it.

Next time reserve your judgment lady! :P

Anyway, of course we can never go back there. They're too expensive anyway.

• Pros: nice outdoor area even in the winter, classy
• Cons: grouchy waitress, expensive