10/03/09

A place for REAL people

by gypsyangel

This is what real bars look like. bars with history and mystique...bars with loyal patrons and newcomers who enjoy savoring a decent beear or whiskey or classic mixed drink at an Irish pub that has been in the family for generations.

One of the last ungentrified sanctuaries for atmosphere that hasn't been polluted by plutocrats on Manhattan Island.

and ps if they like you you can have your Guiness

• Pros: The actual bar itself is a work of art
• Cons: None-unless you are a plastic person

04/26/09

Best Irish Bar In NYC

by nycdude9

great place with friendly staff. make you feel like your welcome and at home when you walk in. The place is really cool and old fashioned - the bar and the whole place is straight out of an other era. Its a mixed crowed- college guys and girls, business men, native new yorkers, local drunks, everyone has a great time. Good food too. A NY landmark. Long live Peter McManus!!!

• Pros: prices, atmosphere, old time feelling, staff
• Cons: none

07/21/08

A sleazy dive without an ounce of charm

by lifelongnewyorker

This place might be worth checking out just as an example of everything you shouldn't do. The beer is definitely watered down, and the taplines have never been cleaned. I tried three kinds of beer; they all tasted skunked. (and what kind of Irish Bar doesn't carry Guiness?) The waitress was truly wretched: a rude, incomeptent skank. She brought the wrong dishes and then totally blamed the customers for her own incompetence. She cursed at one of the guys at the table. Barman was so rude, I was honestly looking for an Englishman afterwards to shake his hand and urge them to give the Irish another thousand years of troubles.

• Pros: At some point it will fall down
• Cons: It hasn't fallen down yet

07/05/08

Worst Experience

by IwillNEVERgoback

I started going to McManus about a year ago when a freind moved to the area. Over the course of a year I have had many fun nights there just relaxing and having a few drinks. However after my most recent experience I will never again visit McManus. Never have I been at a bar/pub ordred my drink and then been told to F*** Off by the bartender. This bartender may have been the most disrespectful man ever. Now I understand that sometimes people can get a little crazy at bars, however this was not the case. If you to go to a place where the bartender will stand there are curse off two (paying) girls then by all means this is the place for you.

• Pros: NONE
• Cons: Nasty staff

12/18/07

Best Wings Ever...This place rocks!

by chzplz9

I decided to check this place out after several of my friends went on separate occasions and each one of them raved about it (food, ambience, prices, patrons, etc.). It is so nice to have a place in Chelsea that's so low-key. McManus is super casual. They have many televisions and will play whatever sports game you request. They have the best wings I have ever had in my life (I am a self-proclaimed "wing connoisseur" if I do say so myself). I recommend ordering them extra crispy with the buffalo sauce on the side (so they stay crispy). They prepare them with some secret ingredients and they are simply amazing.

I love the random vintage photographs on the walls. There are many regulars there, including celebrities (I am figuring it's because no one, including the paparazzi, will bother them at McManus.

Oh, and to top it all off, the prices are very reasonable (cheap by Manhattan standards). You must give this place a try!

• Pros: everything
• Cons: none

07/11/06

A Chelsea pub so unaffected that it can't help but stand out.

by Contributor

The Scene
There's nothing too unusual about this corner pub--and that's precisely why it stands out among its posturing neighbors. Terrazzo floors and a tin ceiling frame the long oak bar, behind which a no-nonsense bartending vet pulls pints (including McManus Ale). Simple pub fare dominates the menu in the ambience-free back dining room.

The Draw
You may remember that Edward Norton threw a few back here as a priest in the movie "Keeping the Faith." And while you may not spot any men of the cloth, McManus' patrons do show up religiously: You'll find old guys, firefighters and a khaki'd after-office crowd fiddling around on the jukebox. Sure, Ethan Hawke has been spotted at the bar watching the baseball game on TV, but that's probably because this laid-back alternative to Chelsea glitz is a perfect place to dodge the spotlight.

09/07/05

Great Bar!

by corgi69

I have to admit I stumbled across this bar a few years back when I was visting NYC. However, what a discovery! The bar staff were really friendly and there were some real good, fun characters around. I also caught the annual stickball game another year and the whole day was just magic. I can't wait to get back there when I visit in November!

• Pros: Friendly Bar Staff, Good crowd

06/27/05

Greatest of the Irish Owned Bars!

by leftyspade

One of the best values in NYC! Atmosphere is awesome- Great place to have

a drink and talk to the barkeeps and patrons. I highly recommend this throw

back to the past. Owner, James McManus carries a tradition that no longer exists

in Manhattan. Catch it and you will be pleasantly surprised!

12/03/04

good drinking - OK food stuff

by dmeshkov

The food was just alright (then again who gets a turkey plater except me), except for the fries and gravey which were delicious. However, the $10 pitchers and hanging out situation was good times. SUCCESS.

• Pros: beer, jukebox, fries with gravy

02/01/03

Is this New York?

by username1023

A lot like the bar you went to back in college. A pint of beer and a jack and coke - 9 dollars. There is a juke box, an old arcade game, and everyone is wearing jeans. I've never seen so many people smoking in a bar.