373 W 46th St — Restaurant in New York

I've had the Hourglass Tavern on my bookmarks list for a while because they have happy hour until 10 pm. But when I finally came in, it was for a different reason. Brunch. Oh yeah, and the $5 brunch drinks (bloody Mary, mango or orange mimosa, cinnamon Irish coffee, screwdriver, sangria).

I never bothered to look at Yelper-posted pictures of the place so I just assumed that it's like any other bar that serves brunch - spacious. The place opens on Saturdays at 11:30, my boyfriend and I were set to get there at 12. All of these components make it seem like there would be no issue with getting a table, right? Wrong! Never assume, and always make a reservation! When we got there, we were both surprised at how small the place was. Luckily, they had an upstairs (which looks like it used to be an apartment) and after waiting about 5 minutes at the bar, we were able to nab the last table.

Although I'm not a fan of flavored coffees, or flavored liquors for that matter, I went against my best judgement and ordered the Cinnamon Strongman, which is an Irish coffee made with cinnamon-flavored whiskey. To my surprise, it was actually pretty good. Good enough that I ordered a second one, even though I think it might have been more for the caffeine benefit.

For my entree, I went with the oven baked potato pancakes (3 pancakes topped with smoked salmon with dill sour cream, chopped Chives). This was great! The potato pancakes were crispy on the outside and soft on the inside. My two pieces of constructive criticism are that I wish there was more smoked salmon (it came with 3 small pieces), and that they could have put the dill sour cream in a small dish to make it more presentable. It was kind of just haphazardly stashed in the corner of the plate.

Although I did like my food, I'm not sure if I'd come back for brunch. The place feels a bit cramped. Plus, I don't think there was anything else on the menu that really stood out to me that made me think - "I MUST COME BACK AND EAT THIS MOUTH-WATERING DISH".

Tip - check in on Yelp and get 10% off weekend brunch!

Tip # 2 - complimentary...

We picked this restaurant based on some recent reviews saying that after new ownership, things had improved. Unfortunately, our experience was subpar. The older couple who greeted us was very kind, but our server was shockingly unprofessional, frantically running all over the place, and in the end was just plain rude. Overall: mediocre food (don't order the charcuterie), high prices, and expect a rude server and poor service. Do not recommend.

Full story:

It took 30 minutes just to get the drinks. We ordered two glasses of wine when we sat down, and had to grab our server's attention 3 separate times to remind him. After the third time, he couldn't remember what type of wine so we had to tell him again, and then it only took a few moments, meaning he clearly forgot every other time. It was clear he was inexperienced, running back and forth from outside to inside, table to table, with a lack attentiveness to customers. Awful.

The charcuterie board is a joke - it was pre-cubed pepper jack and cheddar cheese from a grocery store, the kind you buy in a party tray with grapes. Cheese was warm, like it sat out for an hour, and the prosciutto was nearly green. Other meats were basically sandwich deli meat. For $21? Absolutely ridiculous. Another table nearby to us ordered it after us and they had the same baffled reaction when it arrived, shaking their heads in shock.

Pork chop was surprisingly well seasoned, but overpriced for the portions. Pecan tilapia was bland. Had to remind several times about the dessert we ordered and the check.

When we got the check, the printer was running out of ink so much so that we couldn't even read the prices. We did a double take at the total because of how outrageous it was. To top it all off, when the server returned with the check, he literally threw the check on the table without saying a word to us - no "thank you for coming" or anything.

It was clear the older couple (owners?) cared about the service but the server we had...

I am from the South and know Southern Hospitality. Leanna, Jack, and all of The Hourglass Tavern Staff could not have been more gracious, hospitable, fun, and all welcoming for our last Supper on the tail end of an already amazing trip to NYC.

My Wife, 6-year-old Daughter, and I arrived on Saturday night for our 7:30 pm reservation and were at The Hourglass Tavern until 11:30 pm. Leanna and Jack kept us laughing all night while filling our bellies with delicious food and cocktails. Hells Kitchen and Restaurant Row where The Hourglass Tavern is located is very authentic. I lost count of the number of people how walked by that Leanna knew and would pop up from our table to welcome with a hug or conversation.

The food and libations were amazing. We started with a meatball appetizer which was delicious. For our main entrees, I had the Penne Mascarpone, my wife had the Lobster Ravioli and my daughter had the Sliders. All of us couldn't have been more pleased with our entree's of choosing!

I 110% RECOMMEND THE AUTHENTIC, FUN, AND DELICIOUS HOURGLASS TAVERN TO ANYONE looking for the true New York experience. You might not be Family but they will make you feel that way by the time you leave.

Keep up the great work Leanna, Jack, and Beth and thanks for making our last night in New York a memorable one!!! We will see you...