Crown Alley — Restaurant in New York

Not a first date spot!

If another gay man asks me on a date to this bar, I swear I will fling myself from the top of the Empire State Building.

I have been on not one, not two, not three, but four dates to this establishment. I simply CANNOT face another.

Chelsea gays, please, I implore you ALL to get a bit more creative. There are some fantastic places on the Lower East Side, for example. (There, I’ve started you off, now please patch in to Google and look for somewhere new! NB, the Swan Room is a particular favorite of mine).

Bar itself is pleasant enough with a good menu and offers secluded spaces for conversations, perhaps why it is so popular. Unlike many other bars, it has also got the hang of keeping noise at the right level to allow you to actually hear the person you are visiting with.

But, I have to say, it has been completely RUINED for me by the number of first dates I have been on here. I have been taken by candidates including one individual who chirped: ‘Oh my gaaawwdd, I am from Arkansas and this is my favourite bar.’ On another memorable visit, I was asked where I would prefer to have my wedding reception.

If I do return, it will be strictly with FRIENDS and likely post watching something at the local cinema.

Food here was not grand. I had the lamb sandwich, which was very dry and left me gasping for water - an embarrassing...

So the bar is nice! drinks are decent. However the food.... I would not recommend ordering the food here unless you want to have really high blood pressure because.. omg. I ordered the truffle mac and cheese and it was so salty I couldn't eat it. My friend said "it's giving Stouffers" and... it really is. It was so soupy and so salty. Inedible. The only saving grace was the Burrata on top.. which when eaten on it's own was fine. We also ordered a pretzel... and you know when you order a pretzel you're expecting a large pretzel. This one was the size of a tea cup saucer. Tiny. the cheese that came with it was not good (I put the burrata on mine) it was also over cooked and dry. So... if you're coming here, I hope you already ate or have other plans for a meal because PLEASE do not order the food here. At least not those items. Also.. they didn't have pineapple juice? which is weird simply because it's a bar.. and they should have pineapple juice.. I tried to order a drink with pineapple juice and they...

What a gem of a bar! Visited here with a friend last Saturday during a long weekend trip to new York from Ireland. What a very welcoming and cozy bar. A big shout out to Keenan from Dundalk (Ireland) who was our bartender. He couldn't have made us feel more welcome After tasting a couple of local beers and cocktails (which were really good) we inquired about the quality of his Guinness. We were told that we would be hard pressed to find a better pint in new York and he wasn't kidding! Wow! It was spectacular! Both of us agreed that it was the best pint of Guinness we had tasted outside of Ireland and we drink a lot of it! So good we had a few more. This bar is a hidden Gem, whether you want a to relax with a quiet cocktail, try the local craft beers or taste their amazing Guinness, this bar ticks all the right boxes. I would highly recommend a visit to Crown Alley if you are...