Ethyl's Bar & Restaurant — Restaurant in New York

So I had been here a few times before through the years, and my partner and I had always had a good time. So, this year, she decided to celebrate her birthday here with close friends and family. Upon entrance, I found it a bit strange that they had to ID her 70-yr old parents, who clearly were "of age" lol. But whatever. Once inside, it was crowded. I ordered a couple of drinks for our group and soon it was time for me to get myself a beer. So I went right to the bar where I had ordered before, and that's when it went bad.

I noticed after about 10 minutes that I was not getting served. And it wasn't just me; it was the guy next to me as well. We saw several folks to our left and right arrive well after us and get their orders taken. Granted, it was a busy bar, but there were two bartenders (a blonde girl and a male who I'll just call Jussie) working it so it shouldn't be impossible to take care of everyone. I saw yet another group next to us get their order taken before us, took a look at the guy next to me, and he just shook his head. Well I had had enough, so I finally spoke out, "Hey, can I get a beer here?" And that's all I said. Next thing I know, Jussie (finally) looks at me, points to the door, and yells "You're out of here!" Literally for asking for a beer.

Of course, I voiced my displeasure to this impulsive action that was going to ruin not just my night - but my partner's entire birthday celebration. But when I did, out of nowhere, Jussie suddenly exclaimed - in a hysterical manner that was clearly meant to incite a reaction from the crowd, "you just used the N word! He just used the N word!" And then made a motion to jump the bar to assault me. If I hadn't steadied myself to greet him on what he was thinking of doing, who knows what would've happened next. Luckily, nobody acted on his weakass attempt to incite the crowd to beat me up. Instead, the bouncers came over and led me out - but not before I had managed to snap a short video clip of him yelling at me to get out. I gave one last look to the guy next to me who I had been chatting with (who, ironically, happened to be black himself) and he seemed in shock by what had just happened.

I came back the next day, despite not living in the neighborhood, b/c to me this was a big deal. I'm 46 years old, and nothing like this has ever happened to me before. When I came by, the blonde bartender was there, and she seemed to recognize me from the previous night. I told her I wanted to speak to the owner in person. She got on her phone, called him, and told me that the owner could not meet me (despite me saying that it was an important & disturbing manner) and then gave me his email on a piece of paper. Really??! I had taken time out of my Sunday to try to resolve a dispute, face-to-face, and this guy couldn't even respect that? I then told the bartender about the previous night and she just said that her coworker had an "explosive" personality. And apparently the same with the owner. When I pressed on about the dangers of being falsely accused of racism, she said, "well...he only did that after you started filming him." Excuse me??!! It looks like Jussie created another lie to try to cover up his original lie - b/c I only started filming him (which, mind you, I am totally allowed to do) after he become unhinged, tried to incite the crowd against me, and threatened me. Needless to say, after hearing that BS, I was done. Obviously I will never contact this disrespectful owner, who clearly condones this sick behavior from his staff. And it's just a matter of time before this blows up in his face and this sociopath bartender DOES actually assault a patron for no good reason. He is a clear and present danger to all patrons - and it seems he's set on playing the race card. I warn anybody reading this to stay away from this place as this could easily happen to you for no reason at all. He is completely reckless, unhinged, potentially violent, and clearly has severe mental health issues. Jussie should not be...

I was profiled and forced out of Ethyl’s Alcohol and Food (UES) by the owner based on my friend (a female) using a restroom indicated “For Men” since the one indicated “For Women” was packed. I chose to celebrate my birthday in my neighborhood along with a few other local businesses and have been here many times before, during, and after the pandemic to support. The owner has not been on-site during previous visits and I always have had a pleasant bar and dining experience and recommended the business to those traveling out of state for a more downtown vibe uptown compared to others in the area. Huge supporter of all service industry talent including entertainers. I have several friends who are hospitality business owners and several have provided me insights into this toxic and abusive business owner. The followed protocol should have been to pull me and my friend aside and ask what’s going on OR firmly state your expectations initially and if not followed, we’d then be asked to leave. If using restrooms based on gender is so important to the owner, an attendant should be assigned to monitor the area. It must be a heavy burden to carry as a business owner who is no longer passionate about his career and chosen life path so much so that he bullies, attempts to intimidate both customers and staff and furthermore, has his security staff of largely fellow black men do the physical intimidation he’s too weak and cowardly to carry out like a real man. Self-sabotage is evident with this guy in his 50s and the laundry list of complaints and recounts of experiences had at a business where their marketing claims “everything tastes nice.” Well indeed everything at Ethyl’s Alcohol and Food doesn’t tastes so nice based upon the sour taste left in the mouths of those who once had it in them to help a locally owned, sad, self-sabotaging small business owner. Might I suggest everyone from the customers, bartenders, brainwashed security staff, and Go-Gos pack up and...

WARNING: Ethyls does not support drinking responsibly. The female bartender working last night would not give me a second glass of water because I “hadn’t bought enough drinks” when my husband had purchased 6 shots less than 30 mins before.

A group of us went out on the UES for a friends birthday and when we got to Ethyls we all took a shot at midnight and then danced and chatted for less than 45 mins. It was a hot and humid night and the AC in Ethyls was barely keeping up.

I asked for a cup of water right after the shot and a second cup of water about 30 mins later. The female bartender working last night refused me a second water because I hadn’t bought enough drinks…. Ethyls does have a 2 drink minimum but that’s only on Friday and Saturday nights. She would not serve me tap water. I eventually asked another male bartender and he served me a water after which she chewed him out.

Then at 12:35 one of the bartenders comes up and confronts our group that we haven’t bought any drinks and we must leave a mostly deserted bar. My husband had bought the 6 shots less than an hour before and several others in our group had subsequently bought mixed drinks.

Super unprofessional and truly lacking in tact to refuse a woman a water. What if I were pregnant, sober, or had other health complications. I completely understand drink minimums and if it had been a Fri/Sat night would have paid a 2 drink min but would never expect and find it completely out of line for a bartender to rudely refuse water in a mostly...