Fiddlesticks Pub — Restaurant in New York

If you are black or don't pass the paper bag test, I would strongly recommend staying as far away from this place as possible. I recently visited due to a far better restaurant across the street having a long wait time. We asked to be seated outside and we seated on top of a sewer grate. The man who originally placed us there gave us two tables amongst the three of us.

We originally were okay with that set up because at least we had an extra chair and some space to put our stuff so we didn’t have to put our belongings on top of the sewer grates.

Very quickly after this original man left, before we had even opened a menu, we were rudely spoken to by another man who worked there about how we didn’t need the two tables. He took the table away from us without even so much as looking us in the eyes or acknowledging us. One of my friends let him know that one of his colleagues had set the tables up for us and that we didn’t just move the tables ourselves. He again didn’t acknowledge the comment and just took the table and left us without so much as an introduction, a quick hello, or a welcoming to the pub.

Following this event, my friends and I left due to the level of disrespect we faced within MINUTES of being at the pub. No amount of possibly good food or drinks can make up for how disrespectful...

Usually enjoy this place. Had a show in the city and a bunch of friends came to watch. Afterwards I brought them all here. We were sitting at the bar on stools for about an hour having drinks and enjoying ourselves. An employee came up to us and asked if we could “move the stools out of the way because he had to carry something big through the bar area and we needed to make room quickly ”. He then took all our stools and put them in the back room. After five minutes I saw nothing being transported through the bar. I then asked if we can have the stools back to sit. They said no they are keeping the stools in the back and we would be forced to stand the remainder of the time there. We then asked for our checks and left. Who takes the chairs people are sitting on and forces them to stand for no reason. One of my friends was an army veteran with a prosthetic leg and let’s just say he was not happy. Also a side note none of the WOMEN that were sitting on stools at the bar had theirs taken from them. Just for some odd reason me and my four friends were not allowed to sit anymore. No idea why but it was...

Fun spacious bar, occasionally with live music and very good food.

Two reasons for 4 stars rather than 5:

1. Food is pricey. Yes it's delicious, and yes it's in downtown NYC. So I get it. But still, given it's a fairly casual place, you'll find yourself spending a bit more than you'd normally want to for a casual place to eat.

2. The service is a bit slow and inattentive. I've been there while crowded and also while empty. Both times, I feel like the server barely came over to check on how I was doing / if I needed a refill etc. Obviously this is something that will vary from person to person. People like to get their food and be left alone. If you like that, then you'll be happy here. I tend to drink fast and get thirsty quickly so I like having ample opportunity to ask for a refill.

But as I said, the food is very good, I like the vibe in here, and I will continue to be a customer here when I'm in the area (I do not live or work downtown so I am not in the vicinity that often).

As a bonus, this place has the approval of...