Lily's — Restaurant in New York

UPDATE: Since their rebrand ~July 2025, this place isn’t as good as the previous Halsey’s.

As Lily’s, the food menu is much smaller, drinks taste more watered down and noticeably smaller portions, and the vibes don’t sit the same. Even the service got worse! We wanted to order more drinks but the new servers, even without a full house, were slow to make the rounds.

Food: The menu is updated and now only the basic foods like some apps and select entrees. Only four mains to select from (chicken sandwich, grilled cheese, salad, or a steak). Some apps for finger foods but that’s it. The food previously was so good. Now it’s gone.

Drinks: Got a mocktail and it was the tiniest thing for $13. Odd, since I got an alcoholic drink and it was double the size and equal in price. On the good side, the beer boots are available if you order a beer under $7 and instead you can get it in a boot for $5. Pricing and portions need some work as there are large differences in value for cocktails vs. wine vs. beer though.

I appreciate the attempt to have “Happy Hour all day every day” to psychologically make prices and value seem better but with a smaller menu across the board and watered down cocktails it may be better to just drink beer or wine each time now. At least there’s consistency and no ambiguity on what you’re getting.

Will visit from time to time but the charm and offerings they previously had were better. New version doesn’t hit as well. Hope the new experience is better for others.

———————————- We love going to Halsey’s for Thursday night trivia or mixtape bingo but this place gets PACKED fast. We usually need to show up an hour beforehand to ensure we get a seat. There’s enough seats and comfy bar seating but people love this place so it fills up quick on prime nights.

Food: Delicious but limited options. If you’re looking for good bar food and portions, Halsey’s fits the bill. Last time we went we got the gravy tots, chicken avocado bowl, and hot honey sandwich. Filling and delicious.

Drinks: I like how they rotate special cocktails and have special menus for some occasions! On the Valentine’s menu they had mocktail options too.

Service: Always consistent and speedy. Never have a problem with the service here.

Atmosphere: Said previous, this place gets PACKED. If you’re stumbling in on a weekend it’ll likely be maxed out. But they have the TVs on and good company so people chill here for a while.

Halsey’s is a local favorite and we’ll keep...

Wed, Apr 6, 22: earlier shift bartender, Mike, A-Okay. He asked me to pay my bill since he was done with his shift. I did as requested, with a genrous tip. Enter the shift change: Jordan, the new shift bartender. We exchanged friendly conversation; there was a burning odor in the area where I was sitting at the bar. I notified said bartender, Jordan, and he reacted in a friendly manner when we interacted over said burning odor. After some time, I went to the restroom to pee. I placed my laptop and cell into my backpack. As I was walking to the restroom, the bartender, Jordan, yells at me from across the bar, in front of all patrons in the restaurant/bat (coincidentally, all other patrons were acturally white people.} Hey, where are you going? Okay, good bye. Upon hearing his words, I reacted with my pinky sign air up whiich is the universal sign for 'I have to take a leak.' Folks, I am a brown woman. I look like a brown woman. Jordan was nice enough to me when I was sitting at the bar. As soon I stepped up to go to the bathrom, it seemed very obvious my his reaction, that he presumed me to be a complete stranger, therefore his reaction, i.e. where you going? Then, as soon as I turned my head and Jordan saw my face, he swirmed away and said, "Oh, I was just joking." Jordan is a broad shouldered, 6'2" tall white caucasian male from the Midwest. Btw, I called him out on it by means of a private conversation and he factual denied everything above-fore-mentioned. Did not apologize, and told me, well, it sucks to be me. Fire Jordan! There's no room for...

Despite recent unnecessary and hurtful reviews to the establishment, for the sake of educated unbiased decision making, maybe read this review also!

I am an Astoria local of 11 years, I recently moved around the corner from Halsey’s. I refer to it as the office. When I walk in here and see Blaithin, Brittany, and Sara I forget about the outside world and always have a great time, genuine service, great conversations and suggestions, you get a sense of friendship and they are humble and welcoming. It’s an environment where you feel like they are as happy to see you as you them. They are accommodating whether it be if you want to watch a certain sport, have specific food or drink requests, and it’s got something fun and entertaining almost every night of the week that brings locals together for an all inclusive and engaging experience.

I’d absolutely recommend it for any occasion whether it be karaoke, trivia, music bingo, get some work done outside of the walls of your home, even just have a cozy quite glass of wine and decompress. If you are looking for a local experience and make some good friends definitely stroll in here, you won’t be disappointed! Cheers, “There’s no place...