Molly's Shebeen Bar + Restaurant — Restaurant in New York

Beware of this pub on St. Patrick's Day- especially if you have a large party! Like any pub or Irish establishment in NYC, it will be packed on the big day; however, that is not the problem. Besides the fact we waited 45 minutes outside the pub, with a doorman who clearly did not understand the meaning of customer service and had an attitude his mom would of been proud of; we then waited INSIDE for an hour for a table for 6. We were told we would not be sitting together because of how small the pub was; totally fine! The owner of the pub, a tall gentleman from Ireland, proceeded to take small groups ahead of us or took names down and put them on the list. A few times he told groups to grab drinks at the bar because it would be a long wait; what he did not disclose to them but to our group after he shoved menus into our faces while we were standing body to body; was that it was $30 MINIMUM FOR EACH PERSON TO SIT AND EAT. I'm sorry.... what? He DID NOT disclose this information to ANYONE else being sat before us what so ever. Many of us were drinking water, which is our right to do considering we had drank previously that day and some of us actually do not drink alcohol at all/or are on special diets. He made a very snide comment about us all drinking water. I asked him if the $30 minimum was for ALL seated guests, or just our large group. He looked so taken aback when I asked and proceeded to say "Do you think I would discriminate? That goes for everyone in the pub" I kindly said, with all do respect sir, not once have you addressed this to anyone sitting down before us while they past, so there for YES you are discriminating against our large party. A friend of mine, who has visited the pub last year on St. Patrick's mentioned how this must be a new policy because it was not done last year; however the owner was adamant. Personally, if he is going to lie, he should be good at it. So just a heads up: Don't expect to sit together OR prepare yourself to have a random minimum per person charge told to you before you're even...

Holy "Hole in the Wall" Batman! Molly's is a cozy little pub offering drinks and food with an old worn out wooden bar top and booths carved into a small opening on 3rd Avenue. Serving up classic Guinness stout's there's just something about enjoying a Guinness so much more in an authentic Irish setting like Molly's! The food was just as authentic, our burger and special beef brisket sandwich with onions were both served up meeting high marks in all categories. The burger was cooked as ordered, filled the toasted bun with a thick, juicy, flavorful, nice cut of meat, lettuce onion and tomato, too. The special brisket sandwich, also nice and tender, juicy, in a tasty gravy smothered in onions and piled on a toasted ciabatta bread, so delish! The onion rings cooked perfect and the accompanying curry sauce was a pleasant surprise to dip French fries into! Give Molly's credit for taking a basic dish and making it correctly in their own way, so you can enjoy right to the last bite. The lady serving(Aisling)was quite a marvel, she clearly knew what she was doing, serving up drinks at the bar and waiting tables too...only few in this business could do so smoothly and efficiently like her, almost without effort( others should watch and learn). You'll love the warm cozy atmosphere this place...

and was established in 1960, therefore, naturally the most traditional Irish bar in New York. I was very excited to see all the history and old structure at this place! As we stepped inside, it was darker than expected, I could not see or appreciate the old structure or the interior much. I could see that there was a large bar to the right, and booth seating to the left. They had lots of sawdust on the floor, and I heard there is a fireplace here, but I didn't spot one in the dark.

We ordered Shepard's Pie and Irish Lamb Stew. They were both filling and delicious, even though a bit on pricey side. The stew surprisingly delicious, much more than expected. It is always great when you go in with a low or no expectation, then receiving something very delicious. Maybe we had too high of an expectation for the Shepard's Pie... It was really good, but not as good as I wanted it to be. The service was nice and friendly. I wish if the space was better lit, with normal light colors, instead of that strange red colored light. I heard they have pretty good burgers here, maybe I will come back to try some burgers next time, during lunch or brunch hours so that I can really appreciate the historical building more from the inside. Read my full review of this restaurant and food on my food blog,...