The Crooked Knife — Restaurant in New York

This place was… an experience.

We walked in around 4 PM to an empty bar. Greeted (barely) by a tall, gray-haired bartender who looked like he’d already mentally clocked out. We ordered beers, and he poured them like it was his first day — foam overflow, beer dripping down the sides, puddles on the bar. He saw the mess. Walked away. No towel. No wipe. No shame.

Luckily, two younger bartenders — a guy and a girl — showed up 20 minutes later and actually gave a damn. They were fast, friendly, and handled the growing crowd like pros. Suddenly the place had a vibe.

And then… the shuffleboard squad rolled in.

Within an hour, the place transformed into what felt like the afterparty of a 1960s high school reunion. We were asked — multiple times — to scoot down, adjust, make room, shift over. Like, every five minutes another cardigan-wearing member of the AARP Avengers needed a seat at the bar.

We were practically playing musical chairs with strangers in orthopedic shoes. At one point, it felt like we were guests at someone else’s family gathering. No “Hey, sorry,” no friendly banter — just a silent assumption we’d make space. And we did… until it got old.

We were planning to stay the night, but the message was clear: this bar already has its people — and we weren’t on the guest list.

Shame, really. The place itself wasn’t bad. But if you’re under 60 and unfamiliar, don’t expect a warm welcome. Just bring some Bengay and a folding chair —...

Dropped by on a Sunday afternoon for an early dinner w a friend. Chose outside seating because the weather was nice. Had the house burger and a beer. Everything was great- bacon was crispy, had ordered burger medium rare (I know, why would anyone do that at a bar) but it came out medium-ish, no pink at all… was pretty content with the meal, beer, and service —except after leaving the restaurant and on our walk down to the lower east side I was hit but sudden excruciating stomach pain and the urge to use the bathroom- almost couldn’t hold it in- ran into a bar to use their bathroom… then had to go again within two blocks of that bar. There could be no other explanation for the sudden onset of explosive diarrhea other than food at Crooked Knife, since I hadn’t eaten anything else that day and was fine before hand. The meat was cooked so I don’t think it was the burger patty? My friend had the same order but had gotten his burger medium and didn’t get sick at all. Maybe it was the lettuce/tomato. Uncomfortable stomach issues aside, I’m not opposed to giving the place...

The Food is pretty good, but there are a few things that need to be said; they use Iodised salt, which means you need a LOT to season. This next thing may sound dumb, but I had the Mac n cheese, and there was too much mac, and not enough cheese, I had to salt it, but it was pretty damned good. I also had the fish and chips, to be honest, the batter doesnt get crispy, I also had to salt it, which isnt bad if you have access to kosher salt, but with Iodised salt, you require a lot. Decent selection of beer My Guinness was perfect, my Grandmother's Blue Moon was perfect, but my Dad's Stella was flat.

These guys are newly opened, so I know things wont be perfect right off the bat, So I'm excited on visiting again to see where this...