Halsey’s Tavern

My fiancée and I were searching for a place to watch the NBA and NHL playoff games last night and since the Astoria sports bar scene has seemingly been a bit lackluster recently, we were looking forward to trying out a new place.
The bartender (I admit that I am horrible with names so I cannot mention his name here) was very friendly, but not overly so, which tends to happen on a slower night. The beer selection is pretty impressive and clearly well maintained — cold beer with a proper head is always a good thing!
The menu isn’t huge, but both meals (a burger and Mahi Mahi) were both excellent. The menu from last night was apparently brand new and hasn’t been updated on their website yet, however the current menu seems much more appetizing than what’s listed online.
Halsey’s is a beautiful bar (the mural on the wall is really impressive), there are several large TVs, the liquor selection is pretty impressive and the staff obviously takes pride in the establishment. This will definitely turn into a repeat visit in the near future!

So I came here specifically for trivia haha My work schedule is a mess and the best night for me to play trivia is on a Thursday night so I hunted to find a place and this one came up. I’m always up for trying new spots anyway– so I went and gave it a try. Glad I did! Not only did I have a great time playing trivia, but the food was very good and the service was great! I just wish it was a bigger place lol Well, small has its benefits because it makes it very cozy in there and the ambiance is very nice. Loved the bartender too! Drinks were nice and strong. You get what you pay for. Next time I plan to order a sandwich– I took a small piece of my moms and it was pretty good! I only got appetizers this time around. Oh and I suggest the deviled eggs! They were real good! I will definitely be returning here for more drinks, food, and trivia!

Not bad ambience. Clean, and tvs to catch the games. Good left a little something to be desired, as did the cocktails. This is more of a beer place anyway. Service was just okay. Waitress seemed new, or confused. Which happens. It was mostly the quality of the food and drinks that would prevent me from going back. There are a lot of good places in Astoria to try instead of this place for next time.

I went here on Saturday night to grab some dinner and brews. The dinner was so terrible! I had what they call seared tuna but in reality is just canned tuna slapped on the grill. so in essence you are paying $ 11 for chicken of the sea warmed up from the can. And the side salad is basically some lettuce with nothing else. I couldn’t believe how bad the food is here. If you are drinking beers it’s ok but no food or cocktails are worth it here.

I love this bar. There’s nothing spectacular about it, but it’s got all the elements of a great bar. Happy hour specials: check. Nightly specials: check. Snack food that’s more than adequately portioned, tasty, and priced right: check. Knicks on tv: check. There’s just enough seats to keep it cozy and not too crowded, and the volume and music played is not too crazy. They have the occasional trivia night too. Oh and two more words: Rum bucket.

Service was spotty at best. I had hopes for this place but it failed. I won’t insult anyone particular but I probably should. Will not be coming back.

Great beer selection and a great place to watch sports. Food is over priced ($ 18 for wings) and just okay. Bloody Mary’s are terrible but I come back often for the beers and ambiance.

Great variety of cocktails and good selections of beers. Modern place with 4 big TVs playing sports but no sports bar vibe. Great compromise for a date night if your man wants to watch sports

Halsey’s is deceivingly good. It always seems to have a crowd, but I’m always able to get a seat here. The burger is easily one of the best in Astoria, which says a lot when you consider the area. I’m a big fan of stopping in here on a Saturday afternoon when wandering around the neighborhood.
It’s the sort of place I’ll bring a friend from another borough just so I can say, «See! Even this pretty small place has awesome burgers!’, in way of bragging about Astoria on a whole.
Solid beers options and solid prices all around. This is a regular option for me!

Cool little spot in Astoria to meet up with friends and grab some cold beverages. We did not order any food to eat, aside from the french fries, so we can’t comment on that. The fries, however, were very tasty and accompanied our beverages very well.
Because of its location, parking is not the easiest during certain hours, so be prepared to get there a little early to hunt for a space. That being said, I was able to nab a spot right in front of the venue on my second time around the block.
Our server was very friendly and adequately attentive and she stopped by our table just often enough. Beverage pricing is very fair, if not even cheap, given the New York City prices that I’m accustomed to.

Service was fine… Food was repulsive. Had the steak sandwich from brunch menu. Served on a thick, stale, DRY, over-​toasted hero that I could barely chew. Nuclear orange cheese. Skinny slices of D-​grade steak were way overcooked. For $ 15 I would expect a little more love and innovation.
Bloody Mary had zero flair and supposedly there was vodka in it? It tasted like a glass of V8 on ice.
BASIC AF! Go to Bareburger if you’re in this area and want quality food at a decent price. Literally go to any other restaurant in the 1-​block radius but this one.

I LOVE THIS PLACE. Ok seriously though, I love this place. I have been going to Brick for about five years now, and Oliver’s since it opened and these people are really doing restaurants/​bars right. It’s so chill and relaxed and comfortable here, it’s easy to just stay and drink all night long. The food is a tad overpriced for what you get, so I don’t really eat here too often, but my husband loves their hot wings (very expensive) and buffalo chicken gnocchi (sounds gross to me but whatever). I’ve had their Cesar salad and was underwhelmed (whatevs eat at Brick then come here for drinks). The bartender, Noël, is the man. Truly such an awesome guy. And yeah, I’ll be there every Saturday night until I can’t walk anymore. Then hopefully my progeny will wheel me here. Love it.

I feel like I’m almost a regular now and don’t even live in this borough. Lol. Typically, I’ve come in for their trivia nights. Which is okay. Emphasis on the okay because I question a lot of the subject rounds and the host’s scoring system. Especially after finding out he miscounted the last time. But its still pretty fun and I’m a fan of trivia when I either end up winning or coming in the top 4 nearly every time.
The first I ever heard of this bar was from Steph, sending me texts and photos of some kind of chocolate choo choo milk stout beer in the middle of the winter. I glanced at it lazily and eventually let her coax me into taking me here for a quick beer. Came back again after a wedding in late spring and sampled lots more of their beer menu that rotates regularly and usually has some kind of deal on growlers. Note, happy hour ends at 7pm and their thursday trivia begins at 8pm. I think that blows and there should be a trivia night special or all day buy 1 beer get 1 free deal like their brother/​sister bar (which I may be slightly more partial to) Jolly Monk in Midtown West! I guess they do it only Sundays-​Wednesdays though which is a rough day for me to get to Queens to begin with. They are also related to New York Beer Company and Olivers as well, which I’m less impressed with and have both been to.
Food here is where you lose me. I’ve only sampled a few things but the menu could use some work. The Buffalo Hot Wings are gloppy and gooey, the buffalo chicken gnocchi is a thing that should never exist (mostly because hot sauce and pasta usually aren’t symbiotic), and their various macaroni and cheese interpretations I feel are more like penne alfredo than mac and cheese. My favorite thing here is probably their french fries, which are hard to screw up. Crispy exterior, thick cut, soft interior, and flavored superbly. Binge on the truffle fries. They aren’t the best truffle fries ever but it does the job. Meatballs — again decent. Allegedly, the fried ravioli is pretty good but didn’t taste it. The grilled cheese sandwich is something different and actually not disappointing being a rather thick sourdough stuffed with a medley of cheddar, mozzarella, and goat cheese with sliced radicchio and a tangy mustard that PULLS this thing together. Steph doesn’t even eat vegetables and she ate the radicchio from what I gather and loved it.
Overall, the bar and entire staff is pretty friendly and I’ve actually met complete random strangers in here which is a first.

I’ve got mixed feelings about Halsey’s.
On the one hand the staff could not be more on point. Every time I’m here I’m greeted with a smile and feel genuinely welcome, which might sound basic but doesn’t happen all the time for me. Their beer selection is also on point, and the bartender is happy to let you sample as many brews as you like until you find the one that you want to stick with for the night.
My main issue here is with the food — it all sounds so mouthwatering on paper, but the execution of these dishes falls flat for me. For example, the beer and bacon mac and cheese. Is there any other food combination you could possibly think up that sounds sexier than that? But what arrives is bland penne pasta with washed out Alfredo sauce, topped with a few bacon bits for presentation.
The same goes for their healthier take on chicken wings. I appreciate the effort to make them baked and not fried, but the result is a soggy texture that wings should just never be.
Still, I’ll be back for the beer selection and hospitality. Just be advised, their menu really does have room for improvement.

Stopped in for a quick beer. They had a 2 for 1 beer special. Ended up trying the Buffalo Chicken Gnocchi after the bartender recommended. And boy am I glad I did. Excellent! It had a nice kick to it!

So I know that Halsey’s Tavern is owned by Hell’s Kitchen Hospitality Group. These are the same fine folks who own The Jolly Monk in Manhattan, Oliver’s on Steinway and New York Beer Company, also in Manhattan. Halsey’s is by far my absolute favorite of the HKHG family!
I’ve been here 3 or 4 times now and each time I’ve had a really solid experience. Halsey’s Tavern is a really nice space that almost comes off as classy sports bar gastropub. It’s not doing any of these things in an over the top way, but their vibe would appeal to anyone who enjoys spending time at a sport bar, classier bar, pub or gastropub.
Foodwise I’ve only tried their buffalo wings, french fries and grilled cheese sandwich. The Halsey’s Hot Wings are baked wings tossed in their chipotle-​honey glaze, topped with bleu cheese and served with pickled carrots and celery — they were ooookaaaaay. I prefer my wings crispy and textured differently than what baking them does, but they WERE undeniably flavorful, juicy and the sauce was decadent and with just the right amount of kick.
Their «fancy fries» are tossed with a truffle-​infused olive oil and sprinkled with parsley and parmesan cheese. MAN, these are fantaaaastic! Served with my grilled cheese sandwich (cheddar, mozzarella, goat cheese, radicchio and sweet & sour mustard) I was one insanely happy clam!
Things I can’t wait to try off of their droolworthy menu include their three (yes, THREE) different types of Mac & Cheese offerings (Mom’s Mac — cheddar & parmesan topped with garlic bread crumbs, 4 Cheese Truffle Mac– bleu cheese, parmesan, goat cheese & gruyère, Beer & Bacon Mac — two favorite food groups with cheddar & parmesan), their Buffalo Chicken Gnocchi (potato gnocchi, grilled chicken, chipotle cream sauce and topped with bleu cheese), their burers and their Pesto Chicken Panini (grilled chicken, roasted peppers, arugula, fontina cheese and pesto mayo on focaccia).
The beer selection is here is also top-​notch and they’re always rotating local and non-​local craft beers. The bartenders here are super friendly, efficient and Daniel’s bar flair is always fun to watch & Noël is super sweet and gives a great hi-​five! Happy hour here is a guaranteed great time and they also usually have soccer games on and it’s my fave sport *wipes away a happy lone tear*. I look forward to retuning here again soon to enjoy Thursday night trivia here. Love, love, love Halsey’s!

Had beer club here and it was an outstanding time! I got there a little early to have some food and enjoyed a delicious caesar salad with grilled chicken. Some other friends had mussels and the buffalo chicken gnocci, and everyone was pleased with the food.
There’s a nice beer selection and they had some great deals, like two for one Radebergers. We had a delightful server named Rachel and she took excellent care of us.
The place has a great vibe and a fun atmosphere. There are tables on the sidewalk and the windows open up to let in fresh air. It was a great place to go on a nice spring evening and I can’t wait to go back again.

A nice Astoria neighborhood bar with friendly bartender and patrons. Came here on a cold and windy winter Sunday evening –15 degrees out. Needed a libation to warm us up. We both had the cocktails and it was very good and strong. I could see this spot being a great hangout as they are very nice and easy to chill here. I would love to come back and try the food. The burger/​fries and mussels looks tempting!

Is classy sports bar a genre? This is a place I would go to take someone on a date if I really wanted a game to watch. They have lots of TVs (but not those overbearing wall size ones), pretty New Yorky (bridge murals) décor, and a pretty decent list of beers on tap and cocktails.
We sat at the bar where the super friendly (maybe a little distracted – still new) bartender told us about the place (attached to the Brick Café) and how business was doing.
I shared some of the Halsey Burger which was a bit overcooked, but I will chalk that up to growing pains. Will be back if I am in the area :)

Halsey’s is a cozy, warm, rebranded back bar of Brick Café. I am a huge Brick fan… I find it an under-​the-​radar excellent dining option in Astoria. The food is always excellent and there’s an eclectic, warm atmosphere, but (I’m guessing) because it has been around a while, there isn’t the buzz around it that newer spots are garnering.
Halsey’s doesn’t feel like you are in any part of Brick. Yes, both are welcoming, but they are charming in different ways. Brick has a European feel. Halsey’s feels very American, complete with a historic name and cool mural on the back wall. Tavern is the right name for the place; there’s one room with a long, wooden bar, several high top tables, and typical bar menu options. It’s a beer, whiskey, or red wine type of joint. And, you can feel safe ordering the wine, unlike other taverns.
There are also a couple of tv’s over the bar. Personally, I would have been a bit happier without the tvs… the room was almost Rom-​Com perfect, if only there were no TVs. However, I know a lot of people like TVs.