Maybe reviews will reveal something....
All I can see is that it is VERY well established local Irish place and gets fairly good reviews- has good Irish bartenders etc.
Doc Watson's
Categories: Restaurants, Pubs [Edit]
1490 2nd Ave(between 77th St & 78th St)
New York, NY 10021
Neighborhoods: Yorkville, Upper East Side
(212) 988-5300
- Nearest Transit Station:
- 77 St. (4, 6, 6X)86 St. (4, 5, 6, 6X)
- Delivery:
- Yes
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Attire:
- Casual
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- No
- Price Range:
- $$
- Take-out:
- Yes
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- Free
- Good For:
- Dinner, Late Night
- Music:
- Live
- Best Nights:
- Tue, Thu, Fri
- Happy Hour:
- Yes
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Smoking:
- No
- Coat Check:
- No
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Good For Dancing:
- No
- Ambience:
- Casual
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- No
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
97 reviews for Doc Watson's
Review Highlights What's this?
- "If you find yourself in the Upper East Side searching for a great..." In 9 reviews
- "One of my favorite hang out spots on the UES." In 14 reviews
- "Thursday nights were the best- with the live Irish Music." In 4 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
97 reviews in English
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Review from Alex S.
Manhattan, NYThe other night was my first visit to Doc Watson's, and hopefully I'll be back soon.
My girlfriend lives in the area, and we've been meaning to try it, but the original first visit a few weeks ago never materialized; very loud sports on the many TVs at the bar (they weren't even big games) and drunk people packed in made us leave before we walked in.
We took it another route this time, figuring that 1 am on a Tuesday would be close to the opposite of the first experience. We were right. Small groups of semi drunk people sitting around the, what I could now see, was a well laid out bar. The outdoor area in the back looked nice, but we stuck to the front to dip our toes.
The drinks aren't particularly cheap at this place; somewhat more expensive than average, in fact. There are no drink specials past happy hour, which I don't think I've seen in a pub setting before - I've seen slight specials or bad specials, but never none. The bartenders were really cool at Doc Watson's, and I wouldn't say they all had X in common. We spent most of the night interacting with each other or the bartenders, and when we closed out (hey, a night out's a night out, and we ordered accordingly) we realized the bill was far lower than we had expected. I like to think they just appreciated our magnetic personalities, but it could just be that they have good buybacks/customer appreciation. Either way, we were pleasantly surprised with the bill. Thanks!
I had one poor experience and one good one; the good experience lasted for longer, so 4 stars it is. This place could definitely be a 5 star place in my book - I'm making a point of coming back to see if we recreate Tuesday. -
Review from David B.
New York, NYBurger post!
Atmosphere
Doc Watson's is your average Upper East Side bar. There are high top tables immediately when you walk in and in the back the bar opens up into a small dining area. The highlight of the place is definitely the outdoor seating area in the back. If you're lucky enough to snag one of the few outdoor seats you could spend hours drinking the day away on a Saturday afternoon. If they're all taken, the upstairs dining area is a decent alternative since it has large windows which open above the outdoor seating area and help provide an "al fresco" feel.
Food
I wasn't expecting anything fancy from the menu at Doc Watson's since it's your run-of-the-mill bar. A burger seems to be the appropriate thing to order at a bar so I opted to try:
Doc's Squealer: Bacon infused with frizzled onions, mushrooms and bleu cheese (How could you not order something with this name?!)
Let me just say, Doc Watson's doesn't skimp on quantity. This burger was big. A large patty with pieces of bacon cooked inside it was topped with lots of thin fried onions, plenty of chunks of bleu cheese and mushrooms. This was all sandwiched between two extra thick hamburger buns with a wooden stake through it to keep it all together. The burger was good, but far from great. Despite all the toppings, this burger lacked any lasting flavor and I found myself constantly trying to figure out why that was the case. The meat was overcooked and I couldn't really taste the bacon in the 'bacon infused' burger. If anything, the bleu cheese stood out as the dominant flavor, but that's not surprising considering the strong flavor it has to begin with.
Service
Average burger, average service. Our waitress started off very friendly and even joked around with us. (I'm a huge fan of this.) However, by the end of the meal, she was extremely unfriendly and practically threw the bill at us without bothering to say thanks.
Value
Prices were average for a burger. The Doc's Squealer was $14. Careful though, Doc Watson's charges extra for everything. My coworker, Anisha, was charged an extra $2 for a side of ranch dressing. I mean, seriously? The bill came out to around $50 for the two of us, which seemed to be more than it was worth.
The Verdict
Doc Watson's is the definition of average. Average atmosphere, average burger and average service. Is this a great place to have some drinks, yes. Is this a great place to have some food, no. I don't live on the Upper East Side, but even if I did, I probably wouldn't head back to Doc Watson's anytime soon. There are lots of other places nearby that boast better food at the same prices. -
Review from Vince V.
Manhattan, NYBack patio is a great spot. -
Review from Michelle G.
Athens, GAWent in on the 4th of July looking for a bar with a good outdoor area... We were lured in by the sign advertising a "beer garden," but it was closed (they didn't want to let the A/C out?) so we sat inside. Service was fine, beer selection was just okay. Doubt I will return. -
Review from Subhashini S.
Financial District, Manhattan, NYHit this spot by fluke with the cuz gang, when uva next door was overflowing .... Awesome food, loved the penne vodka pasta...also try the mason jars, better than most places..besides the bar & patio seating area, they also have one level down backyard patio seating... -
Review from Kaitlyn C.
Manhattan, NYFavorite Irish pub on the UES!
Irish bartenders are pretty great, makes you feel like you're in a pub in Ireland. Live Traditional Irish music on Sunday nights and live music on Thursday nights.
Prices AREN'T cheap...but it's the UES and is expected. Service isn't the fastest, especially if you are dining in. But overall, it's a pretty great and laid back place.
Also has outdoor seating! -
Review from Peter R.
Manhattan, NY$4 lagunitas ipa from 4-7. What's not to like? -
Review from Leonard R.
Manhattan, NYModerately priced pub fare and attractive beer specials at the right times. A few Irish brouge's to be had, and footie on the TV.
count me a fan
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