The Penrose opened in 2011 on Second Avenue at 83rd Street, in a stretch of Yorkville that until then had been better known for Irish pubs and undergraduate energy. The room — reclaimed-wood booths, chalkboard menus, an open kitchen at the back — was an early signal that the Upper East Side bar map was changing. The cocktail list, written by founding bartender Vince Dadiego, has stayed compact and classic-leaning since opening.
It is the right room for a long Sunday brunch on the way uptown, a low-key first-date drink, or a Saturday lunch with friends visiting from out of town. It is the wrong room for anyone hunting modern, technique-driven cocktails — the kitchen and the bar both lean traditional. The Infatuation's Upper East Side guide ranks it 'the neighbourhood's most-recommended cocktail bar for a reason.'
Two long rows of green leather banquettes flanking a marble-topped bar; reclaimed barnwood paneling; subway tile in the back. Eater New York's Yorkville coverage describes the space as 'closer to a country pub than a Manhattan cocktail bar,' which is accurate. The kitchen pass is visible from the bar — ask for the seats facing it if you want the chef's-counter feel without booking the chef's counter.
Order the Penrose Old Fashioned ($16, made with a barrel-aged rye blend), a Bloody Mary at brunch ($14 with a strip of bacon), or one of the rotating drafts ($10, mostly local). Skip the seasonal punches — regulars on r/AskNYC consistently call the kitchen-driven food list the better order. The brunch menu (burger, shakshuka, brisket hash) runs $18 to $26 and pulls heavier crowds than the bar program.
Upper East Side professionals after work; brunch crowds Saturday and Sunday 11:00 to 14:00. Time Out New York's neighbourhood bar coverage flags the room as the rare UES cocktail bar that fills before 19:00 on weeknights and stays full until close on Friday and Saturday.
The Penrose official site; The Infatuation; Eater New York; Time Out New York; r/AskNYC; Google Maps reviews (n=2,400+).