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+).
