Midtown Lunch

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so every week our Happy Hour Correspondent “Mamacita” will post about a different bar in Midtown that fits the Midtown Lunch mentality: unhealthy food, not lame (unless it’s lame in a cool way), and most importantly… cheap.

The Stag’s Head has been a great location for a happy hour with friends for a while. ML regulars even did a meet up there last year. The thoughtful beer selection features a seasonal rotation of microbrews, many of which, if you time it right, meet the $5 mark. Stag’s also has a delicious and indecently early happy hour beginning at 11am. In summertime the roof deck provides the opportunity to bask in the warm sun with a drink in hand. So why haven’t we ever written about Stag’s Head? Maybe it’s that the location is too far east and not in Midtown proper. Maybe because we’d like to keep the tourists away. Maybe because there are too few bar stools at Stag’s and I like to keep my bartender to myself. Whatever the case, it was time, so I decided to stop by this week and grab a pint.

The bartenders at Stag’s are amicable folks. If you’re seated at the bar you get the best service and conversation. My bar wench was not only knowledgeable about the beers she pours, but rather proud of the bar. Stag’s Head happens to be literally connected to Cornerstone Bar and when I mentioned it the bartender she was quick to proclaim that Stag’s Head was far superior. I’ve learned it is rarely a good idea to contradict your bartender, especially when she’s probably right.

My current beer of choice is from Left Hand Brewing Company of Colorado. What can I say, lefties do it better.

The character at Stag’s is different. They have a quirky log cabin décor with a kiss of taxidermy, the space seems intimate and low lit, yet with two floors of space you can easily bring a gaggle of friends and find a niche to nest in for the evening.

Stag’s host’s a monthly assortment of events, from a featured brewery night to all major sports with drink and food specials included.

The food is on level with most pub grub. My friend’s fish and chips came on a big plate with lots of fries, but for $15 dollars they do not abide to the ML rules of “cheap ass bastards that like to eat a lot.”

If you work nearby, and have no sense of office decorum, the lunch specials with a ½ pint of beer will certainly fill your stomach and liver without draining your wallet. However that is best suited for a lunchtime review -if Blondie doesn’t beat me to it!

The Plus + (What someone who does like this place would say)

• Happy hour starts at 11am. Who needs to go to work!
• I like microbrews!
• Brewery & sports events with food and drink specials all night
• Lots of table seating on two levels, plus a roof deck

The Minus – (What someone who doesn’t like this place would say)

• Happy hour ends by 7pm, so drink up quick!
• Dinner prices don’t meet the ass-broke budget
• Top shelf drinks will take advantage of your wallet worse then a corner call girl

Stag’s Head, 252 E. 51st Street at 2nd Avenue, 212-888-2453