Midtown Lunch

If you like to eat, chances are you like to drink (read: a lot of you are freakin’ lushes), so I thought maybe it was time to introduce a happy hour column to the site. Every week, our Happy Hour Correspondent posts 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. This week we’re excited to welcome a new contributor ML fold… Jackie.  Make her feel welcome.

Ladies, if you’re going out to happy hour looking to get hit on, Whiskey Trader is not for you. That said, if you’re going out to throw down some (CHEAP!) beers, watch Jeremy Lin defy all Asian and Ivy Leaguer stereotypes, and enjoy the company of your friends and coworkers, Whiskey Trader is for you!

As a self-proclaimed scotch drinker and Ron Burgundy (“I love scotch. Scotchy, scotch, scotch. Here it goes down, down into my belly…”) groupie, there was no way I’d feel comfortable not pushing Zach to let me review a whisky bar for my first Midtown Lunch post. Unlike Mamacita who originally discovered this gem by (a happy) accident two years ago, I used Google as my discovery method at choice. Type in midtown whiskey bar and this place will be found at the top of the list.

At the door, you will be greeted by a friendly bouncer (if you go on a Tuesday night like I did, you’ll meet Lenny), and a pair of cheery coat check girls who would be more than happy to take your jacket from you for two dollars.

Walk down the staircase into the main bar area to find a long wooden bar, a plasma television-lined wall, candle-lit tables, bottomless FREE popcorn and a crowd full of sports-loving, chat-happy after-work drinkers.

At $3 a Bud Light pint, it was far too easy for our group to overstay our welcome… that is until our bellies started to rumble. The upside to Whiskey Trader not having a kitchen? You can bring in whatever food you’d like, which is great since cheap eats like Famous Halal Guys on 53rd and 6th (the reason Mamacita stumbled upon the bar in the first place) are just steps away.

Equipped with three floors, Whiskey Trader has a spot for any kind of personality. Upstairs, you’ll find an intimate lounge area if you and your friends would like to seclude yourselves from the rest of the crowd; and a “game nook” with another lounge area below the main bar level.

Before leaving for the night, the special on the wall urged us to try the Pineapple Upside Down Cake shots, so obviously, we did. Four dollars got us Stoli Vanilla, pineapple juice and grenadine – worth it if you actually like pineapple upside down cake.

Happy hour is all day Monday and Tuesday, and from 4 pm to 9 pm Wednesday to Sunday.

Whiskey Trader, 71 West 55th Street (at 6th Ave.) 212-582-2223

Post and photos by Jackie N.