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 “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.

My quest to find the best burger and beer deal started the when I finally tried Blarney Stone’s mighty burger and fries with cheap draft beer. How I waited so long to try something ML had been writing about for over a year, I don’t know. However, it sparked a fever and the only prescription for it was more burger and beer! I tried Coppersmith’s but they turned out to be a dud. So the search continued with little hope. Then I saw Muldoons sign advertising a burger and Bud for $10. I usually never drink Budweiser, but with food I suppose it couldn’t be worse then a tall glass of water, right?

From Muldoon’s facade you would think it was just an old man tavern. The awning is dusty and worn and the two windows facing the street are obscured with neon beer signs. I was completely expecting an empty bar when I came in at an early 3:30pm in the afternoon, but instead I was taken aback by the almost completely packed bar as well as the booths with table service in the back. My God, don’t these people have jobs?! Of course they do, all this delicious booze doesn’t drink itself now does it? Now this is an economic stimulus plan I can get behind. That said I grabbed a seat and beer and joined in.

My bartender told me that at all times of the day you’ll see the same faces at the bar. There are even 8AM regulars that warm up some seats day after day. On my visit I saw a good mix of older gentlemen, t-shirt wearing locals and white-collar workers from the area.

All burgers come deluxe with your choice of fries or onion rings. The deal is $10 for a burger and beer but if you really don’t want a beer then you’ll be happy to know the cheeseburger is only $8.95, the chiliburger is $8.50, and bacon burger is $8.75. I ordered the special but splurged by adding cheddar cheese (plus $1). I’m glad I did because the cheese was just oozing out over the patty and the beef was juicy and hot off the grill.

I opted for onion rings but they gave me fries. The waitress quickly brought me a side of onion rings when she noticed the error. Great service!

The fries and onion rings are pretty basic and nothing to rave about, but the burger was superb for a pub. It was huge and with the addition of fries I’m sure it would have satisfied even Zach’s ample stomach. This put them squarely in the running, so far, for best burger and beer special in midtown.

The + (What people who like about this place would say)

• The burger is juicy, comes with fries or onion rings. A deal for under $10 bucks!
• If you’re a Bud man, then go for it, but Muldoons has a full selection of of good drafts and cocktails ranging from $4 to $6 dollars
• Friendly staff, regular patrons and that awesome feeling you get when a bar is like a second home
• Big screen TV’s to watch football (as in soccer)

THE – (What somebody who doesn’t like this place would say)

• I’m not a Bud man, so getting a Guinness will push this over the ML limit (but don’t most happy hours turn out this way?)
• Blarney Stone’s burger is cheaper and I like hanging out with off-track betting men
• This is really a bar for the people in the area, I’m not sure if I worked on the Westside I’d go all the way here

Muldoons, 692 3rd Avenue (btw. 43+44th), 212-599-2750