When you want the day to vanish, like an arrow from a bowstring, try Bloom’s Tavern on East 58th Street. For lunch or dinner, you’ll find a winning pub style trifecta: good food, good drinks and genuine hospitality.
With a crackling fireplace for colder days, and an upper floor balcony for warmer days, Bloom’s is one of the neighborhood’s most popular hangout, as it draws a mixed bag of locals―workers from Business Week, Ralph Lauren― as well as big name professional baseball players who live atop Bloomberg Tower all mingle easily here.
Bartenders and wait staff are efficient, attentive and their authentic Irish accents encourage you to relax in an unhurried fashion. The strength of Irish hospitality has always been taking care of people and offering a warm escape, a reprieve of sorts, from the real world.
Few manage it better than Noel Donovan who owns Bloom’s, along with his partners John Mahon & Eugene Wilson. All three share a palpable passion for Irish culture. (Donovan comes from a farming background in Limerick Ireland but holds a bachelor degree in Hospitality management from the prestigious Athlone IT Ireland.)
Menu items offer sirloin steak, tender petite Filet mignon, chicken pot pie, rare hamburgers with juices running as well as varied salads, fish, even pasta and much more.
One of the biggest draws is Bloom’s fresh oysters (available every hour of every day). At $1 each, these are among the city’s greatest bargains. Shucking is first rate, no nicks to the flesh, the juice floats in the shell so you can savor the firm texture and clean seaside taste; plates sail out of the kitchen like skiffs leaving Ballyholme.
Try a pint of plain bar side and order the Buffalo Chicken Wings. Bloom’s kitchen gets this dish right with the desirable higher skin to meat ratio, wisely rendering out the fat first before adding the sauce so that the heat is elevated, along with crunchiness.
Eventually you’ll notice the soft butter yellow walls feature witty hand painted quotes by famed Irish writers, a nice reminder that for a comparatively small island, Ireland has made a disproportionately large contribution to world literature. Not to mention whiskey.
Bloom’s has a collection of at least 15 Irish browns, more than enough to make your head spin without taking a sip. But go ahead, try the James Joyce Cocktail, a known favorite of “himself,” the libation can substitute for dessert since it blends Jameson with a magical mixture of sweet vermouth, Cointreau, fresh lime juice, served in a chilled cocktail glass. And like all good things in life, this one comes with a cherry on top.
Bloom’s also is an ideal venue for semi-private and private parties, from 2 to 120 people. But try to book early or call Noel to see if he can reserve the upstairs. It’s a popular choice for nearby offices and local groups; dates fill up fast. But be it a big party or a simply pint of plain, use your East Midtown Passport card: Bloom’s offers a nice 10% discount.
Bloom’s Tavern, 208 East 58th Street, 212-308-9400
All photos courtesy Bloom’s Tavern.
