Solid cocktail place in the UES
This place puts out some really great cocktails. Â The ambiance tries to be very downtown. Â I like to sit at the bar, it feels a little too "non-intimate" at the tables in the back.
Cocktails are very well crafted and they do a great job. Â They have metal straws as well - figured I'd throw that out there.
Nice place when you want to stay local. Â Added plus is you can have another cocktail instead of paying for that cab ride back from downtown.
Fun gem on the UES. It wasn't busy at all when I came on a Friday night and I was able to get a booth. The cocktails are balanced and well crafted. It also has a bizarre dark atmosphere, that oddly seems to go with the vibe of the place.
I came a bit too late and the kitchen had closed, so I got the popcorn. It's an interesting concept and a bit too rich for popcorn, and I'd have preferred it wihtout the sauce that made it soggy.
I give the cocktails 4 stars but I had to take my rating down a couple notches based on 2 experiences: The first time my BF and I went to Jbird it was a Weds night and we had an ok experience. Â The drinks were delicious but the guacamole we ordered was bland. Â We picked what we though would be a romantic/secluded table near the window, but it turned out to be next to the booth where someone who appeared to be the owner was loudly working with another guy on the bar's logo. Â While "working" they ordered a bunch of food from our server- reasonable since they guy owns the place- but then proceeded to monopolize said server's time, asking him to bring the group of young women behind them (and themselves) a round of shots. At one point we were ready to order another round but by the time the server actually came around to us we were ready to leave/had had enough.
With that not great experience seemingly behind me and egged on by the yummy drinks and having viewed some good looking plates on the owner's table, we bought a Groupon ($35 for 2 cocktails and 5 small plates) and went back on a Friday. Â I was incredibly disappointed that upon arrival they gave us a "special" menu that included modified (read smaller portions/less exciting) food options and only a fraction of drinks from the main menu. Â For example, the regular menu has a $13 mezze plate (hummus, babaganoush, etc), the hummus plate we got was 1/4 of the size of the mezze plate (as seen at the table next to us) and the guacamole we ordered was not the full size. Â To make matters worse they had run out of one of the eggplant dish we wanted to try. Â Finally, the music they were playing was far too loud, all over the place genre wise and generally not at all in tune with the fancy cocktail bar vibe. Â All in all of the experience was sub-par and I feel that the Groupon "deal" was misleading and a ploy to get you in to order more food/drinks off the regular menu. Â It is a shame because based on drinks alone, this place has a lot of potential.
I had a Groupon for this restaurant for 5 small plates and 2 drinks. Â There was a separate menu for Groupon users, which took the guess work out of what we could order and made life easy for us. Â We ordered the calamari, which was tasty, the fried zucchini and eggplant, which was OK, the pork sliders, which were awesome, a 4th one that I don't remember, and the nacho tots. Â The nacho tots, in theory, were awesome. They tasted good too. Â But in practice, tater tots are not conducive to "nacho-izing." Â Once it starts to cool, the cheese and potatoes congeal into a solid, unbreakable mass that becomes annoying to work with.
For drinks I ordered the Gold Standard. It wasn't bad. Â At first it tasted quite syrupy, but the after taste was much less so which was nice. Â My second drink was the Pepino, which was nice and smokey. Â Overall the experience was good. Â The service was a little choppy when our first round ran out...it was tough to grab someone to bring us a drink menu let alone order. Â But overall not a bad place.
This review is based on the drinks, we arrived here too late to order food. Â This place is trendy for the UES. Â I like the idea of a mixologist behind the bar. The drink sizes are on the smaller size and run $12-$15 each but during the week they offer drink specials which is nice. Their drinks are fun and very tasty. Â I would give this place another try for dinner to see what kind of food they have to offer.
Review Source:Since moving to the Upper East Side, this place has been my go to for delicious yummy cocktails and cool relaxing ambiance. We live nearby and my boyfriend works a few blocks away so we came to this place LIKE A LOT.
How often might you ask have we frequented this fine establishment, lol? Enough to try out the menu and know bartender's cats' names after sharing funny cat stories. I l simply loved this place: I brought my friends here, I had special moments here, I thought Jbird and me will live happily ever after and have a long future filled with drinking and joy.
So imagine our surprise, after recent experience was just pure SH*T. Let me explain why. Having bought a groupon for something else, we incidentally spotted a groupon for Jbird and thought it would be a great idea to try one out for our favorite place. Oh boy, were we in for a treat!
Let me say first, that I am NOT a groupon person. In fact, this was the second groupon  that we have ever bought in our lives.
We live in the Upper East Side, this is the area where the rent for our 2br/3bath apartment on the gazillionth floor of a luxury apartment complex  exceeds the household income of the average American, so needless to say, we manage fine without groupons.  However, if I do use one, I expect the same smiles, the same customer service, the same politeness and kindness I get as when I am shelling out hundreds of dollars at this place. That to me is a true test - kind like with true friends, will they be there for you when you are broke and down on your luck ? Will the place still give you a stellar service when they don't think you are a big spender ?
Well, I was offended by the service we have received. OFFENDED. First, as soon as they found out we are using groupon, they gave us a different menu and took us to the back to the "groupon table", far away from everyone else. Except for another poor soul, who was also using groupon and was seated next to us. So, they have a SPECIAL AREA , literally dedicated to just groupon people - they basically treated us like we had leprosy or some contagious disease.
Then, they just disappeared and were not to be seen for at least 20 minutes. This was the same waitress who previously was all smiles and charms on every single one of our visits.
The actual groupon is a total rip-off - the groupon plates of food they have advertised at 12$ value are nothing like the 12$ plates of food on the regular menu and I'll post pictures for comparison.
After being done with our food (literally a couple tablespoons of everything), we asked for a regular menu and despite three repeated requests, it took them another 20 minutes to bring it out.
During the whole night, they hardly checked on us or asked if we needed anything. In the meanwhile, we watched them nurture their nongroupon customers from our "exile" table in front of our very  eyes.
This was such a drastic contrast from the service we usually receive on any single one of our visits that I left disgusted and appalled.
Bottom line:
Dear Jbird, don't do a groupon if you are going to completely mis advertise your 12$ plates of food (see pictures for this ridiculousness yourself and compare their groupon hummus plate to their nongroupon hummus plate) and most importantly, don't do groupon if you are going to treat your groupon patrons like sh*t.
A better use of these 35$ would have been to roll them up and wipe the ass of my purebred showcase quality cat after it takes a dump, but on the other hand I'm glad we have done it, so we can see how other patrons get treated and take our business elsewhere where it's appreciated and welcome.
This is a nice cocktail/mixology joint on the UES, although you would never know it by the cheesy signage out front. Â Came here on a Friday night and even though it was not busy, it took 10 minutes of servers walking by before we finally ordered our drinks. Â Luckily our server ended up being attentive and very cool.
On to the drinks - price is to expected (12-14 for a cocktail) and they were delicious. Â I tried the Late Harvest (calvados, vermouth, tased like cinnamon) and the Pepino (spicy, vodka-based, tasted like lime and cucumber) and enjoyed both of them. Â Probably won't be back for food because the menu seems quite limited, but overall this is a nice addition the the bar scene in the neighborhood.
I am really torn on what star rating to give, because in general their cocktails deserve 5 stars. What brings the rating down, however, is the service.
I've been here a few times, and every time it takes forever for someone to take out order, and check up to see if we'd like another round. One time I was here I was given the wrong drink, and the waitress looked annoyed that I even pointed it out. The last time I went, it took at least 15 minutes before we were acknowledged - and even then it was just a "I'll be with you in a few." The table next to us, however, knew the person who appeared to be the manager, so they ended up with food AND drinks on their table before we even got to place our order. I can live with a bit of special treatment for friends of staff, but this seemed particularly ridiculous.
Anyway, the bottom line is that if you want to spend at least $12 on a tasty, strong cocktail, check them out. Just be prepared to be ignored.
I think the experience here would be more positive if viewing this place as a bar, but as for the food alone, Â it was utterly tragic. Â
Tuna crudo- literally tasteless, low quality raw fish. I'll pass on that gamble. Â I have maybe sent back 3 things in my entire life and this was one of them. Â Â Lamb meatballs- dry and flavorless. Â The only highlight was the soft pita they came with, if it's possible for bread to be a highlight. Â And nacho tater tots- Â resembled something like I'd make in the toaster oven in college although I admit I still liked them. Â
The waiter was sweet but clueless.  My friend asked for a dry red, he poured a taste of one and came back over 10 minutes later  to see if she wanted a glass when we were half done with our first apps.  She didn't and asked for a beer instead.  They only had canned beer- this is not an ironic PBR in a can type place- they have $14 cocktails so this is completely perplexing and doesn't work.
The place seems to cater to <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fmatch.com&s=5a7ad17eb3943c81dac85ae79b9c0c050694769f0de09ef7d94e7ed56fd99c4f" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://match.com</a> first dates. Â It's dark, but the tables are too cramped and it feels like the seating was left over from a pub but they didn't feel like spending the money to do a proper cozy date spot. Â They should just close down the kitchen and turn it into a bar.
3.5 stars.
The upper east side is a rather unconventional location for a bar of this kind, but sometimes its refreshing to not have all the cocktail bars of the world concentrated in the lower parts of Manhattan. If for nothing other than the commitment to libations, we made our way over to Jbird one quiet Saturday night.
Except it wasn't so quiet inside. It was busy actually, really busy, and pretty noisy. However they were able to seat us within the first 10 minutes and that made me feel a bit better.
We sat down and I ordered the El Vuelo - kind of like an Aviation but made with Mezcal. This was a well balanced drink, as was the Late Harvest, with lots of spicy undertones. I also have sampled the Tiki Oasis Punch, which was a concoction with a laundry list of ingredients including vanilla, black tea and rum. This came highly recommended by our very friendly server. While I wasn't blown away by the taste or the presentation (it is served on fire and all that), I will speak to the strength of the drink. At the end of it, I was solidly tipsy. I do wish there were more drinks on the menu that were served up, as I hate all that crushed ice diluting my drink.
Since the vegetarian food menu seemed more or less an afterthought here, we got the guacamole to share on an occasion and it was to my surprise, deliciously made. The chips were fried to order and fresh and crisp. We also shared the chocolate chip cookies, baked fresh to order. Piping hot and very satisfying. I shamelessly ate 4 of these.
I don't think that Jbird delivers cocktails or bites par excellence, most offerings of both kinds stop at being pretty good. For a location devoid of creative cocktail destinations, I think it is worth stopping by at Jbird. I do urge you to order the cookies, and make your evening of cookies and booze :) with them.
Definitely a nice addition to the UES. Â The cocktails are classy, served in old fashion glassware with actual cubed blocks of ice. Â I love the Peppino, and despite the fact that they change their menu a lot this one sticks around. Â The savory popcorn is delicious and worth trying. Â The wait staff can be hit or miss but they are well intentioned. A great little spot to grab fancier cocktails or wine if you are looking to avoid the pup/frat scene.
Review Source:Cocktail lounge on the Upper East Side. Interior is somewhat cool, though we were stuck in a booth in the back. They offer an expansive cocktail menu with drinks starting at $13 and up. A lot of variety and interesting ingredients. Definitely their strong suit. The beer selection is lacking for a bar with so many options. I think I had to get a budweiser in a can or something similarly as boring. The food is even worse. The menu is a mishmash of random items, all of which are completely uninspiring. I ordered the sliders which were microscopic for $13. My cousin ordered the "best burger in the world" or whatever they call it for $15. Looked completely average and wouldn't hold a candle to the likes of Shake Shack.
If you're on the UES and are jonesin for a cocktail, this seem like a good option. Certainly in the evening. If you're looking for happy hour, a solid meal, or reasonable prices, I'd suggest heading elsewhere.
Came here on an off night - Tuesday - on a search for a great Mint Julep with a friend.
The bartender wasn't the best. My friend ordered the mint julep and it looked like she was looking up how to make it on her phone. Either that or she was texting instead of making the drink. I tried to stick to the menu but I'm thinking that it was a seasonal summer menu because everything was rum based, which is not my drink of choice. I ordered a Moscow Mule but the bartender still had to open a recipe book. But as the night progressed and we got chatting with the bartender she went on to make drinks for us that she knew and knew well.
The cocktails are served in old-fashioned glassware which I greatly appreciate and we sat at the bar and had lively 30-something professionals catching nightcaps around us. We got chatting with someone who was trying to experiment at the bar and telling the bartender recipes and trying them instead of ordering. He had us try his several concoctions and bought us various liquors. I was impressed with the stock of the bar as they had many ingredients I've never heard of, but the inexperience of the bartender really put me off in the beginning of the night.
A nice place to catch a cocktail, but hope you have a bartender that knows what they're doing.
I went here with a crowd in the mood for a beer. Big mistake as this was the one day the "didn't serve beer." I, however, was in the mood for something citrusy and bubbly so we stayed to check out the loaded menu filled with creative spin-offs of well-known drinks. I had the "Air Mail".. a "honeyed riff on a daquiri" ... it was more like a sweeter, more-potent mimosa. Delicious.
Secondly, can we just say this place is swanky for the UES?! Besides being small, dark, and confusing as to which door is the real entrance, this place really stands out -- especially with the Starbucks and parking garage it's situated between. Check it out for yourself, late night or just for a casual drink, you won't be disappointed.
I was here two weeks ago on a Monday.We came by after work to use a living social deal for drinks and bites.
I got here early as I was waiting for some friends. The bartender was friendly and suggested the honey nut old fashioned. Made well, tasty.
Once seated, we realized the menu for the living social deal was different from the main menu. Should have expected this, just totally forgot.
The food was kind of weird, the hummus wasn't really hummus, and the tortilla chips tasted like fried pie crust? Strange. Our hostess/server? also wasn't very friendly. We has to ask for plates and knives/forks and she seemed annoyed.
All in all, it seems like an OK spot to sit at the bar and have a drink. Other than that, I'd pass....
What a wonderful find on the Upper East Side! I was on the hunt for cocktail bars on the Upper East Side and after progressively raising my willingness to pay, I finally scored JBird. And not because it was exorbitantly expensive - in fact, it was very affordable for what it was - a just upscale enough bar with a wide variety of creative cocktails. There might be a few kids around dinner time, but past 8 pm, they slowly dim the lights to accommodate canoodling couples. Drinks I had include:
honey-nut old fashioned - a peanutty riff on a classic old-fashioned; warm and spicy with a nutty aftertaste.
love bird - this is an extremely delicious chocolatey, port-y take on a strong cocktail. I barely felt like I was drinking something quite as strong as it was because of how well-tempered the flavors were.
phuket colada - really interesting cocktail that has a hint of spice, and also served in this ridiculous tiki ceramic glass with a metal straw and a paper umbrella. Very twee.
where is he - this was a slightly disappointing drink because the rum kick was a little bit too overwhelming.
But the Love Bird is an amazing drink. I look forward to trying more of their whiskey-based cocktails.
Eh.
Not thrilled at al.
Bought the Living Social deal for $65 (10 plates and 4 drinks). Â
The plates were eh...we ordered two humus dishes. Â The bowls came with so much of the Tzatziki Sauce and almost NO humus. Â Tzatziki Sauce and bread, not that great of a mix to be frank.
The Tots were great!
There were like four chips for the bowl of guacamole...ridiculous. Â
The girls loved the Pork Sliders and Meatballs. Â
Their drinks are good. It's nice if you want to try something new. Â
The waitress was horrible. Â I am sorry but she was. Â Didn't explain anything, was super slow and we were like one of three tables there....ugh.
The atmosphere really isn't that impressive. Â I's a dark wood place with candle light and dim lights. Â You could go to a million places in NYC that mimic this feeling and it would be better. Â
I won't be returning. Â It was okay to hang with the girls a little but I will be trying a new place.
So I have to say the individual drinks here are a bit...weird tasting.
I ordered the Jbird (which looks pink in their dark atmosphere, not purple like it says) and it tasted like tequila to me?! Maybe my taste buds are just weird. My friend ordered the good humor fizz which was super strong (though still a bit odd tasting to me) and a 3rd friend got the air mail which was the weirdest one of all. I think they were all fairly strong though definitely not your typical mixed drinks taste.
Really what I recommend is the drinks for 2 - we ordered the one that comes in a frozen pineapple that has a light inside of it and tall twisty straws. This looks awesome and if you order it, everyone around you will say "omg what is that" and "I want that". This drink tasted much better than the individual drinks (despite having bourbon in it) and was much more fun. There's a 2nd drink to share "Tiki Oasis Punch" which actually gets served on fire (we saw it from afar at a different table AFTER we had ordered our pineapple) which I can only imagine tastes just as good if not better, considering none of us really like bourbon but somehow we liked our bourbon pineapple.
I had been to the original jbird in midtown a few years back, so was very excited to try the new uptown jbird. Â The old jbird was cool, sexy, you had to know it was there... great drinks... a comfy leather couch, great view! Â This is definitely leans more towards a generic bar with okay food that sounds more exciting than it is. Â Aside from the fact that the vibe of this place isn't like the original, the drinks are great and the service is great.
I didn't like the first drink I ordered that much, and the waitress picked up on that from how slowly i was drinking mine compared to my friend and brought me another one free of charge.
They do have a lot of great drinks.
it's a fine place to stop by for a drink with a friend when you're in the neighborhood. Â but i wish it was better.
I do have to agree that they have pretty good drinks.. came here with a groupon and we had limited options..
For my drinks.. I ordered.. Jbird Swizzle.. I like how the combination of the sweet and sourness with a hint of floral smell.. Mmm.. It was served in a tall cup with lots of crush ice.. It's really pretty and i think it's pretty girly.. My friend ordered the pineapple express.. It tasted like pineapple and rum with a little "smoke".. some spice or herbs in it.. I still prefer it to be sweet tho.. but if you like pineapple drinks.. go with it..
As for food.. we ordered
- pork sliders: the best of all dishes.. It came as two so we both had one each.. We started with this so we were probably pretty hungry and I think it was still pretty good to enjoy..
- meatballs: it wasn't really good.. as I am not a huge meatball fan.. my friend do agree the meatball tasted like something that we can make.. oh well.. it's bar bites.. can't expect much..
- guacamole: I think the one I bought from trader joes tasted better..
- hummus: you can't go wrong with it.. we just mix everything together and dip with the bread..
- tater tots: It's interesting.. pretty delicious with some garlic with it..
As we think one drink is not enough.. we ordered additional drinks and also popcorn since everyone said that they had delicious popcorn..
I do agree that the popcorn is pretty addictive and interesting.. probably one of the best dish.. (you can imagine the food wasn't that good as I mentioned popcorn is one of the best).. It has avocado, cilantro and some lime with it.. I guess that's what made it so nice to enjoy..
My friend ordered the Honey-Nut-Old-Fashioned since it was recommended by most of the yelpers.. she loved bourbon that's why she liked it.. the drink was too "manly" for me.. I still prefer my girly drinks.. Since my favorite cocktail is ramous gin fizz.. I went ahead and ordered "good humor fizz".. I still love the sourness of the passion fruit and the sweetness of vanilla mix well.. gave me a different sweet and sour taste.. the raw egg whites and cream soda made it refreshing to drink..
I guess this place will deserve better reviews if we did not waited a while for our food.. and the food quality is better..
Indeed it feels like Nolita/West Vill once you step inside. A nice escape from the otherwise quaint/ Upper East Side
Howerver, service was REAL SLOW
AND the cocktails (supposedly the placeholders) weren't that impressive
Mine was a fruity mix with too little layer
my firend's was an  ordinary Basil Julep
THe price mark is the same as those Nolita places too. So for a night with a blast, please, go SXSW
Another find due to the fabulous Groupon. 10 plates of food with 4 cocktails - a $176 for $65 - yes please! What a great buy too!
This place is so much fun. It's were you go to have a drink before going out somewhere big, and that's exactly what we did.
We ordered:
Calmari, edamame, PULLED PORK SLIDERS (delicious), Â lamb meatballs (a little dry) , hummus (I'm over it), POPCORN (I love popcorn, this was spiced with a nice sauce and cilantro), the peppers were okay, GUACAMOLE (great), TATOR TOTS (fun and tasty).
Now the cocktails:
Pineapple Express - crazy strong
JBird Swizzle - Good looking, eh' taste
Camp Out - YUMMY YUMMY YUMMY
Tequila de Cedro - Tasty!!!
People were so friendly and helpful in directing us as to where to go afterwards as well. Nice vibe here, good time!
TLDR: Fantastic "fancy" cocktails ($12-14 each), great menu of small plates (bone marrow, fresh guac), romantic vibe. Total date scene.
I popped in here with a girlfriend on a whim last night with plans to have A drink. We left three hours and 10 cocktails later...lit.
To start, my friend had the Peppino, which was spicy and herbaceous. I had a Brush of the Bush - a mix of tequila, mezcal, and notes of sage and vanilla in a lowball complete with a single large ice cube. I was in a bourbon mood after that but wasn't feeling anything on the menu, so I asked the bartender for something with a little citrus but not too sweet. She presented me with something similar to a whiskey sour but with notes of apricot. I had four and spent the next day on the couch.
Whatever you do, do not go here to eat!
Before I went to Jbird, I took a look at their website at their food offerings. Â What I read and what was offered were completely different. Â The joke was on me. Â When asked about the menu I viewed online (link below) they said it was because of seasonal offerings. Â Apparently roasted bone marrow is not for February, but guacamole is.
<a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fjbirdny.com%2Fjbird-east-menu.php&s=2e0ad9fde6c5f51469b723870d30ba300dc47bba738f1b7ecdb0aaa4a6fa79c0" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://jbirdny.com/jbird…</a>
 I called to make a reservation, just to learn that "their kitchen was closed because their chef had to deal with an emergency."  Clearly their kitchen is far from any semblance to a working kitchen, if their one employee could not show up for their shift.  I still decided to try it the day after and was beyond disappointed, I was embarrassed.
If you ever go here, try a cocktail, but save your money and your appetite for a real restaurant.
I came here the other day with my friend. I think the drinks are definitely the best part of this place. I had an the KSBW bourbon, lemongrass acacia honey, aromatic bitters which was really strong but a bit too sweet, then the pepino which I don't see on the menu online, but is was gin, cukes, celery bitters and chipotle pepper. This was a great drink to say the least.
The food and the space reallt just lacks. Maybe It would be better just to sit at the bar but we sat in a booth and it was just OK.
I visited Jbird a few months back with some of my coworkers.
The service: We all felt pretty ignored by our server. Maybe she was having an off night. She was really slow to take our order and bring drinks. I could have lived with all of that if they didn't take our drinks away everytime someone turned their head or went to the bathroom. I get that we were a big group and we were kicking back a few drinks but when you are paying $12+ a drink you know if you finished it.
The drinks: Â what bar doesn't carry cranberry juice? Most of us had never been to Jbird before. One of my coworkers asked for a cosmo. The waitress looked at her like she had three heads. I get that you are known for your signature cocktails but you should be able to handle a cosmo. Not everyone wants all that going on in their drink. I honestly found their drinks to be overpriced and kind of gross. I'm all for variety but it should still taste good. Some of the combinations simply didn't work.
The food: Pretty terribe. Bland and came out lukewarm.
The bathrooms: are downstairs and hotter than the sun.
The only thing that saves Jbird from a 1 star rating is the ambiance. It really is a beautiful space and great for a larger group. For that kind of money you expect a whole lot more.
I had high expectations for JBird. I made reservations for a Friday evening using a groupon that was going to expire in a few days. The groupon was good for two cocktails and 5 small dishes.
I like the overall look of JBird. It's relatively large (in the restaurant area - the bar section is TINY). We were seated fairly quickly at a high-top table. The noise level is VERY loud in here so I would not advise that you come here for a first or second date.
I ordered the Lavender Lining to begin which I actually really liked. It was a nice twist on a tequila cocktail. My SO ordered the Honey-nut Old Fashioned which was way too sweet. Our next round (not included in groupon) consisted of the Palmolito - another tequila based cocktail. This one was WAY too smoky and difficult to drink more than a few sips. SO had some whiskey concoction that he wasn't a huge fan of.
At this point, the overall evening was 3 stars. The small dishes were unmemorable and I don't even remember what we ordered. What knocked this experience down to one star was the awful manager on duty. He kept coming over and lifting our glasses up to pick up crumbs? After doing this a few times, he came over and picked up my still 1/3 full drink and began to walk away. I started to protest that I wasn't finished with it and he said "oh, I'm sorry, do you want to shoot back the ice cubes?". Â I couldn't believe he said that after taking away my still-full $14 cocktail. Â He clearly wanted to turn over our table and get more people seated. Unfortunately I do not think I will be returning.
Todd and I came in on a weeknight for drinks and tapas on his Groupon dollar. Â The fryer was down, so we had very little to choose from. Â We had the pita and dips, the guacamole with toast instead of the chips they couldn't make, the popcorn, the mixed nuts, and the octopus. Â
The food left much to be desired. Â The dips were bland, and the popcorn was the best dish. Â Since when is popcorn food? And for it to be the best dish we got, you can imagine...the food is really mediocre.
The cocktails on the other hand are inventive, strong, and really excellent. Â This place will not last with its current menu and approach to frying, but if they make themselves a smaller cocktail bar-wow, they can kill it.
They didn't us our Groupon which was nice of them, not charging us for food we used on a Groupon they didn't use. Â
Would come back for drinks.
Sometimes, a dive bar just won't do on a girls night out.
Jbird serves excellent cocktails in a classy environment. I tried the Jbird Swizzle (Jasmine Flower rum, say what!) and the Everyman After All - both were great! I had a sip of my friend's Palomito, which I was initially interested in but turned off by the use of tamarind soda, but it was damn good! I doubt you'll have a bad cocktail here.
It was much bigger than I anticipated, with plenty of high top tables and booths. It does get busy so try to reserve a table to be on the safe side. The waitress we had was friendly but because we were placed in a nook by the window, it was hard to get her attention when it was time for round two.
If you want speakeasy-type of cocktails, Jbird is the place to hit on the UES. While it doesn't have the same environment as one, the drinks are as good. Worth a visit when you're in the hood!
Cool Spot, it's small , very small bar, but with amazing cocktails. The bartender really knew how to mix a drink. Even if he wasn't the nicest guy ever. He didn't have much to say, and made his friend at the bar her drink before ours , though we had ordered first. I wasn't a fan of that. Anywho- try the drink with gin, apple brandy, apple brandy foam. It was amazing. The old fashioned was made the correct way, which is nice.
They have an interesting list of drinks, the lavender foam sounding good.
We didn't try any food because my friend had heard it wasn't that great.
I'd say this is a good spot for a date, or for a small intimate get together with friends.
JBird has a lot going for it, except for the staff.
I've gone to this spot a few times because it has a lot of good qualities. It's has a good blend of classic and new cocktails. It has a food menu that is more than adequate and the music is a pleasant change from the rest of the stuff that is being played on the UES on a regular basis (meaning that most of the music is 80's and 90's R&B. I'm not sure why they always seem to play that music, but I'm not complaining. The best part of JBird is probably the managers and bartenders. Every time I've been there they have been outgoing, informative and helpful.
The waiters are the biggest draw back to the venue. They are constantly slow, unresponsive and annoying in the way upscale NY waiters have perfected. Two out of the three times I've been here the managers have had to compensate for the wait staff's lack of effort by serving me themselves.
My suggestion is to definitely go to JBird, but sit by the bar or get the attention of the manager as soon as you walk in. Your experience will benefit from your early effort.
Have fun.
G
There aren't a lot of great cocktail options on the Upper East Side so I was surprised to find out that JBird was nestled in the neighborhood.
I received a text from my friend to meet up at JBird at 7:30pm Thursday night since we've been talking for months in indulging in some sweet, sweet cocktails.
It's considered a speakeasy but when it first popped up, there was a lot of construction in the area so a huge sign was hoisted up on the scaffolding to advertise that JBird had arrived which made me giggle. Â Now why would a speakeasy want to do that since the whole point of the adventure was trying to find the secret door?
Anyway, when my friend and I arrived it was already packed as we went through the narrow area towards the host who told us there would be 15 minute wait since we didn't have reservations.
Several groups passed us by and were seated immediately and I wondered how many had reservations on a Thursday night a few days after the Hurricane Sandy?
We were finally seated in this roomy booth however, there was a plant nearby where the leaves kept hitting the top of my head much to my annoyance. Â I tried pushing the potted plant away but it couldn't go very far.
But that wasn't going to damper my mood too much since the drinks were going to make up for the nuisance.
My friend and I took awhile to look over the menu and after discussing what are options were, I went for The Fall of Man and she went for the Prescription Julep.
The Fall of Man is one robust drink consisting of Rye whiskey, Islay Scotch, Garam Masala and chocolate mole bitters. Â Usually, I don't get much helpings when it comes to whiskey or scotch served in an old -fashioned glass but when the waitress showed up with my drink, my eyes lit up since it was nearly filled to the rim with a large ice cube! Â Now, this is why I am a fan!
I stared at it lovingly while my friend studied the metal straw from her Prescription Julep. Â We both took a sip from each drink and I commented that her drink had a tarty taste to it probably stemming from the lime juice ingredient. Â She commented on my drink and said it had a smoky taste to it.
While nursing our cocktails, we ordered garlic fries served with a side of ketchup and was thoroughly surprised how large and tasty it was since we were just expecting well made cocktails.
The second round of drinks consisted of me choosing The Maddow while my friend chose The Honey Nut Old Fashioned. Â The Maddow consisted of old tom gin, dry vermouth, elderflower liquer, antica vermouth, and whiskey barrel aged bitters. Â
The Honey Nut Old Fashioned consisted of roasted peanut infused bourbon, honey syrup and aromatic bitters. Â The Honey Nut Old Fashioned definitely had a nutty taste to it whereas The Maddow was one hell of a drink! Â It was strong but at the same time I can taste the elderflower which was a surprising touch and evened out the taste.
My friend hesitated on the third round of drinks but reassured her that I was always game for more. Â After watching her go back and forth, she finally decided for one more round and ordered the Satchmo Swizzle while I picked the Imperial March!
The Satchmo Swizzle consisted of London Dry Gin, Agave Nectar, Lime Juice, Cree Yvette, mezcal, ginger beer, aromatic bitters and blackberry garnish. Â My friend allowed me to have a sip of it but was not too fond of it maybe because it seemed a bit more 'girly' for my taste.
My final drink of the night since I was already buzzing was The Imperial March!  And what better way to end a night of drinking whiskey, gin and bourbon with a cocktail mixture of  Champagne, Chinese Black Tea 1st cru cognac, raspberry syrup, and lime juice!  I
It didn't really pack a punch since I didn't really taste the champagne but overall the night was great since the drinks were awesome!
My friend and I are looking to return in the summer when the menu switches out and we can try all the wonderful concoctions!
JBird, you're the best!
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