I love Onieal's. The food is always exciting and they have $1 oysters on Wednesdays. Their food menu is sourced from the top suppliers of meat and seafood in the entire city! They know what they're doing as far as menu is concerned - also good wine list. I love their rose wine. They always have the windows open in the summer and an awesome outdoor seating area. I love the place and just got an office space nearby so I'll be there all of the time!
Review Source:Onieal's may look like an average bar in SoHo, but it actually has pretty good food.
First surprise of the night was when the waitress brought out an "amuse bouche" after we ordered. Never expected to see that at a bar. Then the food came out, and my friends and I found it all pretty good: hamburger with blue cheese was spot on and really hit the spot, while the tuna steak was surprisingly sophisticated for a bar entree.
The cocktails we got were solid as well, and the food itself was reasonably priced.
Onieal's is a great example of two things:
-You can't judge a restaurant by how it looks
-You can trust the collective wisdom of Yelpers and trust that the places with a solid 4 star rating will be pretty good
My friend recently graduated from NYU and decided to have her graduation party here.
I was expecting that she'd reserve a table and we'd be plopped in the middle of the restaurant and treated like just your average guest...I was wrong.
Onieal's really knows how to treat a large group. We had about 3-4 tables reserved for us and were attended to by several waiters/waitresses. The drinks were strong, especially the Long Island Iced Tea. After about 2 and a half of these, I was bombed.
Don't even bother with the "Sexy $4 shot" you get for checking in, it's not worth it.
Way too sweet, not even a hint of alcohol, thought I was going to puke after drinking it.
The food was good. We tried the wings, calamari, and a bunch of other random stuff.
The steak also looked very good.
I'm usually frightened by the idea of throwing a party, but Onieals made it seem effortless and we all had a great time! I would definitely recommend this if you need to make a reservation for a large group. They easily accomodated our dinner party of 20+ people and we were treated like VIP every moment of the party.
Came here for a friends birthday party. Â Pretty nice Irish bar on a medium size. Â Unfortunately the clientele can be a problem as I nearly got into a fight with a drunken moron wall street type because he was too drunk to recall where he left his coat and proceeded to dig through all of our coats, throwing them on the floor, and bumping his retarded ass into people causing them to spill their drinks. Â Thankfully security intervened before things were going to get too ugly, but definitely made me not want to come back to this place. Â Apparently his coat was left on the chair by the bar and he's a regular douche that they always have problems with. Â Thanks but no thanks, there are plenty of other bars without asshats like that.
Review Source:I went last night for a friends birthday and we sat in the bar/lounge area the service wasn't the best! Our waitress spent more time talking to her friends at the bar then making sure we were taken care of! We waited 40 mins for our chocolate cake! Which though they say it's made fresh it was clearly thrown in the microwave and slapped on a plate!
However having said that I would go back if invited by a friend but I would sit at the bar and just get a beer, NO food! Afraid it might take forever!
The problem of finding a NYC restaurant that is no-hassle about a large party...Solved! Â O'Nieal's is the bestest.
4 stars for food, drink, and ambiance. Â 6 stars for Dennis and Liana for being super awesome and accommodating to our dinner party of 22.
Ambiance is pretty great. It's tame early in the evening and as time goes on, it gets more crowded. Â You can sit at the bar and watch whatever sport is playing on the TV, or there is couch seating around the peripheral of the room (or you can stare at the carved wood ceiling which is pretty awesome, too). Plenty of space (read:cozy) to stand and chat. The music's on the loud side but the atmosphere is great. Â I arrived early and wanted something like a Laphroaig but not, so Dennis recommended the McCarthy Orgeon single malt. Â Simple, smooth, and easy to drink.
Our party of 22 (on a Friday night at 7:30) sat in the back and kind of snaked into an L shape. Â They're flexible about table arrangement as long as you don't turn into a fire hazard. Food was A-OK, I didn't hear complaints, and I loved that my burger (which was pretty standard in terms of flavor) that I ordered medium rare actually came out medium rare. Â Nomnom. Portions and drinks are reasonably priced, and- wait-
Did I mention that the service was awesome? THE SERVICE IS AWESOME :) Liana was so patient, and they even split our bill into individual checks for each of us.
A great place to start the night, or to bring a friends for a couple good drinks and a chat. :)
I came here for a drink with Raj and co before a dinner I ended up opting out of. Â They had a whole array of whiskeys bourbons and ryes, and I ended up trying the Ri-which I had never had before. Â It was smooth and woody, and I opted for round 2. Â
Really sexy place, the bar is awesome, the hostess a doll. Â I really found it a classy gem in the middle of Little Italy which is quickly being consumed by Chinatown. Â
Come here, you won't regret it. Â I will definitely be back for drinks and maybe even baby snacks.
A couple of friends and I had dinner at Onieal's before seeing a friend's show nearby in Soho. This is a pretty laid-back joint just off of Lafayette - there's decent standing room, as well as a dining area towards the back (at least relative to the side entrance that's used now). Getting seated wasn't an issue at all, and it didn't really start filling up until we left around 9 PM. Service was definitely better earlier on; it took longer for the waitresses to come around and take our drink orders as the night went on. That aside, the beer selection is very solid ($7-8 for various craft brews). The food itself was pretty standard, though. I went with a burger, which at $14 was okay on its own, but nothing remarkable. The mashed potatoes, while served a sizable portion a substitute side for the fries, were incredibly bland. It literally tasted like I was eating a mashed potato with nothing additional added.
In all, I'd come back if I needed to be in the neighborhood. Onieal's has a nice vibe without being overly loud (if you're in the dining area), and there were other interesting menu items I'd like to try. You'll definitely be okay on the drinks side if that is what drives your interest to show up here.
Somewhat elegant for this neighborhood, with white tablecloths in the quiet back and a maitress d' to guide you to them. At the bar is a loud, but friendly crowd of NYC standing drinkers. Our sit-down group was the only thing left in the back at 1AM on a Thursday. (It was Valentine's day, so maybe other folks had other things to do. )
The most impressive thing about the place was the ceiling: Beautiful carved wood that should strain the neck of any but the most distracted patron. The food was elegantly served in large, modern asymmetrical dishes. Our waitress was efficient, but not chatty. Otherwise, there's not a whole lot to say about this one. --Drink Club NYC is a roving group of NYC drinkers.. a different bar every week.
When plans fell apart and I had to find a local restaurant to seat 6 people without some ridiculous x dollars per head and on a prix fixe menu.. and then I found Onieal's. I spoke with one of the managers over the phone that our group was scouting for a place for a company holiday party and we would be there for dinner and drinks as a trial run.
Props to the chefs and sou chefs for crafting such beautifully plated food that looked stunning and sophisticated. Â We ordered some food off the regular menu and some dinner off the 'special's' menu. Â I was blown away by the artistic culinary skills by the chefs when the butter to the bread came as a flower mold. I had the sesame seed crusted tuna and hash.... and it was phenomenal . The tuna was fresh, equally sliced, and big. Â The dishes themselves were great portion sizes and I certainly did not feel skimped out nor paying more than what it was worth. Â
The ambiance was just nothing but spectacular. You can come here for a romantic dinner or parties here with a full bar and couch seating. Â The warm lighting and decorated windows make Onieal's so sophisticated, extravagant, and upscale looking (and feeling) that it probably is out of Chinatown or Little Italy's league.
One flaw is customer service.  I made reservations for 10 and only 5 showed up at that time. Things happen that people cancel last minute.  That's normal. But when we went in and I informed and tried to explain to the waitress that we only have 5, she was pretty pissed off and had a bit of a snarky attitude about it. She said we should have called to let them know that the party size has changed (I assume it's so that they could free up a table and make another table open for reservation), and when we were seated she had the look on her face that she was ready to give us a smart comment and then leave. Well  I'm sorry.. things happen and people cancel!.  However, when one additional person came later.. now a total of 6 people, the waitress was a bit happier, and I assume it's for the same reason. One additional person means more business. The other waiters and waitresses seem rushed when a bit rude too when I was trying to make my way to the bathroom. I saw one of the busboys coming out so I waited on the side to let him pass first. However, during my 5 second idle time on waiting, one waitress said I can't stand there. I explained to her that I'm going to the bathroom but I was letting that guy pass first. She just said okay without an apology for.. say.. unintentionally yelling at a customer for misunderstanding. Other than that, the bar manager that I met with was a very nice guy and was eager to meet us to briefly discuss the logistics before he took off back to the bar.
Nice neighborhood bar in a great location of the city.
I came here early for brunch and the place had hardly any people inside. I was seated right away and ordered eggs sardeaux. Very tasty. Prompt service and the waitress was personable.
There was music playing at a comfortable level - loud enough so that you could hear it but soft enough so that you could have a conversation with the person next to you without yelling.
I would come back again.
We had the full works: drinks, appetizers, dinner & dessert. The atmosphere was great & the service was great.  The food & drinks were also absolutely great except the desserts. The Creme Brûlée was standard not great but not bad. The Canola has a sour taste & did not seam that fresh. We ended up getting dessert again from some of the great bakeries down the road. I would definitely go back again just no dessert.
Review Source:Great music. Great drinks. Great atmosphere! ALL the bartenders were helpful and very nice. That is rare! The lines are always long around the bar on a Saturday night; so this lady on the right side of bar asked me if I knew what I wanted and she can take care of me on her little computer. No wait at all! Would love to go back for a couple more drinks!
Review Source:I organized a happy hour last night at O'Nieals for my birthday and was so impressed. Â I'd been there a few times on a weekend for late drinks and it's always fun, but it was great to see how friendly the staff was with my group. Â I wanted a place that was fun and comfortable for ~30 people and more importantly, didn't have some obnoxious bottle requirement or any level of rudeness. Â This place was awesome. Â They were super accommodating, so friendly, and really fun. Â On top of that, we ordered food later in the evening and it was pretty good too. Â I would absolutely go back and I'd definitely consider having a party there again.
Review Source:Came here to have a drinks with a coworker who was leaving the office. For those that dont know, this is one of the stops on the Sex and The City bus Tour. The bus unloads and then tons of women pile in here to have a cosmo or manhattan.
When the group left, we scored a few tables to continue our drinking. But were asked to leave becuase they were honoring a reservation shortly. We found random places to sit on the other side of hte bar.
They have good beer on tap.
The bar is definitely a place to be if you want to meet a girl (plan your time according to the SATC bus tour scheduled) and bring friends as I am sure these girls come in groups.
Check in on Yelp for a $4 sexy shot which is as sweet and gag-inducing as it sounds.
Its a great bar with a great decor.
I just really wish that damn tour would stop there during the non-happy hours.
Great neighborhood bar! Great Bartenders, Great selection of (always rotating) beers on tap, Good food, Good decor, and good music. I just wish I lived closer!
I've been to Onieal's a bunch of times, even celebrated a friends B-day here with a reservation of 14! They were kind and accommodating even when we had a few unexpected guests join us for dinner.
Even though the plan was just dinner here, the music was good so our party just moved over to the bar side and hungout over there.
Bartenders are great here! They know their drinks! Dennis got me into the different varieties of Tequlia, pretty much had a Tequlia tasting there! Haha
Good place with good people! Can't ask for more than that!
We were walking to Little Italy and passed by this place. Â It looked so cozy and inviting and the menu looked good. Â After our trip to Little Italy, we debated if we should eat at one of the Italian restaurants but decided on Onieal's. Â
It's a charming place and there's great history to the decor and its location. Â Check out the windows, the ceiling - just all around. Â
Service started nicely but it went downhill when we were ordering and thereafter. Â Our waitress didn't know the menu well, not well versed on the drink menu and became a ninja once the order is placed. Â
What we had:
glass of Prosecco - $10
pint of Brooklyn - $6
Salad of the day - grilled shrimp over spinach, halved cherry tomatoes and grilled pineapple wedges - $12 - the shrimp was a bit burnt
half dozen of oysters - $14 - ok
margarita pizza - $12 - bad
pan seared scallops over risotto -$22 - scallops over cooked and risotto was extremely rich
Given the lack of service and less than stellar meal, we decided to skip dessert. Â
A shame - such a nice place.
I planned the first 2 hours of my sister's bachelorette party here--cocktails from their huge, great list and heavy appetizer food from the menu. It's was a really mixed group of people from all over the place, and I wanted a place that would be pretty and fun, with great cocktails, without being pretentious--and I wanted us to be able to walk to Canal Room after. O'Nieal's was perfect. People LOVED the cocktails, and by the time everyone had two we were off to a very good start for the night. It was very reasonably priced too, for a big group I had to ask for money for this whole business--about $45-55 per person (w/tax and tip) for what we ordered one shot, 2 cocktails off the menu, and a big selection off of their appetizer menu the whole time we were there.
The manager was so nice/patient/cool during planning it, and he was very flexible with what our party wanted. Â I think our waitress was maybe the best, nicest, coolest waitress I've ever had. There were 23 of us, and the front area was perfect for us--people could sit at the little tables but also get up easily and mingle if they wanted to. Everyone really liked the music at O'Nieal's, too--just a fun unexpected mix.
Thank you thank you thank you O'Nieal's for making the daunting task of finding the perfect place to start my sister's party easy, fun, and memorable!
Have you ever wanted to really love a place just walking by it? Â Onieal's is that place for me. Â I've been passing it for a while now on my trips in and out of Soho and it's always looked like a classy place that promised good food and drink. Â I will say th is, it delivered on the classy looking department. Â Inside is a gorgeous interior with wood furniture, floors, walls and one of the most ornate ceilings I've seen in a while. Â The front area has tons of seating with chairs and cushioned seating lining the walls. Â Deeper in is a full bar with a lounge area across from it. Â When the sunlight pours into the restaurant it's a beautiful sight.
We had a reservation but arrived early. Â While my girlfriend visited the rest room I took a look around the place and heard one the waiters whispering oh so not casually to the hostess "Who are these people?" like we didn't have a right to be there. Â He looked me right in the eye and if he wanted to know who I was he could have y'know, said "Sir may I help you?" and I would have told him the nice hostess was helping me already.
Once we sat down and ordered, our food came fairly quickly. Â There were several odd omissions however. Â I ordered coffee, but received no sugar to go with it. Â My girlfriend's dish came with French Fries - but no ketchup (or any other condiment). Â I wanted to ask for Tabasco sauce (and the other missing items) but when I looked around the hostess had vanished, the bartender was busy doing something behind the bar and the one waiter in the place was eating at the bar. Â This is where this place loses one star right off the bat.
So what about the food? Â Well, it was good but nothing to write home about. Â Here's the breakdown:
PITA AND HUMMUS
Packed with hummus, warm pita bread and olives this dish was nice but nowhere near as good as the hummus you'd find at say, Hummus Place. Â Still, I was appreciative of the bread being warm and fluffy.
WEST COAST BURGER (Grilled ground chuck patty, avocado, lettuce, tomato, red onion, jalapeno relish and fresh mozzarella with spicy fries)
The burger patty was huge and very tasty. Â I loved the jalapeno relish. Â It's sweet and spicy at the same time. Â I'm not sure why the fries are called "spicy", they tasted perfectly normal without any other seasoning than salt. Â Again I reiterate, there was (mysteriously) no ketchup served with this dish - something the most basic diners know to do right away. Â What bothered me most however was the condition of the bun. Â It was absolutely SOAKED in the juices from the burger. Â Bits of it wound up looking like a sopping sponge, it was pretty gross. Â I just took that piece off and ate the meat instead.
EGGS SARDEAUX (Poached eggs over spinach and artichoke hearts with Hollandaise sauce and Home Fries)
The poached eggs were done perfectly on this dish, and I will say that this dish alone accounts for one star of this review. Â The spinach was cooked very well and full of flavor. Â The artichokes were tender as well. Â Sadly there was still something wrong even with this dish, though I confess it was minor. Â They serve toast with this dish - but they didn't provide me with butter. Â Once I asked for it I got it (in a beautiful flower shape no less), but really - if you serve toast I think butter should be kind of a given no?
At some point I hope to return to Onieal's to give it another shot, perhaps for dinner with many fellow Yelpers here seem to have enjoyed. Â I'm just sad my first experience wasn't a fantastic one.
I know first thing you think of is Sex is the City tour.. Cosmos by the pitcher tour and a bunch of older women dragging their husbands to the bar. Â This is true but if you get past that the food is actually good.
Dig the steak sandwich on the crispy baguette yum... the Tuna sandwich is awesome awesome. Â Add a wonder beer from the bar and bam YUMTASTIC lunch!
Hint: Go before the tour gets there at 1:45.
I recently visited this gem of a place in Little Italy, Soho NYC. We were out-and-about and looking for a great place to hang out ... friend of mine saw my 'Check-ins' via Facebook and sent me a text telling me to go to his brother's bar--Onieal's. So, we flagged a cab and headed to Grand Street.
When we arrived, it was about 9:30 on a Saturday night and the line was all the way out the door and down the sidewalk. Not ready to give up, I approached the doorman and asked for my friend's brother ... before I knew it we were whisked to a side entrance and immediately seated at the end of the bar! It was awesome. Bartender and serving staff were fantastic--warm, welcoming, and very upbeat. We ordered the Bruschetta hors d' oeuvre, so fresh and satisfying.
Martini's were incredible, and its no wonder as this is the locale for the setting of the bar in the Sex in the City television series.
Fantastic atmosphere, classy yet, not stuffy. Love Onieal's and look forward to visiting again soon!
Best bar in little Italy.
Only bar open during a hurricane!! There's a party happening here.
My favorite neighborhood bar. Great service, people, drinks and food. Low key and unpretentious. Weekend nights get cluby.
Excellent service!
Great, friendly service. Yummy food. Great ambiance. Good cocktails. And I live across the street. What could be better.
Great ambiance. Nice bartender.
I decided to plan a birthday party for a friend of mine and made my way to Onieal's to check out to space. From the moment I arrived, everyone was so sweet, accommodating and helpful in answering my questions for the party.
The night of the birthday party was an absolute pleasure. Caroline was our waitress for the night and took such excellent care of our group. In fact, she kept us from going thirsty so needless to say the drinks were FLOWING. She even took care of bringing out the birthday cake with candles and had it cut up for us in the kitchen.
A handful of people had food throughout the night and it was all quite good. I was particularly fond of the Short Rib Sandwich. Delish!
I have been living in NYC since 1999 and I regularly check out new bars and restaurants. Onieal's is a new favorite!
Thank you for showing us all such a great time and providing us with such warm, friendly and excellent service.
Until next time...
This Soho/Little Italy bar/lounge/restaurant is really laid back. Â I went with some friends a couple of weeks ago to sample some mixed cocktails with Tumeric Elixir. Â What a great experience! Â The "mixologist" was hip and cool. Â Entertaining and all smiles, she served up some really neat concoctions, whether a shot, martini or tall glass.
The ambiance is nice - we sat in the bar corner. Â There are some cozy couches and also tables if you want to sit and have a meal. Â They have a pretty good menu with light fare to more substantial. Â Granted we didn't eat, but I could see some very happy clients and we did see the servers bring some scrumptious dishes...
We'll have to go back to have a meal or even just to grace ourselves on the couches with a light nosh, a drink in hand and a camera in the other to capture the moment.
The space is beautiful. Today, the weather was gorgeous so the windows were thrown open and the ceiling was perfectly lit up by the natural light. The seating is very comfortable and the staff is efficient and friendly.
I ordered the crispy artichoke leaves ($15) as an appetizer...it was okay. I wasn't blown away. I had the bubbles and berries cocktail ($12) which was good, but not very strong at all. Chris had the blue chimay ($9) and loved it, I had a sip....pretty awesome.
I had the pulled rib sandwich ($15) and he had the burger ($13)....pretty good on both sides. I felt like I was eating porky sloppy joes :) which isn't bad, but it isn't exactly amazing. Overall, good experience, but would def like to come back and try other things, probably on the dinner menu. We left just as a mob of women with cosmos (the infamous SATC tour group) took up every empty seat in the house and drowned out the lovely vocal stylings of Mr. Sinatra. Eek.
Waited a bit outside, since it was at full capacity around 1am-but got in after about ten minutes or so. Â The bouncer was very fair and just doing his job.
It's really just a medium-sized room with no decor or anything special-but the music was all pop & mainstream...classic songs to karaoke to. Â Not in the most happenin' area, but is an average spot.
My first Yelp review! Â
So after struggling as to where to go for my Friday Night Birthday Party I decided on Onieal's from a suggestion of a friend who knew the bar in Hoboken from the same owner. Â I came here Thursday the night before to scope it out. Â I LOVED the atmosphere though it was definitely a slow night and not many people there. Â The bartender and manager were beyond accomadating, asked what kind of music we liked, if they wanted us to reserve a table area (no charge), agreed to special drink prices for members of the party. Â They did say August was one of their slower months and Fri nights varied on busy-ness. Â I was ok with not a huge crowd as I was bringing a good amount of people and didnt want any pretentious bouncer or overcrowded B&T type scene so I was happy just to like the music/ambeince/service.
We arrived Fri around 10:30pm, still rather empty (maybe 15 people total?), but the manager walked us in and bought the 4 of us our first round of drinks and walked us to our 'reserved' table. Â He continued to come check on me and refill my drink no charge, along with brought me a cupcake with a candle, gave drink specials to all my friends. Â Just all around great staff, & good music was played..top 40s kind of stuff, a lot of us danced. Â We managed to fill the bar up pretty well too :)
Really a gorgeous bar with the friendliest service I've ever had in NYC and have been living here for over 4 years now. Â I cant wait to return...Ill be back soon!
Thanks Onieal's for a perfect Birthday Party :)
Friday night birthday party, they must have been accommodating because a cake and several trays of mini cupcakes were factored into the equation. Â
Got there around 11, place was on the full side by 12:30.
Place seems to be marooned in a weird area? Â Not Chinatown, not quite Little Italy? Â Everybody on the street seemed to either be coming or going from Onieal's.
Very romantic and cute outdoor seating area, and there were a couple tables inside.
Banquettes on the perimeter to sit down.
Crowd was great, good beer list. Â
Not sure when I would ever find myself in the area again, but I would go back.
Birthday celebrations have emerged as the primary reason for leaving my apartment and Museum Country on weekends to spend money on beer, otherwise I would just go to Ryan's. Â As fate would have it, my roommate's coworker was celebrating her birthday at Onieal's on Saturday night, so I left the friendly confines of my apartment.
We arrived by 11:00PM, when the bar was far from full. Â We settled in the back of the bar, by the kitchen and enjoyed a few drafts. Â She and I both drank Sam Adams October Fest ($6 each). Â The bartender, a man with dreadlocks, doubled as the dj as he manipulated his iTunes on his Mac. Â He was very nice and extremely responsive. Â After Notre Dame squeaked out another victory, I returned to reality with her. Â She said, "I really like the ornate detail of the wood on the ceiling. "Yeah," I said, "it's similar to older bars and restaurants with copper and tin ceilings." Â She appeared shocked that someone would pay so much attention to the ceiling, and politely ignored my comments. Â She continued to stare at the ceiling and commented, "I like this place. It's clean, the lighting is good, and the music isn't too loud. " Â I couldn't agree more. Â What else could you want from a bar?
By 1:00 AM the bar had all but emptied out, and things  became more comfortable.  The only downside to the evening was the rain, which cannot be pinned on Onieals.  I would not object to returning.
Like any other bar, don't see what the fuss is about. The play list is an assortment of old 90's tunes, and you know the 90's sucked. Bar maids were not visually stimulating nor was the crowd engaging. Most of the patrons were of the fringe variety mixed with butches and queens - making it, i guess interesting ???!!!!
Upside- close to Chinatown so you can get a late night bite.
Downside - can't pull the chute as not too many alternatives if you decide otherwise unless you want to get real fringe Apotheke maybe Gold
Growing up in the vicinity, I've always known about Onieal's history. But then again, is history enough to keep me coming back?
This particular night I met up with a dear friend for a couple of drinks here before heading across Canal for some Vietnamese. I thought I walked into the Twilight Zone (or rather a Sex in the City episode). Aside from the make shift table selling jewelry "inspired by the show" there were about 50 pink cocktails lined up on the bar. After settling in with my dear friend, we notice a troupe of tourist get herded in. They took photos of everything, drank the martinis, bought some jewelry, and got herded right out... just in time for the next group. How weird.
Would I be back for drinks at this tourist bus pit stop? I suppose if I can get a sneak peek at the basement torture chamber the next time I'm there.
Onieal's has a storied history. In its time it was a regular haunt of Teddy Roosevelt, Al Capone and John Dillenger. When Police headquarters was next door it became a regular spot for the press corps. There is even a secret cellar that probably has its origins in prohibition. Oh, and it also used to be a bordello. All that history lends Onieal's a calm, sophisticated vibe that those in search of big laughs, outrageous behavior and the general tackiness of the today's east village and meatpacking district will find disappointing.
I came to Onieal's on a Tuesday night to meet a very close friend in town from New Zealand and was as impressed with a restaurant as I've been in quite some time.
On entering the bar is cozy without being dark and the upholstered benches running along the east wall make for a fun communal setting without overcrowding. There is plenty of room for say a party of four or five to walk in and order drinks. A short distance away is a standard bar which runs the length of the cocktail area. The dinning area is separated and faces Grand street but thick curtains keep out the street din and the intimate dinning tables, lit by a crew of candles each, make it feel as if you and your group are sharing the space with no one else.
I had the steak au poivre and nearly moved into the place permanently. When I asked Liana, our exceedingly sweet waitress, for a steak medium but close to rare I expected to receive the usual: a charred hunk of meat, bleeding in the middle. But what I got back I could not have done better myself. The meat was tender, fresh with a faint tartness encouraged by rosemary. Jackpot. The potato puree was light and in a consistency that was like eating butter. Ditto for the sauteed spinach.
The waitstaff at Onieal's is eager to help, knowledgeable and quick to smile. I can see why. They're enjoying themselves as much as we are.
Onieal's is not a romantic place however. It is best suited to small groups, reunions, anniversaries. Its a place for grown up friends to sit and share a cocktail, a steak and be a part of some small corner of the city that still knows how to light a dame's cigarette.
Happy hour specials begin at 10pm on the weeknights.
I went here on a Monday night and I liked that it was empty. We struck up a convo with the nice lady bartender and she recommended a beer. Unfortunately, that night the beer on tap wasn't working. Kinda ludicrous for a bar! We thought maybe since they didn't have beer on tap and she found out that we are poor grad students she might cut us a break and give us a discount. Sadly, that didn't happen. But she was like....next time!
(Haven't been back since)
She made the margarita really strong and not tasty at all. She asked us how it was and we just lied through our teeth.
Only reason I would go back to this bar is that is literally less than a block away.
Met with a friend at O'Nieal's bar this past Saturday. It was almost 5 PM, and this Little Italy spot was curiously quiet. I was able to take in their refined-yet-classicly hip interior, white drapes, and uniquely NYC flavor - the perfect place to catch a glass of wine. Bonus: they're right in Little Italy, and near Chinatown, if you're in the mood for either.
Freshening up in the downstairs restroom, I was surprised to see a bunch of estrogen pop out of nowhere; women of every age were EVERYWHERE, managing to fill all the bar stools, couches, and tables in sight! Turns out that O'nieal's is a stop on the SATC ("Sex and the City") tour, where fans are taken to the famous TV show locales. O'nieal's staff had prepared special cocktails just for them.
Outgoing bartender Dennis served us primarily, and managed to give us a good bit of attention, even considering the crowd. I asked for a random shot, and he came back with a few chocolate cake shots, slightly different than what I was used to, with a nutty finish AND still tasty! Highly recommended for a visit.
Go the first time because it was featured in "Sex and the City." Â Come back because of its great location (literally a block away from Soho, Little Italy, and Chinatown), comfortable vibe, and fantastic food.
The space is divided into that familiar bar area (Steve's bar Scout, in SatC) and a small-ish dining space. Â It was nice and uncrowded, but still busy on a Thursday night at 8pm. Â Our service was great and very attentive. Â The decor--mahogany wood, creme plush couches, makes for a perfect lounge setting. Â The music was slightly bizarre (somehow a block of country music transformed to John Mayer by the end of the night...hmm...), but it wasn't obtrusive.
The food is delish--you *must* order the scallops and the mushroom confit. Â A nice wine list and a very skilled barkeep really complete this pleasant surprise.
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