New York City: The Dead Poet (November 2018)



My spouse and I visited the Dead Poet for drinks on a Wednesday evening in late November 2018. The bar is open daily from 12:00 noon until 4:00 am. 

The Dead Poet opened in September 2000 on Amsterdam Avenue on the Upper West Side amidst other bars and restaurants. The owner was a former English teacher, which led to the concept of the bar. (The bar even has a lending library if you want to borrow one of the classics to take home to read.) The restaurant space is long and extremely narrow (barely 10 feet across). A 20-foot bar occupies the front of the space, with small tables in the rear. Walls are clad halfway in mahogany paneling, with light-colored and/or brick walls above, on which hang black-and-white portraits and framed quotations from famous authors. (We particularly liked the quote that looked backwards when we looked straight at it, but was reflected correctly when we looked in the mirror hanging above the bar.) A tiny sidewalk patio is available in warmer weather.

Although we didn’t expect it, we were pleased to find that the restaurant offers a nice selection of hand-crafted cocktails (with appropriate garnishes and glasses, including copper mugs for Moscow mules). The Dead Poet also serves draft beer (including Guinness) and an extensive whiskey selection. Its menu includes standard pub food options, including tacos, mac-and-cheese, fish-and-chips, quesadillas, nachos, burgers, chicken sandwiches, wings, fries, and more.

We enjoyed our time at the Dead Poet.






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