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.
