My spouse and I visited the Avenue of the Americas (AOA) Bar
and Grill for snacks and drinks on a Saturday afternoon in mid-October 2017. AOA
is open daily for lunch, dinner, drinks, and in-between.
AOA Bar and Grill is located in Tribeca, about one block
from busy Canal Street. The restaurant/bar occupies the corner street-level space
beneath/adjoining the Hilton Garden Inn on an island of land bordered by York Street, St. Johns Lane,
Ericsson Place, and as the restaurant’s name implies, Avenue of the Americas
(Sixth Avenue). As guests of the HGI hotel, we learned that Uber drivers have a
difficult time reaching it because of the many one-way streets surrounding the
property, so keep that in mind if you arrive or depart that way. Alternatively,
the blue line subway station is directly outside the door to the restaurant
(trains A, C, and E).
The
AOA space is large, with a variety of seating options to accommodate approximately
175 people at a time. You can sit at the large bar with a semi-circular chef’s
bar at the end (to enjoy a view of the pizza preparation and oven), at booths,
high-top tables, and regular tables. A private dining room (surrounded by glass
walls/windows on all sides) is also available. Al fresco sidewalk dining is offered
in appropriate weather. The restaurant has 20 TVs so that you don’t miss a
minute of your favorite sports broadcast. Decor includes high ceilings, large
windows, chandelier lighting, black-and-white tile floor, and red leather bar
stools and chairs.
AOA serves American cuisine, including better-than-average
staples like pizza (made in their wood-burning oven), pulled pork sliders (in
their full-size Texas smoker), burgers, and traditional pub appetizers. AOA
offers 25 beers on tap, with more than 100 more by the bottle, as well as wine
and cocktails. We shared an upscale grilled cheese sandwich (four cheeses,
bacon, tomato) served with tater tots and a few rounds of drinks as we sat on
their sidewalk patio and enjoyed the people-watching experience.
Although AOA was not a destination restaurant for us, we
thought the food was good, the atmosphere was fun, and the service was
pleasant.
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