Peachy Picks The Peter McManus Cafe Our Coverage Sponsored by Cosmopolitan Dental, Official Dentist of Whom You Know
Jamo McManus, generation #3, with the award he gave his father on the 50th anniversary and the award he received from his children on the 100th anniversary
The Best Dentist in Manhattan
&
Official Dentist of Whom You Know:
30 E. 40th Suite 1001
212 683 1960
Dr. Garo Nazarian is a Mover and Shaker:
Garo is proud to be half Irish! And, he is another BC graduate...if your teeth get dirty at The Peter McManus Cafe you know where to go to get them cleaned! And you will want to return to The Peter McManus Cafe for more!
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Peachy Deegan and James Justin McManus
The Metropolitan Museum of Art is not the only place in town with original Tiffany glass! Ask Jamo to tell you the story about how the bullethole got in it...
Of all of the restaurant reviews we've done, we've never come in contact with this level of genuine pride in such an institution, trademark Irish hospitality, and authentically delicious Irish American food! But then again, we've never been to the Peter McManus Cafe before. We can't believe we found it in Chelsea either.
The Peter McManus Cafe was first featured in Tasty Tidbits:
& it has graduated with flying colors to Peachy's Picks. And you know that color is green! It is Peachy's favorite. The Peter McManus Cafe is the oldest family-run restaurant in New York and we cannot decide what we like more-the people, the cuisine, or the history so we refuse to pick because the winning combination of all three is what makes this winner of a place the best reason why you should point your feet towards 152 Seventh Avenue right this very minute. You know Peachy goes on and on about how excited she is to be Irish and on an on about how much she loves history so this was the perfect review for her. And it is lost on no one that she enjoys culinary pursuits-the eating kind. We don't know what took her so long to get there but you know she does not spend a lot of time in Chelsea, well not before she knew of this place anyway! It's been on Saturday Night Live impersonated in skits and here is the tribute the New York Times paid to the passing of the second generation:
It is in Wiki
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_McManus_Cafe
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_McManus_Cafe
It is in Peachy's Picks.
You need to know it.
It is among the most fun, happiest reviews we have ever, EVER done.
You will be dreaming of the cheeseburger for days after and if you don't live in Chelsea, well then you'll be stuck. You'll just have to go.
When you arrive you can't help but notice how wonderfully historic this place is. Check out the prices of drinks in yesteryear above! The Peter McManus Cafe should be a museum as well and quite possibly a Landmark.
And you absolutely have to see the original Peter McManus cafe, above. There was really a Peter McManus and he was Jamo's grandfather. There he is above though admittedly you will see it better in person when you frequent the Irish institution. We hear it is beloved by firemen and policemen and after 9/11 they raised over half a million dollars at The Peter McManus cafe for their charities.
We sat in this corner booth in the back left of the restaurant, as you go in. Their booths are a fantastic shade of green and you will feel as though you are at your Irish cousins.
We began with the signature house beer on the left-that is what Peachy ordered-it was a lovely hoppy, pale ale. There is so much about The Peter McManus Cafe we want to tell you we don't know where to begin, but we think we'll start with the cuisine since after all, it is a restaurant. We might throw in some history though; this is what a liquor license looked like in 1917:
We don't know why there isn't a class on the history of Irish bars in the United States at Boston College but guess who might be great at teaching it:
Jamo also went to BC but when he says it he means Brooklyn College!
Their cuisine is award-winning and here are the awards:
If we had been included in the voting, they would have earned first place.
We angelically began with a salad. A House Salad at the Peter McManus Cafe is not typical of an Irish bar. The vegetables are crisp, fresh and crunchy and the ranch dressing we had on the side is better than some of the ranch dressing we've had at top steakhouses. With the history aside for a minute, the food alone is a well-kept secret and definitely reason to make a trip here.
Erin Boyle was a winning waitress all evening and she is one of the newer employees, since she has been there a mere 10 years. Erin, you are correct the honey mustard sauce with the Chicken Fingers is to die for, as are the Chicken Fingers themselves:
Next on the agenda was The Babe's Bowl of Chili, topped with American cheese and onion:
Peachy doesn't even like chili, but she liked THIS CHILI. Meaty and scrumptious, each bite of it was delightful.
Look at how finely sliced the onions are:
We love that kind of attention to detail.
It would be a shame not to order at least one of these appetizers if you are going in for a cocktail, a pint or two. But we highly recommend pursuing multiple options of appetizers. And then a main.
Anyone interested in hamburger or cheeseburger heaven does not need to look any further than The Peter McManus cafe. A half pound all beef patty with bacon, onion and tomato, it is among the very best burgers we've ever encountered in Manhattan and you know Peachy is keeping a list. Juicy, delicious, and joined by equally amazing steak fries or tater tots, from the first scent of this carnivore's dream you will be in love with it.
It would be a mistake to frequent The Peter McManus cafe and not order corned beef and cabbage. The corned beef, though terrifically lean which is better for you, has all the flavor of a fattier cut and dipped in mustard it will put a smile on your face even bigger than a pint of Guinness would. The genius talent at The Peter McManus cafe of this traditionally Irish American meat does not end with the boiled version, however. It carries onto the reuben: the McManus's Reuben, that is.
Just like everything else at The Peter McManus cafe, there is nothing ordinary about the McManus's Reuben: it is simply extraordinary. Take a look a little closer and try to keep your computer screen clean:
Pastrami and Corned Beef parted by Sauerkraut, Swiss, Rye and Russian Dressing will greet you and silence any conversation as your mouth will be busy! And washed down with a pint of Magner's, it is the perfect conclusion to your culinary adventures with Jamo.
You have to heed all the history around you because it is extraordinary:
The first two generations up close in this article:
Back in the days when newspapers had a printing press with actual stamps of images carved into metal, they appeared here:
Peachy thinks the last time she saw something like that was on a childhood field trip to Sturbridge Village....and you know Jamo is not kidding as you can even see the metal print on the wall. He almost should charge admission as a museum, like we said. We didn't want to get the food on any of the memorabilia though, so once it was put away, more fun started! There are Peachy and Jamo and his award for 100 years of business from his children:
The two above in that picture each firmly believe you cannot beat BC. However, you should know if you are keeping score that the 4th generation of this historic institution is an Ivy League graduate - Cornell School of Hotel Management- we keep telling you this is much more than just a bar. We did not meet Justin, Jamo's son, but did speak to him on the phone. So, we brought along one of our Ivy panelists who will tell you what she thinks, and then Peachy will tell you more about the history, which you do want to know.
Our esteemed panelist says:
Although a genuine historic Irish pub is not what one expects to find in Chelsea, it is the Peter McManus Café that has stood the test of time as the neighborhood around it continues to change. Peachy and I love to explore places of “Old New York” and this pub does not disappoint. The actual bar itself is something to see, with beautiful carved wood and Tiffany glass. The atmosphere is purely relaxed and friendly- not pretentious at all which is the kind of place I like to discover!
“Bruce’s Chicken Fingers” were perfectly prepared. The white meat chicken was juicy, breaded just right, and served with the best mustard dipping sauce that must be tried! While many places offer house salads that are unremarkable, the salad we had lovely, with crisp cucumbers, peppers and lettuce and fresh tomatoes. This can be topped with chicken for a complete meal (for those who are trying to eat on the healthier side). We certainly did not end our meal with salad, however.
The McManus Cheeseburger comes with everything included: crisp bacon, cheese, lettuce, tomato, onion, pickles and of course the burger itself which was really juicy and lightly seasoned. The combo of the burger with all the toppings was so delicious, and also just the right size to bite comfortably.
The burger also comes with amazing steak fries. So many places these days charge you extra for every little topping and side for burgers, but McManus prepares a delicious cheeseburger that already comes with anything one could want. For those who aren’t fans of fries they also serve great Tater Tots.
We tried the award winning corned beef in two ways, first as part of the McManus Reuben. This is classic New York deli here, a delicious combination of both pastrami and corned beef with melted swiss, Russian dressing, and sauerkraut. Mine tasted just as good the next day. We also tried the corned beef on its own, served in classic Irish style with cabbage and potatoes and mustard. The corned beef is so good, thinly sliced, lean and tantalizing. Of course a beer lover will be able to find whatever style of beer suits his or her fancy, but I was quite a fan of the Goose Island Summer Ale which was light and refreshing and went so well with the dinner I was enjoying. The Café also serves an amazing, hearty chili. Topped with cheddar and cubed onions, I could have easily been happy just having chili and beer and think I may return in the winter to do just that.
When you come here please take some time to look around as everything on the walls has a good story to go with it. Talk to James McManus who is really a genuine and friendly proprietor! Although of course the bar has stayed in 4 generations of the same family, I get the sense that even the non-blood related staff are all treated like a family. Our waitress Erin was so helpful, and as she has been working there about 10 years she also knows tons of history about the bar. She also gave us some great reading tips too so ask her what books she has read recently. This family owned bar, going strong after 75 years at this location, is a special part of New York.
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Now more history!
How many places in New York are aged 50 or more? Nevermind over 100...
The inside of the 100th anniversary gift is above, and below.
If you are lucky, Jamo will show you the book of the 75th Anniversary party, complete with step and repeat. We don't know how Peachy and Patrick McMullan missed this but hopefully they can make the next one! On the cover is an ice sculpture of Jamo.
After reading this book we almost felt like we were there. It sounds like it was even better than the luges we might have seen in our days in Chestnut Hill but you'll have to convince Erin to get you to tell you the stories behind the ice sculpture above.
There is Jamo all dressed up for this 75th Anniversary event!
Here he is at an earlier date! When you first go in the bar to the right on the wall you'll see him along with others in the bar in that photograph which was for an advertisement in which he tells us he was the most coveted actor from a monetary standpoint in it.
We have never seen such a fantastic cash register still in use. They added new labels for the prices on the buttons on the left vertical column...
Being around for 101 years is something special but when continuously owned by one family, is even more special as all of the history is retained for one thing.
Another look at the original crew that surely is smiling down at Jamo from heaven:
And there is a painting of generations 2, 4 and 3 in that order:
This is James, second generation:
Sometimes he called himself George the Night Porter...you know we usually see Miss in front of Porter here on this site...he loved the Sauerkraut we hear.
And his obituary is framed:
What one of his sons wrote to the other on the back:
Jamo is proud to be in this book:
They aren't kidding either when they say that Jamo might be the friendliest man in New York City!
They even have their own steins:
Peachy Picks The Peter McManus Cafe!
The Peter McManus Cafe is Highly Recommended by Whom You Know.
152 Seventh Avenue
New York, NY
212 929 9691
Jamo tells us Justin is working on the website...the place looks just like this:
