Blind Tiger

dbrauneis

New Jersey

4.65/5  rDev +5.9%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | $$

This is a fairly small location and it gets really busy - pretty much every night except maybe Mondays. This is the second (or maybe third) location they have had in the city but they have likely been the best or nearly the best beer bar in NYC since the early days of craft beer. Always tough to get a spot at the bar or a table but it is one of my favorite places to go out for beers in the city.

The beers are always properly poured in the correct glassware, at the right temperature, and with the proper amount of head. These folks really know the beers, which are always super fresh, and take care while serving one to you.

The bartenders are always professional and knowledgeable and seem happy to serve you even when the place is crazy busy...

Often one of the best selections in the city (possibly not quite as good as the newly opened Torst) and they get a ton of rare and hard to find beers. The drafts are pretty much always great and they have a ton of different special events.

Never had the food other than the cheese (from Murray's) that is complementary so not going to evaluate it.

The prices are reasonable and considering the selection this place could charge just about anything.

06-16-2013 18:53:47 | More by dbrauneis

BKBassist

New York

4.66/5  rDev +6.2%
vibe: 4 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4.75 | food: 4.5 | $$

The OG of NYC craft spots.

Taplist/bottle selection is consistently excellent. Love that they break out cellared kegs with frequency. There is almost always something here that I haven't had before, or haven't seen in the city before.

Food is standard pub fare selection, but done very well. Nothing truly exceptional, but more than adequate.

Service is excellent for how consistently busy this place is. I know the staff here has a lot to do with how vibrant the craft scene in NYC is today and I appreciate that.

Atmosphere can be crazy and crowded at times, but it's generally a post grad, pretty chill crowd. It's fun and funky but never unbearable.

Pricing is within line with NYC craft spots.

Overall a great old school craft bar, great tap list, but don't be afraid to rub shoulders with your neighbor.

05-21-2013 19:12:11 | More by BKBassist

JohnW58

New York

4.3/5  rDev -2.1%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4 | $$

This is a fairly small place, not far from NYU. We arrived there in the early afternoon on a Saturday, and were able to get seats. We were lucky, because the place started to fill up quickly, and with limited table and bar seating, it became standing room only. The beer selection was adequate, but no where near as broad as Rattle N Hum or Beer Authority. The staff was helpful, but very busy keeping up with customers. I'd return again, but not during a busy time.

05-05-2013 21:54:47 | More by JohnW58

John_Schlaffer

New Jersey

4.41/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 3.75 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.75 | selection: 4.25 | $$

This is a small reputable beer bar with old world charm, from the classic chalkboard menu to the antique cash register. It only has a few stools at the bar and not much room to stand on busy nights, but this is NYC, and they care more about the beer then where to stand. I praise them for that, because at the Blind Tiger they care more about whats in your glass. They take pride in they're beer selection for good reason, having twenty-eight beers on draft, a few on cask, and a wonderful bottle selection. This is a beer bar staple and a must visit. Cheers.

04-24-2013 01:27:43 | More by John_Schlaffer

DavidBart

New York

4.14/5  rDev -5.7%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | $$$

From the little research I've done, this is one of THE bars for craft beer in NYC. And NYC being not too shabby for it's selection of craft stuff, this is the spot for any beer aficionado. Friendly service, cool vibe and location. Packed into the night even on a Wednesday.

03-12-2013 21:32:43 | More by DavidBart

trixdout

New Jersey

4.45/5  rDev +1.4%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 5 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$

A friend and I went to the MET for some school and wanted to go to a bar. Being tht barcade was our first choice, but was all the way Brooklyn. So we decided we would hit up Blind Tiger. For one, we had never been therw, and secondly we already visoted Rattle n' Hum.
Great atmosphere! People are super friendly and will move out of your way sp that you can get to the bar and have a brew or get some food. Very courteous and polite attitude here.
Beers are great, even though the selection is not huge. Its sometimes a good thing when the selection isn't too big, less confusion of what to choose from.
Service is pretty damn good for the size of the place. Cant really complain about that. When the place is packed, you'd expect to wait a while, but here you get served quickly.
The place just gives you that great beer/great people vibe and the quality of this place is really up that. I would say its better than Rattle n' Hum in that aspect.

Overall, if you are in th vicinity and don't mind a few beers or great food, drop on by. You won't regret it. You'd be stupid not to make a visit.

12-09-2012 20:43:16 | More by trixdout

TrappistJohnMD

Mississippi

4.58/5  rDev +4.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4.5 | $$

Visited the Blind Tiger on a saturday at noon for lunch. Comfortable, cozy atmosphere with lots of wood. Very friendly waitstaff that was eager to answer questions. We sat down at a small table right away, but we made it just in time, as the crowd grew quickly. Selection is great and appears to rotate often. Food was also good. The chicken and chorizo tacos were fantastic. Service was quick despite the crowd. Other patrons were very friendly and we enjoyed sitting and talking with a couple visiting from France. Overall, just a great experience! This will be a regular stop for me when visiting NYC.

12-02-2012 15:39:22 | More by TrappistJohnMD

Lare453

Florida

3.99/5  rDev -9.1%
vibe: 3 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$$

Good daft selection, but poor bottle selection. The staff rocks. They are the nicest people and are super knowledgeable. Food is pretty good too. My biggest complaint is that it is very small and there is limited seating and limited bar space to order a beer...

I've been there a few times and I would definitely go back but during off times when I can get to the bar. The prices here are a bit high too but it's the city so it is expected...

Wile the bar is awesome, the clientele are mostly hipsters and d bags, with a few nice people mixed in.

The other plus that they usually have 2 or more cask ales which is hard to find most places.

10-02-2012 14:15:09 | More by Lare453

flexabull

California

4.38/5  rDev -0.2%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4.5 | $$$

This place gives Barcade a run for its money for best places I visited in NYC.

Small bar in Greenwich Village, crowded on an early Monday night, but we were able to find a seat at the bar. A couple of the patrons nearby were super friendly, and we spent quite a bit of time talking about our various backgrounds and of course... beers.

Quality was excellent, I had a smoked beer from Hill Farmstead (was stoked to see a beer from them) and I also had a Nebraska IPA which was nice and fresh.

Service was good, friendly and prompt, all I usually ask for.

Selection was quite nice. I think it was 28 taps, with great variety, 3 or 4 casks, and a lot of bottles.

Food was really tasty, I had tacos that could hold their own against most tacos in California.

Prices are a bit pricey, but ok for NYC.

Overall, an awesome spot. If going for great beer and food, I'd go here in a heartbeat. I made it here twice during my 3 days in New York.

09-26-2012 20:03:36 | More by flexabull

cosmicevan

New York

4.58/5  rDev +4.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | $$

Vibe - 4 | Quality - 4.5 | Service - 4.5 | Selection - 5 | price $$

Was in the city and had some time to pass in the early afternoon and with the weather being north of 90, I figured why not cool off with a pint or a few so I headed over to Blind Tiger. Was pretty shocked to find the place bumping at around 1p, but it was a Friday in summer. I grabbed one of the two available seats at the bar and had a few drinks. I had decided to stop there since their beermenus page said that they had smuttynose's Brett & I on tap and it was updated 2 days ago. Was pretty bummed to find out that Brett & I had kicked the night it was added, which happened to be a smuttynose event so plenty of cool smuttynose one offs and oddities both on tap and on cask. Also was pleasantly surprised to get a chance to try a Kuhnhenn offering that I hadn't seen locally before. Plenty of other great standbys and lots of interesting offerings I could have easily sat there all day and night and tried tons of beers that were new to me. The service was excellent, being that I was at the bar and although semi busy, there were 3 bartenders serving it up. All brews were served in appropriate glassware and the staff knew their stuff. Prices were in line with my expecations for a bar in the city that serves up the goodies. The vibe was chill, but I could see this place packing out easily for an event, especially with the location. All in all, this is definitely one of the better spots in the city and I will be sure to add this to my list of must stops when in NYC.

08-01-2012 01:48:13 | More by cosmicevan