Rattle N Hum

tronester

Oklahoma

3.9/5  rDev -8.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 3.5 | $$$

I planned on going to Rattle 'N' Hum while in NYC, however on my second day in the city, I serendipitously passed it while walking around to another destination. Naturally I went in. The bar was clean, and not too crowded on a weekday afternoon. The bottled beer selection was very good, a large number of beers on tap as well.

Unfortunately, they only had 1 beer on cask when I was there (apparently they usually have 4). The beer was Pretty Thing's Brown ale, and it was in good condition and quite tasty. However, it was a bit hazy with sediment. For this reason I rated quality and selection down a bit.

The waitress was friendly and attentive, I would definitely go here again next time I am in NYC.

07-24-2010 18:06:29 | More by tronester

BKBassist

New York

4.03/5  rDev -5.4%
vibe: 3.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 4.5 | $$

One of the old guard of NYC craft spots, kind of a mixed bag in some ways, but is essentially the only place in the area for good beer and overall a solid spot.

Tap selection is usually quite good. Generally have at least a few unique taps. Despite the "No Crap on Tap" listed on the menu, they do often have 3 or 4 clunkers on the menu, and actually post the bad Ratebeer scores for these beers. Rotating cask is hit or miss. Bottle list is extensive but pricey.

Food is standard pub fare done with very good ingredients/quality. Many items involve beer in the cooking process. Brunch is actually the winner here for me, with the Irish themed menu really shining.

Service is fine to good. I've had some bartenders who clearly were career bartenders and not craft knowledgable, but they are always pleasant.

Atmosphere is where this place takes a hit, but that's due more to the location than the bar itself. The decor is actually top notch, with a signed wall of brewers, and plenty of brewerania littering the walls. The patrons are the issue. Midtown is something of a cultural wasteland, and the business types who come for happy hour really bring a corporate/bro atmosphere that turns away more free spirited beer geeks like myself.

Overall, a solid tap list, great pub food and fun atmosphere outweigh the sometimes bad crowds and somewhat out of place staff.

05-21-2013 18:57:40 | More by BKBassist

Lare453

Florida

4.43/5  rDev +4%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.75 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 4.75 | $$

A nice, homey, English pub feel

Q the food and beer are great. Fresh, food, great.

S the servers are fairly well versed in beer and good service.

S great, good draft and bottle selection. Some vintage stuff in bottles, most of the time there are some great beers on draft.

F excellent, more than just a bar, they have some great pub food with a new age twist. They also have some cool food recipes with beer on them.

V the bottles are a bit high, but everything else is reasonable.

05-08-2013 01:31:42 | More by Lare453

JohnW58

New York

4.26/5  rDev 0%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$

This is a relatively small place, but with a nice atmosphere. The beer selection is great, and changes frequently. The staff is friendly and helpful, particularly when selecting flights. The food choices are limited, but adequate. All in all an enjoyable experience.

05-05-2013 21:41:19 | More by JohnW58

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.18/5  rDev -1.9%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.25 | service: 4.25 | selection: 4.25 | food: 3.75 | $$

A little more underground and reasonable than the nearby Ginger Man, with a selection that's every bit as good, RNH is a fairly small place that can get pretty cramped during busy hours, but is generally a very nice hangout. There's a good sized bar and a decent amount of tables. The decor is general breweriana, mainly dark walls stenciled with oversized brewery logos. It's a bit on the grungy side, but in a good way.

There is a very good beer selection, with 30+ on tap, and a wide variety of bottles. Lots of local stuff that is otherwise unavailable outside NY, and otherwise just a lot of craft goodness all around. They even had an unexpected Kuhnhenn on during a recent visit. There's pretty much something for everyone here, and regular events highlighting various breweries keep things interesting.

The service was fine, and several of the girls I talked to--young as they were--seemed to have a very good knowledge of the beer they were serving and the scene in general. Prices were fine overall. The food was pretty tasty. It was basic pub grub, but still pretty good. The steak panino is damn good, and there's a lot of it.

Overall, this is a great bar, and as long as I'm in the vicinity, it'll go down as my bar of choice.

02-21-2013 05:50:33 | More by Rifugium

fulcrum

Massachusetts

4.65/5  rDev +9.2%
vibe: 4.25 | quality: 4.75 | service: 5 | selection: 5 | food: 3 | $$

Stopped in for lunch with a buddy who lives in NY. Working-class bar guests were having a good time. Cleared out by 1-ish so had the place mostly to ourselves. The service (Mackenzie) was terrific: knowledgeable, friendly, welcoming. The beer selection was fantastic. Big Daddy IPA on cask for me and a collection winners for my friend including Deviant Dales and Founder's Red Rye. Food was a bit better than average lunch fare (chicken sandwich and sliders) and plenty tasty. The atmosphere was very comfortable, from the bar space to the boxy tables in the back. I'll definitely go back.

01-16-2013 21:40:31 | More by fulcrum

laurastradford

New Jersey

4.68/5  rDev +9.9%
vibe: 5 | quality: 5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 3 | $$

I am a huge fan of Rattle n Hum. I follow them on twitter just to keep myself updated with what they have every day. I had a fantastic brunch one day. Expecting only their canned beer selection to be included in the all you can drink brunch I was pleasantly surprised to learn that it included the whole beer menu. The constantly changing large selection means that everyone in my group is always happy with their choice. I have been before concerts at the garden and I have been to watch football games. I am always happy with the bar. The food is not amazing but still solid. I can never say no to an order of loaded fries. The staff is always friendly and knowledgeable. So glad this bar is so close to my train home!

12-11-2012 19:41:28 | More by laurastradford

shueyy

New York

4.28/5  rDev +0.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4.5 | food: 4 | $$$

Rattle n Hum is a great beer bar just a few blocks east of Penn Station great location for people visiting NYC. The atmosphere can vary depending on when you go obviously during the week you will have your suit and ties mixed in with the hipsters. They are tables in the front of the bar and the back that can accommodate a large group of people.
The quality of beers is excellent the seem to have a tap take over weekly from the best breweries in the US that distribute to NYC. I just got back from a New Holland Brewery event an notice they have a Southern Tier event coming up soon. The beers that are served should satisfy any beer drinker as it runs from IPAs to stouts to smoked porters etc. even cask.
The food is very reasonably priced for NYC I recently enjoyed a portabella and lamb slider for $5 for both. The bartenders were attentive and helpfully with the beers being served.
Overall it's one of my favorite beer bars in NYC friendly crowd and always an excellent selection from the 40 taps. I've been to some great tap take overs from Sierra Nevada which had 18 beers on tap to Founders events with KBS, CBS, and Frangelic mountain brown to name a few.

09-23-2012 15:35:39 | More by shueyy

akorsak

Pennsylvania

3.83/5  rDev -10.1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 3.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$$

In town and fresh off the Keystone line; Rattle N Hum is only blocks away from Penn Station.

Atmosphere: An Irish bar, RnH has the requisite handsome wooden bar and panelling that you'd demand from an Irish bar. A few tables upfront (standing tables that is) and a long bar lead to more table seating in the back. There were steps leading downstairs but I didn't pursue. The bar has one of my requisites for a good bar - a chalk board listing the tap selection.

Quality: Friendly service, good food and a very nice tap list. On a Wednesday afternoon the bar is lowkey, perfect place to hang out.

Service: A few bartenders, including a trainee, were manning the station admirably. I was greated and served promptly, so no complaints there.

Selection: The night before my visit was a Cigar City night. I reaped the benefits of the remnants, working my way through 5 different CC beers: saison, French vanilla maduro, espresso cubano, French pale ale, and baltic porter (not even gonna try to spell that one). There were at least 10 other CC beers on and another 10 craft offerings. Very nice selection - pricey but that comes with the territory.

Food: I had lunch, trying a few of the slider sandwiches and fries. I liked the lamb and feta slider best and recommend it. Fries were decent, a good accompaniment to the sliders.

05-28-2012 23:14:09 | More by akorsak

maximep

New York

4.58/5  rDev +7.5%
vibe: 4.5 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4.5 | selection: 5 | food: 4 | $$

guy below me is wylin'. rattle n hum is up there with the NY greats in terms of the craft beer scene. it is overpriced but the servers are careful, nice, and knowledgable.

the prices for brew bother me a bit. why should i get two rounds here for $16 (generally $8 a pour, including cask ales) when I could go over to The Pony Bar and have 3 pours for $15? Alas, you do pay for service at Rattle n Hum, they have table service, unlike Pony.

But this is a great bar, full of regulars, they do a good job getting worthwhile European beers and balancing that with their great selection of American craft brew.

Food is fun, all of it contains beer. I particularly recommend their Reuben sandwich and the mushroom sliders. It is a bit of a weird, bridge n tunnel crowd but there are regulars which livens it up a bit. Also it's a great bar to go to if you want to drink craft and watch a ballgame. they always have NY sports on so that's a plus.

Also they have macrobrew selection which is good if you bring some idiots who are afraid of craft brew to the spot.

they also do a great job of diversifying their style selection. I'm big on sours and they always have a few up for grabs.

Insanely fun place, it doesn't even get too crowded on Fridays and Saturdays which you can't really say is the same with the other NY craft brew giants (such as Pony and Blind Tiger)

they do great events too.

04-22-2012 18:25:49 | More by maximep