Bar Type: Irish Pub
Cuisine: Pub Grub
I will get my one stupid complaint out of the way up front. It’s the same complaint I’ve had on this godforsaken site for the past 25 years. Please… be consistent with the name of your establishment. Don’t write it as Pig N’ Whistle on your physical building, Pig N Whistle (no apostrophe) on one of your socials, Pig ‘N’ Whistle Public House in some write-ups, Pig ‘N’ Whistle Rockefeller Center in your website logos and, finally, Pig ‘N’ Whistle 48th Street in other forums. Choose a lane and stick with it. I don’t need to guess the name of your business, especially because there is another sister bar that writes their name as Pig n’ Whistle (lower case ‘n’ and one apostrophe). Plus, of course, the closed Pig ‘n’ Whistle (lower case ‘n’ with two apostrophes) that used to be over on Third Ave. You can see why I’m driven crazy by this! No? Okay, maybe it’s just me.
Lucky for you, I’m done complaining about the superfluous garbage that really has nothing to do with my lovely experience at this midtown Irish pub. The funny part is, this isn’t the first Pig and whatever that I’ve been to. There was the aforementioned one over on Third Avenue that was a way more typical Irish Pub joint with shamrocks and shenanigans everywhere. House of Pain was hangin’ in the corner and the juke was like 100% U2, but this “authentic” look wasn’t enough to save it from closing up shop. Now it seems the franchise is down to two. Yet, the other location on 36th St. is apparently more sports bar than classy-ish after work upscale Irish pub. Which I suppose kind of describes what’s going on with this location. Must be the whole “public house” thing, I guess. Though public house makes me feel like it’s a hostel or a toilet or something. Europeans, am I right? Anyway, we only ended up here because the other similar bars on the block — and there are quite a few of them — were packed with work parties and an unusual amount of revelers for a random Tuesday night in April. Serendipitous for us, I guess.
I wouldn’t call this place fancy, but it’s certainly higher-end than some of the junky Irish pubs you’ll find in midtown. And like several steps up from those pubs meant to house drunk-asses who are left over after the folks looking to jam themselves in for a few beers before an event at MSG leave the place. The lighting is vintage pleasant, the floor a tasteful checkerboard and the decor appropriately wood and brass. Looking at some photos from a few years back, it’s obvious that this joint went through a remodel in recent times to class it up quite a bit. The setup is pretty Midtown typical, with the long bar to your left as you walk in, and several built-in high-tops to the right lining a relatively narrow space leading to what I imagine is a little wider space in the back and what I think is an upstairs room or two. It is absolutely amazing how many bars in NYC have almost this exact same footprint. Often times — because there are only windows up front — the places can feel dark and murky, but the soft lighting and spots make this particular space feel pretty inviting. We sat at one of the two-person little table things across from the bar — which are these kind of fixed-table outcroppings from a running ledge that really only fit a single stool on either side — and were immediately approached by a friendly server.
I ended up with a Sixpoint Crisp and the fish tacos. Everything that was supposed to be cold was cold and everything that was supposed to be hot was hot. I’m still shocked to be paying $9 for a local pilsner, but I suppose that’s just what bars charge for beer now. At least it was properly carbonated and tasted as fresh as a beer that only had to travel from Brooklyn could be. The three tacos of battered cod, cabbage slaw, pico de gallo, queso fresco and chipotle sauce were surprisingly decent. Three generous portioned pieces of fish that were fried perfectly, weren’t greasy and everything filled proportionately. Those ran me $19, which could be worse in this day and age. And filled me up just enough that I was satisfied, but not about to take a nap. We were appropriately looked in on during our time there, neither smothered nor ignored. Honestly, I’m not sure what this place is like on, say, a Thursday after work or even a Saturday when the tourists might invade, but on this particular night I was super-pleased with my experience. It was comfortable, pleasant and my booze and food left me with a warm feeling in my heart.
58 W 48th St. (bet 5th & 6th Ave.)
212/819-0095
pignwhistle48st.com
