The Lobby Bar at The New York EDITION
Two bars in the Met Life Tower answer to the EDITION, and this is the quieter one: a seasonal cocktail list, no standing drink, and Bryan Kim's instruction to linger with it.21
Why go
Bryan Kim reviewed it for The Infatuation in November 2016. He found couches, chairs, low coffee tables and a room that stayed quiet. He rated the cocktails good and reported that the small plates then came out of The Clocktower's kitchen upstairs.1 The hotel's own page now says light bites and names no kitchen.2
The Clocktower has its own bar attached to it, and it is not this room. That one has a fiberglass globe chandelier, a 24-carat gold leaf counter and carved plaster ceilings.3 The restaurant beside it cooks contemporary British across three rooms with the same view.4
Kim's is the only bylined review I have found of the drinking here, and it is from 2016.
Order this / avoid
- Order: whatever the seasonal list is built around. The house changes it and publishes no standing drink.2
- Avoid: arriving hungry and expecting dinner. This room does light bites; the cooking is upstairs.2
What locals & experts say
- Bryan Kim, The Infatuation's editorial lead in New York, in November 2016:
It's quiet, discreet, and the cocktails are good. Linger with a drink.
1 - The hotel's own description of the room, which is the only current account of it:
Expansive yet intimate, with oversized floor-to-ceiling windows overlooking Madison Square Park.
2
Good to know
- Booking: the hotel publishes no reservation route for this room; the Clocktower upstairs books through Resy.24
- The door: 5 Madison Avenue, in the Met Life Tower, and unmarked.1
Verdict
could-visit — Two bars share this address and one name. Ask at the door for the ground-floor room by the park.