Bars on the Upper East Side of Manhattan

March 22, 2010 6:46 PM

NYC filter: Looking for a bar on the Upper East Side (preferably east 80s/90s) which can accomodate a group of ~50-70. My high school class is having its 15th reunion, which will start off at our school and then progress to an after-party at a bar at around 9/9:30pm on a Friday in June. So a private room would work, as would a bigger bar which could simply accomodate a mass influx. Anything from divey to schmancy is a possibility. Thanks!
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell to Food & Drink (9 answers total)

http://www.privatepartyroom.com/locations.htm ?

I vaguely remember going to a party in the Havana Room once. Not bad.
posted by elsietheeel at 6:51 PM on March 22, 2010

Dorrian's on 84th & 2nd has a back room.

At least it did the last time I was there, about a decade or so ago.
posted by dfriedman at 6:52 PM on March 22, 2010

Dorrians could easily handle the crowd. It is preppy fraterastic though.
posted by sandmanwv at 6:55 PM on March 22, 2010

I'd also say Session 73, if that's still around, though it's on 73rd & 1st...
posted by dfriedman at 7:01 PM on March 22, 2010

Response by poster: Heh, we did our 10th reunion after-party at Dorrian's. It's a possibility, but we probably want to try something different this time. And Session 73 is too far - we're looking for something that's easy walking distance so that we don't lose too many people.
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 7:27 PM on March 22, 2010

Sutton Place in the East 50s is really big.
posted by spacefire at 8:07 PM on March 22, 2010

Heh we partied many afternoons after school at Dorrian's in the early 1980s. (Until that psychopathic dickhead took his date to the park and they started carding.) We had our 20th reunion in a bar we rented in the East 80s somewhere, doubt it's still there but I'll see if I can dig up the name.
posted by nicwolff at 9:05 PM on March 22, 2010

Response by poster: We decided to go with Blonde, Brunette and Redhead (a classmate scouted it), which seems to have what we need - namely, a room of the right size, and a cash bar.

Some other places we considered, in case anyone else comes along and finds this thread:

Auction House
Brother Jimmy's
Doc Watson's
Rathbones
Uptown Lounge

Also a couple of places which are now closed (for good, it looks like): Big Easy and Ruby's
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 11:21 PM on April 1, 2010

Response by poster: BB&R wound up being a good location. Perhaps a little bit loud music-wise, but not bad. Service at the bar up front was quick and unusually friendly. We had the spacious back room to ourselves (no charge).
posted by Conrad Cornelius o'Donald o'Dell at 11:28 PM on June 9, 2010