Translation from English

Wednesday, October 30, 2013

Bull and Bear- in the Waldorf Astoria, Midtown East

This place has been here since time immemorial, which, of course, means nothing in NYC really

It just sets it up to be compared to past glories for one thing

I was here AGES ago and was just surprised how many really beautiful hookers were there then

but on to Yelpers 

Basically pretty good reviews with a sour apple or two

I can never get over how some people drool over a place and others despise it..that's what you get with Yelp, though

Here are the reviews for your perusal

Bull and Bear Steakhouse

3.5 star rating
95 reviews Rating Details
301 Park Ave
(between 49th St & 50th St)
New York, NY 10022
Neighborhood: Midtown East
(212) 872-4900
Make a Reservation
Nearest Transit Station:
51 St. (4, 6, 6X)
5 Ave./53 St. (E, M)
Lexington Ave./53 St. (E, M)
Hours:
Mon-Sun 5 pm - 11 pm
Attire:
Dressy
Accepts Credit Cards:
Yes
Parking:
Valet, Garage
Price Range:
$$$$
Good for Groups:
Yes
Good for Kids:
No
Takes Reservations:
Yes
Delivery:
No
Take-out:
No
Waiter Service:
Yes
Outdoor Seating:
No
Wi-Fi:
No
Good For:
Dinner
Alcohol:
Full Bar
Noise Level:
Average
Ambience:
Classy, Upscale
Has TV:
No
Caters:
No
Wheelchair Accessible:
No

Review Highlights   What's this?

  • "One of the lounges in the world famous Waldorf=Astoria hotel." In 16 reviews
  • "i had the best filet mignon here, perfectly cooked- so soft and..." In 10 reviews
  • "We had the mashed potatoes as well, super tasty." In 6 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
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93 reviews in English

  • Review from

    New York, NY
    7/16/2013 1 check-in here
    This is a classy joint.

    I came here for drinks with a friend and we had a great time.  Sitting at the iconic bar with the cool bull and bear statue on top is fun.  The bartenders are straight out of a 1950's movie.

    Drinks are delicious but expect to spend about $20 per cocktail.

    The perfect place to meet a first date for drinks.
  • Review from

    Washington, DC
    9/28/2013
    While in NYC you can't go wrong taking a stop at the Waldorf Astoria and heading into this bar.  Expect to pay a little bit more for a drink, but it's the Waldorf Astoria after all.  Shouldn't be surprised here.  The bar staff were all great, the atmosphere dark but inviting, and the drinks were spot on.

    Previous reviews about paying $20 range for drinks are accurate but it is worth it just for the view.
  • Review from

    • 14 friends
    • 19 reviews
    New York, NY
    9/16/2013 2 check-ins here
    So let's cut to the chase - anything connected to the Waldorf I would assume a 4-star minimum.  The bar area itself is great - circular-ish bar, fast service, attentive staff, etc.  They also have a bar menu there with sliders, tuna tartar, fries - great food to pick on and enjoy your cocktail with.
    So the restaurant - I went there with friends on a Wednesday.  We got seats pretty easily, even though we did not have reservations, since it was pretty empty.  The food itself was great -- service however was awful.  There were certain points in the evening when i thought they forgot about us.  And it's not like we weren't ordering - we got 2 bottles of wine, appetizers, entrees, sides -- you would think the way they treated us we were ordering one appetizer to split among 3 people!
    The food itself I did enjoy - grilled swordfish, and tuna tartar in particular.  I also asked some neighbors who tried the new Bison entree - happy consumers (and HUGE entree).

    To boil it down:  food experience = good.  service experience = welcome to the morgue.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 2 reviews
    Carrollton, TX
    10/25/2013 1 check-in here
    Food, drinks, service, and atmosphere all get an A+. I'm a carnivore from TX, a foodie in general and an aspiring/amatuer chef. B&B was a better experience than all other midtown east steakhouses. Two thumbs way up!
  • Review from

    • 53 friends
    • 28 reviews
    New York, NY
    8/18/2013
    I love the classic decor and the gorgeous mahogany bar. I stopped by for drinks, which were nice and strong and tried the carpaccio, which was delicious.
  • Review from

    • 369 friends
    • 44 reviews
    Honolulu, HI
    6/8/2013
    I love the Waldorf and will stay there again, but I would never eat at this restaurant again.

    Above all else, our waiter seemed to just hate life.  I felt like I was watching a caged animal, an angry caged animal.  He had no interest in answering any of our questions about the menu and seemed completely annoyed when we asked for wine recommendations.

    The food also was not very good.  We had the porterhouse and it was not very flavorful at all.

    There are WAY better steakhouses in NY - pass on this one.

    I would recommend Benjamin Steakhouse (which is only a few blocks away) instead.
  • Review from

    Manhattan, NY
    4/2/2013 1 check-in here
    Get to the Chase:

    Pros:
    1) Delicious meals; Had the lamb lollipops (the name could be changed) which were succulent, well-cooked, and delicious morsels of meat with a unique light dressing that I couldn't pin-point. The side of fries were perfect as well (crunchy with lots of soft potato inside...not that unsatisfying crunch with no potato in the center)
    2) Very swanky...dimly lit, older clientele, and serious atmosphere
    3) Has sports and market indices scrolling across one of the walls
    4) Servers are very attentive and quick to respond
    5) Great drink selection

    Cons:
    1) $30/meal, 20% gratuity is expected, $15/drink...
    2) Old money sauve feel
    3) One of the servers didn't speak English very well...either that or he mumbled a lot, and our table had to constantly look at each other to see if any of us caught what he had said
    4) Stuffy atmosphere... definitely for after-work meetings over food, or to discuss business with clients
    5) Two ladies walked in and exclaimed, "OMG it's all guys..." and promptly left. I'd say her comment was spot on.
  • Review from

    • 7 friends
    • 40 reviews
    Naperville, IL
    3/29/2013 1 check-in here
    Excellent booze and wine selection.  Outstanding steaks and seafood.

    I really enjoyed my plate and sides.  Pricey- but that's NYC.
  • Review from

    • 3 friends
    • 22 reviews
    Island Park, NY
    8/27/2013
    We dined there on Saturday. From the reviews I thought I was in for a real treat. I was disappointed with the food and the wait staff needs some help. The manager was young and very attentive. He actually is the reason I went from a two star to three. The real annoyance was flying insects. They were are real pest. We mentioned it to the manager and he said it is a concern they are attempting to address but the building is very old. The ambiance is great but overly buttered steaks are a dime a dozen. We dined around the world and $750 meal should have you leaving feeling happy not disappointed. If you are looking for the status of dining at the Waldorf then go for it but if you want service and top quality think again. Also I must mention the waiter again he was amazingly grumpy throughout the whole meal. Water glasses had to be asked to be refilled. We will definelty cross this restaurant off our list.
  • Review from

    • 1 friend
    • 10 reviews
    Long Beach, CA
    4/28/2013
    Meh, I've experienced way better.

    Took some clients there for dinner the other night.. Our waiter had no skills as a server. Empty glasses and plates sat around on about table as we looked for our server. When he did serve the food, he would reach across the table and put his arm in front of someone instead of serving from behind the person.

    The place looks old and in need of some freshening up!there are MANY way better places around to eat. I would not go back.

    Food is ok, but service is no good I felt.
  • Review from

    • 0 friends
    • 4 reviews
    South Chatham, MA
    7/24/2013
    Service very weak -- waiter was absent most of the time
    Porterhouse good but not great ... No where near Peter Luger... Truthfully you can get just as good of steak And experience in other cities nowadays.  Mannys in Minneapolis Jack Rubys in Louisville etc
    The doorman was great.  He found me a parking place right across the street.
  • Review from

    San Diego, CA
    10/15/2012 4 photos 1 check-in here
    Bull and Bear is not for the faint of heart pocket book.  I figured that before even going in here for dinner since it is located inside the posh & historical Waldorf-Astoria Hotel in the heart of NYC.

    Eating at B&B was our first meal as we arrived in town on a recent Thursday evening.  We checked in at nearby Lexington Hotel (my go to hotel for all my trips back East) and made our way two blocks up here for dinner.

    The UN Counsel was going on nearby, so security was heightened and NYPD at every barricaded corner made me wonder if political figures were also dining here that night since it looked like every guest dining there had come from a very important meeting of some sort.

    Their phone number wasn't working right as I tried twice to call ahead and make reservations, but when that was unsuccessful, we decided to just walk over there and try our luck with getting a table.  Fortunately, we were seated right away.

    We started off with some cocktails to kick off the start of our five nights in the city.  We then had the chilled Maine lobster and the original, world famous Waldorf Salad as our appetizer (how can you not order the Waldorf salad when you're dining at the Waldorf?? LOL!).

    Both appetizers were amazing,  if I could eat the lobster as my entree, I probably would have done so.  The salad was simple, but so tasty.

    For my main entree, I went with the ten ounce petite filet, which was perfect for my appetite. The boyfriend had the Kobe steak and our friend had the bone in rib-eye.  All pieces of meat were masterpieces of how a great steak should taste.    We accompanied it with truffle parmesan fries, buttered mashed potatoes and creamed baby spinach.

    Abdul our server was very friendly and provided us with water refills and another round of cocktails for the table.  Needless to say it was probably one of the best meals I've had in New York and look forward to going back there again the next time we ever plan another trip back East.
    • Waldorf salad
    • Maine lobster appetizer, loved this.
    • My ten ounce petite filet
  • Review from

    Midtown West, Manhattan, NY
    12/9/2012 1 check-in here
    Probably not the best idea to come here on a Friday night, it was packed and the wait was long. It might've been due to the fact that there was a convention going on in the waldorf but having booked reservations, we shouldn't have had to wait 50 minutes. At least it built up our appetites though!

    For appetizers my boyfriend and I had the onion soup, bull & bear wedge salad, and the beefsteak tomato & mozzarella.

    I don't usually like onion soup but it looked delicious and it was! My boyfriend loved the bull & bear wedge salad. Having these two appetizers alone were very filling. The beefsteak tomato and mozzarella was good too, very thick slices of tomato and mozzarella.

    We both had the filet mignon which were surprisingly just ok- very dry.
    Aside from the steaks, everything that came out of the kitchen looked so good, we wanted to try everything.
  • Review from

    • 6 friends
    • 152 reviews
    Washington, DC
    7/18/2013
    Great atmosphere just because it's in Waldorf Astoria, but the food is a bit salty. The biscuits are great.
  • Review from

    • 22 friends
    • 38 reviews
    Pennington, NJ
    1/11/2013
    Oldies decor, but classy.
    Nice and peaceful environment if you just want to sit and chat with your friend.
    Staffs are professional and friend.
  • Review from

    • 2 friends
    • 22 reviews
    Fort Lee, NJ
    1/25/2013
    This may have been one of the worst restaurant experiences I've ever had.  Everything was under-seasoned, the tomato salad was just terrible and the service was rather rude.

    I went on a Wednesday night so it wasn't too busy. My friends and I were seated and the waiter took our order. We ordered wine, apps and mains. So far so good. When the apps came out, I was pretty disappointed. The tomato crunched in my mouth it was so unripe. I didn't say anything because I thought the steak would make up for the app. Nope. The steak was both under-seasoned and overcooked. I ordered the steak medium rare and it was almost medium well.  The waiter rolled his eyes at me when I asked him to take it back which annoyed the bejesus out of me. I think I left the lowest tip of my life there.
  • Review from

    • 20 friends
    • 16 reviews
    Geneva, IL
    5/21/2013 1 check-in here
    Had the filet migon with asparagus and a bottle of merlot.  The filet was cooked to perfection medium.  Also had a side of bull and bear signature steak sauce which was excellent.

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