It is time to write a little review of the Peter McManus Cafe, in the Chelsea section of Manhattan. It won't be a good review. This bar-restaurant was opened in 1911 in a different location. It closed(?) for prohibition and re-opened when prohibition was over, in I believe, 1932, in the present location, 7th Ave and 19th St. It is a beautiful wood panelled bar which has not been kept up. I became a customer around 1982, for the food, which was very good for the price at that time. I was a bar customer from the early eighties until 1992, when I quit drinking for 15 years. Six years ago I returned and ceased being a regular last year. This is why. The food is now not very good. The menu is similar but the same care just is not taken with preparation. It might be passable one day and awful the next. The same thing for the attitude of the waitresses. One is sweet and attentive, another brusque and unfriendly. The management does not notice or does not care. The owner, who I believe is the 4th generation McManus to own the bar, is semi-retired. Nobody has been hired to replace him, so the establishment is run by the employees. Anyone who is experienced in the restaurant business knows that this is a recipe for disaster. As for the bar itself, they serve a generous drink at a low price, unusual in Chelsea, and are as a result, busy. A few of the old time bartenders from the 1980s are still working there. These guys are cordial and know their business. The east side of the bar, during the daytime is called Howie's Corner. Howie is a fine senior bartender with a dry sense of humor. He is one of the reasons to visit there. Unfortunately the sanitation could be better, especially when it comes to glass washing. I have not inspected the kitchen, but suspect that there is no dishwashing machine. Glasses are washed at the bar with the two brush method. I have never seen anyone change the water. Lets put it this way: The last several times I was there I either drank beer out of the bottle, or brought my own glass for Scotch. Talking about the beer, they have Guinness and Harp on draft, and several other draft beers. They discontinued Bass Ale, which was my favorite, a few years ago. The premises needs a good renovation and cleaning. Last time I looked the bar rack was held up with duct tape, there was a hole in the floor, and the stools were hard and uncomfortable. So if you want a Budweiser in a bottle and don't mind drinking it in a rundown place with character, this is it. Mr. McManus, if you clean up the place, get a real manager, and bring back Bass Ale, I will be your customer again. I hope you enjoy your retirement, I know you earned it by hard work.
