New Theory restaurant review of the Regency Bar & Grill as I was blown away by the menu and drinks.

Typically when I would think about American fare, I mentally link it too boring food. I was invited to check out the Regency Bar and Grill which resides in the renowned Loews Hotel. Restaurant Bars, in my opinion, aren’t typically as good as they simply need to please transient guests and not build up a loyal following. However, Regency Bar & Grill goes against any of my previous assumptions I had before sitting down for dinner.  I was pleased that they locally source their menu as Loews Regency New York partnered with Brooklyn Gin, Olivella Gourmet Group, Mah Ze Dahr and Bon Vivant desserts as part as of the Flavor by Loews Hotel program.

I opted for a tasting menu which included a Gin based cocktail to check out the range of the chef. First out the gate was the Porcini Truffle and Diavola pizza which is an entirely different spin on the kind of pizza that I’m used to eating (being an Italian American I know pizza fairly well).

The Diavola was spicy, but that’s exactly how I like it, and it had the right amount of cheese, tomatoes, and Soppressata. The Porcini pizza was also exceptional despite me not a huge fan of mushrooms, but I ate it nevertheless.

Of course being a good up and coming critic, I opted for an adult beverage called the “Bee’s Knees” which is Brooklyn Gin, Honey Syrup, and Fresh Lemon Juice. The Gin based cocktail complemented the pizza well as it wasn’t too heavy and didn’t leave me feeling dried out like many other Gins. The drink is so good that its worth it for a bar only trip if you’re in the neighborhood.

Next up was the RBG burger as it was a steak on a bun. I asked for mayonnaise, mustard along with the already served ketchup and made my concoction and smothered the bread and this huge hamburger. The meat was grilled to perfection as my only knock was that it was too big for me to handle as I finished it with a knife and fork.

I finished the meal with an aromatic double espresso and New York cheesecake which were both superb which was consistent with the rest of the food.

Lastly, I need to shout out the Brooklyn born native Henry who provided one of the best dining experiences I’ve had from a service standpoint as we checked in at the precisely the right times and almost knew what I wanted without asking. He’s an old-school server who would fit in at the old Russian Tea Room, despite having a baby face. Henry was a pleasant surprise as I wasn’t expecting the service to be at this level.

The Regency Bar and Grill is perfect for business meetings, after-work cocktails and also worthy of a destination for date night.  As I highly recommend this venue as I’m glad that previous assumptions were wrong and I’ll be going back to the Regency Bar and Grill as this will be my Upper East Side go to spot.

Check out the Restaurant here: https://www.loewshotels.com/regency-hotel/dining/restaurant

I was not compensated for the review, the food was comped and the opinions expressed are my own.