The Polo Bar

"How similar is it to TGI Fridays? It's a version for the 1%. Dover sole is the equivalent of chicken fingers for the one percent. And pigs in a blanket are pigs in a blanket. The Polo Bar serves both. We're fans, but Ralph Lauren’s preppy, spit-shined, doomsday bunker of a restaurant is, in many respects, a Fridays dressed in tartan. Nothing on the menu would feel out of place on a cruise ship, and, if we’re being honest, the best thing here is the corned beef sandwich. Equestrian paintings and impeccable service aside, the true appeal of this place lies in the fact that celebrity sightings are given. In order to book a table, you have to call 212-207-8562. Reservations are released roughly one month in advance on the matching calendar date—on September 30th, for example, you can book for October 30th—and the phone line opens at 10am. If you can’t snag a reservation, try calling around 4pm on the day-of to see if there were any last-minute cancellations." - bryan kim

"Verdict: The Polo Bar is so preppy, their tap water tastes like seersucker. Ralph Lauren’s tartan-filled, subterranean Midtown country club has cornered the market on equestrian paintings and parquet ceilings, and it’s the closest you’ll get to a guaranteed celebrity sighting. Is the food good? Who cares? You’re here for the scene. (But yes, the food is good. Try the corned beef sandwich.) In order to book a table, you have to call 212-207-8562. Reservations are released roughly one month in advance on the matching calendar date—on September 30th, for example, you can book for October 30th—and the phone line opens at 10am. If you can’t snag a reservation, try calling around 4pm on the day-of to see if there were any last-minute cancellations." - bryan kim

"Swift first visited Polo Bar a long time ago, but well before that, the Polo Bar from Ralph Lauren, had been an impossible-to-get-into restaurant for mere mortals. There’s always the bar, “and the A-list crowd is reliably entertaining,” according to New York magazine." - Melissa McCart

"Ralph Lauren’s preppy, wood-paneled Midtown bunker is indescribably annoying to get into. If you do manage to land a table, you may even arrive a little disgruntled. But wait, what’s that? A flaky popover that looks like an ice cream cone? And it’s free? Well played." - bryan kim, neha talreja, sonal shah, willa moore, will hartman

"“We like sitting in the lounge upstairs for an Old Fashioned and the fried olives before we go downstairs for dinner. One thing we like about Polo Bar is that you can make it what you want. If you want to have a healthier night, you can order fish; if you want to lean in, they always have an amazing burger special. We love the fries, and their onion rings are crazy. We always get the reuben to share—they cut it into six little pieces so you each have just enough. Their aesthetic has perfect synergy with the Ralph Lauren brand, down to the wooden polo [bracket] stirrer in their Old Fashioned. And their wait staff always deliver top-notch professionalism—warmth and familiarity that most restaurants this difficult to get a reservation at can’t replicate.”" - brennan carley