What is it: Upstairs, The Ragtrader restaurant kicks out well-realized, crowd-pleasing neo-gastropub fare to soak up the fast-ball-down-the-middle drinks menu. Downstairs is Bo Peep, a more intimate affair with more creative cocktailing and Jazz.
Why we like it: Upstairs/downstairs twofer with vastly different experiences in each, both well-tuned.
Time Out tip: You can more or less walk into Ragtrader whenever and find a seat–it’s huge. That is a double edges sword though as the din is noticeable. Downstairs almost certainly requires a reservation for one of the two nightly seatings: 5:30pm or 8pm.
Address: 70 West 36th Street
Opening Hours: Ragtrader: Monday - Thursday, 11:30am - 1am; Friday - Saturday, 11:30am - 2am; Sunday, 11:30am - midnight. Bo Peep: Sunday & Monday, 5:30pm - midnight; Tuesday - Saturday, 5:30pm - 1am
Expect to pay: At Ragtrader, everything other than the mains hovers around $20 and mains average $35. Cocktails go for somewhere around $17, beers for about $9, and wine for around $16/glass and abouut $60 bottle. Bo Peep’s food is about $20 a plate and its cocktails are about the same. The beer/wine prices are comparable to upstairs.