251 E 52nd St
New York, NY 10022
(212) 593-4321
OpalBar.com

The Scene
This is the kind of place that buttoned-up 9-to-5-ers visit at 6pm and stumble out of by midnight. Boozy office workers unwind in any one of the booths that circle the bar, where they can order up hearty bar food (steak, potatoes, pasta) as they try to keep that buzz from exceeding proper weekday levels. Guys in inexpensive sports coats chat up ladies in pumps and nylons, while the sports-tuned TV is drowned out by harmless drunk laughter and the Top 40 DJ (no dancing allowed!).

The Draw
With its fair prices and low-attitude bartenders and doormen,Opal is a low-stress, inviting milieu. The food is average, but perfection is not exactly the first priority at this down-home joint. Although many patrons seem to know one another, random pickup action takes place in the front of the bar, where hopeful mid-30s and early-40s guys and dolls sip on rum and Cokes and discuss things like... the office.
(CitySearch)