#634Global
Bemelmans Bar
New York, USA · Historic hotel piano and cocktail bar · North America
Bemelmans Bar is The Carlyle’s Upper East Side piano and cocktail bar, defined by Ludwig Bemelmans’s murals, nightly piano and late-night jazz.
Description source · Checked 2026-09-20
Plan Your Visit
35 E 76th St, New York, NY 10021, USA
- Style
- Historic hotel piano and cocktail barChecked 2026-09-20 · Source
- Hours
- Sunday–Monday noon–midnight; Tuesday–Thursday noon–12:30am; Friday–Saturday noon–1am.Checked 2026-09-20 · Source
- Booking
- General-public seating is first come, first served and does not require reservations. A small portion of tables is held for American Express Global Dining Access members; the owner warns that walk-ins can face a one-to-two-hour wait during peak live-music hours.Checked 2026-09-20 · Source
- Prices
- The current owner menu lists signature cocktails Mr. Carlyle at USD 30, On the Rocks at USD 32 and La Vie En Red at USD 38; Madeline’s Vesper is USD 32.Checked 2026-09-27 · Source
- Menu
- The owner publishes a current itemized food-and-beverage menu with cocktails, zero-proof drinks and bar food.Checked 2026-09-20 · Source
Hours and menus can change. Check the venue’s latest details before visiting.
The score & its evidence
Seven signals. One score.
30.9 / 100
The composite combines the seven weighted signals and the published adjustments. The chart shows each signal before weighting.
Read the full calculation- Guest ratings
- 58.3
- World's 50 Best
- —None found · Checked; no qualifying signal found; contributes zero
- Top 500 Bars
- 74.8
- Spirited Awards
- —None found · Checked; no qualifying signal found; contributes zero
- Regional Recognition
- —None found · Checked; no qualifying signal found; contributes zero
- Serious press
- 20.1
- Social Vibes
- 61.6
Weights: Guest ratings 23% · World's 50 Best 12% · Top 500 Bars 10% · Spirited 12% · Regional Recognition 18% · Press 10% · Social Vibes 15%
Missing evidence, confirmed none and evidence outside a scoring window each contribute zero. We do not redistribute their fixed weight to other signals.
Social Vibes
Score read updated:
Sentiment score
88/ 100
Historical proprietary score; this source review does not revalidate the numerical score.
Score context
Carlyle piano bar since 1947: Madeline murals, gold-leaf ceiling, sidecar martinis. Infatuation still sends first-timers despite the line. Guests love the room and free snack mix; $26+ pours, cover and influencer crush are real.
Guest sources checked:
The linked sources are qualified below. The stored summary and themes remain a historical proprietary interpretation, not a fresh customer survey.
Guest score details
Historical interpretation — positives
- Madeline murals and gold leaf
- sidecar martinis
- nightly piano
- free snack mix
Historical interpretation — reservations
- hour-plus peak wait
- UES prices plus cover
- influencer crush
- inconsistent classics
Source excerpt
“Inside the Carlyle Hotel on the Upper East Side, Bemelmans is an NYC night out that everyone should experience at least once—even if it means toughing out an hour-long line to get in.”
Source: theinfatuation.com (linked below)
This read cites editorial or award context. Those links are distinct from guest accounts; only the reviewed links in Reviews & press count toward Press.
Editorial citations in this read
- theinfatuation.comThe Infatuation — Molly Fitzpatrick · Article updated 3 January 2025; visit date unknown
A professional review of Bemelmans in the Carlyle. Original publication metadata is 21 January 2022. Its judgments about martinis and the experience are the critic’s, not aggregated customer testimony.
- blog.resy.comResy — Deanna Ting; interview with Dimitrios Michalopoulos · Published 15 April 2025; updated 13 July 2026; visit date unknown
The current byline and author metadata credit Deanna Ting, while a Vicki Denig biography remains at the end. Much of the article is general manager Dimitrios Michalopoulos’s account. Its practical advice contains differing reservation lead times and is not newly verified policy or independent guest testimony. The stored excerpt shortens the walk-in advice.
Crowd signal
Google 4.2★ across 896 reviews.
View on Google · Checked . Ratings and review counts can change.
Awards
Results from the three global systems scored separately in our formula.
Top 500 Bars
Regional Recognition
Regional and national lists, local awards and bartender peer picks considered for this room's Regional Recognition score. The strongest result from each program and year scores; assessed guides use the latest accepted dated status once.
No recorded regional recognition in the scored window.