40 Exchange Place
Guinness Tag: $10.00 | Overall Rating: 7.25
The closest pint of Guinness to the NY Stock Exchange lies in The Irish Punt. That Guinness has a decent chance of being paired with a Bishop's Collar and it'll set you back $10 bucks! The exterior has an inviting curb appeal whenever there isn't scaffolding, and you'll notice some authentic touches to the place as you nestle inside.
The bar itself is a long L-Shaped counter that holds about 28 people, and it offers a great elbow cushion, allowing patrons to stay for that "one extra pint" without the achy arms. A lot of assets are unique under these ceiling tiles, including the ceiling fans, exposed brick, unique wallpaper, light fixtures, centerpieces, and well... the ceiling tiles themselves. Behind the bar you'll notice very small TVs which are perfect. It seems that almost everywhere you go now-days you find bars with exuberantly oversized TVs that take up the entire bar and take away from the building's charm. It's nice to see places like the Irish Punt hang TVs that are actually appropriate in size. Another Pub nearby that does its TVs well is The Dead Rabbit, in which their TVs fold up into the ceiling when not in use (it's awesome).
They cut their potatoes by hand and there's even a fun little "ding-dong" tune that plays when the potatoes are ready to be served to their owners. They offer a very average whiskey selection and the draft beer choices are subpar. The people pouring your Guinness are fine and dandy, though, as they'll most likely be from Ireland themselves and they'll have no problem chatting with you if times are slow. The cash register that they'll ring you up in is old school and they'll throw a handful of Christmas decor on the walls during Jesus season.
The bathrooms here are marvelous. They're very clean, they are beautifully crafted, and the toilet paper might be the best in the city (no kidding).
The dining area is very cozy. The nestled booths and high-top tables offer a very inviting atmosphere and the place as a whole is dimly lit. As you can imagine, the place can get bonkers at times being its location, so you may not find the best Craic if you come here during rush hour. It's very expensive, it's cluttered behind the bar, and it may not be the most exciting place to kill an hour of time. As cool as the place is and the fact that it quite literally sits on the exchange, you're not going to be overwhelmed by the charm, Craic, or anything in particular. That doesn't mean you shouldn't stumble inside when touring Wall Street, though.
A good Irish Pub worthy of the nod! Slainte, Irish Punt.
