Pier A Harbor House

Stumbled across this place after visiting the World Trade Center. Was a lovely night. Excellent oysters and drink selection. Right on the water and not too pricey.

Food was excellent. Definitely a seafood house just to set expectations. Cioppino was excellent, and swordfish tacos we very tastey. Great ambiance and great drink selection. It is a bit pricey, but hey it is NYC.

Had our wedding reception in two of the private rooms upstairs. Overlooking the water, lady liberty and New Jersey. Great stuff. Pricey drinks but worth every penny for the view. The Brooklyn long hall larger especially brewed for pier a is nice.

Pier A was perfectly described as a place that you go once and don't need to go back to. Or a place you take friends or family from out of town to for them to get a New York experience. It's pretty much overrun with tourists going to or coming back from the Statue of Liberty tours. Service is a bit spotty, possibly because all of the tourists mean the staff don't get consistent tips. The ambiance is quite nice right on the water and the seafood themed menu reflects that. The food was just ok, but lacked flavor. The chips and dip were pretty bland and the grilled fish tacos were as well. The beer menu is not bad, but isn't that extensive, especially because they were out of my first two choices when visiting. Come for the views and fresh air with friends, but don't expect a delightful culinary experience.

There's just something missing at Pier A, and I cannot put my finger on what.

As a bar, it is beyond serviceable--it is superb. Views of New York Harbor, Battery Park, and Battery Park City give the restaurant-length bar tremendous atmosphere and make every seat a good one.

The food menu falls short, though. Caught somewhere among the urge to do seafood while also being inventive and yet having a bar-food-inspired menu, Pier A tries to please all but only befuddles. The blue cheese in the seafood cob salad was particularly disconcerting.