What to Order at The Polo Bar

The Polo Bar is Ralph Lauren's members-club-styled American restaurant off Fifth Avenue, a horse-portrait-lined basement where the exclusivity is most of the product, and the menu rewards diners who order the simple things the kitchen does best.

What should you order at The Polo Bar?

Order Ralph's corned beef sandwich and don't overthink the rest. The Infatuation's review, which rates the room 8.0 while rolling its eyes at the scene, is unambiguous about the food hierarchy.

1. Ralph's corned beef sandwich. "The best thing here" per The Infatuation: thick-cut corned beef and melted Swiss on buttery griddled rye. It's the one dish critics treat as destination-worthy on its own.

2. The Polo Bar burger. Excellent brioche bun, smoky bacon, and the safe pick for anyone who came for the room rather than the menu.

3. New York strip. The review praises the char and suggests skipping the side sauces for a smear of the roasted garlic that comes along.

4. Tuna tartare. Bright pink tuna and avocado in a soy-ginger dressing, the strongest of the lighter starters.

5. Crab cake. Loosely packed with crispy phyllo, the other starter on the review's solid list alongside the Caesar and Waldorf salads.

What should you skip at The Polo Bar?

Skip the dover sole. At $80 it's the priciest miss on the menu, and The Infatuation's line is that the fish "inevitably arrives dry and overcooked." More broadly, the review's warning is about expectations: the food is above satisfactory rather than transcendent, so order the proven comfort dishes and let the tartan pillows and the fireplace do the rest.

How does ordering actually work at The Polo Bar?

Dinner happens in the subterranean dining room, hunter green walls and parquet ceilings, while the upstairs bar with its fireplace handles drinks. The menu is clubby American: steaks, salads, the burger, the sandwich. Groups do best treating it like a steakhouse, one starter each, mains, and a shared side or two. Dress up. Servers wear rep ties and the room expects the effort returned.

How do you get a reservation at The Polo Bar?

By phone only, and that's the real filter. There's no online booking: you call (212) 207-8562 when the phones open at 10am, and tables release one month ahead to the matching date. Reviewers also point to a same-day move, calling around 4pm to ask about cancellations. Regulars are widely reported to get priority, so first-timers should aim for off-peak times and stay flexible on party size.

Frequently asked questions

Is The Polo Bar worth it?

For the scene, the room, and the corned beef sandwich, critics say yes, with the caveat that exclusivity outshines the cooking. The Infatuation calls it silly and superficial and still gives it an 8.0, which is the whole restaurant in one sentence.

Is there a dress code at The Polo Bar?

Dress sharp. The restaurant presents itself as a club, the staff dress formally, and jackets are the safe default for dinner even where not strictly enforced.

Can you walk into The Polo Bar?

No, it's reservation-only. The phone book and the 4pm cancellation call are the two doors in.

A phone-only book is the one pattern an app can't fully crack, so treat the 10am call as the main door. For the booking intel we do track on The Polo Bar, and alerts on the hundreds of NYC restaurants that book through Resy and OpenTable, start from DinnerElite's Polo Bar page.