122 W 26th St, New York · (212) 741-0645
www.ainsworthnyc.com
Is it a sports bar or is it a lounge? This place has a bit of an identity crisis. The Ainsworth tries to promote itself as an upscale sports bar, but it really missed the mark. Maybe it is a personal preference but if you have a ton of TVs you should be able to hear the games that are playing.
I went during the NBA All-Star Saturday night events of Skills, 3-Point and Dunk contest, also a night of NCAA basketball games, which were showing but with no sound. Instead we had not so popular lounge music. It was quiet a shame, especially during the slam dunk competition when it seemed like everyone in the place was watching the TVs. We did ask if they would turn on the sound and were told only during special events such as the Super Bowl, Local teams and playoffs. I am going to say it, if you want to watch sports this is probably the worst spot to go to in NYC! There is no doubt about that one.
Now on the other hand, if you want a place to hang out with a group, better than bar food, and music playing at a level you can talk to each other, then Ainsworth is not so bad. The menu does have many options, especially with sliders. We ordered the lobster, philly cheese, sirloin and pork sliders. All were good, my order of preference were the philly, lobster, sirloin, pork. We also got the wings and nachos, which were not favorites of mine but only because they didn’t hit my palate. The wings are a bit on the sweeter side and well nachos, it is hard to impress me with nachos.
Its rare I say this, but with the million places in NYC, I doubt I will give the Ainsworth (either location) another shot.