Live Bait

3.7 (14)

$30 and under

Low Country

14 E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010

OverviewReviewsDetails

About this restaurant

Live Bait is a lively restaurant located across from New York's Madison Square Park. The restaurant is decorated in a sort of "dive-bar chic" styling. All of the d�cor looks as if it was taken from a garage sale or older restaurant, like the neon signs and corrugated steel, but it is all arranged in such a way as to be very visually appealing. Live Bait's menu is devloped using the flavors of coastal Carolina. Between this and the restaurant's name, guests should be expecting lots of seafood options, specifically boiled crab and shrimp. Live Bait also features a raw bar where diners can order oysters, local littleneck clams, or peel and eat shrimp as either an appetizer or as their meal. It's not all seafood, though, Live Bait has several other great menu items like the fried chicken and waffles with collard greens, bacon and smoked jalape�o honey.

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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Low Country, Comfort Food, Creole / Cajun / Southern
Hours of operation
Lunch: Monday - Sunday: 11:30am - 5:00pm Dinner: Monday- Sunday: 5:00pm - 12:00pm
Website
http://livebaitnyc.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress

Location
14 E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010
Neighborhood
Flatiron District
Cross street
Near Madison Avenue, between Park & Broadway
Parking details
On street parking available. Private garage available on West 21st Street.
Public transit
6 Subway to 23rd Street.N, R Subway to 23rd Street.F, M Subway to 23rd Street.1 Subway to 23rd Street.C, E Subway to 23rd Street.
Additional
Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Frogmore Stew$17.95
Fresh sweet shrimp, corn on the cob, sweet sausage, local littlenecks & new potatoes
Fried Chicken + Waffles$15.95
Collard greens with bacon, smoked jalapeno honey
Grass Fed Hanger Steak$17.95
Roasted mushroom, caramelized onion, potato parsnip puree, red wine reduction
Catfish N' Chips$14.95
Buttermilk fried catfish, lemon tartar & Old Bay fries
Plantation Gumbo$14.95
Chicken, tasso ham, smoked sausage and shrimp
Blackened Atlantic Salmon$15.95
Sauteed collard greens, brown butter lemon tartar & sweet corn hushpuppies
Classic Carolina Shrimp and Grits$14.95
Pan roasted sweet shrimp,& Geechie Boy Mill grits
Carolina Ribs$15.95
1/2 rack baby back ribs coleslaw, fries

For The Table

Fried Pickles$6.95
Buffalo Chicken Wings$8.95
with blue cheese dipping sauce
Crispy Calamari$8.95
with spicy remoulade
Homemade Jalapeno Cornbread$2.95

Raw Bar

Carolina Gentleman's Platter$21.95
1/2 dozen oysters, 1/2 dozen clams on the half shell, jumbo peel & eat shrimp
Oysters on the Half Shell$10.95
1/2 doz
Local Littlenecks on the Half Shell$11.95
1/2 doz
Peel & Eat Shrimp$12.95
1/2 lb

Sandwiches

Sweet Shrimp Po'Boy$12.95
Grilled sweet shrimp, citrus mayo, romaine, crispy onions
Oyster Roll$12.95
Crispy buttermilk fried oysters, pickled red onion and parsley
Pulled Pork$11.95
House smoked pulled pork, mustard belt BBQ, with coleslaw
South Street Slim$11.95
Grilled organic chicken lettuce wraps, shredded apple, mirliton, Carolina carrot salad
Grilled Portobello$10.95
Portobello mushroom, swiss cheese, shaved collards on a baguette
Fried Chicken Sandwich$11.95
Lettuce, tomato, mayo

Starters

Choweder Or Soup of the Day
- Market Price
Mac & Cheese$6.95
3 Cheeses with toasted corn bread crumbs
Jumbo Lump Crab Cake$11.95
Avocado, romaine slaw
Grilled Oysters$12.95
Bacon mignonette
Smoked Bacon Tater Tots$6.95
Pimento cheese dip
Sweet Corn Hushpuppies$5.95
Smoky jalapeno honey butter

Sides

French Fries$4.95
Old Bay Eggplant Fries$4.95
Collard Greens & Bacon$4.95
House Pickles$4.95
Potato Parsnip Puree$4.95
Marshmallow Yams$4.95

Burgers

Classic Carolina$11.95
1/2 pound custom blend Angus beef, lettuce, tomato & mayo, Idaho potato fries
Shrimp Shack Burger$12.95
Fresh made sweet shrimp burger, lemon, citrus mayo, frisee, Old Bay eggplant fries
Double BLT Burger$12.95
House ground pork & bacon burger, mustard aioli & sweet potato fries

Reviews

OpenTable reviews from verified diners

Reviews from people who have dined at Live Bait.

3.7

(14)

3.9Food
3.5Service
3.4Ambience
0.1Value

Noise • Moderate

14 Reviews

D
Dilbretta Gold
Frankfurt83 reviews
5.0
Dined on September 19, 2015
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 5
4. Ambience 5
I decided to give this restaurant a try since I haven't had a lowcountry dish before. I ordered sweet shrimp burger and eggplant fries. They were so delicious! I enjoyed checking out the wall in the restaurant. The service was great during the lunch hours. Highly recommended!
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r
rmbpearson Gold
New York City52 reviews
5.0
Dined on August 26, 2015
1. Overall 5
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
This is my go-to happy hour with friends where you can get $1 oysters and $5 for a glass of wine. And if raw is not your style, there are uber-tasty fried ones that come as sliders. Hush puppies are southern style, deep fried and tender that is true southern style. The chicken and waffles with the spicy cranberry sauce is incredible and the I would definitely like to replicate their deviled eggs at home. If you are with a group, get a table in the back so you don't have to shout at each other as the place tends to get noisy, particularly up at the bar area.
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AW
AlanW
New York City35 reviews
2.0
Dined on August 4, 2015
1. Overall 2
2. Food 4
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 1
I haven't been to Live Bait for the past few years because it was just way too noisy, even on a weeknight right after work. But when I had the opportunity to dine with a family group that included two 20+ year olds, I thought they would like Live Bait. Well, they liked it but the rest of us hated it (the oldsters) because you couldn't hear the person sitting right next to you....even in the back at a table away from the bar. Needless to say, we are never returning...even with kids, teens, or anyone who cares about his/her eardrums. Oh yes, the food is quite good. The service was rather inattentive, probably because there was a table for about 20 folks right behind us....and naturally that table got all the attention.
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TN
ThorNYC Gold
New York City30 reviews
3.0
Dined on May 29, 2015
1. Overall 3
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 3
Southern/creole/cajun food is pretty good, but between the raucous bar scene and the tin ceiling, the sound level goes to 11! The four-tops are small, and we still had to shout to and strain to hear each other for 90 minutes. I'll try and remember to only go in the mid-afternoon, or late on weekdays. My husband loved the shrimp and grits, although the portion was small. My shrimp po'boy was not traditional -- shrimp is not breaded and fried, but grilled, and roll is way too crusty and chewy. It was still tasty but I spent most of the dinner just chewing the roll. Our companions enjoyed their apps of tater T's and mac and cheese; the fried chicken was tasty but not the waffles. The sweet potato fries were way oversalted. We couldn't take the din any longer, so retired to Madison Square Park for frozen custard from Shake Shack rather than try any of their desserts.
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G
Gjrrox
London16 reviews
4.0
Dined on April 4, 2015
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 5
We love LiveBait, have been annual visitors for about 12 years on our trips from London. We always drink at the bar. We love the vibe, the tunes and the feel of it being a local place, even though it's in the middle of Flatiron! This time we ate out back as we had our teenage kids with us. The food was good and the vibe still great. The service was a little erm..... Nervous?hesitant? But my real gripe was ...... Warm white wine!!! And when I asked for an ice bucket it seemed to surprise?!? ...but look it's a minor gripe. Still love the place
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KB
KBLop
New York City11 reviews
4.0
Dined on March 13, 2015
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 3
4. Ambience 2
We came for happy hour. Enjoyed the oysters and drinks then happily stuffed ourselves with calimari and sandwiches. Everything was good so our one regret is that we didn't leave room to try the sliders which sounded delicious. Live Bait is very loud. The ambiance is dive bar cafeteria diner. Happy hour packs the small bar in the front and you can only get a table in the large back if you make reservations and plan to order food. Table service is quick and there is always someone out on the floor looking to take away your detritus.
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b
bakethis
New York City17 reviews
4.0
Dined on March 12, 2015
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
Always great... the old burger was better before Chelsea got so chi chi... still a good lunch spot in the hood
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o
otsarabeth
South Carolina12 reviews
4.0
Dined on December 6, 2014
1. Overall 4
2. Food 4
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 5
The gumbo and chicken and waffles were delicious and a lot of food for the price. Atmosphere was a bit divey but in a good way. The only complaint I have is the collards which were overloaded with red onion and there was no pepper vinegar in sight. Malt vinegar on collards should be a crime!
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KG
KimG Gold
New York City5 reviews
4.0
Dined on October 16, 2014
1. Overall 4
2. Food 5
3. Service 4
4. Ambience 3
The service was quick and I enjoyed the food. it was a noisy atmosphere but it was a chill setting to just come and eat. Nothing to over the top.
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b
brenkyp Gold
New York City20 reviews
2.0
Dined on August 19, 2014
1. Overall 2
2. Food 2
3. Service 2
4. Ambience 3
but I guess I should have tempered my expectations. It is NYC after all and not Charleston.
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Additional information

Dining style
Casual Dining
Price
$30 and under
Cuisines
Low Country, Comfort Food, Creole / Cajun / Southern
Hours of operation
Lunch: Monday - Sunday: 11:30am - 5:00pm Dinner: Monday- Sunday: 5:00pm - 12:00pm
Website
http://livebaitnyc.com/
Payment options
AMEX, Discover, Mastercard, Visa
Dress code
Casual Dress

Location
14 E 23rd St, New York, NY 10010
Neighborhood
Flatiron District
Cross street
Near Madison Avenue, between Park & Broadway
Parking details
On street parking available. Private garage available on West 21st Street.
Public transit
6 Subway to 23rd Street.N, R Subway to 23rd Street.F, M Subway to 23rd Street.1 Subway to 23rd Street.C, E Subway to 23rd Street.
Additional
Bar Dining, Bar/Lounge, Beer, BYO Wine, Corkage Fee, Counter Seating, Delivery, Full Bar, Gluten-free Options, Happy Hour, Late Night, Non-Smoking, Takeout, Wheelchair Access, Wine

Not available on OpenTable

Unfortunately, this restaurant is not on the OpenTable booking network. To check availability, please contact them directly.

Is this your restaurant?

Claim this listing

Live Bait

About this restaurant

Not available on OpenTable

There’s more to explore

Additional information

Salads

Carolina Cobb$12.95

Greenmarket Kale$11.95

Red Beet & Arugula$9.95

Entrees

Frogmore Stew$17.95

Fried Chicken + Waffles$15.95

Grass Fed Hanger Steak$17.95

Catfish N' Chips$14.95

Plantation Gumbo$14.95

Blackened Atlantic Salmon$15.95

Classic Carolina Shrimp and Grits$14.95

Carolina Ribs$15.95

For The Table

Fried Pickles$6.95

Buffalo Chicken Wings$8.95

Crispy Calamari$8.95

Homemade Jalapeno Cornbread$2.95

Raw Bar

Carolina Gentleman's Platter$21.95

Oysters on the Half Shell$10.95

Local Littlenecks on the Half Shell$11.95

Peel & Eat Shrimp$12.95

Sandwiches

Sweet Shrimp Po'Boy$12.95

Oyster Roll$12.95

Pulled Pork$11.95

South Street Slim$11.95

Grilled Portobello$10.95

Fried Chicken Sandwich$11.95

Starters

Choweder Or Soup of the Day

Mac & Cheese$6.95

Jumbo Lump Crab Cake$11.95

Grilled Oysters$12.95

Smoked Bacon Tater Tots$6.95

Sweet Corn Hushpuppies$5.95

Sides

French Fries$4.95

Old Bay Eggplant Fries$4.95

Collard Greens & Bacon$4.95

House Pickles$4.95

Potato Parsnip Puree$4.95

Marshmallow Yams$4.95

Burgers

Classic Carolina$11.95

Shrimp Shack Burger$12.95

Double BLT Burger$12.95

Additional information

Not available on OpenTable