Great selections of craft beers on tap --- new beers are placed after a keg is tapped. I rarely have the same beers every time I visit. Don't forget about the food. The number one recommendation is beer cheese - toasted bread, rubbed with garlic, with creamy cheddar to smear on it. Also, don't forget about the mac and cheese.

Earl’s is the best. The food is great (truly everything on the menu is really good. My faves are the mac & cheese and the salad. It’s a great salad don’t judge me), the rotating draught selection is always great, the staff is great, the music is always great. It’s the perfect vibe. Chill neighborhood spot.

Really good selection of craft beers, and though the name would suggest something far more simplistic, the food is a great compliment to these brews. A chocolate/coffee stout with a pork/kimchee cheese sandwich worked well. A trip to the gym would need to follow, but well worth the fall off the wagon. Great!

Beer and cheese - what's not to like? This is not your typical UES spot and that's what makes it so special. That, and the taco. Oh the taco, served on a soft, yet crispy scallion pancake and topped with braised pork shoulder. Save room for the bread pudding. It's the best dessert I've ever had.

Earl's was the first bar I went to when I moved to New York City, and it has remained on my list for go-to bars for good food and a modest selection of high-quality drinks. My standard plate is the macaroni and cheese, which while not a large portion (think medium-sized soup bowl) is more than filling if also imbibing a pint or two of whatever is on tap. There isn't a substantial selection, but I have yet to be disappointed with the craft beer that is available.

Great food and chill atmosphere. Beers on tap are always great. The food has Asian inspired fusion such as my favorite pork belly with egg and kimchi. Definitely a great place to hang out with friends after a long day for a quick bite. Food is very comforting.

Beer and cheese, awesome combination! Plenty of choices of draft and can beers.

Such a cozy and great place. We love it!!

Coolest beer bar in the city. Excellent beers on draft and in cans that you’ll be hard pressed to find anywhere else. Great staff (shoutout to Dee) and awesome vibe. Good COVID safety with a nice outdoor space and good spacing inside plus big open windows. The food is delicious as well. Couldn’t recommend more.

As the name says, great beer and cheese. A small but tasty beer selection composed of about 6 drafts and numerous bottles. I had a sour ale by Grimm and a terrific Pilsner and unfiltered IPA. Food includes a great NY Cheddar sandwich. Would definitely go back.

To this day I have not had better beer cheese than Earl's. A regular order is pretty large. A large order is very large. This is widely agreed upon to be a good thing. Outside the beer cheese itself, the atmosphere in Earl's is cozy and fun, the rotating beer selection is great, and literally every food item on the menu is rich and filling and delicious.

Absolutely a hidden gem in this hood! Fabulous rotating beer selection. Awesome food! Try the scallion tacos or beer cheese or anything else. So glad they added extra seating in the back. Super cool bartenders. Plays great music too.

Great choice of local craft beers. The beer cheese and accompanying bread is divine!

Second time in NYC, and second time in this place. The beer cheese is so delicious, also the beer selection is great. Nice atmosphere as well. Not expensive for the quality you get. Perfect for a quick bite before visiting the Guggenheim.

Awesome. Great food (had the cheddar grilled cheese) and solid, though limited beer selection. The staff is laid back but attentive. The place is very small so you might have to hang around and wait for a spot to open up.

Delicious cheese flavors were just what I needed to take me back to Wisconsin! The menu was a bit confusing to figure out what they had available for lunch versus dinner but the food and beer pairings were great. They have more beer styles available than most places which was great because I am a fan of the ale, sour, and gose and not so much of the IPA and hoppy beers that are popular right now.

Rigatoni special was “chef’s kiss”👌 great😛 Actually everything on the menu is delicious and the vibe is great. Cannot go wrong with the earl’s toast with cheese beer! 5/5 food 5/5 service, even though they are always swamped with people!

Amazing place to come have a beer and some great food! The beer cheese is delicious and a great appetizer. Their taco is a nice size and tasty. The bread pudding is a must order

My go-to neighborhood bar. D is an amazing bartender and chef. Probably the best burger on the UES

I had to go… best burger in the area of the 90’s. That doublesmash worth it!!!comes with frys. Way better than joy burger….

Earls Beer and Cheese is a small restaurant / bar packed full of atmosphere and character! NY state cheddar sandwich is one of the best grilled cheese sandwiches I’ve ever had - filled with succulent pork belly and punchy kimchi alongside oozy cheddar cheese. Delicious! They had an excellent selection of beers and an extremely helpful barman who gave us advice and tasters! This place has a warm and cosy atmosphere with friendly and knowledgeable staff. Highly recommended for both the food and the beer!

Great beer, stellar playlist, chill vibes. I tried the NY cheddar sandwich. It was so much more than I expected. An elevated bacon, egg and cheese that hit the spot. I'll definitely be back.

Made a frigid, MLK day-off, a warm and toasty pleasant surprise! As locals, my wife and I have been trying to try this place out, and today was The Perfect Day! To our surprise, the service was spot-on--even though ours was the only table (Cheers Kate and Anthony)! Very courteous service and the generous and scrumptious portions will be an eye-opener and will fulfill your monthly caloric intake. This is the ULTIMATE CHEAT DAY MEAL! NY Beer Cheese w/ sour dough and soup and NY State Cheddar is just ab-fab! Cozy nook, beautiful food, and great service. Cheers guys, see you soon!

Yo the beer is off the chain.. get the IPAs. And get mozzarella sticks with the homemade marinara 😭😭🥰

Tasty food in a cosy, quaint place with character. We dropped by for lunch, Mac n cheese was superb. Good music and friendly staff :)

Delicious food, good beer. Place is small but cozy and relaxing. Good place to hang out with friends in the UES.

Great hole in the wall with a small menu that doesn't need to be more. We stopped in around 9pm on a Tuesday after seeing a show and Earl's was the perfect spot for a couple beers and some food. I had the NY State Cheddar sandwich and my wife had the mac and cheese. The food was great, with my sandwich topped by a sunny-side up egg. 6 beers on tap and a great can selection. The prices are reasonable for the area and I'd absolutely pop back in when I'm in the area.

Visiting NYC, best restaurant, the mac n cheese is original and awesome, the vibe is nice and the staff is smart ! We're definitively coming back !

One of my favorite places! Their beer cheese bread is absolutely amazing. The spread on the toast along with garlic on top is a surprisingly salivating combination. They also have a great beer selection. We tried many of them and honestly enjoyed all of them. The staff is very friendly and the vibes is pretty cozy with dim lights and big tables. They also had good 90s music playing in the background and had games like Jenga for groups. This place was hyped up from my friend and usually, when it’s hyped up it doesn’t meet my expectations, but this one was the exception. Highly recommend!

One of the best beer joints in UES. Very cozy beer bar with friendly staff.

I love this spot. The food is delicious. The salad is great. Very fresh. The lunch specials are worth it! The spicy tomato soup is so good! The Cuban Reuben?! Omg so good! Wait stay is kind. The place is ashtrays clean and never crowded. Near trains and buses. It's never too loud. They have events like trivia night and have a good selection of beer

I really like the beer cheese and bread w/garlic goes really well with their tomato soup! I’ve heard the mac and cheese is good too but I haven’t tried that one personally. Staff is pleasant but its a bit cramped near the register/order area.

One of my favorite beer bars in the city! You most try the beer cheese! One time I brought my 4 year old son during the day. I asked if they had apple juice and the bartender went to the bodega next store to grab it for him, incredible service! I still make a point to visit every year since we don’t love there anymore

Very nice waiter. Food was amazing! I had the new York state cheddar and my boyfriend had the taco (which is huge). We loved it. Our most pleasant dining experience in our new York trip. Fast service and great prices!

Earl's Beer and Cheese is a relaxed after work hang out spot with delectable food and drinks! The bread and beer cheese is a classic, of course. The tater tots are really addictive ! They have a wide selection for beer lovers , and for cocktail lovers like me, you can bring in amazing cocktails from the bar next door. The Lavender Vodka Gimlet was lovely!! Shout out to the wonderful bartender who was so patient, and funny!

Always love coming here! Brunch is good and food here in general is delicious! Best part is... recently I discovered they had Down East cider, but they have the seasonal blend that has fall spices (pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.), I love it and can't easily find it everywhere

Great food, some of the best we had in NY. Beer cheese is especially amazing.

Great ambiance and chill vibes, definitely a great spot to hang out uptown, nothing too uptight or fancy just chill and fun. Friday bartender is mad cool, friendly and attentive and definitely made us feel welcome and wanting to come back.

good bar place in upper east side. They have great beer at a reasonable price. good tacos with shredded beef. The tacos are huge so you only need to have one. They also have a great bread pudding which is also huge. You will definitely be full after eating dinner here.

The food and beverages are out of this world! Don’t leave without trying the taco. The beer cheese and toast is absolutely amazing too. They both are light and fluffy with a homey and very unique taste with the perfect crunch at the same time. Very friendly staff

A fantastic cozy spot for cheesy bites and a delicious craft beer (or three). Afternoons aren’t too crowded, and provide a great opportunity to talk beer with the very friendly and knowledgeable staff. With a small but tasty menu and an impressive (albeit not extensive) craft beer selection, this unpretentious spot is a must for beer lovers way up on the UES.

Visiting NYC and came across this spot on TikTok. Took our waiter’s rec and ordered Earl’s Famous Beer Cheese & Original Earl’s Taco. It was fresh, authentic and fantastic! Spot is cozy and staff was personable. 10 out of 10

Me and my bf were scouring Harlem for a sit down brunch place when we happened upon Earl’s. How lucky! The beer cheese? Great. The atmosphere? Relaxed. The meal? Amazing. I had the TBD and I was blown away by the flavors of the egg, maple syrup, broche bun, etc. So good! 10/10 would come back

Always a good time at EB&C. Their small menu is still 100% awesome. We have tried every item on it — the mozzarella sandwich on an English muffin with pickles and miso mayo doesn’t sound like it should be as good as it is, but it is. The beer cheese served with crusty bread and DIY garlic cloves (to rub all over) is a must-order. But so is the scallion pancake taco — Earl’s taco. Each item celebrates a different cheese in a unique and not 100% cheese-centric way. Even the salad doesn’t disappoint. Expect cozy vibes as this location is long but only about 10 feet wide 😂

I have been coming here since they opened and they have always had exceptional food and service. Recently, I asked about a menu item they had discontinued. The chef surprised me by making it for me anyway! There is no better place for cheese and atmosphere in NYC.

Pretty cute setting. Water and coffee are self serve. The bread that the beer cheese came with was TOO DIE FOR. (and we almost died of a heart attack from it later) we also got the tacos which didn't taste anything like the expected taco taste but was also delightful. Would recommend.

What a delightful dive. Great well-curated beer list, good snacks, the music is pumping, fun people. Been here three times now and it's always a party.

A cozy restaurant and bar. Good beer selection and deals. The mac-n-cheese is why I came here, and it didn't dissapoint!

+1

Small but well curated tap selection, and plenty of craft cans. Great food, the kimchee grilled cheese was incredible. Will be returning!

Really cool neighborhood spot! Love the vibes here and the food is delicious for after work

Carlo Zanetti

Great beer selection, incredible food, and very friendly staff!! Also very good for children. A pearl in the UES

Lauren Kessler

Love the craft beer selection, good, and ambiance. They have a bunch of seating in the back with games to play. A wonderful neighborhood spot

Gina Lee-Glauser

My husband and I are checking off the top 10 East Harlem eateries. The Earls beer and cheese is ranked #5. Their drink and food met lol our high expectations. We had blackberry hard cider and BBQ brisket taco The Back to Back - fried chicken breast in buffalo sauce with French fries. The services were very outstanding and food were delicious. The place were filled with professionals and rather quite. The back room was very cool👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

Brian Gillespie

Nice idea for a bar. Beer & Cheese. Simple but genius. We had the beer cheese. Love the good quality bread. Nice craft beer options. Great bartender.

+1

Melissa Rivera

Monday trivia nights are definitely a favorite here and there is even a run club on Tuesday nights. Hands down one of my favorite places in the UES. Great food, great beers, great people!

Jasmine Vega

After the museum of The City Of New York & central park garden,my friends & I were winging as to where to go to eat.When we did find a spot to eat turned out the place doesn't exist so we tried earl's beer and cheese...It was cute & loved the lights...We did ordered food which I had the mac n cheese with the mozzarella sticks while two of my friends had burgers & fries.This was the greatest food we had & no complaints,it was worth if for the price...Also I still celebrated my birthday there🙌

Diana Lindt

GOAT spot. I came here randomly on a whim with a friend on a Friday night in mid-March. The vibes are so chill, lights are low and there's little Christmas lights up which I thought was so funny haha. Anyways. The food was really good! Great mozzarella sticks and tater tots and the prices are really good too, especially for 2025. I had the yuzu ginger cider and we also had an orange wine which we really liked. Would come back based on today's experience.

Syed Ashrafulla

Lovely neighorhood vibe of a bar with a tight lineup of a wide range of beers. I know that doesn't make much sense so I'll put it into words. They carry let's say 20 beers maximum, and through that 20 you'll get what you want. You're a classic PBR/Miller/cheap-beer fan? They've got a local variant you're into, probably from upstate. You're a bearded beer nerd? There's Vermont stuff here too. For the food, for sure get the beer cheese. Everything is good but the beer cheese is hard to find done well elsewhere.

+3

Benjamin Bonnet

Go here at least once a week for the grilled cheese and tomato soup. Staff is friendly. Beers rotated often. Good variety and solid beers.

Lily Naughton

Okay obsessed. Give this chef a raise!! This food is truly amazing. My sister said it was the best burger she’s ever had. The beer cheese with the bread is toasted and buttered to perfection. The Cesar salad with chicken is on pointttt. Vibes are cozy and fun. Love. Edit: forgot to include the tots are perfectly cooked and I’m not even a tomato soup fan but it was amazing

Nikola Stanchev

Super cool bar with good draft beer options and a food menu. Good location, and tasty food.

+9

Marion

Great vibes, music, and service. Wish there was more of the beer cheese but the bread was comfortingly delicious. The yuzu ginger beer was superb!

Lisa R

I came here with some friends just for the beer cheese. This place was super cute. The vibe inside was really nice as well. It is a chill bar vibe. The staff was super friendly allowed us to try different beers before we ordered. He was so amazing he also asked us what we liked to better girly out pallet. It was a great experience even before the food. They do have indoor and outdoor options but we opted for indoor dinning. It was a great experienced we ordered at the bar for both food and drinks. The Mac and cheese was delicious. The beer cheese was amazing along with the fresh baked bread and garlic. We added the garlic to the fresh bread by rubbing it on and then spread the beer cheese. It was great. We even bought a 16oz container to go home with us. I would definitely come here again I really enjoyed the ambiance the food and the friendly staff

+2

Anastassia Batsoula

Nice beer spot, it’s small, quiet, 6 craft beers on draft, along with cans. Their wine list looked nice as well. This is a place you can go and catch up with friends. Delicious beers, although we didn’t eat, food looked great too, glancing at the menu. We also had great service, Will the bartender, friendly and knowledgeable.

Wil Perez

Amazing place, Joe was great. Lots of beer and menu items to pick from. Recommend it to anyone looking for a low key place to relax and enjoy time with yourself or friends. I loved the decorations especially the deer with the sunglasses and if you want to have something to remember your time here you can get a T-shirt with Earl. Look forward to coming back.

+4

Bradley Witover (Qbrad)

Delicious grilled cheese sandwiches that are not even a little bit standard. Everything is rich and flavourful with an emphasis on rich. You can add pork belly to almost anything here. I recommend the Mozzarella, and the pickles are awesome!

Rachit Mohindra

The food here is not for the faint of heart. The sandwiches are delicious and huge. The beer cheese is a must and the kimchi, pork belly grilled cheese almost stole my heart from my girlfriend.

Kind of a hole in the wall, upper East side standby, with a focus on, you guessed it, beer and cheese-based food. Some tables in front, booths and a couple of long tables in the back. Games available. A little loud,and but it was a Friday night.Toastedwith a cheese spread for starters, an IPA, less hoppy than New England style and nice. Cuban Reuben, with pork is popular. I had a taco with spicy pork and cabbage, crispy flour based shell, a little much to eat with the hands, and good. Too full to sample the bread pudding, sadly. Fun place.

They've started taking cards now which is great. The beer cheese is delicious - especially the bread that it comes with. The beer selection is ok although it tends to lean more heavily towards darker beers. The food is extremely greasy and heavy, and not necessarily in a comfort-food way but just in a heavy, unappealing way.

Their beer selection isn't the greatest for a place with "beer" in its name. The food is good, although some of the sandwiches are too tiny (looking at you, calabro mozz.) to justify the price. Fave items are: beer cheese, mac n cheese, Earl's taco, and the bread pudding.

The mac and cheese and the gorgonzola sandwich were both good. The beer selection is actually pretty limited for a place with beer in the title. I think there are 4 beers on tap, and maybe 8 bottles/cans. My wife came with a headache and the TV was blaring. She asked them to turn it down, and not only did they turn down the TV, they also offered her an ibuprofen. Awesome. The place is really small. I think it would be better if it doubled or tripled in size and had more than one big, shared table with bench seats.

Really great beer selections! They have the most amount of beer that I've seen in the area. From multiple balast point selections to great sours. Didn't get to try their food unfortunately - but it looked really good!

they have a big selection of good beers, the sandwiches with cheese are good, and my friends liked the hamburgers. also they offered good wine. the place is a little bit noisy, and full of mount sinai people

Cool cosy spot with wooden table and booths. Beers are local and food is banging.

Cool place. The HP beer is legit and the NY brews are a solid choice. The waitress took a little time to clear the table but once she saw the tinder app out she was slightly more motivated (;P) all around good, would return.

The good people at Earl's keep things fresh with a constantly rotating selection of choice craft brews both on draught and in the can. The bartenders are very attentive and welcoming. Don't miss out on the food too, especially the Pub Cheese -- my personal favorite. Earl's is a neighborhood staple that never fails for a good time. I'm there once a week.

This place was not even on my radar of places to check out while in this 'hood. Earl's was our second stop after checking out Harlem's Apollo Theatre and it was a perfect addition to the sunny yet chilly Saturday we were having. The space at Earl's is minimal and large parties of more than 4 have only the communal table to share. Luckily, we were just a party of 2 and sat right in front the bartender. I had the rye ale and the bf had the Sweet Action IPA. They usually have 3-4 drafts and their limited yet interesting cheesy menu is great. We decided on the mac and cheese as well as the taco. Both were very creative! My mac and cheese was with a goat cheese base, which was really good given the fact that I only found out after I had ordered it was made with goat cheese. (I'm not the biggest fan of goat cheese.) The bf went with the (massive) taco supported by a scallion pancake. Both were very tasty and a lot of bang for your buck. This wouldn't be my top choice for gathering a group of people together, but it's the spot to meet and chat up with close buddies over a good craft brew and cheesy goodness. Next time, I'm not going to miss out on the cheese ball though! (Still shaking my head as to why I didn't think to order that!)

The place may not looks very appealing to some, but they have a very interesting menu, specially the macarrone and cheese with goat cheese. Also, there is a beer known as "other half" it will be a great choice.

Such a great place. Solid beers and tasty food.

Stopped by last week for a quick bite during lunch hour. Great atmosphere and staff. Every menu item seemed delicious. I eventually decided to try the, “Earl’s Taco: Braised Pork Shoulder / Queso Fresco / Radish / Shredded Cabbage / Cilantro / Scallion Pancake.” The flavors and textures complimented one another so well. I would absolutely order a stack of just scallion pancakes if that were possible (I’m sure that could be arranged)! Merchandise is available for sale and I would have gotten a beanie if there were any left. Check this place out alone or with friends.

Narrow but deeply set establishment. Good for college friends meetup. Don't eat food here. The beer cheese is mostly good when you run the garlic on the bread. The bread is meh. Holds lots of college and post college experiences for folks so people come back. Grilled cheese is meh because of the quality of the bread Beers - small but great selection - popular and less popular beers. Think of it as a dive bar not as a world renowned place.

Small spot, but we had a good time. Went at 3pm on a Sunday, still has the brunch menu. Also need to order at the bar then brought to your table. The food was good, and very flavorful. I would not become a regular here, but I am happy I went.

This turned out to be a pretty cool spot. I guess they haven't always had the back area but it seems like they have a decent bit of room now. On a Friday night we didn't have any trouble finding a table. The tap selection is small (8 beers I think) but varied and you can almost certainly find something new and exciting. I had a Jack's Abby Brewing Smoke & Dagger Rauchbier ($7) which I though was super tasty. My friends and I split some a jumbo beer cheese which is definitely enough to satisfy 4. It was a pretty tasty and a little spicy and overall very good. One of my friends went for a mozzarella grilled cheese and was disappointed, it was served on an english muffin and looked a little lacking/lame from where I was sitting. He also got a tomato soup which he raved about and the spoon I had was pretty tasty. The bar isn't huge but you shouldn't have any issues with a group of 4, anything more and you'll have to hope one of the longer tables is open which can easily seat 8. Service was friendly and I have no complaints about the bartender. Earl's is definitely one of the better bars in the area and one I'll keep in mind in the future.

Earl's is a longstanding gem that I wish I'd think to visit more frequently but I rarely just happen to be in the area. The rotating selection of beer on draught & in cans is consistently great, as are the staff's knowledge & recommendations. Beer cheese & tater tots (at a minimum) are a must. You can eat healthy another time:)

Cozy local place with amazing beer collection and absolutely delicious and one of a kind Taco.

paul zweben

Loving the vibe! The music is fly! Finback lager 🍺 is yummy! Local brewery in Queens! I didn’t eat any food!

A NH

The beer cheese is more like a spread and not a dip. The bread was really really good. They said the regular size would be enough for 2 people. While the bread was, the cheese not really. I didn’t like grabbing the garlic to spread it on the bread, they should give you a paste instead. My hands ended up stinky. Prices are high but I guess it’s the area. They hard board games, I liked that. The staff was very nice.

Kyle Dahl

Overall: Cozy, humble, and delicious, Earl's is the place to be for a laid-back meal. The good: The TBD breakfast sandwich, which is a classier McGriddle, really hit the spot. The brioche buns were laced (and seemed pan fried) with maple syrup and served with jelly on the side, which took the savory yet sweet combo to the top. As for the atmosphere, it is humble, semi-divey, and unique. The lone cashier/server was friendly and the music was good for a low-key morning. The not-so-good: They don't serve OJ, due to the fact that they make their "OJ" in-house, so they have to save it for mimosas. The food also took a while, considering we were 1 of 2 tables. Atmosphere: 8.5/10 Service: 8/10 Food: 8.5/10

So I can't say that the food was terrible. It was more confusing than anything. The menu said the order came with a garlic rub.. I got two whole cloves of garlic. Maybe I'm not cultured enough, but WTF am I supposed to do with that? Also, the blonde girl server at the bar is so rude. She took our order and then when she brought the food she complained that we hadn't tipped her up front. UMMM...why would we tip you BEFORE service? We just got here. She didn't even get my friend's order right or even acknowledge us at all when we walked in --even with the place being empty.Confusing garlic & confusing server.

Took an hour for the food. We ordered the fries and beer cheese. It wasn’t even crowded until the Trivia crowd came in after a half hour. One of the trivia teams arriving after us got their fries first… by a half hour… so i thought oh they are bringing both our items together i guess. No. The beer cheese came out first and the fries took another 15 minutes! Unbelievable. We asked nicely several times. No offer of a round of free drinks or anything. We were told 3 times that its about to come out and we wait longer. Frustrating because i like the place but eon’t be going back.