Overview
New York on Tap listed this bar without a review.
History
Blue because John Barrymore said so
The Blue Bar owes its blue to John Barrymore1. The Algonquin Hotel opened in 19022. When Prohibition ended, Frank Case reopened the bar in the hotel, and Barrymore convinced him to put blue gels over the lights1.
The hotel's history also counts the first ever $10,000 martini, bought by a young man proposing to his girlfriend in big style1, and a nine-month closing for a top-to-bottom $5 million renovation1.
Then the hotel removed the Blue Bar completely3. It didn't take: in January 2026 the hotel unveiled refreshed menus and a renewed artistic collaboration at the Blue Bar Restaurant & Lounge4, available daily at 59 West 44th Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues2, 4.
Sources
Researched October 2026.