Dead Poet

450 Amsterdam Ave · btwn 81st & 82nd St
Upper West Side, Manhattan

In 2026

Still pouring

Checked October 16, 2026.

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Overview

The small size and vague literary pretensions of this pub help keep the neighborhood's frattish hordes at bay offering a welcome respite for a somewhat brighter student crowd.

History

Irish pub, required reading on the walls

Drew Dvorkin, a former high school English teacher, opened the Dead Poet in September 2000 to combine his passion for Irish pubs and literature¹. He designed it to celebrate the lives of famous writers and poets, and the mahogany-paneled walls carry black-and-white portraits, quotations and poetic passages on the universal quandaries of life¹. Our old listing called its literary pretensions vague, which the walls would dispute. It's still at 450 Amsterdam Avenue^{1, 2}.

Sources

Researched October 2026.

What's nearby

Gin Mill under 0.1 mi Still pouring
Jake's Dilemma under 0.1 mi Still pouring
Brother Jimmy's (West Side) 0.1 mi Closed; now Crave Fishbar
McAleer's Pub and Restaurant 0.1 mi Closed; now The Wolfe
Fred's 0.1 mi Still pouring
420 Bar and Lounge 0.1 mi A different business is licensed at this address: Willet's Corner
Hi-Life 0.1 mi Still pouring
Soldier McGee Tavern 0.1 mi Closed; now Florentin Bistro and Bar
George Keeley 0.1 mi Still pouring
Blue Donkey Bar 0.1 mi Closed; now King Food