I'm heading to Hamilton in 2 weeks for an 8pm show. I've read they open the doors at 7:30, but read somewhere else that they open the bars an hour early at 7pm. How does that work exactly? Can I get there early and have a drink at the bar, or not? I'd love some help, planning my first trip to Broadway and would love to relax with a beverage for 20-30 min before the show!
I'm not aware of the bar opening early. I think it just opens at 7:30. The Row NYC on 8th and 44th has a nice bar in it and is right around the corner. If I were you I'd go for a drink there and then walk to the theater at 7:45 or so. You don't want to get to the theater right at 7:30 when the doors open if you can help it as you'll just have to wait in line.
(And others can correct me if I'm wrong about the bar!)
Drinks are so expensive in the theaters. Go early and maybe go to a popular spot near the theater. I like Lillies and Hurley's. Along 8th you can probably find a good happy hour before the show. Just some suggestions.
Seconding the suggestion to get drinks somewhere near the theater rather than once you arrive. The souvenir cups are nice, but I can't get past the $18+ theater drinks that usually scrimp on the alcohol content.
I second the idea to get drinks somewhere on West 44th Street. That way you can get to the RR easily by cutting through Shubert Alley and then also going through the Marriott passage and avoid the main streets, which will be a zoo. I ate at Carmine's the night I saw Hamilton, but that's only good for groups (there were six of us). It was really easy to bypass the crowds from there. Carmine's does have a bar, too, though. The address is 200 West 44th Street, in case you want to check it out for drinks.
To my mind, there are few places better for pre-show drinks than the upstairs bar at Sardi's. It's just across from Shubert Alley and then the Marriott Marquis cut-through (right next to the RR on 46th) so it's super easy and fast to get from there to Hamilton in 3 minutes!
OP here - thank you all so much for the help. I'll avoid the RR bar and hit up someplace else nearby! So if RR is ~ $18 for a drink, how much is a place like Sardis?