Ayza Chocolate & Wine Bar

I took my girlfriend here because a friend recommended it but we were both really disappointed. THe service was really slow. It took a long time for us even to get water, and then the waitress wanted use to order right away and when we weren't ready we had to wait forever for her to come back. The wine list was alright, but not as grand as one would expect from a wine bar. My girlfriend got some fish thing that she had a hard time eating and I got the filet which was good but so tiny I was still hungry afterward. Dessert was pretty good, but it wasn't ennough to make me want to visit again. And the place is so small that we felt like we were sitting in the laps of the people next to us.

I am Switzerland and never think chocolate as good as in my home country. I come to Ayza to try chocolate and am very happy. They are small but gorgeous. They are fancy and pretty and taste v. good. They remind me of chocolate shop in my home town. And when my mother comes I take her there and she think same thing. I like Grand Cru truffle. Very smooth and delicious tasting. And passionfruit truffle. More fancy than truffles at home but different and in a good way. My mother like hazelnut. Not quite same as home but the closest I find so far. And I live in New York two years. Also I like wine with chocolate. Very nice idea and the paring is v. good. Place is v. nice too. I like red and silver together, makes v. pretty. And food is nice too, I like truffle pizza best. I like wine too.I think Ayza the best wine bar in New York City.

I love this place, very friendly wait staff, great selection of wines. They finally have outdoors open. You can find more information on their nice website
http://www.ayzanyc.com

I stopped into Ayza because I love wine and I had good time there. I tried the 3 cheese platter with goat cheese, piave and manchego and a glass of pinot grigio. Although it was a bit crowded and it's a small place, the service was great I was comfortable by the window. I'll definitely recommend it to my friends.

J.B.

I was in NY for a conference and picked Ayza off City Search because it sounded great - and it was. When we arrived we were immediately greeted at the door, by who we later found out to be the owner. Our waitress was a little less then helpful with the menu, but the waitress at the next table was fabulous, so I guess it is just luck of the draw. They brought me the wrong meal, but immediately fixed it and offered us free dessert to make up for it. The owner was very friendly and attentive. I highly recommend this place for either a romantic dinner or a dinner with friends. It is small so you want to get reservations. Delicious food and wonderful experience.

After being there a few times and waiting for at least 20 minutes to get a table each time, finally last sunday evening we got to enjoy ayza without all the crowd. We shared a bottle of Chateau clerc milon with the recommendation of the heavy accented friendly French sommelier. It was a pleasure to listen to his detailed explanations. Oh yes it got even better, our waitress which seemed to have an attitude in the beginning came out to be a sweetheart, and she helped us to pair some cheeses and chocolate to go with our great bottle of wine. Sunday evenings seems to be the best time to dine at ayza, at least for now.

What a delightful evening. We sat back and surrendered to one great taste after another during a recent dinner at Ayza. This little gem of a wine bar complete with an appealing and cozy ambiance is the genuine thing. Have to admit the setting became secondary once we began tasting our food. The hummus, goat cheese brle , and cheese selection were truly exceptional but no more so than the stuffed chicken, filet mignon which were every bit as luscious. We could not find enough good things to say about the experience. It was great. Wines by glass were expensive, but good.

I took my family out for Saturday dinner. It is a small place, very cute, unique decor. I felt like I was back in Europe. Nice music too. The cranberry walnut bread is yummy not to mention the olives they serve it with: delicious! ordered the stuffed chicken which was pretty good. My father ordered the salmon which was a little bland. My mom and brothers ordered the hummus and hot artichoke which they thoroughly enjoyed. The sangria was superb, just right! For dessert, I recommend twenty layer crepes cake and chocolate truffles (they set it on fire: very nice!) Only thing, it took a while to prepare our meal. I don't think they're used to big groups (there were 12 of us). I would probably go back, with a smaller group of people, maybe friends...

I like the food and and the service but place is small so tables are very close to each other. Its an average place to try. It could be more attractive once the outdoor space is open.

Small place with nice atmosphere Owners cared with us personally, a little small but cute place, I was really pleased by their friendly care.Nice to see a place like this.

The food was over priced, poorly staffed and the food was average at best.I was told so many things about this place but i recognized that it is not worthed.

This wine bar looks nice on the outside and inside. This is a place where you look around & everyone is happy to be there. Even though we had to wait a little for it, the food was excellent. Filet mignon was juicy and delicious. Their cheesecake was one of the best I had. The wine list is varied with many decent bottles.

Not in a busy street, I would never notice if my boyfriend didn't take me
there. Friendly service, not that fast on busy times but worths to wait.
salmon soup served in teapot suprised me a lot.
I wasnt expecting that fancy cheese plate when the owner offered me to
taste the cheese, perfect selection.

I take great pleasure in dining out and experiencing new and exciting cuisine but I was in for a classic. I didn't know what to expect from ayza wine & chocolate bar but it was flat out incredible. I frequent places with my girlfriend and she is the toughest critic and even she was impressed. The food and service is above and beyond what I have had in a long time and she cant wait to go back. Here's to the most romantic wine bar in N.Y.C

I was there on Thursday night with my boyfriend. It took us about 10 minutes to get our table. The ambiance is very romantic, mostly candle lights. Weve tried delicious cheeses and chocolates with our wine flight by the recommendation of the sommelier. Tables were so close to each other, It felt like I was having dinner with the next table but except this I enjoyed my night.

The place was great... the wait staff was friendly. The food was delicious, and the atmosphere was quaint. We had to wait briefly for a table to open up, much shorter than the 20 minutes they had told us. I forget exactly what we ate but it was awesome. Their staff was informative as we both had no idea what some of the wine menu items were. Ok, so you're rubbing elbows with the people at the table next to you but it's part of the charm :) Highly recommended!

We found the place from the web. In fact it was higher than our expectations. The food is great, the service is slow but the presentation of food is great. These people really know that the devil is in the details. The hospitality is as expected from a high class restaurant. The Food is the fusion of great French - Italian Kitchen. The cheeses are well selected. And I do not have enough words to describe their desserts.

My boyfriend took me to Ayza and the entire experience was perfection!! Everyone he knows is just buzzing about this place so we had to check it out. The ambiance is cozy and relaxing. The service was friendly although a bit slow. Actually the slow service aIlowed us to savor the wine and atmosphere. It was so refreshing to see the owner interested in our experience and chatted with us for a while. The sommelier was very pleasant and took the time to offer advice on food/wine pairings. We will certainly be back!!

I was there for Valentines day.I would highly recommend this restaurant. Very friendly service and wonderful food. Great ambiance.I will definitely be back again.

Ayza just opened this summer and I was presently surprised, it was an answer to my prayers. The concept of the place is to be a more accessible place to get fine wine, cheese, and some food without having to deal with a high end restaurant and reservations. On this note it succeeds 100%.I enjoyed a delicious panini, glass of Shiraz wine, and three different cheeses. I found everything to be delicous and tasted exactly as I would have hoped.

Perfect organization for this great day. We were seated promptly, the staff was very polite, the owner was around the be sure that everything was perfect and he cared with us by himself. My wife loved it soo much. Candles, music, atmosphere, champagne, chocolates... Totally Romantic...

I absolutely loved the food. It is a great atmosphere and everything you order tastes better than the one before.Good wine, romantic atmosphere, quality music, delicious chocolate.The place is kind of small, but still is great. Ayza is definitely the right place for taking my boyfriend in Valentines Day. Pretty sure that he will love it

I was quite glad to stumble up this place for a relaxing dinner. The cheese platter was well prepared, decorated, it was perfect. Nice selection of wines to taste from a variety of regions. Service was very friendly and attantive. Perfect wine glasses. The music was a bit loud for a while, We mentioned it to the manager, and he took care of this issue right away. The overall experience was great.It is also very close to Madison square garden and empire state building and that makes them superb.

Wine, Cheese and Chocolate We went there last Saturday with my boyfriend. Got there around 8.30 PM. It was so nice to see the owner welcoming everyone in person. After having some champagne cocktails at the bar, we moved to a table to enjoy the lovely night of us.Everything was great but they should work on service little bit".

i went to Ayza on new years eve with a party of 6 people and i have to say we where all very impressed right from the food to the service in this resturant was excellent i would highly recommed it...

Didn't think that I would find the wines I was hoping to see, quite large and definetely good selection of wine list. I met their somelie in person, he was very helpful and deep in wines.I liked their Summer's Cabarnet Sauvignon.