Cellar Bar

I have been hearing great things about this bar from co-workers forever so I went last week and had an amazing time! It's really sexy and chill inside without being pretentious at all---the staff was unusually friendly and helpful and we felt taken care of from the minute we walked in. There's a ton of specialty drinks to choose from, including a happy hour list that we definitely took advantage of, and they had a DJ spinning that night who had the perfect mixture of "loungey" and upbeat music--while a little loud sometimes it made it feel like we really were escaping after a long work day. I liked that the crowd was full of professionals like us and I could see why--with all the bars around this one stands out as a perfect balance of relaxing lounge and busy bar all in one. I'm a new regular for sure!

Pros: sexy, great drinks, friendly staff

Cons: a little pricey but worth it

Posted 10/21/09

I went here Friday night and it was the worst! I didn't have to waint in a line or anything, but when I got there, I could barely move. I was stuck up against a wall, forced to push my way through people, stepping on toes to get to the bar. Needless to say, because it was so packed, it was ridiculously humid and not good for my hairstyle.

The place looked really cool and the drink prices were average for the city, but I felt like I was back at the Jersey Shore, constantly bombarded by fist punping guidos. I thought all the Benny's were in Belmar this time of year. I won't be going back.

Pros: Cool Design

Cons: Crowded, Humid, Crowded, Humid, Awful

Posted 06/21/09

I have been to Cellar Bar so many times over the years. It has always been a classic place. Last Friday I celebrated my roommate's birthday. The doorguy was really nice in making sure all of our friends got in. The music was AMAZING. We stayed almost til closing. Thanks again for making it happen!

Pros: Great doorman, MUSIC

Posted 02/19/09

Went there on a Saturday night to celebrate a friends B-Day and let me just say that his place is HOTTTT ! I read the reviews and was expecting a not so exciting night. I was told it was very very very trendy and that sometimes the bouncers would give you a hard time at the door... SOOO NOT THE CASE !! I arrived around 11pm, there was a small line but the bouncer let us walk right in, the music was HOTTTT a nice mix of everything (I usually go to latin spots so I was alilttle hesitant) the service was GREATTTT, they kept on checking on us and were very polite. GREAT atmosphere, nice place... will defenitely go there again !! BUTTTT I do agree it was alittle pricey but its worth it since there is no cover !!

Pros: GREAT MUSIC, GREAT ATMOSPHERE, GREAT SERVICE

Cons: ALITTLE PRICEY

Posted 06/02/08

Went the other night with a colleague from the office. If you arrive early (5:30pm on a weeknight), you easily can get a table or seat at the bar, which is perfect for people watching when the place starts to fill around 7. Server was pleasant, great music and cool atmosphere. Specialty cocktail menu was just OK (too many sweet/fruity options) but they have all the standards. I'll be back.

Posted 04/05/08

Went there on a Friday night. The bouncer gave us the impression this was some fancy super uptight place by making our group wait for our GIRL friend before he let us all in. But the crowd inside was cool and energetic and having a good time. Drinks were expensive, but the decor (high vaulted ceilings) and music (we went there on a friend's recommendation who said the music was good, she was right) made up for it. I'd def go back...but make sure you're tipsy first if you don't want to empty your wallet on drinks.

Pros: music

Cons: line

Posted 03/18/08

we had six people who were ordering drinks and they came by and told us to close out our tab because there might be a table reservation coming. fine. closed it out. then the waitress never came back. flagged down a barback who told us we had to go to the bar to get drinks. fine. whatever. this place is definitely trying to be better than it is -- obviously a case of disillusionment for the bar. it's an okay place but the crowd is a mix of hip and not so hip and definitely not nice enough to justify the hipper-than-thou attitude of the service people at this bar. the service people should remember -- they are SERVICE people not the clients. a word of advice to the bar -- if you're going to put up this much attitude, you need to have something to back it up -- not just a wannabe attitude that upsets clients. btw, i don't know why this place shows a five star review on citysearch -- maybe that's the editor's rating? if so, given that thus far more than half the reviews are three stars or below, this editor obviously has not taken into account any service rating when rating this bar.

Pros: dj

Cons: attitude of the servers, high priced drinks

Posted 03/14/08

My friends and I went here around 9pm on a Saturday. The bouncer told us to get in line, behind NO ONE. We obliged and stood behind the rope. After carding us all, another man told us that we could not go in. The people who got in line behind us were easily welcomed in without a reservation. This was the excuse they gave my party of 6. We are not a rowdy bunch and we were stopping in for a glass of wine, or two ;) Save your money and go elsewhere!!!! If the bouncers were so rude, imagine the staff?

Posted 12/10/07

cool place below koi the restaurant. expensive

Posted 08/02/07

I agree w/the previous review. This place has great ambiance but I would not consider it a couples spot. It's a a great place for groups of friends and meeting people. I went for the first time last night and had such a good time. The music was great and mixed old songs w/new beats and they play everything from oldies to dance to hip hop. We could not stop dancing. Crowd is very attractive and overall the place was really beautiful. This place has an upscale club feeling w/no cover charge however they do get u with the drinks.

Pros: Ambiance, Across the Street from Bryant Park, Good Music, Beautiful Crowd

Cons: High priced drinks

Posted 07/13/07

I went there on a Thursday night to meet a girl for drinks. I never been there before, but reading the review led me to the belief that this was a romantic bar that two people could drink & get to know each other. It was very crowded, dark and the music was thumpin'. Nothing wrong with that in a bar, but this wasn't exactly what I had in mind for a romantic bar that I could take a date to & talk. My idea of a romantic bar isn't screaming over the music to talk to someone. Seems more to be of a single's scene now.

Pros: Was very busy, with a good after work crowd

Cons: Extremely expensive drinks, from $8 beers to $14 cocktails.

Posted 06/22/07

A devastating evening.
I went to the Cellar bar on a Tuesday night to catch up with an old friend. I did not have very much money on me or in my bank account but I could afford 2 over priced drinks no problem. The waitress was curt, scarce and miserable.
Well I started the Tab with my debit card but we paid our $50.00 tab in cash.
Upon Leaving I then noticed that my Ipod was stolen from my bag.
The next morning I noticed a $50.00 pending transaction in my bank account. So now at this point I?ve spent $75.00 and an ipod on 2 glasses of wine.

I was told by my bank that I just needed anyone for the bar to verify that the transition has been closed and they don?t need my payment of 50 bucks to get my much needed funds back into my account.

No one ever got back to me.
I did get a call to tell me that my ipod wasn?t found but no assistance on the financial matter at all and that is after 2 calls and 2 emails sent. One week and one bounced check later I get my cash back.

The mistake of using my debit card was mine but the lack of consideration is unforgivable. I will NEVER go there again.

Posted 06/11/07

After reading the last entry, I fear I am noticing a trend. I ordered 3 extremely overpriced drinks at the bar ($8 for a bud light bottle?! are you serious? you can get a 6-pk for less than that!) and closed out my tab. I was given my receipt and wrote in my tip and total. I left roughly 12% because the bartender was rude and I was bitter about the inflated prices, then signed the receipt and took my copy.
The next day I checked my bank account total, and the bartender took the liberty of giving herself a 20% tip and charging my account with her new total. I'm pretty sure you can't do that, and why an establishment that seems to be empty all the time (according to my experience and the others mentioned here) would want to charge it's few customers an incorrect amount is beyond me.
I am still in the process of working to get my money back but, trust me, I will. One thing I won't do is return to Cellar Bar.

Pros: nada

Cons: empty place, empty servers, empty pockets

Posted 04/06/07

The bar was nearly empty when we got there, but all of the tables were reserved, and we were told by an incredibly snide waitress that we could not "enjoy the table service" unless we each bought a bottle of something. it was my friend's birthday and it would have been nice if they hadn't treated him like something the cat had dragged in. seriously, if you need to spend an exhorbitant amount of money to feel like you're special, there must be better places in this city to do it than this blandly decorated, pretentious basement staffed with snide waitresses serving overpriced poorly-mixed drinks and a bad selection of bottled beer.

Posted 03/27/07

went there on a very drunken occassion...wound up leaving my debit card and was charge an obscene amount...95% of what was never spent by myself. had to spend days trying to sort it out with dishonest people who worked at cellar bar. finally my last resort was to go through my bank and sort it out as a fraudulent charge. word of advice...if you're extremely intoxicated make sure someone is baby-sitting you bc you'll get ripped off.

Pros: Good place to socialize

Cons: Bad place to go unless you wanna get ripped off

Posted 11/19/06

At least I hope it is... the decor of Cellar Bar has all the right pieces to be the edgy, goth (in the seductive way) lounge so badly missing in NYC. I've been a few times in the last couple of months & the music is always good - plus good dance area, prompt staff, nice lounging/table areas. If you're looking for a great vibe mid-night or ending the night, that's away from Meatpacking & Chelsea big clubs, this is it. Although not much is in "Midtown"- it's at least easy to get cabs to/from!

Pros: Edgy Decor

Cons: Midtown

Posted 11/13/06

We went here for a birthday party one night and it was a great find! Loved the atmosphere and the space. Brought a group here after work one night and it was great for that as well.

Pros: Great atmosphere, Good music

Cons: Not too many other bars around

Posted 11/08/06

places in midtown shouldn't have attitude, but this place has it in a bad way. we went with 2 guys and 1 girl (me) on a friday night. we waited in line FOREVER. anyway, they only let in parties with an equal number of guys and girls. otherwise, you had to get a table. a lot of places are like that... but they're in the meatpacking district, not in freaking midtown! plus, the bouncers were just rude, pretending that we (and the people behind us) weren't there. even worse, they were begging people to get tables.

Overall - super lame at night. okay for happy hour though when there aren't bouncers with attitudes.

Posted 10/04/06

I went here with some co-workers last week after work on Friday and we had an amazing time. The staff is friendly and not to mention super hot. The DJ was amazing for an afterwork DJ. He was playing groovy, housy, jazzy, funky stuff that I normally only get to hear in San Francisco or Europe.

I highly recommend this bar and I'd say my friends and I may be making a regular thing out of it.

Pros: Great atmosphere, awesome music, great service

Cons: pricey drinks

Posted 07/06/06

My boyfriend and I went after work about 530, the place wasn't that busy and we could not get a drink. Waited for 30 minutes, waitress kept saying ill be right back ...and she wasn't waiting on anyone else. We were both dressed up on our way to an event for Moma so I really have no idea what the problem was. On the way out we said to the manager that we wanted to stay but couldn't get service, all he said (with a smile) was sorry about that. Not please stay I'll make sure she comes over..nothing. This place was also incredibly dark, couldn't even see the stairs to get down to the seats. We will never go back!

Pros: Dark

Cons: Dark, Bad Service, Over priced

Posted 04/28/06

Went there last Thursday around 7, the place was packed and we couldn't find a spot to sit down. The bartenders are very nice, and the martinis tasted great! Big after-work crowd.

Pros: Great Drinks, Good music, nice decor

Cons: few seats

Posted 03/12/06

It's great to have a place you can keep going back to without getting bored! From Happy Hour to Late Night Weekend Parites... it's been 5 for 5! One of the chillest vibes out there. Great music, good looking people along with the hottest staff, delicious cocktails... only bummer, they don't serve food anymore- but with a resturante like Koi just upstairs..... it all evens out (plus they have the best snack mix)! I say great for small and large parties... and even better place to romance that certain someone... I smell sex and candy!

Pros: Hot Staff, Sexy Atmosphere, Great Drinks

Cons: Their aren't enough, places like this

Posted 06/01/05

Cellar Bar maintains high standards on all levels without the attitude. Although the Bryant Park Hotel is an A-list hotel the overall vibe in the Cellar Bar is cool. Great DJs are tearing up a brand new sound system every night. A beautiful staff is serving a creative cocktail list and the new furniture layout is great for bottle service. The crowd is always goodlooking and I will be back very soon!

Posted 05/28/05

Rude doorstaff + terrible service = Cellar Bar. The crowd was horrible and completely overrun by B&T.

Posted 04/13/05

Me and my friends decided to go to Cellar Bar last night and it was great. I called in advance for a guest list, we took a table and everyone was taken care of at the door....the security were super nice. I will definately go back.

Pros: Service, Music

Posted 03/12/05

I've had such a great time there...This place rocks every night of the week. The weekends are always fun and upbeat and the weekdays there is always a cool party. I love their martinis. Me and my friends have had quite a few parties here. The staff is always sooo nice and accomidating. Their app menu is delicious too...

Pros: Music, Service, Crowd

Posted 03/09/05

I asked for a Stella and the waitress over my back places a bottle in front of me - does not present it to me worthy of the price that I am paying. The paper of the bottle goes right to the top and I was given no glass. I had to flag down the hostess to get a glass and then was given a wine glass for beer.

Posted 02/06/04

Some friends and I met at Cellar Bar to have a drink before going out dancing. We sat at a table, and literally 15 minutes went by without anyone coming to take our drink order. I had to flag someone down for every step in the process- taking our order, getting the check, and getting change. We were totally ignored the whole time, so we decided not to leave a tip.

The maitre D chased us up the stairs, shouting, "That wasn't nice, ladies!" I tried explaining to him how awful the service was; rather than apologizing, he said "she had a lot of tables to take care of." Bull- the place was half-empty and the waitresses were wandering around slowly. We were furious about the treatment and will never go back. The atrocious attitude isn't worth the pretty atmosphere.

Pros: Decor, Atmosphere

Cons: Service, Attitude, Management

Posted 06/09/03

Typical nyc swanky bar. pretty dark, everyone in black, and good lookin people. Drinks were expensive but made well. you should know what you are getting into going to a bar in the basement of the byant.

Pros: well drinks

Cons: expensive drinks

Posted 03/14/03

The cellar bar is trendy and modern yet quaint and romantic all in one setting...there is a creative drink list, a friendly staff and the dj spins upbeat lounge music...definately a go see!

Pros: atmosphere, trendy

Posted 03/05/03

I visited Cellar Bar with a large(ish) group of friends for after-dinner birthday celebration. The drinks were unbelievably overpriced....(re: my girlfriend's $8 Cranberry Juice...poured from an Ocean Spray Can!!!) The music was OK...the clientele was overly-eager...in a semi-creepy way. I won't go back.

Posted 11/22/02

Great design, good music and cute crowd. Martini menu is tasty as well. If you liked the Royalton, head over to Cellar Bar for something new and more chic.

Posted 08/06/02