Uptown Lounge

Great place for a hungover brunch. $15 includes 2 drinks (bloody marys or mamosas) and your meal. Portion sizes are big and filling. I would recommend the banana stuffed French toast if you're going for breakfast or the chicken sandwich if you want lunch. Sit in the back because that is where there is the most light.

Pros: not crowded, stiff drinks

Posted 01/25/06

As an UES resident who frequently goes downtown for dinner and entertainment, I must say that it is great to have such a wonderful restaurant with-in walking distance. The dishes here are delicious and very reasonable. The place is usually very busy and they have turned into quite the nighttime spot. I made an effort to speak to the owner, manager and chef to let them know how great of a job they are doing If you stop by here, take notice to the family "feel" of the place. Service is very warm and inviting. They change the menu every season, offer unique and tasty drinks and overall just a pleasure to be there. P.S- try their dumplings or goat cheese stuffed mushrooms. For entrees, try the tuna w/ ginger or the grilled shrimp.

Pros: great dishes, friendly service, fun vibe

Posted 01/24/06

I am the managing director for the midtown office of Bear Sterns. I also frequent Uptown Restaurant for dinner and drinks. I am always impressed by the service, quality of food, ambience, and the charming nature of this place. Even though the location is further then we usually go, I decided to have our tier office party at Uptown's Skylight Room. I was beyond impressed. Granted this is not the Plaza, but it was one of the most successful and fun holiday parties we have attended. Delicious appetizers & entrees, beautiful room, and the staff was extraordinary. John & KT, you both coordinated an excellent party and I will continue to have both my personal events and corporate functions at your establishment. Thank you again and Happy New Year. -JF

Pros: great food, fun staff, upbeat & fun

Posted 12/25/05

Its rare I venture to the upper east side, especially all the way in the 80's but this place is a real reason to go. A few friends and I stumbled by Uptown on our way back from the MET. The decor is classy but not to stuffy and there are plenty of tables. They have awesome martini specials and the food was delicious. Try the spinach dip ...it rivals Houstons. Service was super friendly ..I'll definitely head back.

Posted 12/15/05

I took my girlfriend to Uptown for her birthday on a Tuesday night on a recommendation of friends. We were greeted and sat promptly. I was first surprised at the live jazz band that was playing and also by the ambiance. We had some apps first, then filet and fish special, Mahi Mahi with baked clams in a tomato sauce. It was great and affordable. A bottle of wine under $40 that was good?!? and a meal that didn't break the bank. When I told the waitress that it was my girlfriends birthday they brought out a complimentary brownie with candle. The only negative I had was that it was crowded. Overall it was a beautiful place with great food at a reasonable price. I would recommend it to anyone.

Pros: Food, Ambiance, Cost

Cons: Crowded

Posted 12/15/05

Right after being seated, the waitress spilled an entire tray of drinks on the table (that weren't even ours). When she came back, she didn't bother to dry it off, nor did she even bring a towel so we could dry ourselves off. She proceeded to ask us "What do you want?" and then stood there like we were annoying her. We ordered our drinks, got them shortly after, and every single drink was wrong. At this point, we asked for the manager, and he was abrasive, smug and made the situation even worse. When we got our correct drinks, they were absolutley terrible and undrinkable. Wouldn't recommend to a worst enemy.

Posted 12/10/05

I live across the street and love this place so much I have been there the last 3 Tues nights. The service is spectacular, the scene is classy but laid back, the live jazz on tuesday is an added perk. The place is underated likely bc of its location in the upper east. I adore the intimate setting and wonderful lighting. The 20 dollar wine bottles do not hurt (on Tues nights also).

Pros: food, live jazz, beautiful lighting

Cons: location

Posted 12/01/05

I've only ever dined at Uptown and have always been extremely pleased with my experiences. The bourbon burger is fantastic (and satiates even my boyfriend's big appetite!), the salads are hearty and delicious, the nachos are HUGE, and even brunch is good. Back in May I hosted a dinner party at Uptown for my roommate's birthday and we were extremely well-accomodated. We were given a quiet corner, our waiter was polite and attentive, and I felt as if we were treated like a priority in the restaurant. I hadn't realized until reading the reviews that Uptown was such a nightspot as well...I am definitely interested in seeing the other side of this restaurant!

Posted 11/10/05

My friends and I went to the Uptown Lounge based on their Zagats and Time Out NY reviews. When we first arrived we asked to have dinner at the bar/window area. The hostess informed us that it is louder at the bar area and more intimate (quieter) at the dining room and "skylight bar". However, it was al little to loud for dinner conversation. We asked to change tables and were quickly accommodate by a very gracious manager. We had dinner for 6 at a large circular booth in the dining room. Everything was perfect. Our meals and apps were delicious. The entrees we had were better then more highly rated places (plus they are all under $20). The service was spectacular. Uptown has a great appeal for both an upbeat bar scene, group dining, and a quieter lounge scene at the back bar. Great night out !

Pros: upbeat classy scene, great food, nice people

Posted 10/30/05

My friends and I went to the Uptown Lounge based on their Zagats and Time Out NY reviews. When we first arrived we asked to have dinner at the bar/window area. The hostess informed us that it is louder at the bar area and more intimate (quieter) at the dining room and "skylight bar". However, it was al little to loud for dinner conversation. We asked to change tables and were quickly accommodate by a very gracious manager. We had dinner for 6 at a large circular booth in the dining room. Everything was perfect. Our meals and apps were delicious. The entrees we had were better then more highly rated places (plus they are all under $20). The service was spectacular. Uptown has a great appeal for both an upbeat bar scene, group dining, and a quieter lounge scene at the back bar. Great night out !

Pros: classy scene, nice people, great food

Posted 10/30/05

I have been removed from the singles scene for sometime, but from the looks of it Uptown can cater to your needs. Couples should not be discouraged as you too can have an intimate evening.Uptown has seating that can accommodate large groups&the staff are very friendly.

There is plenty to choose from the menu and the signature martinis pack a punch.The sangria was watery, missing key sweetness & other elements. I would try it again for the 6 bucks. The BBQ skewers are a must. The Striped Bass was a tad fishy, but was remedied by the drizzled orange sauce. The mashed were ok as were the side of spinach. Hubbies filet mignon was tasty & string beans crunchy.

Dessert was definitely welcomed, with Apple Crisp (needed to be more warm) and chocolate cake. For under $100 a Friday evening well spent. Would definitely try the $45 special next time.

Pros: Ambience, Very Friendly Staff, Great Layout

Cons: Weird Cushion'd Seats

Posted 10/25/05

I took out of town guest there for brunch last Saturday and loved it! The Banana Stuffed Croissant is AMAZING! and there is something for everyone on the menu...I went back on Tuesday for the Jazz band and martinis and had an equally great time...If you are into wines they have a great selection by the glass at reasonable prices... crowd and the food is terriffic. The weekend barscene seems great & busy, I just have to drag my boyfriend out . Its a place you can go anyday of the week and I certainly will....

Pros: great brunch, jaxx band, large portions

Posted 10/22/05

I wrote a review about my last 2 experiences at Uptown (brunch & Jazz Night), I am not sure what happened to the reviews , but both were very positive experiences. My boyfriend and I took our friends out for their engagement dinner. One word to describe our night: PERFECT. This place is underrated. It is packed all the time, but I do not think people realize the quality and orginality of the entrees. Prices are reasonable, drinks and music are great and service was actually with a smile. Manamgement knows what they are doing but try this: offer only entrees for 1 week at a lower price, once people try the plum duck, veggie wrapped cod, or pinot filet mignon : You will have dinner reservations until 2007. Great job and a great additiona to the area.

Posted 10/22/05

I live in the neighborhood and frequently patronage the Uptown Lounge for early dinner and brunch with my girlfriends. The food is always great, but one thing separates Uptown from other places. The staff, owners, managers, and even the busboy go out of their way to help you. They truly go out of their way to make sure you are 100% satisfied. I recommended Uptown to my co-worker for her boyfriends surprise 30th. As an attendee of the party, I must tell you it was perfect. I usually do not go to Uptown late (have to be at work at 5 am), but the place was packed. Meg's party was a hit; everyone enjoyed the appetizers, drinks, and the atmosphere. As a classy gesture, the manager gave the birthday boy a $50 gift certificate to Uptown. You guys do it right!

Pros: great staff, good vibe, great for parties

Posted 09/28/05

I am a physician at Mt. Sinai hospital, just four blocks north of The Uptown Lounge. My colleagues and I had limited choices available to us for social gatherings and dinners. I stumbled upon Uptown via the Best of Citysearch results. We decided to have our monthly dinner at Uptown. I would rate this venue a perfect 10. The food, drinks, and ambience of this place is great. IMO the grilled shrimp and duck breast are delicious! The most important factor to me was the attitude of the servers, manger and bartenders. Believe it or not, everyone was polite, friendly and very attentive. Put all of these attributes together and you have the recipe for a great night out! I guess that is why this place is doing so well. One tip, if you have large groups, ask to sit in the skylight room, very impressive.

Pros: martinis, service, huge portions

Posted 07/13/05

We started going to Uptown about 6 months ago and it has become our standard place to meet up with friends. The Happy Hour is a great deal and the food is above average. we've never eaten dinner here but have tried many of the appetizers and they have all been wonderful! The bartenders are very friendly and the atmosphere is perfect. This is the only place in the neighborhood I like. Between all the cheesy frat bars on 3rd and the chi chi restaurants on Madison it's nice to finally have place to go to if you're over 25 but under 40.

Pros: Reasonable prices, extensive menu, good vibe

Posted 06/25/05

My finance & I went to The Uptown Restaurant for the "parents meeting for the first time". We were both nervous about the meeting. We wanted a place that was not boring and dull (incase they did not hit it off). I can say (with having been to tons of restaurants in NYC) that the service, food, ambience, and overall "good vibe" from Uptown made this a great night. The live jazz band, delicious entrees, attentive staff and martinis make it obvious why this place is always packed. Everyone at dinner was very impressed and you will see both families again!!! Thanks- Chris & Jen

Pros: great food, jazz band, attentive service

Posted 06/10/05

Don't believe the hype on citysearch. This place is nothing special. I dropped a Benjamin on dinner for me & my girl and it's pretty much glorified bar food with not much glory. Not romantic at all either, but catching a few innings on the nice big TV was a plus. The atmosphere is good; nice big room, I could sit there all day and drink pints with the nice selection on tap. I would never get food there again though, with an infinite number of superior options in the UES.

Pros: friendly service

Posted 06/08/05

I planned my friend's birthday dinner there because I saw the rating of 9.9 on Citysearch and figured that was a good sign. We ordered appetizers of coconut jumbo shrimp and spinach and artichoke dip, both of which were excellent. 3 of the people ordered the Chicken Francaise and said it was wonderful. The turkey wrap was very fresh and delicious. The portions were large, and I ended up taking most of it home. Walking past the bar area, it's not the greatest scene for singles to meet other singles, because there were mainly couples, but in the restaurant area, there were all sorts of groups. The service was extremely friendly and attentive, and everybody at the table agreed that we would love to go back.

Pros: Food quality, Food portions, Service

Cons: singles scene

Posted 06/05/05

After hearing great things from reviews, I took my girlfriend here for her birthday. The two of us ussually share our food, but we found ourselves reluctant to share because our food/drinks were so good. Definately try the duck and the "uptown apple". Price were reasonable for the quality and quantity. Also, "Katie" the waitress, one of the friendliest waitresses thats ever waited on me. After eating, we took our time ordering additional drinks, and they just kept getting better. I'll definately be comming back.

Pros: Bar Scene

Cons: Reservations are must, Noisy (bar)

Posted 05/21/05

Recently I went to the UES for a dinner party with some friends. I had not heard of this place before and was slightly hestitant. When I walked in I was pleasantly surprised and realized why my friends had choosen this spot. Uptown has it all, food, ambiance, friendly staff, drinks and fun music. Uptown offers a lot of choices for all tastes and the apps are great! After our meal we went to the bar and closed the place down. And I highly recommend having a speciality martini and we are definitely are going back soon!!!

Pros: Food, Atmosphere, Bar

Posted 05/11/05

went there for happy hour w/some friends from work. good drinks, yummy bar snacks, cute boys to look at. def a good time, great happy hour spot!

Posted 05/11/05

Finally found a place that lies between the "all you can drink" crowd and the geriatric crowd!
As a Thirtysomething on the UES I found myself paying @ least $15 in cab fare to find a good time...until now. I honeslty like this place. I normally don't write revies for stuff like this but the food, wine, and service were all very good. The mood changes around ten o'clock or so when the music creeps up a bit and the drinks outpace the food. Great looking crowd (which suprised me a bit as this is the UES). Anyway, this place was very good and I figured I would tell someone about it.

Pros: Good looking crowd, Nice wine selection, Food

Cons: Very busy

Posted 02/14/05

I must say that I was at first uncomfortable going to the UES for my girlfriend's birthday dinner party. Upon first entering Uptown, we were greeted warmly by both the hostess & manager. The place was packed and we had an 8:00 reservation. My initial thoughts were we would wait at least an hour. To my surprise, our table was ready & waiting, just as promised. Within minutes we had our drinks. The appetizers were excellent. Our table consisted of 4 couples and not one person found even a minor flaw. We tried each other entrees: I highly recommend the duck breast, tuna, & gulf shrimp. Following delicious desserts & after dinner drinks, we moved to the back bar (laid back & less crowded then main bar) and stayed until 3 am. This place truly is a classy gem.

Thanks again for a wonderful evening
Josh & Becca

Pros: service, food, vibe

Posted 01/26/05

Finally a great place to go (not only on the Upper East Side, but pretty much the east side of NYC). The other reviewers are right: great/upscale food, fun atmosphere, great music, and the atmosphere is just cool. There were tons of people having dinner, a birthday party at the private bar, and large groups sitting at over-sized booths. The bar is perfect for having a bite to eat, people watch or view the games. You will not be disappointed in any way at Uptown, they have all the bases covered!

Pros: creative menu, music, great food

Posted 01/18/05

I was in town, and met up with some old friends at this "new" spot. I really liked the fact that this place was more mature than alot of the places you will find on the upper eastside. The food was excellent, especially value-wise (great burger). The atmosphere was fun and the place had a nice "buzz". The only thing lacking is hot servers.

Pros: value, scene

Posted 01/17/05

Uptown is a great space that has a fun, loungy type of atmosphere that gets a little more barlike later on. The food is excellent and the price is right on the money. My wife and I had a great time, we went there for dinner and ended up staying all night! It's a nice place that's not too old and not too young, something my wife and I have been looking for on the Upper East Side. We'll definitely be back.

Pros: Great space, Great food, Great bar

Posted 01/13/05

I recently saw The Uptown on Fox's Good Day NY television show. Uptown was said to be "best date spot, amazing food, great presentation, cheap eats". I must saw, I have to agree. I usually don't judge a place by reviews, however this place is great. The atmosphere only complements the amazing menu. Plenty of cool martinis to choose from and a great wine list by the glass (I think they have 30 wines from all regions). Service was key: friendly and helpful, no attitude. I would say, upscale, but not stuffy and very reasonable on prices. Great open space with a fun "alive" vibe. The only negative, I wish they would open one up closer to where I live. How about a Soho version?

Pros: service, awesome food, great vibe

Posted 10/08/04

Went there with some of buddies to watch football this weekend and it was great. Not as packed with the young punks as some of the other places in the neighborhood and the food was awesome. Great place to go if you want to go watch a game in a little more of an upscale scene (with a lot more room) w/o breaking the bank. It got good at night too...a lot of cute chicks rolled in...so we hung for a while!

Pros: atmosphere, food , staff

Posted 09/22/04

This place has it all. After years of living on the UES, with limited choices, my friends and I finally found an oasis. Uptown Restaurant & Lounge truly has it all. The menu, wine selection, martini choices, and the overall vibe of this place is beyond words. Cool atmosphere, very friendly staff and a great looking crowd. Outside seating, full dining room, huge bar area and great music make this the UES best kept secert. However, the place is packed, so I guess the secert is out. Don't change a thing!!! TK

Posted 09/08/04

I just wanted to let as many people know how great this new place is. My 2 sisters and I threw our husbands a joint surprise party at Uptown this past Saturday night. We had 200 guests attend. I could not believe how well we were treated. The staff and management went out of their way. The food, music, ambience, and drinks were AMAZING. We had our party at Uptown's "Skylight Bar". I must say.....Hands Down, a great event...We will be back and appreciate making this party so impressive to all our guests. Great job!

Sincerely-
Caitlin, Riley & Molly

Pros: great ambience, great food

Posted 05/10/04

This place was long overdue and Uptown definitely exceeded my expectations in many ways. The atmosphere is great, the outdoor cafe is unbelievable, and food was amazing at a very reasonable price!! I would highly recommend this place if you want a very good meal in a cool atmosphere, grab a few drinks with friends after work or come by on weekends for brunch. It's a great place.

Pros: Outdoor cafe, Great bar, Hot staff

Posted 05/04/04

I recently stopped in to a new spot on the upper east side, appropriately named Uptown. This large space was recently redone and wow does it look great. They have a large outdoor sidewalk cafe area that was a ton of fun. I went with my girlfriend and another couple and we had dinner as well as drinks. The food was great and very reasonable. We ended up staying and hanging out at the bar till 3am. I was with my girl, but I have to say I was blown away by their staff, I'll be back with my boys. I've been waiting years for a place like this close to where I live. I'll definately be back.

Pros: nice large space, beautifully decorated, great food

Posted 05/03/04

We had a girl's nite out and it was great. I am definately going back. The menu was amazing. There was something for everyone, the prices were reasonable and the food was delicious. The atmosphere was perfect for any age group. The decor is warm and inviting and the music was hoppin'. So girls' when is the next "Girl's Nite Out"?

Pros: Inviting, Hoppin', Plenty of Parking

Posted 04/20/04

Great spot. Sexy looking, Great food, good music, and a phenomenal wine list. Good looking staff and plenty of room to move around in. Skylights were a big surprise. Had my doubts as it is still the UES - but Uptown Lounge is what the neighborhood desperately needed: A downtown lounge with an uptown address!

ThirstyTraveler '04

Posted 04/14/04

It's about time the Upper East Side has a place you can stay at all night..not just a stop before or after you go downtown. I thought the ambience and music were great and the place even has good, reasonably priced food - we've been twice - once for just appetizers and the other for a sit down dinner. All in all I highly recommended this place..

Pros: Ambience, Music, Food

Posted 04/06/04

Great atmosphere, food was wonderful. The decor really makes the place. Perfect for just going for drinks with friends or having dinner. Love the plasma tv's and DJ is great. The service staff were very attentive. I will definitely be going back.

Posted 04/05/04

My friends and I have been searching for a hip bar uptown with the feel of a dowtown bar--finally we found it! Uptown Lounge is the perfect place to go for people in their 20's, 30's and 40's who live or work on the upper east side. This is a place that you can go to if you want to relax with old friends or if you want to meet new ones. I can't wait to go back in the summer and have a drink outside...

Posted 03/15/04

A restaurant with fabulous food, brings downtown ambience to the Upper East Side.

The front bar scene is jumping for the single guys and dolls looking to get there groove on...

The back lounge is perfectly situated under two clear glass skylights...it is the perfect decor for first dates or romantic dinners.

The amber glow of the chandeliers and wall sconces sets the mood for a laidback and chill evening or getting groovy to DJ's tunes.

Posted 03/06/04