10/11/09

WORST DOOR POLICY IN NYC

by jadapink

Seriously....i have NEVER in my entire life had such an experience. My fiance and I went for a friends bday on sat night. Waited for 30 min for the doorman James to turn us down. He said rude comments and announced to everyone on line that were not allowed in, plus purposely allowed a group behind us in! What was his point to humiliate me, jealous, maybe i reminded him of someone? We even had half the party come out to help along with the fact that they already had bottle service. WHO does he think he is, such a pathetic soul, were in an economic crisis and he is going to turn down two young professionals who can actually afford to be there.

Worst door policy for a bar/club in NYC...no question!

• Pros: 0
• Cons: ALL

08/22/09

Never again

by mgen280

For $15, $16 or $17 a drink -- whatever the staff chooses to charge you -- you should go to one of the established artisanal cocktail bars like Pegu Cub, Clover Club, Little Branch, PDT or Death & Co. They at least know how to create a properly balanced drink at prices of around $13, which they clearly disclose on their menus. The bar at Apotheke was slimy, quite literally sticky. The staff slammed ingredients around and often missed the glass when they even bothered to use a jigger. No drink ever came out the same way. They use regular, hollow-core ice, which can't cool drinks properly and waters them down in about 2 seconds. They don't cool anything, actually. One could refrigerate the booze (which would be the Japanese style) or one could refrigerate the glasses (which would be the American style). At Apotheke, the combination of terrible ice and warm booze and warm glassware means that you will be served a warm drink that gets watered down quickly. In terms of environment, they do not have any seating at their bar and space for only about 20 people to sit in the lounge area. Plus, there's no hooks for purses at the bar. So, you should go in prepared to stand with any of your baggage for the duration. Finally, although I've tried to stay objective about the product, I have one last word about the staff. They are obnoxious. If you want value for your money and a good experience for a night out, do not patron this establishment. Unless, that is, you want to just go in to the bathroom to wash your hands at the copper still converted into a faucet.

• Pros: Copper still as water faucet -- yes, bathroom only positive
• Cons: Terrible drinks, no prices on menu, snobbish doormen

08/10/09

Very Dissapointing

by ElanaR

This is my first time writing a negative review as I'm the type of person who would never want to negatively impact someone's livelihood/business because of my bad experience. However, I think this situation calls for it if only to save someone from the same embarassment that I underwent this past Friday night. One of my girlfriends has been raving about Apotheke after her company held a promotional event there...saying things like the drinks are amazing, great vibe, beautiful inside, etc. When one of our friends from DC came to visit us in NY, we thought it would be a great opportunity for me to check it out and bring our out-of-town friend. We arrive around 10:30 and the gentleman at the door started asking us questions such as "Have you been here before?", "What's your favorite drink?" "How did you hear of us?". From his attitude, I knew this man did not want to let us in even though he said it would be a 20 minute wait. I typically like to feel welcomed and relaxed when I go out. You can imagine my dismay when 3-4 groups of men and women were let in to Apotheke who came in after us. I had enough and asked my friends to leave as this was very insulting to me. However, they insisted that it would only be a couple of more minutes to get in. My out-of-town friend asked why were the other guests getting in even though they came after us and he responded, "It would take me all night to explain that to you." By this point, I told my friends I am leaving regardless of what they do and cannot take this treatment any longer. I've never had an issue getting into bars/lounges before and typically not when it's 3 attractive professional women looking to enjoy some cocktails together. I just wanted to share this story in case someone who has a fear of rejection plans on going...maybe think twice:(

• Pros: Looks Nice From Outside Looking In
• Cons: Offensive Door Staff