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- Neighborhoods:
- Chinatown, Downtown
At a Glance
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83% ambiance
“good drinks, fun atmosphere”
0% dessert
“Have been to some real horrible places with real d.o.u.c.h.e bouncers but this guy takes the cake.”
82% drinks
“the drinks were good.”
100% food quality
“The service was amazing and from the 2 gentlemen at the door (James and Juan I believe), to the explanation of mixology and what exactly egg white could add to a drink, I am sold!”
66% menu variety
“Tried to order some stuff off the menu, and got some vodka, random fruit juice and weird bitters, which is pretty much the formula that most of the bartenders like to follow unfortunately.”
75% overall
“Decor was nice, but the place was not that large at all.”
100% return potential
“However, if you have just come back from your semester abroad in Australia, if you are under 26 or if you want to celebrate your first promotion with Merrill, come on over.”
55% service
“Our waitress was wonderful and quick to make recommendations and kept the drinks coming quickly.”
25% value
“HOWEVER they are REALLY pricey, but this IS new york.”
37% wait time
“It could be a great spot to swing by for one drink, but it is definitely not a place to plan a whole night around (which you would have to do, based on the location, reservationist and long line) Oh, and if you go, make sure not to wear nice shoes, as und”
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Apotheke
From The Owner of Apotheke
Tips for Apotheke
August 05, 2012
Door nazi claims too much power and takes his job too seriously. Don't go here if you want to have a good time.
0
Heart
March 06, 2012
Interesting place. Expensive mixed drinks, cool Speakeasy..
After some time at another bar we decided to meet some friends here and check this place out. I'm glad we did.
This place was rather interesting. First and foremost, if you don't literally guide me here, I'd have no idea this place neither existed or was open. It's literally in as inconspicuous a location as a place can be. You won't be wandering the streets, see the place and say "oh let's check out this lounge". You need to know that you are going there, and seek it out. Otherwise you'll walk right past it, we did.
Tonight there was a gentleman playing popular music on the guitar and singing, he also played the saxophone and took his hand at making a few jokes with us. The live music was a nice touch.
A point to note for you beer drinkers, they only have draft beer at this
place. Their focus seems more on mixing up creative and interesting random cocktails. They were broken down by section such as, Therapeutic enhancers, mood enhancers and other cool creative names.
If you simply want some soda you are also out of luck, they only have coke on the menu. I wanted to try something, but I didn't want alcohol, so I asked for a mixed juice drink. They mixed me up a juice concoction and it was still a fancy classy style drink. Tasted pretty good too. The folks behind the bar wore chef shirts and were rocking it making the drinks. The specialty here is definitely mixed cocktails of all sorts.
The interesting decor is something that will completely get your attention. Nice couches and white curtains throughout. The ambiance was dimly lit all over and gave me a chill mellow feeling. They have a rather interesting sink by the restroom that I had to play with. The bathroom itself had lit candles, was also dimly lit and smelled quite nice for a bathroom.
This is a very nice place. Myself and my fellow friends enjoyed it thoroughly.
0
Heart
May 19, 2011
not for the cocktails.
Went there monday 5/16.
3 stars for the cocktails. 3 out of 4 where good. 1 was mediocre at best .
1 star for service and the vibe.
Don't go if you mostly go for the cocktails. It isn't worth the hassle of a way to crowded room, ridiculously long waits 30+ mins, mixed up orders (maybe because the live music was very loud ) 10+ mins. to get the final drink. 5 mins to pay.
We went because we are cocktail-lovers, probably if you're more about a sweaty hang on a monday, you'll enjoy better
0
Heart
December 08, 2010
Amazing!.
This place is amazing! I discovered it a little while ago and have experienced both the weekends and the weekdays. Definitely recommend going during the week unless you're more into the hype and scene. Weekdays are just no fuss.
Love the drinks. Love the fact they'll customize a drink for you as well. The staff is generally really friendly and helpful. Definitely one of my top 5 bars of the city.
0
Heart
November 22, 2010
bunch of charlatans. Went last Saturday, it was my first time at Apotheke. I have never agreed with long lines at bars but have socially succumbed but Apotheke was outrageous. First, all the reviews I read about the place were about the bouncer rather than the place itself. Apparently this is what this place wants to get identified... with a door man that lacks manners and has plenty of poor attitude and low intellect, what a pitty for a place that claim to have the European attitude. Drinks were ok, "nothing out of this world", fancy names doesn't really make good drinks , ambiance was nice and crowd very eccentric. What else to say, service was poor, the only part that lives to its claims were the barista's. Everything else was a stupid show of attitude. I'm truly sorry to have see the European name associated with a bunch of charlatans.
0
Heart
November 15, 2010
Things at the door sure have changed!. I started going to Apotheke from the very beginning about two years ago but stopped after i realized the douche at the door james was letting in a crowd that was less downtown cool and more money-slipping-lame. he had an attitude - big time. I went last weekend with a few freinds who had never been and own hotels in LA. To my delight and surprise James had been replaced by a beautiful, diplomatic and seriously stylish girl named Hadley (not sure about that spelling) We waited a few minutes but i guess she saw that we "get it" and let us in as soon as she could. it was everything it once was; killer crowd, wonderful energy, amazing cocktails. . . insane night all around. My only regret was not trying to get the door girls number.. .
0
Heart
August 20, 2010
amazing drinks. no one in nyc can even come to the drinks here not even close
0
Heart
August 14, 2010
The doorman. Was there last night for the first time after hearing about the cocktails from my better half. Atmosphere was great, drinks were good but prices was a bit high. The DJ was a bit off on his music selection and transition. I agree with some of the other people regarding the "Doorman" James. He is definitely one of the worst doorman I've seen or encountered. Pretentious and acts like he is doing you a favor by letting you in and keeping THEIR business afloat. However when we got there, there was a line of about 15-20 people waiting but we did get in within a few miuntes from standing on line and ahead of the others but he is still a prick. Once inside the mixers and wait staff was very accommodating. Definitely worth checking out if you don't mind dealing with James the interogator from UK first.
0
Heart
July 26, 2010
Wow James the doorman is such a jerk. This guy is such a jerk it's impossible to describe. James you are just a f*cking doorman...your only responsibility is to open the door and let ppl in that's it... nobody gives a sh*t about ur accent or your name...
0
Heart
from the owner
over a year ago
Hi
We're sorry you had a bad experion at the door. We're in the process of revamping the door policy and we'd love it if you would come back and give us another shot to redeem your bad experience. Please email me at info@apothekenyc.com and we can try to set something up.
May 31, 2010
Best Drinks EVER. I went there for my birthday and we had reserved a table in advance and went early. Had a fun time just trying to find this place and worked my way through 4 different drinks, each, even better than the last one! Our waitress was wonderful and quick to make recommendations and kept the drinks coming quickly. The one with watermelon was my favorite, but they had some very interesting concoctions. This isn't for the bud light drinking crowd, but if you like to enjoy some new drinks, run over there now. Based upon the other reviews, I am glad we went early (9pm) and I hope the doorman has been replaced as that would have easily changed my whole perception and would have quickly left for another watering whole... p.s. bring you num-chucks as you might need them to navigate the sketchy neighborhood.
0
Heart
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Apotheke
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