Vintage Bar & Restaurant

(212) 581-4655

753 9th Ave
New York, NY 10019 40.7639 -73.9889

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Neighborhoods: Clinton, Midtown

VINTAGEBAR.NET

Price:

$$$

Last updated 4.01.09

Category:

Restaurants, Catering

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

People Watching, Bar Scene, Private Rooms

Cuisine:

Eclectic & International, New American

ambiance
97.22000122070312% positive
  1. “was drawn to this place because I heard that there was a large selection of drinks and that it had a nice atmosphere.”
  2. “don't mind paying $10-$12 for a fancy cocktail in a place that spends some money on decor and offers good service.”
  3. “This place had a good atmosphere and only $5 drinks!”
  4. “The Martini list is unbelivable, the service is outstanding and the atmosphere cannot be beat.”
  5. “Vintage has a cozy atmosphere with reasonable prices and a friendly waitstaff.”
  6. “True, the decor left something to be desired for someone looking for a really nice pre-theater dinner place, but I disagree with the other reviewers -- the food was flavorful to a point where others might find fault but I thought gutsy and refreshing (pep”
  7. “The food is also very good, and the atmosphere is funky but low-key.”
  8. “The atmosphere was great and so were the Drinks, Music, and Food.”
  9. “Vintage is great in that it has a nice low-key atmosphere for more artsy, down-to-earth types - I appreciate that, but it is not enough.”
  10. “The overall atmosphere is awesome: classy, understated elegance without being too showy.”
  11. “The atmosphere was just about perfect, right down to the music.”
  12. “Delicious Food, exemplary service and incredible ambiance.”
dessert
100.0% positive
  1. “The food has never disappointed and often impressed, espiecially the desserts, london broil with mashed potatoes, burgers,or sandwiches, and the nachos or the chilli for a delicious starter.”
drinks
85.79999923706055% positive
  1. “frequent this place more often than I probably should for a wine, there amazing nachos or to grab a quick beer.”
  2. “Thank you, Vintage, for many a terrific drink, terrific meal and many new friends!”
  3. “and their assortment of mixed drinks is impressive to say the least.”
  4. “bar with a fine dinner menu and cool people working there.”
  5. “Beer and mixed drink selection was good.”
  6. “Great food and drinks”
  7. “Wait staff always nice, used to buy back one every few drinks.”
  8. “The food, when it finally comes, is ok, and there is a huge drink menu, but the drinks are very expensive.”
  9. “Truly the best bar in the city!”
  10. “Bad service, expensive drinks”
  11. “From the first visit, I was treated like a regular by the incredibly friendly bar and wait staff.”
  12. “This place is a great alternative to the crowded wankfests of most mid-town bars, but its better than average barfood, nice wines, and extensive martini list are overshadowed by the rude, hostile, condescending manager.”
  13. “My Manhattans are always perfect, the best in NYC, and the bartenders are always willing to alter any of the over 200 martinis from the separate drink menu.”
  14. “The food is good to excellent, and the drink menu extensive--they say around 150 martinis and around 50 bottled beers.”
  15. “We went to Vintage on a Saturday night in February because wed heard about the great drink menu.”
  16. “This place had a good atmosphere and only $5 drinks!”
  17. “The food is great and they have a wonderful selection of martinis and beer- rarely do Ifind a place that serves Magic Hat.”
  18. “large salad, two delectable entrees and a bottle of wine came out to a reasonable $70.”
  19. “During our pleasant conversation, my waitress spilled drinks on him!”
  20. “The food and drinks are great.”
  21. “The jet black hair with his tight cranky pants started putting out 8 x 10's of waaay too much information (somebody doesnt know jack about marketing) and when one patron at the bar kind of laughed and said, we can't read that (oh he had also dimmed the li”
  22. “I've never seen so many drink choices, and at such reasonable prices.”
  23. “was drawn to this place because I heard that there was a large selection of drinks and that it had a nice atmosphere.”
  24. “I've been here twice and had a similar experience with the owner/manager, a gruff tough guy who acts like he is working in a Hell's Angel's clubhouse instead of a lousy martini bar.”
  25. “Excellent drinks (there martini menu is about 25 pages long), really nice wait staff, great appetizers.”
  26. “The service we recieved from the waitstaff was less than friendly, they seemed to think that they were doing us a favor by serving our drinks.”
  27. “It is very difficult to find a bar with a cool vibe, absolutely no pretension and superb food.”
food quality
84.37999725341797% positive
  1. “The wait staff was rude, my noodles were raw, the tables were wobbily, and it was VERY loud.”
  2. “Thank you, Vintage, for many a terrific drink, terrific meal and many new friends!”
  3. “had a steak which was very good.”
  4. “The food is fantastic (I recommend the baked penne!)”
  5. “The food is great and they have a wonderful selection of martinis and beer- rarely do Ifind a place that serves Magic Hat.”
  6. “The food and drinks are great.”
  7. “The food is good to excellent, and the drink menu extensive--they say around 150 martinis and around 50 bottled beers.”
  8. “The food, when it finally comes, is ok, and there is a huge drink menu, but the drinks are very expensive.”
  9. “The food was great, service was great and the Martini's.”
  10. “large salad, two delectable entrees and a bottle of wine came out to a reasonable $70.”
  11. “True, the decor left something to be desired for someone looking for a really nice pre-theater dinner place, but I disagree with the other reviewers -- the food was flavorful to a point where others might find fault but I thought gutsy and refreshing (pep”
  12. “But the food was awful--the hamburger I ordered tasted bitter, and my friend's calamari was barely fried.”
  13. “The food is also very good, and the atmosphere is funky but low-key.”
  14. “Great food and drinks”
  15. “The food has never disappointed and often impressed, espiecially the desserts, london broil with mashed potatoes, burgers,or sandwiches, and the nachos or the chilli for a delicious starter.”
  16. “It is very difficult to find a bar with a cool vibe, absolutely no pretension and superb food.”
menu variety
94.79000091552734% positive
  1. “Great staff, great martini selection, weird mix of customers”
  2. “I've never seen so many drink choices, and at such reasonable prices.”
  3. “Excellent drinks (there martini menu is about 25 pages long), really nice wait staff, great appetizers.”
  4. “The waitresses have always been attentive and polite, always offering suggestions from the menu for newcomers and the restaurant manager has taken last minute reservations for me over the phone and relayed messages to my waiting guests if I have been dela”
  5. “The food is great and they have a wonderful selection of martinis and beer- rarely do Ifind a place that serves Magic Hat.”
  6. “love Vintage for its LARGE assortment of martinis; every variety you can imagine!”
  7. “This place is a great alternative to the crowded wankfests of most mid-town bars, but its better than average barfood, nice wines, and extensive martini list are overshadowed by the rude, hostile, condescending manager.”
  8. “The food, when it finally comes, is ok, and there is a huge drink menu, but the drinks are very expensive.”
  9. “My Manhattans are always perfect, the best in NYC, and the bartenders are always willing to alter any of the over 200 martinis from the separate drink menu.”
  10. “bar with a fine dinner menu and cool people working there.”
  11. “Best martini menu in town.”
  12. “was drawn to this place because I heard that there was a large selection of drinks and that it had a nice atmosphere.”
  13. “We went to Vintage on a Saturday night in February because wed heard about the great drink menu.”
  14. “The food is good to excellent, and the drink menu extensive--they say around 150 martinis and around 50 bottled beers.”
  15. “great martini menu , great music,nice vibe.”
  16. “Beer and mixed drink selection was good.”
overall
87.5% positive
  1. “True, the decor left something to be desired for someone looking for a really nice pre-theater dinner place, but I disagree with the other reviewers -- the food was flavorful to a point where others might find fault but I thought gutsy and refreshing (pep”
  2. “The staff is sassy and young and give good service, even when the place is packed, which it can get on the weekends.”
  3. “The food is great and they have a wonderful selection of martinis and beer- rarely do Ifind a place that serves Magic Hat.”
  4. “great place at a great value.”
  5. “Not the best place I've ever ate at”
  6. “bill, (the owner) has a really nice place.”
  7. “Everyone had such a great time - I would definitely recommend this place for your next event.”
  8. “My friends and I dine at some of the best restaurants in New York and comparitively this place is at best a low tier Bennigan's.”
return potential
0.0% positive
  1. “had a horrible experience with one of the staff and I vowed to never go back.”
service
69.88999843597412% positive
  1. “had a horrible experience with one of the staff and I vowed to never go back.”
  2. “went to Vintage twice and both times I experienced terrible service as well as an outright rude, hostile, condescending manager.”
  3. “The staff were more than happy to accomodate us.”
  4. “don't mind paying $10-$12 for a fancy cocktail in a place that spends some money on decor and offers good service.”
  5. “Delicious Food, exemplary service and incredible ambiance.”
  6. “This place is a great alternative to the crowded wankfests of most mid-town bars, but its better than average barfood, nice wines, and extensive martini list are overshadowed by the rude, hostile, condescending manager.”
  7. “The wait staff was rude, my noodles were raw, the tables were wobbily, and it was VERY loud.”
  8. “From the first visit, I was treated like a regular by the incredibly friendly bar and wait staff.”
  9. “Bar staff is excellent and always make you feel welcome.”
  10. “The service we recieved from the waitstaff was less than friendly, they seemed to think that they were doing us a favor by serving our drinks.”
  11. “Excellent drinks (there martini menu is about 25 pages long), really nice wait staff, great appetizers.”
  12. “Whatever the excuse was, the staff was rude and barely even paid attention.”
  13. “Great staff, great martini selection, weird mix of customers”
  14. “The waitresses have always been attentive and polite, always offering suggestions from the menu for newcomers and the restaurant manager has taken last minute reservations for me over the phone and relayed messages to my waiting guests if I have been dela”
  15. “True, the decor left something to be desired for someone looking for a really nice pre-theater dinner place, but I disagree with the other reviewers -- the food was flavorful to a point where others might find fault but I thought gutsy and refreshing (pep”
  16. “bar with a fine dinner menu and cool people working there.”
  17. “The staff is sassy and young and give good service, even when the place is packed, which it can get on the weekends.”
  18. “My Manhattans are always perfect, the best in NYC, and the bartenders are always willing to alter any of the over 200 martinis from the separate drink menu.”
  19. “The jet black hair with his tight cranky pants started putting out 8 x 10's of waaay too much information (somebody doesnt know jack about marketing) and when one patron at the bar kind of laughed and said, we can't read that (oh he had also dimmed the li”
  20. “gave the place another try only to encounter the most obnoxious bartender ever.”
  21. “Vintage has a cozy atmosphere with reasonable prices and a friendly waitstaff.”
  22. “The wait staff is friendly and courteous without being annoyingly over the top.”
  23. “I've been here twice and had a similar experience with the owner/manager, a gruff tough guy who acts like he is working in a Hell's Angel's clubhouse instead of a lousy martini bar.”
  24. “Wait staff always nice, used to buy back one every few drinks.”
  25. “The Martini list is unbelivable, the service is outstanding and the atmosphere cannot be beat.”
  26. “During our pleasant conversation, my waitress spilled drinks on him!”
  27. “so disappointing because its a good local joint but there are SHADY people who go there so I would steer clear”
  28. “so people walking by will think "Hey, that place must be awesome!”
  29. “The food was great, service was great and the Martini's.”
  30. “Place was empty and we were shown a table by the rude "”
  31. “Bad service, expensive drinks”
value
72.22000122070312% positive
  1. “Anyway, we keep drinking and around 8:30pm a huge bucket of water gets thrown over a bunch of us.”
  2. “don't mind paying $10-$12 for a fancy cocktail in a place that spends some money on decor and offers good service.”
  3. “great place at a great value.”
  4. “I've never seen so many drink choices, and at such reasonable prices.”
  5. “Althought they are quite expensive all the Martinis here are worththe price.”
  6. “The food, when it finally comes, is ok, and there is a huge drink menu, but the drinks are very expensive.”
  7. “Vintage has a cozy atmosphere with reasonable prices and a friendly waitstaff.”
  8. “was looking for a place to get a decent bite to eat that wasn't garbage but not a million dollars either.”
  9. “Bad service, expensive drinks”
wait time
100.0% positive
  1. “Excellent drinks (there martini menu is about 25 pages long), really nice wait staff, great appetizers.”
  2. “The waitresses have always been attentive and polite, always offering suggestions from the menu for newcomers and the restaurant manager has taken last minute reservations for me over the phone and relayed messages to my waiting guests if I have been dela”
  3. “frequent this place more often than I probably should for a wine, there amazing nachos or to grab a quick beer.”
1 Star Rating: Poor

07/11/11

Replace Your Management

by zachl81

After years of patronizing Vintage one night was enough to turn me off. In the past it has always been hit or miss as far as service, but the manager / bartender was enough to turn me off from this over-hyped nightspot.

On our second set of rounds at the bar me and 5 of my friends were ready to refill. I went up to the bar and waited for a round, the bartender was snotty, but I didn't let that ruin the mood, I simply got my $70 worth of booze and returned to my group. After tasting their drinks, two of my friends immediately noticed a big difference in taste from their first to second rounds. We returned to the bar and requested that the drinks be remade, they obviously were not made right (should have been no surprise after the manager/tender had to review the book to see how to make them initially.)

After the request the bartender gave us a snobby "you could be happy" comment, she grudgingly remade the first of the two drinks. When it came to the second she refused, not for any reason and without any tact. My friend, annoyed with her dismissal and attitude again requested she remake the drink, she still refused and threatened to have us removed. The argument continued until we were finally so frustrated we took what we had drank a little of it and felt so uncomfortable we left.

This place needs to take a harsh look at it's management and do something about it. I guarantee it will start to see a decline it's base business if it doesn't reconsider who it staffs behind the bar.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

09/13/10

Amazing omlet and mamosas!

by Hook72

I decided to roll the dice with this place after quickly skimming through reviews hungover at 9:30 Sunday morning. What made me choose this place was reading that they had all you can drink bloody Mary's, mimosas, and blinis for only 8 dollars. I also saw that it was nearby Penn station which ended up only being a 9 dollar cab ride...So we get there at 11:45, the place is really small/quiet/practically empty and my friend is giving me weird looks.I figured its 8 bucks all you can drink...lets give it a try...We sit down at the bar, I order a water a bloody marry along with an 8 dollar omelet with pepper jack cheese, avocado, and mushrooms (with a side of hash browns). The omelet was amazing and the bloody marry was strong/spicy complete with olive and celery. After one of these bloody Mary's I decided I did not want to die of heartburn so I switched to mimosas which were also strong (for a mimosa) and delicious. I kept pounding mimosas and sipping water which both kept getting refilled constantly. Literally, I could only finish a whole drink maybe twice the whole time I was there for maybe a minute tops without getting it immediately refilled or refreshed. The smooth transition from being hungover to drunk was beautiful...My friends and I began to laugh more and more as people slowly shuffled in and the champagne bottles popped faster and faster. 4pm rolled around and the marathon of mimosas ended. My drunk friends and I foolishly decided to leave even after finding out that it was happy hour with 3$ beers/ cocktails until closing. Worst mistake ever! the night went down hill from there as we bar hopped realizing we should have never left. I will definitely be going back there soon to have another perfect Sunday brunch. Next time I plan on trying the steak and eggs which was only 13 dollars and not leaving there until late.

1 Star Rating: Poor

08/28/10

No Patio access (even with reservation)

by infotowers

I made reservations last night for the patio. They even had me hold it with a credit card. When my friends and I arrived we were told "they forgot" and didn't write down patio. It was apparant what had happened. A larger group had showed up (with no reservations) $$$ they accommodated them and told us we could sit inside. We of course left. I live locally and in the long run would have brought them much more business. Not now!

1 Star Rating: Poor

05/09/10

Don't go for the patio unless you want to get crap poured on

by mvenkat007

My friend was having a birthday party and since Vintage has an outdoor patio we decided to book it for a big group. Around 8pm some random guy upstairs yelled at everyone to keep it down. Yup, you live above a bar yet get annoyed that people are talking in the patio below you at 8pm on a Friday. Anyway, we keep drinking and around 8:30pm a huge bucket of water gets thrown over a bunch of us. The bar's response? Get everyone inside although the sign says patio open until 11pm on Fridays, cramp us up and then don't even have the decency to offer us a free drink despite several of us being majorly soaked. Apparently the neighbour keeps doing this, and apparently once before threw the contents of his toilet over people. The owner doesn't do anything. Yeah the neighbour is a moron, but the bar's behaviour given this is unforgivable as they market an unuseable patio to everyone. If you want to drink outside, you definitely don't want to be here unless you're risking getting soaked with who knows what.

  • Cons: Neighbours throwing stuff all over you
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

03/27/09

LOVE this place

by nyny10019

I am hesitant to write a rave review, as I would hate for the place to become so busy that I can't find a free seat anymore, however... this is really is a unique and wonderful place, completely free of attitude. From the first visit, I was treated like a regular by the incredibly friendly bar and wait staff. The happy hour is recession-friendly and the food is the exact opposite of what you'd expect from 'bar food.'

Thank you, Vintage, for many a terrific drink, terrific meal and many new friends!

  • Pros: Best bar & wait staff, great food and reasonable prices
  • Cons: none

The Details on Vintage Bar & Restaurant

Place Categories:

  • favorite pretheater dinner place
  • great food
  • rude wait staff
  • great drinks
  • nice overall atmosphere
  • good service
  • reasonable prices
  • great vintage
  • enjoy great martini
  • great drink menu
  • great spot
  • polite guess
  • nice great martini menu
  • incredibly friendly bar
  • polite waitresses
  • rude condescending manager
  • nice lowkey atmosphere
  • like dress
  • not recommend dining
  • quite expensive althought
  • pleasant conversation
  • good beer
  • delectable entrees
  • great experience
  • terrific meal
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