Lenox Lounge

A Great Place

by team player

After a horrible experience of total Snobbery at Billies Black, Lenox Lounge was a totally Exhilarating experience. I was born and raised in Harlem.In my younger days all of Harlem was my playground. At 58 I am now more sedate.I find myself feeling the loss of my home each time I return(live in N.J.). Lenox Lounge has given me a new respect. The staff was nothing short of proffesionalism.Very attentive and warm and friendly. Even the Manager was warm and cordial.We had a great time and will definitely return. Eat your heart out Billies Black!!!!

A beautiful place BUT, oh man, the service here is TERRIBLE!

by teebal

I'll start with the goods...

Atmosphere... The Art Deco look is AMAZING. It's a beautiful bar. If I didn't have to deal with the bartender (although occasionally there is a competent person tending bar) and most of all the MANAGER I'd come much more often. I love to take friends here for ONE drink when I'm showing off my neighborhood's bar scene because it's such an aesthetic dichotomy. How so? While visually it is a stunning place, the experience from the service leaves one shaking their head in disbelief how people can be so UGLY!

The bad...

THE SERVICE. I once ordered a drink here, I was the only person in the bar, placed my money down, drank my drink(15 minutes), had to ask the tender to give me change (paid with a twenty) then had to wait over 15 minutes for change(closer to 20) while the bartender counted the drawer/read the newspaper/and went back to counting the drawer(i guess it was early and the draw needed counted but to stop and read the newspaper after asking for change? it was very much as though she wanted me to leave her to total amount of change as a tip), and when I asked about how much longer I had to wait for my change got accosted with some major attitude from the bartender. Did I mention I was the only person in the place? When people are in the joint the service is dismal and I use to just chalk it up to poor management of the bar. Now I see that most of the employees just don't give a damn about providing any sort of hospitable service. The staff has the attitude that it is a historical landmark and patrons should be so lucky to just to be there(but maybe they are right, even with the HORRIBLE service I continue to go). I've seen the manager yell and scream at people. I've even seen a lady walk out crying after having a heated and animated discussion with her. I've heard her bad mouth other jazz establishments(see below for a list of these other, better joints) in the neighborhood (during the bad mouthing she noticed me listening and even apologized for being so tacky but then went on bad mouthing). I've seen countless arguments about prices. The prices are very high($10 bucks for a shot and $7 for domestic beers, ouch), but then again so are several other bars in Harlem. I've never eaten here, and will never eat here because even the regulars tell me to stay way from the food(as qouted from a regular "I can eat crappy food if it's warm, but it's really had to choke down crappy food that's cold.")

The music. WHile the music is the typical Harlem fare (enlightening to just fine), again it's the staff and MANAGEMENT that sucks the beautify out of aural vibes. It's the type of place that charges cover and then stacks on hidden fees (read the other reviews about gratuity and 2 drink minimum). For a better price and WAY BETTER service GO to any other spots in Harlem... (St. Nick's Pub and Shrine usually don't charge a cover. Minton's Playhouse, Bill's Place. P.J.'s usually charge a cover but don't try to gouge you and they're service is actually decent).

Will I stop going to Lenox Lounge... Nah. I love the Art Deco beauty too much to let some sour attitudes ruin it. But every time I go (not that often, maybe 2-4 times a year) I forewarn my guests that this is most likely going to be one of the worse customer service experiences they will ever have. I always follow up Lenox Lounge with one of the previously mentioned alternatives so visitors don't get the impression that Harlem bars are run by egotistical, entitled bullies who treat their customers with spite and contempt.

RELAXED ATMOSPHERE

by theresa35

WE LOVE the lenox lounge, I used to patronize Lenox in the early 90's and i'm still going strong today. Love the atmosphere the crowd is nice and mature, the drinks are strong and the food is GREAT!! Lennox Lounge is a great institution!! I can see why its been around for so many years!!

Great Jazz, Great Food, Good Times

by sydneywright

I am really surprised at the reviews below. It seems people are willing to pay 75 to 100$ to go to a pop concert, but can't shell out 36$ to see jazz! I stayed in Harlem for three weeks and went to the Lenox Lounge at least 3 times a week. The jazz on the weekdays was 10$ or sometimes a 16$ drink minimum and on the weekend in the zebra room $20 plus a $16 dollar drink minimum. Where can you go and get an amazing performance for $20, plus get drinks? I had a few of the signature drinks and there were so good. The Harlem Punch, Lady Sings the Blues, and the Chic Coria were my favorites. My business associates and I ate dinner here at least twice a week and the food was slamming. From Jumbo Shrimp to ribs to the collard greens, we were extremely satisfied. Not to mention the portions are huge. With an entree you get two side orders and cornbread. I found the staff to be inviting and held conversations with a few of the waitresses between sets. I am actually apalled at some of the reviews and cant believe how cheap people are! Again, this is a historic venue with the httest jazz in the city and you cant dish out less than 50$. Yet you would pay over 75$ to see Lady Gaga or Hannah Montana! I had the best time there and was honored to see REAL musicians! I will definitely come back to the Lenox Lounge next time we come to the city!

• Pros: Jazz, Food, Drinks
• Cons: ?

worst treatment i've ever experienced at a restaurant

by staghorn

Horrifying. I never make reviews, let alone bad ones. But I have to after last night. I was really excited to be going after living in Brooklyn for about a decade and not having been. My excitement soon turned to disgust after how poorly my friend and I were treated. We were there with members of the band. They treated the band also as though they were a huge inconvenience..One waitress was extremely rude to a member of the band when he would politely ask about the status of his food, which took 2 hours! Only half of the back area was full. They were understaffed. Everyone who worked there had mad faces and seemed miserable. My friend and I ordered drinks and food, (paying full price). The food took forever. And after being told it was ok to bring drinks from the front that we'd previously paid for, they charged us an additional $ 32 drink minimum. When trying to talk to them about it, they avoided us. The real kicker though was speaking to the upmost unprofessional caddy manager. Where did they get this woman??! I have worked in many restaurants and this manager doesn't understand the purpose of her position. The only way she can get away with such unprovoked, offensive and unaccommodating behavior is that the place is epic and isn't going to go under no matter how she acts? SAD. The legends would be heart broken if they saw the state of that place.