12/03/08

A Fair Glass of Wine

by carolynapplebee

Good news for those of you who hate to dress up! The Rainbow Room Grill is no longer enforcing its dress code. I saw jeans, sneakers, and t-shirts. The bar pours a very large glass of wine. It was $15, but easily worth the money considering the quantity. The view is spectacular. We didn't eat there, but I highly recommend a visit to the bar. Go casual unless you want to look like a geek.

10/15/08

Worst Food for the $$$$

by ginie1999

The Rainbow Room has a great view of Manhattan, but that's about it. The service was far from what one would expect at a $$$$ restaurant and the food bland, unimaginative and not worthy of $40-45 entree price. The chicken was dry, the salmon flavorless, the scallops rubbery and the beef completely under seasoned. Every dish was accompanied by white (watery) rice which looked and tasted as though it was prepared in a home economics class by a bored 8th grader. Overall complete and total disaster! Skip the food and enjoy a drink at the bar if a view is what you seek. If delicious food is your desire, avoid the Rainbow Room and head to Sbarro as you will have more luck there.

• Pros: the view
• Cons: food, service

08/08/08

Worse than a tourist trap!

by gnobbo2000

Visiting NYC for the second time we dressed up and went to the Rainbow Room. The waiter was ignorant, snobbish and rude. The waiter treated us as if we were more of a problem than paying guests. Drinks were ok but overpriced. The place is supposed to have a dress code, but apparently this code did not apply on the evening we visited the place. Jeans, sneakers, shorts and crocs seemed to be the thing to wear. A BIG disappointment, NOT recommended!!!!!

• Pros: View
• Cons: Bad service, overpriced

03/05/08

Great experience!

by lookingforagoodmeal

Great experience! Seafood (colossal shrimp!) and the dessert bar were fabulous. Price is high, but worth it for a special occasion. There are many choices, something for all. Harp music and the view added to the experience. We were in the city visiting our daughter and it was a nice treat. Would go again.

• Pros: Wide array of foods, all yummy to chose from.
• Cons: pricey, do not enforce dress code

10/05/07

Sadly Outdated.

by ree325

We recently went to brunch at The Rainbow Room. It was fine. The decor gives a feeling that this was ONCE a very popular and special restaurant. However, it's outdated. The food was okay as well as the service. The view was very nice but could be found at a number of NY landmarks for free. Save the money and don't give into the hype.

08/20/07

Tacky, poorly maintained, average food

by desieclipse

Went to the Rainbow Room this weekend - I knew going in that it was going to be an overpriced, tacky, overhyped place and I was pretty much spot on. The place was very old fashioned and tacky - it looked like something that would be in a cruise ship. Everything was musty and badly maintained - torn wallpaper, mirrored wall was cracked, the waiting area was dirty & had chipped furntire, the windows were not even washed and had a bit of a cloudiness to them. The buffet was decent, marginally better than the Bellaggio buffet in Vegas, however it was completely not worth the price. Who can (or would want to) eat all that food?? Also, the champagne cocktails were $18 a pop (you get one complimentary Bellini), but they completely skimped ont he champagne - I drank 3 and didn't even feel a buzz (and I'm a size 2). We were charged $13/bottle for mineral water (ridiculous!) and were not even asked if that's what we wanted. Ultimately, our bill came to $130/person - I would much rather have had brunch eating outside at a cafe in a swanky part of town - the Rainbow Room is embarrassing - dont waste your money here!

• Pros: Vast buffet selection, nice view
• Cons: Poorly maintained & tacky, very overpriced, parking difficult

07/16/07

The Rainbow Room

by chrisdm

If you have stupid money to burn, the Rainbow Room is the place for you. The service was good, but the cost of the food is absurd!!! And yes, we knew this going there. The fixed menu is much to be desired at $200 per person, which DOES NOT include drinks. My husband and I had two drinks at the bar before dinner, and the tab was $39.50. The food was very mediocre. My husband's lobster didn't taste fresh, and the Angus filet wasn't Angus, and not very tasty, I had two bites, and was finished with it. It wasn't good enough to force down. For $200 a person, the food should have been unbelievable, and it just wasn't.

The view of the city from the ball room stinks, especially if you are seated near the dance floor. If you want to go 'The Rainbow Room" to say, you went to "The Rainbow Room" do yourself a favor and eat at the grill. The price is cheaper, and the view is great.

Thie Rainbow Room is for the serious dancer, who has money to burn. It's not a place to go if you are looking to have a great dinner. If you decide to go, remember one thing when the bill comes, and after you have come out of your fainting spell, the Captain gets 5% and the waiter gets 15%. No more.

07/06/07

epic disappointment

by bombshellbetty

we made reservations for the rainbow room six months ago but where seated in the grill....

lifeless salad, v8 mascardaing as gazpacho, dry hard bread, overcooked potato sides, mushy colorless vegetable side dishes. Undercooked weepy overpriced merangue pies, the wost coffee on the planet and all this only took 3 1/2 hours to endure while the rest of the resturaunt tables flipped 2x over.

Save your $. The view wasnt even worth it due to the haze.

I regret that I saved the waiter from burning his trousers on our votive candle as he bent forward to take another tables order. That would have justified the $280.00 tab.

• Pros: view if the sky is clear.
• Cons: price, neglect, inept chefs, reservations dont mean a thing!

05/17/07

Incredible service, beautiful space, decent food.

by likuid144

The rainbow room is absolutely beautiful and elegant. I went for brunch last sunday and was very impressed. The food was all great and fresh as can be, though nothing was incredible. By this I mean that there is so much food, so many different options, from lobster to crab, to steak, crepes, etc., however, nothing really stood out. Definitely try it once, you may fall in love with it.

• Pros: Food options, service, view

11/20/06

what a view

by mberson27

Yes, it's a pricey place, but you are definitely paying for the view. A definite stop to experience all of cliche ny spots.