Vol de Nuit

06/08/09

Decent place, bad beer

by amangla007

I was here this past Saturday night with a friend. After having an excellent Hoegaarden at another bar, we thought we'd go to a proper Belgian beer place. However, much to our disappointment, the Hoegaarden we were served tasted horrible. We left our drinks there, more than half full, and moved on to a different place. This is really pathetic. I have enjoyed going to this bar for years now, but this last experience makes me wonder if the owner is trying to cut corners during the economic downturn by serving old beer.

06/18/08

place is crawling with c0ckroaches

by Carmen81

I have been coming to this bar for about six months. I really like the selection of beer and the place is right down the street from me. However, I agree with the past posts about the owner being a nut. Worse, the place is crawling with c0ckroaches! A HUGE c0ckroach fell into my boyfriend's beer! Quite unsavory. I haven't been back since.

• Pros: great beer and fries
• Cons: nutty owner, c0ckroach problem

05/26/08

good beer, terrible owner/bartender

by natalie4485

just got back from vol de nuit where i was treated like a kindergartener by the bartender/owner, Sham.

it's a shame, because the beer at the bar is pretty good, though whenever this guy is working, the bar is mysteriously out of palm speciale (the bartenders have to go outside to the other bar for it, and i suspect he just doesn't feel like it).

today, he asked me for my ID (which is fine, i happen to look very young for my age), but then instead of actually checking out my ID, he asked me if it was my "true ID" with about as much attitude as an 8th grade girl, and then started asking me questions like "do you know how many fake IDs we get here? 80% of IDs are fake!" and then muttered that i "must not be from new york". funny thing is, if he'd spent as much time reading my ID as he did grilling me about it (since when do bartenders do anything but check your ID then serve you?) he would have seen that it was from NY state with my downtown address on it, and everything would have sailed along fine, just like every other time i'm there and served by any of the other bartenders.

then, when my fiance asked me what the problem was (sham probably didn't realize that he was with me since he was in the bathroom at the beginning of all this), sham shot back "who are you?" then threw my ID at him and told us to get the "f" out.

as we were leaving, he started slamming all the windows shut.

and that is the kind of experience you can expect any time sham is working, even though he's the owner.

just wonderful!

• Pros: good beer, good fries
• Cons: terrible service from owner, sham, he will actually curse at you if annoyed at all

05/26/08

I'd just like to say...

by MaureenMIah

>_> Okay, here's a little tip for you guys who gave this bar 1 star.

1) My DAD (the bar owner) is NOT only winning A BUCK OR TWo (as i read in a review) ._. he has at least 1000 in his pocket. He buys me ipods ,phones, wii, gameboys. >_> Go look in YOUR pocket poor hoboe.

2) Im pretty sure the bar owner wouldnt swear at you =D

3) The service isnt that bad, and its crowded obviously cause it has success, if you cant wait a couple of minutes then get out and never come back..

THANK YOU

12/31/07

Terrible Management

by shiner335

I've been to Vol de Nuit a few times now, and the previous few were good. There was a great selection of beers, and a nice atmosphere. This last time I took my girlfriend out for her birthday with a few of her friends. it was very crowded, but we found a quiet table upstairs to enjoy a few beers and her birthday cake. After about an hour, it started to fill up, and the manager came up and grabbed all of our glasses and full beers and told us to get out, because there was a party that reserved the table. We said we were leaving after we finished our beers, he told us to get out now and cleared off our table. We continued to question it, and the manager began cursing at us and threatening us. We walked downstairs, and on our way out the manager cursed at us again, and told us never to come back. I promise, I won't. But I'll have the nice Hoegaarden glass we took as a reminder of the terrible night.

• Pros: good beer selection
• Cons: terrible customer service. terrible management.

11/07/07

Good beer selection

by game7

This place is a classic NYU hangout.It's dark, cozy and offers a unique selection of belgian brews on tap.They are also famous for their fries which are very good.It could get crowded,but if you can get there at the right time,it is a great,semi quiet-comfortable place to have a few drinks.The bartenders are very nice-up front and in the back, with the exception of an Asian female who works in the back bar, who is probably the nastiest bartender I have ever dealt with in my life,extremely rude.

08/22/06

Bad Beer

by qwerty2006

The place itself is pleasant, and the music isn't too loud. Good smokers' courtyard and a great location. But when I received a glass of flat lager and asked politely for it to be exchanged, the owner refused and pretended that it was fine. Rubbish. I've worked in six bars in my time, so I know my beers, but I didn't want to make a big deal about it. He also serves short -- that is, the beer is an inch from the top of the glass. It's a pity, since otherwise the place is OK, that the proprietor doesn't know how to run a business. Sure, he saved himself a buck, but he lost a lot of goodwill, which is a lot more valuable in the long run. I guess he's used to serving fratboys or something.

07/19/06

best beer and fries!!

by evaneats

Best beer and fries in town! Go early, go often; service is great at the bar or even near it; don't sit down outside and wait though - just get your own at the bar. Many times we come here and just fill up and skip dinner altogether. Great atmosphere although a little sticky at times; happy people who are usually very friendly hang out here.

• Pros: best beer and fries around
• Cons: really crowded late at night (is this a con?)

02/24/06

Service? What service?

by Drink_Club

The place was too packed to fit inside. Sitting in the cold courtyard, we waited to be served. Eventually I went to the bar. "We can't run a tab outside," the barmaid said. "If you order here, we'll bring it to you." I ordered, carried two beers outside, and waited for our food. And waited... eventually we moved to a table inside. Once inside, we thought a waitress might stop by. Think again. Finally catching some poor busboy who had to deliver into the cold, we waylaid him and hijacked someone else's food. Less crowded, it would be a nice atmosphere as long as you're prepared for Do It Yourself.

BTW, only beer here, mostly Belgian. No hard liquor. The mussels are good but messy. No bread to soak up the butter... and try getting extra napkins. Who're you gonna ask? --Drink Club is a roving band of NYC drinkers

• Pros: Belgian Beer, Friendly patrons
• Cons: Service?, What service?

Red-light Belgian bar where singles flirt over frites and brews.

by Katie Heffernan

In Short
It's easy to miss this Belgian tavern hidden off Fourth Street. But through its low tunnel entrance lies a spacious open-air atrium reminiscent of a European sidewalk cafe--and the door to a sultry singles scene. Inside, dim red lanterns barely illuminate the mingling-friendly layout, roomy with a few velvet couches. A strong selection of Belgian beers--the most on tap in the city--eases the approach, and mussels and frites help settle the stomach.