Ava Penthouse Lounge

09/04/2008 Posted by lysi78

I will not get into all the details but the service at the rooftop lounge is awful. From the minute we walked in we were treated like 2nd class citizens. Attitude through out the entire evening and the waitresses act like they are doing you a favor by serving you and give you an attitude when they make mistakes. Dont bother going, spend your money elsewhere. The view is amazing but not worth being treated like we were. I am a new yorker and have been to high end establishments all over the world and have never been treated like this.

Pros: Nice View

Cons: Poor Service

08/24/2008 Posted by Stevepsi

This was the worst place I have been to in quite some time. I must say that the decor is very much ikea-like which may be the best thing about it. Its ridiculously small and crowded with terrible music. There was a terrible smell from the minute that I first walked in to the main room that was clearly overly packed and not properly air-conditioned. The bouncer was a total loser about the whole entrance into this spot and finally after entering I was shocked to see that this spot was filled with nothing but guys and really ugly people. On top of it all its bar was slammed since it is a total of 5 feet long and the waitstaff is second to none in terms of classless attitude. Filled with tourists and definitely Jersey shore goers(not including the attractive fake blondes just the cheesy Indian dudes that no one wants to be around), it is not worth anyone's time. Realistically I would rather have hung out in Wyoming than this spot. Do yourself a favor and don't go! By the way if you are a bouncer that works here you should probably understand that just like I said before you make 10 dollars an hour and you need to get over yourself.

Pros: None

Cons: Total experience was awful. It was really a joke of a place.

07/20/2008 Posted by beingmeubu

After visiting the Ava Lounge on Fri, July 18, 2008 I no choice but to let the potential visitors know what they have to look forward to. I was there for a birthday party for 2 friends of mine. The staff from the door downstairs to the bouncers upstairs were moderately polite. The inside lounge area was so dark that you had to get right in the other persons face to even get a somewhat clear view of what they looked like or who they were. Once upstairs the view was spectacular. The rooftop has a clear unobstructed view of Times Square. We ordered our 1st round of drinks and the waitress is what really took the cake. She looked as if someone had found her on the street, pulled an ol tattered wig out of a dumpster behind a wig store and put her to work. She acted as if this was her 1st time working with a large crowd. The prices didn't bother me because it's Manhattan. I ordered a simple Malibu Rum and OJ because I noticed how irritated she was getting with the other party goers as it relates to their orders. When she FINALLY came back with my drink, literally it was ALL orange juice. I tasted no hint of Rum at all. Then to top it all off the OJ had PULP in it. WHO MAKES A DRINK WITH ORANGE JUICE WITH PULP??? I have been to bars and clubs all over the world and I have never been served PULPY orange juice! I asked her if they could remake it and explained to her that I would pay for the 2nd one as well as she acted as if I had thrown the drink on her. Her whole disposition changed as if I had offended her. THEN when the cake came out, this supposed to be upscale establishment in Manhattan brought the very expensive cake out on throw away picnic saucers and plastic forks! OMG it was like being at a 10 yr old birthday party. To top it all off the check was completely wrong. We ended up just paying it and leaving. The hotel is beautiful, would love to stay there sometime but as for the AVA LOUNGE, they'd be better off closing!

Pros: great Times Square views, trendy decor

Cons: horrible service, unconventional drink mixers, overstaffed, too crowded

06/23/2008 Posted by mereditheats

This was my first time at Ava Lounge and after the way that we were treated, it will certainly not be my last. The staff was amazing, kind, and helpful. We had reserved seating on the rooftop for Saturday night. We were whisked upstairs through the line and onto this fantastic roof deck. Our waitress Christina couldnt have been a sweeter nicer girl. We had such an amazing time!! The views are fantastic and we really felt very S*x and the City ish (there were 4 of us!) Everything just worked out 100% perfect. The crowd was good and well dressed. It was definitely a perfect upscale evening.

Pros: Great views, great bar, GREAT staff

06/16/2008 Posted by Dancingdiva77

Went here for a friend's birthday on Saturday night, 6/14 and while we were all impressed with the views, we were not impressed by the rude bouncers and their nasty attitudes. Despite having table service, we had to wait in the back of the line. Once getting to the top, where the lounge is located, we were shown in and had to literally swim our way through to find our little table in the back that could seat maybe 4 people if lucky. The space around the tables is small so if you bring your friends, just plan on dancing up against them. I think it happened to be very crowded on the Sat. that we were there because it had rained very hard during the day and the rooftop was closed. Adding to the misery was the fact that the air condition was broken and the poor men in their long sleaved shirts were sweating most of the night. One plus - the music was great and it would have been more enjoyable if there was actually room to dance and air to breath! The main reason I wouldn't recommend this place is the service, starting with the bouncers and ending with the waitresses. Bouncers were ridiculous - red velvet rope, ect. and major attitude and the waitress once bringing us our table and vodka did not check up on us once to see if we needed more mixers - we had to hunt her down. Impressed? Hardly and I don't think any of us will return back.

Pros: Good Music

Cons: Everything but the good music - HORRIBLE service & attitude

06/09/2008 Posted by lauranal

My friend rented half the roof for her bday party and I must say it was an amazing roof and cool spot for a party. Nice furniture, very pretty plants and a great view. It wasn't "too" crowded either which was nice!

Pros: Upscale

04/04/2008 Posted by luvnyc401

Personally I liked this lounge, but that could be because I came on a cold rainy day when the tourists stayed in. There was a good crowd, the music was much better than I thought it would be- mix of hip-hop and reggae and some classics. Drinks weren't too bad, again maybe b/c it wasn't a weekend but they were $9, not $15. I loved the decor inside- great lighting and colors, perfect for a date. I've heard the roof is amazing in the summer so I plan on checking it out.

Pros: nice lighting and interior set the perfect mood for my date

Cons: Apparently the crowd isnt so great certain nights?

08/06/2007 Posted by ldosmil

The drinks were overpriced: from $15-$25, typically. The crowd is a mix of tourist and cheesy; think guys in striped dress shirts and girls in above-the-waistline belts and Tory Burch flats. The music is straight out of a Jersey shore club in midsummer. I refuse to believe New Yorkers hang out here. This is a tourist trap. In a word, tacky.

Pros: Nothing

Cons: Everything

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08/06/2007 Posted by wpt51

Last night was a lovely evening to be out an about in the city... I had a very good friend in from the west coast and I decided to take her to Ava & check it out. I had planned to take clients here for dirnks and wanted to make sure it was appropriate (its NOT). The Views are the only thing it has going for it and they are NOT worth it. The decor is a pathetic attempt at hip, using the cheesiest materials and awful uncomfortable furniture that was tired and sorry looking. The decking material was uneven, cupped and looked even more tired. Service was non-existant, we had left before the second round came out (we waited 40 minutes for the drinks) their Mojitos were the lamest drinks ever. For $15 you get a tiny tiny drink with no booze and no lime just sugar water and mint. There for 2 hours only able to order 1 round of drinks, and RUDE (even by NYC hipster standards) wait staff. Having grown up in Manhattan and being used to the NYC cooler than you set... this place would have been laughable if it I wasn't paying to be there, at the end we got up and tried to leave... waiting another 18 minutes to settle the bill which arrived as a flat fee... no itemization of what we were being charge...they over charged by 50% when they finally got back to me with a proper check. Basically a what-not-to-do/where-not-to-go in NYC lounges.

Pros: views

Cons: everything else was mind bogglingly bad

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful

06/01/2007 Posted by mstar26

A group from work went there the other night to wish one of our co-worker good luck at her new job. Not the place to go. Music was WAY to loud, so much my ears starting hurting. The drinks were mixed well, however, for $14.00, they should have been stronger. Place was overrun with tourists (I know its a hotel bar) and people that thought they were to cool for everyone else. The wait to go up was long and to get back down was even longer. If you want to feel like you are hip and trendy then go. If not, don't bother.

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful