03/17/09

Very nice place great view

by YO

I loved AVA lounge the music was great. I have been there on a Saturday night and a Friday evening. Both times the security, and waitresses were very friendly. I am not sure what some of these people are talking about but it's a nice place. Granted I was there in Feb. and March so it wasn't that crowded but had a great time. One other con is it's a sophisticated spot but why do they only serve Pizza. That is the one thing that is extremely dissapointing. The website has a menu but when you get there that's not what they serve. That's the only negative.

• Pros: view wonderful view of times square
• Cons: small space with no seating unless you have bottle svc

01/26/09

Great View, Manhattan-Priced

by YariR

I'm a bit surprised at all the negative reviews. I went for a party on Saturday at the rooftop lounge, where our party had 1/2 the rooftop reserved (the side with the terrace). From the moment we got to the rope at front we were asked if we were on a guestlist, which we were, and bouncers immediately wisked us up to the rooftop lounge. The view there of TimesSquare is amazing. The waitstaff was friendly, bottles flowed freely, the music was decent. Overall a good time. I did feel bad for those who were general admission, however, as the penthouse did seem a bit small and PACKED... but the rooftop was great so I would recommend reserving that instead. No compliants, really! Prices are what you would expect (a few hundred for bottle service)... but it was a good time, definitely worth it and will do again...

• Pros: Great Views, Friendly Staff, Decent Music, Nice Location
• Cons: General Admission was crammed - must reserve VIP, Pricey

12/14/08

"Bad Business"

by Buttim2flie

Overall I was extremely disappointed in the Ava Lounge. The bouncers were incredibly rude and unprofessional. Even though my organization reserved space there for a holiday party, not all of our co-workers got into the party. I watched the bouncers lie to people on line (some of which were my coworkers) and claim that there were too many people in the lounge and therefore they needed to wait on line, when actually the place was not crowded at all. The bouncers argued, were rude, and because of their unfair treatment and (what I felt like was discrimination), not everyone from my organization got into the Ava lounge and was forced to miss their company holiday party.

The DJ did his best to play popular music but he just wasn't able to keep the crowd engaged. The best part about this lounge is the view and the people I went with, but that's not worth being mistreated. Because of the way we were treated at this place I will never go back and could not recommend it.

09/04/08

AVOID

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

08/24/08

A real dump

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.

07/20/08

Avoid at all costs!

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

06/23/08

FANTASTIC EVENING!

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

06/16/08

Rude Bouncers, horrible service, air condition broken, no space to breath or dance

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

06/09/08

Awesome rooftop! Upscale and Very Pretty!

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

04/04/08

Nice, intimate lounge

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?