Room 18

12/09/09

Amazing food, Amazing Staff, Amazing All Around

by Citygirl67 at Citysearch

I discovered this place on Halloween two years ago when the bar I was supposed to go to was crowded and unbearable. Walking in Room 18 was delightful. While there were a lot of party goers, the bartenders were on top of their game and the tapas we ordered were perfect. Order the Spicy Tuna Sushi Roll (so so so good)!

Ever since, I have always recommended Room 18 to friends for any occassion (holidays, a romantic dinner, a casual get together, an event for friends)!

And to the woman who commented on the roaches in one of the reviews, I am appalled! I have been there REPEATEDLY, and never witnessed one critter! The restaurant is clean and impeccable.

• Pros: The food and Scene
• Cons: None

12/09/09

Ideal date spot!

by summer422 at Citysearch

I was pleasantly surprised when me and my bf stumbled into this hole in the wall. The wait staff was friendly and the decor was beautiful. What surprised me more was how reasonable the drink prices were! I definitely will be coming back here for some weekend pregaming and tapas!

• Pros: romantic, cheap drinks, friendly staff
• Cons: hard to get a drink at the bar at times

01/21/09

beware

by meredithkl at Citysearch

My boyfriend and I went here for his b-day since it was rated as one of the top 10 most romantic restaurants on citysearch. Since I really appreciate citysearch and have found the site to be very useful i thought it was necessary to report this since this place is so well reviewed. As we began eating, we saw a r*ach on the wall. I jumped (I'm so scared of creepy crawlies) and then my boyfriend let me know that he had already taken care of a r*ach running by his plate on our table but didn't tell me at first b/c he knew I'd be so upset. Then about 30 sec later we saw a r*ach crawling on our menu sitting on the table! So we saw three X's in a matter of a few minutes - on our table or an arms length from our table! Food was nothing special. Service was nice and the place is cute but make sure they get rid of the r*ach problem before going!

05/05/08

FUN, RELAXING, CHILL, GOOD FOOD

by luv4eva92 at Citysearch

Great and cozy place to catch up with friends, excellent place to bring a date, and food is really good. The fish wrap was so fresh and tasty. The fried shrimp/crab roll was crunchy on the outside, but melted in your mouth in the inside. The service was excellent. Nice and friendly staff. Overall a great experience and highly recommended. I will definitely be back!

• Pros: Ambience, food

10/19/07

Fun place and relaxed

by wwcitizen at Citysearch

My friends and I love this little place - friendly and relaxed atmosphere. Good value for the quality and cost. Friends are astounded that I found the place before them. I have taken friends visiting from out of town for a SOHO experience and they loved it. We had tended to order the same things all the time, and then recently started branching out more into other menu selections. Everything I've eaten was tasty. Even the grape martini! Definitely a recommendation.

• Pros: I liked the ambiance and the food
• Cons: Sometimes service can be a bit slow

02/09/07

Great mojitos, good food

by weho013180 at Citysearch

My husband and I stopped in for a post-shopping drink one afternoon and were pleasantly surprised. The pomegranate mojitos are fantastic, and the salads we ordered were pretty good. The bartender was friendly, if bored, and served everything promptly once we got his attention. This bar is kind of stuffy looking but don't be fooled--it's very casual and the music (Clap Your Hands Say Yeah!, Bloc Party, etc.) is not for the geriatric crowd.

• Pros: Pomegranate mojitos, laid-back ambience
• Cons: None that I can recall

01/29/07

Bad All Around

by firewomanm at Citysearch

Had dinner here a few days ago. It was our 4th choice, since the other restaurants nearby were packed. The place looked nice enough. We were able to sit anywhere since the place wasn't busy. We ordered a bottle of wine, the Bodegas Palacio, Castillo Rioja at $30. Our waitress brought the bottle over, opened it and poured our two glasses, then walked away, without even letting us try it first. Fortunately it was okay.

We ordered the ropa vieja and coconut chicken. The food wasn't hot, especially the yellow rice that came with both entrees. It seemed almost cold. The beef in the ropa vieja was a bit dry. The coconut chicken should have been called 'chicken breast with a bit of white gravy'. I could not taste a bit of coconut at all. I don't care for beans so I didn't try the beans that came with the beef, and the peppers that came with the chicken seemed okay enough, it was just a few slices anyway.

It's true that we only write reviews when we have a great experience or a poor one, and I have to say that this was a terrible experience, with the waitress seeming cold and unattentive. Or is it inattentive? Either way, she was both! Unfortunately I try to always tip twice the tax amount, or else she would have gotten much less. When you click on some of the positive reviews, you'll see that the writer has written a review only on this restaurant, which has to make you wonder if they're writing it themselves. Please don't go!

• Cons: awful food, awful service

10/09/06

can't beat in the neighborhood

by mizzzie at Citysearch

Room 18 is by far the coziest lounge/bar/restaurant you can find in the neighborhood or even the whole downtown. The service is always warm, drinks are always made perfectly, good wine selection, and tasty tapas. I really rather keep this jewel to myself to prevent overflow, but yet couldn't resist raving about this place!

• Pros: great ambiance, food, service

09/25/06

good Pomegranite mojitos

by princessoh at Citysearch

Found this place by accident when looking for a pre-Sweet & Vicious visit. Nicely done drinks. Casual Chic Atmosphere. Service was ok. Almost seemed like they didn't care. Tapas dishes were fine but not good enough to order again. I have only gone back here for the cocktails.

• Pros: Good cocktails
• Cons: cocktails better than food

09/23/06

My new favorite place!

by antanvon at Citysearch

My friends and I were wandering around looking for a nice chill place to grab some drinks, and we passed by Room 18 which was outstandingly cute. Even though it was small, we were seated right away, and the waiter was very friendly and knowledgeable about their wine selection. When we saw there was an opening by the window and asked to be moved to the front, he was very nice and accomodating. Their bottles of wine and drinks are very fairly priced, will test out the food next time. Even though it was a calm crowd, the music was upbeat and lively. Definitely coming back here for another fun night!

• Pros: Atmosphere, price, service
• Cons: Small so you may have to wait if crowded