01/21/09

beware

by meredithkl

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

06/05/06

Service not good, everything else is

by mars2

I went to Room 18 for my bday, and they said that they could accomodate a group of 20+ people. I went there a few minutes early to see how they set it up, but they did not set up yet even though the restaurant was empty. When I asked them where we would sit, the person in charge ignored me. Once they did set it up, they said that their table arrangement could accomodate 20 people. But it could not. A chunk of the evening was spent playing musical chairs and rearranging the tables so that everyone could find a place to sit. Some of my friends were not comfortable,and they did very little to make sure that they were.

On the flip side, good food, good ambiance and the service got better once we had a different waiter.

• Pros: food, ambiance
• Cons: service, accomodation, sangria

11/23/05

A Nolita lounge for tapas and a quasi-romantic interlude.

by Erin Behan

The Scene
A neighborhood dinner-and-date crowd morphs into a singles scene as the night wears on and the DJ gets going. The hopping classic-style bar is backed by an antique mirror; leather chairs sidle up to tables; and low clubby seating flanks the bar. A harried staff does its best to accommodate but is often distracted.

The Food
The menu makes liberal use of Latin and Asian flavors; steer to the south for the more satisfying experience. Start with seafood empanadas, bursting with a medley of fish, or the shrimp with honey-guava dipping sauce, made savory by a crisped pork wrap. The roast duck, a simple affair of duck and salsa in a tortilla, matches well with a full-bodied wine. Entrees lack kick, but are serviceable: The tame coconut chicken arrives notably tender, and salmon gets help from a faint wasabi sauce. The pineapple-chorizo fried rice works best as a side dish.