Revitali Cafe Bar & Restaurant

10/05/08

Worst place ever

by Marwa78 at Citysearch

This hookah bar is the Worst one in the city. The ambiance is absolutely horrible and the service is disastrous! They also have disgusting, c0ntaminated food ...which is the biggest negative.

• Pros: Nothing
• Cons: Everything AND the owners are shady

07/25/09

Avoid this place

by NYCREVIEWER at Citysearch

We were overcharged and flat out lied to in this place. We were charged a high gratuity rate (18%) for a table of only four people. This is actually illegal since you need at least 6 people to be charged a gratuity rate. And to top it all off, we were first told that they could only take two credits and then told that their credit card machines were suddenly out of service probably so they dont pay the processing fees. But then they still took them. The management just kept lying to our face. And finally the service was horrible. We had to wait a while just to get a glass for our drinks and they acted like they did us a favor when they brought something over.Though we did not order food, please note that other reviews say this place is not hygenic (has mice..etc). So I highly advice to avoid this place that seems to survive on unfairly overcharging its customers.

• Pros: none
• Cons: poor service, high gratuity charge, rude manager

02/01/09

Brilliant Place, people, and hookah

by Deby1234 at Citysearch

I have been going to Revitalis for about 2 years now with so many different groups of people, all who have loved it. The managers are so sweet and friendly, and are easy to get to know. I was there just last night and the service was interactive, taking photos of us with hats and funny faces. The waiters and waitresses are fun and friendly. If you like to have a chill and relaxed night you can go here, or a fun and hyped night. The hookah is amazing, my favorite being the mon cherie (sp?) or the jasmine. I have yet to try the food there, but if it is anything like the service, ambiance, hookah, and people, then it will be just fantastic. I love this place and the people! GO TO REVITALI!!

• Pros: People, ambiance, hookah flavors, music
• Cons: NADA

10/13/08

If I could give this place Zero stars I would....

by MandyHanafi at Citysearch

This is by far the worst customer service I have ever received. The highlights of the night were the rejection of the coupon (good anytime) and the automatic >20% gratuity for a party of four. The food was terrible, the chicken fingers looked like chicken beaks on shredded lettuce, the french fry basket would have been better if it were Ore-Ida from my oven, and the chicken kebab would have been better if they dredged the trash of the kebab place across street and stuck a $12 price tag on it. Then when we discussed our displeasure with the owner/manager he took our driver's licenses and started yelling at us and threatened to throw us out, which probably would have been more pleasant than staying any longer than we already had. All in all, New York is a big city, take a pass on this place as you walk by, and find somewhere better.

• Pros: Nothing
• Cons: Can't think of a thing

10/07/08

Boycott this place because it $UCKS

by TurkishPrincess at Citysearch

This is by far the worst place I've ever been to, in the history of me going out in Manhattan. I can't believe it's still open after all the complaints and poor decor these people have displayed. This place is so unhygenic and to top it all off, they try to cheat you. This is New York City...not the backwoods of some weird town where you can do as you please. You're going to get in trouble one of these days. I hope this place closes down.

• Pros: Nothing
• Cons: Service, quality of food & drinks, owners, price, gratuity, etc.

10/07/08

Very bad

by MSFire11 at Citysearch

This hookah bar is the worst one in the city. The ambiance is horrible and the service is disgraceful!!! The food was nothing to write home about, might I add.

• Pros: No Pros here
• Cons: A ton...

10/05/08

Please don't go here

by CarlyCieri at Citysearch

I agree, if there was a no stars option I would have chosen it. Manager was totally rude to the waitress and since she turned out to be a friend of a friend I got the inside scoop...the waitresses have to turn over all cash to the manager including their tips (they are given a portion of their tips at the end of the night based on the manager's determination of how much they deserve). They are also not allowed to eat anything and have a limit on how much water (because obviously they are not allowed anything else) they can drink throughout their 10 hour shifts. This is probably why anyone who has been there more than once has not seen the same waitress twice. Oh, and I had to demand my receipt after I paid which made me think that there's a lot of under the table stuff going on there.

There are enough other places in the East Village that are great to hang out and smoke a hookah. There is no reason anyone should have to tip management especially when they are abusive to their staff and customers.

• Pros: There are none
• Cons: Plenty

10/05/08

so bad

by CocoChanel81 at Citysearch

This place suks @ss. Can't say it more eloquently. This place suks @ss. I'm from L.A. & in town working for NY FashionWeek. note: I absolutely LOVE this city & I've only been here for 2 weeks so far. I love hookah, so I decided to go to this place with some friends who were in the area. I first want 2 say that I have NO idea what the rules are for Hookah Bars in NY. We walk in, we're the only ones there, which was ok cuz we weren't looking to go crazy. We sit down & they tell us there is a drink minimum to even be there. So we all order a drink (shltty champagne mixes & random beer, not to mention the $5 waters) Already upset, we get our mango hookah & it was nothing special. Long story short, the bill came & I had to do a double take cuz I could've sworn we were trying to steer clear of the expensive bars. It's all good though, we figured NYC prices are just generally higher for certain things. We then complained about the extra shish order that was on the bill that we didnt order & was NOT served to us. Then we realized they slapped on a hefty gratuity, & that is when things got ugly. There were only 4 of us. I called the @sshole manager over & mentioned to him that NO WHERE on the menu or on any signs did it say ANYTHING about a ridiculous gratuity for 4 people. He then told me that there is a gratuity for even 2 people, so he DOUBLED our gratuity. He says that all of his customers are usually regulars & already know that in NYC, there is ALWAYS a gratuity like that. I'm skeptical (sounds ridiculous) but again, Im not from here so I take his word for it. I just politely said that he should probably state that on the menu or tell all customers aside from the loners who smoke hookah by themselves that there will be a gratuity. He was a total @ss about it, made me feel stupid for not KNOWING about this "manhattan hookah bar" rule, so we paid the stupid bill & walked out. I really wish I had read about this place beforehand.

• Pros: Zero Pros
• Cons: Everything

10/05/08

No Way Jose...do not go in.

by HillaryGates at Citysearch

So when we first walk into Revitali we ask if there is a minimum or if we can JUST smoke hookah. Oh no, the lady assures us, no minimum....that in fact, most people go here to just smoke. So we proceed. My friend thought he was getting tap water with our hookah, my other friend was getting a beer anyway, so when I declined, the waiter informed me there was a one drink minimum per person...so I ask for sparkling water. They bring my friend a 16 oz. bottle of Poland Spring, and I see the guy whip out a 12 oz. can of Canada Dry seltzer water and pour it in a glass. I was thinking more along the lines of San Pellagrino... So in the end what was supposed to be $15 worth of hookah came to be a $38 bill... First, they have a required 18% gratuity, AND they charged $4 for that bottle of Poland Spring, and even worse, $5 for that $0.25 can of carbonated water! It doesn't even make sense...a bottle of Poland Spring costs more than a can of Canada Dry seltzer. We won't be back! It's one thing to push minimums on a busy night but at 6:30 PM when there are only 3 tables being utilized is ridiculous. This place is so cheap they don't have paper towels in the bathroom, nor a toilet paper holder, and they water down the soap! The toilet also had some no. 2 smeared across the basin, and the women's bathroom was out of order all together.

• Pros: Thumbs down
• Cons: Nothing

10/05/08

The Worst

by GKCforever at Citysearch

Do not come here. i wish citysearch had an option for zero stars. Possibly, the worst bar/hookah lounge in Manhattan. I happened upon this place randomly and the whole experience was terrible. First, although we ordered a 20 dollar hookah and food, we were forced to order a drink a person to be served. The waitstaff was rude and acted as if we were bothering them by coming in! When we were done, they refused to accept our credit card telling us that the credit card machines turn off after a certain hour. My friends and I have all worked at bars and know quite well that the credit card machines turn off when the bar decides they turn off. They tried to get us to get cash from the ATM instead. Of course, they wanted the surcharge! OVerall the service was terrible and we were lied to. There are so many great places in the east village to smoke a hookah, go somewhere..anywhere else!

• Pros: Nothing
• Cons: Everything

10/05/08

Horrible...do not go...eeeeew

by Leyla1000 at Citysearch

There is a reason why this place is always dead empty. The minute they get poor victim to walk through their door....they rip them off and treat them like sh*t. Unless you like abuse....avoid this place like the plague. Also...I saw m1ce running around! I was so gr0ssed out!

• Pros: NADAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA
• Cons: EVERYTHINGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGGG