Rolf's Bar & Restaurant

12/11/09

How to ruin a special occasion

by jimbo1172 at Citysearch

Extremely rude waitstaff and manager/host. Rushed us through the meal. We had reservations but they actually had the nerve to ask us to leave before we had even finished our meal/drinks. They said they were really busy and needed the table. Bathrooms are filthy and not stocked. When meals average $25 per dinner not including drinks, you should be able to enjoy them and finish them and not be rushed out! We were at the table less than an hour when they started to ask us to leave.

Save your money and just take pictures from the window!

• Pros: Great food and atmosphere
• Cons: Staff, staff, staff

02/17/09

Valentine's day HORROR

by Kirillis at Citysearch

Rolf's restaurant used to be one of those gateway places in the city. We'd always come back during holiday time, as Rolf's would transform into a magical fantasy world; Tons of decorations, great food, fun personnel...... NOT THIS TIME! Well, the place look well prep'd with decorations-the remains of good ole' Rolf's...what a hoax. We placed a reservation a week an advance, usually it takes a month, and arrived to celebrate valentine's day to find out the place didn't seem as busy and happy as it used to. It didn't even seem that the reservation was necessary to squeeze in the almost empty restaurant. We ordered the usual "good stuff"....But, we received BURNT potato pancakes, RAW lamb chops, instead of medium rare, topped with long wait, non existent service (the host was reading a newspaper throughout the whole time we were there). We left Rolf's hungry. I guess Indians, the prime personnel of the place, are not well suited to cook and serve German food.

• Pros: Well decorated place
• Cons: Non existent service, bad food.

02/02/09

Ditto to all the disappointed reviews

by JessieRinNYC at Citysearch

Used to love it. Not anymore. This place has seriously gone down hill. I hope the owners realize soon that you can't thrive on fun decor alone. Where has all the charm gone, and the good food? I don't plan to go back any time soon. Wish I could say otherwise because Rolf's has been a tradition since I moved here 8 yrs ago.

Don't bother.

• Pros: Fun decorations
• Cons: Too tight, too slow, bad service, bad food. Wayyyy to expensive for waaaay to little.

01/19/09

Changed for the worst

by Liam12 at Citysearch

For years this place had very good German food and a pretty good waitstaff and bartenders. The last two years it has gone downhill on food, serve and bar to the point that we will never return unless it has an ownership change. very little real German left about the place.

• Pros: decorations
• Cons: food, service and bar

01/18/09

Meh..

by erikasimsny at Citysearch

I went to Rolf's recently with a date.. it was a great idea on his behalf. I LOVE the holidays.. The decor was great, but other than that, I can't say it was money well spent. I had the beef goulash.. it was just not good. For an $18 dish, even in NYC, I expected at least something decent. The waiter was not attentive, and we waited over an hour for our meals to come out. On a place that banks on holiday spirit, I would have thought the service would be a little more upbeat, instead of seeming stressed out and ready for the evening to end! My date actually apologized at the end of the evening for a mediocre dinner.. no harm done.. the beer was good, and I was plenty happy despite the meal. Def don't plan to go back though..

• Pros: Fun decor..
• Cons: Everything else

12/16/08

Wonderful for Christmas

by mnf62 at Citysearch

I have already been to Rolf's twice this year (both times since Thanksgiving). Each time, I had a Saturday afternoon reservation. On both occasions, I took along friends who have lived in NYC for years but had never been to Rolf's. Each set of friends loved the food, the service and the atmosphere. In particular, there was no waiting to be seated for my first reservation and only a brief wait the second. Each time the food was delicious (including dessert) and the service was excellent: quick and unobtrusive. We were definitely not rushed at all during what was on both occasions a very leisurely meal. I felt so grateful (and somewhat guilty) that we weren't rushed that I left an extra $10 on the table in addition to my regular tip. Of course, the Christmas atmosphere is simply splendid. The whole experience was wonderful. If you've never been to Rolf's before, don't let the cranky reviews stop you. Try to make a reservation for a Saturday afternoon and enjoy a great Chrismas experience.

12/11/08

One of a kind

by franknfit at Citysearch

I have been going to Rolf's every holiday season for years now and I will tell you of my experiences and impressions:

- Service can be slow without a doubt

- Place is cramped and crowded

- Food is so-so

- Staff can be somewhat overwhelmed and therefore seemingly unhospitable to an extent

HOWEVER....

The decorations are absolutely unbelievable and this alone makes all the negative aspects I and others have mentioned tolerable. If you demand services that typical upscale restaurants offer....don't go here. If you want to revel in the spectacular decor and kick off the holiday season on an inspirational note....then by all means. I'm going again tonight and can't wait....just unbelievable. I'm anticipating a wait past my reservation time so you will see me at the bar wholeheartedly enjoying a nice German brew.

Happy Holidays!

• Pros: Decorations and ambience
• Cons: several, but do not outweigh pros by any means

12/08/08

DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY!!! SERVICE AWFUL!!!

by JM27 at Citysearch

DONT WASTE YOUR MONEY.Really awful..service terrible...food just okay.

We were there on Dec 5, 2008...9pm Reservation-we were finally seated at 945PM!

We stood in the cold doorway waiting-the bar was crowded-there was no where to wait.Food just adequate-nothing to rave about.There is no coat check so you have to hold your coat.The place has so many tables crowded together,you cant even place your coat on the back of the chair-it didnt fit! We folded our big heavy coats on our lap and ate over them.By the time we left, the one toilet in the ladies room at backed up....NEVER AGAIN....

12/06/08

What Happened????????

by zalpe at Citysearch

My wife and I have been going to Rolf"s for over 10 years. I doubt I will ever return. The menu has eliminated some of my favorite dishes. Gone is the veal goulash as well as the boiled beef. What remains is a poor representation of German fare. The potato pancake appetizer was as tasteless as it was overcooked. My wife's Sauerbraten used to come with a potato dupling but no more. My loin of pork was tasteless, dry and was reheated in a microwave. My local diner has a weekly special of Loin of Pork for 9.95 that puts their dish to shame. Rollf's was always a local favorite but has become a tourist attraction with patrons shooting pictures throughout their meals. Perhaps the owners will get the message that pretty Christmas decorations are a poor substitute for bad food.

12/06/08

HORRID EXPERIENCE! Don't let the FAKE REVIEWS FOOL you!

by john0122 at Citysearch

Rolf's is a joke! The staff is rude. They spend the whole time pushing you to buy more alcohol. You are squashed in on top of eachother praying there is not a fire because there is no way you would be able to get out. The philistine host asks you to LEAVE while you are still drinking you coffee?!? IF YOU DON'T WANT CUSTOMERS TO DRINK COFFEE HERE DONT SERVE IT AND TELL THEM TO GO TO STARBUCKS!

DONT BELIEVE THE FAKE REVIEWS! Look at the glowing reviews with 5 stars by a person with NO OTHER REVIEWS! It is obviously the staff or owner of Rolfs trying to bolster their rating because real people know the truth! All they care about is making more money by pushing the most expensive item on the menu (alcohol), while serving mediocre food, shoving as many tables as possible into the most cramped environment possible, and all with HORRENDOUS CUSTOMER SERVICE.

• Pros: NONE
• Cons: MANY see above