I’ve been to UES Cocktails about 5–6 times in the past, but unfortunately the service and quality have really dropped off. On my most recent visit, it took nearly 15 minutes to get our drinks even though the bar wasn’t particularly busy. When they finally arrived, the cocktails were disappointing, far from what you’d expect for $25 each. Honestly, they tasted more like something you’d get at a college bar rather than a high-end cocktail spot. I won’t be returning anytime soon.
Christina Chiappetta
The atmosphere is great. The service sucks. Took 15 minutes to bring a pretzel that was cold. Took another 20 minutes to bring ice cream that was already melting. The staff is semi friendly. Won't come back not worth the hype.
Victor Mangome
Went with some friends to have a couple drinks and I must say Keith W is the worst bartender I have ever encounter. This guy has no personality, didn't even speak much and was so rude when asks to make some drinks. WOW! He should be fired immediately!! I will never return or recommend this place and its sad because people like him shouldn't be working in hospitality.
Eleanor Young
I stopped by last night and had a blast. The guy in the front made me feel comfortable and walked me through what to do. Ice cream and drinks were great. The guys in the back were a little quiet but service was A1
Audrey Stewart
Listen. I'm not trying to be a hater here. I went to UES three years ago and it was fantastic. I was very excited to take my friend here on her visit. But the service was just terrible, and after seeing all the other reviews online I can see why. It took us a good 20 minutes to get out table, despite having a reservation. There was no communication whatsoever. And then, our table was walked by several times. I don't even think it was the staff's fault. There was one bartender, one server, and one doorman for the whole place. That isn't enough for a Friday night in NYC. It took 30 minutes just to put in an order, and after another 20, we got up to cancel our order and left. It just wasn't worth sticking around for with those prices. Hire some more workers so the 3 staff members you have aren't swamped to hell.
Luna
The service here is non existent. When you first walk in the man at the ice cream shop was okay. Could have had a lot more personality. Once inside we scanned a QR code for the menu. The server came over and I asked a question about a cocktail which he answered in one word. He was not very engaging. I went ahead and ordered it. He dropped off the drinks, didn’t say a word, and never came back to the table. He was behind the bar on his phone - when we could see him. After tasting my cocktail, he answered my question incorrectly which was disappointing because I didn’t like my drink and would’ve ordered something else if he was more knowledgeable about the menu. If he ever came back to the table we would’ve ordered food and the second round we were told was required but since he disappeared for long periods of time and we had to sit there for two hours, we were able to close out after one drink. If we had a different server I think this would’ve been a much better experience. After reading reviews this experience is clearly not isolated and makes me wonder what the manager/owner is doing. We finally closed out after getting up and going to the bar despite making eye contact with our server several times. There was a table seated next to us and this is a cozy space, there were empty glasses all over our table. We saw him clean and reset a table without wiping it down or clean it with anything, he just removed the dishes and made the table appear clean. I think with new management and new servers this place has potential but the way it’s being managed right now, beware.
Mari Vicente
The entry guy is always so rude. It’s cool inside, lots of cocktails options- way to much. Kind too sweet. It’s a okay spot
Kid-friendliness: No
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 3
Eoghan Gallagher
I’m really not someone to leave reviews especially because I’m in the industry but this place is truly disappointing. We were let in by the bartender who didn’t as much as say hello and simply pointed us to a table. After a good 10-15 minutes my date had to walk up to the bar and try to get the bartenders attention so we could order. The drink menu is overly complex and the drinks themselves are completely out of balance, the accompanying ice cream/ gelato was the only nice part. While it wasn’t the busiest night the solo bartender sat behind the bar on his phone and made no attempt to interact with guests at any point, refill waters to make the unpalatable drinks easier to go down, etc. After 45 minutes of sitting in front of empty drinks I waved the bartenders down so we could get our tab. Nearly $50 for 2 absolutely awful drinks and below subpar service. This bar has to do better for the price point and location, there are so many amazing speakeasy’s here in New York and owners cannot just phone it in because Speakeasy’s are the trendy thing at the minute.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Ken Walker
This was a great place two years ago when I took my adult children to it. We had a great experience. This time, not so much. The drinks were missing some ingredients and the service was terrible. It seems the two bartenders were tentative to other patrons (at the bar and the tables), just not to me and my children at the bar.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 2
Rovik Robert
Service here is horrendous - I was a solo walk in right at opening before an appointment nearby and felt like I was “inconveniencing” the team. Minimal interaction from the staff and rather curt responses to questions. Drinks are not bad but not great. Think they could do more to build on their concept.
I’m not one to leave reviews, so this is saying something. This place is a scam. The service was honestly the worst I’ve ever had in New York. This is quite literally the worst speak easy I’ve been to in my life.
The drinks themselves are hardly even cocktails, with no creativity or display. Literally just ice and alcohol. It’s pathetic.
Best things to do here: leave.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
Daniel Goldberg
A cool idea, well executed aesthetically, but not good service. We waited a long while for someone to take our order, and struggled to get someone’s attention to get water. Not bad, just slow.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
Nick Fasano
I rarely leave reviews but I felt obligated to in this case, unfortunately. I was there for a birthday party and I noticed they were pouring the beers into very tiny plastic mugs which in no way was a full beer's worth (they were of course 9 dollar pilsners). When I asked the bartender what they were doing with the rest of the beer, they were rude but ended up giving me the can, which they had behind the bar, and was half full. Aside from the obvious concerns, from a safety perspective, you couldnt see what they were doing with the drinks because they were making/pouring them under the bar and out of view.
I have never seen anything like this at any bar in NYC.
Joe Cabrera
Fun speakeasy concept. I would have like if the drinks were more innovative and the staff was a bit more attentive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Daniel Liang
Very very very rude service by the ice cream man at the front, and judging by the other reviews it wasn't just me that had a bad experience with him. Also the drinks are waaay overpriced. AVOID THIS
I’ve been to UES Cocktails about 5–6 times in the past, but unfortunately the service and quality have really dropped off. On my most recent visit, it took nearly 15 minutes to get our drinks even though the bar wasn’t particularly busy. When they finally arrived, the cocktails were disappointing, far from what you’d expect for $25 each. Honestly, they tasted more like something you’d get at a college bar rather than a high-end cocktail spot. I won’t be returning anytime soon.
The atmosphere is great. The service sucks. Took 15 minutes to bring a pretzel that was cold. Took another 20 minutes to bring ice cream that was already melting. The staff is semi friendly. Won't come back not worth the hype.
Went with some friends to have a couple drinks and I must say Keith W is the worst bartender I have ever encounter. This guy has no personality, didn't even speak much and was so rude when asks to make some drinks. WOW! He should be fired immediately!! I will never return or recommend this place and its sad because people like him shouldn't be working in hospitality.
I stopped by last night and had a blast. The guy in the front made me feel comfortable and walked me through what to do. Ice cream and drinks were great. The guys in the back were a little quiet but service was A1
Listen. I'm not trying to be a hater here. I went to UES three years ago and it was fantastic. I was very excited to take my friend here on her visit. But the service was just terrible, and after seeing all the other reviews online I can see why. It took us a good 20 minutes to get out table, despite having a reservation. There was no communication whatsoever. And then, our table was walked by several times. I don't even think it was the staff's fault. There was one bartender, one server, and one doorman for the whole place. That isn't enough for a Friday night in NYC. It took 30 minutes just to put in an order, and after another 20, we got up to cancel our order and left. It just wasn't worth sticking around for with those prices. Hire some more workers so the 3 staff members you have aren't swamped to hell.
The service here is non existent. When you first walk in the man at the ice cream shop was okay. Could have had a lot more personality. Once inside we scanned a QR code for the menu. The server came over and I asked a question about a cocktail which he answered in one word. He was not very engaging. I went ahead and ordered it. He dropped off the drinks, didn’t say a word, and never came back to the table. He was behind the bar on his phone - when we could see him. After tasting my cocktail, he answered my question incorrectly which was disappointing because I didn’t like my drink and would’ve ordered something else if he was more knowledgeable about the menu. If he ever came back to the table we would’ve ordered food and the second round we were told was required but since he disappeared for long periods of time and we had to sit there for two hours, we were able to close out after one drink. If we had a different server I think this would’ve been a much better experience. After reading reviews this experience is clearly not isolated and makes me wonder what the manager/owner is doing. We finally closed out after getting up and going to the bar despite making eye contact with our server several times. There was a table seated next to us and this is a cozy space, there were empty glasses all over our table. We saw him clean and reset a table without wiping it down or clean it with anything, he just removed the dishes and made the table appear clean. I think with new management and new servers this place has potential but the way it’s being managed right now, beware.
The entry guy is always so rude. It’s cool inside, lots of cocktails options- way to much. Kind too sweet. It’s a okay spot
Kid-friendliness: No
Atmosphere: 4
Service: 3
I’m really not someone to leave reviews especially because I’m in the industry but this place is truly disappointing. We were let in by the bartender who didn’t as much as say hello and simply pointed us to a table. After a good 10-15 minutes my date had to walk up to the bar and try to get the bartenders attention so we could order. The drink menu is overly complex and the drinks themselves are completely out of balance, the accompanying ice cream/ gelato was the only nice part. While it wasn’t the busiest night the solo bartender sat behind the bar on his phone and made no attempt to interact with guests at any point, refill waters to make the unpalatable drinks easier to go down, etc. After 45 minutes of sitting in front of empty drinks I waved the bartenders down so we could get our tab. Nearly $50 for 2 absolutely awful drinks and below subpar service. This bar has to do better for the price point and location, there are so many amazing speakeasy’s here in New York and owners cannot just phone it in because Speakeasy’s are the trendy thing at the minute.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
This was a great place two years ago when I took my adult children to it. We had a great experience. This time, not so much. The drinks were missing some ingredients and the service was terrible. It seems the two bartenders were tentative to other patrons (at the bar and the tables), just not to me and my children at the bar.
Atmosphere: 5
Service: 2
Service here is horrendous - I was a solo walk in right at opening before an appointment nearby and felt like I was “inconveniencing” the team. Minimal interaction from the staff and rather curt responses to questions. Drinks are not bad but not great. Think they could do more to build on their concept.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 3
Service: 3
Restaurantji Recommends
I’m not one to leave reviews, so this is saying something. This place is a scam. The service was honestly the worst I’ve ever had in New York. This is quite literally the worst speak easy I’ve been to in my life.
The drinks themselves are hardly even cocktails, with no creativity or display. Literally just ice and alcohol. It’s pathetic.
Best things to do here: leave.
Atmosphere: 1
Food: 1
Service: 1
A cool idea, well executed aesthetically, but not good service. We waited a long while for someone to take our order, and struggled to get someone’s attention to get water. Not bad, just slow.
Atmosphere: 4
Food: 4
Service: 2
I rarely leave reviews but I felt obligated to in this case, unfortunately. I was there for a birthday party and I noticed they were pouring the beers into very tiny plastic mugs which in no way was a full beer's worth (they were of course 9 dollar pilsners). When I asked the bartender what they were doing with the rest of the beer, they were rude but ended up giving me the can, which they had behind the bar, and was half full. Aside from the obvious concerns, from a safety perspective, you couldnt see what they were doing with the drinks because they were making/pouring them under the bar and out of view.
I have never seen anything like this at any bar in NYC.
Fun speakeasy concept. I would have like if the drinks were more innovative and the staff was a bit more attentive.
Atmosphere: 5
Food: 3
Service: 4
Very very very rude service by the ice cream man at the front, and judging by the other reviews it wasn't just me that had a bad experience with him. Also the drinks are waaay overpriced. AVOID THIS
Service: 1
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