New-York bar — Restaurant in Tokyo

We booked in to New York Bar on for the New Years Eve and it was a complete disaster from the minute we steped into the hotel. At the lobby, there was no one to guide you at all and we were left completely alone to figue our selves out so we lined up together with other people for check in at the ground floor. Only after 15 minutes to be told that we should just head straight for the bar and the line is for something else. Once we arrived, the service was just standing there and doing nothing, the queue behind us was really big as well but they still wouldnt do anything about it. No apology at all. It was very dark too and tou could hardly see anything at the entrance. Lousy service from the start, everything took very long time and make us feel very uncomfortable and left out. Guests before us got their food and we havnt gotten it until 40 minutes later. Why? Also the 3 canapes looked so sad. No offence to the chef but, really? When the champagne was poured, the bottle was already opened and we were 1st to receive it so I'm not sure it it was the correct one as it tasted like simple prosecco. Showing us already opened and half emptied bottle was less that impressive and rather very cheap. There was no drinks menu on the table, no napkin, nothing. Everything felt so cheap and not valued. We were not looked after at all. Pretty much ignored most of the time and had to keep asking for basic service. No wine list was offered at all and this was what we were after. Water was only given 50minutes later (isn't this a basics?) We ordered some food as well. Food arrived but no cutlery served at all prior, we had to ask for it. Cheese knife missing for cheeseboard. At this point we already gave up and didn't even bother asking. Not 5 star service, even izakaya has better one Wine poured and finished, we were not asked if we would like another one. The waiter just took bottle and left without a word. We have to wait and asked to order again. Not very good business practice at all. I have pre paid 150,000 and we have to wait again for the rest of the bill for a very long time. I wanted to cry. This was such a embarrassing night for me as I brought my reputable guests who are actually from Shinjuku and they were very unimpressed. This place is not good for anyone seeking good service as it's simply non existant. The only person I can commend was Chisa, who helped me to organise this booking. She was very helpful and always communicating well in regards of the booking. Anything else pure embarrassment and disaster. Even the Countdown was simply boring. What was that? Zero entertainment. Do not recommend it. The only good thing about this place is the stunning view....

For those that prefer a summary, passive mistreatment and neglect is the service and atmosphere my wife and I feel we experienced at this bar. Having explored Osaka, Kyoto and Tokyo’s ins and outs for the past couple of weeks, we firmly believe that this bar does not at all represent the experience, culture or hospitality that one would consider the “norm” in upper class Japan.

We were staying at the Kimpton just nearby and were recommended the bar as a “Must See” for the night city views of Tokyo. We waited the 30-45 mins and paid the fees of approx 2500 Yen per person for non Park Hyatt guests (feel free to do the conversion in your native currency to see how ridiculous that is). To the bar’s credit, the views of Tokyo at that altitude are good.

However what followed after the wait was our placement in a corner “hidden” table, with what my wife and I believed was an obvious preference to guests that were deemed more “respectable” for various reasons. When there was a slight confusion in our order, we were provided with a waiter that appeared to be from our ancestral country despite us being citizens of Canada that only spoke English in our native tongue. We noted that guests seated after us, again, possibly deemed more “respectable” in appearance, were given preferential treatment in being seated closer to the live music or windows, despite our request for similar views. They also appeared to be treated with far less disdain than we were during service.

We decided to leave the overpriced truffle fries untouched, paid the approx $170 bill, and provided the feedback to the staff. We refused the staff’s offer to speak with their management, even as they attempted to convince us with what we believe were corporate recommended phrases while they followed us back down to the 41st floor (part of the convoluted and frankly asinine way to exit the bar and hotel). The damage was already done to our day at this point.

My wife and I do not wish for anything in return for this awful experience here. We admit that the drinks were well made and the views and live music were good (we have seen far better for far less $$, and with much better hospitality).

I decided to post this as my first review because the passive mistreatment I believe I observed, was hard to ignore. My wife and I feel that this bar does not at all represent the experience of Japan. Japan is beautiful, kind, hospitable, and largely indiscriminate or when so, is extremely polite and respectful about it. We have had welcoming experiences everywhere but this bar. Please continue to support other businesses in this country that we feel are far more deserving of...

Tokyo resident perspective: Some of the most expensive drinks in Tokyo, but sadly also some of the worst-tasting.

My wife and I visited last night because it's such a beautiful place, and the staff is very nice! For two drinks, our bill was roughly $80, which included the $30-ish cover charge for the live music (understandable in general, but the band only played for 10 minutes and then ended for the night. That didn't feel awesome.)

The real bummer though, was the drinks. We ordered a Caipirinha and a Margarita, and they were nice to look at, but the taste was really sub par. If you charge $14 for a cocktail in Japan (a place where you can get unlimited cocktails for $20) it should blow your mind. As a side note- the Cachaça this bar uses in their $14 cocktail is (no exaggeration) ~$3 a bottle in Brazil ("51" Cachaça is a "well" alcohol in Brazil that is lower than Smirnoff, to give you an idea.)

As a former bar tender, and someone who has lived in Brazil, I can tell you the Caipirinha recipe they are using is not right. I politely asked the wait staff in Japanese if they could fix the drink by adding some sweetness (the drink tasted like lime and a hint of Cachaça) and their solution was to add some orange juice. This didn't help the drink at all, sadly. My wife's Margarita was also watered down (but beautiful, to be fair).

I'm writing this review in hopes that this bar can make two great improvements:

1. Revisit the drink recipes (I get the feeling the bar tenders don't taste the drinks they make, or perhaps they don't know the way they should taste? But these drinks really need some love. They are just not up to the normally very high standards of Japanese bar tenders). A Caipirinha is a generous pour of Cachaça, lime, and sugar. I would highly recommend serving this drink to a Brazilian and asking for feedback, to bring this normally delicious drink to the next level.

2. If someone arrives at the bar when the band is about to finish, please don't charge the full price of the "entertainment" cover charge. This just makes us feel taken advantage of, when I know that certainly wasn't the intention. Consider being generous and just dropping the cover charge when 10 minutes of entertainment remain.

Thanks for being open to receiving this feedback! The wait staff and environment are top notch, and you're very close...