The 196 Club — Restaurant in Hartford

EDIT: The manager suggested I reach out via email, promising to provide me with a gift card to return and experience their service again. However, after I emailed, they retracted the offer, citing that they had already comped a round of drinks, which I totally understand. What I find disappointing, though, is the initial promise made publicly in the comments, only to be removed later. This leaves a bad impression about their commitment to customer satisfaction. If I had returned and had a positive experience, I would have gladly updated my review. It's important for businesses to follow through on their promises to build trust and keep customers coming back.

The place was very nice and unique and the atmosphere was amazing, but the customer service was horrible. We arrived for our 8:15 appointment, and the three boys received their drinks around 8:30, while the three girls didn’t get their drinks until 9:00pm. They have a 1.5-hour time frame, and at that point, they asked us to leave (which is understandable, but we didn’t get our full 1.5 hours). We asked if we could all stay for the extra time since we didn’t receive our drinks, as we wanted to order more, but the male host said no. (Again, understandable.) However, the host was very rude. Then we asked if there was anything they could do since we waited a significant amount of time for drinks, and the host snapped back at us, saying, "You’re really going to ask that?" It was very off-putting, and I would not recommend making reservations because they do not treat their guests well. People at the bar were being served drinks with ease, and it's just upsetting that such a nice, updated place was so rude to...

speakeasy vibes that feels more about the aesthetic than about service.

i've been in a few times and the seating is always a bit confusing as you have to see host to be seated but can walk up to bar or cluster behind and stand if it's full - The space could needs more of a flow for patrons or be opened up a bit - couches against wall, more open space etc. and the music.... i'm not sure who is control of playlists but if dj isn't playing would just love to hear something more exciting/vibey. just seems like they are unclear of what they are trying to do with the space. It would be cool to see different creative events or things happening in the space or to walk into - maybe more dance options (especially on a saturday night) I was under impressed with lack of some of servers - some were super attentive, some were not at all, didn't get brought or asked even if we wanted waters, had an empty drink for over 10 minutes sitting at table and servers kept changing. Last time I went it was busier (closer to opening) and service felt a lot more attentive so could've just been that it was a slow night so people were a bit more lax.

overall, it's off to a good start and drinks are good (everywhere is overpriced now) and you see they are trying and still have lots of space for improvement when it comes to getting folks in and catering to your demographic and who you bring in with events, drinks, specials, and the space and hope they don't shut down due to lack of business and think it's more than possible for them to...

We’re in town for the weekend and this was on my bucket list of MUST visits. And let me tell you, it did not disappoint!! The drinks were absolutely divine. Thoughtfully curated drinks utilizing familiar ingredients in an unfamiliar way was a delight to experience. Would highly recommend trying the chai espresso old fashion. You’ll be blown away! If you are fortunate to have Erika as your server your experience just got better! She’s incredible welcoming and easy to chat with. Her bubbly personally made us want to invite her to pull up a chair and join us! We got the French onion dip to snack on. You could tell it was made from scratch and fresh. I would’ve loved to have had fresh-cut house made chips to go with them. Truthfully that’s the only thorn I had with my experience. Their DJ was a hit, people were up dancing, volume wasn’t crazy insane where you couldn’t have a conversation. The place was a whole vibe! Lighting was perfect. Not pitch dark like most speakeasy’s. I could read the menus without needing a flashlight. A huge plus in my book! All in all, give this place a try, ask for Erika & the chai coffee...