Aria Hell's Kitchen — Restaurant in New York

I came to celebrate my partner birthday and i chose this place because it seems nice and cozy. I’ve been here once and i remember them serving pretty good food. This time i came there was no difference in the quality of food but there was a big difference on the service.

My partner and I were seated quickly but we were waiting to get attention. I raised my hand to see if the waited would see me and he reacted with “I’ll be right over, you need to wait”. He said this in such a tone where i was very confused as to why he was so aggressive. I figured maybe he was under stress so i didn’t pay mind. When he finally came he took our order and it was fine. He brought our entree’s and left quickly. We finished our entree’s and we didn’t have any water brought to us. Again i tried getting the waiter’s attention and failed to do so. We saw a table that left and not get wiped down. A new couple sat down and got water brought over immediately after they sat down. I got tired of waiting and saw the bartender in his area with many pitchers with water. I figured I’d ask the bartender and as soon as i did, the waiter comes over saying “what’s the problem”?. Now i get his attention. I told him i just wanted some water. He responds to me with “you got to chill, you’re doing too much”. I just wanted water, thats all.

Towards the end i was going to order some dessert but I completely changed my mind and asked for the check immediately after the waiter was talking to the couple next to us. He was telling them how he wishes they would never leave and they are the perfect customer’s. I don’t understand why they played along with it because the woman sitting down was basically screaming how great they were served.

I will NOT be RETURNING to this place. Service was terrible, the experience ruined our night and I certainly would not recommend anyone to come...

My wife & I were visiting NYC, and we had the most amazing experience @ Aria Hell's Kitchen on Feb. 1st. It was my wife's birthday, and we met a friend (who lives in NYC & suggested this restaurant) there for 6:30 reservations. From the moment we walked in, we were swept off our feet by the kindness, and welcoming spirit of Mark. I don't know his exact title, but it doesn't matter, he made our night as special as it could have been and beyond. The three of us had a moment at their quaint bar to catch up a bit, since we hadn't seen each other for awhile & had so much to catch up on. Mark showed us to our lovely table (not a bad one in the house), and allowed us time to keep gabbing, before even opening a drink or food menu. He was attentive, but not intrusive. It was a Sat night & it was packed but Mark made us feel welcome to take our time, and enjoy each other's company and prolong the birthday celebration. Once, we did order our drinks, they arrived promptly, and they were so delicious. Of course, we had to order another round for dinner. Mark went over the delicious sounding specials of the night, and told us his favorites. How can you go wrong with that? We had the octopus salad (omg, so good), burrata, & my wife & friend split the lamb special, and I had my favorite wild mushroom gnocchi. I order that dish whenever I see it on the menu & this, by far, was the best one I've ever had. My dining partners were raving about their meal, as well. At the end of the meal, Mark brought over a beautiful slice of tiramisu with a fun sparkler in it for the birthday girl, which she kindly shared with us. It was the best we've ever had. Off the charts, fabulous! The entire evening was so special, we'll never forget it, and we will for sure be back in Dec. when we visit NYC again. Thank you Mark, for a truly...

This restaurant needs a wake up call!!!!!!

We went on Valentines Day (2025):

1. Hostess tells us there is open seating at the bar (because we don't' have reservations). Once we sit down, the hostess comes back over and tells us to shift over a seat so they can cram two more people right next to us. Note seat is pushed up against a helium tank and fire extinguisher and arm is constantly hitting both tanks.
2. Restaurant is overpacked with people and understaffed. So many tables and people standing around, you cannot even get around the space. This is a fire hazard.
3. Staff brings food to the bar and bartender leaves and never comes back. No one asks us if our food is correct, if we need anything, or if we want additional drinks. We wanted to order an additional drink but no one attended to us. Bartender is tending to other tables on the main floor. Everyone at the bar is left unattended to.
4. Regarding food: lasagna was cold and the branzino was too hot (and overly salted). Quality of food was sub-par.
5. At the the beginning, bartender is pushing the same wine to everyone at the bar. Another guest turns down the wine because it is obvious the bartender is pushing a particular bottle because they are trying to get rid of it. We asked about a specific wine, and bartender said they only had a different wine available. (obviously pushing the bottle about to expire).
6. No one at the bar received any attention from wait staff for 30 minutes. In fact another person at the bar was watching a full on movie with headphones while we await a server to bring our check. Had to wave the bartender down from across the room to bring our check.

Spare yourself the disappointment and go...