Artie's Backroom & Rooftop — Restaurant in New York

I really despise this place in several ways for both the food and the service - and I had been looking forward to trying as April Bloomfield is a culinary legend in NYC.

I showed up at the roof when it opened because I was hosting a business happy hour with clients and I wanted to reserve tables for my guests. Everyone was excited as no one had tried this place and was looking to give it a shot.

Before they got there, I wanted to have guacamole and drinks waiting for our group so we wouldn't have the hassle of individually ordering when everyone arrived. I asked the outside staff, and they said that their kitchen wouldn't be open for 15 minutes, so I should go downstairs.

I went downstairs to order, and everyone behind the bar acted BAFFLED that I would want to bring drinks and guacamole upstairs. There was a lot of shuffling around and asking managers. I also asked if we could do pitchers of margaritas since it was a group - and I was willing to pay the same cost, just couldn't carry everything upstairs by myself. They said no, no pitchers. When the guac finally arrived about 20 minutes later, they had put it in white paper bags like takeout, making it impossible for me to serve to business acquaintances. I had also explained the situation so this was just annoying.

Finally, I went back upstairs and my guests arrived and we wanted to order drinks and food. It took forever to get a server, and when the food showed up, the portions were laughable. We had 10 people and I think we had to order about 15 things - and people were still starving afterwards.

Still hungry, a colleague and I went downstairs to try and order some tacos for the group (they don't serve tacos upstairs to maintain the "integrity of the tacos," annoying culinary jargon). The server was rude and said it would be at least an hour before they were ready. Really? We had a group of 10 people ordering food and drinks and it was literally impossible to get anything done.

The portions were small and unimpressive, the staff was lackluster, and while the venue upstairs is awesome, I would never come back, especially for a work...

Came here on a Friday afternoon to get some work done, grabbed a seat across from the rooftop bar around 4pm. The bar staff were amazingly friendly and super quick with drinks.

However my low review comes from the way they kicked me out of my table. There were a bunch of people at tables around the rooftop and a part next to me grew from 3 when I arrived to over 8 people. Around 5pm the hostess came over and placed reserved signs on the empty tables. At about 515 she came over to the larger group next to me to inform them that they would be able to take the empty extra table and combine it since they had more people coming and it wasn’t reserved, however they need to close at the bar and order from the waitstaff - a total normal reasonable conversation.

At no point did she stop by my table or let me know that she would need it. Instead at about 530 a waiter (dressed in basketball shorts and a baggy ripped tshirt with a flannel around his waist and glasses) came over stopped in front of my table scoffed and said “the hostess will let you know when you need to leave. We have reservations.”

I fully understand NYC rooftops get busy - especially on one of the last nice Fridays. However his tone was very rude and annoyed as though I was staying past my welcome. There’s many many better ways to let someone know that the restaurant needs their table.

Ultimately put a bad taste in my mouth at the end of a...

I LOVE this place! Midtown East is lacking good restaurants and bars but this place fills both gaps! It's decorated like Mexico and California had a baby and its name is Salvation Taco!

They have tons of space and it fills up quickly after work. Lunch is super easy to walk in and get a table.

PLUS they have PING PONG TABLES! How can you not love this place?!?! PING. PONG!

We usually start with the guacamole which is delicious! Then we sometimes share the Tomatillo Salad. This salad has a nice flavor combo and is unlike any salad I have ever had! Then the cauliflower tacos are a MUST try! I know it sounds unusual but everyone tries mine and wishes they got them.

They also have an awesome rooftop, but the wait can get kind of crazy on a nice day. If you arrive after 6pm during the summer it is usually at least a 60 minute wait. The views are worth it once you go up, but can be crowded. After work the crowd is usually business professionals 25-40. However if you stay too long it ends up being your typical Murray Hill college crowd from 9pm and on.

Insider tip- the rooftop is open year round to hotel guests. The bar up there is only open during the warmer months. I always take people up to the roof after lunch or dinner and show them the views. Definitely worth a trip up...