Lobby Bar at The Hotel Chelsea — Restaurant in New York

The Chelsea Hotel has long been a cornerstone of our community, beloved by generations of New Yorkers. As a resident of the same ZIP code and an enthusiastic advocate for the hotel's revival, witnessing its successful restoration and reopening in late 2022 filled me with immense joy. This landmark’s comeback was met with widespread acclaim and has enhanced the fabric of our neighborhood.

The revamped offerings at the hotel, including the lobby bar, have become a regular treat for me, given their proximity—a mere three-minute stroll from my apartment. The interiors of the Chelsea Hotel blend artistic elegance with old-world charm seamlessly, creating an atmosphere that does not disappoint. Even though the food and cocktails are on the pricier side, they truly elevate the overall experience.

For me, the lobby bar has transformed into a sanctuary, a place to decompress after a busy week with a martini and some appetizers, or to impress friends visiting from out of town with its stunning decor. Over the past year and a bit, this venue has brought immense joy to me and all those I’ve introduced to it.

However, the hotel's new, exclusive policies regarding reservations have cast a shadow over this joy. The bar’s popularity has surged due to its unique and upscale ambiance, understandably making it a coveted spot. Yet, the recent decision to reserve tables solely for hotel guests, sidelining locals who have championed the Chelsea Hotel for years, is profoundly disheartening. We, the very people who have helped build its esteemed reputation, now face endless waitlists and an uncharacteristic snub from the hosting staff. We are suddenly cut off from a piece of our local heritage that we eagerly awaited to see revitalized.

It seems there could be a more inclusive approach, such as making reservations available to all or adopting a first-come, first-served policy, rather than ostracizing those who have supported the establishment for years. I sincerely hope the management will reconsider and implement a fairer policy that honors the loyalty of its...

UPDATE: The Lobby Bar left a gracious reply suggesting I call to make amends for the issues I had (you can read the response by viewing review). After calling - no one called me back or answered. One can only then assume it was a marketing charade to build good will with anyone seeing my review.

Picture it: Trying to find a place to celebrate 10 years of living in NYC with some friends. A classy joint to have nice cocktails? Where better than the Hotel Chelsea? Probably not many places - but this will come at a cost - the Lobby Bar is no place to go with an unconfirmed number of guests lest you awaken the maître’ d’ from the fifth layer of hell.

But as a NYer now (newly minted!) I held my own with kindness and aplomb - being the keeper of the keys to such an establishment can’t be easy and the clientele is surely difficult night after night. So - we followed the rules. We waited for seats. And when we were texted that a table for 6 (5 had arrived at this point) was ready - I walked inside the double doors faced once again with my nemesis declaring that the table wasn’t ready please leave! But I had just been texted and it is he who made the mistake. I didn’t hold him to an apology at the moment because we had already succeeded in what we came to achieve - a table for 6!

The drinks were wonderful and the table side service was kind, generous, and numerous. Nothing stuffy about it.

The drinks were fabulous - the company was incredible - and ran our bill up up and up - it’s a shame the maître d’ gets a cut of the tips - he really almost ruined it - but if there’s one thing I’ve learned after 10 years here - it’s not to pay any single person...

I honestly never write these reviews (as a bartender, I understand the weight they carry), but the service we received was truly jarring and appalling.

We visited the lobby bar around 11:00 PM. We were immediately treated with hostility by the maître d, who seemed to think we didn’t belong there. He inquired if we were staying at the hotel (we were) and then sat us. We received sparkling water and nuts that we asked to be taken away (I have an allergy.) That’s where the service stopped. No one spoke to us for 35 minutes. The maître d kept checking in on other guests and seemed to be putting on quite the show for them. Meanwhile he seemed to think we were no better than gum on his shoe. Which was odd - we were dressed quite nicely and are both polite company. Other guests even came up to us and complimented us on our style. Maybe because we are younger (not extremely…28+29) the staff assumed we have no money (however, given the fact we had a room at the hotel, this is clearly not true.) Eventually a waiter came over to us, stared at us without a word, and begrudgingly took our drink order.

We are both service industry veterans and tip extremely well. We would have spent more and tipped even better if we felt like we were not being treated with complete and utter disdain. Staff of the lobby bar: I’m sorry you hate us! The feeling isn’t mutual; we hope you have...