Orient Express Cocktail Bar — Restaurant in New York

4 1/2 stars

Let me start off by saying that stereotypes are wrong. That said, if I see a bearded guy behind the bar wearing either a plaid shirt or a tie, I'm feeling pretty good about my chances of getting a decent cocktail. And this place has both of them in spades. I stopped by here after work on Friday with my Old Man Chum for two cocktails on a very pleasant early fall evening with a slight nip in the air. The Old Man had walked by before and liked the look of the place, and I have to share those sentiments for sure - it feels like an antique store in many ways. We didn't spend a ton of time indoors other than to request outdoor seating and take a bathroom break, but neither of us would have had an issue hanging out in there for the duration of our adventure. The outdoor seating though had prime pooch viewing right by the sidewalk, which you just can't beat regardless of the interior design.

I had time in the afternoon to intently study the cocktail menu and ultimately chose The Commuter ($17), featuring gin, cocchi rosa and yellow chartreuse. Orient Express very helpfully provides a taste/palate description of each cocktail next to the ingredient list, which every place should do - it's definitely a big part of how I ultimately arrived at my decision. (And as an aside, if someone had provided a description of the negroni I sampled recently and alerted me to the fact that they tasted like leather suitcases, I wouldn't have gone near it and saved myself the trouble. It's basically a public service.)

This particular cocktail was described as boozy, floral and herbal, and it was ALL of those things. I ended up having two of these, and a third would have gotten me into a lot of trouble. I'm not typically an advocate for a cocktail that's more than $15, but if you're going to spend that kind of money, you should be able to appreciate/distinguish multiple layers of flavors, which is certainly the case here. You can tell that the bartender/mixologist knew what they were doing when they prepped it, and that the bar manager or whomever designed this drink did so with care. There's a lot of subtlety and attention to detail, and I'd definitely advocate thoughtful sips versus casual gulps.

The service was fine. Your mileage may vary on this, but when we got there it looked like the bartender inside was literally the only one handling drink orders for all tables including the outdoor area. We were seated quickly and provided with menus at the time, but after 10 minutes or so went by without a visit, I had to go inside to give our orders. Not a huge deal, and it wasn't difficult to hail him down behind the bar to do so, but overall we had to be a bit more proactive than I think you'd ideally want to be. It's also a chill cocktail bar in the West Village so there's arguably a hands-off cultural vibe there as well.

Definitely would come by again, though I wouldn't recommend doing so on an...

This inviting, understated cocktail spot has been one of our favorites since we moved to NY a decade ago. They are serious (but not obnoxious) about cocktails. Choosing from their menu is an option, but I prefer to let the barkeep use their judgment and surprise me. The food menu is simple but very well-executed. Until I went there last month, I couldn't tell you the last time I had hummus and pita and thought, wow, this is truly delicious! The staff is very hard-working and professional. This is also our regular watering hole if we're trying to snag a dinner table in the neighborhood and the wait-list is several lifetimes long.

So, having visited Orient Express occasionally over the years, we decided to reach out to them when we needed a venue for my wife's milestone birthday party. They were very accommodating and gave us a great quote. The service (drinks, food, music, cake, photography) was fantastic - attentive without being overwrought. Our guests were enthusiastic about the cocktails and the vibe....

HORRIBLE experience. Made a reservation for 6 for my partner's birthday and told friends that live nearby to meet us for a drink there as well. The bartender refused to serve us because more than six people showed up - the place was completely empty. Will NEVER go there again. We live in the neighborhood and could not believe how despicable the treatment was. Pretty place with no substance. They don't know how to run a business.

Don’t bother yourself. You clearly don’t like to work too hard. You’re a disgrace. Nasty, rude, and unprofessional.

You turned away business, which I could not fathom, in a pandemic but that’s your prerogative. NYC is open for full capacity since May. You could’ve asked us to move outside if you were worried about capacity issues for an empty bar, but you just refused service. I guess 12 people was too much to handle for a bar in NYC. No loss for us. We’ll never be back.

If you want a rude unprofessional bar this is the...