The Dakota Bar — Restaurant in New York

Meh. That’s my general feeling about Dakota. We were initially very impressed and excited about the appearance and ambiance of the bar- what a cool chandelier! But quickly we realized they were missing the mark. First off, they have a wall of wine but my two orders (a Bordeaux and a Spanish sparkling rosé; both highest priced wines in their categories) were extremely forgettable. The Bordeaux was very young and flat, and rosé was overly sweet and yet lacked any real flavor. Sadly disappointing. My husband got a cocktail and reported it wasn’t well balanced. On to the food menu- while the attempt was good, it was a not diverse menu. I understand the full page of pizzas, but the entrees were all basically repeats: salmon with lemon butter sauce, chicken piccata with lemon butter sauce, and chicken with a wine butter sauce- all basically the same dish. It was all just not meeting the mark and has so much opportunity to be more memorable. They seem to be struggling between being a pub or an upscale wine and cocktail bar. The food reads pub, but the ambiance begs otherwise.

All that to say, I did order the Cobb salad and the presentation and taste was very impressive.

If you are interested in salads (there are a lot of options) or pizza, this place is for you. Unfortunately, not so much for drinking or exciting eats. Our experience wasn’t “bad” just mediocre and lackluster.

Oh and a final note: the waiter, who we didn’t see for most of our meal, started clearing the table and literally wiping it with a wet rag as we were standing up and putting our coats on. The place wasn’t packed nor was it closing time. It was almost comical because he kept nearly running into us. We just needed 3 minutes to get up and dressed and we’d be gone- that couldn’t have waited? It was bizarre and really not a final impression you’re hoping for when leaving an...

They lost my credit card!!! My friend and I had one glass of wine, and the service was great until DAYANE, our server, lost my card and refused to take any accountability! We even tipped her 20%, and she had the audacity to tell us to respect her even though she couldn't find my credit card. We gave her 2 cards to spilt the bill of 2 glasses of wine. When DAYANE came back, we noticed she or allegedly someone else charged everything on my card, but only returned my friend's card. We asked her where my card was, and she told us she'll be right back. As we waited, she and other staff members looked on the floor for any lost card. They couldn't find it. DAYANE came back to blames us and demanded we respect her. Remember, we gave her 20% tip!!! She also asked if we needed to drink more water because we expressed our dissatisfaction of losing my credit card. She was so vehemently rude and lacked any accountability. Only one staff member had the sense to resolve the situation and void the check. However, DAYANE never apologized, and the manager was conveniently out of town. She was so abrasive and mean. She didn't have to insult us or act this way especially since we gave her a 20% tip!!! If she had accepted accountability and say sorry, we would've been ok...it happens. But this experience was so absurd. I now have to cancel my credit card and replace it. She doesn't reallize or care that her mistake caused such an inconvenience. It's possible she gave my card to someone else. I'm so disappointed...

My wife and I dropped in here on Friday night, I think it was around 10pm? November 1st. We stepped in the opened door and sat down at the bar.

Within TWENTY SECONDS, we were greeted and had menus in our hands. Within FORTY SECONDS we had water poured, and WITHIN NINETY SECONDS the bartender had taken our drink orders.

I went to the restroom, and when I got back both beverages were there.

Whie enjoying our drinks, we noticed that the music was tasteful — and also was at a tasteful volume. The lighting was good and tasteful as well. This is important for me, as I have sensitivity to loud sounds as well as bright lights. And I'm a music snob, so there are a lot of places I just can't hang out. The music at The Dakota Bar on Friday night was a pretty decent selection of 80s hits (The Police, Frankie Goes to Hollywood, The Cure, etc).

I was finishing up my drink, while my wife was still halfway through hers, and I didn't even need to get the bartender's attention — she was already paying attention, and asked me if I wanted another one (and I did). I asked for the check at the same time, and it came swiftly.

This is the kind of service you used to be able to count on in a New York City bar. Sadly, it's a scarce rarity these days. We live about an hour away from this bar (just happened to be in the neighborhood that night), but we have earmarked this in our mental maps as a "Must Stop By" anytime we're on the Upper West Side from...