Vintage

«sometimes vintage does retire»
cute lil spot in the heart of Hell’s Kitchen. Convenient if you spent the night at Vynl and looking for a close by nightcap. Directly across the street, this little «faux» wine bar made a strong statement to keep itself alive.
Filled mostly with people from «the biz»…we say goodbye to another one.

Uggh
So
Just
Not
Good

I was seeing a Broadway show with my mom, and we had planned on having brunch beforehand. Due to some unforeseen circumstances, we ended up in the area without too much time to spare. Obviously, we did not want to eat in Times Square, and the few brunch places I found on Unilocal were packed. We spotted Vintage and seeing that it wasn’t too crowded, decided to give a try.
I’m not sure I would call this a restaurant – it seems to be more of a bar that happens to have food. The brunch menu was pretty limited, but the french toast sounded good, so my mom and I settled on that. Unfortunately, they were out of french toast. I’m not sure how you run out of eggs, butter, and bread at a restaurant, but anywho, I opted for the pancakes and sausage and my mom got an omelette.
The pancakes and sausage kind of reminded me of McDonald’s, which isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but not for $ 7. My mom’s omelette was pretty overcooked and didn’t look at all appetizing. I think if she hadn’t been starving, she probably wouldn’t have eaten it.
There were only two people working, so things were kind of slow. It was obvious neither of them wanted to be there, and I could hear them complaining about a co-​worker. The only redeeming factor is we were not charged for our drinks. 2 stars for that alone.

Vintage couldn’t have been a better experience while in NYC. It is $ 12 for unlimited/​bottomless bellinis, mimosas, and bloodys. The service was so sweet especially considering how many times they had to fill up our glasses. The server helped me find a vegan option and (thankfully) wasn’t annoyed with my 100 questions.
I was sad because we went back for a second time a few weeks later and it was closed for remodelling. Hopefully it is better than before upon it’s reopening.
This whole area seems to have good deals for bottomless brunch drinks, however I think Vintage is the least expensive and the most homey of them all.
Veggie Burger = legit.
Amen.

This is a place I always recommend and have been too quite often, but last night the service was unbearable. A group of girlfriends and I went there for after dinner drinks and we proceeded to the back to sit in a more lounge setting. The waitress turned to us and said «you can’t sit here. There are seats up front.» She didn’t explain why and there was no reserved sign on the table. Off the bat she was rude and continued to be rude and ignore us after we moved.
My friend ordered a Mojito and upon tasting it, wasn’t a fan. She told the waitress and her response was that she could take it back to the bartender to fix it, but it would stay on the bill regardless. As a frequent patron and a former service industry employee, my jaw dropped. If a guest doesn’t like something or is uncomfortable, you do everything in your power to fix it. After she had the bartender «fix it» by adding more sugar, lemon and mint, she still didn’t care for it. Eventually the bartender came over and spoke with us. He was kind and apologized and asked if there was anything else he could make for her. It’s that kind of service that is expected.
Other than no reservation signs, my other pet peeve was how disgusting the menus were. The pages stuck together from a concoction of liquor and sugared juices that was clearly caked on. It was a Tuesday at 10pm, and despite being slightly busy with a small party in the back, there should be no reason for those famous cocktail menus to be so gross.
I’m sad I suggested Vintage to my friends. No one should have service like what we had last night. It’s too bad because they make some mean martinis. But you can’t choose which one you want when half the menu pages are stuck together.

The only good thing about the night was our very capable server for our initial booking. I don’t know his name, but he was very good though a bit overburdened. Good job, sir. That entire, shiny Unilocal star is yours.
The interior decoration may be lush and warm, but this is a definite do-​not-​return. The bartender was rude, and our simple order was forgotten not once, but twice. A nearly half-​hour, double-​reminder delay on an order of garlic fries was brought to the table sans even a tiny apology. I understand that this is Midtown West, and people have bad days and let it inform their attitudes for the rest of the night, but come on.

Have been here late night and for boozy brunch. Good drinks and tasty food. Can’t go wrong. Extensive cocktail list. Surprised at some of the reviews as the service was really good and attentive, continued getting refills on drinks. Can’t go wrong with Free Wi-​Fi and cell phone charging stations.

I’m not a bar person so the vibe here isn’t for me. We sat near the front and the bar was packed with loudmouths so we moved toward the back, which was a little quieter. The best thing about this place is the nachos; they use great chips and real cheese and heat them until the cheese is perfectly gooey.

Came on a Monday night. I know, don’t judge.
Great selection of cocktails. I like sitting at be the bar because the table is a chalkboard and you can scribble/​doodle as your please.

In short: Skip it.
What you want: $ 12 AYCD bloody marys, mimosas and bellinis and brunch
What you get: Frustration from trying to flag down ANY server to refill your glass. No waters after asking 3 times, cold food (skip the steak and eggs — the steak wasn’t cooked medium as I asked and was cold, and I asked for egg whites and got scrambled eggs) and really, really weak drinks — when and if you get any at all. The service left something to be desired — as we asked for the check (and another round of drinks) and waited another 30 minutes before we received it. In short — the food wasn’t great, the service was non-​existant and the drinks were weak and infrequently filled up.

Ehhhh. I mean, one of the reasons I like this place is because the kitchen is opened late. So it’s always a safe bet, especially if you want to continue drinking but also need some food. The martini «bible» is very long but no matter what you end up ordering, it all tastes the same. Also, it tends to get very loud here so not a good place to catch up with friends, just to drink and nod lol

I like this place, but I understand why the reviews are so inconsistent. Usually, I find the service to be just fine, but I did come in one evening at happy hour to find that only one server was working. The backyard is not exactly luxurious, and the beer selection is… questionable.
HOWEVER, there are three very good reasons to go to Vintage:
1. The nachos are impeccable. (The fries are also good, but not quite good enough to have their own bullet point.)
2. There aren’t so many places to get a cocktail in this neighborhood without a big batch of pretense. Hell’s Kitchen is chockablock with Irish pubs and beer bars where ordering a martini would be unwise.
3. You like to get drunk on Sunday mornings. I came here the weekend Whitney died. Our server was incredibly sensitive to our condition (dirty, hungover, and tearful). I had an omelet and forty thousand mimosas. Everything turned out fine.
In conclusion, just check it out sometime if any of those 3 things are important to you. If you are looking for a fancy restaurant or an upscale cocktail bar or a place to watch the game and pound beers, don’t check it out. OK? OK.

After 8 months of living in Hell’s Kitchen, I have finally come across a place so indescribably bad that only one statement can truly identify my sentiments towards it.
THIS IS THE WORST RESTAURANT I’VE BEEN TO IN NEW YORK CITY.
I don’t know how this place has an average of 3.5 stars. It’s actually mind-​boggling to me. Every aspect of my experience at this place was so horrendous from the minute I walked in that I’m actually mad at myself for not refusing to pay a dime for the sh*t they put in front of me
We were drawn in by the allure of the newly opened ‘garden’ on a sunny day. The garden is almost as dark and dreary as the inside of this restaurant itself. It’s completely engulfed by buildings and therefore almost entirely shady. Pieces of painted scrap decorate the walls, which wouldn’t look so bad if everything below didn’t follow.
Bottomless drinks for $ 12. Doesn’t seem too bad, right? Wrong. The Bloody Mary’s are made with an unbearable amount of horseradish. And, trust me, I love a spicy BM, but this was not done with craft or skill. It was to mask bad flavors and cheap ingredients. If someone in your party has some sort of medical sensitivity to spices, this would have sent him/​her to the hospital.
The Screw Drivers were equally bad. Orange juice made from concentrate and minimal amounts of liquor. Bellini’s were the same story. Everything comes out in a pitcher that they lackadaisically carry from table to table, randomly deciding if your empty glass is entitled to a refill. Our waitress left the Bellini pitcher on the only sunny table for 10 minutes before picking it up and serving it to to other tables without a hint of hesitation (see photos). I guess this is what you get for a bottomless brunch, but the food… this was worse than I could have imagined.
I ordered a Grilled Cheese and Tomato Soup combination. A little childish, sure, but how can you f*ck that up, right? Well, I guess technically you can’t. But if you consider two slices of almost-​melted KRAFT AMERICAN CHEESE on two thin slices of white bread a restaurant quality grilled cheese, then you have obviously never been to a tolerable restaurant. The soup was condensed tomato soup with probably one and a half cans of water dumped into it. They tried to color it up with some dried spices one buys at Gristedes when they’re out of the fresh stuff in the produce aisle.
My girlfriend also made the mistake of ordering food. She got a turkey burger that was supposed to be flavored with curry and ginger. It was clearly a frozen paddy that came almost rock hard ON AN ENGLISH MUFFIN. They delivered her burger on an english muffin… instead of a bun. And it wasn’t even toasted.
After determining that this «burger» was not edible, we broke it in half. Take a look at the photos to see what this looked like. It was comical how perfectly this this thing split. No signs of crumbling only further proves what our taste buds initially told us. Nothing fresh about it. Also, it was so charred, it wouldn’t completely separate.
I walked out of here wishing I had a weak stomach, so I could throw this sh*t up and redo my whole Saturday brunch. Don’t put yourself in the same position. THERE IS NOTHING REDEEMING ABOUT THIS PLACE. I would not go for free.

Vintage continues to be a fantastic spot for cocktails and hanging out with friends.
I returned to Vintage with a 10 person party on a Friday night and we were able to get seats in the back! We ordered the nachos and hummus plate. Although they were both a good portion size, we destroyed both! The service is friendly and attentive, and the cocktail list is endless — definitely a solid spot!

This is on of the few places in the neighborhood for brunch that is somehow getting more than 3 stars. Extremely deceiving.
I think those that rate it high are value folks who drink a lot. Their bottomless drinks are great if that is your deal. I saw a lot of people sitting for hours while we were there alcohol soaking the cold winter day away. Nothing wrong with that, so I have to give it at least 2 stars.
The service also is probably 4+ stars. Our waitress saw something in our orange juice and made sure to go ahead and get rid of the drink. She was very thoughtful and nice throughout her service, despite that she had a ton of tables to cover.
Otherwise, it’s a bit tough to rate it at 3 stars. The food was adequate but not memorable. I had lox with cream cheese, which is hard to mess up. It came with barely enough lox to cover the bagel. It came with cream cheese, capers, tomatoes, and a small salad. It was ok. The bagel was a plain bagel.
My friend had the spinach omelet. It was ok. It came with a small salad and some potatoes that were all ok. Not great, not bad. The coffee is ok. Not great.
The décor, is what others described. It looks like a dive bar.
I think if you want to drink the afternoon away, this is a great place. It appeared they had wi-​fi, so I can totally see it being a great place to meet up with a friend to do work and drink the afternoon away.
If you want a more classic brunch, Vinyl and Nook are better choices across the street.

This place doesn’t make any sense. Is it supposed to be a nice wine bar where you sit and gab and have some drinks? Maybe split a bottle of wine? Then why the crappy tables and banquet room chairs? If you’re going to be «nice», make an effort to look and feel «nice».
Instead, it feels like a slightly awkward and dressed up «bar», not «wine bar»

DRUNK BRUNCH DRUNK BRUNCH DRUNK BRUNCH DRUNK BRUNCH.
I almost want to chant this every time it hits Saturday/​Sunday morning. Of course I realize why drunk brunch is so hazardous to people like me, lured by the thought of unlimited mimosas, bellinis, and bloody marys for only $ 12.00, who also wish to get their money’s worth. This place offers a great outdoor «garden» in the back if you want to get a little fresh air whilst drinking. I quote it because it’s not really a garden. More like a couple of tables and chairs with early christmas lighting but hey, if a place is offering you unlimited drinks for $ 12.00 I don’t really find anything to complain about. The waiter was extremely nice. We had all gotten there late so our drunk brunch ended up starting around 3pm even though it was technically supposed to end by 4pm. So really we were only supposed to have an hour to drink but the waiter ended up giving us an extra 40 minutes or so.
Also, it’s almost like the waiters/​waitresses want you to drink because they come by every now and then with pitchers for refills. This wouldn’t seem odd if it was water but since it’s stuff like mimosas, bellinis, and bloody mary’s, you’d think they’d be a little scarce with stuff like that.
Also, the lunches here are delicious. I ordered the steak and eggs and they came out PERFECT.
The only downside is that drunk brunch here WILL make you get drunk and you WILL go home and pass out for 3 hours. Then you will wake up and wonder how it got so late and where your saturday/​sunday went.
But hey, we’re young.

I still love Vintage and plan to remain a faithful patron (oh, PLEASE, Vintage! Don’t EVER do anything to get yourself added to my boycott list! I’d just DIE!!!). And I had one of my fav servers last night who most definitely helped us have the blast which we had :-)
But I noticed small little changes that me no likey:
1) They now reserve the back room for large parties. Uhm… V…baby? I fell in love with you because I could come to you with a handful of friends and lounge… which made us feel more relaxed and welcomed… and was better for you since we were all more comfortable sitting on couches than at a table… which made us order more hootch and give you more money. Get my drift? :-*
2) The prices have gone up for the majority of the martinis and on some menu items. I’m not too upset about this since they still give you some of the most hard-​hitting martinis around and still offer the best selection while other places still charge more for offering less. But in this area of the city? You’re now borderline, sugar lips, even for what you offer.
3) The calamari has changed! Something is different about the batter. And the portion size is definitely smaller (yeah, boo. I noticed that you tried to use shredded lettuce under my calamari as filler. Not cute). Thankfully the burgers and nachos which I saw at other tables seemed to have remained awesome. Good Lord please protect the Steak Sandwich!!!
4) Picky kvetch… but they changed the name of the Black Jesus Martini to Black Magic. Uhm… really? Stick to your guns, dude.
So, yeah. I may have to take off one star from my initial review… but I still highly recommend Vintage to anyone looking for a great midtown lounge experience. But, V-​dawg!!! Please don’t think y’all are sneaking these changes in unnoticed. And please don’t push the envelope too much, especially in this economy. You’re amazing… but you ain’t the only lounge in town.

Welp… Vintage has sufficiently pissed me off to the point of second guessing any future trip here.
I made a reservation for Sunday Brunch, the night before, on Open Table. I got a confirmation and then I went to sleep. This reservation was for myself and 5 co-​workers that was to occur between two work events nearby. There wasn’t much room for error… but I assumed that Vintage would have their ish together.
Upon entering the packed Vintage at the exact time of the reservation, I was met with the bar tender telling me that he «didn’t check the Open Table list this morning.» Fail. If you are a restaurant and you offer Open Table reservations, check the damn list on a day when you are offering brunch with all-​you-​can-​drink in Hell’s Kitchen.
They were lucky they had some space and threw us in the back (in the «lounge area» with sofas and side tables) and basically forgot about us. I had to get up three times to track down our waitress who seemed not only ambivalent to our needs, but an actual bi*** about having to help us.
They were out of Bloody Mary’s and the pre-​made mixture of Mimosas was not even remotely mixed properly. The only good part of the meal was the solid Eggs Benedict.
Epic fail, Vintage. I may never come back now.

They advertised a great brunch… unlimited brunch cocktails for $ 8.00…and a pony.
They lied about the pony.
But the brunch was good. The Bloody Mary’s were shamefully delightful (nice and spicy) and the little Moroccan-​themed bar area with ottomans and beat up tables that we sat in was nice. I had the turkey, avocado, and pepper jack on a croissant. Very good. Shoestring fries were excellent. And did I mention the Bloody Mary’s?