W XYZ Bar

I have a tendency to forget about this place.
But I remembered after leaving another bar and thinking, «let’s go for round two!» Actually, it was most likely three at this point, but it was a good call nonetheless!
The vibe is nice. Really chill with a cute little lounge area and there’s free pool if you’re a fan. I’ve actually been meaning to take two of my best friends for that very reason.
The drinks are not on the cheap side, but they do taste great! There’s also little bites and… eh… stay away. I got some chips and salsa for my alcohol consumption and it’s painfully obvious this stuff is not made in house. Just get some cheap Chinese food nearby when you leave. ;)
Purple is SUPER nice and makes awesome conversation. Between her, the gentleman next to me, and myself we had plenty to say!
Next time I really need to bring friends, I just don’t know when that will be.

I stayed at the Aloft Hotel in the Financial District the last time I visited NYC, and obviously stopped in at the bar before going out each night. This is one of the best hotel bars I’ve ever been to… not because it’s upscale or out of this world, but because the staff is so friendly. By my last day in the hotel, the bartenders and staff knew all my friends and family by name! Insider tip: If the bartender asks you how much you think the paper flower vase costs (and she may offer you a free drink if you guess close enough), the answer is $ 1,200. That’s right folks… a $ 1,200 paper flower arrangement! hahaha. In any case, this place is definitely worth checking out if you’re in the area and just want a laid back drink or two.

UGH. I HATE writing scathing reviews– but, if businesses didn’t suck, I wouldn’t have to write bad reviews! This bar takes the (shitty) cake. Specifically– the crappy staff. I went in on a rainy night to chill, warm up, have a drink, relax and use the bathroom. I went in and stripped then proceeded to go to the bathroom. That’s when the «bouncer» (Michele– I believe) stopped me and asked me if I was buying anything (??!) To which I was like, huh?! I guess I looked like I wasn’t (?) I really wanted to check my grill before I went into the bar area and he began to follow me around and insist that I «buy something before using the bathroom». Needless to say– I was disgusted. I turned around to leave but, not before saying something to a manager on my way out. I asked to speak to one, but had been told that the main manager was busy. So, they got me some girl named «Babette» (who acted like her name was «Baboon»…lol) Ugh– she was atrocious. She came up to me like «is there a problem?» and I was like, «Yeah, your bouncer here was SUPER aggressive and unnecessary and, as result– I’m leaving your business!» She had the nerve to support his actions and had been like (without apology or acknowledgment of any hurt feelings from me– the potential customer) «Oh, people just come in off the street to hang out. Some use the bathroom and they don’t always buy drinks.» I was like, «I’m sorry, I thought neighborhood bars were MEANT for folks to come in from the rain and hang out before getting a drink. I had no idea there was a drink minimum limit simply to be inside!» I then told her I was disappointed and would have to write a review on Unilocal.That’s when she said «Oh we have a GREAT rating on Unilocal!So, go ahead» Have you EVER?! I just gave her a blank stare like… O_O…and left. Ended up drinking at home and checking my grill on the way there. UGH. DEF not going back, or recommending them to ANYONE. BUSINESSES LIKE THEIRS IS THE REASON WHY NYC/​HARLEM IS NOW CULTURALLY DEAD. They have drained neighborhoods of their «public watering holes» –and, replaced them with tacky looking cold «bars» equipped with a staff that lacks basic people skills. BLEECH. Babette and Michelle (sp?) YOU BOTH NEED NEW JOBS AS WORKING WITH THE PUBLIC DOESN’T SEEM TO BE YOUR CALLING.

The drinks are expensive but still good. My favorite is a cocktail with blueberry moonshine, which let me tell you, is nothing like the «firewater» I know, but a Gentrified twist to the barely palatable backwoods drink. I like the atmosphere best, with the smooth lines and great background music. Why overpay and get a drink spilled on you? You pay a lot for the drinks, but in exchange you receive wonderful service, decent drinks, a serene environment and interaction with good people from around the world. It’s nothing to blog about but I’ve never had a bad experience.

It’s a nice environment to chill wit some friends and have drink. On another note it’s not remotely affordable, it’s nice though. Another good thing to know is you can have functions here for free as long as people buy drinks.

I’m happy that the W hotel business opened in Harlem — - but I can tell you first hand cause I’ve been to prob all of them (in NYC and out of NYC) to eat and drink and stayed at, this this one is very different.
First I’ll say that the drinks were great and the bar staff was very professional and nice. But the menu was from the frozen food section of a supper market! Terrible and not much to choice from. WHAT?! No restaurant in a W hotel??? You certainly have enough wasted room to put in an eating area. Atmosphere was little to none– bright lights? Dim the lights around the bar area after 6:00 PM and the music could barely be heard and it was far from sexy — when your out drinking you want to hear and feel the music. The place is beautiful but someone is NOT doing their home work.
It did not have that W hotel feel at all! Hence why you can count on one hand the amount of people that were there. This place should be PACKED! Your other hotels are.
The outside area is very nice but no food or drink service. No music either. The music outside should be new age and relaxing and cool– also it needs a water fall or something different. Zero atmosphere with nothing but cool chairs to offer. Inside music should be louder (not an iPod) better sound system, sexy, new, hip… music will get the crowds in! Replace the bar food with real bar food and get a restaurant going… Start with brunch… promote, promote, promote. Unless you want it
empty.
Very, very disappointed in this W location— hope you don’t close.
Also there was a guy standing by the desk answering questions that we were directing to the young lady behind the desk. Who was he? Did he work there? Where’s the cool uniforms that W employees wear? And btw he was no model type ! Why? All the other W’s have male models around assisting. Where are the male models??? Why is this hotel nothing but a pretty face? The art work is cool — but a restaurant and a club vibe will get the crowd!
Come on guys!!! Get with it!!!

If you are going to charge $ 15+ for drinks and $ 10 for bottles of beer you should at least offer snacks and food of a similar expectation. Receiving goodies in aluminum foil boxes is not a good look.
However, I think that this bar compared to other hotel bars is ok given the options in the area. I would host a networking event at this lounge but there are too many options around to turn into a regular watering hole.

I’m here on a Thursday night about 9:15. I’m sitting at the bar. It’s not busy here so why are the three female bartenders ignoring me? Where the he’ll is the manager.

This place was horrible. it was the brightest bar that I’ve ever seen. They don’t have a real happy hour on a Friday. They charge $ 13 for a margarita at 5 PM and because my colleagues and I were large group they added a five dollar service fee to everybody’s individual bill. The worst part is that the food is not good and they were out of several of their bar menu items. Keep your money. Do not go to this place. Harlem has much better lounges with much better happy hour offerings and food.

Came here for an event with my girlfriend and we were somewhat excited since we’ve passed this placed a couple of times and for some reason (which I can’t remember now), we thought it was exciting. Anyway, I had a vodka cranberry… correction just cranberry based on the taste. My gf had vodka martini which was all vodka which for me is A OK but for her it was a bit too much. We decided to try the wings and vegetable rolls and OMG this is where it all went wrong. First the food took forever to come out and apparently they had no plates or silverware because we had to eat off takeout containers. The wings which were described as big were mighty small, I felt like I was eating a chick and they were not even seasoned. They reminded me of a fateful night when I ended up at a 7-​eleven and ordered their fried dried out wings.
Overall it was not worth it. I would not recommend this place to ANYONE! Keep walking to Moca Lounge, better drinks and much better wings.

Am I missing something? I showed up on a Friday night at about 9:30 for a few quick drinks and there were maybe 6 other people there, and all of the lights and TVs were still on. I left about an hour or so later and the lights were still on, and I don’t remember having heard a DJ… just background music.
We hung out in the bar area, but it felt more like a really nice airport lounge than a hotel bar/​lounge. It was just too empty and bright, which could have been due to the time we showed up. There was a «private» bridal party setting up in the area by the pool table so maybe that’s why I didn’t get the full experience of the entire space…
But I gave it four stars because the place was clean and modern, the bartender was super attentive, the drinks were strong, and we sat peacefully at the bar and enjoyed our drinks and food without any creepers standing over us. The drinks were pricey, but nothing is unexpected in Manhattan.
I would probably come back in the spring when it’s later to see how the crowd and ambiance turn out, and hope that the lights go down a bit this time…

The last time I tried to come here it was absolutely dead. I don’t mean quiet, it was a ghost town. And I came on a Saturday night around 11 so its hard for me to believe I was too early or too late for the party or that I came on the wrong day. The bar did look nice from the outside, colorful and spacious, but I don’t go out with the intention of drinking alone.
I want to like this place because there are so few places in Harlem that I can trust for a fun night out, but I was disappointed when I came here. Apparently people have had fun here in the past, but until I see a positive review that has happened within the past few months I won’t consider going back. Aloft needs to step their game up.

This had to be the MOST brightly lit lounge I’ve ever been too. I mean every single light was on in the place. I thought at first it was because it was early but I left around midnight, and it was still that way!
Aside from that, the drinks were pretty good. An amaretto sour was $ 12. A bit pricey, but it tasted good. It was a little hard to access the bar since people were sitting and eating there. I sure wouldn’t want someone breathing down my neck while I’m eating. We had to wait about 10 minutes to place our drink orders because of that.
The music was on point. There was a live dj and he played a good mix. The pool table was occupied most of the night. But I thought it was cool that it was available for people to use if they really wanted to. The lounge also had computer access for people staying at the hotel. The bathrooms were clean.
All in all it was ok. Not sure I would run back.

Here is my thing. I really want to give this place a higher star rating because the staff is so friendly and they really make me want to come back here.
My GF and I live in an apartment super close to this hotel so both of our parents on separate occasions have stayed in this hotel and really loved their experience. I can’t review the hotel since I’ve only been in the room for like 15 minutes, but it seemed comfortable and nice.
The reason I cannot give this place a higher star rating is because both myself and my GF were quite disappointed by our mixed drinks. It could have been the particular drinks we ordered or the bartender, but we just didn’t enjoy them.
I will come back and try this place again because it seems like a really chill place (they have pool, comfy couches, etc). I enjoyed getting drinks and socializing here. Next time, I try a different cocktail that will tickle my fancy.

I just hosted a fundraiser here for Housing Works and it went phenomenally! The staff, especially the events coordinator — Babene, were all so helpful, professional, and great to work with!
Now on to the lounge review: I’ve been here a few times, as I live in the neighborhood. When you want midtown flair, minus trekking downtown, then head on over to WXYZ lol.
Monday through Thursday are the best and probably the only nights I would come here, as the crowd sometimes shifts on the weekends. I’ll let you read between the lines lol. They have your typical bar bites, an awesome signature cocktail list, and it’s a place for locals to meet and chat about all the fabulous, interesting things going on in our lives. It’s sleek and has an engaging décor.
I also like that the lounge area has large coffee books on the history of Harlem. Fun to page through while waiting for friends. Enjoy!

I was highly impressed by this hotel bar/​lounge.
Decided to come here after Red Rooster was too packed to enjoy. So happy we didn’t stay there since WXYZ bar was a pleasant experience.
The décor is modern, relaxed, yet colorful and vivacious.
Was happy to hear they had drink specials-​on a Friday night WITH top shelf boos! Score! Cocktails were perfectly mixed and the bartender was so friendly and nice. The place was not crowded, which made it easy to snag a seat and chit chat.
I will def be back.

Harlem’s a tough place to get a drink at 4pm on a weekday. I know this may lead you to ask a lot of questions, but ignoring them momentarily, you won’t find a much more inviting place. They don’t open until 5, but were more than happy to pour some early beers and wines for my group. Not only is the vibe welcoming and spacious, with numerous chairs and a pool table that doesn’t require change to play, but the staff takes your name and provides separate checks without asking.
What could be better? Well, just wait until the check comes. Drinks are frighteningly expensive. Hotel bars are notorious for expensive drinks, but $ 10 for a Guiness draft would be considered highway robbery in a high-​end strip club.

This review is for the service and the actual space. I was here for a speaker panel hosted by Fast Company on revitalizing the arts in Harlem. The event had open bar which included a red, white, and a tequila cocktail. Being a set list of choices, I can’t review the menu, however, I can say that the red (pinot noir) and the tequila cocktail were both tasty. The bartenders were very friendly, attentive and sweet. The space itself is a little small but it’s laid out very nicely. There are comfortable couches and ottomans by the bar. I believe the hors d’oeuvres served were from the hotel’s kitchen and they were pretty scrumptious.
The complimentary wasabi peanuts at the bar are DELICIOUS. I was first attracted by their lime green color. At first I thought they were some sort of candy but to my delight, I felt the zing of the wasabi go straight thru my nose. Man, I was so tempted to eat all of them. I think I almost did.
Based on my experience here, I bet the rest of their drink menu is great! I’d definitely recommend this place.

Don’t think Tonto is still there, but Purple is attentive and helpful with drink suggestions. The drink specials are great!

Illmatic Harlem sweetspot with some of the most talented karaōke singers you’ll ever encounter.
You’ll feel like you just walked into a show at the Apollo Theater, seriously.