W Cafe

I am back again. This time for something they call salmon belly. Looks too pretty to eat

Great service, delicious cuisine, exquisite interior.
All in all, it’s a nice place for a date or meeting friends.
A little pricey, yes, but it’s worth that.

I needn’t bore you with talking about how pricey this pitstop is — and I call it a pitstop as I’ve only ever rocked up here whilst staying at the hotel and not quite wanting to venture any further due to jetlag/​work-​influenced antisocial tendencies/​tiredness/​agoraphobia (delete as appropriate)… Anyway, it’s completely changed since my last visit. The vibe is pretty much the same but they’ve redecorated it top to bottom, and now it’s more like a club than ever before. It still gets loud (er, louder) at night, and they start dimming the lights at about five, but the free wifi and the friendly staff mean it’s a warm welcome when you’ve just been travelling by plane for a day and a half.
I was saved from the perils of jetlag, exhaustion and body shutdown when I pulled up a bar stool and ordered fries to share and a couple of beers. The fact that this came to $ 26? I was past caring at that point. Maybe that’s how they suck you in, but I did manage to come away feeling quite revitalised. Besides, I probably earned the moolah back by taking advantage of the self-​serve gratis takeout coffee every single morning of my stay. Also, I associate arriving here with seeing hoards of my charming, delightful colleagues, and that’s always lovely. Downside? Ugh, it feels like a lonely ghost town when they’ve all returned to their respective CM cities. This needs to happen more than once a year, it really does.
And what Josephine B and I thought was a spattering of tar on the wall behind check-​in is actually a light-​up map of SF. Have a gander at night, it’s lovely!

W Café served its purpose for me during my stay at the W in late 2011. This lobby bar and café was covering for its under-​construction big brother XYZ and did a damn decent job of serving me dranks and food until the wee hours. Friendly bartenders, steep prices (at least for this Portlander’s sensibilities) and decently tasty food. It’s a solid combo for a W Hotel lobby bar. And the pours themselves aren’t too unfriendly either.
Worth a stop if you’re housed in the W or need food in the area, especially late night. And the drinks are damn sure cheaper than ame up the street.

As you breeze into the W from the street and head toward the elevator, it’s pretty easy to overlook the W Café. In fact, as I have put Naomi to shame (each and every time), I never gave much regard to the café. Then came my last stay at the W and all hell had broken loose. Well, maybe not *all* hell, but noisy construction, ugly tarp, loads of dust (and a decidedly un-​W room stay) was taking its toll on my love of the W.
That is, until one night I came into the lobby, broken, exhausted, cold, and starving. If the extreme makes an impression, consider me impressed. As I wrote, I was in need of (1) fixing, (2) comfort, (3) warmth, and (4) sustenance. I couldn’t even muster the strength to make it to my room. I collapsed into a comfy couch/​chair (2) by the fire (3) in the general area of the Café. A waitress approached me with menu options that included turkey burgers and booze (4). Granted, said options cost roughly one night in Bangkok, but I was in no position to fight. I acquiesced to the upcharge and waited for blissful foodstuffs. You know how Jules once opined that sewer rat could taste like pumpkin pie yet he wouldn’t eat it? He was making a point that life is relative and to a starving man, even the most unsavory could be delicious. In no way do I want to cast aspersions on the W Café’s food, but I might have had one of my top three turkey burgers that night (remember, I was broken and starving). YMMV.
I followed up my burger and drink with a marathon tequila session with a friend from LA I happened to bump into. Our waitress took great care of us, offered fantastic suggestions on beer and spirits, let us sample a few different tequilas, and humored a couple of old drunks with charm and wit at the end of a very long time. Closing time came a little later than it should have and I headed up to my room to pass out… but confident that I was back to normal. Fixed (1).

Only place open on a Monday night after midnight! Very happy that they were open, but honestly, not the best service I have encountered. There were a few shooters my friend had wanted to try, and none of the bartenders knew how to make them.
HOWEVER the drink I had was pretty delicious – didn’t give him much direction, just asked for something with malibu that is fruity. He made the most delicious coconutty-​strawberry-​mojito, which was incredible. Possibly one of the best mixed drinks I have had. Props to the one bartender.
Overall was an okay experience, a little trendy for me, but the main problem was that the bartenders did not know their drinks.

The W Café was a bit crowded this time around since they’re doing some work on the lobby but they saved my starving tummy on more than a few occasions so I can’t be mad. It’s actually a pretty nice space and I love the fireplace for sitting near and sipping on a cocktail. It’s absolutely perfect for nights you don’t want to go out but still want to hang out. Putter down to the lobby, pull up a chair (or a puffy cube) and relax with some friends and/​or coworkers for the evening with a wine in hand.
Admittedly the food can be a bit pricey ($ 16 for a burger? Wha?) but it’s pretty good and you get a lot of bang for your buck. The cocktails are top notch (they will knock you on your booty) but again – also pricey. What you’re really paying for here is convenience and sometimes after a day or running around town you’re willing to pay an extra few bucks for the beauty of shooting back up the elevator and straight to bed post nightcap. Cheaper than a cab, anyway!
Also – the crème brûlée? Awesome. Not cheap but awesome. I got that bad boy in my room via room service and I don’t regret it one bit!

PS. Watch out for those heavy wine pours! Oh and the spicy nuts, are pretty… spicy.