Diva Lounge

A real stand up establishment. A group of about 20 people, including myself, bought tickets for New Year’s Eve for Diva ($ 50 a ticket, which included drinks and food from 10p.m. to 1a.m.). We arrived at about 10:30 to police closing the doors while informing everyone that they were over capacity and Diva Lounge had become a fire hazard. Horray! Good luck trying to find some other place to get into on New Year’s Eve at 10:30. We ended up at a bar that had Keno and Karaōke. Needless to say, it was not the night we were anticipating and in addition we all had to find an ATM to get money since we were expecting free food and drinks.
That being the case, we denied the charge on our credit cards (as we paid over $ 100 for nothing); and SOMEHOW Diva Lounge had the gall to refuse the denial. ALL we are asking is to not have to pay for a night we were not able to participate in due to Diva’s LACK of planning and POOR BUSINESS management, which is the LEAST we could ask for. All things being fair, Diva Lounge should pay for the LIMO we rented as well, since half of us didn’t even end up drinking that night.
Some guy named Ravi responded to my husband’s email with «I have your initials here as attending.» What that means is I’m not giving you your money back and here is my haphazard response. If Diva needs proof that we did not attend their HORRIBLY planned New Year’s Eve. event — how about the fact that we all have bank statements where we all withdrew money at around 10:45p.m. on December 31 — or how about we ask the police when they closed the doors. Or, how about we have the limo driver tell you guys where he ended up dropping us off and picking us up.
Due to your stubborn behavior, you have forced us to make a mountain out of a mole hill. I have two children and I am not about to let you STEAL $ 100 from us — just because you’re making this as difficult as possible. Because you have denied a refund to me and my husband, we now have to rope our 18 friends into this for further proof. So, instead of just the $ 100, be prepared to refund us $ 2000 — as I am calling all of our friends, who were too lazy to do this before, and forcing them to demand their money back as well. After I have them all deny the charge and write reviews on Unilocal,I am going to the Better Business Bureau.
Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

I’ve been in for dinner and lassis. Always okay – and I haven’t taken advantage of any of the deals here. They do run out of options but it’s a good place to meet for tapas/​chatting.

Review for drinks in the lounge only:
My friend and I stopped in here to chat and catch up a bit before a party later in the evening. We were greeted right after we walked inside and were motioned to pick our own table. We enjoyed the décor for a few moments then a server presented us with both a drink menu for the lounge and the food menu for the neighboring restaurant. We weren’t interested in food so we just ordered some cocktails. I had the Bombay Slumdog which had notes of cardamon mixed with vodka and Domaine de Canton. It was pretty decent, but I am not sure I’d order it again. My friend was pleased with her Gin Gin. The service here was attentive but I never got the impression that they were in a hurry to clear us out, which was great as it gave my friend and I a long time to catch up. They also graciously changed a dollar for us so we could get quarters for the parking meters. Overall, decent drinks and a relaxed, very lounge like atmosphere. I also appreciated that the music level was relatively moderate. We could easily talk and catch up. The music just lingered in the background.

I am a BIG fan of Indian food. I’ve even dated them, so girl, I like it hot. Unfortunately, you REALLY have to ask for it here. The butter chicken was okay, not the best, but it was good. The biryani seemed to be missing something… and what kind of turned me off about this place was how unkept it was. The 3-​form bubbles are great, and definitely a nice change for a hip little restaurant, however, they seem to be accumulating dust on the inside? The bathrooms were clean, kind of funky little caves. I guess if you’re looking for a loud spot to hit up with your friends that’s got a pretty nice atmosphere, come here. If you actually are in the mood for Indian though, I might steer you more towards Mela or India Samraat (but get take-​out here).

Great food, great décor, but priceyyy. This place has a dj and dancing on one side on the weekends. The other side remains a lounge.
Again, the food is fantastic. If you’re a fan of Indian Cuisine, this place needs to be on the top of your list.

I mean, the décor is different and «mod» I guess, but I don’t understand why. Not saying that just because there is also the Indian restaurant associated with it that it has to be Indian-​themed, but why the futuristic/​Jetsons look? In Davis? It just seems out of place to me. And I don’t know about the rest of you, but I was there on Friday and was pretty drunk and had a seriously difficult time differentiating between which restroom was the girls’ and which was the guys’. I didn’t spend a whole lot of time trying to figure out the kama-​sutra-​esque figures on the doors and just picked one at random to go into; but the bathrooms were actually kinda cool once I got inside. Each stall is like a pod, totally random, but definitely makes breaking the seal a little more fun.
From what I recall the drinks were a little on the high end, but actually weren’t half bad in terms of taste. It wasn’t very crowded for one reason or another, but had it been, I don’t know that I would’ve had as much fun with my friends (if I wanted to get sweaty and pushed up against people I’d just go to J Tree).

I was drawn in by the reports of funky décor and decided to give this place a shot for cocktails with 3 friends. It looked pretty full, but we managed to get two tables in the back. Now, I don’t mind that (we were walk-​ins), but we had to push them awkwardly together ourselves and, more importantly, one of the tables was severely wobbly. Not a good combination with cocktails in martini glasses.
The bar was out of ingredients for two of our drinks, which had no ingredients in common. Everyone else seemed to agree that the drinks were okay but nothing to write home about; I was pretty disappointed with my bellini. We were all kind of underwhelmed and didn’t stay to order food or a second round.
There are better options around, especially for the price. Reluctant +1 for the décor (including the bathrooms, which were neat), but the Red Sox game on the shitty TV kind of spoiled whatever effect they were trying to go for.

A friend and I are «mildly obsessed» with Diva Lounge. In a square overcrowded with burrito joints and Irish pubs, Diva sticks out in a good way.
The interior is super-​mod and groovy in a Jetsons-​by-​way-​of-​Bollywood way. Speaking of Bollywood, they used to have Indian movies playing in the background. The undulating ladies and their dashing suitors were a great accompaniment to slightly over-​sweet fruity concoctions with coconut, lychee, and mango. Bring back the movies, Diva!
Diva offers really interesting appetizers, and you can also order from the full menu from adjoining Diva Restaurant.
I kind of love that I can always get a seat here, but Diva deserves more traffic. Check it out!

This place is awesome! If you find yourself roaming around Davis on a Friday night, definitely stop in here because you will always find a seat and do not have to wait for a drink!!!
I loved their lychee martini and had some appetizers that were delicious. Great service and everything came out rather quickly! I would recommend this restaurant for everyone, lunch or dinner, or late night!

Diva lounge is the bar/​lounge, and Diva Indian Bistro is the restaurant. They are connected, but have separate doors and menus. Just in case anyone is confused.
My review is for the lounge only.
Their cocktail menu is fun to look through, but in terms of actual taste, the drinks are lacking. The specialty martinis are strong alcohol mixed with sickening sweetness. Cocktails are super expensive. Although a friend who knows much more about fine liquor than I do discovered a rare brandy here. For me, I think it’ll be beer next time I’m here.
The tapas are decent, and cheap when they’re on special. Nothing to rave about.
What I like about the place is the tacky (i.e. awesome), futuristic décor. Sort of has a Clockwork Orange feel to it. The music is also very strange, which goes with the strange décor to make for a fabulously strange experience. And the pod bathrooms are a must see. Make sure you pee while you’re there.
Lady Gaga would totally come here for drinks.

This place should be renamed Dee-​lish :0)
We had dinner here last night, and I must say, wow. Everything we ate was scrumptious! And the ambience is quite nice. I loved the colors and décor. Pretty quick service as well, and Diva fills your wine glass to the top. Score!
We ordered the vegetarian sampler and the basil nan to start, and both were fantastic. The only bad thing that I could say about the sampler was that we could have used another samosa (they only give you one) and more sauce. We were splitting it between three people and the amount of food was just right.
For our main courses, we each ordered a vegetarian dish and shared them so that we had a delicious smörgåsbord. I ordered the malai kofta (potato and eggplant balls in a cashew tomato cream sauce), and let me tell you… O.M.G. I thought the last place I had it did a fantastic job, but the cooks at Diva have them beat across the board. Hands down, this was probably the best I’ve ever eaten. Words cannot describe the flavor, the creaminess… I could go on and on. One of my friends ordered the vegetarian biryani, and my other friend ordered a chickpea dish (can’t remember the exact name) and both were excellent. The malai kofta was definitely the highlight though.
The only negative of the meal was that we asked for the dishes medium spicy, and there wasn’t even a hint of spice anywhere. Despite the lack of zip, I’m wiling to overlook that because the food was so phenomenal. The portions aren’t that large but the food is very rich, so you definitely get what you pay for.
The quality is superb, and needless to say, I’ll be baaaaack… :0)

I went here for the first time last night for a birthday celebration (most people had drinks) and enjoyed this place very much! The drinks were served quickly and I thought the drinks were awesome. I had two drinks Passion and Assam.
I enjoyed the décor which had a calming vibe yet the lounge had a lot of energy.
The drink prices were decent and this place was very easy to get to via the T. I had a few friends that drove and they were able to find parking spots very close to this place.
I wish this place had a dance club part to it (maybe in the future)!

I’m sorry … what? How did this place only get three stars?
My husband and I went here for dinner on a Groupon. I could sum up my entire analysis with just «Mango Lassi TDF» but I’m way longer-​winded than that.
Plus, the prices are worth mentioning! It’s in Davis and we had an appetizer (basil naan with raita and mango chutney — so like 3 appetizers, sort of), 2 entrees, a mango lassi (obviously), and dessert all for $ 43! And after the groupon, all we had to pay was $ 5 plus tip! That’s amazing, people. It almost makes up for the parking nightmare that IS Davis Square. Especially in the winter. I think we went on a Monday evening, and it was the coldest day of the year…
Which could be why our service was so great. But maybe they’ve changed since these older, negative reviews. Bonus: We had our 4.5 month old with us and it wasn’t a problem.
We thought the naan was great — crispy on the outside and stretchy on the inside. Not dry as another reviewer experienced. The mango chutney and raita were fabulous, I always add these to my actual entrees because I’m a sweet/​salty hot/​cold gastronomically bipolar fanatic. I use the raita like tzatziki sauce.
Entrees were good, not fabulous, but very good. The beef in my vindaloo was quite tender, which is more than I can say for the revered Pun-​jaab. We had their Punjabi Kulfi ice cream for dessert (with cardamom and saffron, and nuts) and it could have been fresher and creamier — but was still a perfect end, flavor-​wise. Love that they offer housemade mango ice cream.
A free sample of soup served when we sat down was a nice touch.
We really liked the food and the prices were great. Since there aren’t that many places nearby about which both statements would be true, I have to give five stars.

The lighting is… interesting. It’s like a glimpse inside the mind of a drag queen tripping on acid.
The service was super, super slow. Which was odd, since we were the only people in there.
The seating is so ruthlessly uncomfortable that it’s hard to sit for more than 30 minutes.
No music!
No good.

The inside of Diva Lounge is what I imagine the stomach of a robot would look like. If robots had cellular stomachs. Or stomachs at all, I guess.
You see the picture at the top of this page — isn’t that totally wacky? Anthony R kept muttering to himself «just pretend you’re in the Fifth Element» to help himself deal with the strange décor and pod bathrooms and odd music. It was a cross between Indian Music and heavy techno.
We got mozzarella naan, and it was alright, but I’m thinking Indian fusion may not be the way of the future. The cocktail list was strange and unconventional. I ordered a chocolate drink with fresh raspberries. When it came without the raspberries, I was extremely disappointed. Diva, why?
It’s redemption? It’s so weird I can’t help but like it a little. I mean, at least they put some serious thinking into their décor. Mind you, I’m not sure I like it, but I appreciate it. Now I have a place to go if I want something wacky.

Diva Lounge is just about the weirdest place I have ever been.
I’ve lived in or near Davis for a couple years, and ventured into Diva Lounge for the first time last night in search of a bar that wasn’t too crowded on Friday night. Diva delivered on the emptiness, but not really all that much else. A few thoughts:
— As noted, the décor inside is wiiiiild. Weird white plastic bubble things line the walls with weird colored lighting.
— The bathrooms are little pods in the back. Really, like outhouses but inside, and made of futuristic-​looking stucco or something instead of plastic.
— The cocktail list is terrible — most everything fits the mold of flavored vodka/​something sugary/​something else sugary. Skip.
— The playlist was a combination of Bollywood hits and top 40 songs from 2 years ago. Not that it’s bad, per se – just… you should be ready for that.
All in all, I managed to have an okay time there by pretending it was a bar in a space station in the year 2253 or something. (Seriously, it’s like a set from The Fifth Element.) Here on Earth in 2010, though, I’m not sure what the draw is.

We went to Diva for some eats (thanks Groupon) and were sat in the lounge. I found the atmosphere to be almost comical — bright and back lit humps coming out the walls and thumpin’, bumpin’ remixes of songs like «I’ll Be Watching You.» It felt like I was on a movie set.
We ordered from the Diva restaurant menu and had at it. The food at Diva (while not my favorite) is solid. The only complaint being that for the amount of food we ordered (2 dinners, a few drinks and some apps), the teeny tiny lounge tables could not properly accommodate.

Drinks = so so
Bar food = so so
Bathrooms = OMFG! Whose idea was the crazy, gender free, pod shaped, sparkly, free standing lavatory situation in the back?
Surprise innovative architectural element win!

Too club-​action-​style-​y for the Davis Square I know and love. Drinks too expensive. Waitresses too dumb. Me, too drunk to care much too often since I somehow find myself here at least once on a night out in Davis. Maybe it’s to poke fun at the pee pods, the patrons, and the waitress. Maybe it’s because the drinks aren’t half bad (try the Lychee Martini, but don’t try the one with the boysenberry — looks like boot). These thing’s for sure, the seats are uncomfortable, the service stanks, the music is weird, and the seats are uncomfortable. Bleh.

This is the bar/​lounge side of Diva the restaurant. The food and drinks are really good, but so outrageously priced, you’d think you were in NYC or at least downtown Boston. They have a DJ at times, so you never know if its going to be eerily quite, or so loud you can’t here the person next to you.
The sofa style seating was cool at first, but with the loud music, its impossible to carry on conversations.
The service was friendly, and fairly quick. They retain three stars despite the price discrepancy because, the last time I was there, I dropped my scarf on the way out. When I went back to get it, I didn’t even ask for it. I walked in the front door, and the bartender called me over and handed it to me.