The Alex At The Graham

I am posting this review as a warning if you intend to visit The Alex. I tried going here twice in the last few weeks, and both times the bar was closed for a private party. This past Friday I even called ahead to ask if the bar was open, and the person I spoke with said it was open and he was not aware of any private parties. You can imagine my frustration when I strolled into the bar and the bartender asked me to leave because they were hosting a private party. WTF!!!
Both times I intruded upon their private parties, the hotel/​bar did not even make the effort to put up a sign. I guess that would make too much sense. The first time I walked up to the bar and even ordered a drink. The bartender thought I was part of the private event and began making my drink, and I supposed if I not suspected it was a private party, I could have drank free all night. As John McClane would say in Die Hard, Yippee-​ki-​yay!
I will say that on my first visit, the private party looked like a lot of fun and they had some very tasty looking food set up on the table against the wall… sliders, wings, veggies, it all looked very appealing. The bar does have a cool speakeasy type décor after all.
Being a whiskey and bourbon fan, The Alex is right up my alley, which you can probably imagine why I’ve been dying to try a cocktail here. But alas that will never be as the bar never seems to be open to the public. Why waste my time trying to go here when there are so many good cocktail options in this city. See you soon Mr. Jack Rose!

Great food and interesting cocktail menu. It was dead though — no one was there on a Tuesday night. We loved our dinner and you can definitely go with lower price options. I had the grilled cheese and soup which was delish.
It’s tucked away in a basement but there are windows. However the cocktail menu had a whole story about happy hour and how important it is yet the waitress told me they don’t do happy hour — wha??! That makes no sense — perhaps they should and they would get people there ;) I actually liked that it was quiet and not packed with loud people but not sure how long they’ll last…

Probably more deserving of 4 stars… i am giving it 5 to help balance out the only other rating at this point, which i thought was unreasonably harsh (no disrespect).
Who should NOT go — if you’re looking for a bar with a bumping vibe, and party crowd, you’ll rarely find it here. I’m actually tempted to give this place a low review just so that it does NOT turn into a bar full of annoying yuppies or college kids. I personally like the speak-​easy vibe it has. I would also not go if you’re looking primarily with food in mind (though the food isn’t that bad. it’s just not the main selling point, in my opinion).
Who SHOULD go — Wants to enjoy a great cocktail at a reasonable price (for a cocktail), in cool décor, and where you can actually hear yourselves talk to one another without having to shout above the people next to you and a blaring stereo playing some awful top 40’s music.
I’ve enjoyed just about every cocktail i’ve had here. Emilio and Jared are incredibly courteous bartenders, and are not afraid to improv based on your personal taste. The only minus i’d possibly make is that one could say that their cocktails err on the sweet side… however i’d also quickly say that they are still well balanced, and they will make adjustments if you’d prefer something more boozy, herbal, citrusy, etc.
And as mentioned, the food is decent as well, it just wouldn’t be the first place i’d think of if i was solely looking for dinner (though it wouldn’t be the last place i’d think of either. Random comment about the food: i ordered a kale salad, and elected to pay 8 extra bucks to have salmon added. I figured it would come with random flakes of canned salmon… they gave me a whole friggin FILET of salmon, that wasn’t cooked too badly either. It made me extremely happy, so just thought i’d share.
Cheers!

The Alex seems like a good venue, but it seems as though it is encountering growing pains. The main Wednesday night bartender was competent, and experienced but the rest of the staff left much to be desired. The food options weren’t terrible and the prices were decent. The venue is well decorated but it is a bit tight.
*** Stay clear of the counter people at the hotel.**** They will be begrudgingly helpful, at best, if not hostile and rude when it comes to navigating this property.
For a hotel that holds itself out as high end, I and my friends had never experienced such rude lobby staff since our trip to the Graham.
Multiple people recounted rude behavior from the front desk staff.
It’s a small place, that was quiet on a Wednesday night. Maybe it is good for a small group, but given the attitude we received upstairs and the service problems downstairs, I am in no rush to return.