I am a bartender at a bar/nightclub/restaurant in the Warehouse district. We serve dinner every night of the week and have a newly opened night club on Fridays. I was thinking that downtown is really missing a true cocktail lounge in the Warehouse district. I’m talking classic cocktail made with real fruit juice, original recipes, and none of the vodka red bull cliental.

 

 

We would have music playing but none of the w6th THUMPING that has overcome the WD. A mix of modern techno, classic rock, old school hip hop, basically anything you would find on a jukebox at Panini’s. I am obviously not the brains behind the music so nothing is set in stone; I'm just trying to paint a picture. We would serve a full menu until 11 and be open for cocktails until 12-1am. We have a huge beautiful bar, lounge area with couches, small tables and chairs as well as many tables for standard dining.

 

 

Whould that appeal to you guy/girls?

 

We are looking at doing this on a Saturday night.. If you have any improvements or suggestions please let me know.. Thanks

Cool beans.  Where on W6 is this club opening?

 

Great idea with a cocktail club.  Diversify the area for the upper 20s and 30s crowd!  I know I'd go.

 

Also, I say mandate a dress code of at least slacks or business casual  - it would be nice to have at somewhere classy in that area.

Were already open. But its on W9th, in the old sunset building. Now its called Zdara and weve been open since May. But were playing around with different ideas for what to do at night.

I really like the space and the food at Zdara. I would definitely be interested.

What I'd like to see is a sweet place like Velvet Tango Room.  I only make it over there about once a year because it's close to nothing.  It could be fantastic if it were easy to walk to from happy hour downtown.

I really miss the old Spy Bar during the mid- to late-90s when swing music made a comeback. Spy Bar was clean, it had the fireplaces, flashing chandeliers, wood book shelves, comfy sofas, etc. and a wood dance floor with well-dressed people jumping, jiving n' wailing. That was a great setting.

My opinion on Zdara - cheap and tacky. Having it become a cocktail lounge would mean having to redo everything about it. The light fixtures are tacky (IKEA?), the furniture is cheap and does not fit the large space, the collection of accessories, fixtures and colors is a total hodge-podge. Last time I was in there they had theses glass fish bowls filled with rocks and fake plastic plants on the bar - as decoration. We were there on a Friday night and NO ONE was even there. The food was standard - nothing spectacular, nothing that would ever make me want to go back when you combine that with the atmosphere. Besides that, the bartenders were a joke - it was not even busy but the guy and the girl behind the bar were more concerned in sharing stories about how wasted they were the night before and they both looked like they came straight from an all night binge. Save your money and do not go here.

Sounds good.  My friends and I like to sit around and talk at bars, not scream at the top of our lungs while meandering through wall-to-wall people with ear-shatteringly loud music (we're in our late 20's).

My wife and I ate there a couple of weeks ago and we found the food to be surprisingly good.  Based on our experience, I would rate Zdara as one of the better restaurants in WD.  The staff were courteous and professional.  It is true that there were very few people there, but that does not generally bother us.

Restless --- damn dude... but ok. I am looking for idea on a true cocktail lounge.. what you guys would like to see and if you would go. Thanks

I really miss the old Spy Bar during the mid- to late-90s when swing music made a comeback. Spy Bar was clean, it had the fireplaces, flashing chandeliers, wood book shelves, comfy sofas, etc. and a wood dance floor with well-dressed people jumping, jiving n' wailing. That was a great setting.

The Spy bar Concept was OK, and I did go there a few times back then.  However, there was something intimidating about that place to me.  Not the "I am walking into a punch palace" type intimidating, but more just to over the top fancyish.  I almost felt like be the average Joe, I did not belong there.  I always felt like there was a specific way you had to ask for another drink, or a specific way to BS with the bartender.  I don't know.  I'm sure that makes no sense to anyone, but it just never felt like a welcoming place to me.  Part of being a successful bar/restaurant is making people feel welcome, and that they belong, and I never felt that way at Spy Bar.  Beautifiul place though I will say.  Good Music too.  If I remember right, I spent New Years 1998 there. 

If there is hip hop, techno or Panini's type music on the jukebox, it's not going to really be a cocktail lounge.  It sounds annoying and I wouldn't go. I avoid places like Panini's already, I don't need another one to avoid.

 

Restless' post was pretty mean/rude but I wasn't impressed in my sole visit to Zdara either. Uneven food (and that's being kind) and service and an off-putting, cold atmosphere.  But I'm probably not your target customer as I am over 40.

 

When I think "true cocktail lounge" I think of a place like VTR. They aren't going to have silver metal fixtures and techno music there. VTR is where I refer people coming in out of town for a classy and pleasant cocktail experience. I think they could use some competition in this arena, but you'd have to do it right and it would probably not go with the theme and decor of your existing space. 

Not mean or rude - I did not insult anyone. This was my opinion. Go in and look at what I said - everything is true. It looks like a bunch of people got together and whimsically said "Let's open a restaurant" and did so in a span of about a week. It is a great location, and a great space but collectively with the food and atmosphere nothing is fitting together. Velvet Tango Room is a great example of a lounge, and to some degree 806 in Tremont as far as atmosphere goes. The lobby of the Renaissance has a loungey feel to it as well. Jukebox music does not qualify as a lounge either. Period. I wish you the best, but I don't see the space lasting as a restaurant with so many other great options in town. I hope the lounge thing works out for you, but do some research. Check out lounge bars in other cities, that haven't been brought here yet, and try that.

I used to go to some pretty great lounge bars in other countries. The thing that made the endearing ones worth going to again and again was simple: Character and good drinks. That formula can be repeated anywhere. I would be a fanatical customer if someone opened a classy, no-nonsense place with great drinks. That can be challenging in the WD, I think. But, good luck.

I don't think that the point of this thread was for people to just plop out half baked reviews, but to gauge interest in a cocktail lounge at that spot. 

 

Let's keep this on topic, folks.