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Buddha Bar

25 Little West 12th St., New York, NY 10014
nr. Ninth Ave. See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-647-7314 Send to Phone

Reader Rating:
4.0 out of 10
|
12 Reviews | Write a Review
Scene: DJ, Lounge, Private Party Space, Restaurant & Bar, Singles Scene, Smoking Area, Swank

Photo by Shanna Ravindra

Map Rate & Review

Official Website

buddhabarnyc.com

Hours

Sun-Wed, 6pm-2:30am; Thu-Sat, 6pm-4am

Nearby Subway Stops

A, C, E at 14th St.; L at Eighth Ave.

Payment Methods

American Express, Diners Club, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Profile

A tunnel lined with lacquered bamboo and Buddha statuettes leads manicured guests of both genders to the New York outpost of this Parisian take on pan-Asian flamboyance. World beats pulsate from the DJ's turntable in the dining room as jellyfish swim in walled tanks above the sushi bar and a 17-foot smiling namesake holds court under a skylight. To the left: a sprawling lounge of cloth couches and silk opium dens illuminated by red-glass chandeliers; in another direction: gold chinoiserie murals vie for your attention with fluorescent cocktails like the Black Buddha (passion and mango vodkas combined with pineapple and pomegranate juices). A glass-encased area in the middle of it all allows up to 20 cigarette smokers to experience the lavish environs without officially going outside. (Opium currently not allowed.) — Nick Hofstadter

Extra

Two raised black pagodas ensure small partying groups never lose their buoyancy since the glass floor has water beneath it.

4.0

"Not Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10

41%	Would you go back?
36%	Would you take a date?
9%	Would you go on business?

For Clubbing? NO, NO, NO!!!

HaLa from 11216 | Posted on 8/12/09

Overall Rating: 1 (Not Recommended)

Disclaimer: I was dragged here against my will by friends visiting from out of town, even though I warned them that BB is NOT a CLUB. BB is a RESTAURANT! Don't be deceived by the rude doorman, the ropes or the sad tourists standing in line - BB is NOT a CLUB. If you do get dragged to BB, be prepared for crappy music blaring from blown speakers and no dance floor/space, which leaves the tourists to dance around dinner tables. Nice. And, the primary criteria for gaining entrance appears to be agreeing to a table/bottle service (which we did not and jumped the line anyhow), as the clientele was almost entirely composed of scroungily dressed tourists. I would recommend going to BB if you're a tourist who has no idea how to dress to go out in NYC and your only option is to buy your way into a "club." We left BB fast and went to a proper NYC club with amazing music, a real dance floor and a door policy based on allowing in only classy clientele.

A Nightmare of an experience.

DD728 from 11363 | Posted on 10/26/08

Overall Rating: 1 (Not Recommended)

A friend & I had dinner in the restaurant at 8pm, which was nice - cool decor, good food & an attentive waiter. After dinner, we moved to the lounge to reserve a table & bottles & wait for our friends to arrive. (My brother & I were told in several calls that tables can't be reserved in advance.) Once in the lounge, we were introduced to Felix, who arranged for us to have a table that goes for 4-5 bottles, for "just" 3 bottles. Felix then agreed to sell us 2 bottles, on the condition that we had a max of 10 people join us, whom Felix would personally let in. When our friends arrived, Felix would NOT let them in. I went ballistic & got most of our party inside, after fighting with Felix. Jimmy, the nasty owner & ruler of the door, refused to let 4 of our guy friends in, who wanted to buy more bottles. 2 bottles & $900 later, we left & met the rest of our friends at One. The staff at Buddha is the worst I've ever come across & this place is NOT worth the inevitable heartache you will experience.

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