Obivia Bar & Lounge

You really can't go wrong with great happy hour specials but what makes this place so unique is the crowd.. Everyone seems to be having a great time and the staff treats their guests with respect and kindness. Is that unheard of in New York City? Yep, sometimes. The specials range from Sangria to Domestic and Premium Beer. The $5 mixed drink special is sure to please any of your friends as well. Make sure you stay a little later to enjoy their dance party music especially if you are a "I'm feeling the beat" type of person. Just make sure you aren't offended by soft porn. Haha, just go and you will see! more

Obivia is a fantastic place to host a party!!! Michael and Clare are easy to work with and accommodated me for two parties in the last year. We had the exclusive VIP area with a private entrance. They gave us free champagne (and a couple free shots for the hostess :)). Nice leather couches, great music by live DJ, delicious drinks (try the house drink "Obivia"). The vibe is very chill and friendly (kind of rare in NYC nightlife). We were dancing all night long. Everyone had a blast and both of my parties were huge hits! (The first party had about 50 people and second had about 100, and they opened up the curtain to give us more space.) I have seen very few venues on CitySearch with so many rave reviews, and I can say with confidence that they are legitimate, honest and accurate! Consider Obivia for your next party... Also, they apparently have a great weekday happy hour... Pros: yummy drinks, fun non-pretentious ambiance, great staff Cons: on the small side for a larger party more

had a great time happened to find this place looking on citysearch . it a great little spot in soho . i wish there were more spot like this to have fun with friends . i was there celebrating a bday . and mike was very helpful . even though he informed me that private section had been booked and were full he said if u can there a little early u can find seating . but i enjoyed it and would book the place for my own birthday Pros: great music food looks good had fun Cons: wish it was a little bigger more

Well its always amazing.. hang out with friends.. i had a really great time.. good service.. polite people.. 5 stars more

its a nice place but small. the music is good service is good. eventhough on a friday night it was busy. the vibes there are good.as soon as my party and i got there, they had shots waiting for us.Very cozy the soft pornonm the flat screen gets everyone attention not bad at all. will def go back. Pros: nice place Cons: small more

I set out to find a venue for my boyfriend's birthday that offered a relaxed, sophisticated atmosphere, great cocktails and finger food for about 50 people. I wanted to pre-purchase food while my guests would buy their own alcohol. After an exhaustive search (I heard everthing from a $1,500 minimum just to reserve a seating area to my crowd might be too "ethnic" for the clientele being served and there might me a problem with entry for all of my guests -wow), I was genuinely amazed that I couldn't seem to find a trendy venue that valued a captive audience from a party. I hesitated because I frankly was unimpressed with the pictures I found, but was eventually swayed by strong reviews. I spoke with Clare at Obivia and she invited me to come into the lounge. Once I saw the space, I was very impressed. I loved the intimate setting of the space. I reserved the front portion of the space, which consists of comfy seating. It was required that I meet a $300 minimum to reserve the area and I used most of it to order food ($300 in NYC is NOTHING!). The night of the party was spectacular. I was slightly taken aback by the coat check fee, but it was cheap (I just wish I'd known about it). However, we were informed that we'd been upgraded to a separate section in the back, which was huge and exclusive (mind you, way better than the front space). We also received complimentary champagne and SUPER attentive service. Everyone from the bouncer to the bartenders to the waitress were amazing. The party quickly filled up and guests loved the music, the tasty cocktails and the food. A server passed food on trays at my request. I also asked the staff to put birthday cupcakes on a tray for me. I was pleasantly surprised to see they had put the cupcakes on this amazing wooden serving piece, complete with candles (I didn't even bring candles). They even changed the music just for the presentation. We were exhausted by the end of the night when everyone left. As we sat there, a waitress came and thanked me and gave me free drink coupons for a future visit. I am a Native New Yorker and have never had such amazing, attentive service, great food, better drinks, fabulous presentation, and a trendy venue, all for such tremendous value. To Clare and ownership, keep doing what you are doing! I will definitely be back to support Obivia and make sure you stay in business!! Many venues could learn a thing or two from you. You will not go wrong here. And, yes, I loved the soft core porn on the televisions. If it offends you, please feel free to step into the year 2010. They show worse on ABC prime time TV. Pros: Everything Cons: Coat Check Fee more

I went there with some friends on a Monday for Happy Hour and realized it went all night long!!! Our service was great and the prices unbeatable!!! I wouldn't go anywhere else for Happy Hour!!!! Try the little burgers...they are so cute!!! and yummy!!! Pros: mini burgers only $3!!! Cons: none!! more

I just had my Birthday Party at Obivia this past thursday, 5/28/09. I called 2 days before the event to reserve a section & Mike called me back to confirm the reservations & he said he would send us shots on the house since its my birthday. He reserved a section for us by entrance. We had the whole sofa & group of chairs that wrapped around the candle lit table all for my party. There was a bucket of 10 shots on the house waiting for us on the table. The Lounge has brick walls with candles, just BEAUTIFUL! Happy hour was fantastic, half price on drinks, $12 sangria pitcher. Drinks were awesome! the food were also great, we had the mini burgers, chicken wings & potato wedges. All very good. They also had free malibu rum tastings (shots) with 3 different flavors, we tried them all. Our server kept coming back to give us more free rum tastings. I forgot our server's name, she was fantastic! our drinks & food just kept coming. She was very attentive and quick! but everyone that works there were fabulous, accommodated to everything we asked for, very friendly staff!!! The lounge is beautiful, great music with a dj, great party planner, food & drinks for Happy Hour were fantastic & most of all, the Staff & server were superb! I live in the city & I've planned many parties and Obivia was definitely the best one! Thank You Obivia and the Staff for making my Bday Party as easy & smooth as possible. 5 STARS! xoxo! Sherry Pros: GREAT HAPPY HOUR DRINK & FOOD SPECIALS, FABULOUS LOUNGE Cons: NOTHING, MY PARTY WAS PERFECT! more

I called Claire at Obivia to make reservations for a table to celebrate my husband's birthday on a Friday night. She offered to waive the table service fee and also when she heard that it was his birthday she promised to have a bucket of shots waiting to greet us. The ambience was really warm and friendly. Claire came over with a welcome shot to do with me and my husband which was a nice personal touch. It was not too crowded, but was full enough for us to feel like it was a happening spot! My friends and I had a really relaxing night and the waitresses were very attentive. We had awesome service. The music was a tad bit too loud. We had to scream to be heard. It was hilarious watching a soft core p*rn movie on the TV screens... Would highly recommend their Vodka Blueberry Martini....Will defnitely go back there! Pros: Good ambience, friendly people Cons: Music a tad bit too loud. more

Obivia may be the coolest place in SoHo! Clare is always personable and the entire staff are willing to make you feel at home. Enjoy the huge bar selection, or perhaps an incredible menu. They make the very best Grilled Cheese Sandwich you will ever get in your life....but they took it off the menu, if you are nice to Clare, she might just get it for you. Trust me on this, it is to die for!!!! The location is easy to get to from two directions, oh and btw, they show very entertaining DVDs late at night on their monitors. Whatever the occasion, make sure Obivia is on your list of stops!!!!! And please be nice to Clare! Pros: Decor, Clare, Visuals, Grilled Cheese Sandwich Cons: Need more locations more

Last weekend I wrote a review of the bar that was not flattering. Myself along with my guests had had a bad experience with the bar. We had arrived late and where notified that they were on "last call". We ordered and to make a long story short were rushed along to finish our drinks. While the manner in which we were treated was certainly not "customer focused." I am impressed with the manner in which one of the owners has subsequently handled the situation. Mike called me personally and while not making excuses he did not entirely agree with my characterization of the incident. Nonethe less, I am satisfied with the manner in which he handled the situation and his attempts to "make things right." His assurances as to instructing the staff to avoid a repeat is reassuring. Pros: drinks were as ordered Cons: very rude behavior to rush us along more

I just had my 27th birthday party at Obivia and it was AWESOME!! I?ve been having birthday parties in NY for some time and they?ve always followed the same format: get a table, tell your guests, have a waitress and hope for the best. I followed that same format at Obivia and it far surpassed my expectations! Our server was so very attentive and neither my guests nor I ever had to wait for a drink. Additionally, our server did a great job of avoiding ?tab? trouble, or sticking any one person (i.e. the bday girl!) with the tab, by seamlessly taking everyone?s order and keeping track of who ordered what in the computer. Aside from the logistics, we were met by a complimentary bottle of champagne on our table, and Clare (Obivia?s event planner) met me and my guest with a shot before we even had time to check our coats! The music was great, and even though there wasn?t a dance floor, I danced all night. The drinks were extremely tasty and unique, and were also quite potent. It was all and all, a really great night in an era where it is SO hard to find a fun, classy, yet chill environment that won?t break the bank, or that isn?t crawling with undesirables with too much attitude! THANKS CLARE!!! Pros: great vibe, classy, fun, good music, attentive, strong drinks, full but NOT stuffed wtih people more

About a month ago I hosted a baby shower for a friend at Obivia. Even though it was not my first choice it worked out perfectly- the lounge in the back is beautifully decorated with plush chairs, low antique tables and soft pink curtains. Perfect for a small intimate gathering of about 18 ladies and a few small children and enough space to move around and open gifts. Clare and Michael were so accommodating, they actually opened up early on a Saturday just for our event! The food was excellent- we ordered several selections from the hors d'oeuvres menu (chicken skewers, shrimp, tomato bruschetta, chips with guacamole, dipped strawberries mmm) and the presentation was amazing. They even let us bring in our own cupcakes and served them in a lovely display with decorations. Due to the nature of our event, we did not indulge in many cocktails although the ones we did order were fabulous (awesome bellini =0). The price was beyond reasonable for the quality of service and the fact that we practically had the whole place to ourselves. We had a lovely time and several of the guests commented on the decor and the ambience and said they definitely plan on coming again and hosting their events here. Pros: Beautiful lounge, accommodating staff more

I went out with a group of friends over the weekend to celebrate my birthday, and we ended up at Obivia. I have to say, this is a great place to go for your birthday. My friends told them it was my birthday, and they gave me a free bottle of Champagne! I don't remember my server's name, but she definitely took extra special care of me, my glass was never empty all night. If you or your friends are looking for a great place to go for your birthday, or just a random Saturday night, you should check out Obivia. more

A group of us went in to get a drink and some apps before dinner and the place was awesome. They have a surprisingly good list of Single Malt Scotch and the small plates made us want to skip dinner. You should definitely check this place out. more

I went to Obivia last Monday after work for happy hour and had a blast! I intended to only stay an hour or so, but I found out their happy hour specials go all night long on Monday, and the next thing I knew it was after 11:00. You certainly can't beat $3 bottles of Miller Lit and $5 specialty cocktails all night! Their food specials were great, too. I highly recommend their basket of loaded steak fries or thin crust pizza. If you're looking for a great place to unwind after work in Soho, you should definitely stop by Obivia. Pros: Great happy hour deals, delicious food and innovative drinks Cons: None that I could see! more

I only give this place 2 stars because our server was really good (otherwise it would?ve been 1). She was attentive & incredibly nice. Unfortunately, if you?re looking for a good cocktail ? this is NOT the place to go. The average price of a martini (special or not) is about $18 ? so we were hoping for an ?experience?! It never happened. The drinks we?re served professionally & looked nice ? but did not taste good at all. It has nice decor & friendly staff ? but I wouldn?t recommend this place. Pros: Good service Cons: Overpriced & overrated more

A few months back I was looking for a new spot to throw a birthday party for my friends 30th and decided on Obivia. What a great choice! Management and staff were great! We reserved the lounge area. With about 50 people throughout the evening, the spot was perfect. Although they were short one bartender and one waitress, they were on the ball with everything. We had drinks waiting when we arrived and never had to wait long when ordering. This past saturday, I decided to take some out of towners over to check out the area and ended up there again. My experience was not a one time event. They were fantastic! Quick with drinks and a great scene! Highly recommend for a party or just a saturday night out more

Just had a going away party here and it was perfect. Granted it was a Monday nite (never been before!) and Clare and Julie were wonderful to work with, serving us great drinks and munchies (quite tasty!) It's an ideal place for a party, i had about 20 peeps and we had an amazing time, wasn't too loud and the ambience was perfect, fun vibe. Clare kept the back room free for my guests & even extended the happy hour special for our group, thank you so much! What a great way to end my days here in NYC! Pros: service, ambience, great bites, accessible parking, very accommodating, great happy hr specials Cons: a little hard to find if you've never been here b4 more

I had my birthday party there last night and every interaction with the Obivia staff before and during the party was exceptional. Clare did a fantastic job and everyone at my party had an amazing time! Thank you so much! Pros: Professional staff, great space, fantastic drinks! Cons: none more