Ajna Bar

Budha's been around for a while so it maybe time it's jumping the shark.....we met up with some friends for drinks and as long as you say you are eating you can by pass the rope easily. It's really LOUD inside but big....they try to be selective when you almost need more people in there b/c it kinda looks like nobody is there.\r \r You can't talk to anyone b/c you can't hear anything. Cons: Way to loud more

Buddha Bar's Sunday brunch is New York's best kept secret. We were the only people in the entire HUGE space and the brunch included everything from fresh sushi and salads to lamb and omlets/waffles made to order. For thirty-five bucks you can eat like a king. The service was very friendly and attentive. Hurry to this brunch before it catches on! Great way to enjoy the atmosphere without paying a million dollars and waiting in line on a weekend night. more

Buddha Bar is HUGE - although it has an exotic atmosphere - you do feel like you are more at a restaurant in Las Vegas than in NYC. We went on a Friday nite - it was crowded of course but luckily we had reservations for our party of six. The server was wonderful, he was attentive and great at offering suggestions. All the food we had was very good (i had the steak entree - very tasty) and the drinks were great too. The only unfortunate part was when they started blasting the music in the dining room and we could no longer have a conversation (this was towards the end of our meal). After dinner we moved over to the lounge for more drinks - it was fun just to people watch. You can either call this place noisy, big and too crowded or you can view it as a lively, energetic place but have a couple cocktails and you'll most likely view it as the latter. Pros: Good food and drinks, exotic cavernous restaurant - can make you feel not in NYC Cons: loud music during dining, the hostess desk can seem a bit chaotic more

I have lived and dined (3 nights at least a week) in NYC for 10 years now and this is BY FAR the RUDEST Management and dining experience I have ever encountered. Meals are small and OVERPRICED. Ventured here on a Saturday night for a girlfriends Birthday dinner with a total of 6 girls. We wanted to order primarily sushi and appetizers as the entrees did not appeal to us as much. Well, when ordering we were TOLD that we HAD TO order at least 4 entrees. We prefered Sushi, so if you order the same $ value what is the difference right? We were polite trying to explain the math to the service people and the Manager came over and OBNOXIOULSY told us order 4 entrees or we can all get up and move to the bar. VERY RUDE TO US, when we were very polite and requesting to eat what we craved. Then they threw a Minimum per person at us of $40...making it up as they went along. But easy target no matter what you order. I have NEVER been to a nice restaurant where we were TOLD what to eat in my life or we were kicked off our table. HE was insensitve, and should NOT be in customer service. RUDE, OVER PRICED, INSENSITIVE, BAD SERVICE. Made for a very uncomfortable Birthday dinner!! Pros: Atmosphere, Bar Scene Cons: OVERPRICED, BAD/RUDE SERVICE, SMALL PORTIONS more

I love Buddha Bar. The Dj is from Paris (Buddha Bar of course) spinning eclectic lounge and later to the evening house music. The decor is beautiful, one of a kind in NY. Food and drinks are great. The best part about the Buddha in the middle of the dining room? Buddha Bar is the original Buddha holder, Tao just copied this invention! Pros: Annoying door, unless you have a reservation for dinner Cons: Romantic and very trendy more

I had dinner there 2 weeks ago... We had an 8pm reservation and were told to grab a drink at the bar while our table was set. Not a problem. The 4 of us ordered some over-priced wine and champagne and were sat within minutes. As soon as we sat down, however, the waiter came over and asked if he could get us some drinks to start. Full-glasses in hand, we looked at eachother and were like, ""um, no, we're good, thanks."" This was the beginning of the end! All week I was anxiously anticipating this dining experience and a hard-to-get-into new restaurant and from the first second we sat down, the waiter was ready to turn the table. We were given menus and we discussed our options (while also catching up on each other's busy lives). Our waiter came by 3 times in 10 minutes -- each time pressuring us to make a quick decision. When we finally did, he said, ""is that it? This won't be enough."" We took his ""expert"" advice and added on another dish... The food was mediocre at best and they literally tried to get us out of there under an hour. When I was signing the check, adding the 20% gratuity that I always do, the waiter came over and asked if he could take the check... I had only signed my first name!!! WTF? Glorified fancy sushi rolls should not be at Buddha Bar, and neither should this waiter! No reason to go back. Too many other options in this city (Nobu, Megu, or even Tao -- all better choices) Pros: Col Decor Cons: Service, Presentation of Food, Turn & Burn Attitude more

Where to begin. A group of us decided to have a girls night and try Buddha Bar? Why? I wish I had an answer. Although I had heard bad reviews we decided to give it a try. I live in NYC and eat out probably 4-6 nights a week. I have never ever wanted to write a review until now. Because I have never had such a horrible dining experience before. I have to say, the ambiance is beautiful so when i walked in i thought it would be ok. Well, the service was non-existant. Then the waiter came and refilled everyones 1/2 full sake glasses w/ WINE!!! The shrimp was ice cold and when we complained they took it and microwaved it- thanks!!! So kind. the food was bad- the quality, presentation and taste. The manager was rude and so was the staff.This is going to turn into a tourist trap bridge and tunnel destination. We would have had a better meal at TGI Fridays. Pros: ambience Cons: everything else more

I went to Buddha bar twice the first few weeks they were open. I enjoyed my first visit and I even thought the food was good. On my second visit I realized that the menu was relatively sparse and the food was only so-so. Fast forward a few months, I call Buddha Bar to make a reservation for dinner and they tell me that entrance for dinner is at the DOORMAN'S DISCRETION. for a place that once had good service this sort of snobbery is utterly ridiculous. I will never return to Buddha Bar again. By the way, I ended up making a reservation at Buddakan, and that place was gorgeous and the food was much better. Pros: Ambience Cons: Snobbish attitude more

My girls and I went to B-Bar for her Birthday....about 8 of us. We waited 30 minutes for our reservation but it was well worth it. It hasn't turned into the bridge and tunnel attraction that Tao is, but probably will one day. Anyway, food was excellent and so was our very cute ""male-model"" type server. He was very attentive and witty and the atmosphere was definitely ""over the top"" but not in a cheesy way. The chilean Sea Bass Role was incredible and so was most of the sushi...way better than Ono. Since our reservation was on a late Saturday night...the crowd was ready to party and the D.J was spinning some great tunes...sounded like a mix of Arabic music and hip-hop. LOVED IT!!! The only bad part was the bill... as it was about $100 per person and I only had apps....but the drinks run up the bill! Definitely eat there but be careful of the pricey cocktails! Pros: Food was great Cons: pricey more

It's part of the NYC experience of seen and be seen. We went there on a weeknight and got great service, but the crowd seemed a bit lame. Saturday night was difficult to get in, but once we were inside the experience was great. The food is ver good, the service mediocre, but the scene is hot!. Beautiful people, great background music, and overall exciting experience. more

The people that work the front part of the restaurant (door, desk, etc) are on another planet. To get into the restaurant, you need to prove you have a reservation. Once at the desk (even if you arrive early), you have to wait at least at extra half an hour AFTER your reservation. Calling a week early, and accepting an 11:00 reservation, we sat down for dinner at about 11:40. We were told, ""What do you expect from a happening NYC restaurant on a Saturday night?"" Obviously, not that, nor the tone that we received. Way too pricey, but the food was pretty good. The experience was an experience, I can give it that much, but not sure if I'll go back again. Pros: Food, Dancing, Drinks Cons: Reservations mean nothing, Loud, Sacrilegious more

The service is horrible, the food mediocre, but it's a great place to be seen and do cocktails w/ friends. Just have a real restaurant planned next for dinner. ;) more

This place has everything from food,scene to great service.\r I would reccommend this place to anyone looking for a great night out! more

if a manager of buddha bar is going to post their own positive reviews posing as a customer, they should at least not use their real name as their log in to make it more believable.\r good job on that. more

Let's be honest this place is not for gourmet's......its a fun atmosphere with some great selections. Particlarly the pork dumplings are out of this world and the BEEF WYGO is worth of ""gourmet"" status. Overall, pricey but fun, especially with a group of people.....def stay past 11 for the ""club"" more

1. I know, it's not really a 'food-centric' place, but give me a break. The food is downright awful. I'm not a picky eater, either. I'm easily satisfied by simple stuff. But our meal was barely edible, from the extremely dry chicken to the bland shrimp. 2. The music is downright awful. Why bother with a DJ? Why not just pop in a cheesy ""Dance Hits 2006"" CD and be done with it? Not to mention that it was literally impossible to hear anybody at the table, and we had a small table. I'm all for loud music, but this was over the top. 3. The crowd is downright awful. Cougars and B&T-ers everywhere. We couln't get out of this place fast enough. Pros: Nice space Cons: Food, music, crowd more

If you like being seated over an hour late and with no apologies, being seated at a table where chairs are missing and getting a shrug from the hostess (why would everyone need a chair?), having your waiter quit in the middle of your dinner (without placing in your table's order...no joke true story) who are very hungry from the over 1 hour wait and not being compensated for your misery, this is a great place to go. PS It has already turned B&T more

\r The poor treatment by the MANAGER spoiled our evening before it began. The prices aren't worth it unless you just want to experience the scenery.\r \r I booked a reservation with my credit card for a table a week in advance. The first 2 of us were there on time, but as we all know, friends can be late sometimes. The male host at the front desk was incredibly rude and implied that we would not keep our table if the others did not show in 5 minutes. The majority of us arrived within 10 minutes of the reserved time. He implied that he was doing us a FAVOR by giving us a table at all even though we had our reservation. \r \r When we were done eating, we were told their was a 1.5 hour limit and we would be asked to leave so someone else could take the table. The bill was over $200 for four people averaging about $40 for one normal portioned entree. They were insensitive to vegetarians and had almost no flexibility.\r \r Great music, ambiance, decorations etc. The wait staff are polite, though sometimes a little over the top with the 'fakeness'. The food was OK, but for those prices, I really expected better. The wines were unusually sweet and in small portions.\r Pros: Music, ambience Cons: Rude, expensive and only want to turn tables more

If what you crave is a rude, obnoxious staff serving mediocre food, then come spend a fortune here. \r \r On second thought, avoid this place like the plague. The Meatpacking district has plenty of fine restaurants, this just isnt one of them. \r \r Great atmosphere + great staff + OK food can be a great night out with friends or co-workers. This ain't that place. Cons: Rude staff more

This is a beautiful restaurant with amazing decor and really good food and hip, mood-setting music. Our party of 2 spent about $100 but were able to enjoy a cocktail, appetizers, entree and dessert. It's family style, so sharing lets you sample a variety of great dishes that are better versions of known Asian cuisine (pork potstickers appetizer was incredible).\r \r This is THE place to visit to experience a trendy and well-known restaurant that will leave you admitting that it was one of the best dinners you've had in New York in a while. Start saving and make your reservations a week ahead and then head over to say that you've been. \r \r If you're still unsure, know that it is more than just show, the food is truly amazing, service is great and you will leave with all of your senses satisfied. more