Guastavino's

went there as general admission with 6 people and we wrecked the open bar. if you dont want to wait in line just get there early. the ceiling and the decorations up on the wall was trippy. you should def go there, worth every penny! more

I went there last year and had a great time. My wife had dropped her phone near coat check and the people there picked up the phone, dialed the last number that had called, and returned the phone to us that same night. They didn't have to do that and could have just set it in the lost and found BUT they didn't. That's why they're getting 5 STARS. I recommend this place to everyone! How can you go wrong with any place that gives you a 5 or 6 hour open bar? more

I don't know what you guys are talking about?????????? I went there for New Years Eve last year with a large group and we had a blast!!!! We got there around 10:30 and ended up waiting for like 10min, maybe. The DJ was hot and my friends and I are going there again this year. more

HOW is this restaurant rated at 4 stars, when there are 9 reviews (now 10) rating it at one star each?? Stay away from this restaurant, the space is gorgeous but the food and service is TERRIBLE. No need to explain the details for New Year's Eve, the rest of the reviews are spot on. No wonder this space closed down and is only open for banquets, special events, and the like. Take my advice, any ""special"" event should be spent somewhere it will truly be special, not in this sorry excuse for a venue.\r \r On another note, this is just one of the many restaurants I have found that have an overall rating much higher than the average of what users have rated them (this is just the most outrageous example I have ever seen). COMPLAIN TO CITYSEARCH ABOUT THE OBVIOUSLY BROKEN RATING SYSTEM!!! Pros: Nothing at all Cons: Expensive, terrible food, incompetent service. CITYSEARCH RATINGS ARE A SCAM!! more

The event we attended at Guastavinos was one of the worst experiences I have ever had. As a "VIP" ticket... more

The event we attended at Guastavino's was one of the worst experiences I have ever had. As a ""VIP"" ticket holder, I was appalled at having to spend over an hour in sub-freezing weather to gain entrance to the venue. To further the insult, the mandatory coat check did not allow us to warm up once we were finally granted entrance into the venue. Our seats were against the windows which kept the temperature at our seats somewhere in the 50's. \r \r Additionally, we were supposed to have table service as VIP ticket holders. The waiter that was assigned to our table only came by one time the entire evening (when our glasses were already full) to ask if we needed anything. We asked for some hors de'vours which were never delivered. That was the last we saw of him the entire night while he and other waiters worked steadily at tables around us. I had to stand in lines 4 or 5 deep and wait for up to 20 minutes to get a cocktail at the bar while my date sat in the frigid air. I thought that spending over $400 for two tickets would ensure a pleasant experience. We now both completely regret this decision, will never patronize Guastavino's again and will inform everyone we can about this horrible experience! more

as with everybody, it was the WORST PARTY i have ever been to. luckily, my friends and i didn't pay for VIP but we paid to come after 1230am. it was an okay party until the end when we went to get our coats. my burberry coat (WARMEST MOST EXPENSIVE COAT I OWN), gloves and hat was stolen, my friend tried to stop a fight and got punched instead. my friend found someone's passport on the floor. people lost coats, keys, wallets, everything and the venue didn't even try and help. my friend left them and angry message and all they said was since they posted signs saying they weren't liable, that covered them from any damages....so if any of you reviewers have VIDEO or PICTURES, PLEASE LET ME KNOW SO I CAN RECOUP SOME MONEY LOST FROM MY COAT. i wish i could give them zero stars but i can't. Cons: bouncers, coat check, drinks more

Went here for NYE 2008. Like the reviewer's below, my friend and I had to wait in line for over an hour in the freezing cold - and we paid $250 for VIP tickets. When we finally made it to the entrance, we realized that there were several attendants standing around with check-in lists, but only one woman was authorized to check people in - what a freaking joke - utter chaos. Then they tried to make us check our coats. I literally heard one guy say to the woman checking people in: ""Do you want me to make an announcement that people have to check their coats? I know you are missing the revenue."" Her response: ""Yeah, I really want them to check their coats."" Easy for them to say from the inside of the heated tent. Mind you, we could not feel our limbs at that point. Fortunately we told them to take a hike and kept our coats. The food was non-exisistent but for some nasty pigs in blankets - drinks took forever to get and were very very watered down. NO tvs to see the ball drop - WTF? You would never know it was NYE. Totally sucked - such a waste of money. We left at 11:45 to go ring in the New Year at a decent bar. This place and the people who coordinated this event should be ashamed - you RIPPED US OFF. Cons: ALL more

I absolutely agree with the previous five posts regarding the New Year's Eve HORROR show at Guastavino's. My friend and I arrived at 9:30p and we were greeted to a line so long it already reached 1st Ave. Did I mention that we were made to stand outside in this line for 1+hours on THE coldest night of the year? Did I also mention that we bought VIP tickets? Did I also mention that there were signs posted for the coat check that said, ""$5.00 PER ITEM""? I guess if you were checking an umbrella in addition to your jacket that would run you $10.00. The audacity of them to offer VIP tickets ($250.00) when the General Admission line moved at a much quicker pace. Let's not even begin to talk about the crusty hors d'oeuvres that were devoured by the neanderthals at our table. And with only 2 bartenders serving, it took about 30 min to get a drink....a very weak drink, I might add. Good thing we were smart enough not to check our coats because even that area was complete chaos! My friend and I only stayed for 1 hour and left before the ball dropped. We had a MUCH better time at a bar on 2nd Ave and the best thing is that it didnt cost us a thing! Never again will I ever do anything like this! This was a complete scam! We are still nursing colds and sore throats from this awful night. Pros: Absolutely Nothing! Cons: Absolutely Everything! more

This place was not ready for the 2200 people that showed up for New Years Eve. The General Admission line was way shorter than the VIP line. We arrived at 9:30PM and did not get in until around 11PM (VIP LINE). That was the coldest night of the year and we were all forced to wait outside. It did not help that groups of 20+ people were allowed to skip everyone making the people that had already been waiting too long wait longer. Once finally inside there were not enough bartenders to handle the crowd so we waited 45 minutes for a drink! That left 15 minutes to settle down before 12AM and even that countdown was off. The countdown started after 12AM which made no sense. It's a good thing that we refused to check-in our coats because that tent was a zoo for check-in and was even worse for check-out. NEVER AGAIN! I have never heard of such horrible treatment for VIP's. Pros: NONE! Cons: Horrible VIP Service more

I feel like myself n hundreds of other people were totally mislead by the facade of Guastavino's.Gorgeous venue other than it being aesthetically pleasing you really don't get much else.My friend and I arrived at 9 to find that tons of people were already in line n had been for quite awhile.On the coldest night of the yr people were forced to undergo cruel n unusual punishment by waiting outside for a good 45 min.Thus forcing everyone to practically sacrifice fingers n toes out of justifying paying $120+ for a ticket.Once our id's were checked we endured the hassle of a severely disorganized n understaffed coat check.$5/item how much more pretentious can it get?Once inside in attempt to thaw out we made our way to the bar.When the bartender finally got our drinks right it was good but nothing to write home about.I think my biggest complaint would have to be the hor' de oeuvres or the lack of them.I believe I managed a slice of lunch meat n a wonton noodle.Now imagine all of this if you were here wouldn't you drink with the intention to get ridiculously drunk?This was the only way for anyone to truly enjoy themselves.With the majority of people thinking like this can you imagine all the drunken debauchery being had?Maybe more hor' de oeuvres would of helped fill the bellies of the easily intoxicated creating a less sloppy atmosphere.Another disappointment was that there was not a single tv screen to catch the ball drop on.It felt like nw yr's for the 2 minutes before n after 12am.No climatic build to the countdown.The confetti burst was a nice surprise but of course it stood out when compared to the nothingness of everything else.My friend and I finally left around 1:30am.Smart like-minded individuals decided to leave around the same time thus bringing back the suppressed memory of the dreaded coat check.Grateful to have feeling back in my feet, we headed home.Clearly I've learned the lesson in that occasionally you really don't get nearly close to what you paid for. Pros: aesthetically pleasing Cons: everything else more

This had to be One of the Worst Events that I have ever been to. I decided to take my sister there for her birthday since it fell on New Years day, bad idea. I paid a total of $750 for three VIP tickets for my sister, my girlfriend, and myself. We got there a 9:00pm to avoid waiting in a line, but we ended up waiting a hour and a half in the VIP line freezing our asses off. We finally get to the front of the line and one of the guys working there tell us that we're seated at table 33 come to find out we we're supposed to be seated at table 22. They never gave us any champagne toast even though it was included, and the people that paid for general admission tickets were able to walk up to the VIP area and sit almost where ever they wanted. This place needs to be Shut Down by far the WORST NEW YEARS I've had in along time my advice go to a small bar or Vegas!!!!! Cons: EVERTHING!!!!!!!! more

This party was the WORST party ever! For a place that charges hundreds of dollars for the ticket and makes it mandatory to pay for coat check ($5 per item), this is unacceptable! People were pushing each other to get their coats, those who got their coats were coming back because they were given the wrong coat. It got to a point where people ""invaded"" the coat check and taking coats on their own. No one was holding responsible for the situation. My friend lost her coat with money, keys, and her glasses inside. We already left a message to them, but no one has returned our phone call. This coat check situation was not the only problem, when getting in the bouncers made us wait outside (keep in mind that it was freezing cold in NYC that day!). They were rude saing that inside the tend was not a waiting area, and just saw us from inside while we were freezingcold waiting. This is unacceptable and people should get together to complain about this. For the money that we paid for and the amount has been lost, they better take responsibility for this. I am still expecting a phone call from them to reimburse the things that were lost by them. Not only that, they made it mandatory for us to check our coats, it is ridiculous that they could not handle the situation. The least they can do right now is to take responsibility for their actions and minimize the losses that have already been caused. Cons: Thumbs DOWN: bouncers and coat check more

My friends and I attended the 2008 New Years Eve party and it was absolute CHAOS!!! We waited 45 minutes outside to get in. People were pushing and shoving each other during coat-check-in and check-out. Some people lost their coats. People were grabbing other people's coats. People were jumping over the coat-check-in counter to get their coats. There were many fights. Many girls were crying. Many people were screaming at the bouncers saying that they were going to call their lawyers and close the place down. I highly DO NOT recommend others to attend their events. It was a horrible experience!!! Never again! Cons: Service!! more