Kush Lounge

I just had my boyfriends birthday party there last night. I had made a reservation at the last minute because my prior reservation had cancelled for restaurant renovations. My girlfriend suggested Kush because it had a similar type of atmosphere-inexpensive menu, beautiful setting, dj, hookah, and belly dancing. The person whom I spoke on the phone with was so polite and accommodating- so I was very excited and anticipated everything to be perfect for this event. To my surprise upon my arrival- my 15 person party was put in the small corner table by the entrance and when I walked through the door I was embarrassed. Finally, after some talking with the hostess explaining my reservation- we were seated inside and told that soon we would have to order bottle service- which I was informed of, but it was supposed to be at 11 not 9:30. The belly dancer (that I was willing to pay the 75-100 dancing fee for) I was told I could make arrangements with \r was not to arrive until 1:00 a.m.- so that ended up being out of the question. When seated, all of my guests had to go to the bar to get their drinks. I completely understand when it is busy-but c'mon we had a reservation and had been there for quite awhile. The music was really too loud for dinner so the ambiant atmophere was NOT a description I would use for this restaurant. ! On the upside was the decor, the staff was polite and and nice, and the tapas were fantastic! At the end of it all-everybody enjoyed it for being a different type of place to have a small dinner in. Though it is not worth the 500 that we spent there (not including the drinks) Overall- nice for hookah and a night out on the town-but not for a dinner or reservation.\r \r Pros: decor,food Cons: false idea of what my reservation would be more

Kush used to be one my favorite places a couple of years back when I had moved to nyc - simply cause it was always non-pretentious and easy to get into. \r \r Maybe the management changed some time in the last 2 years, but now its almost impossible to get in unless you have a table. Moreover the staff is amazingly rude (specially the woman, way past her sell-by date, standing at the door). \r \r You can find better hukkahs, cheaper drinks and defi better crowd at other places in the city where you'll feel a lot more welcomed... Pros: None any more Cons: Rude staff, ordinary crowd more

Terrible Experience. Went for my sis' bday. reserved the table near the dance floor. after spending hundreds of dollars on bottles AND drinks and food, we were told we HAD to share the table with other customers. i had an issue with it, but my sister didn't mind. then the waitress/hostess was not satisfied that we were moving quickly enough, so she went and got two bouncers to help her - against a table of 10 petite tipsy girls! i tried speaking with a manager - he shrugged and said, ""there are two sides to every story"". yeah....lesson learned - don't spend money or waste your time in this place!\r \r i'm giving it two stars for decor and the really nice bartenders. but customer service is a joke here. Pros: Service, threatening bouncers, wait staff Cons: bartenders, decor, hookahs more

I went here with 3 friends..kinda a double date. the place is/was amazing. It really is decently priced and the bartenders are very attentive. the lay-out and atmosphere is welcoming, calming, and a really just layd back -a great spot to go if ur looking for alil get away with your man or ur girls....trust me..ID go every weekend if my schedule would allow for it! more

Do not go to Kush. I went there last night and the people at the front door are so nasty. They change the price of the cover depending upon who is in line. At one point.. they wouldnt let my friends in who were waiting for us outside. The people at the door told them that they cant come in unless they buy a bottle... its nonsense..It is really disgusting. When you go in, there is no room to dance or chill... it is really a fancy hole in the wall and the drinks are overpriced. For the 20 dollar cover that I had to pay and the 18 or 19 dollar drinks... I could have went to a nicer place on the upper east side... not kush on chrystie street... trust me.. do not go there... its horrible... unless you book a table in advance and want to spend over a hundred dollars for a night out and smelling like hookha smoke when u leave.. do not go!!! more

I first went to Kush last fall and was loving how chill of a lounge it was. The staff was mellow and not money hungry (Trying to rob you and over charge) and the over all feel was the same chillness. I went several times with my group of friends. My friends and I were loving it. Not too bad of prices, mellow, chill, etc... All the things we look for in a lounge. But I have been going the past few weeks, and I hate to say, but wow. Times have changed. Staff looked miserable, prices went up ($14 for a small shot of Patron???) as if it is some new hot lounge, and the over all feel of staff and even the manager (Who we spoke to briefly) was crappy. The vibe is down. Music no good. And they do not have the normal door people who have always taken care of us. I felt as if this place has fallen off the wagon. Just another club with no style or dignity. I would recommend a different place if you are looking for the NYC experience. This place now looks like the average ?let everyone in? type of place. What happened to Kush? Why do NYC clubs change so often to cheesy places? WHERE DO WE GO NEXT? Pros: Located on the Lower East Side Cons: PRICES!!! GET REAL! more

Horrible customer service! I went there for my birthday party on Saturday. When we arrived by 9.30 pm we were informed by the rude and stuck up girl by the front door that she will not let any of my guests because we didn?t have a table reservation. It is a bar- lounge and we wanted to go there for drinks and entertainment not for food! Then she told me that she can let in only my girlfriends who are pretty. What a bul.. sh? I have never heard such a thing in 10 years I have been living in Manhattan. \r It is no space inside and it gets super crowed. I do not recommend this place if you don?t make a reservation. Also I am very disappointed with such a bad front door attitude. \r more

I was there this weekend with a group of friends ( we had a private party set)...some of my friends came late and were told we left because it was overcrowded (WE WERE INSIDE!!!) We came out and tried to get them in and the woman at the door told us that the place was too crowded, we can't fit your whole party. I left a little while later and while i was waiting for a cab, I saw at least a dozen , if not more being let in the place...but IT WAS OVERCROWDED...I WAS IN THERE!! Dishonest is not the way to run a business !! Cons: parking more

The bar had a good environment; however, the bartender overcharged me by a few drinks and was unwilling to correct it. I wouldn't go back. Make sure you check your bill if you do. more

For the past several months, I had been told about Kush lounge, and how it has changed from a hookah place to an actuall club with good people. I was happy to see that I has. It must have been re-managed or bought by new owners because the place has changed. The door girls were working the door like real NYC peoples, rejecting otherwise ""let's get out of here!"" people. The prices are avarage, the place is small, and the look, while not Middle Eastern as the name suggests, very NYC. I am happy to finally go to a club on the Lower East Side, rather than the Meat Packing or 27'th Street, and party just as good. THANK YOU! Thank God! Pros: On the East Side. Price. Food. People. Cons: A little closed off. 3 rooms. Hard to see what is going on. more

Went here for New Year's - HUGE MISTAKE! We got a table and our tickets included a 2 bottles of vodka and 2 of champagne - after we finished the first bottles and asked for the 2nd, the policy suddenly changed and we were told that our tickets didn't include that (we checked back on the website the next day and confirmed that in fact, we were supposed to get a 2nd bottle). Other than that, the event was extremely disorganized, and we spent the entire night trying to keep the table next to us from overflowing onto ours. Pros: Nice decor Cons: Shady management, rude bartenders, B&T crowd more

Went to Kush this weekend. The crowd was total B&T. Obnoxious door people and bouncers. I would not recommend this place. They are trying too hard to be ""hip and trendy"". LeSouk got you guys beat forever. more

I am a born and raised New Yorker. I've been to every club this city has to offer and more. My girlfriend and I recently moved back from LA to finish our latest film project. I was told that Kush Lounge is the new-est hottest club in New York City. Since I've been to every hot spot ranging from Miami to LA to Saint Tropez summer's at Vue La Ruge I needed to see this new venue. \r The door was absolutly packed and everyone was yelling to get into the club. I approached the doorman who is actually a beautiful woman, and she proceded to let me and my group into the club without a problem. The people that she did give a problem to was the underdressed, not fashionable, sailers that apparently thought a pair of chinos and a button down was approiate to wear. Were not at the local pub..Dudes..\r I'm glad there is a tight door and beautiful people inside. Only go if you are familiar with how things work in the club world. This ain't a place for first timers. more

I have been going to Kush Lounge since it opend last year. I am very dissappointed to read some of these reviews on City Search. When Kush first opend it was a small quiet lounge. The middle eastern theme gave it a warm vibe which me and my friends loved. Then the club moved from Orchard Street to the trendy space on Chrystie Street. Which is also a beautiful venue filled with candels and plush seating. Since the new managment has taken over the club is more exclusive and harder to get into then before. Which is why I am writing this comment in defense of Kush Lounge. In the past, the doorman let in eveyone and there was not a strict door policy. Now, since the new guys have taken over, I LOVE the fact that the doorman is strict and I LOVE that they do not let in anyone just because you have a ""reservation."" \r \r Call up any hot club in New York, Miami, Los Angeles, and try to make a reservation without buying bottles or try asking for a free guest list and these places will laugh at you. I mean seriously people... if your going to complain about the ""mean bouncer"" or nasty ""doorman"" maybe your not cut out for the scene in New York City nightlife. Stay home and order netflix!!!!!!\r I don't want to party next to you anyway. Pros: Great Scene, good Vibe, awesome drinks more

Management was very professional and courteous when I reserved the space and bottles. Told me I had a private room that fit 20-25. Could barely fit 10. They offered me a guest list so friends wouldn't have to wait in line or pay cover. They let a few in and then wouldn't let my friends in towards the end of the night. I bought 3 bottles and two hookahs and the woman at the door told me to let ONE more friend in I would have to buy another $400 bottle. You have to be kidding me. I am happy to drop a couple of thousand dollars at a nice lounge but this place was a joke and not worth a even a blink. The bar was so packed we couldn't move. The bouncer is a neanderthal and extremely rude for no reason b/c the people in the club looked like they rolled out of bed from their dormrooms and the DJ played bad 80's music and cheesy hip-hop from two years ago (not the old school stuff ie Mobb Deep etc.). I have been treated better at every club in Chelsea which make Kush look like the welfare line. This is NOT a lounge by an stretch of the imagaination. Go somewhere else. Anywhere else. Pros: Asthetics Cons: Service, TOO CROWDED, Bad music more

You look this place up online. You are excited by the editorial review, the pictures, and the video on city search. You ignore the warnings ex-customers of Kush are giving you and you decide to go there. You will be hugely disappointed before you even get inside. The lady at the door is very rude.\r \r I was there for a friend's birthday. I get in and I buy two drinks and I wait for my best friend to show up. When she shows up, she is not allowed in. I protest to the manager and his answer is ""hey, this is a night club."" I ask for my credit card check and I see that I am over-charged. I protest that and the manager asks me not to come back again. We were a large group of people and everyone was mistreated in one way or another, if not by the bouncers, then by the bartenders or the waitresses. \r \r This place is over-priced. I have been to better places and had terrific service and still paid less.\r \r DO NOT GO THERE.\r \r \r \r \r Cons: rude bouncers, bad service, over priced watered-down drinks more

The staff had previously told a friend who was planning a birthday that no cover or guestlist were required. Well, why did a guestlist demon insist that entry was guestlist only that night? They are liars or disorganized, neither of which is the way an establishment should be.\r \r I am not the kind of person to beg a venue to take my money, so I called my friends to let them know I was leaving. One friend decided to leave with me and was told by a manager that his credit card and ID wouldn't be returned to him. After my friend mentioned the cops, the manager returned his possessions to him. Thievery is not my idea of a fun night out.\r \r If a business doesn't know how to treat you at the door, they won't know how to treat you inside. If you like giving away money to nasty, dirty people, then consider Kush. In my opinion, your time and money are more valuable than this hell hole. Take your pride and your wallet elsewhere. Pros: I didn't enter the abyss called Kush Cons: Confused guestlist demon, manager attempted identity theft and extortion more

After organizing to host a private event here, I would not recommend it. The space was double booked, and therefore extremely crowded. After specifying the specific number of people that would be attending, they rejected friends, on the list, at the door. It may be fun to go to on weekends, but don't ever host an event here. Cons: Dishonest event planner more

My friends and I went here on a Saturday night. We had to wait outside for no more than five minutes. The place is decorated in a moroccan theme and the layout is very nice (more than one bar to pick from). They even offer a private room in the back which is small - but can suit your needs if you have a party of ten or less. The music, although not live, was a good mix of 80's,rock and new wave. The bartenders, besides being very cute and friendly, really do a very good job. They are attentive and not at all rushed or frazled. If you like Mohitos - you have GOT to have one here. It is hands down the best I have ever had. The patrons were more of an older 25- 30ish crowd - which would probably account for me loosing my wallet here that night and ... yes, hold your breath here... actually GETTING it back - with everything inside. I know - what place can you go to in the city that that could happen at? Not many. So - in all I would recommend this lounge - honest people, awesome mohitos, cute bartenders, and good music - what more can a girl ask for? Pros: Awesome mohitos, great service, good music Cons: got a little too crowded more

I made a reservation for my brother's bday. I called it in and was given the ok. The lady over the phone told me that at 12am, there's bottled service and the cheapest wine will cost us $275 in order to keep the table. We'll since we had other plans for 12am we didn't need bottled service. Mind you all, I invited 50 people to my brother's party. Reservations were made and it was a go. When I got there with my brother, they told us they didn't have our reservations. We gave the name of the lady who helped us and still, we weren't allowed in. The lady at the door was rude...very rude and the guy at the door would've even try to help us. We were treated like garbage and had to go somewhere else. If you're not buying bottled service for $275 or more...I don't recommend this place. Because all you'll receive is grief! Good luck. Cons: service more