Libation

The baternders were very attentive and mixed drinks very well, especially the bartender in the upstairs VIP area. The service is great and the ambiance is quite impressive. The crowd, however is not very upbeat, average at best. more

A trendy bar/restaurant/lounge isn't one without a little feeling of exclusivity and panache. Libation is the IT place for this in the LES. I am one of ethnic background and have no troubles getting in this place. Most likely the promoters or table reserved patrons friends were coincidentally and predominantly caucasion. On any given weekend night, you will see a line filled with all races. The staff from security to bartenders, waitresses to owners (two who seem to frequent their spot) are friendly, vibrant and mostly accomodating. If you think this place is pretentious, try the nightclub row over there around 27th and 10th. You'll be enlightened because Libation is more chill and once you get in, you'll want to come back! Welcome to NYC! Pros: Always Live DJ Music and a drummer on Mondays Cons: I see drunk people.. more

Last night, was the first time I had even heard of this place, but it turned out to be a lot of fun. The place had reasonably priced drinks, as compared to other "hot spots" and boasted a pretty diverse crowd, which is always a plus in my book. The place did get a little too crowded, but that may have been due to it being Labor Day weekend. Still, this place had a semi-sophistacted vibe without trying too hard. This place is definitely a) somewhere to spend the entire night dancing away or b) the first stop of a night of club/bar hopping. Pros: Relaxed atmosphere, good drinks/bartenders Cons: A little crowded more

This has to be one of the stupiest policies EVER!!!! After waiting at the front of the line for about 20 minutes we finally ask the blonde at the door what was the hold up. She asked if we interested in getting a table (which required a credit card for a $400 deposit) or if we were joining a table inside. We replied no and she walked away. Again, we waited for another 10-15 minutes and now we got the attention of Malcolm who apparently was the "go to" man since everyone was asking for him. Well Malcolm is definitely not the "go to" man. He told us that unless we were getting a table or joining a table we would have to wait until all the tables were reserved first then they will start letting people in. I have never heard of such a thing!!! Not to mention it was already a little after midnight. I had no intention on spending the remainder of the night waiting on a line nor sitting at a table. Needless to say I will never go there again, I dont care how good or not it may be inside. There policy is their policy but regular patrons shouldnt be disregarded just because we choose not to spend a minimum of $400 on a bottle that probably cost them only $50 bucks. For a good place, with diverse people and a friendly and professional staff go to Manahatta. We did and had a blast! Pros: Discovered a better place because of their stupid policy more

Had my girlfriends birthday party there last weekend and was very happy. The managers are very accomodating and the service was great! The night we were there celebs were all over the place.All my friends had a really good time. I will definately be back on a regular basis. more

had my birthday celebration here. no cover before 10:30. both bartenders and bouncers are nice. bartender was very attentive and mixed things into your drink if you didn't like the way it tasted. overall great music, atmosphere, and crowd. place has 3 floors with bars on all 3. 3rd floor is a dance party. loved it. Pros: great drinks, atmosphere Cons: really crowded late in the night more

Went for a friend's birthday party and had a great time. Recommend partying upstairs!! Too crowded and impossible to get a drink. But upstairs was much better, just need to accept the weak drinks. more

Mojitos are fabulous. My friends & I all liked our drinks mixed slightly different. The bartender was very attentive and mixed to order! Many bars these days operate more like an assembly line. Good to know you'll like what you're paying for. Also this is a great looking but comfortable space. Plus much potential to party hop all along Ludlow. But Ladies beware the bathroom. Single user setup with push button door. Great potential for embarrassing situations. Especially as the bathroom can be seen from almost any vantage point. more

Libation is AWESOME! Had my wife's 35th surprise birthday celebration. We did bottle service for 20+ peeps with appetizers -- we all had a marvelous time and experience!!! Events planner is a pleasure; Bouncers are the coolest (Muscles with Smiles and Personality); Hostess is a sweetheart and was very attentive; DJs were Musical Masters (upstairs and downstairs); Food was DEE-LISH! Libation is a great establishment! Employees are REAL PEOPLE who enjoy what they do and it shows. My guests were very impressed and treated as well as Chris Noth and his guests who were at the next VIP booth. My wife is still smiling. We'll be back! Pros: Lively, Energizing, Great Atmosphere Cons: Small VIP booths, Parking is difficult more

i had a great time with my friends. the decor was great bartenders good and friendly. the place was really packed on saturday. at one point they didnt let anyone in the second floor and if you were on the third you couldnt get down to the first the staircased was mobbed with people. huge fire hazzard!!! the dj was terrible. so unfriendly and mean, wouldnt play any music we wanted to hear and was using an apple computer to spin his tunes. otherwise if you want to go out and hang with the girls it was fun. more

My husband threw me a 35th birthday party at Libation Saturday March 11th. We were in VIP and he can weigh in on the planning but I hear everyone at Libation was helpful, attentive and amazing when it came to putting this shin dig together. Chris Noth aka Mr. Big was the VIP right next to our group and he was totally cool and migled witht he many lovely ladies in our group. The best part was that the staff at Libation treated us no differently than the famed Sex and the City Actor. We got the same level treatment and it was polite, upbeat, never an attitude. Music great! Dance space GREAT! Guys are respectful and classy not groping guidos. It's land of the beautiful people with zero attitude. Pros: music, vibe, service more

I went on a Thursday night & overall, I was pleasantly surprised! Instead of finding a bunch of wannabe actor clones or Wall Street types who have taken over my Meatpacking neighborhood, I experienced what I remember to be an authentic NYC nightlife scene. Upstairs, L-Word type lesbians were having a VIP party with their hot gay boy crew. An ethnically diverse crowd of sexy art boys, pierced LES girls, straight fashionistas, and a sprinkle of afterwork yuppies mingled with ease. I'll take other user reviews into consideration and try it on a different night before I provide a final stamp of approval. Pros: Diverse Crowd, Cheap Drinks, Relaxed Door Cons: T.V. Watching, Average DJ more

A buddy of mine just celebrated his 25th birthday at Libation. He invited 30 of his closest friends did the whole bottle service V.I.P thing, and I must admit, was never one for the V.I.P thing.... But had a blast! Walked up said we were on Erics list, led straight to our table, and was sat next to a table where there must have been "Jesus", like 20 girls dancing on couches and tables! Not that this is relevent.... but yeah I hooked up with one of them :-) . The Music was great, the bottle service girl who had our table was smokin', didn't want it to end. Libation will be seeing ME again. Pros: Music, Service, Decor more

Went to Libation for a friends birthday party and had a blast. The music, people and atmosphere is amazing. Do yourself a favor and go to Libation for a great night out. Pros: Great crowd, Friendly staff, excellent drinks more

They agreed to let the girls in free all night and the guys would have to pay $10 cover after 11 for a birthday party. They said our guests wouldn't have priority at the door but guys would have to pay the cover if they arrive after 11. The place was barely filled and yet they were still making our friends wait outside, demanding our single guy friends to buy table service. When I asked the doorgirl, she yelled at us saying they told us we wouldn't have priority at the door and our guests would have to buy a bottle to get in while they let other people not with our party enter by paying JUST the cover. Clearly, they thought they could take this opportunity to take advantage of my friends because they were willing to pay to celebrate with us. Doorgirl needs an attitude check. Pros: None Cons: Rude doorgirl, slow bartenders, pretentious more

Had an awesome time there last weekend. Spoke with the people durning the week and booked a party for my boyfriend. Every thing went perfect right down to the end. It seemes to me that the only people not happy with Libation are the ones that have nothing booked and expect everything on the night. I saw that happening that night. This is one of the best places to PARTY ON!!!!!!!!!!!!! more

after paying a total of almost 700 for myself, my girlfriend and another couple, we thought we would be able to have a nice new yars eve. unfortunately, the bouncers insisted time and time again that our girlfriends leave us and go to a private party upstairs. when they asked if we (the guys) can go up with them, the bouncers, bartenders and manager all said it is impossible and we should not have even come with our girlfriends. aside from that, the open bar refused us on many standard bar drinks, not to mention top shelf. GUYS, be advised that nothing good can come out of going to libation, except for the guys upstairs dancing with your girl. Pros: music, clean bathroom, coat check Cons: employees, prices, attitude more

I've been going to bars in NYC for 8 years and have come to expect a certain level of disrespect and aloofness from the door people at the more in-demand bars/clubs in this city, but the ultra snooty and plain rude treatment at libation was indeed a wakeup call. The story for why my girlfriend and i weren't being allowed in after patiently waiting our turn in line (to pay for way overpriced drinks) changed every 2 minutes and at times bordered on the absurd. There are a lot of great bars on Ludlow St who will appreciate your business and patronage - no need to waste your time on this one. more

Libation is great. The large space, beautiful waitresses and good music all combine for a good time. I applaud the lounge's cool vibe, in a trendy neighborhood other than meat-packing. Definately go for a good time. My only complaint: Libation seems a little out of place amongst the teany spots there. more

Went there on Saturday night..... Frickin' awesome! Go to clubs 4 nights of the week. And by far this place rocked all others! I heard about this place from some friends and was kinda skeptical about the location..... Folks don't be. What it is, is a break from the oversaturated Meat packing district! Everything from the start(the door), to the bartenders and the music was off the HOOK! If you wanna be surrounded by gorgeous people, great music and great service....... and maybe looking for your future ex-wife, CHECK IT OUT!........... See YA'LL there!!!!!!!! more