Rainbow Room

My wife and I took our first Christmas in New York trip last week and were looking forward to eating at the Rainbow Grill for the famous view it has. I had made a reservation the day before, but when we arrived our name wasn't on the list. I informed the elevator guy (who was asking about reservations ) that we had our reservations for the Rainbow Grill, not the Rainbow Room. He said "oh, just the grill?".....That should have been our first red flag. When we reached the 65th floor, we checked our coats and were seated right away, but were informed by the "captain" that there were no window tables available. We took his word for it and sat down where he escorted us, but soon noticed that there were several tables by the window open. My wife asked our waiter if we could be moved, and he said we would have to ask the captain (whom of course was no where in site). After finally getting our water and some rolls, we observed that other people were coming in, being led to a non-window table and then being moved (after slipping the captain some money ....probably $20.00 if I were to guess). My wife and I discussed how we felt like we were in that Sienfeld episode where Jerry and friends try to get a table at a Chinese restaurant. We decided it would be our luck that even if we did "grease his palm", he probably would decide it wasn't enough to move us and would keep the money anyways. The food was mediocre at best, the service was slow and uncaring. So basically I wish we would have just ate at the Waldorf where we were staying. My recomendation would be for anyone who wants to see that view, just pay $17.00 and go see the "Top of the Rock". It will save you a whole lot of money and the view is just as good. Everything else about our trip was wonderful....the RBG was a disappointment. Pros: view Cons: service and if you can't get a window table it's not worth it. more

I recently finished up my first trip to NYC (which was fantastic!) and decided to try the Rainbow Grill based off of reputation and name alone (too bad I didn't know about CitySearch first). The good: The view; it's fantastic. We had a window table that overlooked lower Manhattan and the Empire State Building. It was breathtaking and was the best experience by far. The bad: I hate to say but everything else was terrible. We were greeted fairly quickly and given menu's. Our "captain" came over and told us to let him know if we needed anything or had any problems. He quickly left and we never found him again the rest of the evening. The food came out in a reasonable amount of time and was incredibly bland. My wife had chicken marsala (which was just chicken with a brown sauce and white rice). I had spinach and cheese panzerotti (like ravioli). My food tasted odd, so I only had a couple of bites. My wife finished hers but it wasn't anything special (I've had frozen food that tasted just as good). Our waiter quickly vanished and we ran out of water. I had to go to the bar to get more myself because we were so thirsty. I finally asked someone else to get our waiter so we could get our check. He was very annoyed when he finally came over and didn't say thank you or anything. We left and are sad to say that we will never, ever return. Final warnings: They automatically include a 20% gratuity in the bill, regardless of whether you want to include it or not. (That explains the poor service, they are getting you for $$$ regardless of how they treat you). Lastly, and the worst; don't get the spinach and cheese panzerotti. I wound up with getting very, very ill and was sick for 3 days because of my meal. Pros: View! Cons: Food; Service; Price more

Yes, it's a pricey place, but you are definitely paying for the view. A definite stop to experience all of cliche ny spots. more

my husband and i went there for my birthday....... the view was great... but the service sucked. the food was okay, but it took forever to come. the drinks too. everyone was in jeans and t-shirts...... spending 300. on dinner and not felling that you're in a nice place is so not worth it... its a good place to go for so drinks with freinds i guess Pros: view Cons: everything more

The Rainbow Room is touristy but it has alot of class, service is professional. Food is worth the price. I love eating here, the view really is breathtaking. Pros: Beautiful view, professional staff Cons: long wait to be seated, crowded more

Overpriced? Yes. Worth the experience? Definitely! Pros: Location, View, Service Cons: Value more

The Rainbow Room is beautiful no doubt. The $80 buffet may or may not be worth it. 90% of the people here are sadly tourists, generally discernable by their informal clothing. The seafood is incredibly fresh: oysters, shrimp, lobster, etc. The meats and hot entrees are average. If you are a seafood eater, then this brunch will be worth it. If you are not, your money will be better spent elsewhere. The service was preferential to certain tables and therefore not consistent. Presentation was disappointing, i.e hair on tablecloth and napkin, spilled sugar on chair. The desserts were truly fantastic. Some of the tables are close to the buffet and the smell of meat is overwhelming. If this bothers you, I'd recommend requesting a table away from the buffet. Also note, that wait/buffet staff start wrapping things up around 2pm, so the earlier you arrive, the better. Trays are not refilled after this point. Overall, I won't return, but nice to try once. Pros: Rainbow Room, views, seafood Cons: Service more

Had made reservations a couple of months ago with my pending NYC trip. Had been there twice before and remembered the view but did not remember the food or service (with me, that means it was either average or good). Read the recent posts and was a bit apprehensive as I was bringing a friend who had never been to NYC. We went on Saturday evening at 8:00. It was an absolutely excellent dining experience. We were seated then greeted promptly and our drinks came out within 5 minutes. The service was top-notch with an attentive and friendly waiter who made the whole meal enjoyable. Pros: Excellent views, accomodating and joyful staff, lovely food. Cons: Dress Code - either enforce it or don't "require" a jacket. Definitely no jeans. more

I would not recommend this place to anyone. The waiters are very rude and nasty, as they are doing you a favor by being there. Another thing half of them don't even speak english, oh yeah and try getting check thats another bridge to overcome. Pros: The View Cons: The Food, The Service, The Price more

Shame on Cipriani for ruining this fantistic institution. The wait staff were rude and inattentive. Go to Top of the Rock for the view, then eat at the Sea Grill. Pros: View, Art Deco Masterpiece Cons: Terrible Service, Mediocre Food, Overpriced more

The view was the best (65 floors up). The service was very good, although the food was mediocre. Know you are paying the price for the view and the service, not the food. It was okay, just not anything special. I would go again if I was going there without a doubt as it is a romantic place to go in the early evening with the sun going down. Pros: The view and it is very romantic as a result Cons: Food and price more

I had a fabulous time at the rainbow grill...the view was wonderful and the waiter was very informative and actually provided great menu reccomendations. I am not the type of person who likes to rush so I enjoyed the time the waiter gave to enjoy the view, drink, and food. The chicken marsala melted in my mouth and being a chocolate lover the chocolate cake is the best i have EVER had, so rich and orgazmic!!!my date and i had a fabulous time! so memorable i felt like a movie star! more

$750 to reserve. Took 4 hours to get through the meal. Most of the time spent chasing down the "Captain" Apparently, none of the other waiters can talk... The view was nice...but for that price, I could've booked a balloon ride... Pros: View Cons: Expensive, Slow more

First, we were ignored for 10 minutes after our drink order was taken, sitting with no water, no bread, and no regular order. Questions about the menu were taken as annyoing, and no second bar order was taken the entire time. When we finally got water refills the waiter sloshed ice and water all over the table and my friends salad twice without an acknowledgement. Food was standard, and when we said we had been ignored for over 15 minutes, the waiter said ""well, that's why I'm here now"", no apology, no offer for free desert, nothing. The gorgeous view was completely overshadowed by the substandard service....I've had friendlier at fast food restaurants. Save your money and your good mood by not going -- you'd be better off going to the Empire State building and throwing $200 off the top. Pros: view Cons: service, overpriced, everything but view more

Went to RR first time for brunch. Service great, food awesome, view divine. Used to go to Plaza for brunch, but now that they've closed, I'll be going to RR. Spread at RR is not quite as comprehensive as the Plaza, but what they DID have was excellent. Service was miles above the Plaza's, with its lackadaisical waitstaff. Could be due to fact there is also a ""captain"" in charge of waitstaff. Captain makes sure you know who he is, as there is extra line on the bill to tip him as well! Due to multiple tip lines on bill, we got confused, and inadvertently tipped captain $45 for simply doing his job! This on top of waitstaff tip! We called RR after fact to explain confusion, and said we wanted $45 refunded. They gave us total runaround, kept telling us it would be handled. It never was. Pros: food, ambiance Cons: bill/tipping policy more

Lets start by saying reservation mean nothing.... Humm?? Many people in the dining area in jeans and no jackets??? What happened to the strict policy? We were there for our Anniversary - very disappointing. They are understaffed, drinks go unattended for 1/2 hour or longer, food is bland with no presentation, and you CONSTANTLY have to waive your waiter down for everything! Including your check - and that came out wrong as well!!! You get better food and better service at Olive Garden! Pros: View Cons: Bland Food, Poor Service more

We made a reservation a month and a half using their Open Table reservation service. Confirmed with a credit card, chose the time, received confirmation, etc. We then planned our evening around the dinner. Three days before, and right before leaving for NYC, we received a call from the restaurant telling us that a private party had decided to extend their stay, and we had the option of dining later that night, or they would be happy to see us at a later date. We quickly cancelled our reservation. Reservations are for THEIR convenience, not yours!!!! Cons: reservations more

The restaurant had the feel of a passed era. The decor, the history, the food, the views, it was all there. The only thing missing was the service! I would think that if I was at THE Rainbow Room, I was going to enjoy every aspect of my dining experience, but that is just a theory, a bad one. The service was terrible, we (my partner and I) were not checked up on, we had to find someone to get us something to drink. It was a complete and utter disaster. I am very disappointed. Pros: Food, Views, Decor Cons: Service, Service, Service more

A month ago I celebrated my 25th Birthday at Rainbow Room. We all went for Sunday brunch. The wait staff is terrible. They were very rude and snotty. It is very sad that a restaurant with such great view has to be such a disappointment. Cons: rude staff more

Very disappointed at the lack of customer service associated with such an accredited name. From the managers down to the staff. Downright sad! Pros: Location Cons: POOR Customer Service, Incompetent, Poor Service more