Rainbow Room

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49 W 49th St, New York, NY 10112
New York, NY 10112

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(212) 632-5100
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Reviews
( 6 )
( 14 )
( 5 )
( 11 )
( 20 )

Best

Great experience! Seafood (colossal shrimp!) and the dessert bar were fabulous. Price is high, but worth it for a special occasion. There are many choices, something for all. Har...

Worst

The setting is fantastic on a clear evening - there is nothing like eating dinner looking out over Manhattan! However, for between $35 to $40 and entree, we expected a lot more th...

For a spectacular view this is the place, but.... 6/6/2005

This is one of the most famous restaurants in NYC, so on a recent trip I made reservations for two. We arrived early and got to take in the great view and snap a couple of pictures before we were seated. The service was so poor, our drinks were left empty for over half an hour. We had to flag down the waiter a couple of times before he even noticed us. The waiter didn't go over the menu choices and at the end of the night we were so fed up we didn't even order dessert. Our food was overcooked, bland and overpriced. I was extremely disappointed and so was my date. We will not be dining there again on our next trip to NYC. NYC however, was fantastic! more
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I CRIED... 12/12/2004

We had a 1:30 lunch reservation.It was a 10 min. wait to be seated.The noise level was deafening,staff was sterile &aloof,prices outrageous for lunch/lack of quality.Food delivered & server turned heel and left without a word.Upon leaving and making complaint of overall extreme unhappiness, hostess looked blankly and had little to say,conveying also her own lack of caring.Forget the instructions not to wear jeans-we saw many.We wouldn't return if it were free.The treatment and cafeteria like atmosphere was heartbreaking. Cons: , Expensive, Neglectful staff more
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Rainbow Room Grill - READ ME FIRST 7/4/2004

After reading reviews, I thought this place would have mediocre to poor quality food. I was wrong. The food was actually quite delicious. The view and atmosphere contributed to the fine dining to be expected at this elegant eatery. Service had a lot to be desired. It took 10 minutes for our menus to arrive and 20 minutes to take our order. I had to flag them down for service, and I mean really flag them down. The perfect word for this is snooty. Dress like a billionaire and you will probably get serviced. Dress like a millionaire and you will be ignored with extreme prejudice. I kid you not! Pros: Atmosphere & Lighting, City View(65th Floor), Decor more
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Epitome of tackiness and bad service 2/1/2004

Never in my life have I had such bad service. Despite the expensive drinks ($18 Baily's Irish Cream, $14 for Vodka Cranberry), the waiters act and look like they were taken off the streets and thrown into uniforms. One waiter came by and literally threw the $36 salad on the table. My date and I were stunned as we hadn't ordered it. The waiter then came back with our waiter and looked at us as if it was our fault and in complete disgust. When I said something to our waiter about the incident, he shrugged his shoulders and said, ""I'm as surprised as you."" We wouldn't have minded the prices, if the place had had some class. Patrons were falling out their seats and some even had jeans on. The allure and elegance of the Rainbow Room is long gone. Left behind is a tacky, over-rated tourist trap. Pros: Great view, Nice background music Cons: , Horrible service more
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Killer views and dancing too 12/30/2003

The rainbow room, with its jackets required policy, is really a thrwback to the days when having a fun night on the town meant DANCING. There are some real characters on the dance floor at the Rainbow room, and just watching them dance to the lovely tunes of the live band can be entertainment in itself. Of course, that is if you get tired of the spectacular views of Manhattan that the top floor of the GE building offers. Of course, with such incredible ambiance, comes great expense. You can undoubtedly get better food and service for the price at other places, but certainly not with those views! Pros: Views, Dancing, Live Band Cons: Costly, Snooty, Crowded more
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OH MY GOD 12/15/2003

TERRIBLE We made a 10:00reservation and were seated at 10:40.We had to wait until the matre de finished fighting with people who decided to leave because of the awful service (we were told to 'hold on' while the maitre di talked back to these guests)we sat, bread was slammed on the table without plates, our order was demanded.Our table was right next to a computer, where we had the luxury of listening staff argue all night.We received our food, and it was, and I mean this-THE WORST FOOD I HAVE EVER EATEN!And there was no manager-we were told he ""walked out.""After all this,we had to sit for 30 minutes, I went up to the waiter at the computer and asked for our check.We were in such a hurry to leave, it wasn't until today I looked at the receipt and noticed we were wrongly charged.PLEASE DO NOT GO THERE. Pros: nothing, nada, zip Cons: staff, food, ambiance more
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Blech 11/20/2003

Food here was terrible! I can do better at home! $40 for dry tasteless food! BLECH- just go for the view and drinks Cons: FOOD, FOOD, FOOD more
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Arrigo Cipriani would be very upset 7/5/2003

From the careless and lethargic hostess and wobbly catering tables to the overcooked lobster and tacky tv projection of the 4th of July fireworks spectacular (why? wasn't the view of it enough???), we were very disappointed by this experience and feel the need to warn New Yorkers to avoid the Rainbow Room because it is truly a tourist attraction and a bad one at that. Some places are not timeless. Cons: tacky, tourist trap, below average food more
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Amazing!Perfect!Fabulous! 3/30/2003

I took my mom to the Sunday brunch yesterday, and after reading the reviews on this sight, I was VERY nervous! Good thing I ignored it and went anyway. This was the best time I've had in my life! Amazing food, perfect service, and fabulous view! I will definitely be back with my boyfriend. Everyone had a sincere smile on their face, sweet dispositions, and the buffet was to die for! If you plan on going, please disregard the negative comments you've read, they're not true!I would rate it an 11 if I could!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Pros: unforgetable view, great food, sharp service Cons: none, at, all more
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Pot of gold required to visit! 1/31/2003

A wonderful view, no doubt, but is it really worth the price? Six of us visited recently and for a single cocktail each, the bar bill without tip was $170. Dinner was very good though I have to say that I have eaten in much better, less expensive restaurants in NYC and didn't come out feeling as cheated as I did when I left this establishment. Rainbow is very nice but make sure someone else is lifting the tab! or you find a pot of gold before you go in! Pros: ambience, view Cons: price, price, price more
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Beautiful View! 1/14/2003

The view is the reason to go to this restaurant, not the food nor the service. The view is one of the best in Manhattan! Pros: The view Cons: Mediocre Food, Slow service more
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Bountiful Brunch 1/3/2003

We went for brunch about a month ago and were very fortunate to be seated at a window facing north over Central Park. I still can't decide which I enjoyed more, the food or the view. For around $50 per person for brunch, it was a great value and the food really was fantastic. Pros: Food, View, Selection Cons: Service more
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view of the world 12/27/2002

go for a special occasion, look pretty, eat well...and look out the window all night long... more
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Great setting, not so great food! 12/20/2002

The setting is fantastic on a clear evening - there is nothing like eating dinner looking out over Manhattan! However, for between $35 to $40 and entree, we expected a lot more than the plain looking bland food we were served! Save your appetite (and money) for the desserts - they're worth it! Pros: Setting, Service Cons: Tasteless Entrees, Cost more
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Come for the views, not the service! 12/9/2002

I went for the fixed price lunch, and the most outstanding part was the atrocious service! It beat out even the views. The food was truly delicious and of course the views are self-evident. But the service, from the rude maitre d' to the bumbling busboys to the inattentive waiter, was truly appalling. It took an hour for our main course to arrive. They brought dessert without the utensils or coffee (nice to look at, and we did get to eat it after asking twice for a fork). It's like no one there knows what they are doing. Also, as lovely as the views are, during lunch time the temp in the restaurant was easily 85 or 90 degrees! Hard to enjoy. Pros: great food, views Cons: lousy service, HOT from sun more
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breathtaking 11/21/2002

Tacky decor, but with the skyline view, who cares. Prices may take your breath away more than the view, but THIS is quintessential New York, even down to the disinterested staff. Pros: romantic Cons: snobby staff more
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What a disgrace! 11/17/2002

I recently visited the Rainbow Grill with friends for drinks and dinner and my experience was far from enjoyable. Not only was the food bland but the service that our table received was absolutely disgraceful! Whoever is in charge of hiring and training the staff should be fired! Our waiter and captain were extremely rude with their comments, sloppy and unprofessional with their service. As a customer paying their prices, I expected their service to be top-notch. Instead I was extremely disappointed and appalled that the Rainbow Grill hires such ill-mannered staff to serve its customers. For anyone who wants to try this DISGRACE of a restaurant, I recommend going somewhere else for the money because it isn't worth a dime! Pros: Nice View Cons: Very poor service, Rude waiters, Mediocre food more
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All I have to say is RUDE 11/7/2002

Went to Rainbow Room for an after work drink after a stressful day. We were seated at the bar so we asked for a table instead. We were told there were none available (when there were at least 4 that were empty). When we noticed that other people that were walking in were being seated at the tables we asked some older man who was completely rude. He said he could not seat us at the now 2 available tables because we had already started a tab at the bar. Huh? We asked if we could move before we ordered our drinks from the bar! If someone is willing to spend $17 to $20 on one drink, you would think they would be treated with some respect. Guess not. Will never return to the Rainbow Room. Pros: nice view Cons: rude wait staff, overpriced more
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10 9/25/2002

Very romantic and elegant. In the rainbow room you can see a great view of the city. more
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Editorial

  • In Short
    The highlight of the sprawling space is the Rainbow Room itself, a stunning gold- and silver-draped ballroom situated around a slowly revolving dance floor. When couples take to...

  • 12/6/2004 Provided by Citysearch
Additional information
  • Payments: American Express, Diner's Club, Discover, Master Card, Visa
  • Neighborhoods: Midtown Center, Midtown
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