Gotham Lounge
“Very cozy, great service, not tourist-y. Perfect for afternoon tea.”
“Served with a snack the moment you sit down, nuts, olives, & cheese, so yummy.”
“Although this bar does not quite have the nostalgia like the King Cole or Oakroom, this bar is very pleasant.”
Gotham Lounge
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Coat Check: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Price range.
$$$ Price range $31-60
8 reviews
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I love this bar and if I had more money, I'd come more than once a year. It's like drinking in an art museum. Breathtaking. Decadent. Old school and old money (even if many of the guests are new money or foreigners).
I have never eaten here. Wines by the glass are typical of this sort of hotel (St. Regis, Gramercy Hotel etc).
But to treat yourself to a glass of wine for 19 (that's the cheapest) and sit in this elegance once in awhile is lovely.
Yes. 5 stars. The Gotham Lounge has made me smile for 15 years now. It is terribly expensive, but in my opinion, worth every penny. The Peninsula is located in the heart of Midtown… on 5th Ave. A perfect location for a nightcap (or a daycap that that matter!) This is not a place you will find short pants, flip-flops, tennis shoes, t-shirts or most tourists. It is a casual lounge in a formal hotel… and they make you feel special. The drinks are fantastic and their "small plate" food very tasty. Everyone should dress-up a bit… hit the stores and finish the day with a drink and a bite at the Gotham Lounge. It is truly New York in every sense. Enjoy!
Had afternoon tea here. It was not as enjoyable as the Pembroke Room and The Plaza. The sweets and savories were not that fresh and quite skimpy. Considering how upscale the hotel is, they really need to step up their afternoon tea game.
Came here for afternoon tea, of course! It was a last minute decision as we were out of ideas for going out on a holiday afternoon. I had very little expectations as I may be slightly biased from my past afternoon tea experience, however it was actually good. I liked the decor inside Peninsula hotel, festive, classy, and a bit of too luxurious, however the point is, I still like it. Food and tea are standard, didn't fall below or exceed expectation; service was good, not genuine enough but it's holiday, understandable. It's quiet there, so it's not a party spot but rather, suitable for catching up with some old friends and relaxing. Overall I think it was positive experience with some value in there.
This is getting 2 stars for one reason only. We had walked and traversed the city for 13 hours and sought out the Peninsula for a nightcap. And we found a wonderful sofa open that gave us no choice but to sit on it. It was wonderful.
Everything else was atrocious. The drinks and wine markups are crazy, even by NYC standards. The service….well, the only waiter for the entire lounge was pathetic, snooty, irritating, slow, and came close to breaking a 10 year streak of not stiffing a server. My wife talked me into tipping, but it was nowhere near as generous as is my own personal rule.
The worst experience of our trip. Avoid at all costs.
Dropped in to Gotham Lounge for a spot of tea today. Typically we love the Peninsula Hotel and have had excellent experiences thus far (see my recent review of the Peninsula Paris, which was basically heaven on earth). Our experience today, however, was a different story.
First off, I'd like to say that the ambiance at Gotham Lounge is great. Love the decor and cozy feel of the room. Sofas are comfortable too.
Scones were tasty. Were they worth $6 each? Absolutely not. I understand that the Peninsula charges a premium, which I am happy to pay. But $6 for a relatively small scone is straight up ludicrous.
Our biggest issue, however, was with the service. Our server was curt and unfriendly, interrupted us when we were asking questions about the tea selection, seemed inconvenienced by our presence, and was basically the opposite of the friendly staff we've encountered at Peninsula Hotels around the world.
We were able to ignore his abrupt behavior, until another family was seated near us. Our waiter was a completely different person with this family – outgoing and talkative, pulling out their chairs and making additional space for their stroller. He even brought their son a Peninsula teddy bear – this after pretty much ignoring us and our daughter.
I mentioned the service disparity to the waitress who brought us our check, and she was very apologetic about the situation. She even mentioned it to the manager who also came over to apologize.
While we appreciate the apologies we are really just mystified by the entire situation – hence the two star rating.
Will we return? Probably not. There are too many good midtown hotels that offer afternoon tea to return to Gotham Lounge.
Love this bar. It is one of my favorites. Great service and wonderful location and atmosphere. Service is high level. We come here often for an evening cocktail.
Love the atmosphere and feel of this place and high quality service… Great bar… Beautiful too.
The tea is wonderful and such a great offering.
We decided to have a late lunch and this was one of the restaurants that was still serving! I loved the old school vibe in the Peninsula. The lounge was busy and we had to wait a few minutes before getting seated. We ordered the burrata, the peninsula caesar salad with chicken, the lobster cobb salad, and the truffle fettuccini.
The burrata was small, but a great appetizer with hints of truffle and some focaccia bread.
The main courses were huge! I ended up sharing my lobster cobb and it was amazing! First the dressing wasn't a heavy blue cheese dressing, but more of a balsamic. It was presented like a regular cobb is usually presented! The caesar salad was less exciting. Mostly lots of lettuce. I think the dressing wasn't very heavy either because it was suppose to be one of their lighter options. My favorite was the truffle fettuccini that came with lots of shrimp! This dish did not hold back. Also I thought it was also on the lighter side since there was no heavy sauce. Mmmmmm.
Overall lunch was great! Don't forget to top it off with some Rose after a day of shopping!