The Summit Bar
“It's built without pretension**, and the cocktails are fantastic – the best, by a mile, being the John Lee Hooker.”
“I got the Charmane's Star and I don't remember what my friends got but I remembering liking them.”
“While the drink of the night was The Guv'Nor, I was feeling adventurous and tried The Champs Elysees and Lost Words.”
The Summit Bar
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Outdoor Seating: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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This review is based off of my experience at this place for a recent happy hour.
So my lovely friend told me about this place since she lives right around the corner, and suggested that we venture here for a happy hour last week. I was v pumped that there was no work on Good Friday and was ready to have a few casual cocktails and enjoy some pleasant company. I had even signed up for a gym class the next morning so that I could start my day off right.
Turns out, this ended up being a not so casual drinking experience, and I did not make it to my 8:00 spin class. In fact, my head was spinning until around 3:00 PM, so sad for me.
The experience was definitely worth the bit of a hangover the next day though. We started the night off with a great deal on oysters: $15 for 12 large and pretty tasty oysters. We also had the prosciutto plate – $12. Although this was a decent amount of food, it was probably not a substantial enough amount to accompany the 9 drinks we were about to have.
They have a very extensive happy hour cocktail menu. $7 cocktails, and I"m not just talkin vodka sodas. I actually had one of the best spicy margs I have ever had on happy hour prices, so that was fantastic.
After befriending the bartenders, we found ourselves staying here for 4 hours. Definitely not what I expected going in to the night, but it was truly such a great environment that we couldn't resist!
This must be one of the best happy hours around, and I highly recommend. Oh – and they extended happy hour to go until 8:00! It goes until 7:30 on weekends.
I came here 4 yrs. ago with an amazing work buddy. Fast forward to last weekend. Absolutely amazing happy hour. $7 complex cocktails & small plates that are perfection.
Boozy & tasty.
Come to visit. I'm not giving anything away.
The Summit bar was such a nice experience for happy hour on a Thursday – $6 and $7 select cocktails and wines, $4 beers, and oyster specials everyday!
Can't speak for the oysters as I'm not a fan, but the cocktails my boyfriend and I had were mixed well and made with quality ingredients! We had the Charmane's Star, a cinnamon-infused cucumber cocktail, and the classic Old Fashioned (pictured below), and the Dark & Stormy. The flavor combinations in the Charmane's star were unique and subtle – recommend! The Dark and Stormy was delicious and almost tasted like a cream soda. The homemade ginger agave made for an interesting, refreshing twist.
As for the atmosphere, this place isn't pretentious yet classy; featuring lots of natural light, chandeliers, exposed brick and two bars – one in front, one in the back. Perfect for catching up with a friend or a low-key date. The music selection was great too – cozy jazz
The surrounding neighborhood is nothing to brag about, but it's absolutely worth the walk if you're around! Will be back to try their popular "The Last Cocktail" drink 🙂
I've been coming to The Summit for years. As I said in a previous review, it is my favorite cocktail bar in NYC. Not only is it congenial and patronized by some of the nicest people around, It's a bar that works for me on many levels.
The drinks are consistently high quality and delicious. Some are so good, you wind up drinking them too fast. Many cocktail recipes at The Summit were developed by Greg Seider, and are very different than those found in most cocktail bars. Many are made with agave instead of simple syrup. To the extent that it may matter to you, agave has a lower glycemic index than cane sugar, and is marginally healthier in terms of metabolic and cardiac effects. Some drinks have agave infused with cardamom, cinnamon or rosemary. juices are freshly pressed and some drinks have ground clove or cardamom sprinkled on top along with a garnish of fruit or vegetable. My favorites are The Last Cocktail, The Charmaine Star and The Guv'nor.
Happy hour cocktails are $6-$7 (5:30-7:30 weekdays, 4:30-7:30 weekends). Raw bar is half price. I come here for the healthy bar food: tuna tartar on avocado in soy and mirrin sauce (with some mustard oil and wassabi), Portuguese sardine rillettes and the Moroccan vegetarian platter are must tries. They also now offer a spicy crab roll and sliders. All food is prepared at the bar. It's really good bar food
On Saturday nights there is a live DJ. But the music is good every night. Unusual playlists and not so loud as to interfere with discussions. I've Shazzamed some really esoteric songs here to add to my playlist.
The best part of it all is the lack of any attitude on the part of the bar staff. Some places along Avenue C feel what it's like when you want to get into a club with a velvet rope. The Summit is very welcoming and, I say it again, draws one of the nicest crowds in the city. No hipsters here. They're down the street.
When I have a visitor from out of town and want to go to one bar, it's The Summit.
Summit bar was busy on the Saturday night I visited, but turnaround was quick and we were able to grab seats. I did not like the layout of this place. It's similar to a long hallway so it makes mingling incredibly awkward and damn near impossible without treading on people's toes. I had a Moscow mule, which was good, but nothing special.
Great atmosphere! Great drinks! Great bar! We really enjoyed this bar. It is on the small size but the bartenders are great and the drinks are very good. They have a back patio with heat lamps when it's cooler.
Loved this adorable bar in Alphabet City. Came here for after dinner drinks and it was crowded, but not uncomfortably so. There is a great little backyard area that is partially covered, and on a warm October Thursday it was the perfect place to enjoy a few cocktails. They have an extensive menu of delicious drinks, some classic like an Old Fashioned or a Moscow Mule, and others that are their signature drinks like "Breakin' the Law." The drinks are surprisingly "affordable" (about $10-12 per drink, compared to the $17-20 you may pay for the same thing elsewhere). Atmosphere is fun and friendly. Would definitely come back.
It's a reaaaaallly good date spot. The patio in the back is prime for romancin'. Trust.
The cocktails were good to me — but not mindblowing. Not on The Nomad Bar's level. I had the Last Cocktail and I feel like the bartender put way too much seltzer in it. He didn't bring out the gin (or didn't put in that much… it was hard to tell). Either way, there is a good balance of what types of drinks you can get here.
The vibes were dope. Like I said before, the back patio looks like it's straight out of a basic girl's perfect date night Pinterest board. It also doesn't feel like a pretentious craft cocktail bar — a welcome change from the places in Gramercy/Flatiron that have cocktails around the same caliber. Having a conversation on Friday night in the bar is a bit of a struggle (and it gets DARK) but sitting out with friends (or a date) in the light is pretty much how everyone should spend a Friday after a long week at work.
I'll definitely come back and check out happy hour.