Are These Three NYC Hotspots Really Worth the Hype?
I've had the pleasure of visiting The Polo Bar, The Django and The Portrait Bar and here's what I thought of each
The Polo Bar:
Is it overdramatic of me to admit that it was my absolute dream to dine at The Polo Bar? I know it’s a bit much to feel this way over a restaurant, but my dreams were made a reality when I somehow successfully secured that almost impossible reservation. The hunt to get that reservation began in September of 2023. My boyfriend and I’s two year anniversary was coming up on October 8th and we both just so happened to have the same fall break where we’d get to spend our anniversary together and not over a long-distance Facetime call. We knew we wanted to do something special to celebrate this milestone and while we’d always planned to do a nice dinner together to remember the day, I’d figured what better way to celebrate than to attempt getting a reservation at the renowned Polo Bar. After watching endless Tiktok’s tutorials of people explaining how they’d obtained their reservation, I knew just what I needed to do. From gathering both TikTok and Reddit recommendations I came to learn that there was a method every successful reservation entailed. It was simple: call exactly a month in advance at exactly 10 a.m (eastern time). You could possibly be waiting on the line for 45 minutes to even beyond an hour, but sometimes if you were lucky enough, a hostess would pick up the call and likely give you two reservation times to choose from. So, I knew exactly what I needed to do. I woke up on the morning of September 9th and made sure to set an alarm the night before so I could be ready to call at exactly 10 a.m. When the time finally rolled around, I dialed the number at 10 on the dot and was greeted by an automated voice system that instructed me that someone would be there to pick up my call eventually. I paced the outside of my dorm hallway for I remember about 45 to 50 minutes listening to their elevator music before I heard a woman’s voice on the other line, “this is The Polo Bar, thank you for waiting, this is … speaking, how may I assist you this morning?” Just as I was starting to loose hope my heart rate immediately spiked when my call was finally answered. I explained to her that I was interested in booking a reservation for two people on the evening of Sunday, October 8th. I remember how intensely my heart was beating at my chest as she told me she’d check for availability and that’s when the unimaginable happened. She offered me two pretty amazing times. She offered me one for 5 o’clock, which I thought was way too early, then she offered me a 9:30. I immediately accepted the 9:30 and told her that that would work perfectly. She put my name down, reiterated their dress code to me, and before hanging up asked if there was a special occasion we’d be celebrating. I explained that we were celebrating an anniversary and she told me she’d make note of that in our reservation. I hung up the phone feeling like I’d just won the lottery. I’d gotten that Polo Bar reservation.
I know some people are very opposed to eating dinner past 8:30, but I honestly never really mind it, so I was more than content with getting the reservation more on the later side. The night finally came around and while I was absolutely ecstatic, my boyfriend didn’t know what to expect. My outfit was a black Zara strapless mini dress, silver Vince Camuto heels and a brown fur jacket paired with my black YSL Cassandre Matelassé. My boyfriend and I planned our train time very carefully ensuring that we wouldn’t be cutting it too close to our reservation time and figured we’d be a little earlier to be on the safe side.
Upon getting there we were greeted by a host outside the door with an Ipad who checked us in before opening the doors for us to heaven. It was everything I’d imagined and more. The brown interior with the gold detailing, equestrian art and saddle leather, it was the most elegant space I’ve ever walked into. Since we were there a little early, a hostess asked us if we’d like to enjoy The Parlor Room and order cocktails while we waited for our reservation. Of course, we obliged, and had the whole room to ourselves ordering a delicious Espresso Martini and my boyfriend ordering his usual beer, even he was taken aback by the swankiness of the place and was taking photos and videos in awe to send to his friends. I was glad to see him enjoying it and taking it in as much as I was.
After our time spent in The Parlor Room, we were welcomed to the downstairs dining room upon our reservation time. But as we made our way to the dining room, we were greeted by the iconic staircase and I of course, had to stop for a photo-op.
Once we made our way to our seats we were greeted by our very kind and attentive waiter who made sure our experience was just as pristine as we’d hoped it’d be. After ordering another round of drinks we went on to order appetizers. We chose the pigs-in-a-blanket and I know you’re thinking what an interesting choice, but its one of their staples. We were given those with a tasty dipping sauce and devoured them pretty quickly. When we got to our dinner portions, we were blown away by how delectable each bite was. I went with the New York Strip Steak where Luke picked their classic, The Polo Bar Burger, and while he isn’t usually the biggest fan of a burger, he exclaimed it was the best one he’d ever had. The same went for my steak. It was cooked perfectly medium with a tiny bit of red, just how I like it. Each buttery piece melted in my mouth, and as Luke claimed for his meal, it was one of the best steaks I’d ever consumed.
After our meals and enjoying the ambiance and our conversation some more, the two of us were blown away by the romantic and timeless interior we were surrounded by. The greens, the browns, the golds, the plaid all tied in with the amazing artwork lining the walls. The dimly lit light in the room allowed for the sophisticated and romantic feel.
Just as we began to unwind, we thought the night couldn’t get any better until we saw our waiter with a special plate coming towards us that contained a lit candle. They’d remembered our anniversary. We were celebrated with an insane brownie sundae doused in chocolate drizzle. It was the perfect way to end the night.
Even the bathrooms were amazing!
The overall Polo Bar intimacy was unlike any restaurant I’d ever experienced. From the sensational staff, to beautifully elegant and sophisticated interior and atmosphere, attention to detail and delicious food, we enjoyed every second of our time spent. I would give The Polo Bar a 10/10. It was truly everything I’d imagined it would be.
The Django:
The Django is a swanky upscale jazz club and restaurant located in The Roxy Hotel which borders SoHo and TriBeCa. While its nowhere near complicated of a reservation process like The Polo Bar, when booking your reservation on Resy, each guest will be charged a $35 cover fee. While I was a little surprised by the seemingly high cover fee, I did know I would be getting a live jazz experience, so I was willing to splurge a bit for this. For this night I wore a similar dress to the black Zara strapless one but in a green. I paired it with a navy Ralph Lauren blazer I found at a vintage store for $100, the same silver heels and YSL, with my moms beige tench.
It was another date night, so my boyfriend and I entered The Roxy Hotel before we were instructed by staff that The Django would be downstairs and upon making our way downstairs, we were welcomed by a large group of people in the waiting area. The shows proceed in sets and that night I believe we were the second set, so as we got downstairs we saw the people that would be dining with us waiting for the first set to be done. The waiting area was very old timey and chic and almost felt like we were underground. There was a makeshift concession stand which I thought was a cute touch. We were also able to check our coats which was also a nice feature. We waited about 10 minutes before the group from the first set exited and it was our turn to be seated and await the show. We were checked in by a kind host who told us that there was a two-drink minimum per person that we would need to fulfill. I didn’t have a problem with the two-drink minimum because I was likely going to order two drinks anyways, but I didn’t like that there was almost like this “rule” we had to abide by.
We were seated towards the front of the stage and the ambiance was phenomenal. I felt like we were in old New York. There was a cute disco ball finish at the ceiling as the stage was set with a beautiful Steinway & Sons piano, bass set-up, drums, and microphone as the performers got ready to take the stage.
I can’t remember the drink I ordered in particular as we’d gone here December of 2023, but it was more of a fruity raspberry martini which I remember to be good. My boyfriends martini on the other-hand had an insanely intense pour which made it extremely hard to drink. We’ve both had strong martinis before but this one was practically impossible to drink. We didn’t go into The Django that night very hungry so we decided to share the mac and cheese that they are known for and it was very good.
The performance began shortly after and we were very impressed with the music. Like I already said, the music just really made it feel like we were in old New York. It was a day before Christmas Eve too so they even played us some Christmas songs which was a delight. The band performed for about an hour while we sipped on our drinks and finished our meal. The performance was very nice, we thoroughly enjoyed it.
We left The Django around 10 p.m and while making our way upstairs to the hotel lobby were stunned to see a black and white photo booth, one of my favorite touches of any New York destination. After posing for our photos and taking home some cute strips, we knew it had been a great night.
Our experience at The Django was very fun and unique because we’d never seen a live jazz performance so this was a treat. While we didn’t explore the menu much, the dish we did have was very good while the drinks weren’t as good, at least Luke’s wasn’t. For the $35 per person I did expect to really enjoy our drinks but that just wasn’t the case unfortunately. We did have a very good experience and the band was nothing shy from outstanding. I’d rate our experience a 7/10. The costly cover fee, two-drink minimum that I felt was a strict and forced rule I had to follow and mediocre drinks was what led me to that rating, but I wouldn’t let this discourage you from trying out The Django Bar yourself. It is a classic New York experience in a wonderfully constructed atmosphere that I think is worth experiencing for its live jazz.
The Portrait Bar:
Are you surprised, it’s another date night spot: The Portrait Bar. Luke and I visited The Portrait Bar a month ago, the day before Christmas Eve once again! I’d seen The Portrait Bar publicized all over TikTok for being one of the “best date night spots in New York,” so we put that to the test. The lounge is inside of another hotel, this time The Fifth Avenue Hotel and since it was around the holidays, it was a little harder to get a time slot for the night we had picked. We wanted to sit in the lounge chairs but weren’t mad that we were able to get bar seats. The night we had gone, there was tons and tons of MTA train delays due to the snow which had impacted our own train time. Their policy said they’d give up our table after 15 minutes and by the way things were looking, we were going to be about 25 minutes late. I was able to get in contact with a receptionist at The Fifth Avenue Hotel desk who said she’d make The Portrait Bar aware of our train fiasco and that it wouldn’t be a problem. They were so kind to help us through this situation and ensured us our table wasn’t going anywhere (they get extra points for this!) This night I decided to wear a black maxi ribbed dress with my Gucci flats, a trench and my Dior saddle bag.
The Fifth Avenue Hotel is by far one of the most exquisitely decorated hotels I’ve ever walked into. The hallway to the bathroom in particular really caught my eye with its beautiful light fixtures, picture frames and wall detailing.
After taking endless photos of the bathroom, it was time for our reservation. The hostess opened the doors for us and we were welcomed into a dark and swanky lounge decked out in Christmas garlands and lights. It was so so pretty. We got to our bar seats and were immediately greeted by the bartender who asked us what our go-to drinks were and concocted us drinks based on our preferences. When I told him my preference for cocktails were ones that were fruity and sweet, he created me one from there. While I can’t remember the fancy name of the drink it was citrusy, topped with an orange and had sugar on the rim and I really enjoyed it. My boyfriend was stunned to see one of his favorite IPA’s that they only typically have at his school in Maine, was on the menu here at The Portrait Bar. I am not a big fan of beer and IPA’s myself but after trying his, later in the night I ended up ordering my own as a little night-cap because I surprisingly really enjoyed it.
We ordered the tuna tartare and deviled eggs as appetizers. The tuna tartare came in hand rolled pieces and while we were more expecting a dish of it to dip chips or something into, we weren’t mad about it when we tasted the hand rolls. They were insane. So much flavor in such a small bite, they were amazing. The deviled eggs were great as well. After our great appetizers we were super excited for the burger we ordered to share. This was the juiciest burger I’ve ever eaten in my life. But the best part was the cheese. The cheese was so thick and fluffy. I told my boyfriend after we ate that that was one of the best burgers I’d ever had. It was so so good.
After our meals and a couple more drinks we chatted and laughed with our kind bartender. The service was brilliant. As we sat at the bar it was decorated with the prettiest lights and Christmas garland. I looked around too to take in the library-like setting with portraits lining the walls, the dark wood paneling and intimate setting. The ambiance was for sure a 10/10.
The Portrait Bar would be a solid 9/10 rating. What takes off a point for me was the cost of the tuna tartare for what we expected to be a big dish. While the hand-rolls we got were delicious, their price was a bit excessive for two tiny pieces. And I know you’re thinking I probably over-read that detail in the menu, but nowhere in the menu did it specify the style it would be served to you in! The Portrait Bar is 100% worth the hype and I understand TikTok’s fixation with it. Their service in helping us through our train delay situation too was one of the biggest things I took away from the experience. That even though they were absolutely booked and busy that night, that they were willing to make our table still accessible to us. The Portrait Bar is a perfect date night spot and I highly recommend going during the holiday season for the full experience.
Now that you’ve heard my take on these three spots, are you wanting to try them out? Let me know in the comments if you ever decide to take any of these recommendations, I’d love to hear your thoughts on these places! I’m always on the hunt for a NYC date night hot spot, so I cannot wait to explore and see where we end up next.
xo,
Chloe
