Penthouse 808

I had a terrible experience at Penthouse 808, and would NOT return.
SERVICE: Don’t go to this place if you have a large group. First off, you are required to take a prix fixe menu that is served family style. That would be fine if they actually gave you enough food for everyone in your group. For our large group, there was not enough food to go around — I got 2 tiny rock shrimp, and I was lucky! Others got none. We had a prix fixe menu, yet it took almost 1.5 hours for the first item of food to arrive at our table. We literally sat for 1.5 hours with not even a morsel of bread. I ordered a beverage from my waitress, and had to remind her 45 minutes later that she never brought it. Meanwhile, that was 1 of 2 items anyone from the table ordered from her since we had a pre-​planned prix fixe menu. She had 2 things to get for our table, and yet she forgot ½ the order!
FOOD: Terrible and bland. We had a sample of 4 appetizers, sushi, 4 entrees and 3 sides. First, the food was brought out of the kitchen out of order — meaning they skipped courses. Second, the food was brought out sans the usual garnishes that the menu indicated should have accompanied the entrees. Hawaiian skirt steak — just had the steak. No pineapples or veggies. So, not sure how that was «Hawaiian skirt steak». The Chicken Katsu — just dry flat chicken fingers. No mango arugula salad that was supposed to enhance the entrée.
Lastly, this restaurant is best visited during the summer. The best part of the restaurant is the terrace open-​air view of NYC, and you can’t fully enjoy it during the winter. Parts of the restaurant are freezing during the winter. The place has like 4 heat lamps and ZERO near the plastic windows. I got stuck at a table right next to the windows, and my feet were literally going numb from the cold. I imagine when the place turns into a lounge with dancing that the temperature isn’t a problem. But earlier in the night when it’s just diners, it is uncomfortably cold depending on where your table is.
Based on the reviews, it looks like they do a lot of Groupon/​Living Social deals. Well, we had neither and were paying the full price.
I would not return to this restaurant. As consumers, we have to know the value of our dollars! So many fabulous restaurants in NYC, why come here? Not me, not again.

The food wasn’t that good. .we have to wait for a while for each course.
Dessert was terrible. We ordered the red velvet. Tasted like cheap cake. Paid $ 2 for water! Never coming back there again.

This is the WORST restaurant experience I have ever had in NYC.
1. Definitely racist.
2. INSANELY overpriced food given the quality and quantity. (You won’t be full even you pay 100 dollars, seriously)
3. 18% gratuity automatically added to your bill no matter how terrible their service is.

Don’t recommend this place unless you absolutely have no where to go before you go dying of hunger. I would rather eat gummy bear. I thought it would be worth paying a visit since it is known for city’s view; however the service that they provided coupled with overpriced and overrated food made it seem all worthless. Some points to make as follows:
First,
I was told that I couldn’t make a reservation but walk-​in is okay over the phone. When I got there and asked for a seat near the window, I was told that those seats were already reserved. Hosts were unprofessional, good at lying about how many reservations they have that night (300+). Yet, enjoyable to see how many empty seats there were until I finished my dinner.
Second,
More interestingly, I had a chance to observe a couple who had been seated near the pillar that was blocking the view of the city. Saw the guy unsatisfied running back to the host again and finally got their seats near the window, which is what we also tried to no avail. Is it a coincidence that the host and the couple happened to be the same race or ethnicity? I rarely leave a review but decided to take all my time to leave one for this restaurant to prevent other people from ruinning their night.
Lastly,
What is worse, they automatically included 18% gratuity in the bill. Never been to any restaurant that does this. Whoever is running this restaurant is not a businessman. Very shortsighted and I would love to see how this restaurant pans out in the near future.

Food was excellent, no complaints there. we had the steak and coconut rice.
However the menus was a tad pricey and they charge $ 1 per person for water! Just makes it feel like they are nickel and dimeing you for every thing …
Service was great to start with… But then I had to wait 20+ min after they cleared our plates before being asked if we needed anything else!!! During which time the waiter walked by 7+ times ignoring my attempts to make eye contact and asked the table beside us how everything was 5 times!!!
Ambience was nice to start, until 7:40 when they needlessly bumped the music up to loud.
Another thought is its 10 blocks from the nearest subway stop making it a bit inconvenient unless you desire a walk.
Would I go again? Probably not… But being the food was good I’d consider it.

I thoroughly enjoyed the food, presentation, service, and ambience. I will definitely be returning.

oh my horrible service!
they charge $ 2 for just tap water!!!
how is soooo ridiculous. funny! ha?
and u have to be careful if u buy a groupon or something else.
the bill is included tip.
isn’t it illegal???
i felt soooo bad last of the time!
im not gonna come back again.-_–

I had made a late reservation 2 weeks prior. I checked online for the dress code, and it vaguely said «smart casual». Unfortunately, even though i felt like i was properly dressed, i was denied entry because i showed up in a pair of Timberland boots. As pissed off as i was, i couldnt blame them (im usually the guy criticizing other men when they show up to lounges dressed like boys). That night i ended up dining elsewhere. Again i made a late reservation last weekend; the restaurant called me to tell me it was canceled due to the blizzard. I was starting to get nervous because my groupon was going to expire soon. Luckily i was able to make it this weekend. Soon as i get upstairs and greet the hostess, the first thing she tells me is some bullshit about every table having a time limit of 1 hour and 45 minutes. I just gave her a dirty look and told her «ok». The bar was decent, considering the size of the entire place. The décor was nothing extravagent; a bunch of small wooden tables and patio furniture. The window view of the bridge on the other hand, was really nice; definately an ideal setting for a date.
As an appetizer, my friend and i shared an order of Rock Shrimp Tempura. It had a little kick to it, and was covered in some sort of sweet glaze. It was also slightly crunchy. The plate came with a good amount of shrimp. It was great; wish i had ordered a plate for myself.
For entrees, my friend ordered Ginger Soy Salmon. The serving wasnt big, but then again salmon usually isnt. She didnt really react to it, so my curiousity led me to ask her for some. It wasnt bad, it just had a typical salmon taste; nothing to brag about. For myself i ordered the PH808 Signature Rib Eye. I also ordered a side of Coconut Sticky Rice. When i ordered it, the waitor made it seem like it was an order for 2 people. But when the plate finally arrived, it was just a huge plate full of asparagus, zuchini, so many goddam leaves that i couldnt understand why the hell they were there (probably for décor purposes), and a few slices of beef. I cant say the meat was horrible, but it was definately cooked extra well done; i ordered it medium well. I understand this place isnt an american steakhouse, but the flavor reminded me more of a hispanic restaurant. I didnt bother to finish the steak. Ive never had any sort of sweet rice before; im accustomed fo eating my rice either with peas or beans. Even though it didnt blow my mind away, i have to say that i actually enjoyed the sweet coconut taste of the rice.
Finally for dessert, my friend ordered the Tiramisu. I ordered some sort of Banana Pecan Cake. Even though i couldnt taste any pecan, my order was really good. It reminded me of some banana french toast i had recently at IHOP. The scoop of ice cream was a great touch. It came well portioned; i couldnt finish it. As for my friends tiramisu… wow!!! It was delicious; enormous and creamy (no homo). Lol. Anyways, its definately one of the best ive ever had, compareble to Carmines tiramisu. The reason i couldnt finish my dessert is because i ate most of hers. I definately recommend you order it if you ever visit this place.
Overall, the service was average and the food was just ok. There was no need for the hostess to tell us about the time limit; we were there well over 2 hours and the place still wasnt packed. But i didnt let that get to me; my groupon made everything that much better. Even though the view of the bridge and manhattan is amazing, i guess it would be best to visit this place in the summer, so you can enjoy the full rooftop experience. The only reason im giving this place 4 stars is because ive partied here in the past and i know its real fun at the later hours when it becomes a lounge; good music and lots of beautiful women. I would love to party here again in the future. As for the food, i wouldnt mind returning if someone else invited me.

This place is horrible! Full of racist people, not polite. We are the reason they even have a job! Never coming here again! Horrible management from Server. Poor customer service, save your money and go to Don Coqui! Bullshit excuse «Private business, make their own rules».

Really a nice a place overall. Décor is simple and modern, view is true to the adds with a nice show of the bridge, an nice lighting. Good was decent, nothing truly special to be truthful but had a good taste. Desert brownie was best part to me.

Came on a Thursday night amazing view great service and it happened to be jazz night. It was fairly empty that night but the view of the bridge and water was enough to bring me back. I enjoyed the food a lot the steak was very good.

I recently visited this restaurant with groupon deal.
Pros:
Food! — it came quickly and great taste!
Service — A waiter constantly came to our table to see if we need anything
View — Even though it was cold, it was worth to go out of the balcony area: D
Cons:
The area of this restaurant was little bit shady.
Foods were little bit pricey w/​o groupon deal
Overall, I’m planning to visit again if there are any deals in groupon or living social. It was a good experience

I was quite hesitant about the place because reviews from Unilocal were mixed, but decided to go anyway because they had a living social deal. We came on a Saturday, at 7:30 pm.
The Good:
— Food
Wonderful! I am so glad food was actually great! The portions are on the small side though.
— Volcano roll ($ 19):
Lobster salad, oshinko, topped with torched salmon. With spicy mayo and teriyaki (?) sauces around. Very good! When you put it in your mouth, you are greeted by the smoky flavor of the salmon, which is a good cotrast to the lobster salad. The oshinko provides another texture with the crunch. Highly recommended!
— Hawaiian skirt steak ($ 29):
The boyfriend ordered this and he liked it a lot. He said it was very tender and full of flavor. He ordered it medium, and I could see that it was indeed medium and not overdone.
— Ginger soy salmon ($ 32):
Salmon had ginger and soy sauce/​teriyaki, with notes of mustard. The fish was moist and juicy, and it had the right balance of the spices. You can still taste the salmon, and the flavor is enhanced. The arugula, green mango, carrot salad that came with it was good too. The dressing had a deep flavor which complemented the salmon.
— Service
Our server, Juliana, was very attentive and thoughtful. When we ordered sushi and entrees, she asked if we would like to start with the sushi. She then poured soy sauce for us, and cleared the dishes quickly when we were done.
— Ambiance
A fancy date place. Dim lights, candles on the tables. Your date will surely be impressed. They are also a bar, so it is common to see partygoers with shiny clothing around. Around 8ish, place was full.
The Not-​so-​good:
— Special rolls are about $ 20 each, and entrées are about $ 30 for small portions. They are quite overpriced! With the LS deal though, not so bad.
— They automatically add 18% gratuity, which at first was offending. But then, maybe because tourists come often or people with vouchers don’t know how to tip. Understandable.

The food is pretty good but expensive and the drinks are over priced.
The view is beautiful but if you go now during the winter be prepared to not take off your coat lol they have no control of the dang door people use to go in and out of for the balcony so all the cold air comes in and freezes the place.
The music when I went was great! It was a mix of everything old school and new. Loved it.
It’s fairly empty and doesn’t look like it gets crowded. Nice spot if you want to just listen to music and have a nice view. Drink and eat before you go… seriously lol. Drinks in Manhattan don’t even cost this much. Oh and the bartender was somewhat nice but I noticed she was SUPER nice to the male clients, acknowledged me, and took her sweet time getting to me. Took my order then TAXED the drinks. LMAOO what?! Umm yeah ok.
I went to check out the place and I did and I won’t be going back.

This place is a swanky and awesome date spot. The views of manhattan are absolutely spectacular and all the music is on point– arctic monkeys, hozier, the analog affair, james blake… totally set the mood :)
They have a decent beer selection, cool cocktails, and a bunch of «bucket» type drinks to share as a big group. The food was good although the portions were very small. And they added gratuity on to the bill which was annoying… for a party of 2 I do not see how that is okay.

Love the pre fix menu! Food is Devine. The wasabi mashed potatoes are amazing as is the coconut rice!
Best place to have a party. The view is to die for. You have the perfect view of the Manhattan skyline.
The atmosphere is intimate with hip vibe! It is a lay back have a good time atmosphere.
Celebrating birthdays are a blast!

DO NOT TRY TO GO INTO THE HOTEL AFTER 10PM IF YOU LOOK YOUNG AND WELL DRESSED. THEY WILL ASSUME YOURE THERE FOR THE ROOFTOP LOUNGE AND MAKE YOU WAIT IN A LONG ASS LINE WITH PARTYGOERS.
We checked into Ravel yesterday and I got a room for me and my girlfriend. I went out to eat with her and left one room key with my friend and lost the other one. My friends and I got a bunch of rooms on the 5^th floor. We were planning on going to the rooftop but we were staying at the hotel way before the rooftop opened. My girlfriend and I decided to go out for dinner by ourselves, bad move.
When we returned we weren’t let in and were told to wait in the lineup for club entrance. I tried to explain to the security that I have a fucking room and I’m trying to go there. Then he asks me for my room key, to which I say I lost it but I have a credit card statement and a room reservation which will more than suffice. He doesn’t buy it. Now I’m forced to wait half an hour and have to check in my coat just to get to my fucking room!!!
The rooftop was great but SECURITY SUCKS! They lost a lifetime customer. I will never return here, and I go out a lot. There’s many other clubs and respectable hotels that deserve my service. There’s zero hospitality here.

I’ve had Penthouse 808 bookmarked for over a year and finally decided to pay them a visit. I called prior to my arrival and was told they didn’t have any more reservations and I could be seated at the bar.
Apparently there was an all white event happening, and those patrons took over the bar and couch area. (Thought that was a fashion faux pas after Labor Day). Luckily, a few people got up and I was able to be seated. I wasn’t interested in eating here, but did indulge in some drinks and cake.
The music was ok, mostly EDM, maybe one rap, albeit brief. Pretty decent views but since it was relatively cold I only made my way outside briefly. The drinks were a tad expensive because in total their were six Ciroc’s and one cake and the total bill was $ 118 and they automatically included the gratuity which I was curious about. The previously mentioned cake wasn’t very good, but the drinks were strong and the bartenders were courteous and prompt.
I would come here again but probably only during happy hour as they are a bit a expensive. Nice rooftop with nice views, but stay away from the Red Velvet cake.

I’ve been to Penthouse 3 times, and I always use a Living Social voucher since their menu is overpriced. I suggest making dinner reservations earlier in the evening for better quality food and service. The 2^nd time I was there, I had a reservation for 9pm, and the place was packed. The waitress was hard to find, the food lacked flavor, and the music was very loud.
I made a 6pm reservation the 3^rd time, and had a perfect experience! The restaurant wasn’t too busy, and I was able to enjoy the sunset and really take in the view of the bridge and water.
My review is based off of my most recent visit (Sept 2015) & a little biased since I used a LS voucher so I wasn’t aggravated by their prices lol.
Service: ⁵⁄₅
Our waiter was polite and friendly. He didn’t hover around, but it was easy to catch his attention if we needed something. The hostesses were really sweet! I asked one of them to take a few pictures of me and my bf & she took a bunch and made sure they came out great. (Most of the time, when you ask someone to take a picture, they half-​ass it and the photos come out unfocused and ugly, ugh)
Food: 4.5÷5
We ordered the Luau Roll. Loved it — the sushi was very fresh. My bf got the coconut curry bouillabaisse and I got the salmon. I seafood that came with the bouillabaisse was cooked perfectly, nothing too chewy or fishy. I felt like the curry could have used a little more flavor (–0.5 for that). The curry and rice very very light and fragrant. The salmon was also perfectly cooked. It came with a small side of arugula and mango salad, which was delicious!
Presentation: ⁵⁄₅
The presentation was gorgeous! The chefs did a great job in making every thing look incredibly appetizing. (You eat with your eyes first!)
Portion vs. Price: ⁴⁄₅
My bf and I shared our dishes, and we were very full. The bouillabaisse on its own isn’t particularity filling since it a smaller portion (–1). The salmon steak however is very filling. Based on our shared meal, I felt stuffed, and my bf felt full but not overly so.
View+Ambiance: ⁵⁄₅
I like that they have different seating options (outside-​lounge style, booths & tables inside, tables in between). The view is a little obstructed by the surrounding facilities, but gorgeous during sunset nonetheless.
If you want to dine out somewhere with good food and a view, without paying $$$, I suggest you get a LS/​Groupon deal and come here!

Please note this review is for the night club experience only. I came here on a warm April Saturday evening with a couple of friends and had a blast.
First the views are extraordinary at Penthouse808. The venue is big enough to take photos outside and for small groups to gather for chatter. There’s enough room to dance and easy to order drinks from the bar. Drinks were not bad and just shy of Manhattan prices. They certainly weren’t blatantly watered down.
Mixed crowd. Mostly in 20 something age group. No issues with bouncers… They were actually kind of nice?
Penthouse808 fills up quickly later in the night and the music picks up too. Dj played a mix hip hop reggaton bachata and house music. At one point the staff gave everyone cool glowsticks which created a cool scene for the electric house music. My party really enjoyed this easy going club and would definitely return again. Hope to have the same experience.