Vlada Lounge

closed! changed to infuse 51

Ok so I love vodka! Enough said. Vodka bar with infused vodka… my personal favorite is the peach, so good. Never really stayed here too long to know what goes on here at most I’ve had a couple drinks then left but this place always has private events upstairs and sometimes shows. Regardless can’t go wrong with some peach vodka shots :)

Yeeeeeeeah… no.
The house-​infused vodkas are just as excellent and the food is still tasty, but I’m afraid it ends there. I’m almost desperate to like this place because clearly a lot of love went into its conception and there is, in theory, so much to like about it. The reality of it is service has been consistently sub-​par and bar-​goers deserve better. Don’t really know if a good drink is worth it.

So I think my experience here isn’t typical. We went early before a show ~7pm. Had time for a couple drinks. Yeah yeah, russian bar, yeah yeah ice bar… trite man. I guess i expect ALOT more for $ 10+ a drink.
Now the upstairs… that looks like where the action is. It was still dinner when we were there but they waitress said that the dancing gets going up there later and the DJ at the time was rocking some wicked hip hop. I really wanted to stay and see how it went.

I visited Vlada last Friday for an after work event. From the outside it appeared to be a packed crowd but once going in it wasn’t too bad however, the upstairs was really crowded because they had an event.
Drinks– Ok, Vlada is basically a vodka bar, if you’re a vodka person (which i’m not) Vlada is for you. Since I was there I had a martini. Beware drinks are pricey, I think that one martini was about $ 13.They also have an ice panel thing you can place your drink on so it remains cold, I really liked that.
Crowd– The crowd was mixed, a night after work crowd.
Music– The music was top 40, the upstairs had a DJ. Not sure if that’s their usual set up.
Food– They serve food, I didn’t have any so I can’t give an opinion.

Eh. not impressed. I’ve been to better places. Yes, some infused vodka flavors are delicious, but overall this place is just OK. Nothing to brag about.
Atmosphere is lacking something, and the bartender was just blah. Didn’t really care much. I certainly will not be coming back.

Went here for a Halloween party and had such a blast. I already came drunk, but according to the other reviewers it seems like I should have tried the vodka. Put on your dancing shoes!

I liked this place because they let us sing really poorly and very loudly and even played the music we wanted to hear (Stevie Nicks «Edge of Seventeen» and Crystal Waters «She’s Homeless»)
The infused vodka was pretty tasty. Drinks are pricey. Don’t believe the bartender if he says the horseradish vodka goes well with cranberry juice. It doesn’t.
If you like vodka, this is your place.

I love the iced bar, but what’s up with the vegetables in formaldehyde? Actually that’s flavored vodka. Try that cucumber vodka! To die for!!! It also helps that this bar is right off Broadway because the drag show was spectacular! I was rolling around the floor laughing my @$$ off!!! FUNNY and cool…

I enjoyed myself at vlada they had 2 beautiful drag queens who worked it! The place was clean and the staff was nice. No complaints here!

The lounge is narrow and becomes nearly unnavigable very quickly, especially on a Saturday night. However, the service is reasonably fast. I wished more international beers were available. But I had come primarily to dance. In the upstairs, this proved difficult but not impossible: falling down a few times meant falling onto a couch or attractive person rather than onto open floor.
I hear they have drinks with horseradish, so I will definitely return to try one.

My dear Unilocal puppies,
if you don’t know VLADA LOUNGE. situated in the heart of Manhattan’s Theater District, then you don’t know jack-​s – t. lol But if you’re a cool hottie looking for a good time, well then that’s exactly what you’re gonna get… and VLADA LOUNGE caters to all ethnic races, which is soooo totally New York!
But what’s actually cool about Vlada Lounge is that there’s actually an amazing real-​life, not virtual nor pre-​fabricated, lady actually named Vlada… that’s Vlada von Shats to you darlings!
Vlada von Shats, secret has it, comes from Russian nobility (but don’t tell anybody) however, she couldn’t be any more lovely, nicer and so lovingly accommodating, and as she is often heard sayin’, she «just loves her gay boys». and displays that in spades! In fact, her love for the LGBT communities runs true and runs deep by being quite involved in charitable causes which actually help to raise money for awareness and anti-​violence and anti-​prejudice against the LGBT communities So in other words, she puts her money, clout and notoriety where her mouth is and actually is a strong advocate and «straight ally» to the LGBT cause, so in my book… Vlada has a big heart… I truly LOVE THIS LADY!
And if you visit VLADA LOUNGE on any given night, you’re prone to see a plethora of young men and women, ranging in age, but the majority are mostly young-​ish (well not me) but most of her «gay clientele» and their «straight ally friends», are uberly-​cute and like to have FUN. Twist their arms enough and you might be able to get them to experiment with her impressive selection of «specially infused vodkas» «SHOTS ANYONE?». Infused with what you might ask… Well my un-​imaginative internet puppies, anything that you can think of; like watermelon, peach, pepper, mango, chocolate, mandarin orange, and the list goes on and on. In fact, NEW YORK MAGAZINE named VLADA LOUNGE #1 in having the most interesting selection of out-​of-​this-​world things to infuse vodka with.
My hat, my neckerchief, my shoes, my socks and even my pants (lol, figuratively not literally) go off to Vlada for making being a gay-​straight-​bisexual, man-​women-​trannie (yes, they have some amazing «artisanal» shows in the upstairs lounge too) so darn fun again… THANK GOD and thank Vlada!
Montgomery Frazier «The Image Guru»

Don’t get my wrong, the infused vodka was delicious and the food was ok (definitely the quality of a more «bar food» type place. I had the beef stroganoff and my partner had the fish and the were pretty decent.
My main gripe with this place is that they don’t honor any vouchers you may have. I had a voucher from Amazon Local that I tried to use. I followed all of the requirements but when I went to use it they said that I could only use it after 9pm. It never said anything about that on the voucher. I hounded the server for a while and finally he agreed to run my card information after 9pm with the voucher. Well, just checked my CC and guess what I found. That didn’t happen.
If you’re willing to pay full price for everything by all means it’s a great time and great vodka but don’t expect to get any discounts even when you’re entitled to them.

I’m kind of surprised this place was open at 7pm on a Saturday as it definitely has a party vibe and they were DEAD at that time. But they were open so my friend and I popped in. Immediately I saw the jars of infused vodka and couldn’t wait to try one. The bartender told us his favorites so from those we tried the strawberry and pineapple– both with soda to make them easier to drink. They were very strong but both were really good. Reasonably priced too. Definitely recommended if you’re in the area before a show.

Homemade Vodka!!! really??? this was an awesome place. Too bad its small. hey serve food as well and i was amazed by the line of ice where you can keep your drink cold. This was an amazing place and certainly will be my favorite in NYC
Good job to the Owner

«Old gay Vlada, she aint what she used to be, aint what she used to be…»
I’m sorry but as a Unilocaler its my job to be honest… no?
Vlada is not the bar I remembered from years past. I am not sure what happened but she has definitely become the red headed stepchild in Hells Kitchen gay bars.
To be honest– I forgot Vlada even existed until a friend and I decided to grab a couple drinks one night.
First off the place was empty! Albeit a Sunday night, but the gays love Sundays right?
The bartender was SUPER nice I will admit and I still admire that they are one of the only bars in NYC to have their own infused vodkas which are definitely worth a go! The drinks were fairly heavy handed too, a plus.
The drag show upstairs had a turn out smaller than a Milli Vanilli concert.
The photobooth, although a fun idea, can be obnoxious if you are sitting nearby as the flash will blind you no matter where you sit on the first floor.

Key words:
Happy Hour
Infused Vodka
Enough said.
This place is great right after work for a few drinks that won’t break the bank… for a few singles you can get some incredible drinks with their infused vodka.
I go for the pineapple, pomegranate, mango (yum!) or peach. For a special mix, I love to do the cucumber and mint… it’s so damn refreshing that you can’t help but relax.
I’ve never been after 9pm so I can’t speak for the place later at night… but hit it up in the afternoon and early evening for a great time!

I’m a sucker for Happy Hour. This place has to be one of the BEST Happy Hour Bars in the city. Why you ask? They have an assortment of fruit infused Vodka. At $ 4 a drink during Happy Hour you can’t go wrong… Might as well try the it all!
I ended up trying about 4 drinks. This consisted of Peach, Mint, Kiwi and even a Blood Orange concoction that the bartender made for me. This place does not skimp on Vodka. After a few you will be feeling good.
The place is really chill and I love the long strip of ice that lines the bar. Our bartender was awesome. I never had to go up to the bar to get a new drink. He would come by and check up on us whenever he saw our glass almost empty. They really take care of you here.
This is definitely a new place to grab drinks after work!

Went here for a gay friend’s birthday tonight… While the service at the bar was fast (apparently no table service on sundays) and the ambiance was kind of cool, all the clientele were flamboyantly gay (granted, I’m straight, accompanying a gay friend to a gay bar…) and the place was dead… Maybe 6 couples… This song/​video kept running through my head:
They were lacking a cocktail list/​menu, and I get frustrated when there’s no table service… Not the worst experience I’ve had, but far from the best.
Add to the fact, my friend was unimpressed with the clientele and we decided to go else where so he could look for companionship for the night.

I was skeptical about this place before I came in. At first I wasn’t sure that I could enjoy an ‘it’ bar like Vlada.
Check out the evidence:
–A long, sleek interior
–An «ice bar»
–No bar-​side seating (either stand or lounge)
–And who exactly is «Vlada» anyway?
Obviously, a bar this self-​consciously hip must serve $ 30 ‘tinis the size of your thumb, right? Right?
Wrong.
Vlada’s actually one of the most fun and least pretentious bars I’ve experienced in… ever.
I rolled on in here on a Friday evening feeling very thirsty. The super-​friendly and cheerful bartender (whose name I forget, but who I absolutely adored) informed me that their specialty is infused vodka. He also let me know that it was still happy hour and I could have any martini for $ 6. Nice.
I opted for a ginger-​infused cosmo. Yes, it was froofy, but it was also one of the most delicious martinis I’ve had in a very long time.
The cocktail was wonderful, but the camaraderie was even better. Who said that New Yorkers are rude? The folks here (mostly locals, but a smattering of fellow tourists as well) were outgoing, chatty, and ultra-​eager to buy rounds of drinks for one another. There was always abundant laughter and never an ounce of pretension.
All for no cover.
Vlada — you’re as close as one can get to a perfect boys’ bar. How about opening up a west coast location? Pretty please? San Diego has plenty of vacancies…