We got NO NOTICE of this place closing. It seems like we lost our money but we will fight to get some answers. We have almost the entire event paid out and it is disgraceful what you have done to us. We need answers and we NEED you to contact us ASAP. We have contacted the business number, apparently there is no Elite Palace yet this other business still has their phone line. Your website is shutdown. The owner, Avi, refuses to respond to our phone calls or messages. This is unbelievable what you have done to us and to many other people. read more

The space is quite luxurious and beautiful. The staff, as other reviewers have mentioned, are fairly curt and disinterested in what they are doing there sadly. I was part of a bridal party and they had promised the bride & groom to have food ready for us once we've arrived from a day of photoshoots. Something got lost in translation and we were served a big platter of hodge podge unrecognizable salty meats. Thankfully the food at the cocktail reception was sooo much better. The spread was insane from a caviar station, a cold salad and cold fish buffet station, and an entire hot food area complete with chicken fingers and beer battered french fries to stewed oxtails and braised beef cows feet! The chuppah area they have is not that big and quite plain in comparison to the rest of the hall. The food presentation during the dinner reception again was impressive but they had poor timing between courses. As we were just sitting down to the first course, they started clearing for the next course. With some protest, they brought back the sushi and salads on smaller platters. The cooked fish course was cooked nicely and delicious, the multiple courses were insane and again delicious. To top it all off the Viennese dessert hour was beautifully showcased and I'm usually not a kosher dessert fan, however, these were scrumptious. read more

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I got married here in September of last year and the night was spectacular. I had my doubts prior to the wedding day but I am so glad that everything turned out great. When I first booked, Elite Palace was pretty new so I felt that they had alot more time and were more attentive. As the year went on, they got more and more busy and it was harder to get in touch with the banquet manager, Igor. I always felt that my meetings were rushed and when I asked questions about the big day, they were either dismissed or I was told that we would talk about it closer to my wedding day. Therefore, I was a bit apprehensive for a couple of months about how it would turn out and I questioned whether I had booked at the right place. About a month from my wedding day, I finally got on their radar and they started taking my questions seriously since the day was getting nearer. From then on, it got much better. The tasting was great and Igor made sure that we were taken care of even though he had another event going on that night. We were able to have a rehearsal the day before the wedding with my officiant and entire bridal party, which helped alot for the big day. I have heard from my guests that the food was delicious and one of my favorite aspects was the cake. I showed a design of the cake I wanted to Igor and in the end, it came out better than I had even hoped for. My maitre de and bridal attendant were amazing. They told us what to do and where to go at the right times. My husband and I would have definitely not known what to do without them. The only major hiccup I had was with liability insurance. Elite Palace requires all of your major vendors to have an ACCORD liability insurance and to place it on file with them. Two weeks before my wedding, Igor reminded me I had to get this and it sent me scrambling to all my vendors. Some of the vendors didn't know what it was and that was a headache but in the end everything came through. Overall, the people at Elite Palace are experts in holding weddings and I would definitely recommend having your wedding here. read more

Elite Palace - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Woodside, New York

I was in awe of the place very elegant "oh my goodness!" chandeliers hanging in the ceilings ( + walls) in the rooms we stayed in for last night's event. I have never seen so much chandeliers in a catering hall in my life. .. special mentioned to its ballroom which these eye catching decors amazingly sent me to Chillax mode the entire partytime. The drooping holiday lights outside and the red carpet entry treatment going to my husband's company holiday party was such a special welcome to all guests. The downside was a doubt feeling with their valet service as not sure where the hell they'd parked all the guests cars. As I heard, 600 guests were expected, even people did car pooling, still we were talking hundreds in numbers of cars . The restaurant location is in corner Queens streets, traffic gets easily congested by the dropping area. Lobby area was welcoming. Piano, chandelier, concierge , waiting oval section seats , projection screen, check room... few on what's there waiting for us. On the right hand side upon entry is the cocktail room. Hors-devours , light as I tasted , were served. The bar is on its top premium service. I have never tried cocktail drinks in my first glass that strong. Either you ' ll pick to get drunk early or control yourself to stay longer for the night. On the left hand side is the main ballroom. They did a wonderful job for fitting 600-650 people in the room. Each table could sit about 12-14 people. Cramped seating but the dinner was Buffet style so it worked out well to all I guess. It has a big dance floor, a stage, at least 4 projectors around the room and two bars on the back end. Have I mentioned this room has multiples and gorgeous chandeliers I have seen in my life ? The food was all delicious . There were so many food choices , I can't even remember what I have tried that evening. Thumbs up to their carving station. I did not like though how they set up the Buffett serving stations. A little confusing for people who lined up separately at the start . I had no idea exactly how each line ended. Wondering why they used aluminum serving trays for some stations? Was it part of package pricing? Oh well , I was just a guest, not in the position to give any comments about the pricing. The dessert table/chocolate fountain were a nice way to end the night. I was too full to try everything but can't resist their fondue. Overall experience was pleasant. The place is Highly recommended( review did not include the pricing). read more

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Just like any other glamorous hall, Elite palace has their good days and bad days. I gave it a 5 star rating because I had my wedding here and it went by great. I was grateful for the owner's input in making sure our special day went by like we wanted. We had the second menu, the more expensive one which is 145$ per chair and it was an extra 2000 for the dessert table. We had about 250 people, a perfect amount, I think. We originally ordered Chivas 18 yr old, but the owner said he couldn't get it so he substituted for a more expensive liquor, Johnnie Walker Green to be exact, which was very gracious on his part. Most importantly the tables were full, and thankfully we didn't hear any complaints from the guests. All in all the owner (Yanik) was pretty cool and easily reachable. We got our invitations from the hall (ordered an extra 100 and paid out of pocket for that) and they also paid for our yarmulkas. To get the date we wanted we had to pay a $2000 deposit and it was great that he allowed us to pay the rest off the amount the day after the wedding. This was especially nice because we were all really tired and all we wanted to do was crash. Had a great time on my wedding day, as I always say, I was just a guest. Have been married for a total of six months now, check out my Yelp review for Pounds and Ounces to read about my six month celebration with the wife. For all the five stars, and the fun times, I'd say take your girl, hop on a plane, get married in Vegas and go straight for the honey moon. These big weddings are just people pleasers (unavoidable to me because of our traditions) and a big waste of money. read more

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SO I went to my friend's wedding here and it was FABULOSO! OH MY GOSH! Lets start first with how striking the purple lit building is at night. The people that work there are mainly Russian speaking and that might explain why the Russian community have most of their weddings there. They are the nicest staff I've ever met. Second, the food was non stop and amazing. They brought out Kani Salad. That's my friend's favourite and they had it and it was delicious. Third, the place was totally hooked up electronically to a closed circuit tv so that everything is viewed from the back of the room so we don't miss a thing. Third, they had a BOOM so that the camera can video things from above and sweep the dance floor for better images for the videographer. Fourth, the stage mechanically pushes out and then LIFTS the couple up into the air, turns them around and then brings them back down. Finally, this is such a beautifully decorated palace for a wedding. My friend seemed so happy not only because this was the wedding of his life and just as he had hoped everything would turn out (can we guess Groomzilla?) but also he was marrying the most beautiful and wonderful woman. Shocking that this place was hidden in Forest Hills. What a gem! read more

Elite Palace - The stage. - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Woodside, New York

We had the wonderful opportunity to Fire Perform at Mona Waheeds Wedding here. This location has such a beautiful lighting and decor. Very spacious and was perfect for our performance. read more

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My little cousins' Sweet Sixteen "Destiny" was held at this venue on April 29th 2017. I assisted with setting up the venue so I arrived early that afternoon. The family began bringing in the decoration. While setting up, I started to recognize different behavior from the staff at this facility that was unprofessional. The men setting up the tables and chairs were rude to us. Some (fragile) boxes that were placed for setup. Were moved by these workers and it wasn't handled with care. When they brought in the last two table cloths they were wet. One of my cousin aunts witness the maître d' in the bathroom washing the table cloths in the sink before they brought it in for set up. She set one on the table while it was wet. The other one she folded and placed it on top of the table. When I asked her to hang the table cloth so that it could dry, she had attitude but then proceeded to drape it on the chairs. Then two employees came in and started looking through the decorations. They also started trying on props. Later on when the were dressed in there uniform they started taking pictures with the photo booth props. My cousins mom brought a beautiful clock as part of the decor. ($250) This clock was placed by the bar. The staff was setting up and they continued to throw tables and chairs around. At this time the bartender was setting up as well. Between the chairs/table being thrown around and the bartenders setting up the clock fell and broke. Everyone that was setting up from the family was on the other side of the room. They then yelled out the didn't do anything. It just fell and broke. This party was held on the lower level and no one on the main floor was there to direct the guest to the lower level. Nor was there any signage. My cousin before entering to perform went to grab some fruit from the bar. One of the servers told her not to eat anything off of the bar. Poor kid didn't get the hors d'oeuvres requested as she is a vegan and was hungry. The Maître d and Event Planner continued to corner my cousins' mom due to overage in the said amount of guest at the party which she know about and intended to pay. It was unfortunate to see the time spent from the both of them. One could have handled the additional fee while the other help to keep the event going. They didn't ask if she needed anything was needed. They were only concerned about the additional money. This delayed the party completely and they neglected to do the following: *Maître d did not direct the guest to their seat *Maître d was not there to assist during set up or during the party *Some of the restroom stall did not have tissue * hors d'oeuvres weren't served the entire cocktail hour and a few trays were left sitting at the bar *Plates were never picked after dinner *Water carafe was never refilled *Birthday cake was never cut after we sang happy birthday, the staff was suppose to be distributed *Workers throw out some of the decor while cleaning up. Photos - Mom hired 3 (paid) photographers. 1 for the photo booth, 2 camera men. These photographer handed out free photos to the guest. The owner had a photographer come in and charge the guest $20 per picture. This was not part of the arrangement agreed on with my cousins mom. (People took cash out of my cousin birthday card in order to pay for these pictures) Because of the delay and the disruption from the staff when my cousin went to do her candle dedication - she was rushed and forgot to dedicate 2 candles. When she realized this after her party she broke down and cried. I took the time out to write this review as I am extremely disappointed that my little cousins birthday didn't go as planned. So much time/money and effort was spent to make this day one that she will remember. The staff at this facility is very unprofessional. I WOULD NOT recommend this venue to anyone that is planning to celebrate their big day. read more

Dear Mohamed Siraj Salahudeen - I want to begin by saying THANK YOU FOR ALL YOUR HELP. Since the start you provided us so much support and you continued to do so for almost 8 months during planning! I noticed was the amount of patience you had with us. I mean with all the back and forth, I almost gave up :) but you really stood there strong until the end and I mean until the party was over at 1 AM! The day of the party... 1. Vendors were on point and you helped coordinate with them. 2. The tables were setup very neatly and guests were very happy 3. You kept asking us many times if we needed anything. 4. You surprised us with a few items we really wanted but just did not have the funds for and that was AWESOME! 5. Food was incredible! Mohamed, thank you so much for everything you've done for us. Our wedding day would not have been as successful as it was, if it wasn't for you! You truly are a gentleman and deserve a lot of credit for the amount of effort you put into this party! Best, Omar and Karina. read more

please be aware of this venue. We just had our wedding reception here on 5/26/18. The service here is bad. The manager Mohammed siraj is a complete Jerk. After he gets all your money he does not care about you. we paid for 400 guests ( but we had less than 400 guests) and only about 75 people had ate. The food ran out . We had to order pizza so our guests can have food. the venue is beautiful but the service here is extremely bad. I am extremely embarrassed that my guests could not eat. Siraj refuses to do anything about this situation. customer service is bad. all he cares is about is getting his money..HE COMPLETELY ruined my wedding reception. I can never go back in time and have this moment again. when me and my husband arrived at the venue on the day of our reception he did not even properly greeted us. I knew something was not right. it's like he already knew that he woud not have enough food for our guests. PLEASE STAY AWAY from this venue and don't be fooled by its beauty. read more

Read the google reviews that's the kind of experience I had here. Not the kind the other yelper who wrote this place up had. Dead serious. read more

Elite Palace - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Woodside, New York

We took on Elite Palace as a vendor for our November 2020 wedding. Siraj, the general manager, kept it real and honest with us through the entire process. He was clear on all expectations and we agreed to sign them as our vendor. We put down our deposit in January 2020. Cue COVID in March 2020. Elite told us to hold until things get better. In August 2020, Elite told us to have our 250+ person wedding as planned, regardless of COVID-19 restrictions. In September 2020, they were busted by cops. It's now 11/1, and I have tried messaging them on Facebook, calling management, etc. but they have blocked all my messages and calls. Our November 2020 wedding is a few weeks away and the venue is not returning our calls. I do not blame Siraj, but rather, the management that runs this establishment. They are a scam of a business and do not care for you or the well being of your friends and family. I do not recommend them at this point in time. It does not seem they have any intention to return our deposit either. Elite Palace: If you are reading this, we are happy to work with you on a resolution and modify this review upon resolution. Please get in contact with us. read more

Elite Palace is conveniently located within Queens Boulevard and the BQE. Once you get there it feels as if it doesn't belong there, down the block there a many factories and warehouses. Once you go inside you forget that it's located within an ugly area and you enter a royal palace. They have car valet where they park your car in the local street but if you want to pay the VIP $20 they will park your car across the street from the hall, we decided that we were ok with the local parking. We got there 10 minutes before cocktail hour and we were greeted with a choice of either red or white wine, this was unexpected. I've been to halls where even if I arrived early I had to wait for the room to open, a big plus. The cocktail hour was great we had different meats, cheeses and Asian Cuisine, for entree we had the choice of salmon, chicken or skirt steak. First hall I've ever seen skirt steak in the menu, another big plus. Loved the dessert area, ice scream, chocolate fondue with your choice of strawberry or pineapple. I never knew of this hidden gem in Queens, I am surprised that this was my first time here since I've been to many halls all over NYC. If you're looking for something royal in Queens come here, it was a great time by all. read more

I had my Wedding here. Mohammad and his staff were very helpful. The food was really good. They kept the bar fully stocked as well. My guests really enjoyed the place and the food. Mohammad even gave my bride and I trays of food to take just in case we didn't eat. The photographer they had took really good pictures that all my guests loved. I'd have another event here in the future. Richard read more

We just recently had a Baptism here for our daughter Gabriela. The venue was beautiful and everything we had wanted it to be. Very clean and elegant.I was very pleased with doing business with this organization. Mohammed the banquet manager was very attending to us and meet our every need. He spent time with us and went over every detail. The staff was very organized and pleasant, top notch. We are a Polish family and therefore are big on good food and a good atmosphere all around.Elite Palace was exactly that and more. We had guests approach us about how delicious the food was. I would recommend Elite Palace to anyone who is looking for quality and elegance. Best regards Madry Family read more

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Clean and elegant hall!The venue is just so beautiful in so many ways!open bar was great, bartenders were so fast and drinks were plentiful, later on our server was getting drinks for us personally so we enjoyed this service.Actually it was so much food we were completely full. The staff is professional, smiling reception girl gave us directions for entire eve ,she was incredible friendly.That filling when you walk in and everyone threats you like a star!Our experience with this hall was just superb!! Overall I absolutely recommend Elite Palace and give 5 stars!!!!! P.S. little note for valet parking, we were waiting for car from our VIP spot more about 20 min , though were planed to get it fast! read more

the place is GORGEOUS!!!! went there for friend's wedding a couple of weeks ago, and it was outstanding!!! Everything was sooo beautiful. Cons: - the food was just ok - the area where this place is located is not that great read more

Attended a function here last night. Meh. The food was edible, not exquisite. The bartender was overwhelmed. The servers appeared disinterested. On a positive note, the Men's room was clean. read more

Beautiful and very welcoming place but manager didn't tried to solve the problem when we really need help Very disappointing read more

I've been in Elite Palace last month in my friend's wedding, I had unforgettable wedding time. Really amazing food, very friendly staff, beautiful venue. From the moment I walked in, I was welcomed by the lovely front desk assistant. She asked if I was ok, if I needed anything. The cocktail hour was beautiful and the food was delicious. Everyone was making sure all the guests had what they needed. The drinks were nice and strong and the bartenders were friendly and courteous. The ceremony was also exceptional and the reception as well. Very organized, very well-planned. But what really stood out to me was the patience of the man in charge. Thank you so much, Mohammed Siraj, for having patience with my friends' wedding, as I myself know the bride can be difficult sometimes haha. All in all, everything was great! Thanks again! read more

This place does nothing but take away from the nice neighborhood we live in. They have "valet" parking which basically means their employees take client cars and park them all over taking up our spots for hours. They speed around and are not courteous. They should have their own personal parking lot. A lot of residents really hope this place closes down. read more

I had my wedding reception at Elite Palace on August 2nd 2019. Everything was great there is nothing that I regret. Elite Palace is a great beautiful venue that is well priced and will accommodate your budget and the manager Mohammed Siraj is a great person he will go above and beyond to make you feel like you are at home. He will do everything you want for you the way you want it he will treat it like his own party. Stage decor and other decorations were also great done by supreme events. Siraj will try his best to accommodate your every last wish even if it's last minute, for decor do not forget supreme events in Hicksville New York. If elite palace is your second Choice or even third make it your first and you won't regret it. Don't believe those people who gave this venue and its service 3 stars it deserves 5 stars. Believe me Siraj will make you feel like you got married at The Ritz Carlton or Cipprani in Manhattan even more comfortable. Make sure you speak to Siraj and no else for your event at this venue because he is the go to guy for everything at this place. He is simply the best, a great individual with a kind heart who has made elite the best. Thanks Ali and Zahra 8.2.19 read more

Paid 135 for a dinner dance at the Elite palace. The cocktail hour was like a cattle car. Standing shoulder to shoulder. The line for the bar was about 20 people long and they ran out of food at the cocktail hour. The prime rib was like rubber. The room is beautiful though and the wait staff very attentive. read more

I hate the staff at Elite Palace - exceptionally rude managers and non chalant waiters. I came here for a wedding and the attitude was just a disaster. To top it off there are cords from equipment all over the floor and the dessert table is in the center of the hall with no tea and coffee at individual tables. You have to carry your super hot cup of coffee back to your table praying that you won't trip over one of those cords. Plus, the wait for coffee is ridiculous - all 400 people (its a huge hall) have to line up for some tea. To top it off, my grandmother asked the waiter for a clean spoon only for the guy to rebuff her and bring her a spoon from another end of the table that was just laying around there unclear who has used it before. read more

Had an event there and Mohammad Siraj was EXTREMELY helpful. He helped me from planning to the end of the party! Would definitely recommend this place for your next event and work with Mohammad Siraj because he will make this a seamless process!! read more

The Only place to have a wedding or an event!!!! So I Had my wedding on 9/21/19 , and one word to describe Siraj and elite palace is EXCELLENCE; from the moment we booked until the day of the wedding, he was meticulous and thoughtful. He went above and beyond whilst still taking are budget into consideration. Every request we had, he effectively made possible. From small nuances to the defining moments that helped make the moment special. The venue itself is beautiful; no matter the size of the event it can handle it. The food was great; the quality was exceptional and caters to everyone with any type of pallet. The staff was amazing; every single person is kind , friendly and respectful. The decor was also top notch as well the atmosphere and mood set with the lighting, flowers and decoration were which was handle in-house by "Events by Siraj". I cant speak enough about how one place can be so amazing, truly see for yourself and you will not be disappointed. read more

This is special to me because it's where my husband and I got married. This review is long overdue. Havent been back since recently for a cousin's wedding. I have to say this place is really something. The hall is gorgeous it's self. Beautiful chandeliers, and marble floors etc. During planning, which any married couple will agree is pain in the ass. This place really helps you out. They gave great recommendations to us for help with flowers, bands etc. They have a incredible selection of invitations to choose from. I remember the wedding day. As soon as we can came from our shoot,we had a huge table of food waiting for us, and bridal party. They even put a huge sheet around me so my dress won't get dirty (awesome touch). The manager,I cant remember his name was amazing. He made sure we were taken care of, and that everything ran on time and smoothly. He even helped us make our entrance. One of the coolest things this place has to offer is that they stage slides out toward the dance floor and then raises up! Very classy touch and helped us have a memorable entrance. I even remember asking the manager to save a floral arrangement from my chuppah ceremony. Which he more than happily did. Was waiting in our suite at the end of the night. If remember correctly this placed has new management now. Doesn't matter because now that,I got experience this place as a guest, I still give it 5 stars! Usually people complain about food, all I can do is rave about it. We had a wonderful waitress that took care of us all night. I mean she offered us everything and always made sure our glasses were full. That's what I call 5 star service. Even gave us takeout boxes, so much of that food is left behind so why not. Overall, they made our wedding special. Service is top notch what more could you want?! read more

I had my wedding here and it was smooth from start to finish. I found them to be very organized and professional from the initial phone call and emails. Igor was very pleasant, informative, and understanding of our needs. I found the pricing to be highly competitive. The food was outstanding! We received so many compliments on all the food. We did a buffet and tray service combination for the cocktail hour. There was so much food and such great variety. We had a three course sit down dinner, again, everything was great. The bar was top shelf premium as promised. We got the cake from their suggested bakery and it was phenomenal! We splurged for the chocolate fountain and dessert table and it was worth it. We also used the florist they recommended, Rich from Stefan's. He was amazing, and they were also priced very competitively for a wedding florist. I am so happy we went along with Elite Palace after checking out literally 15 venues. read more

Elite Palace - Venues & Event Spaces Near Me - Woodside, New York

Great place for a wedding, the food and service was spot on, the host Igor was very accommodating and took care of all the bride's request. Had a fantastic time!!! read more

Wonderful service, excellent food. I had my reception here Aug, 2014 and people are still asking me about this place.

By far the worst customer service at the reception desk.....or shall I say from the chaise by the fountain. The receptionist needs an attitude adjustment. I came in because I had an appointment, asked a few simple questions and everything was answered with an attitude. Oh and....why is she lounging on the chaise? Very unprofessional in every aspect. Elite Place.....please provide some training in manners to the employees who are expected to represent you read more

Just went to a sweet sixteen on Saturday the place is beautiful the food was amazing the service was awesome. Mohammad made sure all the guest were having a good time and continued to check in. He such a great guy read more

The place is beautiful however the parking is not organized - the vallet parking is inefficient like its the boondocks. The street where Elite located is narrow, you need to fall in line to be attended to and create traffic. When every party attendees started getting their cars there's no system. The parking attendants takes parking tickets but take time (like tiiiiimmmmmeeee) looking for your key, take time looking for your car, while you wait while others behind you in line gets their car. In my case, they took my parking ticket and left without my keys, I waited for awhile...get impatient....(there are others worse than my situation)....I saw my car keys in the key rack...it doesnt have a tag ... And I told them that it's my car key...they said oh this is your car key? That's the only time they went for my car. Several person ahead of me in the line are still waiting for their car when we left. read more

Came here for a wedding reception, they are very unorganized. They have one bar open for 150 people at cocktail hour, which turned into an hour and a half because they did not have dinner ready. We arrived at 7:30 pm and did not eat until 11pm. When the food was finally ready, it tasted like mush, it was as bland as steel cut oatmeal. I really hope that the couple gets some money back. The service was horrible also, the staff was mean and didn't care about what their customers want. It looks like a great place from the outside but it's definitely not worth the money you have to pay. Also some of friends told me that they were here for another reception where they ran out of food?? How does that happen? The only reason why I'm giving this place is even getting a 1 star rating is because they have a cool stage where the bride and groom come out of the floor and onto the stage and the stage extends. Other than that definitely not worth it. read more

Absolutely awful place. The venue looks nice from the outside, but once you enter it is just a disaster. It smells really bad, feels like they never wash the carpet inside and it looks dirty and smells dirty. Was sitting at my table and I saw a fly flying around our table (big one too). People don't waist your money, it isn't worth it. read more

Someone I love was married here on a Friday night. My 1st impression was wow they didn't clean the cigarette buds from out in front of main entrance from the last event they had. Then walking into the hall there were dead leaves that must have been blown in on a prior occasion because that day wasn't windy. I proceeded to ask the manager if he could have it vacuumed before guests arrived he said sure but never did. I noticed during the cocktail hour they were still there all over the oval rug. There was NO bridal attendant and no one offered food for the bridal party while they were dressing. I had to go to front desk receptionist and ask her to send food then go back again & ask her to have someone remove the plates.The bride & grooms bridal party rooms were boiling which isn't conducive to makeup and special occasion hairstyles. The maitre 'd was quite rude rushing guests into ceremony room then upstairs for cocktail hour. During cocktail hour waiters didn't enter the room they stayed by the doors and in the lobby area waiting for guests to find them. Lots of guests were missed and stayed hungry. In the main ballroom the temperature was very hot, their solution was to turn off the chandeliers which by the way make the room look more special. They had 2 males just standing guard not dressed in affair attire as if they expected a riot to happen. Dinner was varied as the wedding couple ordered but there was barely any attn paid to the tables by the waiters. Empty plates sat way too long, there was 1 pitcher of water for a table of 10. I had to specifically ask for a pitcher of soda more than one time for my table and some tables never received. The wine sat in a bucket with no ice. There was a lady taking pictures of guests then charging $20 per frame. The coat check person was very rude demanding $2 per coat. which came as a surprise for most guests. The groom was asked to leave his credit card incase there were more guests than accounted for & they had someone count the seating place cards. Overall I felt like the employees that were of the same region in Eastern Europe were all united in treating people of other nationalities (like this specific event) very rudely. Details are hugely important and customer service is key when these types of events are so costly all people want is to be treated kindly and with respect. I don't believe this was acheived at this event and that is very sad. Please address every detail when considering this venue!!! read more

Coming from a bride that had her wedding here, BEWARE BOOK YOUR VENUE SOMEWHERE ELSE. After reading much negative review before I booked I was skeptical about booking, but seeing the reception ballroom I was convinced that I had to have my wedding there. WHAT A MISTAKE. The pretty chandeliers, marble dance floor, and rotating stage are all distractions from what a horrible UNMANAGED place this is. After giving all the money on time, the banquet manager, matra dee, and staff dont give a damn about u or ur party. They just want ur money and get more of it. I think they just favor their own Russian Jewish Kosher feast weddings that they can relate too and everyone else is just a 250+ guest party they cant wait to get out of. There are too many things that went wrong to list, but the most unexceptable one is that the valet parking stole property and posessions from peoples cars. Clothing, health insurance cards, dvd speakers for the car, what do they even need these items for????? It just disgusting the lack of communication and mismanagement from this dump. The banquet manager by far is probably the worst cruel disgusting and pathetic human being I have ever encountered. Just warning you in advance don't fall into their trap if I were u i'd spend my money elsewhere, somewhere they have respect for their clients and their weddings and DONT SAY YOU WERE NOT WARNED!!!! read more

At this point giving one star is too much. Mister IGOR is so rude! He has the nastiest attitude and is impossible to work with. He tries to add any additional cost where ever he can and doesn't talk to you about your event because all he wants to do is count his cash. He has no communication skills and comes off very rude & disrespectful. No matter how beautiful this venue is; the pain of working with IGOR is just not worth it. I WOULD NOT RECOMMEND THIS PLACE UNTIL SOMEONE REPLACES THAT FUCKING MISTER IGOR. The service by the staff is also awful. IGOR claims that the tvs in the front can only be controlled by a tech. I'm sure it doesn't take a genius to play a video, but he will not accommodate and charge you 2k regardless of what you want. The "tech" guy only knows how to work the lighting in the hall, not the speakers The speakers in the hall suck. If you are seated in the back of the hall you won't be able to hear a thing The resolution in the screens is also really poor. Don't be rushed into buying the lighting and video package as its a complete rip off. If you are trying to plan one of the best days of your life, I would not do it with this existing staff. read more

I have to say...over the past year my fiancee, and my family, and I were under an immense amount of stress because of the reviews posted on various websites. In truth, we had the night of our lives at Elite Palace. Igor Tsan catered to our every need and was truly concerned with my wife's happiness. Now I won't say that there were not any bumps in the road, however, with any venue there will be bumps and it's up to the bride and groom to plan around them and hedge against them. The following was our experience with Elite, their recommendations, and their vendors. 1. Choice of Ballroom: Florintine ballroom (downstairs - commonly only used for ceremony). We used this ballroom for both our ceremony and reception. It is of course a matter of taste, but we loved it so much. It is much less ostentatious than the room upstairs (in our opinion), and we were really going for a less bold look. It is exquisite - silver and clean and beautiful. It comfortably fits a wedding of up to 150 people (plus band), using 12 -person tables. There is a perfect amount of space to keep the dance floor full, but not crowded. We had our ceremony first, then our cocktail hour, then went back into the ballroom for the reception. The cocktail hour in the lobby was beautifully set up and went off without a hitch. We had one bar with two bartenders and it was great. The food was amazing. We added the Viennese dessert table and it was placed in the lobby at the end of the night which was a great idea. We were able to set up a beautiful lighting scheme downstairs in which the candlelight overshadowed any lights in the ballroom and not the other way around. Bathrooms were clean, the bridal suite was impeccable and so beautiful and the wait staff was attentive to all of our needs. Now, all this certainly comes with a caveat: Elite is up and coming, which essentially means that if you want something (or, more importantly, do not want something) you must make it crystal clear to the banquet manager (as we did with Igor). Brides and grooms must remember that venues like this do a wedding every weekend and are typically used to huge weddings that are similar to one another; therefore, if you are looking for something a bit more toned down (as we were), it takes a lot of conversing, explaining, and, most importantly, a very detailed contract hammered out as early as possible (ie types of alcohol, food, attire, extras, lighting, dos and don'ts). Additionally, with this ballroom, we were able to have an amazing wedding downstairs even while there was an exceptionally large wedding going on upstairs and no one even noticed it. Further, this illustrates our point made above: we discussed this at length with Igor because we were concerned about it; as a result, everything was incredibly smooth and there was no overlap between the weddings. In fact one of our concerns was that it would be awkward and tacky have the bride from the other wedding walk through ours (the bride upstairs had the groom suite). Igor was so professional about this and mitigated any contact with our wedding that no one even noticed or cared - including us. 2. Banquet Managers - My wife and I read the other reviews at length regarding banquet managers at Elite other than Igor. However, we cannot comment as to their credibility because we only dealt directly with Igor. Now, with respect to Igor, he made our wedding extraordinary. Despite our numerous phone calls, concerns, meetings, and complaints. Caveat: Igor is not a wedding planner and cannot be expected to manage all the minute logistical details. However, he is willing to do so (see above regarding specificity of contract and multiple discussions). In the interest of candor, we did have our own day of wedding planners and would HIGHLY, if not insist, that all others do the same. There are so many little tiny details and so many weddings, that a venue cannot be expected to micromanage, you want to make sure that it runs smoothly and your investment pays off - as ours did. Igor did everything we asked and better and made all of the recommendations for our other vendors - INCLUDING AN INCREDIBLE NEXT DAY BRUNCH LOCATION. 3. Food: Terrific. There is not much to say. The food was endless. Now, we've read a review that said food was undercooked, stale, and that "people were munching on their forks." This is completely not the case. At least in our case, we had the style russian menu (food and liquor on the tables) and all our guests, russian and american are still raving. You may read reviews that people had bad experiences with food. We don't know what menu they had, but ours was just great. 4. By way of comparison, we have been to half a dozen weddings in the past 6 months including the Pierre in Manhattan and the Trump National Golf Course in Westchester, and though we may be biased, we believe that Elite and all of our vendors not only measured up but made our wedding day just, if not more, memorable and elegant. read more

Wow! If I were to write everything that I found unsatisfactory about this place, I would sound like a troll. Rest assured I am not and this is a real review. I went to my niece's Sweet 16 in April and was greeted with cold stares by the employees. No waiters, no busboys clearing the tables. There was a lone bartender. I had to track someone down to ask them to clear our overcrowded table of the dirty dishes and that was ignored. It was a buffet dinner but there were no servers. Basically, this was a run of the mill hall with no services but charging as if they are a full service venue. I remember looking at this place when it first opened, to host my own daughter's Sweet Sixteen, boy am I glad she decided to go to Europe instead. I dodged a bullet there! read more