amazing staff ! such great food and drinks . definitely a place to go and have a great night . definitely recommend this place . 10 out to 10 for me . read more

The food is decent and the drinks are good. The service however is lacking. The bartenders and kitchen staff spend a lot of time at one end of the bar or another smoking (with a middle-aged white guy who appears to be an owner?). I've been here 3 times and the service has decreased each time. I'm actually sitting at the bar writing this now. It took forever for her to take our food order and when my man finally cornered her, she took his order without even looking in my direction. We had to flag her down a second time. After our food came, she didn't check on us at all. Our glasses sat empty for at least 15 mins while we stared at the back of her head. Oh well. Win some, lose some. read more

Complete shit, no tabacco/nicotine hookah... wut. It's like sugar free RedBull, then when i realize they proceed to tell me it's a law, as of April, that it's not allowed... Yet the guy tells me if i being my own they'll put it in the hookah for me read more

This hookah bar is cool if you're just looking to have a good time with a few friends because IT'S NOT A BIG VENUE. The food is served in really small portions, which is cool if you're on a diet. EAT BEFORE YOU GO OR HAVE DINNER AFTER. They have a TELEVISIONS so you can watch the basketball game to past time. Then there's the high tech jukebox but you have to share it. Taboo is like a a dive bar with a Sofa, that it. REALLY GREAT DRINKS AND PLEASANT ENVIRONMENT. read more

I am going back to see if I will like it more than the first time. 1st trip wasn't horrible. The place looks a lot better from the outside than inside. It is called a lounge, but seriously looks like a stereotypical bar inside. Decent prices. read more

Just what a favorite spot should be. Great vibe with a hint of edge. Friendly staff that are all extremely easy on the eyes. The food is unbelievable...nothing you would ever expect from a bar/lounge. Make sure you ask for the beef carpaccio. An eclectic customer base makes for hours and hours of friendly pontificating on every subject under the sun. Highly recommended. read more

This is place is brand new, clean, and fun. They have beautiful Russian waitresses and hookahs at the bar if you want! them. I LOVE IT. read more

Taboo Lounge - The original staff in mid 2013 - Cocktail Bars Near Me - New York, New York

I have been here a couple times and I always enjoy my time. The bar service does need some work. They do not come to fetch your drink order as often but are quick to pick up garbage and empty glasses. The hookah is very good in particular the strawberry. The drinks are done well every time. Decent prices for midtown location. The food is ok. I enjoy the jukebox, Two songs for a dollar. Overall a nice place with 4-5 friends. They do have an area in the back for larger groups. read more

Came here after a terrible experience elsewhere. Good food, strong drinks, great music and better hookah. All not too expensive. Will definitely be back. read more

Causal nights music is a mix variety . Hookah is pretty decent . The people that work there are pretty chill as well they do check up on you to make sure your good . read more

Been here several times and service was always good, drinks in point, and never had any issues playing music on the jukebox which was an awesome touch to a midtown bar! Came here tonight and the bouncer discriminated against my group cause we played Spanish music on the jukebox. We PAYED money to play a few songs as there was only two other people there besides us. The other people didn't seem to have any issue as they were singing and dancing along to the FEW songs we played. Mind you it was all songs that play on regular radio stations so it's widely known. The bouncer lowered the music to where you can barely hear then proceeded to tell us to give other ppl a chance to place music?? We explained politely that we were paying customers just like the other two people and no one else was playing music. He said he understood but he had ppl walk in and out Bc of the music. We sat not too far from the door and NO ONE came in while we were there!!! So obviously that was a lie. At this point he was starting to get really nasty with us. After the last song played we didn't play any music and the entire bar sat in silence for a 3 very long minutes. The bartender, who was so kind, apologized to us and said that since we payed for credits to play music on the jukebox that it should not have been an issue and she didn't mind what was playing. I was grateful for her kindness but to be singled out and embarrassed over nonsense like this is absurd. This business just lost quite a few customers and I will have no problem spreading the word that this establishment is NOT what it used to be. Save your money and go elsewhere where you are appreciated for being a loyal paying customer. read more

Absolutely the rudest and most stank-faced bartender I have ever encountered. This was Tuesday night after I got off of work, I'm a bartender in the flatiron area. I was waiting for a train that wasn't leaving for 20 minutes, so I walked over onto 8th to find a quick drink. I walked into this place, saw there was a few people sitting at the bar but then saw the young brunette bartender roll her eyes at my arrival. I politely asked "Are you still serving?", to which her reply was to stare at her watch for a full 5 seconds and then with a heavy Russian accent she said, "yeeeeahhhh well I guess. Last call is at 3:45." I guess she was being sarcastic but who could tell, which that accent? I began to take a seat when she rudely snapped, I need to zhee your ID boys." I am alone. I turn to see if there are other new arrivals behind me. No one. Reaching for my wallet to show my ID, (I am 38 by the way, and my beard is graying) I say, "Did you say boys?" She raised her voice, "I zhaid I need to zhee your ID boys!". I said, "Who are you referring to? I am standing here alone. But I don't really know who you're talking to like that, I'll go somewhere else, thanks. I hate to say it, but this is why people Yelp." To the owner- I don't know which is worse- the fact that your bartender's voice sounds like a tuba, or the rude way she greets a guest. The point is- there are 20,000 other bars in this city. All it takes is a friendly welcome. It's called hospitality. I have no issue with being ID'd, that's fine. But if you're hiring straight out of strip bars, I guess it's pretty obvious what you're seeking in a bartender. Is it too much to ask that your bartender be polite? read more

Worst bar I've ever been to. The blonde girl getting off her shift when the brunette was busy said she couldn't grab us a single thing because she was cleaning dishes. The brunette even didn't know what was going on and tried to make a dirty martini and put 6 olives in it and then dipper a straw with paper around it to try and pick ice out read more

Super chill in the daytime. Perfect to pass some time and chill. First time here and i will be coming back for sure!!

The service sucks. Takes forever to get the hookah ready and the coal replaced. The liquid fro the hookah got in our throAt after a while. Also you actually have to pay for the jukebox so you can have some half decent music???? read more

visited this place everyday during my vacation. I did not find a problem with the place, staff were so friendly, I got talking to a couple of regulars/locals and they were really friendly too. These reviews that days it creepy place etc make me laugh, it's a local bar where regular working local people go after work to relax...... hello!!! what we're you expecting the ritz??? people should use their head and think where they are. I knew I wasnt going to get the ritz, but at same time I didn't expect such a great experience at Taboo. THANK YOU TO THE STAFF AND THE LOCALS FOR BEING YOU AND NOT BEING FAKE. THANK YOU TABOO read more

The service was good. Food and drinks decent for Happy Hour during this pandemic but the security guard was completely out of line. He threatened me while I was trying to enjoy my drink & made an effort to pay for my things so I could head home. The beef was about a mask but it's impossible for me to drink & wear my mask at the same time. He's an uptight black guy who wanted to exemplify his "power" by stating if I was a dude he would have laid me out because I disrespected the rules. It's midtown I'm sure the entire encounter was on camera. Signage mandates masks be worn inside but we were outside the business where the public freely walks up & down amongst the patrons that were @ the tables on the street/ side walk. I felt disrespected & insulted by his aggression. Needless to say I will not be going back. I will be notifying local law enforcement & the BBB. The manager was not available to address the matter so I will handle it accordingly. read more

Good evening. I have frequented this bar on many ocassions. I am moving to South Florida for work. I just wanted to take a moment to recognize a few staff members before i leave this wonderful city. The bartender Kira and barvack Lucas continue day in and out to go above and beyond the call of duty to make a great night. They both are an incredible asset to the business, and deserve said recognition! Thank you for the wonderful service. I look forward to coming back! Joseph Queens read more

HAHA I'm reading these reviews and laughing at the ones that said there are creepy people here... it's so true! I love going to hookah places so my friend and I decided to check this place out after work one day. We go there and it's relatively empty so we sit at the window in the front and order two glasses of wine plus hookah. So we start smoking our hookah and it's incredibly harsh right off the bat. They don't leave the tongs with the hookah so we kept having to look for the guy and tell him it was harsh and to move the coals around. Every time we did, he said he wouldn't go far and to find him if we kept having a problem. We kept having that same problem and would look around for him and he was no where to be seen! We would take a couple puffs, need him to come back and have to wait 5 minutes and then flag him down, he would take a puff of our hookah (which was annoying- I swear he smoked 1/3 of it) and move the coals around, leave, and the whole thing would repeat. Finally after 3 times of this happening he said that the reason it kept doing this is because they DIDN'T HAVE REAL HOOKAH. It was really just like flavored herb that tasted like it was burning too quickly. Ummm WTF?! I love hookah, that was a deal breaker for me right there! Plus, the were charging the same price for flavored "herbs" as other places were charging for real hookah. So during the middle of this whole hookah fiasco we were getting hungry and the place was getting busier. We decided to order another round plus chips and salsa. There was only one bartender and she was hard to flag down since it was getting busier. You can't really go wrong with chips and salsa right? Wrong! The salsa seemed like it was from a can and just bland and unappetizing. Now on to the funny part- there was definitely a weird crowd in there. This one guy who looked like a retarded Moby kept talking to us and wouldn't get the hint to leave us alone. Now normally, I don't mind random conversation, in fact I love it! But us females know that when you're getting the creepy vibe you need to stay away. After the whole hookah drama I definitely wouldn't go back. You would think that with all the hookah issues we were having (we barely got to smoke it) they would offer to give us a new one, or remove it from the bill but nope, we paid full price. By that point I just wanted to leave the place and go somewhere else. I think it's funny that they are known as a hookah place but don't even have real hookah! read more

Went here twice & never had a bad time..the bartender was always good..drinks were strong..never tired the food so I can't judge that..but the hookah & drinks are cool read more

I used to come here all the time when I was in college. A great place to go after a stressful day in classes or after midterms and finals

There are many negative reviews about this place and I can't seem to understand why. I'm Visiting NYC with my GF from California and came by this place. Usual dive bar lounge set up. We were kindly greeted by Kira, one of the bartenders there. They have a nice beer selection and obviously a larger selection of liquor. The vibe is cool, multiple TVs and good music coming through the speakers. We came here two late nights in a row to have a few brews before we called it a night and both times were great. The people in here are friendly, even to us West coasters. I wanted to make a couple side notes on the negative reviews that were previously left on here. 1) drinks are not expensive ( average price) .. And btw We are in Ny, nothing is cheap. If you are going to complain on drink prices, stay home lol. 2) rude bartenders? They were all nice and welcoming, if you are a rude to Them, what do you expect. 3) the hookah issues? Well first of all, if you wanted hookah, you should go to a hookah bar. This place specializes in drinks not hookah. All in all, a great little bar to have fun with a significant other or a group of friends. Keep it up Taboo, we will back. read more

Nice clean bar - dancers under 200 lbs- hungry as hell for the $ of course some real beauties could not take my eyes off them. Clean kitchen. Mario the cook- GREAT- Going back again when I get more money. read more

I used to go to this place every Friday as my hang out spot. Unfortunately I moved away but always go back to this place when I visit. The service is excellent, food is good, and the hookah is awesome! My favorite spot read more

They didn't tell us it was fake hookah. Tried to pass it along as the real thing. The service was slow. Creepy patrons.

Couldn't believe how bad the service and the ambiance was here. Took us almost an hour from arrival to get set up with drinks and hookah pipes for a group of 5. Later, a food order was completely forgotten, and we had to ask 3 times for additional charcoal. While we were there the place was reduced to one working washroom. The 15% mandatory autograt PLUS a tip field on the credit card slip was the icing on the cake. Would not recommend. read more

Horrrible!!! Do not eat here!!! They served my friend raw chicken and due to the poor lighting we did not realize how uncooked the chicken was until my friend started to feel so sick and i took a picture of the pink chicken. They quickly took our food away and gave us a hard time about it!! Not to mention we had to listen to Pandora commercials the whole tome we ate there. This place is as creepy as it looks. read more

There's nothing to this bar but a jukebox! Came for one drink because it was kind of lame and small. I rather go to tempest across the street. The bartender didn't really care to interact. The only time she smiled was when she picked up her tip when we were leaving.. read more

the food is good ,drinks took couple minute which is very good , fortunately arrived right before happy hour ended and had discounts fr our drinks'' might come back''' 5 star to bartender she was nice and friendly , not crowded tho read more

This place is a great with not too many people and the prices are great for after hours I found this place while on vacation and the people working are awesome not too pushy but the check up on you and if you need anything that don't mind getting it for you I would recommend this place......... read more

The place is small with only about 10 seating areas designated outside of the bar area. It was a little crowded when I went so if you came at a later time, finding a seat and table was impossible. I saw a couple of parties leave because of this. The hookah flavor I had wasn't all that great however the drinks definitely made up for that. Since it's a small venue, ventilation isn't that great so it got pretty hot and stuff fairly quickly. The staff was very nice and accommodating to everyone's needs. Not the best place, also not the worst. Great if it's your first stop for the night. read more

They had good music and the hookah was OKAY. I ordered a Mojito, I couldn't even finish it. The mint was placed on top (not mixed in) and my friend's margarita even was horrible. The prices for drinks were good. If I ever come back I'll make sure to order beer. read more

When I tell you, I will never step foot in this place again. The service was beyond terrible and the ladies at the bar were beyond disrespectful. The worst! read more

Just got surprised by this place today. Just stopped in and was blown the hell away by the food. Everything that came out tastes great from the bread salad and main course. WOW is all I can say. read more

Was here last night with friends. Nice atmosphere. A small place. Music not too loud. Good happy hour prices. Burger was good. I would return. read more

Beautiful and engaging bartenders, a great vibe and convenient location..... What more can you ask for? Been coming here for the past few years and it never disappoints. The food has had its ups and down but a reasonably priced bar menu has all your happy hour staples. Over 25 flavored of hookah, comfortable seating and a newly renovated outdoor garden makes this the number one go to after a long day of work for me and the colleagues. Got a train to catch? They are just one block from Penn and will always get you out quick so you can keep boozing on the LIRR. Long story short, come by, have some drinks and enjoy a cozy atmosphere with great folks that's got you covered lunch hour till after hours. read more

BEST PLACE EVER !!!!!This is a very sophisticated restaurant bar and lounge with an awesome atmosphere in the heart of New York City greatest "Chelsea" half a block from the busiest Madison Square Garden sports & Entertainment Center. This restaurant bar & lounge offers many options to entertain the customers. it has two bars one on the upper level and one on the lower level; it has three lounges two on the top level and one on the bottom level. One of the lounges is outside on the top level. On the bottom level there is a "party room" they have a restaurant which you could lay back and enjoy the great foods they have to offer on their menu and besides the great food they also offer a "hookah bar" , which in this day and age everyone loves. I had a great time all of the staff was awesome, and I will definitely come back again. Thanks again...Taboo read more

I will never come here again . The bartenders are rude ! I came here for a drink because I missed my train . Happy hour is at 4 pm I got here at 3:53 which is cool . I wanted a drink so paying regular price is fine . However the wine I ordered was empty . She sent a Barback to get a bottle, took about 10 mins to get a bottle . Ok now I drink the wine , and it is hot. White wine is hot!! I ask for ice cubes . I say hey, "this is happy right now"? (It's about 4:45),and she says yes . I said ok one more, btw is this wine a happy hour wine? She said yes, but my first one wasn't because she charged me for it when I came in. Not when I got the wine. Lol ok whatever, but she wanted to argue with me, and I'm like #2 Customer in the bar . I said I'm not trying to be a jerk , but a good bartender would have been like , hey happy hour is in 5 min , or I'm sorry would you like a shot on me , just I'm sorry would have worked for me. Then I go to pay , she says it's a 20.00 minimum for credit card. My tab for 2 drinks was 11.76 not bad at all. I would have drank more had she played nice. So I say we'll all I have is my credit card, and 1.that's against the law( I called American Express ) 2. Um , well I have no cash, and again you should have told me this . Snatches my card, and proceeds to talk about me again. Needless to say there goes the 20.00 tip she would have gotten from me . On top of that she was talking about me to her co-worker in Russian. . read more

Taboo Lounge - Cocktail Bars Near Me - New York, New York

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This is one of those places that ou go visit just because is cheap ou can get a beer for 3 bucks and the food its not so bad however i dont think the girls who work there understand some english and the place looks creepy they got some red lights inside it make s ou feel like ou are in a whorehouse . read more

This is totally different place in this neighbor... More classy with good menu and good choice of liqueur .... Staff was very nice. I tried delicious beef stroganoff with the best mashed potatoes I ever had. My friend had some pork chops which was really good too. And the prices are surprisingly low... I'm going back there for sure with my friends... Got an awesome time :) read more