Hudson Bar & Books

My friends and I had decided to go to the Hudson Bar and Books last night (Saturday, May 2, 2009) for some good drinks and great company. Well, the drinks were fine and the company was great but the service was horrible. In particular, the rude head waitress who told my friends and I that we weren't permitted to stand near the bar and when we attempted to sit down in an area that was cleary available for patrons, she said that we weren't permitted to sit there. We were told by her that we were only permitted to go to the back area where our other friends were seated, however, a few moments earlier we were told that we weren't permitted to go back there unless there were actual seats for us??? Clearly, this obnoxious and rude waitress did not care for our patronage. The bar wasn't even crowded and I would have thought that the bar would have been pleased to have paying customers.\t\n\t\nI could understand this rude, obnoxious behavior if my friends and I were belligerent drunks or the like, but we weren't. We were polite ladies who were simply looking to catch up and enjoy ourselves. When this despicable waitress suggested that we should have had reservations if we wanted to sit and have a drink, I was stunned. When did they start taking reservations at bars? So, if you plan on going to this bar, please be sure to call in advance and reserve bar stools for you and your friends. What a joke!

I put off trying this place because of the negative reviews about the service (note those reviews are all pretty old, from '02). Finally went last night and found out what I was missing. It is very expensive, but the cocktails are excellent, the cigar list is decent (although they were out of both the Padron 3k and 6k), and the service was good. It was impossible to find a seat at the bar on a Monday right after work, but later in the evening the crowd thinned out a bit. Mostly cigar smokers but saw some cigarettes as well. I'll be going back.

I completely agree with this person and always refer my friends to this place..."The place is beautiful and laid-back, the service prompt and accurate, good tunes rocking through the place, and other bar patrons didn't seem at all pretentious or self-important. I specifically made a mental note that I'd be coming back, ...I think this place rocks and should definitely be tried at least once before anyone gives any credence to these bad reviews."