Bar Naná

I don’t like to leave negative reviews but my experience at Bar Nana this past Friday night warrants it. Over all the staff was rude. The bouncers were nice but are contracted out through a security company, so they don’t even work for the venue.
One bartender would not serve me because I wanted to pay with a card, he even «shooed» me away with his hand. I’ve been working in this industry for 5 years and have never been so blatantly disrespected. A bartender refusing a paying customer is wrong, though management didn’t seem at all surprised or upset that his staff would be doing such a poor job.
I finally got a drink from Matt, he was responsive and sweet. One star for the one employee who actually cared for the guests. I will never return, and would dissuade anyone from going to Bar Nana. There are so many great bars in New York City with great people inside, this is not one of them.
Also there was a $ 20 cover
An obligatory coat check, for $ 5
So no thanks, and never again.

I don’t usually frequent these types of bars, but my brother was in town and wanted to see the MePa. My style is more restaurants than bars. If I have to choose an establishment in the area I’d go to Spice Market. Service here was good early on a friday night and the prices are normal for this type of bar. Also, there is a nice outdoor section in the spring/​summer.

I really liked this place!!! Everyone was professional and friendly — no rudeness or attitudes! The waitress was very helpful and attentive. The selection of whiskey was surprising. The drinks were great too — strawberry lemonade with vodka? it was yummy! The only complaint I have is that we ordered the pineapple with vodka drink two separate times and they came back different, meaning that one of the bartenders didn’t make it correctly. It was fine bc they were both yummy anyhow. But other than that we had a great time. If you want to have a conversation you can go to the tables outside or if you want to mingle and party you can stay inside where the music is loud and great! The ambience was great and very classy. Great for large parties since they have long sofas where you can just chill.

We stopped in here for an apéritif after leaving the Standard Highline because the people there are complete jerks. It was so nice to enter this cute little place and hear that we could sit anywhere we wanted to! We chose a comfy little couch and chair in the front corner. I decided on a bourbon cocktail and it was excellent: strong and delicious, just how a proper cocktail should be.
We had to finish our drinks pretty quickly because we had dinner reservations, but we really enjoyed visiting this bar!

My first time in the bar was on a Friday in March. The place was quiet for a Friday but better than a wall-​to-​wall, can’t even move experience in most meatpacking bars. The bartenders are friendly and the drink selection is perfect if you’re into whiskey and classy cocktails.
Pro: Great place for a large group of friends that like classy drinks and a quiet place to talk.
Con: Not the best place if you’re looking to meet new people.

Small meticulously curated cocktail menu.
Very good ambiance and comfy seating

Popped in on a Saturday night for a drink while waiting for a friend. It was almost completely dead, around midnight. Not sure what the deal was but I enjoyed my old fashioned, made with precision by the bartender, to quote one of my fellow Unilocalers. The music was jammin too, slight disco house twist. Overall, it felt good. But I grooved my way out the door bc it was so dead, james brown style OWWWW. I’d check back in tho sometime down the road.

Very cool space. I went early on Saturday just to check it out so I can’t review on the crowd because there wasn’t any. The people that were there were quite young. The guys at the door were very nice. I can’t say the same about the bartender. He was rude, cold and unwelcoming. $ 17 for a vodka tonic is ridiculous. This place is not yet cool enough to charge that.

We had no issues getting in early on a Friday night. Place was energetic but not crowded. Layout of tables /​booths /​floor space seemed odd at first but as its get fuller, you quickly realize it is genius. Makes for great flow and overall vibe.
Bartenders put on a awesome show as they made some really delicious drinks that are not crazily priced. We tried a bunch of their specials and even had them make a couple «custom» drinks based off our likes /​dislikes. Every single one was great. You could tell they genuinely care about their craft.
As night went on, lights got progressively darker and music got louder and energy cranked up. Bar Nana transitioned smoothly from a chill after dinner drink hang out to a pumping club feel. Glad we were there to experience all sides and now know I can come back earlier in the evening to enjoy some kick ass drinks even when I know I’m not going to be out till 4am.
The mix of people and great staff made it feel very trendy feel but not at all pretentious.

A grown up space for indulgent children.
Bar Nana is the next evolutionary step for Double Seven. The slick conceptual veneer has been replaced with more of a British gentleman’s club feel, complete with bookshelves, sturdy sensible furniture and an overall masculine feel to the bar.
But some aspects of D7 remain. The staff is professional to the point of military precision. The cocktails retain both their high concept and price. The crowd is still image conscious, expensive and young (or trying to be). Bar Nana retains it’s style and substance. Just make sure you can handle it.

Terrible spot and everything that’s wrong with MePa. Rude door staff, terrible drinks, etc… Not much more to say other than many other places deserve your $$. Stay away.

«With crafted cocktails, exclusive performances, custom uniforms by Olivier Theyskens and a brightly sumptuous design, Bar Naná aims to appeal to an eclectic crowd, with a diverse mix of ages and tastes.»
This is the mission statement according to their website… I can certainly tip my hat to all of the sentiments declared, exclusive of the last remark. They unfortunately, do not «appeal» to an eclectic crowd… or maybe we were excluded because they don’t appeal to birthday celebrations? If you see the outline of our night written by Karen B, you will get a sense why.
Now, I am not some whiney gal who gets my ego bruised if I can’t get entrance to a lounge or club. I get it, it happens. One can not always have the golden horseshoe up her… I have had the joy of experiencing an eclectic mix of lounges, beach clubs, yacht parties, bars, etc. all around the globe from Hvar to London… Monaco, St. Tropez to our beloved little Sobe. I understand that when one enters this «scene» there are «guidelines» in which you can party and when you can not. I have had the ultimate joy of playing within these lines and having some of the best memories of my life — YOLO! Unfortunately for me on my birthday, the time at Bar Nana can not be chalked up to one of those experiences.
I find it highly unacceptable when the guidelines for a venue are not defined* (see below) and as a result, you end up being scolded by management and door staff regarding our presence. I’m not talking the speech of «we now have to ask you to leave but invite you to come back and join us on a different date…» etiquette. I’m speaking of ultimate rudeness and condemnation that the «partners» were going to show up and how our knees should have been shuddering at the fact that we didn’t have a personal invitation. Maybe we should have put brown bags over our heads before «the partners» showed up? Anyhow, I wasn’t even truly upset about having to change venues. A party is more about the people you are with… the venue and libations are catalysts to take it to the next level. Speaking to ladies and guests of your establishment with such attitude and distain? I can’t even think of a reason why that would even be an option anywhere in life, yet alone some bar.
Subsequently, I was more embarrassed for these employees and their poor behavior and management of the «situation» they seemingly got themselves in to with a birthday «party» that was ordering up food and beverage like is was a celebration.
*If you want to be so exclusive and invite only, then maybe you want to inform your PR strategists that Urban Daddy and NY Mag are for the masses. Oh, and probably telling the lovely gal that answers the phone when she gets two separate calls from two people telling her we are interested in being there that evening (or the next — I called the day before), that it just wouldn’t be possible to accommodate our party or that I needed a reservation. I did call VIP Room in NYC bc I love that club and saw it recently launched in NYC and the gal had no problem explaining what I could expect regarding getting in, having a party, etc.
I was hoping to kick off my evening celebration at a venue with an exceptional vibe where we could mix, mingle and have a sexy interlude… Oops.
I will note that it is quite an eye catching interiors with lovely service staff. The gal that was hosting our table was a doll.
There is a happy ending too. we ended up continuing the party down the street and popping a couple bottles of champagne!

A dear friend of mine was in town for her birthday and I quickly organized what I had hoped would be a fun night out. We started in the West Village where we had planned to have dinner but unfortunately weren’t able to get seated in time before we had to meet friends at Bar Nana. I called in advance to ask if they served food and the person on the other end said «yes, we have small plates and tapas» to which I said «great! we’re on our way.» At that point I would have expected to be told that I needed reservations but I wasn’t. When we arrived (4 girls) there was a velvet rope, two bouncers and a security guy… this was 9pm on a Friday night. One of the bouncers had a clipboard and asked if we had reservations and I said «no, I didn’t realize we needed reservations to come to a bar?». He then informed me that Bar Nana was an exclusive club and that if our name wasn’t on the list he wasn’t going to be able to let us in. I explained how it was my friend’s birthday and that she was in town from Chicago and that we had other friends coming to meet us there. I also explained how I had called just 15 minutes before to ask if they served food and how the person I spoke to didn’t mention anything about us needing reservations. He finally decided to let us in but said he couldn’t guarantee that any of our friends would be allowed in. We took our chances and proceeded inside. To our shock the place was completely empty. We were the ONLY ones there, other than staff. So basically they were willing to turn down our business at 9pm on a Friday night in order to maintain their «exclusivity». What a joke.
More friends began to show up around 10pm and the bouncer started turning them away. Unfortunately I wasn’t looking at my phone but when I did I had a slew of texts from friends saying they went home because the bouncer wasn’t allowing them in. The bouncer also told our friends that we were told that we were «cut off» from bringing in more people, which is not the case at all. When we were let in they did say there was no guarantee that our friends would be allowed in but we were never told that we had «reached our limit» and that they were now «cutting us off». At this point the bar was maybe a quarter full. This caused several of our friends to get upset and one even asked to speak to the manager. The conversation didn’t go very well and left a bad taste in our mouths. Granted the bar manager and wait staff did accommodate us and were very friendly but once the manager used words like «you’re lucky we even let you in and I’m happy to close out your tab right now and show you to the door». Talk about customer service at its finest. He explained that the club was invite only unless you have an invitation or reservation made by one of the ‘partners’. He said that if one of the partners were to show up and ask who our group was they would be put in a situation to explain why we were allowed in. I then asked why this information was not on their website or mentioned in any of the press that I read (Urbandaddy, Zagat, NY Mag)? Nowhere, that I can find, has any information that Bar Nana is strictly invitation or reservation only by the owners/​partners. If they want to be exclusive then they should have this noted somewhere, otherwise situations like this happen. People show up and are then turned away.
The only reason this review is getting 2 stars is because the wait staff was great, extremely accommodating and very friendly. When I told the bar manager and waitress that it was my friend’s birthday and asked if they could put the candles I had brought in something (they don’t have dessert) they quickly figured out a plan to make it special for her birthday. After we ate the waitress brought out a plate of strawberries with the candles, as well as shots for our group (now 8 of us) which I really appreciate. The 2 stars also account for the interior of the space which is beautifully done. It’s just so unfortunate that places, especially in the Meatpacking, think they have to maintain the illusion of exclusivity and end up discriminating paying customers who are just looking to have a nice time out.

love what they did with the old double seven space… along with keeping some of the prime members of the old staff I was still very pleased with the service along with abundantly friendly waitresses/​bartenders to match the delicious cocktails… definitely hope to return if I can get back in… one the few places in nyc that actually keeps it exclusive… its not about bar minimums or bottle service or even bribing the doorman here because believe me I have tried… its all about your look or actually really knowing someone… either way I hope to make this establishment my regular hang out…