Le Rendez-vous International Wine Bar

Very nice Wine Bar with a great atmosphere. Owner is great. Bought us all champagne on the way out. Great place!

This place gets 1 star because I can’t give it 0. It doesn’t exist. Unilocal should probably make a note of that.

really, really red. not sure it still exists. okay wine. strange clientele the day i wandered in.

This place is a great date spot – stop in here after dinner for a quiet nook to keep talking and snuggling

This casual wine bar is a comfortable jewel hidden away from the noise on 2^nd Avenue.
We wandered in here after our first destination turned out to be a bust. At first, I didn’t have a good feeling about it because there were only about 6 people in the whole place during primetime. We had the back room to ourselves and instantly felt like we took over some hidden lounge in SoHo.
The bartender/​waitress was pleasant, attentive and quick to refill a glass. What mor can you ask for from a bartender in a wine bar? The space was quiet and casual; the perfect spot to enjoy a bottle of wine in the summer. The wine selection itself wasn’t easy to navigate, but I’m an idiot when it comes to wine. That’s why I travel with a wine expert to help me navigate trecherous wine lists. The prices are in line with other wine bars in the area so overall there isn’t any reason not to go back.
There are several other wine bars in this area, but Le-​Rendez-​vous can hold its own against most of them.
Have fun.
G

I’ve been here a couple times. Definitely a good place to go if you want a quiet, romantic, chilled out time. There is a bar and a few high tables up front and couches in the back. Wine list is pretty good but slightly pricier than other wine bars in the area. I’ve only tried the whites so far being summer and all and have been satisfied.

LOOOOOVVVEEEEE! Atomosphere is romantic and soft. Service was soo lovely! Wine delicious! Cant wait to go back!

So, my boyfriend and I moved to the UES back in May, and being the wannabe-​oenophile that I am, I made it my mission to scope out some of the local wine bars. Balon has great wine, Vino has a lovely atmosphere, but there’s just something special about Le Rendez-​vous. This cozy neighborhood gem, fittingly tucked away on the street rather than the avenue, is both romantic and upscale-​casual, the perfect place for a date, a mellow night out with the girls or a hangout at the bar with fellow wine-​lovers. The décor is dark and almost Gothic (think exposed brick, candles and red velvet) and the music tends to be jazzy and eclectic. I see that some other reviewers take issue with the wine selection, and all I can say is that personally I love big, full-​bodied, fruit-​forward reds, so the choices here are right up my alley (I can’t speak for the whites, never tried ‘em). While I admit that the reds are not quite transcendent, they are certainly delicious, and in all honesty it’s the company and the atmosphere I come for more than the wine. Speaking of the company, I don’t know what some of these other reviewers are talking about re: the crowd. The last time my bf and I came here, we ran into a guy we’d met and gotten to chatting with the previous time we’d been and wound up getting invited to his New Year’s Eve party! How «neighborhood» is that?! In addition to the friendly vibe, the other element that makes Le Rendez-​vous my wine bar of choice is the owner, Carlos. He reminds me of what I imagine the old-​school bartenders were like back in the day, the types which today can probably only be found at P.J. Clarke’s and the like. Despite a 3-​month interval between our first and second visits, he recognized my bf and me right away and even remembered both our drink orders. Impressive! And the fact that he compliments my Spanish and is known to give free pours now and again doesn’t hurt, either. Friendly and a great listener, this is a guy who clearly loves what he does, and personally I’d rather spend my evening in the company of someone like that than some rude hipster jackass bartender in a bright orange Pez T-​shirt muttering hackneyed song lyrics under his breath. But I digress. The last point I wanted to make is that while, yes, I agree that $ 13-​$ 16 is a bit much to pay for a single glass of wine, it should be pointed out that each glass comes with a small carafe, which adds an additional ¼ to ½ glass to the original pour. Try finding that in a restaurant. Also, remember that this is the UES we’re talking about! What do you expect? If you don’t want to spend that much on wine, then buy a bottle or two from a wine shop and drink it with your friend (s) in one of your apartments! You’re not just paying for the wine, but the music, lighting, seating, service, etc. Given all that, plus the location, I have no problem with the prices.
So all in all, if you’re looking for a respite from the loud, obnoxious frat-​boy douchery of most UES bars, Le Rendez-​vous is a relaxed, classy alternative with great atmosphere, service and people. ¡Salud!

DO NOT BUY A VOUCHER FOR THIS PLACE! I went tonight on a purchased voucher for $ 75 with a girlfriend for a Bottle of wine and a Cheese, Charcuterie, and olive platter and what we got was a plate of 3 different cheeses, 4 olives, a bottle of wine and a $ 71 Bill! Yes that’s right, the Owner/​bartender will «charm you» offer you a wine tasting, tell you can pick a bottle for your voucher instead of the house wine that is promised on the voucher and then Charge You like you never paid for the voucher. STAY AWAY FROM THIS CON ARTIST!!! He’s Despicable and there is an obvious reason why this place is so empty. I am a fair person, was a waitress for years but do not appreciate being taken advantage of.

Crazy town alert; this wine bar has no wine. We came here to escape the rain, and not even rain could get me to go back. The selection of wines was something like 7 reds and 7 whites. They were all the same price, and that price was circa $ 15/​glass. The atmosphere was all wrong. It was going for romance, but it was more like that scary bar from the movie From Dusk Till Dawn… only darker. I believe there were some food items on the menu. The usual stuff… meat and cheese platters, etc. I’m confident that there’s no kitchen, so I wouldn’t expect much there. I don’t even have the words to describe how strange the clientele was.

A great place to bring some friends for a nightcap, but also a quaint neighborhood winebar for a quiet date — take your pick!
Ironically, what I’ve liked the most of all the times I’ve been to Rendez-​vous is their specialty beer list (which in my opinion, tends to out-​rate their wine selection). They have some very refreshing and tasty Japanese white ales. Another perk is that as quiet and romantic of place they are, they are still very patient when things tend to get a little rowdy. Very pleasant serving staff. =)

Worst wine bar ever. Let me repeat: worst wine bar ever.
I’ve been to a great deal many of the cities wine bars in both Manhattan and Brooklyn, and I have to say, if there is one that I will never, ever return to, it is this wine bar. The funny thing is, I have actually never even had any of the wine here. Allow me to explain…
The last three times that my girlfriend and I stopped by here it was always some BS reason why we couldn’t have a drink. There was the time that it was 90 degrees outside but they had their air conditioner off, while some very very rude women literally blocked the entrance to the wine bar with their chairs– looking at us like we were supposed to slide underneath them if we wanted to get in. The inept bartendress totally didn’t care. She made no mention to these fools to kindly move aside.
The last time we tried to give this place a chance, we went in and sat on the side and watched the inept blonde waitress chat and flirt with a few barely half-​handsome gentlemen in the back of the bar. We flagged, we waved, but to no avail. It was like she did not even want to earn tips that evening. Perhaps she had forgotten that she was on duty, because this went on for about ten minutes. We left, disgruntled once again.
Last thing. There’s something about this place’s crowd that speaks to Hades itself. People here look dead, or in purgutory of some sort. It’s so bizarre. Maybe it’s the lighting.
Bottom line: avoid this place if you want to be served wine like a normal customer. It seems like you have to start a fight or something just to get attention here. Le Rendez-​Vous would be more appropriately named Le Merde. (Look it up.)

Came in around 10pm a few nights ago after starting early with wine in on the LES, then working my way uptown. I was really looking forward to some of LRV’s phenomenal mac and cheese with my next glass of wine.
But — the server informs us they’re no longer serving food! Apparently, Cippy (sp?), the sweet and modest culinary genius, has left. We can order food from a restaurant a few doors down, she tells us. Bullshoes. I don’t want blah Mexican or pretend Italian.
When wines by the glass start at like $ 13, and the environment is nice but nothing spectacular, I don’t see any good reason to come back here without the mac and cheese… and hummus… and date pudding… and chocolate soufflé…
It’s a sad day.

I just moved into the neighborhood and stumbled across this place on Google Maps, so I decided to stop in on a Friday evening after work. First off, the ambiance was perfect for a wine bar and I immediately thought that it would be a great stop on a date. I was a little surprised that there was only one other person there besides the owner, who was tending the bar. Carlos was very friendly and gave me a free wine tasting! Wines by the glass were a little on the pricey side but when you factor in the tasting it was a great deal! I am not that knowledgeable about wine so I cannot really comment on the wine quality, but I did like what I tasted.
All in all, for a wine bar this place certainly fits the bill and I will definitely come back soon. I do hope, however, that there will be more people there the next time (perhaps a Happy Hour would help?) and that the other bartenders and wait staff are as attentive and knowledgeable as Carlos. I’ll add a follow-​up review after my next visit…

I DID love this place, told everyone about it, even brought out of town friends to my perfect wine bar — UNTIL — I planned a little holiday get together on Dec. 18^th.
I’ll start here — I am an event planner. I like when things are simple and you talk to the owner — which I did and Carlos was lovely on email and made my reservation with ease.
It was the execution of this event that forces me to give my favorite little hot spot 2 stars. I arrived a half hour early (7:30pm) like I told Carlos I would so I could order a few bottles and appetizers. I was greeted by 1 manager /​server that told me that I’d have to wait for the back area. It would be ready at 8pm. Huh? My 8pm start time — where I wanted appetizers and bottles laid out would be ready at 8pm on the dot? Strange and not welcoming to me spending money — which every bar should want, no? I brushed it off and ordered my food and wine up front while a few couples who sat in my back area lingered.
Some of my early guests and I finally were led to the back area. I was a little annoyed but my flood of 20 people kept me pretty busy.
The two stars comes in here… I was swiftly told at 8:45pm that by 9:15 we’d completely need to leave the back area. Where should we move to exactly? The front was packed and it was a small bar. Now granted — I was told I would only have the back area exclusively for an hour and a half but NOWHERE in that agreement did someone make mention that me and my 20 friends would need to pick up our bottles of wine, appetizers, glasses, coats and bags and beg for space at the front of the bar. Seriously? When «exclusivity» is over it means your group will be then joined by others — NOT — vacate the premise.
I asked the manager — what do you suggest we do? Should we all stop spending money now? I think he smiled and prepared the backroom for what can only be described as a burlesque themed party one step away from naked girls in feathers.
Our party ended up moving in pieces to the front of the bar just long enough for everyone to get annoyed that they couldn’t speak to one another and then we left.
I understand the bar didn’t want to lose our business and the group after us — but was it really worth losing me as a customer and my 20 friends who loved the place and were feeling the wine and guacamole… until I explained that we were being pushed out…
Ummm, I guess so.

Not sure if I just stopped in on an off night (it was 4^th of July), but I had a pretty subpar experience here. The place was mostly deserted, so it seemed like a good idea to check it out and have the place to ourselves — bad call. We sat down and waited for 15 minutes for the bartender to walk over and take our order. When she did, she simply asked, «Red or white?» — no menu or anything. We all selected red, and after 10 minutes or so, she returned with the wine. It was fine, nothing spectacular. We finished our glasses and had to wait 20 minutes for her to bring the check, which was for $ 60! Wow, maybe being from Philadelphia I can’t appreciate UES prices, but that seems extravagant by any metric. I would not come back here — ever.
Just because I hate to end a review on a negative, the décor and ambiance are very nice. If they got a new bartender and halved their prices, perhaps I would go back.

I was here a while back (maybe a year ago?) when it first opened, sorry for the late review. After reading some of the other reviews, I felt like I needed to throw in my comments…
The place does have a rather cozy/​warm feel to it. I was here with a friend when it was not very busy and the bartender came out to chat, was friendly, told us a bit about the place and got us chatting with another small party. It had a nice neighborhood-​y feel to it.
The prices were a little to the north, but I like the plush seating and the bathroom is very cool.
I’d be remiss not to mention that a number of the reviews posted seem a bit suspect, almost sales-​y, which seems a bit shady. They sound somewhat accurate, although they’re certainly skewing the star rating and undermining the value of Unilocal… 1-​star deduction for that

Good Girl Gone Bad
Take 3
ACTION!
No complaints with the plaaaaaace
Sipping wine, I hydroplane into the faaaaame,
Way before the bar close, we gone,
We Rendez-​vous,
We fly higher than the weather
With UES females or better
You know me, in anticipation for an imbibed nation
Stacks chips for an NYC day
(eh, eh)
Pat B
Troutpants is back
With little miss sunshine, Rihanna, where you at?
_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​_​
Tucked away from the UES fratastic (both of the male and female varieties), Rendez vous is a winner. Its not the trashy décor of Cavatappo, nowhere near as jammed as Uva, and not as cramped as Vero.
You get the wow factor, excellent décor, awesome wine selections, without the hustle & bustle. Sure to please any and all, from Murray Hill Jack & Jill, to the WeVills, RendezVous alone is reason to visit the UES, promise.

Great place for a first or second date!
It’s a true wine bar, with dark décor. narrow spaced, and a great selection of international wines.
Bartenders really know their wine. Ask them for reference.
Best pick: The Sampler

I really like this place.
I stumbled upon this place while walking around the upper east side with a friend. The atmosphere looked nice and there wasn’t too much of a crowd (the place wasn’t empty… we were just happy to see two tables waiting for us to sit at).
Service was excellent. They educated us about the different bottles of wine… when we selected the bottle we wanted, we were told it was just running out. so they let us finish the bottle free of charge! Nice. We then followed up with another recommendation (I like when someone is honest with me on some of the selections.) and it was great.
I’m not a wine snob… nor do I pretend to me. So I like when someone educates me about the the type of wine and how its different from the other wines. I’ll be back
And next time I’ll order one of those cheese plates!