MObar

Beautiful view, great for afternoon tea (make a reservation) and cocktails. Their spirits selections is expansive for such a small place and reasonably priced compared to their coffee, teas and refreshments. Skip the food, that’s why you would come here anyway. Service is inconsistent some servers are very attentive and well mannered others are snotty and leave you hanging. Overall a great place to entertain out of town guests and can’t beat the location.

This place will always hold a special spot in my heart. When I REALLY began coming to hang out in the city, this was one of the first spots I was brought to, and was completely in awe of. That person who brought me here has since passed away prematurely, and for him, and this being one of his favorite spots and mine, I will write this review!
This place is beautiful. It has an unbelievably beautiful view of the skyline and has floor to glass ceilings all around. Everything is elegant, from the customers to the décor to the wait staff, I almost felt very out of place being here, but the bartenders were actually very pleasant and helpful. We ordered a round of margaritas which were phenomenal and honestly the BEST quality margaritas I have ever had, Perfect taste that packs a punch and leaves you feeling great! We also ordered the chocolate covered strawberries which were served on a dish of chocolate shavings, HUGE strawberries, very tasty and the chocolate was excellent. The atmosphere, drinks, and professionalism of MObar were exceptional to say the least. Have no hesitations about coming here!

Mobar was delicious!
I came here late with a friend, we wanted a place to unwind. We were both in one of those «you will not believe the day I had» moods, but wanted to go somewhere a little on the fancier side. I had a Heavenly Hibiscus, it was delicious. The bar was perfect for what we wanted. It was quiet enough to have a conversation without yelling, and busy enough that you weren’t unintentionally kept in the loop of your neighbors’ conversation. A rare commodity for bars in New York City.
Drinks were a bit on the pricey side but that’s to be expected considering it’s location. I would go back to Mobar again.

Usually, I visit a Mandarin Oriental to get some alcohol or cigars whenever I travel, this location close to Central Park West was a no brainer. The lobby is on 35^th floor and the main lounge was closed. When I asked an employee (Asian girl) who worked at the lobby lounge, she just told me to go over there as if she couldn’t be bothered.
I guess with all the money pouring in from China and tourists, the locals are feeling entitled and rude to the people who pay for their jobs.
After walking to the direction where the asian girl directed me, I quickly found a seat at the bar. The drinks are typical pricing for an upscale bar, with tip it’s roughly about $ 25/​cocktail. At least with MO hotels, they provide some free munchies to keep you occupied until your mistress (es) arrive.
While at the bar, being NYC as it is, I was forced to overhear a girl conversation about not settling for Mr. Perfect. Serious? There are more girls than guys in Manhattan, get over Hollywood.
+3 stars is for the elevation and location to Central Park West.
–1 star for the ungrateful Asian girl.
–1 star for not wanting to here the common golddigger sob story.

The bar food was insanely delicious! Most of the patrons were a lot older. The view wasn’t that great, but maybe I’m a little spoiled. Definitely want to try to sit at the lobby lounge instead next time. Still a super nice place to have drinks with my best girl friends.

2.5 stars
I honestly feel a bit sad giving an establishment like this a less-​than-​stellar review. I mean, just look all around you — there’s richness everywhere. The venue is beautiful, the waitresses look posh, the view is lovely, the menu is. expensive.
But the drinks are average, and the service is nothing to write home about.
Out of pure love for Domain De Canton, I tried the Pink Cosmo, and I was rightly punished for my lack of judgement. In general the drink was too sweet and in particular I discovered that grapefruit and cranberry are not a fantastic combination. I also remember having a champagne elderflower drink that was drinkable, if not exactly memorable. The hubby had a couple of whiskeys, and they were damn good. I suppose all credit goes to them for stocking up that top shelf with great spirits?
This is a beautiful bar right in my neighbourhood, and yet I would never find myself here again. I’m just not that rich…

Look. If you’re coming here, you should just spring for the full-​on experience next door. Just go to the Mandarin Oriental’s Lobby Lounge, and hang there with the full-​on view of Central Park, and the view of the very good restaurant Asiate, and not feel like you’re a second class citizen while paying first class prices.
I’m not detracting at all from the service or the experience, but seriously. Just go next door and have it all. That said, our waitress here was really great. But you’re literally five feet from the bar that has one of the most spectacular views of the city.
Your choice.

Are you the sort of person who sells/​pays for sex? High end, expensive sex, mind you, with classy ladies; not the crying stripper variety.
No?
Well, are you the sort of person who likes to have a pricey drink while watching other people barter for high end, expensive sex? And make up conversations for them? Give them rich and detailed imaginary histories and crazy names? Try to predict how many drinks it will take for that guy to cave in? Estimate the price? Take bets on how long they will spend in the bathroom? Guess just what’s in that giant hooker bag?
Because these are your options at this bar. You wanted a view of the park? Go sit in the lounge. You want a view of some serious negotiation? Park it in the bar.
Good times.

MObar, Mo’ Problems!
If I had the funds of Biggie Smalls before his death, MAYBE I would have a good time here. Because I’d probably have rented out the entire bar and wouldn’t be thinking the following:
«Man, this set up makes it hard to socialize with all my friends.»
«Man, this dirty martini cost me $ 26 with tip.»
«Man, I fucking hate spending fancy entrée money on a drink when I could be drunk from half this money at my neighborhood haunt.»”
«Man, this is the cleanest dirty martini I’ve ever had.»
«Man, everyone here is kinda douchey.»
«Man, I almost chipped my tooth on the pit fragment in one of my olives»
Okay, maybe a rich person would think that last thought.
But there is no way in hell I’m ever going to set foot in this place again.
I don’t DO this.

went here for work.
but of all the douchey hotel bars that i’ve visited, stuffed with rich and not particularly interesting people, this is the least obnoxious.
it has a decent vibe, overpriced drinks and pretty generic music playing overhead. but if you’re staying at the hotel it’s probably not a bad place to grab a $ 17 whiskey.

Full review, with pictures:
There are few better ways to spend an evening in the city than to partake in a stiff drink (or five) among good company, the conversation and booze augmented by a tasty selection of hors d’oeuvres. Sadly, for too many people, the term «bar food» often conjures up images of fat, balding rednecks chomping down on greasy potato skins and uncivilized Middle American barbarians shoveling stale, neon orange buffalo wings down their tarred, cancer-​ridden gullets. «Pub food» fares no better, evoking overcooked meat pies and bland stews, or perhaps a third-​rate vindaloo destined to come (in chunky fashion) out of the same beer-​fattened esophagus it went down, and at twice the speed. And then we have gastropubs, fashionable and shabby-​chic, all the rage in New York City, circa 2009 – 2010 — but the emphasis at these hotspots is heavily skewed towards the food and not the beverage part of the equation. Luckily for us New Yorkers, there exist numerous places like MOBar, adequate (and elegant) in-​betweeners. Neither the food nor the drink at MOBar are of exceptional quality, but they are, for such a subcategory of the sophisticated business-​casual lounge, surprisingly good.

A Chamomile Kiss to start, delicate and balanced, tart and sweet in equal measure. Made with a base of Marolo Liqueur (Piedmontese grappa infused with chamomile extract) and Belvedere Orange, this was a light, refreshing apéritif, tasting of pomegranate, grapefruit and orange. A flute of Asian Poire, with Ultimat Vodka, sparkling sake, passionfruit purée and pear nectar was good as well, but probably would have been better with regular, still sake — the bitterness of the bubbles somehow flattening the intensity of the fruit.
The food menu at MOBar is a mish-​mash of Asian-​inspired flavors and New American twists on classic bar food standards. Salted Almonds and Wasabi Crackers do a better job of quelling the munchies and sopping up excess alcohol than do the stock peanuts (or mixed rice cracker potpourri) found at most of MOBar’s grubby Irish cousins. A plate of Ahi Tuna Tostadas proved creative: slivers of ruby red tuna and jewel-​like flying fish roe piled high atop single, crispy fried wonton skins. Served with a creamy aioli, these classy alternatives to fish tacos tasted fresh and clean; the tender, subtle tuna flesh a suitable backdrop against machine gun bursts of brine from the roe and a gentle zest from the dressing.
The misleadingly-​named Hawker-​style Grilled Shrimp was a very good dish, even if I have never in all my years exploring hawker stalls around the world encountered shrimp cooked in this manner. Succulent, sweet prawns encased in charred, blistered shells lay enticingly on a bed of similarly blackened greens. There were slices of radish, sweet oranges, thread-​like baby beansprouts and most notably, a sprinkling of chopped, raw stringbeans. A standout dish, which was lent an excellent textural depth by the stringbeans; hard, crunchy, fibrous pebbles that, whether intentionally or not, demonstrated an insightful culinary creativity. Beef and Chicken Satay were mundane in comparison — skewers of meat that, while marinated well enough, proved ultimately forgettable. Each wooden satay stick speared an entire flap of meat, making the dish exceedingly difficult to eat. The first bite was easy enough, but the second and third were virtually impossible as the sharp end of the stick would by then be exposed and protrude halfway into my throat. Trying to slide the meat off sideways was tricky as well, as the slices were too wide and prone to brushing my cheeks with grease.
Spring rolls, for some reason a bar food favorite across the country, are usually oily, deep-​fried vessels for unrecognizable kitchen scraps. MOBar’s Vegetable Spring Rolls were markedly better than the various golden-​brown atrocities commonly found at Americanized-​Chinese (fast food) eateries and third-​rate dive bars, but still ultimately unremarkable. However, they were leagues better than the next dish, a bento box of perhaps the worst dim sum I have had the misfortune of eating. No amount of alcohol could have masked this atrocious assault on my tastebuds. In the partitioned box (which itself looked about ten years old, with chipped paint on every surface) were an assortment of fried pork dumplings (crispy, mealy — very average), crystal shrimp dumplings (thick-​skinned with mushy innards — terrible) and steamed vegetable dumplings (hard, cold, chewy, and tragic — absolutely inedible). Thankfully, there arrived Chicken Lollipops to save the day — winglets of tender meat covered in a tart, tangy buffalo-​soy sauce. A strangely familiar, yet altogether new experience. Blue cheese dip and the requisite carrot and celery sticks lent a recognizable feel to the dish — but the soy, the faint hit of sesame, the unmistakable scent of cilantro, all made for a refreshing take on a bar food archetype.

Came here after the Ballet for a drink. Spectacular view. Some unque drinks that tasted great, and understandable prices. I wouldn’t be choosing this bar as a hang out spot though. But if I’m in the area for th the Ballet again you can bet I’ll stop here again.
I didn’t mind paying a lot for the drinks. The worst part of the bar were the other patrons — really loud and obnoxious — but not a huge deal since we were only planning to stay for a single drink anyway.

This place SUCKS.
The views from the bar area are extremely limited, and there’s very little seating that even faces it. Literally, the bar is shaped like a triangle with a blunted tip. The blunted tip has the windows with the view, and the right side of the view is cut off by a protrusion of the building itself. So basically there’s no view.
We ended up in the lounge area. There are only three seating areas with decent views; the rest of the seating areas are basically in what we can call the «bleachers.» As you might expect, the good seating areas are all «reserved.» Not in the typical sense like where you call into a place and make a reservation, but in the obnoxious sense of «it’s reserved for people who look and smell rich.»
The drinks and service were fine. The cookies were extremely underwhelming.
The prices are as obnoxious as the aura, and totally undeserved. If you want to waste money, I have a lighter you can play with. Trust me, it’ll be more fun than trying to enjoy the view from 100 yards away and a ton of ambient light reflecting off the windows.
Yeah, so, anyway, don’t come here.

DRINKS $ 16/​each
APPETIZERS $ 16-​$ 24/​offering
ENTREES $ 24−36/entrée
THE VIEW-​PRICELESS…
We actually went to the 35^th floor of the Mandarin Oriental Hotel to have pre theatre drinks and snacks at MO Bar. We actually ended up in the Lounge, because the food menu was more extensive and the view was ideal.
So you may think it is crazy to pay for $ 16 drinks, and $ 24apps, it is!!! But, it’s the view that commands the premium. And in my opinion, I think it is worth it. The view is a panoramic one which oversees the South entrance of Central Park and the concrete landscape of the Upper East side of NYC. The drinks were fine, nothing special. However, the food, was better than I would have expected. The Cheese platter was nicely done, the Dip platter was enjoyable and fulling, the Vegetable Tempura was good but not particularly inspiring. The «Chicken Lollipops» (I didn’t order them, I wanted the Tuna Tar tare) were excellent, very tasty and satisfying.
So, is this bar/​lounge worth the cost, In my view, I think it is… why, because it all about the view (get it?).
I will mention, I could easily afford to go to MObar, any night I want. Why you ask? We’ll my good friend (we’ll call her Laura), bet me $ 1,000,000 dollars, that the gentlemen sitting at one of the exclusive window tables wasn’t Usher… well, after a quick search on Google images… it was. Thanks Laura.

Alas, I am not fabulous enough to live in the Time Warner building (yet), but there’s always MObar. Located on the 35^th floor of the Mandarin Oriental, the lobby of the place just screams opulence. MObar is tiny compared to the lobby lounge and kind of hidden in a nook off to the right, but it does not disappoint. There isn’t a whole lot of seating by the windows to admire the nighttime view, but we lucked out that night and had a few ottomans and tables to ourselves.
The ambiance is hipper than the lobby lounge. People are dressed a bit more casually, still trendy though, and the music selection on that particular evening featured the Cure, Lady Gaga, and David Bowie. The drink menu is impressive — the selection of specialty drinks sounded great. I opted for my old faithful vodka soda though.
Our server was outstanding. He kept the wasabi snacks and olives coming.
Good company + good atmosphere = a great way to start 2010.

Whatsa matter? Didn’t get a seat in the amazing Mandarin Oriental lobby lounge? Were you wearing sneakers at night? Fear not, because there is the MoBar.
MoBar is kind of like getting detention in high school. You were not good enough for the lobby lounge, so they tell you that you «are welcome at the MoBar… over there… through the door». Then you enter MoBar, and it is jammin’! The music is louder, there are a lot of people, it is more fun, and well, more fun! There are plenty of small leather ottoman thingys that you can arrange around a table and kind of set up shop. They staff doesn’t care, they are very accommodating. The service is good, too. The only downside is that if you came up there to the 35^th floor for the grandeur of the lobby lounge and the view, you will not get it. There is basically not much view here. Also, it is Mandarin Oriental pricey, which doesn’t really fit with the space and the vibe of the place.

I love being on the 35^th floor and looking out at the city. I love bar snacks that are covered in wasabi.
Service was excellent, but it was a slow night so no clue how it is when packed. The drinks are tasty, but overpriced. I didn’t love this place, but I can’t say it wasn’t a waste of my time.

I was at this joint a couple of years back. Most people couldn’t even find it as I found that the Mandarin Oriental name isn’t even on the building and only has certain floors within the building. That said, it was easy to find once we identified the building…
I had a group of about a dozen that night and we were all looking forward to relaxing and letting loose a bit. So some tried the wines and I hit their exotic Sake menu. I don’t recall what I ordered but I do remember that it was described as unctuous, so I went with it. After a couple of those and great friends, we were having a blast! We even saw Damon Wayans there living it up with some chickie…
All in all we shut the place down and were the last to leave at around 2 am so its definitely a must-​do for me and my crew when in NYC.

I would love to say that I am a fan for what was more than likely a 1 time gestures of kindness, but boy oh boy… never have I seen an act like this in my years in this city.
We came to the 35^th floor of the Mandarin Oriental, hoping to chill in their Lobby Lounge area in the plus seats and view of the park. No go. We didn’t have reservations so were directed to MO Bar… packed and lacking in free seats.
We found 2 «tables» on the sides one in front of the other that seated 2 people max per «table» and there were 5 of us. So… as the waitress passed by, we casually asked if we could take one of the chairs that surrounded one smaller tables (4 – 6 chairs per table) and instead of saying yes… she brought us to this table that had just emptied AND while another group was already having their claim to the chairs… she told them that we had that spot.
Seriously…WOW.
A slight nudge at one of the gentleman’s arm of the other party… and the table was ours.
We ordered from a drink menu where specialty cocktails ran from $ 16 – 19 and ordered a cheese plate to munch on. And let me tell you… for as small as those slivers of cheese were… each piece was fantastic.
We finished the evening with (several) rounds of the house red.
Overall, I think you really pay for perhaps the service (if that act of kindness is standard at the Mandarin Oriental) and definitely for the view. Yes, the cheese was great, but I wouldn’t make this a «You’ll Find Me Here» kind of spot.
If you want to show some out-​of-​towners a nice spot to chill with a great «New York view», take them here… but for an after dinner drink. By then, you would hope they are no longer hungry and wouldn’t drink as much to rake in a hefty bill.

One of my favorite Bar/​lounges in new york city.
My most recent visit was for my birthday. You feel special as you take the elevator up to the 35^th floor. You walk out of the elevator and there is a drop dead gorgeous view of upper west manhattan. As we get seated, the server was extremely friendly and gave us helpful tips on what drinks to order.
We ordered a realy tasty sparkling sake and for dessert we had this ginger crème brûlée.
The ambience is hidden and intimate, yet very posh and exclusive.
Another hidden gem! Get there early to ensure a spot as it could get busy later in the night.