Ivy Wine Bar

PICK A WINE! ANY WINE!!!
You know those wine tasting bars that look like they have wine vending machines? This place is one of them, but the have A LOT!
I found it awesome that the place was uncrowded so I could find a place for my group to easily sit together and we could all purchase cards without having to wait for eons.
I especially like that I could taste some really high end wines for a lot less before committing to a full glass.
one downside:
We suspected that some of the wines were oxidized… I was too lazy to ask for my money back on some tastes…

Loved it! The bartender really helped pick out a good wine and he was fun to chat with!
The cheese platter is amazing! I love the Riesling!

Pull up to the scene with my ceiling missing,…just kidding the cab I took from Little Italy was not a convertible.
I enter only after saying «No» to about 3 beggars asking me for change. Sorry I’m not sorry but I’m not poor so I don’t carry coins. I have friends in NYC that laugh as they wave hundreds at these types when they walk in to bars. So I feel as though my simple response is sufficient. With the warm weather I swear they are multiplying downtown. Clean it up SD.
Once inside I relax and sip several well priced glasses of red wine. Great atmosphere to get a night started in the Lamp. As my boy Tony G. would say, you can’t swing a dead cat in here with out hitting a great looking woman and a dude with a chiseled jaw to go with his epic hair cut. So bring the goods people. Keep this fact indeed just that, a fact.
After you’re done with your wine I’ll see you upstairs for the Gold AmEx Holder’s party that you probably have to sneak in to.
#DCIYHM

I loved the idea of a self-​serve wine bar, so I was very excited to check this place out. I thought the wine bar would be a chill, low-​key lounge where I could relax, sample wine and cheese at my leisure, and chat with friends. Boy was I wrong.
I didn’t know it was attached to the Ivy’s club and that there would be obnoxious music playing so loud I couldn’t hear my friends. Or that I would have to pay a $ 20 cover to go to a freaking wine bar. Granted I went on a Saturday night, so maybe it’s more low key on a week night.
The wine itself was without a doubt the worst wine I’ve ever had in my life. It was sour, vinegary, and moldy-​tasting. My friend said she recognized some of the wines and many of them were $ 5 bottles of wine, selling a glass for $ 14. Now I have drank my share of $ 5 bottles of wine, and at worst they’re still ok. This stuff was undrinkable, so either it was the crappiest $ 5 wine in the world, or it had gone bad. And I didn’t just try the cheapest wine there. The Bourdeaux at $ 6 for a one ounce taste was just as awful as the $ 3.50/per taste wine. But I only drank reds, so the white wine might not be bad.
Ultimately, it just wasn’t my kind of scene to begin with. If you love the typical bandage dress wearing, angry, loud, misogynistic hip-​hop music crowd, then you might enjoy this place. But steer clear of the wine.

So naturally, I heard about this place and had to check it out. How many places just have a wall of wines on tap? So, obviously, it got my attention being a wine fan myself. When you first arrive there and walk in, it has a very lounge type of feel which I like. But after we were there for about 30 minutes, it seemed to quickly have more of a club vibe to it. So, here is how it works if you have never been there and would like to check it out: You pay the bartender whatever amount you think is appropriate for yourself (and others you are sharing with) and he places that amount on a card. Now you have your swipe card for all the machines. Each wine is priced in three different amounts… you can taste the wine, have half a glass, or enjoy a full glass.
My advice to you is doing half glasses because you are able to get more variety for your money. All the glasses are located on the shelves underneath the machines. When you are finished with each glass, you just leave it on your table or around the bar and there are people who walk by and pick them up. Now, if you run into a problem with the machines because maybe the pressure is off or the bottle is empty, just go tell the bartender and he will come fix it for you. So in short, the wine ‘tastings’ are really different and it was a nice experience, but I did not enjoy the whole club thing going on… cheers!

I must admit that I’m one of those people where if you put too many choices in front of me, I tend to get a bit flustered. However, this is one of those places that’s just fine with having too many choices. The self-​serve wine bar allows me to go back and forth, reading and re-​reading all the choices and descriptions. No pressure from a «wait“er hovering over you. You can either get a «taste», «half» or «full» at the self-​serve stations. So even if you’re still unsure, you can sample the wine and not have to waste too much money on a wine you don’t like. Was using a friend’s card and when we tried to re-​fill it, we were informed that their system was down. Little bit of a bump in the flow of things. Also, waited a while for our server to come back and check up on us for our food order. Bottom line — A great place to sample different kinds of wine with no pressure.

I LOVE wine!!! And I LOVE self-​serve wine bars!!! There’s descriptions and prices… you can sip, light pour or heavy pour! You just add money to a card and pop it into your choice of wine. BEST idea EvER!!! Only reason I gave it 4 stars is the staff was not very helpful and the music from the club upstairs was so loud, you couldn’t hear anything! I enjoy music and shaking my booty… BUT the wine bar didn’t really have that kind of vibe.
All in all, if you like wine:30ing, check this place out!

EXCEEDS EXPECTATIONS!!! Fascinating ambiance, great music, and super convenient if you are a hotel guest.
Tip: The drinks seem weak at first, but the sneak up on you!!!

As far as happy hour downtown goes this isn’t a place I will return to. Yes, wines by the glass are 50% off, but you are limited to the three bottles they have behind the bar and the prices are originally $ 16-​so it’s $ 8 a glass for happy hour. My first glass had cork in it, my second glass tasted off. The better deal is for hard alcohol drinks-​$ 5 a drink.

Samuel took me to this great wine bar. We tasted 18 wines (1oz) whites, reds, desserts + port. Good times, great service, thanks Chris.

Maybe I’m just a dive bar kind of girl, but I found this nightclub a bit too pretentious and too fake for my taste. While we were waiting in line, I must have seen ten limos and the world’s shortest dresses on people who should not be wearing them… the club itself is decorated beautifully, but again, with that persona of «Be prepared to spend a pretty penny in here». I mean, couches and lounge chairs in the middle of the bar? With soft beige plush pillows as décor? Do you not expect drunkards to fall all over them and spill their drinks on the seemingly expensive furniture? I’ve always been up to trying something new, and this was my first time coming here. But I wasn’t impressed. Between the douchebag boys who wore their sunglasses in the club a la Jersey Shore, the poor music selection, and the even worse beer selection (no Blue Moon? No Sam Adams? What?), I think I’ll pass on this place.

I love the different options for wine tasting! You can choose by the taste, half or full glass from 88 different bottles of wine. Plus, their happy hour opportunities during the week are pretty phenomenal. Try the hamburger and chicken fingers! The white truffle oil fries are incredible.

Great Happy Hour!
The wine bar is loacted on the first floor in the back on the right. Its a chic lounge with great variety of music. The wait staff is excellent & the bartenders are fantastic!
The lighting sets the mood to their extensive wines «on tap» along with their creative cocktails!
Their happy hour menu is a small menu with a little bit of everything.
I would highly reccomend this hott spot to family & friends, out of towners– for a first date or a business get together.

I’ve discovered a new level to my ratings-​a-​chick-​factor. And it all happened here in the Ivy Wine Bar in the Andaz hotel. Before, I would put chicks, and when I say chicks… I meant the ladies into 4 different and unique categories… my eh, cute, super cute and hot categories. I was shocked and awed when a «super-​hot» was there behind the counter. At first, I was taken aback and figured she was just a hot, but I realized that she had a pretty good personality too and was immediately upgraded to my new super-​hot category. Anyhoo, now to the review…
This place definitely had some sophistication plus a theme seen at the Splash Wine Lounge. It’s usually a nightclub/​lounge where you come in dressy, but it was a random Tuesday night so the place was desolate and you can pretty much dress whatever. Luckily for me, I got to try their happy hour special of half off wine glasses. Usually $ 16 for a glass so their house wines then became $ 8 (a duh) during HH. Yah… this place is kinda expensive. Their specialty cocktails range around the $ 13 – 15 prices, but during HH, it is only $ 5. They also have a 5 wine sampler tastings Mon-​Fri, 5−8pm, for just $ 5. I went with the Acacia Chardonnay 2008. Very nice, served in a chilled glass.
So this place is similar to Splash Wine Lounge, because you can get a smartcard, put some money into it, and get wine from their many self-​serve dispensaries. Prices varies depending on if you choose the 1 oz sample, half glass or regular glass. The lounge looked super cool too. Plenty of leather seating, candles, high tables too. Their bathroom is toward the lobby of the hotel and it was super clean.
Will come back here and try the cocktails, also to party in a slightly sophisticated manner and to see the super-​hot chick. I meant lady behind the counter again. /​/​insert Homer Simpson «aaaahhhhhh» drool here//

Great concept! I hope this makes it to the central US soon. It was a lot of fun to sample and read about all of the wines.

Super neat idea, pretty good execution. A wine buffet! Buy a wine card in any denomination and drink up. Get a taste, half a glass, or a whole glass for corresponding prices. The least expensive «taste» portion I saw was $ 1.37, and the most expensive around $ 11. Was empty when I came with a big group — we had the whole place to ourself (minus a few strange couples lurking in corners) and were able to share and taste over 20 different wines over an hour or two.
The food selection is expectedly sparse for a wine bar, and the full-​bar bartender lacked charmed. He was nice enough until I accidentally knocked over a cheese plate we ordered. Then he treated me like a parasitic drunk and begrudgingly replaced it. Maybe he was bitter because with most of the clientele serving themselves, tips are few and far between. Bite my cheese plate, bartender!
However, the novel idea and pleasant environment warrant a visit and at least a $ 10 investment.

My boyfriend and I stopped in for drinks last Saturday evening just before going to see a play that was in town. The place was completely empty. I love the vibe of this place. I wouldn’t expect anything less from the Ivy Hotel. Ultra sheik lounge area, hip bar area and nice bathrooms.
The wine tasting experience is a wonderful concept, however, I was a bit disappointed by the selections of Riesling and Gewürztraminer wines. There were only two or three Riesling’s and one was too much on the dry side for me. I prefer sweeter wines. I realize most people prefer reds and unsweetened wines. However, I believe the Ivy could have made better wine selections. There was a small selection of port wines at the very end of the wine tasting bar, however, I wasn’t prepared to pay $ 70 for a taste of their finest port. I will say that if you are a red wine connoisseur then you may enjoy this experience.
Overall, I would not likely be back unless they begin to offer better Riesling, Gewürztraminer, or ICE wine selections.

(Note: looks like Ivy is getting taken over by Hyatt? So changes might be coming soon).
The lobby bar of the Ivy is now set up with the equivalent of a gigantic soda fountain for wine. I call it wine-​o-​matic. You pre-​pay with the bartender to load up a wine card, then you use the card to serve yourself all the wine your little heart desires by the taste, half, or full glass. I really like the concept of serving myself as much as I want of whatever I want — no use waiting around for service with an empty wine glass, I can fill it up myself thank you very much!
Wines are arranged from light sweet whites at the left all the way to big dark reds on the right with everything in between (more than 80 options). I got a cheese plate and a wine card and was a happy girl.
The only thing was no one else was enjoying with me… my friend and I were pretty much the only customers on a Tuesday night! I just figured it was an off night — people generally head to the Ivy for a big night out on the weekend. We also had to wait quite a while for the cheese plates we ordered, I guess since there was no one in the place we were kind of forgotten about for a while there.
I’d still be willing to give the place another chance, the wine-​o-​matic won me over!