The Office NYC Reviews

My spouse and I visited The Office for drinks on a Saturday evening in mid-October 2018. The Office is open daily from 6:00 pm until 12:30 am, with closing hours extended on weekends. Food is available until 11:30 pm. You can book a spot through the online Tock reservation system. Currently, there is no charge to reserve a place at The Office. (Previously, we seem to remember that guests paid a $20 per person deposit that was applied to their final bill.) The Office is located on the 35th floor “sky lobby” of the Mandarin Oriental at Columbus Circle on the Upper West Side. (The space was previously called the Lobby Lounge and MO Bar.) The Office (and neighboring venue The Aviary) were designed by Chicago Chef Grant Achatz and modeled after the originals in Chicago. (The New York outposts opened in 2017, whereas the Chicago versions date back to 2011.) We visited The Aviary in NY in March 2018; see our review titled “Look for the Bird Symbols on the Menu for the Most Theatrical Drinks”. Whereas The Aviary seats about 95 guests, nearly all with a stunning panoramic view of Columbus Circle and Central Park, hidden speakeasy The Office seats about 45 guests, in an interior space without views (although ambient light from a few faux windows mimics the outdoors). The Office space resembles a luxurious study, with lots of dark wood, leather seating, and framed art on the walls. Interesting bric-a-brac, including vintage spirits bottles, occupies a small shelving unit that divides the room. Guests can sit at a small U-shaped bar, or in small furniture groupings that contain stuffed armchairs and couches and small cocktail tables. While The Aviary offers flamboyant molecular mixology cocktails, The Office serves simpler pre-Prohibition style cocktails and classic drinks. The Office’s light fare menu exhibits more flair than its cocktail selections, in our opinion. Take care when ordering; the bar offers a few rare vintage liquors that cost over $100 per ounce (although most drinks are in the $20 range). After our visit, when we reconciled our credit card slip with our bank statement, we noticed that an automatic gratuity had been added to The Office bill, but since we didn’t notice it at the time, we tipped twice! The itemized receipt was stamped with a very faint red print that mentioned the inclusion, but it was really easy to overlook in the dimly lit room. Even though we left The Office with a positive feel, we now feel a little deceived in retrospect. Although we are glad to have visited The Office, The Aviary remains tops on our list! (Note that The Aviary also includes an automatic gratuity; however, we were well aware of it back when we visited.)

We came here for a drink and snacks on Thanksgiving Day. It's adjacent tot he Aviary which is the restaurant with great views. We opted for the Office so we could be at the Bar. Jonah was our bartender and managed to teach me a fun twist on my Dry martini. He adds a dash of Orange Bitters tot he Gin and Vermouth and it did not drastically change the drink but seemed to add just a small amount of brightness. I'll be doing this at home. The bar menu had a nice assortment of snacks options from light to heavy. We also met a very nice woman. The bar is inviting like that. It should become a regular spot for us.

Norwegian air line is the worse company operating in ny ,don’t be cheat from low fare ,is a craps.Ougust 30, after all the job plus check in after 5 hours waiting in the airport,they cancel the flaight from rome to Ewr.we had to pick up the logage ,go to the hotel,call call center with no lock,the days after do it again ,lagages check in ,I had tu call personally the taxis,go tu airport,repeat the same story,bunch of company rappresentativ incompetent,they don’t know what to do,finally from rome to Madrid,from Madrid to jfk airport.l hope this company go bankrupt,I really du.

My girlfriend and I have been here a few times over the year. I try to partake of the amazing atmosphere and cocktails whenever I find myself in Manhattan. It is a bit secluded and tucked away in a corner of The Aviary at The Mandarin Oriental. Had reservations in the past but this last time we were able to grab an empty table; the hostess remembered us from our previous visits. The atmosphere is dark, moody and inviting. We have always had “Dealer’s Choice” and have been generally happy with the surprise concoctions. The bar is stocked with an incredible variety of alcohol and a back cabinet displays very rare, unusual, old bottles of exclusive alcohol. Snag reservations to guarantee a lovely evening with a few close friends. Be sure to check out the views of Columbus Circle from the windows of The Aviary when passing through the restaurant. Lovely.

Loved this place. The setting is super fun, great drinks, the food was just amazing. Pricey, but we knew that. I gave it a very good vs. excellent because: 1. It was someone's birthday and we mentioned it a few times and nothing was done about it. Don't restaurants usually bring out something? A little something? 2. We sat at the bar and M and J were super nice and friendly, the other one, not so much. Maybe that person was having a bad day, but was not pleasant. I do recommend going. You must reserve/buy tickets in advance. They hardly ever have openings if you just walk in. Next visit: The Aviary.

We had a singular experience at “The Office”. The drinks, service and food were all wonderful. It’s almost as if you’re walking behind the bar to a secret exclusive club. If you go try the Blood Orange and the Mussels. The Mussels are world class. It’s not cheap but worth the splurge.

We went here before Christmas. You need to make a reservation for drinks and small plates. You have to walk through another bar area to get into this space. It looks like a library. There is a bar area or lounge seating. The menu on crafted cocktails and old bottles of liquor is amazing. Try the mussels in a buttered herb broth.

The title says it all. With so many cool, different, and authentic locales in NYC, this just seems contrived and, not surprisingly, over-priced as well. Best left to the tourists.

Came here with my girlfriend following a suggestion we received from our concierge. The bar reminds of the good olden days, great selection of spirits and knowledgeable staff. The ambiance is very comforting. The mussles are a must for every visitor and the best ones we’ve ever had!

Did the Office Experience. 5 courses with a matching cocktail with each course. An absolutely brilliant experience. I cannot fault it in any way. At around $200 per head, it is pricey, however the experience is that good. Finest and most knowledgeable staff we encountered in NYC. The mussel course is of 3 star quality.

We had a wonderful couple of hours here on a winters night. You need to reserve in advance to experience this hidden gem. We decided to let the bartender mix drinks for both of us and after asking us each some questions he went away and came back with 2 delicious bespoke cocktails. An experience we then repeated to get 2 more cocktails. It was a truly memorable evening which I hope to repeat when we are back in NYC.

The office was definitely a unique experience. I'd recommend trying it out just because it is so unique and the drinks are amazing. However, we had two bartenders who served us. The first was unfriendly, unhelpful, unaccommodating, and overall just poor personality. The second was amazing- outgoing, funy, informative, helpful, and nice. I probably would not be giving this place four stars if we hadn't experienced the second bartender to prove that not all of the staff was unprofessional and stand-off. I did the a la carte experience (although I would try the other experiences if I went back) which costs $20 per person to make the reservation but is deducted from your final bill. Reservations do get taken up quite quickly so book ahead of time (they don't accept cancellations so ensure the date/time you'll be able to make it). The drinks are made to absolute perfection and carefully crafted. You can tell all the bartenders here take pride in their work and aim to please. They are also very knowledgeable about alcohol and mixology. The food menu is not extensive at all so don't go here for a meal- however you can get some snack items which were average in quality and taste. Overall, besides our unfriendly bartender, I would recommend trying The Office at least once. It is pricey (drinks are $25-$30 each) so maybe save it for a special occasion.

This is a very unique bar with high attention to detail when it comes to cocktails. Using old aged spirits and creativity, the place uses their creativity to deliver a new twist on cocktail staples, or an old authentic cocktail. It was fun just to read through the menu of old spirits and how they obtained the bottles. This is a cocktail antique shop! The truffle explosion was amazing! A must try!

I booked a reservation via TockTix. I know it's a bar, but their food is incredible. Highlights included: 1. The clam chowder -- I've had a lot of clam chowders, and this was the best I've had. Luscious clams, scallops, and a dollop of caviar. So rich and intense. 2. Steamed mussels -- Creamy, fresh, lovely, with a handful of herbs on top to cut through the heaviness. Fantastic, and it was served with chewy fresh bread. 3. The ice cream sundae for 2 -- The platonic ideal of ice cream sundaes. They give you a massive Lazy Susan of toppings just for you, including homemade brownie chunks, chocolate crisps, fresh whipped cream, hot butterscotch, fresh fruit, etc. etc. I'm surprised it hasn't become Instagram-famous yet. It's the ice cream sundae of your childhood dreams but elevated in quality for adults. Incredibly memorable. The food is quite expensive, but I was very happy with how special my experience was.

great cocktails, very diverse and rare drinks collections, some of them are quite old. Great food - mussels were to die for. must try it if you are in NYC. and if you're lucky u can run into celebrities..

We swung by The Office NYC after dinner at its neighbor - Per Se - so wanted to have a nightcap before heading back to our hotel. Ask to be seated at the bar which was the best choice we made (and possibly the highlight of the evening!). Our bartender, Jonah, was the best - very knowledgeable, entertaining and most of all not pretentious (which I was expecting at a place like this). He created two customized drinks for me and my wife after we told him our fav flavor profiles - both a hit! When I told him we were out celebrating my wife's 40 bday - he recommended we try give the "old dusty bottles" menu a look to see if we can find a "40 year old" bottle to taste to celebrate the day - landed on the Old Taylor 1978 bourbon whiskey - which was divine! Overall, an intimate and inviting spot - (pricey) but excellent place to celebrate special events or just to splurge a little. Worth the experience and will be back with a few friends to try out the other drinks and food on the menu!