I just recently went to Manhattan's after not having gone in close to 2 years and boy, has it changed. And not for the better.
I had reserved the back room for a going away party on a Tuesday evening. I knew I was in for trouble when the reservation was for 30 people but there were only enough chairs for 20. :/ Â Initially the staff was pretty good about taking care of us, though we didn't have servers dedicated to our section-- any waitress serving us was also serving customers in the front and it eventually led to a lot of empty glasses and long waits. Most people ended up just going to the bar to get their own drinks as the night wore on.
They have karaoke on Tuesdays starting at 7, which was the whole reason I had chosen this venue. By 7:30 it still had not started, so I confirmed with the waitress, who told me "yup, starts at 7!".... It finally began shortly after 8 and was not the same karaoke Manhattan's used to have. Instead of using the stage area, it's now right next to the door, so anyone singing has to deal with people going in and out, and crossing right in front of them. Additionally, the lyrics were only available on a television *behind* the singer, so unless you know the words by heart, you are going to have your back to the audience. The DJ does not have a book of available song titles/artists either, so come prepared knowing what you want to sing. Equipment was subpar with crackling mics and poor volume control (music far outpowered all but the strongest singers). DJ was uninteresting and uninvolved. He did nothing to hype the crowd, or even interact with them.
Speaking of the crowd, that has changed as well. Since Manhattan's claim to fame is live music (Hey Hey Hooligan plays every Wednesday night), the crowd has typically been rock/alternative. Tuesdays the place is packed with men wearing skinny jeans and oversized tanks (what bar even allows men to wear tanks???) with cupcakes on them (yes you read that correctly), thugs in super baggy clothing and a backwards caps with hipster glasses but no lenses, women in stripper style clothing (floor length dresses with slits up to their waist and booty shorts). My boss showed up around 8:30 and when he saw the crowd he turned around and left because he felt that uncomfortable/intimidated.
He was not alone: one by one our group left, feeling pushed out by the newcomers who forced themselves into our section and repeatedly badgered us about whether we were leaving so they could have our tables. I asked our waitress for a final drink and asked her to close out my tab. I could see the server window from our table and my drink sat there for nearly 10 minutes before she came back and picked it up after being pulled away to serve customers in the front. I had to remind her that I wanted to close out, which took another 10 minutes. I have had bad experiences at this bar in the past (which is why I hadn't been in 2 years) where items I had not ordered had made their way on to my tab, so I was anxious to see that everything was correct this time, but I was not even given an itemized receipt; only the credit card slip with the total. I think that is extremely shady: we were there for 4+ hours, with 30+ people in our group... it should be standard that they let you see what you're paying for. I didn't bother to ask for a new receipt because I was tired of waiting and just wanted to get out of there.
Lesson learned: Manhattan's was everything, and worse, that I remembered it being.
Do NOT go here. The bouncers were pushing my husbond all night and getting physical with us instead of asking us politely to step to the side. When I asked him not to push us, he called me a b!tch and kicked us out for no reason. I'm 5 foot blonde girl and this 7 foot goon was so rude. Why a disrespectful group of employees they have.
Review Source:Two words: clean bathrooms! This is a big plus in my book, since so many bars in the area have nightmarish bathrooms.
I've been coming to Manhattan's for a while now, and it's probably one of my favorite bars in the area. My husband and I try to make it out to Manhattan's once or twice a week to watch Hey Hey Hooligan play, and we always have a great time.
Pros: As mentioned before, clean bathrooms. Friendly bartenders (say hello to Scotty!), decent prices, yummy food, great live bands.
Cons: 90% of the waitresses are snotty (except for Beckah, she's a delight), and the line for the bathrooms can get outrageous since there's only one male, one female, and one general (unisex) bathroom.
There's a special on <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Frestaurant.com&s=c5fe485af4df376130bee54f875814d79c4d7913e1258123b1206d2bdbf4873b" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://restaurant.com</a> for Manhattan's right now. Oh, and one last thing to keep in mind: they don't have Sailor Jerry, so if you're looking for spiced rum, you're going to have to get Captain Morgan.
Three Words: Â Rich Whiskey Monday! Â
The fact that the owners of this place are smart enough to continually have this band in their establishment is awesome enough!! Â I've been coming here the last few Mondays to catch Rich Whiskey and have not only enjoyed hanging at the bar while watching the band, but have actually grown quite fond of this place!
It's a quiet place that seems full of locals and regulars. Â By my third visit though, I felt like I was starting to be a part of the regular crowd - so it's certainly not cliquey like some places. Â
As for the food, it's not fine dining but it's better than one would expect! Â Their wraps are delicious and the fries are fresh! Â The prices are moderate as well.
Indoor and outdoor seating, happy hour, darts, and live music.....pretty decent place.
My one complaint is that the waitresses have been slow when I have say at the tables. Â I resolve this by sitting at the bar...which always has had the best service (and are friendly!!).
I have been coming to this place for years, so I feel pretty confident to write a full review, knowing that I am not reporting an anomaly. Sitting on the patio on a nice day like today would have been great, but the crystal clear, big screen TV showing the UEFA Euro POL/GRE game was a greater draw. Free wifi and Playmaker is a great bonus for entertainment purposes.
They have a lot of lunch offerings. $5, $6, 2 for $10, and 3 for $12 (the latter two are combos of (app/meal/dessert). I opted to keep the calories a little lower and bypassed the peanut butter chocolate pie. My lunch was the chili appetizer and the flounder with rice and broccoli entree.
I asked them to make the chili as spicy as possible, which promptly gave the chef a happy challenge (he did well). The main course was okay, however, I must admit that all of the items were pretty bland, even with their blend of spices. Still, it was a great portion size for lunch.
Staff was attentive and very friendly. It's a good place for a quick, cheap lunch in the middle of the sometimes-overpriced City Center.
I am not typically one to order "the special", and I almost NEVER order meatloaf at a restaurant. I arrived here for lunch on a Wednesday with clients and when we walked in the door, the hostess asked us if we there for the meatloaf or would we need to see the menu? What the heck, we only live once, right? The meatloaf was incredible! Served as an open-face sandwich with gravy, it was without a doubt the best meatloaf I have ever eaten.
Review Source:I went here for karaoke night, which starts at 7:00pm Mondays through Wednesdays. Â Karaoke-wise, it's a great establishment: Â fun (and cute) DJ, gigantic song list, and tons of people singing. Â A lot of really good singers too, working the crowd and everything. Â I went on a Tuesday night and it was pretty packed. Â The appetizers were good too, although they could use a better happy hour menu (2 select appetizers are 1/2 off, depending on the day). Â Just don't get the crab dip unless you really, really love cream cheese.
However, the service was horrible! Â The girl was nice enough, but she often disappeared for long periods of time and we worried that we would never see her again. Â Cashing out took forever and we ended up having to take our bills to the bartender to get it taken care of.
Manhattan's is a decent place to eat in Newport News, tucked off Thimble Shoals near Jefferson. I've only been there for lunch and for the nighttime crowd. For lunch, I'm a fan of their blackened tuna sandwich which is delicious and cooked to perfection. Also, they make a mean bacon burger that is definitely worth checking out. The servers and staff are all very nice and friendly, too, which adds to the atmosphere and has influenced my decision to return.
At night, Manhattan's is a very popular hangout. It's a drinking spot for 20-to-30-somethings and is often packed on the weekends. The entertainment varies--I've seen bands, DJs, and even live comedy (which was actually funny and worth checking out again). The crowd can be a bit loud and rowdy, but it's almost always a good time anyways.
Manhattans is a happening spot in Newport News with good reason. The staff is incredibly responsive and like able. At first, there is a bit of confusion walking into the establishment, but once you're in then you're greeted by a staff who quickly makes you feel at home. The food is actually pretty good considering that on outward appearances Manhattan's seems to cater to their late-night bar crowd quite a bit.
I can suggest the tuna bites as well as their burger menu as being quite satisfying and delicious. This may come as a surprise to some as their late-night crowd is often quite rowdy and large.
As a late night bar, Manhattan's succeeds in offering all of the typical amenities of a late-night place without sacrificing any of the dinner time qualities. Also, their lunch menu is affordable and delicious. I definitely recommend checking it out as a lunch alternative, or as a late night place for karaoke and other fun activities.
$5 cover charge on friday night...  $6 drinks... in Newport News for a super tiny little pub.  they had a live band, that was cool, but they were hardly more than background noise.  When the band stopped for a break the speakers were playing, the music was rap and definitely all p2p or torrent music, hilarious when at the end of a rap song you hear an advertisement clip at the end of a song "for the hottest new tracks be sure to check out <a href="/redir?url=http%3A%2F%2Fhiphopexclusive.com&s=e43827e866b3fc76a257fb54faba31593e8bae2c2397bd3692f898a5f748f454" target="_blank" rel="nofollow">http://hiphopexclusive.c…</a> and producers get the illest new beats"  the songs were old too but whatever
crowd- okay
bartenders- awesome
music- all pirated stale pop rap music. Â live band was cool but mehhhh
I haven't been to many worse places than this one. The food isn't that great, the parking lot is really small and there are quite a few better places within a mile distance. This is the type of place people go to in order to drink way to much and not be able to actually hold a conversation with anyone because it is so loud. Yet at night it gets so busy there is a line just to get in. So if that description is the type of place you're looking for, then try it out. They usually have local bands playing at night. Otherwise, really... go somewhere else.
Review Source:Slammed parking lot. Slammed restaurant. Not an open table in sight. Long line. So the food's gotta be good, right? Not-so-much. People are evidently drawn to this place on a Saturday for lunch, not for the actual food, but for the plasma TVs with various sports. The pizza we ordered was average. Definitely did the trick, but did not live up to the hype of a full parking lot, long line and wait for a table that is usually a sure thing indicator of quality deli fare.
Review Source:This is one of those neighborhood type places. Â There are usually alot of CNU students there but you'll also find alot of business people there for work and their local associates. Â Prices are pretty good for drinks and when there's live music it's normally pretty good but you are slammed up against the band and seating and/or standing room is at a premium. Â The outdoor section is really nice if you can manage to snag a table. Â They have really nice happy hour specials on food and drinks. Â I've had lunch there a few times and it's decent but nothing to write home about. Â A pretty fun place to hang out at night if you don't mind it being pretty loud and packed.
Review Source:use to live in the apartment complex directly across the street from this place. Being from NYC, I'm a harsh critic of most of the night life in the Hampton Roads area. I've only been to this place at night to get a drink. Prices are really good. Didn't notice to much military there, a lot of college kids though from CNU. They had, while I was there a year or so ago, a lot of live cover bands that were decent. There is a small dance floor. It's a decent place I guess if your from the area and just looking to grab a drink or two.
Review Source:
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