Spitzer's Corner

08/07/2008 Posted by myork

Spitzer's is a very bar in a fun area. Great selection of beers on tap and bottle, nice minimalist decor. Too bad I will avoid it on weekend nights for the following reasons: 1. It is overrun by the young upper east side crowd..lots of baseball hats and cute young preppy girls (wait a minute, that's a good thng...). And they'll ALL trying to get a drink! It's like they all got on a bus at Dorian's and it dropped them off on Rivington. What a nightmare. 2. Because of supposed underage drinking citations they've received the poor bartender has to see an i.d. for ever beer she/he gives out. Never mind that you opened a tab and have been previously served several beers for your friends...she still has to see who she's serving. The back bar did not have someone working back there. They did have a server taking orders back there though...he explained that b/c of the citations and having two exits in the back room the bartender has to card everybody. The girl working the bar last friday did her best but was understandably exasperated at points. She needs to pour drinks, not hasslbe people over id's. Let her do her job. So, dear owners of Spitzers, here'es how to fix this place: Please put a bouncer or two at the front door checking id's. Get another bouncer at the back doors. OR, just lock on back door and get a bouncer for the remaining open door. And get a bartender at the back bar! It'll hopefully draw the crowd to the back instead of the crap-show at the front bar. Yeah, extra staff will cost more $$ but I bet you make it up when the bartender pours more beers as opposed to me leaving and spending my $$ elsewhere! I'd love to come back, but under the right conditions:) Respectfully yours...

Pros: great beers, chill atmosphere, corner location in LES

Cons: lame crowd, lack of service

07/23/2008 Posted by cobraman332

I've been to Spitzer's Corner twice and I think I agree with some of the previous reviews that the service can be hit-or-miss. My first time there 2 months ago was an excellent experience. We drank great beer, ate delicious food, and enjoyed the pleasant ambience that this restaurant/bar provides. The service was okay that time, given the bustling late-night crowd. But last night was a different experience: our waiter was unattentive, bouncing back and forth between the front and back areas, and rarely checked on us. We repeatedly sat with empty beer glasses for 15 minutes at a time, with nary a server in sight. 70 minutes after we ordered our food (and it still had not come), I finally got up to speak with the manager. At least he was responsive and listened to our gripes. After discussing the unacceptable service issues, we were treated great the rest of the night and our food came out within 10 minutes (a supposed miscommunication with our waiter caused our food to be delayed... still, that didn't account for the lack of service with our drinks). It seems like the service has declined in the past month or two -- other people who left reviews said similar things... that service used to be good, but lately it's just not up to par. What did give me a little reassurance was that the manager responded positively to our complaints and took care of us after we spoke with him. He was professional and understood our frustration, and he offered to knock something off our bill as a courtesy -- as someone with restaurant experience, I know that he handled things right. Our food ended up being delicious, and a new server was constantly checking on us, refilling our glasses frequently. That's how a restaurant should be run, and even though the service was appalling at first, I am giving Spitzer's Corner 3 stars and I will likely return -- the beer selection is fantastic ($6-$8) and I just can't get enough of the grilled cheese w/ tomato chutney.

Pros: Excellent Beer Selection, Delicious Food, Reasonable Prices, Great Ambience, Responsive & Professional Manager

Cons: Spotty Service