Revel Bar

We bought a Groupon to try Revel Bar out; and it was one of our better purchases lately. I loved the intimate space, our waitress was super friendly and attentive, and the drinks were reasonably priced. And hookah! It’s not something we partake in often, but it’s a fun. The atmosphere was fun, and there was a nice mix of people. We’ll definitely be back.

Can I even begin my story about how this is not a good fit for BV. The most inconsiderate Peeps I have experienced. Don’t want to sound rude. Will save my thoughts on this but NO!

I want to like Revel… Im unsure about the identity of the space. Its a dark lit intimate space with hip and upscale style seating and couches. The TV’s are everywhere which is a good thing. Is it a bar? A dive? A hookah spot? Or a nightclub? They played music videos or mainly hip hop and some pop of like 4 or 5 years ago. So a lot of hip hop but the vibe was more like south side dive bar.
The Interior is on point but this adds to the confusion. We ordered a hookah for 20 bucks which is typically the standard price and two drinks. The tab was reasonable. We were not able to use our groupon because it was after 9pm this I did not know. Ok well we had to adapt.
Besides our table, only the bartender was smoking a hookah. This was an issue. You cant have hookah option and no one smoke it! The music was not current at all. The people at the bar were playing Yahtzee… lol Yahtzee! Some other group was shooting darts. We needed some coals for the hookah. The bartender came from behind the bar and to gather the hookah and take it to light the coals in the back. Big issue! Take a note from Casablanca and light the coals in the back and get a hookah bowl for the coals and bring them out to the table. This takes to long to take the hookah, light the coals and bring it back to the customer.
I wasnt able to use my groupon, so I will be back to cash that in. After that I wont go back unless changes are made. On a weekend night at 10pm people were playing Yahtzee as a owner you have to look at that and make changes. They should add special nights to attract a more diverse crowd (no people of color on this night) and more people, it is to big of a space to be so empty.

Decent happy hour. The bartender was not engaging — he was prepping and smoking his hookah

Revel Bar gets the two (and a half) stars for the beautiful space: gorgeous décor, beautiful wood and brick walls, and lovely seating. But I have take away stars for the crowd, music choices and the poor staff.
Although the male bartender who served us our first drink was friendly, the young female bartender was FAR from friendly and couldn’t even utter a thank you as we closed our tab. This bar has a Water St/​East Side feel with a majority of men (I would consider bros). I had wine and Scott had East Side Dark. For two drinks each, our bill was $ 26. Not bad… But I probably won’t be back.

Not a big hookah guy so was a bit skeptical. Not what I expected. Great atmosphere. Phenomenal staff. An all around great bar whether or not youre in to hookah. And for not being a hookah fan I actually enjoyed it here. I’ll definitely be back and I don’t live close. Was absolutely worth the 40 min drive.