Elevate Restaurant & Lounge

For a hotel restaurant and lounge Elevate is a great value. Fresh oysters, the happy hour menu is yummy, although the service was lacking a little.
Back in May I ordered the ribeye mid rare. It was the best steak i had in a while for $ 20 bucks. The sushi was fresh!
I would definitly come back again.

Awesome awesome awesome! Best happy hour in the lower east side! $ 1 dollar oysters and .50 cents little necks! OMG! $ 5.00 lycheetini and gummy bear martini. I’m sold. Not always many people there but they don’t know what they are missing!!! Can’t wait to go back!

Wow! Ended up at the hotel to view the meeting space on the 17^th floor, amazing view if you ever get a chance to see.
Decided to try the food. It’s kind of ironic that the restaurant is called elevate but it’s located on the lower level. I digress. Haha.
Sashimi and sushi was incredibly fresh and delicious. Also had the ribeye steak special — OMG. Medium rare and perfect (full disclosure: steak-​snob here).
Whatever complaints I have of the place, like the over vinegar ginger dressing or very small portion of mashed potatoes with steak — were overshadowed by the deliciousness.
Don’t be thrown off by the fact that no one was in the restaurant. Food was on point.

The fact it took me an hour to get miso soup is a war crime. It took 2 waiters — covering a whopping three tables (a total 7 covers!) — 20 minutes to get me water and tea. No wonder unemployment is so low, you idiots have jobs!
I am now a Satanist knowing that a greater power shoehorned what passes as legal intellect into you people!!!

Came here for a quick dinner with the SO. Let’s get straight to the review:
AMBIANCE:
The space is fairly large with a bar and some TVs for sports viewings. We came here on a slow day, so it was mostly empty. White leather sofas and a classy feel to the restaurant. Since this is located in the new Wyndham hotel, I would expect a classier design for the restaurant — no disappointment here. Restrooms are clean too!
Just one note. I noticed the utensils provided were very cheap in terms of quality. it felt like plastic even though they were technically «silverware.»
FOOD:
Happy Hour $ 1 Oysters
— Surprisingly fresh!
— Huge oysters, had 2 dozen of ‘em.
Various Sushi Rolls
— Their rolls are fresh and tasty
— Had better, but these are adequate enough to satisfy my taste buds
Duck Breast
— I’ve never actually ordered a restaurant-​style duck breast entrée, so I decided to get it here.
— Tasty but was EXTREMELY salty — ended up asking for a new one.
— Second time it felt like they completely left out the sauce that was on the duck breast. so now it tasted kind of plain.
— Nevertheless, still tender and juicy with a crispy layer of skin
SERVICE:
Service was great, though I’m not sure how the service would be if the restaurant was packed.
COST:
The cost was decent for a «high-​class» restaurant in Chinatown. Well, you can’t beat the $ 1 oysters during happy hour. Everything else was fairly priced, even the sushi rolls!
You should definitely give this place a try!

I feel like the food quality keeps downgrading more and more each time I visit. My first experience here was for my friend’s huge birthday dinner and everything was fantastic. The special oyster selections they had were super fresh, creamy and sweet that time. But I remember their «live uni» were really briny so I learned not to ever order it from here. I’ve been here countless times, and each time it gets worse and worse. Today I came in for happy hour, my oysters were extremely fishy that my stomach turned a little the moment I downed one in. Plus they ran out of live scallops today and told us their new fish orders comes in on Wednesday/​Thursday. Maybe I just happen to always come on an off day… Hmm I don’t know but I really didn’t want to write this review because I really hoped to remain liking this place and wished everything consistently was good. The bartender Felix still whips up really good drinks though!

Only been here for the happy hour by stumbling in randomly but it was a hh on a Saturday! From 5−8pm which is pretty sweet and they had great specials like $ 1 oysters, .50c clams, $ 5 cocktails, etc. Nice little spot. The rooftop is cool too but it’s a different more expensive bar with a nice view. Elevate is in the lobby and it’s nice to just relax. Small but quaint. Friendly bartender. I’m definitely coming back after work.

*This review is based solely on the happy hour and outdoor dining.*
I came here early on Friday evening around 6 to meet up for a friend’s birthday happy hour. I love the outdoor dining set up that Elevate Restaurant & Lounge had and the right cozy, hip music that was playing, Service was on point!
I had the Jack and Coke, pretty expensive for a happy hour. It was strong, more jack than coke. I also tried the Passion Fruit Martini which tasted a lot like passion fruit, not as strong.
We also ordered some appetizers. The fries were extremely yummy. We tried the fried calamari which was okay, not the best.
I wouldn’t mind coming back here for happy hour again especially during the warm weather. It was definitely relaxing to drink on a nice, sunny, warm evening. Looking forward to my next visit.

Happy hour $ 1 oysters that aren’t gross and are actually thoroughly clean! That alone is like hitting the lottery! This isn’t one of those places where they limit you to 2 dozen either – oh no, you can order and gorge on an unlimited number of fresh, quality oysters! Let’s try not to tell anyone about this spot, just between us, okay?
If you’re not on some kind of oyster only diet, I’m very serious when I say everything here is delicious! The sashimi is very fresh and the presentation does not disappoint. They serve it omakase style which looks as good as it tastes.
My favorite item on the menu was the seafood pasta, which I have to say – if I were alone, I still would have ordered two for myself. The seafood was fresh and the sauce was simply delicious – I’m still trying to figure out what they threw in there. My pasta sure doesn’t taste like this.
For dessert we had this RIDICULOUS vanilla bean panna cotta. It was so creamy, and it came with a side of guava syrup-​topped gelato. To be honest, I don’t remember what kind of gelato it was, but I sure remember that dessert.

good happy hour. They martinis are very yummy. Lychee martini was delicious
food on the other hand was just ok
my friend ordered some sushi rolls which were just mediocre and I had the steak and frites which was pretty bad and dry steak with not much flavor
I got sick from eating the oysters here so I say stay away from the oysters
I wouldn’t mind coming back here and have their cocktails and try other tapas

While the food was good, the experience was disappointing. We chose this place for the 50% off Scout Mob deal. Since we wanted the deal we decided to overlook the fact that it was almost completely empty at 9pm on a Friday. So weird. Then we could only get the servers attention if we flagged her down. We ordered two different rolls and an appetizer. It was all pretty good. The major downer though was when we were told we could not use the 50% off since they had a 30% off deal running (presumably this Unilocal one? Though it wasn’t advertised). Why would you have two deals running at once? In any case, come here only if you don’t mind an awkward dining experience.

Cool, casual vibe at the bar. I had drinks & munchies with friends during Happy Hour (5pm — 8pm). The staff is friendly and makes you feel welcome.

For a hotel restaurant and lounge Elevate is a great value. Not only does it have an awesome happy hour 5 to 8 PM ($ 5 specialty martinis and $ 3 beers, $ 1 oysters and $ 5 tapas) but awesome food as well. Seafood is fresh and prices are very fair especially for a hotel restaurant.
I was skeptical at first because I am usually really wary of hotel restaurants that I don’t hear about, but this place is very pleasant surprise. The menu does not only include sushi and other Japanese dishes but also some traditional american for those who are not very adventurous.

A few of my friends came here separately and didn’t seem to enjoy this place.
I thought it was actually quite good. It’s a small restaurant in the basement of the Wyndham Hotel.
I ordered the surf and turf which included filet mignon and lobster. The sauce that came with the lobster was delicious and the filet mignon was cooked medium rare and came out tender. I also ordered sashimi and was surprised at how good the quality of the tuna was. I find a lot of tuna in NYC is usually not very fresh. The cooked sea bass was also very crispy, which gave it a good texture on the outside.
For dessert, I decided to try their new dessert, basil panna cotta. This was actually my least favorite part of the meal. The consistency of the dessert was very grainy and dense. Not like something you expect when you hear panna cotta. The basil flavor was also very strong and not sweet at all, which is very odd considering it’s a dessert.
The price is normally quite pricey. I normally wouldn’t come here, but I had a coupon deal for $ 50 for $ 100 worth of food.

Elevate is by far the classiest joint in Chinatown and with their 50% food promotion what better time than now to give it a try. Everything we ordered was beautifully presented: the sashimi tasted fresh and the rolls were creative. I took quite a liking to the crunchy things on top of the filet mignon rolls, but i think it was because I couldn’t figure out whether it was potato, radish, or noodles, and it drove me crazy. Everything is worth trying except maybe the lobster salad. That is definite skip… trust me!

I was indecisive between giving this place a two stars or three stars, but I think based on the price you pay and the quality you get, this place is more like 2.5 stars.
It was the second time I came to this restaurant. This place was almost empty the first time I was there, a little more people on the second time. I had a groupon, so I made a reservation a few hours ahead. The groupon was for $ 50 worth of food, which couldn’t
really get you a lot of of food there. We ordered the followings:
Monk Fish Liver Pâté
Triple Crab Roll
Kiwi Lobster Roll
Sushi Roll Combo
All these food exceeds the $ 50 already.
To summarize quickly, the rolls tastes good, but they are nothing special. The monk fish liver pâté was VERY VERY tiny in portion, but the sea urchin tasted pretty fresh.
When they gave us the bill, I was SHOCKED to see that they put a 20% gratuity on the bill. 20%?! Are you kidding me? I would accept 15% because there are only two of us and because of the fact that we used a groupon, but 20%?
I am sorry, I am just not coming back again. With the groupon, we paid $ 55, which means we could have gotten better food from other restaurants.

The 50% off tempted me to give this place a try. I’m so glad I did! I wasn’t sure which oysters to order, so I tried them all! I had the Rainbow Roll, Elevate Roll, and the Spider Roll. I got to try my friends’ Red Snapper and Sterling Silver NY Strip Steak. Ohhh my god. The food was heavenly!
All I’m craving now is the sweet combination of oysters, the oh-​so-​fresh sushi combinations, and warm, juicy steak!!! I can’t get enough of the Passionfruit Martini! I know I should try the other drinks, too. Well, that gives me a reason to go back for more oysters!
Oh, 50% discount, wait for me!

Review for the Bar area only.
Service attentive and fast. Good spot to have a quick drink while watching TV. Drinks are pricey, ($ 12) for well drinks in a whiskey glass. Area is very small, but it is a full serviced bar in the hotel’s basement
I can see travelers getting a quick drink after traveling or leaving to travel at this small spot in the corner of the hotel.

Contrary to its name, Elevate its actually located in the hotel basement. Elevate has a very classy modern interior with leather couches and chairs along with calming music. A fair trade-​off for the expensive prices of the menu items.
We ordered the:
Scottish Salmon ($ 22.00) — Nice presentation and the salmon had perfect grill marks. There was a nice flavor but the meat was a tad dry. (⁷⁄₁₀)
Guacamole Roll ($ 10.00) — Salmon, tuna, and striped bass all in one roll with a wasabi guacamole which added a nice kick. Looks like wasabi guacamole ain’t just for game show punishments anymore. (⁸⁄₁₀)
Elevate Roll ($ 16.00) — A roll named after the restaurant has to be good right? Yes it was. Much of the flavor came from the smoked salmon/​spicy mayo combination. And the slices of fried garlic added a nice touch to it. (⁹⁄₁₀)
Being right smack in the middle of the real part of Chinatown, there are so many more affordable options for food. But Chinatown does need a place where you can eat and drink without loud patrons around you. The presentation of the dishes are top notch and the attractive happy hour menu is worth the second visit.

I’ve had my eye on Elevate from all their stellar reviews so I was more than happy to come here for a 15 Year commemorative event for an organization I was a part of in college.
Elevate was nice enough to reserve the entire back corner for us and allowed us to use a Groupon for the big group (20 people). A bunch of us came and went in droves and they were accommodating as well.
The reason why Elevate received 3 stars is because it didn’t necessarily blow me away. Sushi was heavily featured in the dinner menu, so most of us ordered a few rolls. The rolls were average priced ($ 14 – 15) but the number of pieces meager and the taste was not extraordinary. One of the girls ordered the pork chop which was actually huge but also came with a huge price tag.
Elevate really tries to come off as an intimate place for dinner but its’ layout and the glaring red EXIT signs everywhere just screams «HOTEL RESTAURANT!!!» It was a good choice for the type of event we were looking to host, but I don’t think I’d come back by choice.