Foundation

march 2013:
The Grey Goose bottle was 100% water!!!
BE CAREFUL! THEY WILL TRY TO SCAM YOU!!!
I ordered bottle service (because I think she lied and told me the manager had a table reserved for me, when I never talked to him, i was there for the DJ) and then the same bartender (small asian girl) brought out a bottle of 100% WATER in a Grey Goose bottle. When we drank it straight and told her it was water, she pretended she promised that she opened the bottle in front of me (actually, SHE IS LYING CUZ SHE DIDN’T — she didn’t bring out the bottle until after I had paid and tipped her.) Then she immediately opened a brand new bottle and gave us a good one.
If she was in fact, NOT GUILTY, she would have tried drinking the bottle with WATER in it first, instead of just taking our word for it. But she didn’t even put up a fight and she looked nervous, telling us not to tell the manager about it or she would get fired.
My brother was SO PISSED OFF that he approached her again she asked him to come back later for a discount — the third time he went back, she immediately handed him $ 120 cash just to get us off her back.
I don’t know what kind of shady establishment this is, but the story gets worse. I just checked my credit card bill and SHE CHANGED MY TIP AMOUNT!!! WHO DOES THAT!!! i will dispute this charge to the credit card and also take it up personally with the manager.
This is NOT OKAY.
People are paying 300+ for a table to sit at a a bottle of alcohol to celebrate and she is trying to bust a SCANDALOUS CROOKERY like this!!!
Where is your integrity, woman? I am ashamed that you are a young Asian woman, like me. Don’t ever bust this kind of thing again. I hope you get fired because people should get what they pay (lots of money) for.

Stopped by to see a friend working here and was expecting a lot more. Have you ever, by chance, watched «K-​Town» on Youtube? Everyone. looks. like. that. Sorry, I’m Asian and I have nothing against my fellow Asians, but DAMN! Anyway, moving on.
Drinks are expensive, even for the Lower East Side.
Music was pretty good.
No cover!

I went here last weekend and it’s not a very good bar. The only gimmick this place has is a stripper pole. Pretty original.
Also the health department shut it down a few days later. I wonder what was going on there. Nothing fun or clean apparently.

This place is hit or miss. The space is good and the DJ actually plays music other than house/​techno (thank God!). Drinks aren’t the cheapest, but they’re not extremely overpriced either. There are 2 bars, so that helps a lot. Plus, if there are empty tables, you can sit at them without worrying about being harassed by a bouncer or management.
If the crowd is good, you’ll have a kickass time here. If it’s dead, well, I’d suggest finding another spot.
PS: No cover!

I feel like this club has potential, but I’ve missed out on it the past couple of times.
I came on a Friday night and it was pretty empty, though it’s always free, not too small and plays pretty good music. I then came on a Saturday and they said it’ll get packed around 1am (why do NYers party so late?). The bouncers also said Fridays aren’t as happenin, so come on a Saturday and when it’s warm out. Will have to see when that happens!

What the hell!!!
What bar requires you to have a $ 30 minimum on the card and does a 20% included gratuity on the bill when you are paying for yourself?
.
.
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Foundations does! So stupid! Music wasn’t even that good. Never coming here again.

Walking into Foundation, you know what you’re gonna get. Many Asian people, overpriced drinks, pretty decent music.
Theres better options in LES though

Semi fancy lounge with sort of expensive drinks. Bring those drink prices down a bit and continue to not charge cover and things will get better.

Completely empty on a Friday night. So empty the bouncer warned us. We checked it out anyway so my friend could say hi to the bartender. Needless to say we left immediately to get some pizza.

Likes:
1. Great music! Hip hop and trance music are playing all night long, including top 40’s and old school tracks.
2. No cover charge all night
3. There’s two stripper poles that I can play around with if I’m drunk: P
4. Crowd is mixed but predominately Asian.
Dislikes:
1. Drinks are pricey and tasted watered down.
2. It is not a big lounge.
I’ve seen better places in the city.

On my quest to find a new place in LES, we decided to check Foundation on a thursday evening. After my initial visit I have come back here a couple of times.
First of all this is one of the many places in LES which is easy to get in with no cover charge and unwanted drama from bouncers. This place has two bars one in the front right next to a stripper pole and other in the back where the actual dance floor is located. They have ample seating all along on the way to dance floor in the back. They have the restroom in the basement which is a unisex restroom, the attendent is a awesome, stop by and talk to him.
The DJ plays little bit of everything right from old school, top 40’s and hip hop depending on the night. The drinks according here are overpriced and are not that strong.
This place is just average and nothing really special stands out about this place.
FYI– If guys you like asian girls and girls if you like asian guys, the this is definitely the place to be :)

Music: Good! I love the music here!
Drinks: Not watered down. My friend kept telling me that it was too strong, but in my opinion, it wasn’t strong, but at least it wasn’t watered down.
Venue: Small. There are tables at the side which makes it look like a club-​wanna-​be, but you can actually sit at the tables if you want to! Not like in clubs where the bouncer won’t let you sit at the table unless you pay $$$$$$
Special feature: the stripper pole.
Toilets: there is a toilet attendant who will tell you which cubicle to go to because both men and women use the same toilet.
Crowd: Diverse
This place was ok, but I probably wont’ be back.

I’m pretty sure my back hurts because of our 45 minute stint at Foundation this past weekend.
Maybe it was the stripper pole?
Maybe it was the fact we had multiple, overpriced $ 9 shots?
Maybe it was because I switched clothes twice with my girlfriend in the bathroom?
Maybe it was, in fact, the stripper pole?
The world may never know… but till then, Foundation is a pretty fun place to hang with your (Asian) girlfriends.

I was so skeptical when we first walked in and it was completely empty except for a group celebrating a bachelorette but the music was pretty good (hip hop, r&b, dance music. The drinks were pretty good and not as expensive as other places can be on a Saturday night.
The bathroom is unisex with a bathroom monitor and it is located downstairs so be careful walking on those steps! There is a weird sign that says Dancing is Prohibited but I think that’s because there is a dance floor in the back area which fills up pretty fast. By the time we all looked up and realized it the place was packed and everybody was jamming to the music.

This is another one of those nightlife hubs outside of K-​town I’d consider an «Asian spot.» So if you like District 36, Hiro, and Circle, Foundation might be right up your alley.
Been here twice now, and they actually play some decent music, which I can appreciate. But I really hate the layout of this lounge. It’s super narrow, and impossible to walk through when the place is crowded with people. Everyone is screaming/​shoving past/​dancing practically on top of you, and you’ll probably get a drink spilled on you at some point. The bouncer yelled at me for falling asleep, but ignored all the people who were dry humping nearby. Come ON.

Get to the Chase:
Pros:
1) Great DJ
2) Small narrow area, but not too packed, so enough room to get yo grind on
Cons:
1) Nothing fancy, and drinks are standard city prices which seemed more watered down from the usual…

Nothing, good or bad, really stood out about Foundation.
— Crowded LES bar/​lounge
— Friendly doormen (from my experience)
— Never lines
— Crowded dance floor in the back
— Random seating along the sides and tables in the back
— 2 bars, one in front, one in back
— Drinks are pricey for a LES bar imo… well-​drinks run abt $ 13 a pop

How many Asians can you cram into one place? A lot!
This place is definitely of the Asian persuasion, and tonight, I was here with my Asian posse to celebrate a birthday.
I arrived around midnight, and thought I would have to wait in an atrocious line to get in, but I was pleasantly surprised. Within a few minutes of being in line, I was in!
I don’t normally go club-​like places, but I made an exception for my friend tonight. After all, it was her birthday.
It was fun to get down and dance. I liked the music. Hip hop with some old school classics like OPP and Notorious BIG, and even LL Cool J. Damn I haven’t heard LL Cool J in a long while.
Not a place I would go regularly, but fun for a large group and no cover.
The drinks were also decent. You are going to pay Manhattan prices, but at least they put some alochol in it.
So, if you’re looking for Asian blood, some good hip hop and a night of dancing, this is a great place to hang…

I went here on a Friday night this month to celebrate my birthday and overall had a good time. I had bottle service (2 for 1 special) where the only fee I wasn’t told about in advance was a $ 50 service charge for the free bottle. Other than that, the cost of the first bottle and the 20% gratuity were expected. They were also extremely prompt with returning my e-​mail inquiries. Manny helped us and was very prompt and polite. They brought two sparklers over with the bottles since it was my birthday, poured the first round of drinks for us, and offered to take a group picture.
Maybe it’s because we got there at 10:15pm, but there was no line and the bouncer was a «funny man.» One thing I didn’t love, however, is that the pictures on the website make the place out to be much larger than it actually is. When you enter, there is a door to the lower level where there is a unisex bathroom (wasn’t creepy/​dirty just dim lighting) and coat check (It was mandatory?! But only $ 3 and I wouldn’t have wanted my coat with me in a place like that). The pictures that show a long wall are pics of one long section of wall opposite the seating area with the pole, the bar, and the dj booth. At the end of that section is a relatively small, but more open lounge area. But, that might just have been my misperception of the photos.
The music is extremely loud and there was a lot of dancing after about 11:30/12 when people started coming in. Music was a mix of top 40, rap, hip hop, pop, and a little r&b that could keep you dancing. We asked the dj for some reggae and he agreed but never played it which happens in most places. The crowd is good, very mixed, but mostly young people. There didn’t seem to be anyone older than 25. The bartender mixed strong, but good tasting drinks but I don’t know how much they cost because people bought them for me.

I LIKE this place!
We had our wrap party for our TV show pilot «Not Another Reality Show» here last nite (Saturday nite) and it was a grand old time. You show up and there are 2 suited door guys at the front, behind a velvet rope. Let them know why you’re there and you get right in.
Once inside, you realize that the place is thin (not very wide), but it’s long. Even with that considered, it’s still not a very big place, which is something you look for usually when you think about a place being a lounge, and this place is lounge for sure.
When you walk in the décor is nice. Chandeliers (sp*) are the lights and off to the left is the bar. Next to that is a very large banquette big enough to comfortably fit 2 groups of people. Past that is the DJ, who was ON POINT last nite. go a bit further and there’s a hallway to the left that leads you downstairs to the bathrooms, which are unisex (i think). Past that is another bar and another banquette and that’s the end of the place! Two huge seats and 2 bars, there’s exposed brikk too, which gives it the loungey feel as well. Something else they did well was not allowed a lot of people in. There was a good amount of people but it wasn’t wall to wall like other lounges end up nowadays.
Because we were there for our own special event (at first) I’m not the person to ask about how much drinks are here. Also, this place apparently used to be called Rewind, and I wasn’t there when it was that place but I would recommend going to this new place Foundation, it’s a great lounge that i will definitely be returning to in the very near future.