Lea Wine Bar

Less than a block away from Grand Central station, this spot is perfect for grabbing some drinks and snacks before you or your dining partner hop onto the Metro North. It’s a cozy space with a quirky, yet sophisticated décor, so any interior snobs you may be grabbing drinks with will be impressed. The service is speedy, the appetizers are good (though I wouldn’t recommend coming here on an empty stomach since Lea’s has a strong emphasis on small plates) and the Riesling is particularly amazing. Splitting the prosciutto/​goat cheese pizza and the sliders is a good idea– the sliders come with truffle fries… yum! I’ve been a few times and am always looking forward to my next visit.

I would expect more from this place. There is no bottled water, what wine bar doesn’t have bottled or sparkly water? Getting my bartenders attention took too much effort (there was two bartenders). I ordered a bottle of Sauvignon Blanc with an order or edema me, shrimp shumai, and the shishito peppers. Décor wise it’s a classics feel that I feel fits the area. What really would impress me is good service. Without good service accompanied by great food you just have a general establishment. (Booshy bartenders gotta go)

Such a hidden gem! We had our holiday party here last night and it was wonderful. Fury was attentive and easy to work with.
Can’t say enough great things about our lovely waitress — VERY patient with our hungry and thirsty group, had a great memory; nailed it each time and we switched up drinks a lot. Everyone from the coat check gal to the hostesses, the bartenders, and the back of house service was excellent. The passed appetizers tasted fresh and REALLY delicious, and the drinks were consistently well-​made.
Be sure not to pass on the tuna tartar, calamari, chorizo, empanadas and the meatballs.
Thanks for a great party!

Super cute décor, this little gem is hidden in the Helmsley Walkway. With its black drawn blinds if you walk past quickly you might just miss it. The place has a chic vibe with hostesses that resemble eclectic runway models. The crowd, however, appeared to be local finance industry folks. We had the shrimp
Cocktail which was ok. The real show-​stopper was the Marguerite pizza! Ultra thin pizza dough was similar to a super thin croissant and the sauce and cheese was spot on! This dish was sooo yummy we had to order it twice. We also tried the cheese Pom frites with truffles… Oh so delicious! The Tapas here do not disappoint. For drinks we decided to go with a couple of bottles of the Malbec Red Blend which paired nicely with the pizza. We will be back.

Eek. Ordered a dirty martini, and the bartender made me a regular one. I asked if he wouldn’t mind remaking it, but instead of doing that, he just poured olive juice into my drink. My friend ordered a glass of wine and it came with a giant piece of cork in it. Again, she asked if she could get a new glass. He snarled and told us it wasn’t a big deal. He reluctantly gave her a new one, and instead of calmly apologizing, made nasty remarks under his breath. It’s conveniently located near my office, but I wouldn’t go back. Not worth it

This place is OK — it’s convenient for an after work drink (right next to Grand Central) but it gets PACKED quickly. Luckily we put our name in for a table and were seated before long, but the room is so packed you end up eating with drunken suits standing all around you. An extensive wine list and the sashimi plate was good. But I’m not into the douchey crowd. See ya downtown.

Love this place. It’s the perfect after work spot with awesome drinks and friendly staff.

This place is right by work and a glass of wine and a tasty roll is the perfect thing before jumping into grand central for a train ride. I like all of their rolls and he pizza isn’t bad at all, but it’s a bit pricey. The staff is great and I’ve received a nice free wine education from the bar manager over the last few months. Highly recommend stopping in for a dark ambiance, friendly staff, and quick access to a train.

Federico is the best. He’s always moving, making sure everyone is satisfied and happy. The place is swanky and chill atmosphere with great tapas for the location. The place is really only made by the bartender though. Federico is always accessible and you never wait for a drink unless someone else is waiting on you. He also makes conversation while working which is nice when visiting alone. It’s sad to see him go and honestly I won’t return back to Lea’s cause there really is no point without him. Ci manchera’!

This is a pretty good place near Grand Central. It doesn’t feel like your typical shitty Midtown bar. That’s some good wines by the glass, nice décor, and a very good-​looking and attentive staff. The bar gets very crowded and it is a small bar. So you’re better off trying to get a table.

Lea is a hidden gem that’s been around (thankfully) for many years. It is a beautiful lounge, dark and sexy space, which can be tricky to find as it’s in the East Tunnel of the Helmsley building. Since it’s so close to Grand Central, it’s a great after-​work drinks/​light bite spot (they have delicious sushi) to meet friends or perfect for a date. Nice vibe, lovely staff, great drinks and food. It’s a really nice alternative to the Campbell Apt, etc.

Gets quite crowded around happy hour. Slow service. However, sushi and drinks were good.

We came here for a farewell happy hour for our co-​worker. We booked a table in advance for 8 people, not knowing if it was going to be crowded. They had our table ready for us, but it was all the way in the back, near the coat closet and the bathrooms. It was nice to have a more private space, but it really sucked that it had to be in that area. They could’ve definitely put us in a better position imo.
As for food, we ordered the fries, sliders, shu mai, and some pizza. Fries were pretty good as were the sliders. Shu Mai was very moist and soft, but it lacked in flavor. It tasted very bland, just like I had mush in my mouth. I can’t remember what pizza I got, but the meat on it tasted funny. The crust and cheese were good, just the meat’s a bit weird. The pizza was also a very thin crust, so for you thick fluffy crust lovers, this might not be for you. The bottle we ordered was delicious though. Not sure what we got, but it was very good.
Overall, it was an okay place. Food was a hit or a miss. Wine was good, but that really depends on what you order. Service was pretty good though, so I will give them that.

Definetly a hidden gem that has delicious sushi and fantasty drinks. I usually come here with coworkers after work to socialize.

It’s okay. Came on a Monday evening after work.
Note — this is located in one of the tunnels on Vanderbilt. Not the tunnel on the same block as the Duane Reade — it’s on the parallel tunnel on the opposite side. Basically, — you might walk in circles trying to find it.
The space is pretty nice. From the outside, it looks deceptively large. But once inside, the place is not that big.
The crowd is mostly (boring) suits. (Sorry!). Or people with the rolling carry-​on suitcases. So, it’s not much of an atmosphere with the crowd. Maybe later in the week is more lively/​social? Dunno. Unlike other reviews, I didn’t think it was noisy.
The food was pretty good — not great, not bad. Be warned, the pizza is large! So, we ended up ordering way too much food, when considering the pizza. The brie and prosicutto was just okay– kind of bland actually. The mini burgers and guacamole were great. As was the large pizza.
Drinks were okay.
Overall — an easy and safe place to meet for an after-​work drink/​apps. Otherwise, no need to run there.

Dark room, velvet seats, vaulted ceiling high bar shelves — a great place to meet for business happy hour and cocktails. You’ll see more business suits and women in dresses and high heels here than not, and you are served by warm friendly staff who are not afraid to have full conversations with you. It is on the pricey side, but if you’re looking for a more upscale — dare I say adult or grown-​up — bar to hit up, I’d recommend Lea.

Pros:
Great crowded
Excellent service
Very good wines
Surprising menu
Cons:
Small (Gets very loud and crowded fast)
Long lines for the bathroom

Tucked away in a tunnel by Grand Central, Lea is a sexy little spot with delicious cocktails. A friend and I went for a drink late Wednesday night and it was pretty empty, minus a few stragglers from what seemed to be the remnants of a birthday party. We plopped down on some uncomfortable seats by the window and one of us looked at the snow outside while the other watched Olympic skiing on the projection screen lowered over their wall of booze.
Off the signature cocktail menu, we ordered Northern Lights, which was very light and refreshing, and 230 Pimms, which has good, but the basil was too overwhelming. I actually wanted to order a different, whiskey-​based cocktail at first but our server strongly advised me against it because it’s «really really strong.» I should have ignored her because the two drinks above were both weak pours.

This spot is a little more expensive than I usually go for, but it’s easy to eat the cheaper appetizers and feel full. That’s my biggest tip.
Décor is a bit posh, but you’ll see people of all different walks of life here. It was surprisingly not too crowded around standard happy hour on a Tuesday, but that may be because it is semi-​hard to find.
Service was a little spotty, but food came out quickly and did the trick.
i’d come back here to meet up for a drink. The location can sometimes be quite convenient.

Lea is a strategically located bar/​lounge situated in the middle of the passage way on Park Avenue South between 45^th/​46^th Street. With a sleek and dimly lit interior and statuesque waitresses, you have a place that is very convenient for the after-​work crowd on Park going home through GCT along with suits that are looking for a lounge with a bit of an exclusive feel.
Often crowded on weeknights with the exception of Monday, it is a great spot for small groups. The drinks menus is not particular memorable, but the cocktails are actually quite enjoyable, especially the Orchard Mojito. A Friday special happy hour includes a 2-​for-​1 deal for cocktails. Highlights from the food menu includes the cheese platter and truffled pomme frites which very addictive. Food and drinks are priced based on location, so they reasonable for what they are.