Thom Bar

The rooftop at 60 Thompson has been one of my new favorite after work spots. Great drinks, snacks, DJ, and a breathtaking view of the Empire State Building to the north and One World Trade to the south.
Get a strawberry mojito.

This is a cool space. We had a table for a friend’s birthday. I really dug the music: mix of hip hop, motown, pop. Although the songs didn’t blend well together. Went on Saturday, and the place was dead. Maybe because it was Super Bowl eve? Our waiter was nice and happily obliged to be our photographer for a few minutes. :)
The drinks were good… the same as Kittichai. I had a dirty martini which was only OK. I think there was vermouth in it, which I hate, but that’s my bad for not saying so. You can make some fast friends with the people staying at the hotel.

With a lot of hype surrounding A60, my friends and I headed to this location to check it out. Unfortunately, it was closed due to the weather, so we went for the next best thing, Thom bar.
On a Saturday night, it wasn’t too packed and we were easily able to enter after passing by the burly bouncer. For a hotel bar, I was pleasantly surprised. It’s sleek and modern, but has a unique old fashioned vibe to it that I really enjoyed. Plenty of sitting and dancing room as well makes it perfect if you don’t want to stand at a bar for hours.
Drinks are high quality and decently priced for a NY hotel bar. Never had an issue with the bartenders.
The DJ that night was spinning a great mix of old school hip hop, relaxing lounge music, and a bit of EDM here and there. All things you could easily dance or sing along to. This makes for a wonderful vibe, especially after a few drinks.

For my first review of 2014, I will review where I went for my NYE party. A friend of mine stated quite succinctly, «I want to get dressed up, go somewhere nice and talk to adults». I agree completely with that statement. Thom Bar is definitely a place for adults. It is the hotel bar for the Thompson Hotel, tucked away upstairs from the street.
It is laid out more like a lounge (vs. nightclub) with plenty of places to sit with some additional private tables that are recessed into the wall, so the whole table area is more private — sort of like a cabana. We booked one of those tables. We were greeted warmly greeted at the door and quickly escorted to our table. The staff was very friendly and our server came by our table often enough to get drink orders, etc. and quickly turning them around. The music was a mixture of electronic and hip-​hop. It was loud, but we were still able to easily carry on a conversation.
I really liked Thom Bar. Upscale, but with a very relaxed vibe and excellent service.

This should be a good place. Too bad the staff doesn’t understand customer service.
We were all staying at the hotel and arrived reasonably late (around midnight) after dinner. We ordered drinks and all was good. We ordered a second round, and ten minutes later, someone who was not our bartender or our waitress arrived at our table to tell us we had five minutes to finish our drinks. His name was «Racine».
Five minutes later, he told us we had to leave.
I’m playing $ 20 a glass for a nice bourbon. I do not intend to drink it like a shot. When we protested, Racine (that’s his name) told us very firmly that we had to leave. We were quietly sitting and enjoying our drinks — not in any way being disruptive. When we pointed out that the girls at the next table (who were guests of the DJ) were still enjoying their drinks, he said that he was telling us we had to go and to ignore them.
Mr Racine took great exception to being disparaged as we were evicted — but seemed unable to understand why we were upset at being poured a hundred dollars worth of drinks and then being old to leave. He seemed far more concerned with reinforcing his stature with the DJ than with the hotel’s paying customers. This is the type of stunt you expect from a cheap bar, not an expensive boutique hotel.
Usually I stay at the W. I’ll continue that trend next time.

{2.5 stars}
Visited Thom Bar on a recent Wednesday night for a private event. Before I was able to get inside Thompson 60 got upstairs I was stopped/​greeted by a bouncer-​like-​concierge guarding the front door. When I told him I was looking for the _​_​_​_​_​party, he smiled, opened the door and pointed me in the right direction.
Upstairs on the 2^nd floor I found a lobby full of guests and double doors leading to the Thom Bar. The room is nice, and even with its tall ceiling the low lighting and draperies made for a dark and intimate setting. There’s plenty of seating around the perimeter of the room and the low tables add to that intimate feel. Beyond the low lighting and dark drapery there was nothing else to the room. No artwork, no décor of any kind really. Maybe that’s why they keep the lights so low?
Opposite the seating is a full bar, stretching the length of one wall. When we first arrived bartenders were extremely attentive… we had barely finished our drinks before they had trays of others ready for us. As the room began to fill up it was obvious that the bartenders got a little overwhelmed. I’m sure this doesn’t happen on a nightly basis… but if you’re hosting a private party w/​upwards of 100 people– you should probably add a few more staffers, right?
Drinks that were served up were pretty good. They served us up a vodka mojito, which didn’t sound appealing at all when it was first presented, but was bubbly and refreshing and kinda delicious. Trays of food also made their way around the room… something called a mustard cracker (I think) was terrible and I nearly chipped a tooth biting into it, but the mini Philly steaks were delicious.
After a couple hours or so we decided to venture up to the rooftop. According to our hosts it was available for all of us with the private party to see. We were instructed to go downstairs and see the concierge. Enter bouncer dude from earlier. One of the gals in our group explained: «we’re with the party in the lounge and were told we could go up to the rooftop.» Bouncer-man’s response: «rooftop is for hotel guests only.» «But we’re guests at the lounge…» to which bouncer-​man answered with a firm and sort-​of rude «No, I can’t let you up.» Bummer. Not getting rooftop access wasn’t the worst thing, but it was a bit of a buzz kill on the night. We ended up leaving for another venue a few minutes later.
Would I recommend the Thom Bar? Eh. It was an ok spot. It was nice to visit for the event but I’m not sure it would make my after-​work-​meet-​up-​with-​the-​gals-​for-​a-​drink list.

Great place to meet up with friends and especially a good go to spot to take out of town guests. There is no pretentious line. The lighting is dark but you can still see your friends faces. Music was a mix of pop/​hip hop/​techno. The drinks were NYC prices $ 15 for cocktails. Nice comfy couches, that could fit all my friends. Came with a group of 5. This was our second runner up after we tried to get into Jimmy, the rooftop bar in the James Hotel… which apparently was guest list only after 9 bc they were having some private parties. The bouncer from Jimmy recommended this place. Not only was he super handsome but he made a great recommendation to this place.

Came here on a Monday night with few friends. it was pretty empty throughout the night. I like the décor and drinks are classy/​tasty. Not so much of the price, but it’s pretty standard price for a bar like this in NYC. no complains !
I’ve also been here few year ago during the weekend night. it was definitely more clubbing/​crowd.
I enjoyed my time/​drinks/​service here.

We ended up here in search for a rooftop bar, but just as we arrived, it started lightening, and they wouldn’t let us up on the roof. We were winding down for the night anyway, so rather than go searching for another bar, we stayed at the Thom Bar on the 2^nd floor of 60 Thompson.
We were lucky in that we were in the mood for something fairly low-​key, but not dead, and on this particular Friday night, that is exactly what we got. I would imagine on a normal Friday night I might have been disappointed that it wasn’t more lively, but if a lounge atmosphere is what you’re in the marked for, check this place out.
Also, as a Scotch whisky drinker, I was very grateful for the generous pour, pretty much a double. I’ve ordered whisky a few places during this trip to NYC, and while the prices have held pretty steady from place to place, Thom Bar was the most generous with the quantity.

I came here on a Wednesday night for a drink with a friend, after hearing all about the A60, the rooftop. Unfortunately the rooftop was closed because of inclement weather, so we ended up at the second level bar. It was a really cool, dark, intimate space. It reminded me somewhat of a library. They had a pretty decent drink menu, with some interesting cocktails, but nothing out of the ordinary. I enjoyed the lychee martini, however my friend had a version of a caipirhanna, which was a bit too salty. As for drink prices, they were what you would expect for a lounge like ThomBar — about $ 14 – 15 dollars a piece. Overall, I think this place was good for an after-​dinner drink, but not sure I would come back when there are a multitude of other cocktails bar to try in the city.

I’ve been here twice, once on a weeknight and once around 11:30 on a Saturday night. This is a decent plan B or plan c destination. The DJ seems prone to playing stuff from the 80’s and 90’s that you wish would stay in the 80’s and 90’s. The décor is generic but nice enough. The service is fine, but not special. The crowd tends to be badly dressed guys around forty, somewhat attractive women around forty, and slightly chubby women in their thirties and late twenties. I’ve seen maybe two hot girls here. The dress code is not fashionable. This doesn’t seem to be a thin bar.

Located inside a hotel… in which, there apparently is a mysterious rooftop bar thats vip only.
well, of course, if I’m not reviewing that alluring rooftop, it means that the Thom bar was a default fallback. The first stop of many for our night of bar-​hopping. A good place to start — well made cocktails goes well with our still non drunk and sloppy selves…(only referring to myself, none of my other lovely friends are as much of a drunken mess as i am…)
Yes, lots of black dresses and the latest (debatable) fashions. Girls in skyhigh heels and gentlenmen trying to impress them. But, a great first stop to get the night going, to bitch about the girl with the Hermes bag and the guys flashing the black amexs…
and, of course, great place to default to when braving the rooftop, but failing.

The Thom Bar is a stylish lounge with plush seating and sleek décor. It’s dimly lit and there is a mixed crowd of people. The music was pretty good if you disregard the DJ doesn’t know how to mix songs. There was a mix of pop, r &b, reggae, & hip hop. I went for a birthday celebration and the staff was courteous and friendly. The drinks were good but a bit pricey. I had a good pineapple caipirinha which could have been just a bit sweeter. We had seating near the huge window. While there was a curtain, it was chilly. Overall a decent experience. I want to go back in the summer and see if I like it better.

The Thom Bar is always a dependable fall back bar to take friends from out of town, or a spot to start the night, or you want to make your boss happy by throwing a fabulous holiday party. Thom Bar is all that for me. I’ve been going here for years. After a tantalizing meal at Kittichai, the perfect night cap is at the Thom bar.
I recently had a private event for a work holiday party and the Thom Bar did an awesome job. From the food, to the music, to the cocktails — everything was perfect. To make 40+ people happy is the bane of my existence, but everything worked out perfectly and I had nothing but compliments all night. Everyone LOVED the food: the beef satay, the fish cakes, the sea bass, the short ribs, the mango papaya salad — all of it was yum. I think we might do this every year…

Lame lame lame.
Totally cliché «trendy» NYC bar that thinks its waaaay cooler than it actually is. It is the Ed Hardy of the manhattan bar scene.
We went on a Friday night for someone’s birthday party and the bouncers downstairs stopped us to try and give us a hard time. We told them what party we were here for and they went into a diatribe about how the person did not make a «reservation» yada yada yada.
I had enough and I essentially said:
«Look to be honest I have no idea who the guy is. He is a friend of a friend. I’dont want to waste my time right now, so just let me know. If I’m not going to get in, please just tell me. And if I am going to get in, just let me in. There is not need to play this game right now.»
Bouncer #1 then says he is going to go upstairs to check on how BIG the crowd has gotten. He comes downstairs and then tells us to enjoy our evening.
We go upstairs and guess what it sucks. Super expensive drinks, pretty cheesy vibe, and really bad set up to walk through.
I then get a text from a friend saying that they can’t get in because they are wearing sneakers. I found that hilarious since I looked down and saw that I was wearing sneakers myself.
I went downstairs to figure out what was going on and the same knucklehead bouncer tried to explain how my sneakers were «fashion» sneakers. I then responded that my friends sneakers were actually nicer and a more coveted collectible item than mine. Finally, we told them to f-​off and we got the hell out of there.
Horrible experience, rude people and the bar actually kind of sucks.

The Pineapple Caipirinha was alright but I left immediately after I finished. Thom Bar would be a great location to film a documentary about Cougars.
I’m going to buy a Safari hat and try to pitch this idea to The Discovery Channel.

I’ve been here a few times and always enjoy the drinks and the chill ambiance. It’s pretty svelte, but not too pretentious.
It looks like they may have taken the Thai Iced Tea Martini (one of my favorites) off of the menu for the summer. but I do love the extra refreshing Cucumber Kiwi (a blend of said ingredients and apple and vodka). Yum. This drink is beyond cool, I’d venture to say that it could even take the place of Gatorade as a post workout drink … if it wasn’t $ 15 and full of vodka…

A bar located on the second floor in the hotel at the same address, the 80’s and early 90’s loud music here seems to clash with what I would’ve expected as a slightly more sophisticated bar… at least from the wooden and hung animals on the wall appearance. There’s a very nice seating system in multiple large «booths», a DJ running the music, and spaces outside to lounge in. Lots of people making out on the booths.
The drinks themselves. a bit weak, but oh, well, I can’t really expect to get good drinks here, just expensive ones.

We stopped by Thom Bar for a few cocktails before dinner at Lupa. It was crowded, even early on a Saturday evening but we were able to grab some space at the bar. Drinks were expensive but my pineapple caipirinha was one of the best cocktails that I’ve ever tasted in my life… and believe me, I’ve had A LOT of cocktails.
Our bartender ignored us for a while (I feel like such a New Yorker!) and one of the hostesses gave my friend serious attitude when she first showed up looking for us (and she is a New Yorker!) My suggestion — stop by early in the evening and grab a fantastic cocktail before heading on elsewhere.

Sounds like Martha had a nice evening.
I, however, must relate a story that demonstrates why I will NEVER give money to those assholes at Thom ever again.
I had been to Thom, like, a zillion times. Braved the crowd, bought the overpriced drinks, crushed in with the scenesters, wannabe glamsters, and dilettante rich kids. Whatev.
Fall, 2004, a friend and I were slated to meet some of his friends, one of whom was having a birthday. They were, believe it or not, having dinner at McDonalds, because birthday girl wanted her impecunious friends to be able to afford it (I realize this logic is tragically flawed, but work with me, I’m just the messenger).
Fortunately, we missed dinner, because birthday girl is a flake and called us when they were almost done. No big. They’ll call us when they figure out what the next stop is.
We head to Jeollado, the mediocre sushi of which is a whole ‘nother review, so I’ll spare the details. Eventually, we get the call; head to 60 Thompson, meet them there. Not thrilled, but alrighty.
At 60 Thompson, the clear glass doors are closed, and there is a large bouncer (approximately 8’11″ and at least as wide), who leans his fat head out to ask what we’re there for. I tell him we’re meeting friends who are celebrating a birthday. He asks us to wait, and starts talking on his radio, ostensibly trying to locate our party.
After a few humiliating minutes standing there like dorks waiting to be vetted by someone with the brain capacity of a learning-​disabled musk ox, he leans out to let us know that he can’t find our friends. «Sorry». Doors closed.
HUH?! Granted, we weren’t dressed to the nines, but we weren’t dressed like slobs either.
I knock and ask knuckle-​dragging Cro-​magnon bouncer if we can go in and look for them.
«Nope.» Doors closed.
Having never been screened here, I was curious why we were being barred. I’m also not a fan of that sort of exclusivity. I mean, hey man, we’re all humans here, right? We weren’t nefarious homeless people who smelled bad. In fact, I like to shower AT LEAST once a month. And that’s whether I need it or not, but I digress…
Knock, knock. Cro-​magnon sticks his head back out and without looking at me, makes it clear he wants to know what I want.
I ask the obvious, «Is there some reason why you’re not letting us in?» He responds, «After 9pm, only hotel guests are allowed up in the bar.» This was a weeknight. I’d been to this place on some crazy Saturdays and walked right in.
Still mystified, I said, «Is this some new policy? I’ve been to this bar at least a dozen times, even recently, and never encountered it before.»
Cro-​magnon man says, «That’s the policy.» Doors closed.
Friend shakes his head. Utter disbelief. Another guy walks up and brainiac bouncer opens the door and tells him the same thing, no non-​hotel guests after 9pm. I looked over at the new guy and said, «They’re just makin’ up rules here. This is unreal.»
Just then, a crowd of more than 20 men and women, dressed no better than we, walks up to the door, and moose-​for-​brains bouncer, without even hesitating or saying a word to ANY of them, opens the door and lets the entire line in. THAT’S WHEN I GOT PISSED.
I started asking each and every one of them as they walked by if they were staying in the hotel. Each and every one of them gave the same answer: «No.»
Then, something possessed me to make the leap of logic that I could actually confront this experiment in the brains/​brawn dichotomy with his own double-​standard and make him see the light.
Knock, knock. Doors crack open. Moron sticks his head out, doesn’t look at me, but is indicating he’s listening. I say, «Not a ONE of those people is staying at this hotel, and you just let every single one of them in. Can you tell me why you’re letting them in but not us?» Doors close.
Meanwhile, a few people had exited the hotel, one of whom was a moderately attractive, underdressed (jeans, running shoes) female, leaning against the building smoking a cig. She’s drunk. She’s teetering.
She looks over and says, «Don’t you know how things work here in NY? Where are you FROM?»
My blood=boiling.
I said, «Who the fuck are you? I was born here, where the fuck are YOU from?»
She teeters. Drags on cig. Says, «Why do you think I can get in, dressed like this, and you can’t?»
I said, «I have no idea, but I don’t need to hear this shit from the likes of you.»
She stands. Drags. Looks over and says, «Do you know who my father is?»
No, she didn’t actually say this, did she? Yes, yes; in fact, she did.
Correct response: «No, but every dog in town is denying it.»
My response: «#!@#$^$%#&#%^&#&#%!!»
She leans, teeters. Pauses. Says, «You know, there are some really nice bars in New Jersey you guys could go to.»
My friend: «Oh, NOW you’re being an asshole.»
Me: «(Expletives deleted)!!!» directed at teetering loser babe. We leave.
Never. Going. Back.