Divine Bar

When your reservation is lost due to one of the employees leaving the scrap of paper on which he wrote it in his jeans, you know you’re in for some great service and a nice quality time. Then… the hostess decided that she would say to the birthday girl I was with «chill out» when she asked a question about where seating was available. Great start, guys.
The drinks were good. I had the Dirty Stinkin’ Whoretini… two of them… and it was amazing. It was dirty dirty dirty… and a celery salt rim with blue cheese stuffed olives. But SWEET GOD it was $ 15.50 a pop. after deciding to get a snack so as to not have a dirty stinkin’ vomit and getting another drink for someone, my total was $ 75.
If I pay that much you sure as hell better give me better service. Our waiter, Peppe, saved the evening by being flat out funny… but I won’t be back. They can serve their bad attitude and over priced drinks to unsuspecting tourists… not me and my friends.

I had a great time at Divine Bar last night.
Their Cinnamon-​Cranberry Sangria is amazing. Spicy, sweet and surprisingly strong (though you wouldn’t know it.) And a great deal at 32 $ for a pitcher that serves 6 glasses.
I also had the Tuna Sushi roll which was great. It was a flour tortilla filled with raw tuna, avocado and sushi rice. Then there was this delish wasabi-​mayo drizzled all over. Hard to explain but unique and yummy.
For dessert my friends and I shared the «pumpkin dumplings» which was pastry dough filled with pumpkin spice filling served with butterscotch gelato and fig molasses. Mmmm
Also a great space for large parties… I hosted my book club here a few times and they were always very accommodating.

Good wine /​beer selection.
BUT the food is disappointing and ridiculously overpriced. I’m not the type to complain about cost; I am profligate and manage to piss away my inflated salary each week on eating and drinking out.
Yet I am compelled to comment here. I have been to Divine Bar twice and am amazed that others lavish praise on what I consider offensive. In fact, whenever I Unilocal search for new restaurants I vet each reviewer to see how he/​she rates other restaurants. If Divine Bar produces fresh and flavorful small plates, or Chipotle is the gold Mexican standard to which pacmex cannot compare, then taste is a non-​issue to the reviewer, his opinion immediately discounted.
The apps are MICROWAVED. And even then they are worse than Costco’s microwavable fare:
$ 12 dumplings, each the size of Lance Armstrong’s nut; $ 12 for three tiny empanadas, again, microwaved sub-​Costco quality; and the $ 14 three Verona bruschetta offered cold, soggy beef — comically labeled «filet mignon» — laden with an overpowering and repulsive olive tapenade… and even though I have been here twice, I cannot go on.
Providing an experience that is painful to remember, bad restaurants are like a bad lay: Fuck me badly twice, shame on me.

The Divine Bar was much more paradisio than inferno, all comedy aside.
Dante would have likely spent his life drinking at the Divine Bar and never found time to write The Divine Comedy. That’s how history works I suppose.
For the 21^st Century drink enthusiast, Divine Bar offers evidence of a benign creator’s existence. Clearly cocktails are proof that the Deity loves us and I began my drunken pilgrim’s progress with a five-​o martini. (Vanilla vodka, pineapple purée, passionfruit juice, sugarcane– I feel healthier already listing those ingredients.
My wife fell for the always charming Mr. Pink cocktail, or raspberry vodka, peach puckers liqueur, red passionfruit juice and orange juice. The more exposure to Mr. Pink one has the greater the likelihood of seeing pink elephants.
16 martinis (if I counted correctly) are on the menu so it’s hexadecimal paradise.
The resident mixologist was friendly and expertly poured our libations. The respectably sized bar wasn’t crowded or cramped at 6pm on a Wednesday evening but I can easily see that changing as the night progresses.
Several tables dot the floor and an outdoor area is also available for lounging. A tapas menu is offered but we did not partake.
For pre-​theater or pre-​dinner drinks, Divine Bar offers the poetry of the pour.

Came here on a whim… we were all looking for a good place to kick it after dinner. Didn’t try any of the tapas (restaurant upstairs) so this review is only of the bar service and drinks which is on the first floor.
They have quite a selection of drinks, just by glancing at the menu. i decided to go for a «fruit beer» and because I didn’t know anything about it, asked one of the bartenders to tell me more about them. She was nice enough to give me time in answering my questions (how sweet is it, is it like a wine cooler, what were her faves, etc) and I ended up ordering one of her faves, the peche beer from Belgium ($ 10.50).
Once I took a sip, I knew it was my fave too. It was light, refreshing, full of peach flavor and sweet, but not too sweet as in you feel like you need to see your Dentist the next day. It was bubbly and made me think it was more of a sparkling wine than a beer, but the bottle she gave me sure said it was beer. The raspberry fruit beer (by the same brand) is just as good and the Purple Haze is more of a light beer, not as much sweet flavor.
The bartenders are knowledgeable, friendly and helpful and the bathrooms are clean. There’s plenty of room to sit and relax with your friends. Sit at the bar and watch the bartenders do their thang, sit along the wall opposite the bar or sit in one of the many small couches in the back. The mood lighting is there, the walls are painted red and there are TVs in the corners… the stage is set for a divine time at Divine Bar.

*my favorite: Lindeman’s Fruit Beer. $ 11 each.
*Between the Raspberry and Peach, I like the Peach flavour better.
*wine tasting/​sampling available!

2.5. It might have been 3 if I a) hadn’t just been at a bar that had better ambience and better drinks, and b) hadn’t once been to Divine Bar East (now closed) which had a lot cuter atmosphere.
Divine Bar tried hard with the atmosphere but just didn’t quite pull it off. Decent offering of wines though. My friend tried the South American Reds flight and I tried the Italian Reds flight. Each flight had 5 wines and out of the 5 we each tried we both found one we loved, one we liked, and 3 that we just ok. (Which is fine– that is why you try a flight after all!) We had two tapas as well– the Milano Bruschetta and the Corn Arepas (or something like that). The Bruschetta was good, the Arepas was eh.
I’m not saying I wouldn’t go again, but first I’d check out any other wine bars that might be near the area.

I thoroughly enjoyed this place as this was not the original place I was planning on having dinner at but as it turns out my original location closed at 5 PM. In a hurry via Google maps I managed to find this other place that served tapas, which I was kind of craving, that would also allow enough time to get back to the Minksoff Theater for the Lion King Show. They have a fantastic wine flight selection with all things red and white. I was pretty toasty by the time I got to the show via all these subway trains (thankfully the person I was with wasn’t or else we definitely would have NOT been able to get to the show!)
I liked the different tapas they had here and their hot food is very flavorful. All the food comes really quickly and even though it was tapas, it was quite easy to get full off of a few dishes for two people. The ambiance is this nice red, dark glow inside and I think it would be a perfect place for a party or something as its spacious inside. I liked it a lot!

While it’s becoming increasingly clear to me that all wine bars seem to be named with some sort of horrible pun in mind, I have learned that they don’t need to be horrible on the inside. Unfortunately, that’s not the case with Divine Bar, which most assuredly… sucks.
My most recent unfortunate Divine Bar experience was at a happy hour that I went to that boasted a buy one get one free special. Nice! That’s the kind of deal that forces those who say «I’m only staying for one drink» to stay for longer… and get drunker. But when that one drink costs twelve bucks… well holy hell, I had BETTER be getting two glasses of terrible house wine for that price. If I was here on my own, without the deal, I would have walked out of there instantly. Well, that’s not entirely true… I probably never would have walked in to begin with.

My coworkers and I decided to stop by this place after work for a drink… or two. When we first got there around 5pm it was pretty much empty. We decided to sit outside on their 2^nd floor porch which wasn’t the greatest since the view seemed to be blocked by the surrounding buildings.
We decided to get a bottle of wine and as soon as our waiter poured a glass, gnats started attacking us and our drinks. We wanted to have some wine outdoors with a view but being attacked by gnats w/​a view of… absolutely nothing. was not really our thing.
We decided to go in-​doors and sat in one of their huge queenish-​decorative couches. The place seemed to get more lively around 6−7ish and they all went to go sit out on the porch (i guess some people don’t mind gnats). However, their wine selection was awesome, decent priced, and their empanadas were to die for. If it weren’t for the gnats and fall/​winter approaching we would go back. but I feel that there are better places in the city.

I. LOVE. THIS. PLACE.
Amazing wine selection and their flights are great. It gives you the opportunity to try lots of wines to find the perfect one for your mood.
The tapas are simply mouthwatering. We shared the baked brie with honey sauce (heaven couldn’t be that good!), the empanadas (yum, yum… and yum) and the steak and mushroom brusectta (so tasty and so unique!).
Plus, the service was inexplicably good and you can smoke on the upstairs, outdoor patio. Just a generally comfortable and cozy place with great food and wine. This will definitely become one of my regular hang outs!

When my boyfriend suggested we get brunch at Divine Bar, I had to ask, «Which one?»
The conversation went like this:
«Divine Bar,» he responded.
«WHICH one??» I asked again.
«Divine Bar… you know, around the corner.»
«Which wine bar?
«DI. VINE. BAR.»
«Ohh… Di-​VINE BAR!»
Anyhow, Divine Bar serves brunch on the second floor, outside on the terrace. Sounds really nice, but unfortunately they chose to put up a tent and it totally ruins the atmosphere (I know since I went there before the tent and thought it was awesome). Who knew that sky is so important?
As for the food, I was a little disturbed when I asked for my dish to be made without cheese. The waiter informed me that the kitchen cannot change anything on the menu since everything is premade. This made me wonder: do they have everything in a freezzer and just stick it in a mircowave? Is this like airplane food? Why? Why can’t they make any changes to the food? It very much skeeved me out…
So, about the wine itself… the flights are generous and mildly interesting. Divine Bar is definitely going for quantity over quality as a way to satiate the guests. This didn’t work for me.
If they had kept the dining al fresco without the tent, I might have returned for a bloody mary. Once you block out the sky, I will go anywhere with big windows.

Over 15 flights = awesome.
But the crowd was loud, definitely an after-​work crowd on Thursday. (i was on a date!) Service at the bar only, which was a tad awkward, especially with a flight…
Anyway, I might try going again but only off hours. There are lots of more wines to try!

Absolutely a good choice for a drink — early or late.
I’ve been stopping in Divine, either on E. 51^st or W. 54^th, for almost ten years now. Two things are constant: Gigantic assortment of wines by the glass, and unbelievable friendly wait staff.
Divine had a great atmosphere. Modern yet comfortable. Lots of reds, good lighting, and a few TV’s on sports channels. They have a variety of wine flights, and also about 100 wines by the glass. It not all wine — they have a dozen special varieties of their famous 10 oz. martinis.
Good appetizers, decent cheeses, and a full menu if you want dinner. I’ve hosted private parties here, and the place always goes over well.
If you’re stopping before or after a play, Divine is perfect since it’s right in the middle of the theatre district. Most of their theatre-​district competition is a bit worn and the patrons are often quite aged (you know, like me). Divine rarely has anyone else my age in the place.

I came here for a glass of wine on Monday night around 7:30PM. It was d-​e-​a-​d. That spells dead.
I don’t really have anything bad or good to say about the place. It was fine. The amusing thing was the wine menu. It goes out of it’s way to be super casual; you won’t find ‘hints of chocolate and raspberry and blah-​blah-​blah’. I am quoting from the menu now: ‘It’s the sh*t!’.
I could conceivably say ‘It’s the sh*t’ about a 1080 that Tony Hawk does on a ramp. The last thing I am is a wine snob, but you probably wouldn’t find me saying ‘it’s the sh*t’at a wine bar. Anyway, again, I don’t think it’s good or bad, just amusing.

$ 15 for two of the smallest, boringest crab cakes (with lots of little pieces of crab shell, I might add) ever?!
No.
Fuck you, divine bar.
This is not how you do tapas.

This was our post theater stop Saturday night. We happened to arrive just after a private party left, so we literally had the entire upstairs to ourselves. I don’t know if the service is always as attentive, but we were well cared for.
We ordered some wine and appetizers. I ordered the sweet corn and Maryland crab cakes with the honey, mango and lime sauce. There was very little about this dish that I cared for. Instead, I enjoyed my wine and nibbled on some very good calamari.
Redemption came in the form of a dessert called Pumpkin Poppers, and flight of port. The perfect ending to my evening… Butterscotch gelato, drizzled with fig molasses, sprinkled with candied pecans accompanied by pumpkin filled puff pastries, the perfect companion to my port tasting. I was transported to a state of bliss. (my personal fave was the 30 yr Tawny Taylor Fladgate.)
The bar never seemed to get terribly busy downstairs. The upstairs had a wonderfully laid back feel with great little seating areas and candlelit bistro tables.

Great selection of food and cocktails plus the big attraction — super affordable wine flights of varying tastes and colors — one to suit every one you know and every mood your tongue gets itself into.
The décor and music aren’t bad. Both still left me pining for the now deceased Divine Bar East, but the westside reincarnation captures the essence of a delicious tapas menu, laid back service, romantic/​chill atmosphere and the widest variety of wine flights I’ve yet to come across in our fair city.
Perfect for girls night, or for an intimate date with that special someone. Perfect for any occasion, really. Especially with the full bar, so even non-​winos can take advantage and enjoy.

It truly is divine.
I’ve only come once but had such a wonderful experience, I know I’ll be coming back many more times.
If you can, sit upstairs (unless there is a party of function up there, which I believe there often is). Looking at the menu (of both food and drinks), I was so completely overwhelmed that I had no clue what to order. The waitress was so helpful, and my friend and I went off of her suggestions. So glad we did, but I bet anything we would have ordered would have been equally delish! They food on the menu has suggested «wine pairings» — absolutely fantastic.
My friend ordered the ridiculously decadent baked brie; holy goodness. You’ll probably feel ten pounds heavier after eating it (if you can consume it all) but after tasting it, I completely understood why she felt compelled to polish the whole dang thing off. I had the grilled mahi-​mahi tostadas. MMMMMM!
The dishes are tastefully presented and I just loved the ambiance of the place. There is a tempting dessert menu, but I was so stuffed after dinner and wine that I couldn’t try any. Maybe next time :)

I was taken here when visiting NY and I can’t wait to go back. Dining on the balcony is pretty sweet, although I think I would enjoy the dark interior too if the balcony wasn’t available.
The wine flight comes with a paper menu so you can keep track of what you’re drinking (or at least humor yourself until you’re too tipsy to pay attn). We also ordered the bruschetta which was super delish, as well as the grilled ahi tuna nicoise. The tuna was mouthwatering and perfectly cooked. This is a great place for a date, but also good for nice pre-​bar eats if your with your partners.
Doesn’t my posted pic make you thirsty?