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28th St-Broadway (R, W)
34th St-6th Ave (B, D, F, V, N, Q, R, W)
33rd Street (PATH)
Mon-Fri. 8:30 a.m. - 12:00 a.m.
Sat. 5:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
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Wow. Good service. Good wine. Good cheese. And chocolate? Did someone just plop heaven down in Herald Square?
Absolutely unbelieveable. Then there is the ambiance, which is UBER CHIC though the outside is really the place to be -- so fun for summer evenings. I loved everything I ate. We went for just a drink and ended up ordering some cheese at the bar. Then we were chatting with the bartender, who convinced us to try the white bean spread, and then we moved to a table and wound up getting dinner. My waitress so nice and knew so much about the menu.
Our bill was massive but that was only because we ordered a lot. In fact, for what we got, it was cheap. They have this great Mediterranean salad and their filet is fabulous, done really really well. My friend had the seafood pasteravioli and loved that too. At dessert the waitress recommended the motlen cake but of course we wanted to try the chocolates too, so we did a little of both. I have to say the chocolates were good but the cake was probably the way to go! By the time we were ready to leave we'd been there so long they were treating us like family.
So fun I can't wait to go back and try other things on the menu.
The Herald Square area (square-a as I like to call it (pretty sure I used that joke about Union Square (err the Union Squarea) already)) is pretty much completely devoid of appealing eating destinations.
Sure there's Little Korea, but if kimchee just won't cut it, you're left with nothing but the chains, and the appealing signs for surf and turf at strip clubs.
But, there is an oasis amidst this draught of anything worthwhile. And it's called Ayza. This tiny little wine bar is easy enough to miss while you walk around depressed and with your head down since you're hungry and can't find anything good. But heads up my yelping friend, because if you pay attention, you'll be in for quite the treat.
Especially if you're there during the warm months, and can eat outside. That makes it all the better.
Ayza rocks an awesome Prix Fix lunch for ten bucks that offers up your choice of a soup or appetizer, and an excellent just-gourmet-enough sandwich. (Go for the Roast Beef, it's greast. Or anything really..) Did I mention it's only ten bucks? Have you seen how far that gets you at the smattering of crappy sandwich shops in the city?
I try to avoid the Herald Squarea at all costs, but if I'm there despite myself, I have to thank the wine bar gods that they gave us Ayza as shelter from the storm.
Straight up sexy in a glass. This place is smokin' hot.
My man and I lingered here over some classic chocolate martinis and a couple of glasses of Albarino. The martinis are pure vodka but taste like straight chocolate. The shavings of chocolate on top are just the right touch. The bartender also served us up a chocolate truffle to enjoy with our drinks. We'd never heard of the wine Albarino before, but it's now a favorite of ours (we'll be searching for it in the wine stores back home in DC). Definitely a highlight of the trip to find this place, thanks to the Yelp app on my phone.
I've been here twice - my second time around was WAY better than my first and I've boiled it down as such:
-Don't come with a group larger than 3, 2 is the perfect number since it's uber tiny and big groups will probably not get really good service
-Sit at the bar. Sitting at the bar gave us direct access to water refills and free bread with olive tapenade refills
-Go at 730 on a Mon night
Prices are on par with most wine bars. I didn't try the chocolate aspect of the place but my friend's chocolate martini looked super yummy and it came with a truffle. I had a veggie panini ($8) and really nice glass of Syrah ($9) at the bar and there was no pressure to finish quickly.
I came here for my bday, with a group of close gals, very tiny place.. they don't take reservations.
i took a chance got there around 9ish, they were kind enough to make room and help accommodate my friends and i, i think i was just alil overwhelmed with the whole birthday deal i didn't get to really enjoy this place...
The little that i did eat, i liked...but the desserts i wasn't too impressed.
I'd like to check it out again and give it another shot =]
This place was a total disappointment. Brunch was very dull, space was small and weird. I had been looking forward to it after reading their PR. But the concept was much better than the implementation.
No
One of my friends picked this place for a bunch of us from college to catch up on each other's now grown-up lives. That's one thing I can say about this place--very grown-up and sophisticated. However, it's also very tiny and cramped. They keep the outdoor seating available with heaters in tents even during this time of year because they just don't have the space to fit in more than 10 tables.
Small space aside, the atmosphere is very relaxing and the dessert menu is a decent size and offers a good variety of dessert cocktails and pastries (don't expect a Max Brenner menu though). My friend thought I was going to be a huge fan of the dinner menu as well, but it took me forever to decide what to order. For such a cosmopolitan place with high-end prices, I was expecting more than pizza and panini. In the end, I went with an assorted platter of brie, paté, and prosciutto. Served with baskets of toasted melba, it was all very delicious but the small portions didn't fill me up, even with all that bread. For dessert, I went for the warm chocolate molten cake. It was yet another disappointment because the cake was barely room temperature. Where was the warmth, the molten, and the oozing chocolate that's expected of a $9 chocolate soufflé?!
Ideally, I would give this place 2 and 1/2 stars. Lucky for them, Yelp doesn't do half stars and I'm a nice person as long as there's good cheese, chocolate, and company.
AYZA looked so out of place on 31st street as it had such a swanky exterior that was far better suited for MPD or Soho. They had a larger area for outdoor seating but being as it was sub-freezing temperatures we quickly hurried in. Inside, the place is deceivingly small. There is seating for maybe 40 people? You think it goes to the back or there is a second level but there isn't...
The chocolate martinis came with Jacques Torres truffles! I got the classic which I expected to be reminiscent of a TGIFriday's mudslide and I was SO wrong! It was clear but tasted so chocolaty and good. It was like an optical illusion. My friend had the raspberry chocolate martini and that had the creamy consistency I was looking for. Her drink was fantastic and I would definitely get that next time.
Either way, AZYA is a great place for a night cap after a yummy dinner, it's the perfect date (or double date!) spot :-)
BeHappyNYC
I went here with a group of my family for an after dinner glass of wine with some chocolate. The chocolate was great. The wine was great. They even found us a nice table inside for all 8 people. The music was too loud and the place just didn't seem to add enough to make it worth coming here. I think we would have just rather stayed where we were instead of leaving to visit this place.
I knew this place was going to be small based on reviews but I was surprised at how small it was. This place is teeny tiny, but its cozy and my party of 8 was well accommodated. We were placed outside under a heated tent and we were all comfortable. Our waiter was sweet and our food was great. My friend and I devoured the angry chicken lollipops but I expected more anger. I guess I would say these pops were more umm upset...They weren't really what I call spicy at all.
I wish I didn't come here as starving as I was. My medallions of filet mignon entree was really good and I loved the port reduction sauce but it wasn't filling. I wish the portions were bigger. We all ended up ordering several delicious desserts: warm chocolate molten cake, silky chocolate mousse, cheesecake (ehhh), twenty layer crepes cake, chocolate cake etc
I was still hungry :/
Like many others have noted, this place is small! Even knowing that, you'll still be surprised at how small it is. The outside dining area is about twice the size of the inside and I'm sure in good weather it's a lovely spot to eat and drink. But due to the size limitations, this place is designed for couples (or in my case, a coworker during lunch), not large groups.
I tried Ayza because I saw the Facebook deal - become a friend on FB and you can get a glass of wine for free. Free booze and/or food will always draw me in, so I friended them (as did my coworker) and we headed over to try their lunch special - prix fixe $10.
For $10 you get a choice of a starter (a soup or app) and mini-panini. Looking at the full menu we determined this was the best deal, so I ordered the fava bean spread as my starter and my coworker got the hot artichoke salad (like spinach-artichoke dip, without the spinach). For my "meal" I ordered the portobello mushroom and roasted red pepper with smoked mozzarella cheese panini and she had the proscuitto panini.
Everything was delicious, but as it turns out, their portions are as tiny as the restaurant. Luckily each dish came with a small green salad, quite tasty, and they started us off with an olive spread, olives and bread. This helped, as did the free wine (you get a choice of three kinds of wine to choose from), but it wasn't a lot of food for the money. On the other hand, it was pretty good, so I guess it's a fair deal.
All in all, it was pretty good. One thing to note, you cannot make any changes to the paninis. For instance, I wanted the pulled pork panini but without the cheddar cheese. I thought that was an easy request...just don't put the cheese down on the sandwich before you press it, but the waitress very quickly said "no, we can't do that." Oh well.
After eating a full plate of rice/meat from a cart near Rockefeller, my friend and I came across this restaurant as we were walking back to the subway. "They have wine pairing with chocolate!" my friend told me. Why heck, we must try it then!
Since we both were close to blowing up, we decided to share a selection of fine chocolates with two tastings of wine. I was excited. I've always wanted to do a chocolate wine paring thing, so maybe my expectations were too high. The chocolate selection was nice, as was the wine. But the knocking off of 2 stars? Lack of expertise/knowledge. We asked our server questions about the pairings, and she had no idea.
Which chocolate should go with which wine? Which do we try first? Nada. I was disappointed. And so we feebly attempted to take mini bites and take a swig of wine, trying to determine which brought out what taste. It was a fun, but somewhat fail attempt.
I felt like an oompa-loompa eating here. Every dish arrived in this sort of anti-climatic way as they placed the miniature portions in front of us. Also, my friend pointed out that the waitress had no personality, I think I saw a battery fall out at some point.
When I think of dessert places, I think of Finale in Boston or maybe even Max Brenner here. That's my basis of comparison and this doesn't match up. Even this hit of a twenty-layer crepe cake tasted like cream cheese in a crusty shell.
I really don't see myself coming here again.
Oh and make a reservation, or you'll be out in the cold.
This place is so tiny and cramped, it felt like a railroad apartment. The wine and vegetarian panini I had were OK but nothing special. The Jacques Torres truffles are really cute and yummy though.
The food here is delightful and the wine selection is extensive, but is is not a place to go with more than one other person due to the small space. That said, it is a great place for a special dinner or date. I recommend their cheese selection for anyone who is interested in cheese and wine parings without pretension.
Came here to eat when I was visiting some friends in nyc. It's a bit pricey but the good thing is when you are on vacation your money is actually just monopoly money (you should try it, all your vacations will be a blast with this method).
The first impression of here is great. You feel that you are in a sophisticated trendy place with all the outdoor seating and inviting red umbrellas. We had reservations and were promptly seated and also brought complimentary chocolates.
Normally I don't drink much but seeing as I was using monopoly money I decided to order the chocolate peppermint martini. For $15 i thought it was pricey but it was very delicious. You had a great peppermint taste and nice shavings of chocolate in it as well. The only downside is that I took so long to drink it that some of my chocolate settled on the bottom of the glass and I had to get creative to figure out how to get it.
For my entree I got one of the lesser price items in the smoked chicken breast with irish cheddar. It was pretty good and filling. The interesting thing is it seemed even more filling than some of my friends other options. The greens provided with this were also fresh and delicious.
For desserts my friends raved about the twenty layer crepe cake. I got some more of the chocolates (hazelnut and a milk chocolate).
Overall definitely recommend coming here. Would be a good place to bring a date as well or just come for drinks and chocolate.
Humanely portioned lunch pre-fixe, sloppy, sloth-like service.
Soup, panino, and greens--for my tastes, that's a boring meal, but it's an elegant $9.95 pre-fixe when lunching with unadventurous or finicky eaters.
A chilled cucumber and dill soup wasn't strained well, but tasted palatable.
It took a solid 45 minutes for my panino to arrive, and when it did, it was not what I ordered. The error was corrected, and the new sandwich was so lopsided in construction--roasted red pepper and Portobello--it was like eating two different sandwiches. I never even saw a chocolate menu.
i finally finally had a chance to check out this place, and to be honest, it was just alright. my first reaction came from the size of the place. it's incredibly tiny inside!!! they sure do utilize the space really well though because somehow they are able to fit a considerable amount of tables and people inside. but as you can imagine, it's also really cramped up. so much so, i was nearly bumping elbows with the person sitting next to me and literally heard their conversation like i was part of it.
also, i really do not want to give this establishment three stars (they deserve more like two stars), and that's because they really need to do something about their service. while their food is actually good, not to mention they also have a fantastic selection of wine (their syrah was probably the best i've ever had, no joke). but it's a shame that we were pressured to leave so quickly. the servers would come to our table at least every 5 minutes to see if we were done with our wine and food. i understand that they had a line of people waiting to be seated, but it's a wine bar...people are supposed to take their time to enjoy their wine and their food.
Okay, so it has actually been awhile since I have been here but I realized I probably needed to talk about it since I am currently in the middle of a chocolate phase and thus will be needing to come back.
One rainy September night (and by rainy I mean Tsunami style, my boots are ruined!) I met two of my fantastic friends at their new condo in "slowly-being-gentrified" Spanish-Harlem (SpaHa!) so that we could zoom on down to a friends birthday party at Ayza. None of us had been there yet and thus didn't know if they had food and we were all STARVING. SO two hours and tons of sushi later we made a rather fashionably late entrance to Ayza.
First impression: Boiling hot and SMALL. Probably not the best choice to hold a birthday party with tons of your friends. However I recognized Turkish music playing and that made me happy. After sitting down (after waiting for a chair and being cramped in the doorway between the bar and the bathroom) I downed a few glasses of wine and a few delicious raspberry martini's. Follow that with a sampler plate chocolate that had around 6 unique and divine pieces of handcrafted chocolate, I was content in a alcohol and chocolate stupor.
Nice atmosphere but cramped (what's new? It's NYC) and delicious chocolate. I would go back with less people and maybe sit on the patio. Overall a nice place, cozy, okay prices.
here's a formula for you guys, Wine+Chocolate= Win a Girl's Heart
I like the cozy environment at Ayza, and i'm not just using that word to mask the word small, is has a charming feel for NY. I enjoyed lunch here with my girlfriend. We both tried the sangria, which was delicious. We had their lunch special which comes with a small appetizer and a small entree. I remember fresh and fine tastes of hummus and pesto. Very enjoyable, though Azya is on the pricey side. I recommended this place to a friend, and he thanked me for the great impression it had on his date.
Wine and Chocolate I think It would be pretty difficult to mess this up. We got there kind of late, I would say 30 min before closing and having worked as a waiter i know how annoying that can be however the waitstaff was very nice despite the situation. We started with some wine flights and some apps. The wine selection was good and the food was good. The chocolate that came after though, that was amazing. If we were not closing the place I would of ordered more wine and more chocolate and repeated until I passed out. I will come back for sure. Its a great place to bring a date because what girl does not like chocolate and or wine... no girl i want to date thats for sure.
Great place to meet w/a couple of friends, date or even a group. The inside restaurant area is small however when the weather is warm they do have a lovely outdoor patio.
The food is delicious; had many of the appts [6 shared] and some serious cocktails!!! When the bill came after spending approx 4 hrs our bill for EACH was about $50...not bad. And I drank 3 or 4 chocolate raspberry martini's that were HEAVEN!!!
Dreaming of my return trip for more cheese & meats and chocolate martinis MMMMMMM!!!!
We came here for some drinks and appetizers before a concert at MSG, so location was perfect for that. The waitress came over right away with some samples of their sangria, which was very good, so we decided to have a few more glasses.
Their appetizers are OK. The Angry Chicken Lollipops were good, fried shrimp dumplings and hummus were just OK for me.
Their wine and chocolate selections are huge, and we tried some of the homemade dark chocolate covered cherries and dark chocolate with hazelnut, both were delicious.
A nice place for drinks and dessert.
The idea is the coolest for me..chocolate and wine... you got me there. BUT.... 3 stars?? well, I spent the whole night watching myself trying not to slap the ppl at the neighboring tables.
I'm telling you, Ayza is small.. very small. I went in a cold sunday night, and it was crowded. I was even following 3 conversations at the same time (at least 1 was between my date and me).
besides this....Wine, Choc/Desserts and Food:
The food was ok. The assorted chesse platters is not a huge selection but it's nice . I'm so much into the goat ones. Not a fan of charcuterie, but anyways we order Prosciutto, hum could be much more better. We also order the vegetarian panini.. another just ok
However, coming with the dessert...gosh, again watching myself; this time trying not to eat all that they have... the Belgium Chocolate Covered Strawberries are out of this world.. (in betw, 1 order is enough for two).
The wine selection is also really, really good. Huge and reasonable prices for wine.
At the end, AYZA is what it is... Wine and Chocolate.
And yes, I'm coming back cause I think I need more than 1 dissapoint? experience to rate Ayza with accuracy... let's see.
2 final Ayza hallmarks:
- very nice outdoor seating, where I think the "i don't have space" issue doesn't make sense
- and definitely, a date spot qualified
To celebrate the close of a long and trying project, a team of three fine ladies headed to the most obvious place for fine ladies, the Wine and Chocolate bar between the my office and Penn. Much to the surprise of my host, she found herself in the company of two vegetarians, which proved to not be an issue here. Upon sitting at our table our waitress presented us with sweet little sake cup of red sangria which I would have probably ordered if the other two girls in my party were not ordering the a "build your own" wine flight, which turned out to be an ample offering for a mere ($16) http://www.yelp.com/bi...
So up until this point everything is pretty fabulous, we ordered an assortment of small dishes which I can only describe as midgetly... seriously, like swimming in a cold pool shrinkage sized. The Hummus ($7) http://www.yelp.com/bi... was the worst offence with its smear of dip and like half a pita. The Mozzarella Di Bufala ($12) http://www.yelp.com/bi... was four tiny bits of juicy cheese dressed in bright basil. I think we all giggled at the site of the Cheese Plate (3 for $12); the Aged Parmigiano Reggiano, Herb Goat Cheese, and French Brie were served with a single strawberry, a sliced up nasty caper berry and creepy gelatinous fleshy guava paste http://www.yelp.com/bi... The only ample offering was the Wild Mushroom Pita Tart ($9) http://www.yelp.com/bi... where the not overly musty mushrooms mingle nicely with herbed goat cheese.
I begged my ladies to share the twenty layer crepe cake, but they were adamant that we eat chocolate, so were shared the not-shareable-sized Warm Chocolate Molten Cake ($9) http://www.yelp.com/bi... as I longingly eyed the crepe cake on the table next to us. While I enjoyed the company of the evening, I left Ayza underwhelmed and concluded this is probably just a nicely presented tourist trap.
Recently came here for dessert and some wine. The ambiance here is trendy and lively. If you can get a table outside early in the evening when the weather is nice, the setting is perfect. We came here on a Saturday evening just to chat before heading elsewhere, and the crowd was overall pretty sexy, in the 30s to early 40s range.
Although I didn't try any real food from the menu, I did get a glass of wine and the twenty-layer crepe cake brulee. This dessert was delicious, albeit just a thin slice of "cake". Imagine alternating layers of light creme and crepe with raspberry syrup drizzled on the side. The dessert was sophisticated and not overwhelming at all. It wasn't overly sweet and there was no dense cake in the actual dessert.
The food that flowed from the kitchen smelled lovely and generally looked pretty fresh and tasty. Overall, a good casual date spot before heading somewhere else. I'd be back, but only to sit outside. The inside was a bit too small, cramped and noisy.
Brought le girlfriend here as one of her little birthday events (unfortunately for me it lasts an entire week). We decided to try their sangria and ended up having a few more glasses of it. Wild Mushroom Pita Tart w/ Herb goat
cheese and truffle drizzle and the Angry Chicken Lollipops are what we decided to have.
The food was pretty good but it wasn't until dessert that we both really fell in love with what Ayza serves...Twenty-Layer Crêpes Cake Brûlée. I've had differing variations of this cake and none have been as well put together as this. Light, airy, not overly sweetened, not flattened, simply amazing...My girlfriend actually requested if we could take home an entire stack of these rather than a single serving. Unfortunately for us we couldn't, but we can now at least identify the chocolate bar to get the best Crêpes Cake Brûlée in New York.
The only downside to Ayza is the size. Though they do have outdoor seating, if you're going there in the colder months and you feel like having a seated table, you may want to get there a little earlier than the rest. If you're visiting NYC definitely take a look at Ayza though and you won't be disappointed
Came to Ayza last night on a hot date. I was so thrilled to have my three favorite things in one spot - wine, chocolate, and my boyfriend.
The b/f wanted strictly cheese, wine, and chocolate. But, I needed some veggies in the mix and decided to make the meal a bit more well rounded by adding the arugula salad (w/ dates, walnuts, green apples, etc) into the mix. Great choice on my part!
The weather was perfect for sitting outside, sipping wine, and nibbling on chocolate. Great ambiance for a date night!
Recently went there and had a really nice time. Great for date night or simply a night out with the girls. We experienced the wine flight with cheese, full entree dinners, and of course, delicious chocolate. The place felt heavenly after indulging in all the rich foods. This place has options for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians.
I came here for a friend's birthday dinner, which was a fun time, but the food was, eh, sub par. This was another one of those experiences where if it clearly looks like a dessert place, you should just order the dessert and don't think about the food no matter how much you're craving something savory.
Three of us got the panini, one got the grilled calamari salad, and we ordered two appetizers, the wild mushroom pita tart and hot artichoke hearts (which was more of a dip). The panini was affordable, but honestly I think I'd opt for one of those pre-made sandwiches at Murray's cheese over this one. The bread wasn't pressed enough and it should've had a crispier crust rather than a hard cardboard crust. (There's a difference.) The wild mushroom tart with goat cheese was a disappointment...It tasted like something I could've made at home by slapping together a flat bread, some goat cheese, and cut up mushrooms, then heating it in the oven for ten minutes. (If you like goat cheese, I highly recommend La Sirene's goat cheese tart...I ate this tart with the memory of that one in my mind and I was sorely disappointed.)
For dessert, we had a molten chocolate cake, which was delicious, but for a chocolate cake to be delicious is pretty much required/standard for a chocolate bar...So, sorry, no extra points there.
Bottom line: Do not come here for food! Come here for dessert!
Located in a not so trendy neighborhood, Ayza was surprisingly packed. Despite it being a nice Friday night, I would have only known about this place because I passed by it once when in the area.
Small, so the crowds are not fun, I was immediately told that the inside seating is primarily for those who intend to have dinner. Because the outside was already full and it didn't seem like anyone was leaving soon, the waitress was nice enough to give us a seat inside. The chairs are high and definitely more like bar stools than sit-down dining chairs, it was a bit hard to get in them (I'm particularly short). They were also way too near to the other table, for my liking.
They offered a shot-like glass of their sangria to taste. Which definitely made us order the full size versions. Because we all had something heavy to eat prior, we had some light fare with their cheese and meat platter. Brie, Manchego, and Parmagianno were the cheeses, with pate and I forget the other one, but it was italian and really really good.
In between the platter and the truffles we had more drinks. Each and every bite of what we ordered was deliciously prepared. The various combinations created with the bread provided and our platter each brought a smile to our face.
We were surprised at the total, BUT, realized the drinks racked up. So if one to be moderate with the drinks, well...it can still be a bit pricey, but still a great food and drink experience.
We felt so shi shi and grown up. We'll definitely go back. But probably earlier before the work crowd gets out, or sometime early or mid week. It's all about avoiding that crowd.
So I admit, I could have eaten just about anything after 11-hour plane ride and thought it was a top-five meal.
That being said, Ayza definitely hit the spot. You start with the staff pouring you a complimentary sake glass of sangria, which was very good.
I ordered Angry Chicken Lollipops w/ Spicy, sesame,
hoisin sauce and crispy rice noodles as well as the Asian Steak Tartare with sesame wasabi soy sauce and some creme fraiche. I ordered more tapas style, so not sure how the entrees were. They looked great on the menu, but not sure of the portion.
When eating at a new place, I'm always tempted to have something that has their name on it, and this place had a couple. Ultimately, I went with the Ayza Panini w/ Turkish dry sausage, imported kasseri cheese, tomatoes, pickles & kema sauce. It was getting close to food coma time!
Of course, you have to go a little nuts and a place that calls itself a chocolate bar. So, I had the piano piece of chocolate. I chose the Piano, which was piano-shaped piece milk chocolate filled with soft butterscotch caramel. Pricey ($3.75 a piece), but good.
The best was definitely last: the Twenty-Layer Crêpes Cake Brûlée. Very good and loved the raspberry drizzle.
So, yes, I ignored the table next to me defending their lecherous boyfriends (seriously, rationalizing bad behavior sounds like you are their defense attorney, rather than their significant other), or no heat lamps for a chilly evening. For going to a place on the fly, however, I am greatly appreciative of the food.
This place is great! The service is very good. The waiters are always attentive, but not intruding. Often the owner would come by and check on the tables. He is interesting to talk to.
The food is very good. The Asparagus soup is great! You must try the molt wine. It's great for winter and only $12 for a small pitcher, which is enough for two.
It's 20-something degrees out, the bar's packed and that's the time you decide to prop open the door for an extended period of time despite the protestations of your freezing customers? Poor form, AYZA. Really poor form.
Your twenty-layer crepe cake was quite a delight. But when the check was dropped unceremoniously in front of us, though we hadn't finished up nor asked for it, the lingering sweetness was quickly swept away.
In the end, AYZA, I could've gotten over your woefully tiny and strangely situated space but the indifference of your staff forces me to put you on my "not likely to return to" list.
Nice decor, decent food, nice little hideaway, if you don't mind the crazy music...
I know why I have never been to this place before. I don't have many friends that like wines. I think girls like wine bar more than guys. This place isn't all that big and its off K-Town.
Having said that, I like this place. Its interesting. I been here 2x, sat at the bar the first time, and at the table area the 2nd time. If you want to see the cool concoction that they make, definitely sit at the bar area. I was questioning the bartender what he added to the champagne to make it fizzle (it was cube of brown sugar). He also added blueberries in another champagne. It just looks cool.
The decor of this place is quite contemporary modern (a good mixture of red and black, but not too busy to look chaotic), but nothing special. Their chairs on their side table is a bit high. Not very comfortable to get out or in to. They also have plenty of out door seats, but they only have 1 bathroom, so that might be a problem in the summer time.
I had the Ayza White Cheese spread, and a glass of rose wine. The cheese spread is light and delicious, but tasted almost like a tuna mayo mix, even though there's no tuna in there (there might have been a bit of mayo). The rose wine is excellent, although quite strong for a rose wine. I like the light balance of flavor in it.
The prices also varies quite a bit. While my total came out to $21. Ppl in my group had bills close to $40, and none of us ordered any entree. So if you are bringing a date, be sure your wallet can handle the workload.
One other thing. Just be aware, this is not your avg. quiet wine bar. You won't hear light jazz or Starbucks kind of music here. Instead, you get the "Mortal Kombat" opening theme, and some wacky techno dance beats. If that kind of music is a distraction to your palette, you should go somewhere else.
I went to a chocolate bar & didn't even sample the chocolate...wtf is wrong with me?!
Small, cute little spot with a nice selection of wines and tapas-esque menu. My friend & I shared a cheese platter and enjoyed a quiet night, which was surprising seeing as it was a Friday night. I would go back to order the mulled wine; they offered us samples by the door and I'm always a sucker for mulled wine in the winter. I wouldn't be surprised if there are long waits at other times of the year.
Ayza is truly the diamond in the rough for this area of Manhattan. I dread any errand that brings me in the vicinity of Penn Station and certainly would never choose this area as a point of meeting, until now.
I had to make a return at Macy's after which I rushed over to Ayza to meet a friend who was coming from the east side. This place is everything I'd hoped for when first viewing its website. There are lots of tables outside on the sidewalk, which were crowded with people (a nice crowd). Inside there are a number of high top tables (very comfortable) and bar seating. Our server (Joy) was pleasant and prompt, the sangria was delicious, and so were were the truffles (we tried 6). The food and appetizers smelled great so I will definitely be back here for a meal!
5 stars since our server was Kaitlyn (not sure of the spelling) and we luckily caught the live jazz on Monday around 9pm, which we thought was supposed to end at 8:30pm. Otherwise it would've been a 4.
Monday night was busy, but there was seating for my party of 3. We waited a few minutes for someone to acknowledge us at the hostess spot outside, although 3 employees passed by that area. We sat outside since it was a warm night and the jazz was playing out there. We were lucky to be seated in Kaitlyn's area. She was very helpful in helping us choose the wine, food and dessert, and made us feel very comfortable in a new city and restaurant (my boyfriend, his friend and I were tourists). She was very attentive and personal, but not overbearing or nosy. The busboys/water servers never let our table get cluttered nor our water glasses empty.
Got the Beef Carpaccio appetizer since I wasn't too hungry. The meat was sliced very thinly and covered a bowl shape of greens topped with shaved parmesan. It was really good! All flavors complemented each other each bite was so light, but flavorful. My boyfriend ordered the Roast Beef Panini. It came with a small salad of wild greens and tomatoes. The pesto and cheese on the panini enhanced the thinly sliced roast beef which was a little dry, but still pretty good for a light meal. Our friend had the Baby Rocket Arugula salad which he really enjoyed (he's a salad kind-of-guy). As a few reviews have noted the portions are "small", but not small relative to the prices. For around $10 each dish (aside from dessert), we got plenty of food from this quaint boutique restaurant. Plates are small, but they pile it on. I guess I'm just used to this style of serving since a lot of Seattle restaurants are like this. Although we didn't order any entrees, the choices our neighboring tables made looked well worth the prices.
Our first bottle of wine was a random pick, but very satisfying for all three of us-- the Chilean Sauvignon Blanc. Next was recommended by our server who said the sommelier chooses this as the house wine-- the Fleur du Cap Sauvignon Blanc from South Africa. This had a more woody taste, but was also really light and paired fairly well with dessert.
I read about the Crepe cake from some of the previous reviews, but am not a big fan of crepes. Plus this is a chocolate place and I was in the mood for chocolate. There was no Chocolate Molten Cake left :( so Kaitlyn recommended the Crepe cake. Since yelp reviewers highly recommended it, we all agreed to share one. AMAZING! Light and scrumtuous creme encompassing 20 layers of crepe, bruleed, and complemented by raspberries and raspberry sauce. We had a second serving with that second bottle of wine. (It wasn't the wine that made it taste so good.) I so wanted to go back the next morning after we checked out of our hotel to get one for the trip home, but unfortunately didn't have time. The chocolate covered strawberries were ok. I've had better, especially for $8.
On our next trip to NYC, we will definitely be coming back!
Stopped in here after a great lunch nearby and found the staff very friendly and helpful. Got a sampling of three red wines and two chocolates to share with my wife. Very enjoyable. Enjoyed the music selections. The patio area seems larger than the interior though on a January day no one was sitting outside :-)
Will stop again if I'm in the neighborhood though I would not travel too far out of my way to just go here.
I want to love this place. I'm willing to overlook the prices, teeny portions and small size. But I can't overlook the incredibly rude service that I experienced here a few weeks ago. I was meeting a dear friend from out of town after each of us had our own particularly stressful days. I arrived first, mentioned to the host that I'd be meeting one friend, possibly another, that I'd like to start at the bar, but eventually we'd want to sit at a table. We didn't have a reservation, but I had no problem waiting for a table at the bar. My friend arrived a little bit after I did, but was in the middle of an intense conversation on her cell phone. She walked in, noticed me, gestured that she'd be outside. I figured that she was on an important call and didn't want to be rude by talking in the bar. The host and a waitress immediately came up to me and told me to go sit outside. They kept saying that my friend was outside and she wanted me to sit outside. It was quite chilly and pouring rain outside. I realize that they had plastic tenting and heat lamps but I really had no interest in sitting outside. I knew my friend was just finishing up her call and that she'd come inside when she was done. Since she was on a business trip, I had no problem with her handling business and waiting for her at the bar, where I had already had ordered a glass of wine. Why did the restaurant?
I really was just shocked at how rude they were about the situation. The host and waitress kept coming up to me to tell me to go sit outside. It was bizarre how much they were pushing it. The place was not packed, I was sitting quietly, having a glass of wine, I was professionally dressed- there was no reason they shouldn't have wanted me sitting at their bar. I even explained to them that I'd had a bad day, so did my friend and we were looking to relax and enjoy a nice night out and that I did not want to sit outside. Sure enough, when her call concluded, my friend came inside and confirmed that she wanted to sit inside. Quite honestly, if it hadn't been so disgusting out and we all weren't so tired, we would have left to go somewhere else. Luckily for them, there's not a lot of choice in the area. So, we stayed, determined to enjoy our evening. We ordered a bottle of wine and some appetizers. Once our entire party of three was there, we mentioned that we'd like a table when one became available. We were told that all of the tables were reserved and it was unlikely that we could be seated at a table until much, much later, if at all. Strange, since I'd already been there an hour and mentioned when I arrived that we would want a table later on in the evening and didn't get the same story. To their credit, finally, eventually, after a table sat empty for a full 40 minutes (yes, I counted), they offered it to us. Since we were almost done, we didn't bother.
All in all, I might consider giving this place one more try if I am in the neighborhood and have no other options, but it's not going to be the first place I run back to.
Restaurant week all year…
Neighborhood: Murray Hill
Live Jazz every Sunday!
Neighborhood: West Village
Neighborhood: Murray Hill
Category: American (New)
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Category: Desserts
Neighborhood: Murray Hill
Category: French
Neighborhood: Murray Hill
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Italian
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