photos: Dakota Fine
On May 10th, Buddha Bar will open in DC. With locations in London, Paris, Kiev, Dubai and Sao Paolo, DC is yet again showing its stripes as a restaurant and nightlife destination.
This Buddha Bar is located at 455 Mass Ave NW. It features 22-foot high ceilings, 9500 square feet and 170 seats, according to the Washington Post. They also state that it cost $10million to build, and it shows.
It's beautiful. It's grand. It's opulent and it's comfortable. The scale of it is bigger than we're used to in DC and it looks great. The staff are a mix of people from Little Buddha in Las Vegas and local hires. They've been training, working hard and have started doing the mock services that will get them ready for a May 10th opening.
I don't know what the menu is yet or how much it'll cost. I don't know what the drinks will be. Those things are still "being approved by Paris." Which is about the best excuse I've heard for anything. However, Dakota and I were given a platter of sushi and a gorgeous salmon dish to photograph. We promptly ate them both and they were delicious. Also delicious, the cocktails we were offered. I loved the vanilla vodka, pear nectar and chili pepper martini.
Expect dinner to be served until 10 or 11, and at the point the restaurant transforms into a lounge. There will be no dance floor cleared, everyone may spend the evening at a table or on a couch. The seating is open, but reservations can be made. And reservations require bottle service. And again, pricing and bottle selection is "being approved by Paris."
Started in Paris in 1996, Buddha Bar has always been about the music. Buddha Bar has its own label and puts out extensive collections of music. Its loungey with a global feel, perfect for mild dancing with a cocktail or sitting on silk-covered benches in really high heels, looking sexy and making out with a Persian banker. Having a dinner party, play Buddha Bar. Painting your nails at the pool, Buddha Bar.
For the first month they are open, Buddha Bar is bringing in their own DJ. In that month they are interviewing for two staff DJ positions. Buddha Bar puts such a focus on their style of music that they want the right people to provide the soundtrack for their venue and guests. If you think you could do it, or know someone who can, they are taking CDs at the restaurant. You can also email buddhabardcresumes@hotmail.com and submit your online work.
And that's Buddha Bar, for now. When it opens, that's a different story.
God loves a cheerful giver.
10 million? Meh.
Nice pics, the place looks great!
I think there's one in HongKong ..?
Wow what a horrible looking place. Was this piece written in 2007? Don't you feel the slightest need to look critically at this ridiculous place? They might as well call this place "Lehman Brothers Bar".
Gotta love that authentic DC chain entertainment.
It's lovely inside. At least suits my taste.
I hope to have offered an overview of what I saw, was presented with and tasted. other than that, it's not up to me to pass judgment on what it could be, until it opens. Which is in 10 days.
After that, who knows what it will be.
At least they are trying. Developing an area that has limited services, employing people. Putting money into our city.
good luck enjoying this place...buddha bar in new york, at least, is the fucking worst place in the history of existence. really overpriced shitty food, overpriced drinks, and gross mid-30-year-old suits trying to catch a piece of younger, cuter ass. gross.
A hotmail email address?
Looks good. Great pictures!
Damnit now I want Sushi at 10:30 on a Saturday morning.
Wow. Just when I thought DC nightlife was really turning a corner, here comes another traditional DC douchebag lounge for rich poseurs.
DO NOT WANT
This place is going to suck. How do I get on the list?
been to the ones in paris and dubai.. the dubai one was great, the paris one... mediocre. so that bit about being approved in paris.. not great??
Let's bring more over-priced, metal, faux style, bullshit to town! run run run away
"Wow what a horrible looking place. Was this piece written in 2007? "
What did you expect? This is an obvious fluff piece written by someone who was given meals/drinks at the new place. Buddha Bar essentially paid this writer(s) to spread the word - an underground "press release" and another reason to avoid this site.
@hh: "...and another reason to avoid this site"
then why do you find yourself posting on here then? get a life and quit the hate.
BYT4L
I thought the same thing about the hotmail address.
HH - no one pays me to do anything. Including write for this site; which I fit in during my free time. Yes, I get given food, and I disclose that. It's a nice perk.
And you're right. This is a fluff piece. It's about a place people are going to go to dance, drink and get laid.
Don't like, don't go.
at a boy, alex, at a boy.
I for one am looking forward to it. The decor looks a bit garish in the pictures but is probably nice when you're actually in there. And I know the music will be good!
I just went to the one in Vegas at the Palms on Sunday. Didn't realize they were related until chatting up the manager. The food was amazing, possibly the best sushi I've ever had and staff was great. Really excited to check this place out.
Alex - my employer asked me to get a Buddha Bar gift certificate as a gift for one of my colleagues. Strangely, I had just read your little article hours beforehand...do you know how I can get in touch with a manager there? I emailed the "hotmail" address with my request already but am not sure if that will get to the right person. What do you think? Thank you!!!
Check your email for the info you need.
Also, your boss seems kinda like a prick for making you get a gift certificate to a place that isn't open yet.
I'd feel bad about saying that, but I don't.
Alex - you rock! Thank you.
My boss isn't a prick...but sometimes higher ups don't have a sense of "reality". They treat their admins like a concierge service...
Last year the female owner (Devil Wears Prada) had me find a limosene for her and 8 of her friends on THE DAY OF The Inaguration...Not only were all the crazy roads blocked off but all the limos and taxis had been booked months in advance. I was on the phone ALL DAY hearing no, no, no but in the end I pulled it off...somehow....
Anyways..... finding a gift certificate for Buddha Bar is kind of a breeze in comparison to some of the shit I have to do.
Thanks again love.
I've been to the one in Beirut, Lebanon...and its AMAZING!!! 2 floors: 1st floor is all regular seating and some bars, crazy decore, giant buddha, wide open roof to the second floor which encircles the top like a balcony - more seating around the second floor, dj, bars, and the entire wall is made of a mirror (so we can look at our sexy narcissistic Lebanese selves all we want
haha) and decorations, very nice!! By around midnight on weekends, the "loungy" dj turns more into a party atmosphere and beautiful people from their 20's-50's are dancing on chairs and around the tables...WHAT AN ATMOSPHERE!! I would recommend that one to anybody!!!....I guess I can only hope this new one in DC comes anywhere close to Beirut
Anthony, sorry to dissapoint but it doesn't come close even to the one in Paris...forget about Beirut...after all it is just DC
still nice to have it as on option...
Whow this one is very nice ! we have a little buddha in Amsterdam now
http://www.kasperkwant.nl/news/resident-dj-little-buddha-bar-amsterdam
Foods is so so about as good as PF Changs, nice looking but this place is all about who you are or with and bring $$$ if your lookin for strange
I think its very sacrireligous even insulting for that matter for Buddha Bar in their name and the giant sized "Buddha" to be used in a place other than a religous setting. Buddhism condems alcohol, proping up an idol that is not supposed be a theme or gimmick for that matter.