Bua

A great place to hang out on weekend nights! I love going to this place to hang out with my friends. They serve a really great coctail. If you like a sweet cocktail, i’d recommend the ‘blind ambition’. I could order 4 glass in one sitting because its so great and refreshing! Also they play great music (depending on your taste). And the bartender is very kind and lovely.

Liked this cozy Bar on St. Marks. Chill atmosphere. Jameson was a little more expensive than some places I've been. I didn't try the food. Service was good. It was pretty quiet for a Saturday afternoon, which works fine for me.

A true neighborhood gem! My fiancé and I recently moved to the UES and we find ourselves coming back here a couple times a month. The atmosphere has such a warm, relaxing vibe—it honestly makes us feel like we’re on vacation. Our go-to dishes are the avocado mango Pok Pok salad and the Phuket noodles with either duck or crispy pork—both are absolutely delicious. Highly recommend!

Quick order with the bartender, music was good, and atmosphere was one of the better ones in east village. Would come back. For reference I am 25, and wouldn’t do most bars in east village.

As several other reviews have mentioned, the exclusionary behavior and racism is strong in this one. I was repeatedly ignored by the bartender - when I did get a chance to ask for a glass of water, he was very intentional about taking his time and served me after 15 mins (let’s just say after all the white patrons who had ordered after me, were served). I’m certainly not going back there, and if you’re not white, I would highly recommend you don’t visit either.

The cocktails were delish and so were the deep fried pickles (be careful its tongue burning hot) !! So glad to be able to sit outside when the street were closed for the evening.

Stopped here after the MET. Beautiful, charming and fun! Delicious food, perfect flavor, subtle and satisfying! And excellent, kind, and warm service. Wonderful dinner experience!! Highly recommend!

The food was delicious, especially the fried rice. The rice was soft and delectable. The noodles were tangy and had good chunks of meats. Customer service was a plus!

Should have checked on my own review and not ordering the Fried Pickle again, it was thick batter, under-fried, and untasty. Great neighborhood wine bar with great pricing, cozy semi outdoor place. Fries was really good!

First things first, if you're a college student or a young adult between the ages of 20-25, then you might like this spot. If not, I don't recommend it. I'll explain... We were exploring the East Village in the evening and decided to try Bua, a local bar. A bouncer asked for IDs and we walked into a tight, dark space. There's bar seating and a few bigger tables to the left, but it's very small. You're constantly bumping into people. Not exactly dance friendly. Luckily we were able to snag some seats at the bar. I had to use my iPhone's flashlight to see the menu because that's how dark it is. In addition to drinks, they also have a not-so-impressive food menu. The food choices reminded me of high school cafeteria food (burgers, chicken strips, fries, nachos). The drinks were disappointing, to put it mildly. We ordered: *Tito's Sparkling Lemonade ($14) - Did I just drink water?... LOL. There was no alcohol, no lemonade, nothing sparkling about this. *Friend of a Friend cocktail ($14) - Yuck... it tasted like a cherry cough drop or Nyquil. The description said it contains dark rum, fernet branca, housemade blueberry syrup, lemon, and peychaud bitters. There was nothing good about it. I don't drink beer but my +1 ordered a few and said they were good. The crowd consisted mainly of college kids. I wasn't too big on most of the music choices, especially for a bar atmosphere. I understand that everyone has different music tastes, but ehhh. Big turn off for me. Music plays a big role in setting the mood and atmosphere. Honestly, I only enjoyed this spot because of the person I was with haha. We made the most of the tiny space we had and still danced. Objectively, it's just a small bar with very mediocre drinks.

This place is super cool. The staff is very kind and accommodating. The drinks are very refreshing and cold (which they should be). This place is 5 stars for sure.

Good drinks and solid food. The chicken tenders were definitely better than the taco, but either way you're coming here for the drinks and vibe. Good spot!

Had my first date with my girlfriend here. Great spot for good bar food and drinks. Staff was very friendly. Great music.

3.5 Cool bar. Kinda crowded/tight seating. Good for big groups. Food, just ok. Fries-delish. Creative and tasty cocktails. Servers were attentive.

Pretty mid imo, not much special about this place. It's American btw not Thai, some other reviewers got confused and put some pictures on this page from the other bua

We came here for happy hour on a Thursday. We came in at around 530 and it was hardly close to full at the bar. The happy hour drinks are a good price for how nice they taste. I got the 98th and Rockaway and the agave Fresca. The 98th and rockaway stole the show in my opinion. Perfectly refreshing without being too sweet. Overall $20 for 2 great cocktails is a steal!

Vibes here were great! Crowded and took us a minute to snag a table but our waitress was super attentive and on it. The yummmiest espresso martini: mocha joe!.My boyfriend had the spicy chicken sandwich and I had a gruyère grilled cheese! We only stayed for a bit but it was 10/10

Decent village bar with solid food that catered to my childhood palet. The grilled cheese was amazing (both American and Gruyère were sampled), the fries came with Irish curry sauce (if you know you know), and they sold $18 carafes of very decent tasting wine. I'll be back!

A solid spot with a kitchen open late and pretty good prices. The seating area is a bit disorganized, with parties having to pounce on the first open table they see, watching hawk-eyed for any hint of another table prepping to leave. We finally grabbed a table and ordered a sour beer, a chicken sandwich, and the pickle cocktail. The sour beer was pretty flat and tasted like a sour juice. Not bad but pretty sugary. I love trying new beers and sours but this wasn't one I'd get again. The chicken sandwich was delicious but had almost zero actual chicken in it. Looking at other photos of the chicken sandwich, it seems like it has the proper ratio (so maybe we went on an off day) but we had one super thin fried chicken in the whole sandwich. (If you look at the photo, it's all Cole slaw and then a tiny sliver of chicken underneath). The slaw is super tasty though! And the bread is legit perfectly buttered and toasted. The pickle cocktail was good! A nice pickle flavor with a kick. We ordered the one with vodka (you can choose between vodka and gin-- Vodka is what the bartender recommended) and it went great with the sandwich. Would return! I'd be interested in seeing if the chicken sandwich is more chicken-y on another day

Super chill place to grab a drink. We came on a Saturday afternoon and were able to grab a seat at the bar. Drinks were fairly priced and bartender was quick to make the drinks. I ordered the chicken tenders to munch on and they were ok. Decent flavor but too much breading. Once the evening approached, it definitely got packed and very loud. So better for a younger crowd for sure.

This is a quant bar in St. Marks with a pickle martini that rivals that's if the Penrose. Price is high for the size of the drink but I guess is comparable to others in the location.

Had a fun time at Bua during a weekday Happy Hour. Five of us shared chicken tenders, French fries, cauliflower dip, and chicken nachos. The cauliflower dip was a particular favorite, mixed with generous portions of cheddar and served with toasted sourdough bread. I had the Pirates' Highball, which was made with rum, grapefruit, lime, and yuzu soda. The cocktail was enjoyable and not too strong. Our waitress was very nice, and she was readily available whenever we wanted to refill our drinks.

Came here on a whim with a group of friends. The drinks were strong! I had Mocha Joe, the one that resembled an espresso martini, and enjoyed it. The fried cheese curds and grill cheese sandwich really hit the spot. Overall, it's a lively place to hang out with a midsized group; The place was popping on a Thursday night. Wouldn't recommend as a date spot as the noise level is high.

I really liked this place. The ambiance is very nice - dim lighting with lots of candles. The cocktails are delicious and the chicken sandwich I tried was good too. A great place for a variety of occasions - date, friends, or solo.

Bua has delicious, juicy burgers with their own special sauce. The burger does not come with fries, but I recommend ordering them because they were great as well. They have nice happy hour deals on drinks with a selection of exciting cocktails.

Great Service! This is my second time and I am just as happy with my second dining experience. Very friendly and I will be back!

Very small tight space BUT the food was great! Staff was very attentive and kind. The drinks were good as well. I plan to return soon. Outdoor seating was limited at the time. Hoping to sit outside when I go back. Had the nachos and they were delicious. Everyone else in our group was happy with their food but the tacos were a bit small so better as an appetizer.

Such a fun bar! My fave cocktails are the pear essentials and 'mai tai.' Also don't skip on the cheese curds, they're freaking delicious, and pair well with anything you might order. The fried pickles are also good too! I'd definitely make this a go to bar while checking out the rest of them in the East Village.

Average bar. Nothing special. Went there on a Saturday night. Decent drinks, vibe okay.

Had a drink here and it was decent. Bartender was a strange. Would go back but wouldn't recommend to others. Didn't try the food.

Came here on a Thursday night during COVID with a group of 6 total. I made a reservation in advance but honestly don't think it was needed around 6:30pm. They had plenty of indoor and outdoor seating separated by plexiglass. They even required one person fill out a card with information for contact tracing. Unfortunately they're not doing happy hour right now but their cocktails were around $13-15 and bottles of wine around $40. We ordered some beers, cocktails, and bottles of wine and had a great time! The fried chicken sandwich is a must. 4 people in our group ordered it and were all in agreement that it was amazing. The bread was buttery and soft and perfectly complemented the spicy mayo coleslaw and fried chicken.

very nice atmosphere, excellent food, nice people esp. Tar! Open kitchen extraordinary. Would definitly visite again :)

We went here for happy hour (from 5-8pm from Monday-Wednesday) and had a great time! It is a beautiful restaurant with outside and inside seating! I enjoyed the Austin East Cider ($6 for happy hour) & my boyfriend enjoyed the bit burger beer ($5 for happy hour). We had a great time and enjoyed the French fries as an appetizer. Great service as well. I love their emphasis on accessibility! We will definitely go back.

Very good place. It's right by my apartment and I recently tried it for the first time and wasn't disappointed. Pad Thai was a little dry, but otherwise everything else was amazing! The lobster bun was exquisite

FRAUD ALERT!!!! AVOID THIS PLACE. We were there on 6/4/2023 and the person working the bar and floor scammed us into 2 charges of $118 and $174. When we questioned one of the charge, he said it was an error and that he refunded us. When we asked for a refund receipt we were told the POS system does not give a refund receipt. This person was from Scotland who was working the bar and table. This place is a fraud and won't be going back and hopefully this review helps others!!!

Hi! Been calling for two days now. Are your hours up to date? More specifically, do you open at 2pm on Fridays? A group of teachers in the hood want to know!

SO GOOD. order the pad see ew... mindblowing

A great calm place to grab a beer and a bite in EV. Pretty decent sized space given the area. Nice for a group of 4 people. I had been tempted for months to come and eat the fried chicken sandwich with slaw here from a picture the business owner uploaded to Yelp. It was good, but it was lacking the spice I was hoping for in the slaw. The service was the best part to me. I dined alone and was chatted up by my server the perfect amount to make me feel welcome but was not ove the top. Nice selection of drinks but with just an OK happy hour. The environment here is casual but put together. It's very enjoyable. I plan on coming back to try some snacks and the burger. 4/5

Bua is amazing! Beautiful aesthetic and amazing food and drinks!

This is actually one of the more "tame" spots in the East Village that isn't heavily filled with a college kid crowd. And I like that. It's dimly lit, cozy, and has comfortable seating. The tables are roomy and the cocktail menu is certainly interesting. I went with the Agua Fresca - tequila, mezcal (let me clarify, HEAVY on the mezcal), watermelon, lime, and jalapeno. In retrospect, this wasn't the best drink choice for someone who isn't crazy about mezcal, but it was definitely unique so I'm happy I gave it a try. I think next time I'd opt for the Berry White cocktail instead, or maybe just one of their beers. The best part about sitting here on a late night? Being able to people watch from a comfortable seat with a cold drink, away from the crowds.

We waited over 30 minutes for three margaritas. The waitress then brought us 'free' shots to make up for the fact that we waited so long, charged us without showing us the bill, and made us pay for the 'complimentary' shots without even telling us. Never going back and you shouldn't either !!!!!!

What item has greater potential to be the perfect, most versatile bar snack than a hot serving of salty, crispy french fries? A lesser venue might leave you longing for surprise with a meager offering of bar nuts, pretzels or goldfish. Bua's menu has 'bigs,' dominated by sandwiches, burgers and one taco offering, sharing space with 'snacks and shares,' delighting with buffalo sprouts, beer buttered fried pickles and onion dip. Even amongst these tempting options, the fries easily stood out as the crowd pleasing favorite that accommodated all dietary restrictions in our party. The prospect of a serving of fries to be shared with your friends during after work drinks is hard to resist. It promises everything you'd desire for both your taste buds and your social gathering. It's carb rich, it promises to be crispy, it promises steaming heat exhaling from every bite, it promises a comforting and familiar sting of the salt that ushers you home to your very reason for visiting at happy hour - your cold beer. A serving of bar fries doesn't need to aspire to much to be satisfyingly adequate. All they really need to be, is easily ignorable. To provide social and conversational lubricant between sips of beer and gaps in conversation. Perhaps they might steal attention away from your friends for just a moment, because they're just so good. At their most exceptional, you even might all be too busy wolfing them down to ever stop to comment on them. The silence testament to your companys shared mind and presence together. These fries distracted and diverted our conversation for all the wrong reasons. At a time of catching up and celebration, these hijacked our attention from one another and stole us away from ourselves. They were much too salty. (Try the luscious grilled cheese instead, I recommend the gruyere with tomato and onion.)

I would give this place between 2 and 3 stars. Honestly the staff here are so kind and attentive. And this was the ONLY place whose kitchen was open in the Village on a Tuesday night around 10-11PM (I'm sorry but that means the city isn't back yet). But the food here was actually awful. I understand this is a bar/gastropub and the food list is short. I ordered the mac and cheese. This was not mac and CHEESE. This was plain noodles. Honestly, mac and cheese from a box with powder cheese is better. Even in the dark bar, it looked unappetizing. Maybe the other food is decent but I just came here to say DO NOT GET THE MAC AND CHEESE. And for a bar, the drinks were pretty average. I got the Concrete Jungle. I'm sure if you live nearby, and wanna grab a beer, it's a great place.

This is actually my first review ever on Yelp, which is how unsatisfied I was (and extremely sad I have to do this but its just how upset I was with meal). Everyone has gone to restaurants for repeat meals and had 'better' or 'worse' than previous time experiences with same dishes ordered which is totally normal. But the pad thai chicken had maybe 1-1.5 pieces of chicken total and was cold (honestly looked like the last of the scraps just put in). Whatever, that's picky of me but the fact but the other meal we ordered was worse, the fact both were bad was upsetting and why i felt like i just needed to voice it. The other dish was pad thai rice with pork belly. The second it was put down i ate a piece of the pork belly and it was cold and crisp like a piece of breaded chicken that you leave out for a few hours and come back and eat. The rice was cold. We had no problem waiting (because the drinks and apps are always amazing!!!!) so we just asked if could get another, no problem waiting. Brought it back maybe a minute later the exact same pieces and still "tough cold chicken" and rice was just heated a little and was told "it was a new one". This is where I felt extremely disappointed.

It should be a nice place but somehow the vibe is weird. The drinks are nice though. We tried it several times but couldn't manage to enjoy it

Fríed pineapple rice was delicious, came with my friend's for first time and it was perfect. Good for everything

Bua is a perfect place to be tour regular go to bar with some nice food in it . Located in saint marks place in eat village that makes it very comfortable and convenience for the people. East village is already a night fun palace like everybody knows The happy hour last long 3pm to 8 pm. This is the longest happy hour I have seen sofar in New York City Just because of this last long happy hour place should be your go to place. Like regular :) well Saturday no happy hours. Variety of drinks and some good food is great to have with sure cheaper price by happy hour makes it very special . Definitely a place must be visit.

Got a reservation for heated outdoor seating. It was lovely. We got espresso martinis, margaritas, and a Martini - all were great. The cheese curds were great - tip: eat them while they're hot. This is total bar food so we got chicken fingers, nachos and fries. Will be coming back!

Came in at about 1am on a Thursday night (morning?) after leaving another bar across the street. It was live inside - a good amount of people and loud techno-ish music playing. Not my fave, but there were two open seats at the bar as soon as we walked in, so we took this as a sign from the universe and grabbed them quickly. Drinks were not the cheapest, but this is a NY standard right? Our bartender was kind of my favorite part of the night though - I regrettably don't remember his name. James perhaps? He told us they had Jaeger, but sadly, no bombs. And then he came back 3 minutes later to tell us that he had 2 red bulls that he brought in for himself that he would let us have! Customer service at its finest, we happily took both. (What's a brother sister vacay without Jaegerbombs?) We then asked him for a rum and coke - heavy on the rum - and he gave us two glasses filled just about 95% with rum. I had to ask for a glass of OJ on the side for a shooter. Expensive yes, but (maybe) James made sure we got our money's worth. I understand everything I described above makes me sound a little bit like an alcoholic, but if you're coming to a bar and your sole purpose is to drink, then Bua will not disappoint. Come in and ask for James! If no one there is named that, look for the awesome guy behind the bar with the accent.

Stumbled upon this place on a rainy sunday when a lot of things were quiet but this place was happening - all tables outside were taken. We opted for a table inside and was just regretting that decision (think dark wood ambiance perfect for evening cocktails but on a rainy afternoon would put you to sleep) when we were told that a table outside freed up woooo!! I got the warm apple cider with rum and it was delicious!!! Not too sweet and the warmth was perfect for the rainy weather. Fries were good as well. Looking forward to coming up and getting an actual meal here.

Why is a non-drinker reviewing a bar? Because it serves the most delicious, and perhaps the most fattening, fried chicken sandwich I have ever had (fair question, though)! The toast is drenched in butter, the filets of crispy fried chicken breast are heaped in generous quantities, and the crunchy, creamy, spicy slaw adds more flavor and texture to this messy deliciousness. The fried cheddar cheese curds are pretty good too. Great way to get the fat intake for a whole week in one evening. No regrets. I will do it again and die a happy man with clogged arteries.

SOLID HH! In the middle of the summer, and in the dead of the winter, you can count on having a great time here! Great bartenders, delicious friend pickles, all around great bar. I personally love their Pomegranate Lemonade. I always grab a seat at the bar, best seat in the house if you ask me. And who doesn't love a bar that has more than ONE restroom.. they have THREE! Talk about keeping the line movin'.

2.5 stars overall. Bua, I wanted to love you but my expectations fell flat. Came here last Saturday for drinks around 8:30pm with several friends and was also excited to try the food (many good reviews on Yelp!). Thankfully my friends had arrived earlier bc the wait for a table was about about 30min by 8:30pm. 3 stars on food and drinks. Fried chicken strips ($8): give it a 4/5. Crispy, flavorful, came with 6-7 pieces, would order these again. Fried chicken sandwich ($11): 4/5, friend tried this and remarked it was good. Grilled cheese sandwich with cheddar ($8): 3/5, cheese to bread ratio was off, the bread was grilled and slightly crispy on the outside but way too soft and thin. Also the sandwich was cut into quarters which probably smushed it too. I love grilled cheese sandwiches and just based on the bread I wouldn't try it again. The soup was pretty spot on and I enjoyed it. Fried cheese curds ($7): 2/5, it was okay to eat maybe two pieces, but any more than that was too much. They were really heavy and kinda made me feel ill while having an alcoholic drink at the same time. Drinks were good/okay 3/5. They have solid bartenders but nothing that blew my socks off. 2 stars on service: almost non-existent, we had to physically walk over to find our waitress each time we wanted to order anything or pay the bill. The entire restaurant/bar is LOUD, you have to shout to hear what people across your table are saying. Also when people smoke outside and bc the storefront seating opens into the sidewalk, the air wafts inwards and you get a good whiff of secondhand smoke. Yummy. Probably wouldn't come here again in the evening, or order food, tho I'd be willing to try it again for drinks on a quieter afternoon when you can hear conversation that's going on at your table.

Decent drinks. Great for road side parties during this ridiculous lockdown, so glad NYC is finally reopening. Celebrate our freedoms and liberate New York!

Amazing vibrant restaurant!! My boyfriend and I came here on a Thursday night and had a delicious meal. The restaurant bar is decorated beautifully and we were immediately drawn in by the crowd and menu. 10/10 recommend the spicy tuna rice, panang curry, and fried wontons. Staff were very attentive and quick to help us and bring our order out. Great date spot

My daughter ordered fish tacos, which she said tasted okay and I ordered the burger. I informed the server that I did not like yellow cheese and asked for white cheddar or any white cheese. The server said she would check with the kitchen. The server did not return and when the burger arrived, it had yellow cheese on it. The burger was flat, with a thick cut of tomato and thick cut of onion on a cold bun. Which was a shame, because the burger was tender and nicely seasoned. I asked the server for mayonnaise that never came, so after waiting about 4 or 5 minutes without seeing the waitress return, I just ate the burger. Also, when taking the order, the server asked if we wanted fries with the food and we said no. When the food arrived, it included fries. When I summoned the server and told her we did not order fries, she responded "You don't want the fries?". When I responded "no" for not the third time she said "Okay, I'll take it off the bill." We never received any utensils and the bottle of water on the outdoor table was unopened.i acknowledge that the place was busy but the service could have been better.

Anna C was very rude and had a lot of attitude for no reason, not helpful at all! Not happy with my experience here!