Stratus Lounge

Great staff. Awesome place to go for craft cocktails always using fresh ingredients! Doesn’t have much of a view looking over the city but still one of the best venues in Philadelphia!

We stayed at the Monaco last weekend and decided to check it out when we got back to the hotel on Saturday night. Great spot. Great music. Bartenders were friendly and the DJ played my request.

Been here a few times. Loved it every time anytime of the year. Happy Hour is a must, $ 5 specials including champagne (yum) $ 8 specialty cocktails (order the Jalapen Yo face) also half off some of their food items. Weekends are crazy in a good epic fun kind of way.

Went here on a double-​date (coming from the Helium Comedy Club). Swanky place, lots of well-​dressed not-​sleazy people, heat lamps, and outside seating. Expensive drinks (we had just 1 drink each, because we have a mortgage and other bills). The DJ did a passable job, and our wives were having a good ol’ time dancing with and without us husbands. I’m not a big «upscale lounge» person anyway. I’m thinking this place is par for the course.
EDIT: I’m adding +1 star because this place is probably NORMAL or «A-​OK» for people who like lounges and have the disposable income to blow on expensive drinks.

This place looks nice, but it’s always dead. There is no customer service, and the staff & managers are rude. There were about 8 people there on a Saturday night; every table was roped off for a VIP section even though there were no customers. After ordering a Johnny walker at the bar I got scolded for placing my coat on one of the 15 empty roped off couches. I would have gladly brought it to coat Check but they don’t have one. Do not waste your time at this has been, no scene place. Tons of other bars/​lounges in philly with better locations. It pains me to even gone this place 1 star!

This place is swanky. A lot of people who are in the area for a wedding seem to come hang out here afterwards. Roof top bars are fun, if only to be up on a roof. Club music, without anyone dancing. It seems like the entire place is going for the «VIP section of the club» vibe. This place could be made instantly better with a change of music.
One of the bartenders was a jerk to some friends of mine, and wouldn’t serve them (they were almost sober). I didn’t particularly like that.
$ 10 cover to get in.
This place has it’s charms, but I think I have different expectations of a «lounge» than other people do. This is a place to be seen, it would fit well in Maimi. I probably would have given 3 stars if the bartender didn’t behave like a jack ass.

Pablo wanted rooftop, we both wanted cocktails. No view but lot of fire and nice service. Cocktails yummy and strong. A good pitstop before our next adventure for the evening Lovely chocolate bomb pudding

Trendy roof top bar on top of a swanky hotel. We had been dying to check this place out being that we are suckers for a great roof top. A little disappointed in the view the roof top provided, being that it was nonexistent. However the ambiance of the built in fire places and seating areas outside do make up for it. You can definitely still get that perfect pic for the gram! We didn’t think much of the drink specials, and drinks were pricey, per usual. Would probably go back to meet up for drinks during the week or as a starting point for a night on the town on the weekend, but it’s not an all night kind of place.
Xo HD

Hung out with some colleagues from work last night 8÷14÷15. 2 neurologist and 3 nurses. I arrived at 8 no cover charge going in. Our waitress Tamara or Tamra not sure with a European accent was more than detestable. She rolled her eyes while serving our drinks she said please place your order at the same time I have other tables to take care of left us flabbergasted.
Determined to not have her ruin our night I decided to get my own drinks at the bar as it was still early and the bar was not too crowded. None of the bar backs acknowledge me while I stood calling out for assistance. A young Caucasian man said to me «but they saw you». I replied «I know it’s one of the perks of being dark skinned ppl tend to Ignore your presence». Another bartender African American woman apologized and gave my wine spritzer on the house. She was courteous and professional. I later found out she was the lead bartender. I highly doubt she did it because I’m of African decent. She struck me as someone who does the right thing all the time.
Back at our table Tamra the waitress mentioned in a condescending way we needed to move b/​c our seats were for guests spending in excess of $ 800 in alcohol. I understood why we had to move but didn’t appreciate how rude she was. I reluctantly informed a manager who mentioned today ⁸⁄₁₅ would be his last day he apologized stoically, took my email address and said he would council Tamara. She then came back over to our table to tell Claude an attending neurologist that he counted her tip wrong and that it should be more than what he gave. Her service sucked. No other table was treated so nicely. I watched her for a while.
. Morale of the story is if she or any of those who insulted us a STRATUS happens to be one of our patients. They’ll get respect and the care they need its the right thing to do. I’m just confused how she thought that was ok..

Where do I start?
1– it’s a rooftop lounge without a view.
2– when you start a «tab», a certain short, red headed bartender likes to put other people’s drinks on your tab. Then when you question her about a charge, her response is «did you ever think that maybe one of your friends put a drink on your tab?» No b*tch, I didn’t, considering bartenders shouldn’t be putting drinks onto someone’s tab unless it’s the owner of the card, or the card owner says yes, you can put that drink on my tab. So after the back and forth, she rudely and disdainfully says she’ll credit the questioned drinks, aka the drinks I didn’t put on my tab (which by the way was $ 77.81, obviously NOT just «a drink»). The next day I check that card, and that $ 77.81 was CHARGED again, NOT credited. I would bet some of her friends were at Stratus that night and she thought she could get away with supplying them with «free» drinks at my expense. Hey, I guess she got her wish.
3– the «security» outside just loves to flip out and say «don’t tell us how to do our f*cking jobs», after all I did was CALMLY and POLITELY ask how long the wait was to get inside. Then I proceed to see someone slip them cash in the form of a handshake, and they get right in. Mind you I KNOW it was slow up there and a line wasn’t even necessary. A friend who was already in there said there was MAYBE 30 people there at that time. Oh and by the way, including myself, there were 11 people that walked away and went to Independence Beer Garden instead (highly recommend by the way). I’m sure between us all, they lost $ 60-​$ 90 per person, do the math. All because of an attitude. ATTN OWNER OR MANAGER: YOUR EMPLOYEES WILL MAKE YOU, OR BREAK YOU WHEN IT COMES TO BUSINESS.
4– if 0 «stars» was a valid option on Unilocal,that’s what I would give this place. What a disaster. It must be one of those places that either is ran by an absentee owner, or a manager that either doesn’t care, or is oblivious to the problems at this establishment.
5– I never write reviews, that’s how bad this experience was. FYI– this was two separate occasions, so I gave the place a 2^nd chance, and they failed again. I can’t really say I’m surprised.

I’ve been to stratus about three times. First time I had a bottle service birthday party here, second was just earlier in the night for a drink with a friend and the third was with some friends later in the night. The last time I went which was later at night, I was charged a $ 10 cover and there was a DJ. Drinks are definitely pricey which is what you would expect at a rooftop bar set in a nice hotel like this so I was very happy to see a familiar face working at the bar. Definitely, go at or before 10.30 p.m. on a Saturday night if you want to avoid standing in line for a good half hour while «VIP» or bachelorette parties pass you by. They have pavilions that you can rent out for a party and the last time we went we ended up meeting some USA soccer players who were in town for a game and had a party in one of the pavilions which was really cool.

This roof top bar sits on top of a beautiful hotel, loved taking being able to see the hotel. The décor is gorgeous and has a very LA feel.
Sadly you can’t see over the edge because it’s in the historic district but that isn’t a huge deal. The is also cover bar area and two small rooms that are available to rent perfect for a party! Our waitress Chantelle was friendly and very helpful. Our drinks were perfect for an August evening. Really a fun stop while exploring Philadelphia. Late at night this place really comes alive but early evenings it’s really relaxing!

Hard to write a review of this place. We stayed for a drink and liked the setting however it was a week day evening and the atmosphere was depressing so we left. I think it has huge potential on the right night.

I’d seriously give it one star for how abominable the service was, but I like this hotel and I like rooftops, so two stars. Although the walls are high so there is actually no view. (Soooo, there’s that) …maybe it is one star.
Seriously, I’m here on a Monday night. There are literally 10 customers on the roof top. I sit. Girl comes over takes my drink order, a gin fizz, I like it because it’s cucumber and gin and soda (not sweet!)…I get it and it tastes like there is a half a bottle of simple syrup on there. I NEVER do this, but I send it back and ask for the wine list.
Also, noted, while I try to find my server to ask for the wine list I am sitting there starring for a good 10min contemplating whether anyone will ever return or I have to stick with this sugary drink. Turns out never saw the waitress but grabbed another guy. Asked him for the wine list. Then still never saw my waitress and had to grab what looked to be the manager to order a glass of wine. Seriously? 10 people are there!
Meanwhile, I have ordered. A flatbread. That is it… how long did I wait you ask? About 35min or more. So they obviously forgot my order. Remember there are 10 people there and almost all are only drinking… aka kitchen is NOT busy. So I was getting ready to walk out and just pay for my drinks when the food came.
It was the saddest flatbread ever. The description sounded great, truffle oil, cheese, mushrooms, ricotta. Barely any cheese. The ricotta was a weird drizzle, no truffle taste… I was so sad. My nephew makes better.
I have actually never done this, but I asked them to take the food back, I was starving, they admitted they forgot my order because there was only one server (not true, and makes no sense — still not a reason to forget) and I told them I just want to go to the restaurant downstairs because I’m starving and everything has been so sad.
I will say they ended up taking everything off which was the right thing to do, so I’ll definitely give them that. I of course still tip because it’s not the waitress fault the kitchen messed up, but if you go here, ONLY go for drinks. It was just such a sad experience to something I was looking forward too.
Rant done.

This is a swanky rooftop bar/​lounge and I mean that in a good way. Very trendy vibe. Beautiful décor. It’s the type of place you go to have a class drink. My gang and I were there early since we had left a nearby establishment and just wanted to check it out, it was early and we had no problem getting in (although there are velvet ropes and bouncers). If it was later I’d recommend being a little more dressed up and I’m not sure of what the wait would be. The staff was very nice. Looking forward to a girls night where we all dress up for the evening and make it one of our stops.

I visited Stratus with a buddy, scouting out places for his wedding after party.
The actual location is beautiful, very nice place.
However, our waiter was probably just having a bad day, but unfortunately was rude to us, and the service overall was poor — took 20 minutes for two drinks to arrive on a Thursday night. It was not crowded at all. Not a good experience.
I won’t come back again — but if you just want a nice, though pretentious, place to hang out and get some drinks, you could do worse. It’s a pretty roof top — though without a view.

GOING OUT REVIEW
I’ve been here a few times because it’s the hot destination in the summer months because. rooftops are great.
PROS
–Trendy and upscale, plenty of space both indoors and outdoors.
–Good location, walking distance to all the other Old City bars on the 2^nd/​Market area and also IBG.
CONS
–Always a line. They cap you based on how many people can fit in the elevator so the line goes by painfully slow.
–It’s a hotel bar, so think people who go to hotel bars, which isn’t really your usual 20-​somethings crowd
–On the same note about hotel bars, they’re hotel bar drink prices that are fine for those on the older spectrum trying to woo ladies, or those with credit cards expensed by companies
–The music is hit or miss. It’s house-​y, lounge-​y vibe, nothing you can really full out dance to.
–While this is a rooftop, it’s only the 6^th floor or something, and there’s large trees and buildings blocking your view
I think for a hotel bar for someone visiting the city, or actually staying at this hotel, it’s a great vibe and sticks to their lounge feel. But if you’re trying to booze up and have a fun night, skip this.

Great staff and good drink specials on a rooftop bar on a sunny day can’t be beat! Just found out about this place and looking forward to coming back. They even offered my friend sunglasses since he had forgotten his.

Nice roof top lounge. Drinks are good and the food is actually quite good and reasonably priced!
Added edit: The tuna roe/​caviar is awesome and such a great value.
Go early, sit while the sun sets, eat some food, and then go dance!

So stratus is a weird place for me. I guess I have a love hate relationship with it. I love the location, I love the setting and I love the drinks. I’m not a fan of the scene, the service is not that great and I hate the rules to get in.
First, I’ll start with my loves…
The location and setting is really cool. It’s on the roof of Hotel Monaco. You walk into an open air bar which is indoor/​outdoor with nice décor. Outside, there are two rooms beautifully designed and decorated that you can sip cocktails in OR even rent out for a private event. Yes, I wish there was a view of the city but the old structure of the building doesn’t allow for it. Honestly, it’s pretty enough up there that you won’t mind. Lastly, I’ve always really enjoyed my drinks. They definitely have bartenders that know what they’re doing.
The dislikes…
The scene is weird, especially after 10 when they bring a DJ in. It just feels like they’re having an identity crisis. It seems like they want to be more like a club but then you arrive and no one is dancing. It’s just a little strange. I’m not really sure what they’re looking to be. My vote would be a cool place to have some cocktails with friends. I’ve additionally been very turned off by the service. I came with a group that ordered bottle service and we needed to search for someone to seat us and set us up. I also had to ask them for more seating. You would think that because we were spending quite a bit, they would have been more prepared.
All in all, when I’m looking for a cocktail pre dinner in the area, strattus is where I go. If I’m looking for a hang out at 11pm on saturday, I doubt I’ll be back.