Le Chalet

All is amazing - but pricey but rurally worth it - will definitely be back with friends

The ambiance and vibes are what you come here for. Apparently, one of the Hadid sisters rented it out for her birthday and other celebs frequent the spot. We only came for one drink pre Broadway show on a Wednesday of Christmas week. It is a good vibe, but make sure you book a reservation a couple weeks in advance and try to stay for a couple drinks. It is located through a door underneath an awning to the right of the main Saks door on 50th. It says "L'Avenue". Go in, take the elevator to the top and walk through the corridor to get to Chalet. When you leave, you exit through the department store and I encourage it. Very pretty.

Loved having a cocktail with my friends. It is great to take a date, client, or even friends. Has an elegant vibe to it definitely will come back.

Such a hidden gem! Everyone seems to go directly to L'Avenue, and even the wait staff asked us multiple times if we wanted to remain upstairs instead. We saw that there was no one here on a Saturday night, and thought it would be cozy to just relax here with a drink. The space is dimly lit, giving (literally, as its namesake) chalet vibes. Wooden beams with sunk in chairs and cozy fireplaces. It's an oasis in the city and an intimate space for whoever you're there with to truly enjoy each others company.

Cozy lodge inspired hidden cocktail bar in Saks Fifth. We entered through the 9th floor through the restaurant. The cocktails were a bit pricey ($18 each, so $45 for two including tax and tip) and not that delicious... we both ordered fall inspired drinks that were simply too sweet.Great place to people watch or have intimate conversations--good date spot if you want to cuddle on a couch by a fireplace! Also nice views of the private Rockefeller rooftops. In the summertime, they probably open up their terrace, which could be a nice spot for drinks.

Note: this is for the lounge (Le Chalet) that is accessible via Sak's on the 8th Floor or via the restaurant going down the stairs. I didn't try the restaurant (L'Avenue at Saks).For each 100s review, I tried to do a special place. Since this is my 400th, I didn't have any place until I found this hidden gem. Who would have thought there is a bar lounge accessible via a department store entrance - Sak's no less! Why is it a hidden gem? You go buy shoes at Sak's. Need a break? You go to a inconspicuous entrance tucked away in a corner. Volia - you are transported to a wooden lounge. The noise doesn't carry to the department store. While you are seated at the lounge, you forget you are in a department store.Surprisingly, it's a crowded on a Friday evening in the main area. We saw a couch by the window through a doorway and headed there. The semi-private room feels like what would be a library or study room in someone's home with couches, chairs and wooden tables. It's very cozy without being overbearing or stuffy. Though, be careful with the couch since you can sink in since it's is a bit soft.The waitress came by with menu and after a while inquired about our orders:Yule Tai: rum, cachaça, purple yam and coconut orgeat, pineapple acid. Didn't really taste the yam though the rum packs a punch.Thai Mule Mocktale: lemongrass, basil, ginger syrup and soda (no vodka). This is a refreshing drink.Bonus: you get to see a view of Rockefeller through the windows -- the view might be obstructed becauses of the column bannisters. Not a bad way to take a shopping break or get away from the crowds.Once the department closes, you will leave by the restaurant entrance. Which happened to us, you walk up a flight of stairs and you see the restaurant and a Pierre Hermé counter filled with macarons and sweets. How can one resist! We picked up a hazelnut dacquoise and praline, milk chocolate ganache, chantilly cream bar (placir sure) for $7.50. It wasn't too sweet, and the different textures fills your mouth with happiness.Maybe I shouldn't have mentioned this hidden gem. It's such a pleasant surprise to find something so unique in the city. I do plan to go back in the future with friends. Hope you get to check it out.

Vibes: cozy as HECK! Can't imagine what this place is like in the summer? Drinks: expensive! But pretty good! Service: FANTASTIC (Note: the chalet is only open to hang out in, no service- so PERFECT if you want to get away from literally everything and have a mental health martini)

My husband and I had a fantastic time at Le Chalet yesterday. The atmosphere is similar to a cozy Swiss chalet and the service, food and drinks are exceptional. We preferred this restaurant to L'Avenue which we visited on the same day. We had the exceptional Croque Monsieur, the Fig spritz and Bee's drinks. Everything was awesome! We will definitely be returning here.

Wanna feel like a cozy badass who perhaps owns a hunting lodge in France? Maybe you've got serious "Gaston" vibes, a la beauty & the beast? This joint is for you - and very much up my ally as well! It's unique, hidden down a curved staircase below L'Avenue and decorated oh so perfectly. The seating is arranged with miniature salons, "living room" type set ups and corners, leather armchairs, antlers, a fireplace and a killer cocktail menu. The drinks are fantastic, as is the service. It's a universe away from the department store its located in (Saks Fifth). I do recommend reservations if you're not there on a weeknight, and especially if you're in shopping over the holidays. This charming spot likely fills to the brim this time of year and on weekends. This is the spot I'm keeping up my sleeves to impress any pal next time I'm on a NYC spree.

I was looking for a spot to grab drinks relatively close to work, and I decided to come by Le Chalet, even though it's at a spot - the 8th floor of the flagship Saks Fifth Avenue store on Fifth Avenue - that you might not expect. To get there, you have to go to the 9th floor and find L'Avenue, which is a full-service restaurant, and take the staircase down to Le Chalet. Once you're there, you might be a bit astonished to find yourself in what looks and feels like a replica of an upscale ski lodge, but one that feels a little more spacious as well (especially while it's low-key - during the week, the bar doesn't seem to get packed at all). The seating isn't packed in too tightly, and there are semi-private nooks where you can set yourself down in if you'd prefer. The balcony is now also open (although I did not check that out), offering you what must be a pretty unique view of the near-heart of midtown Manhattan. Our server was pretty attentive and always checked in to make sure drinks had been served, which made it easy to keep the booze flowing.The menu here is mostly cocktails; I did not ask or see if beers or wines were available, although I imagine that they could source options from upstairs if needed. There's a standard cocktail list, as well as one with more seasonal cocktails and mocktails available, and the menu also includes various snacks of both the savory and sweet variety. I can't opine on that as much - I only had the edamame, which was passable, if a little soggy - but I did get to sample the cocktails quite a bit. Firstly - they are all pretty delicious, and I did appreciate that the price point, while still outright fairly high, was lower than I would have thought it would be at a spot like this (mostly in the mid-high teens per drink). Each cocktail was well-made, and I had some more than once, and the consistency was there...definitely a good sign as well. I really enjoyed the banana-infused pisco sour-style drink, and a number of the other drinks (like the VF GF AF) tended to lend a big dash of heat from the chili infused into the beverage. That said, despite the high quality, there were a couple things I was a tad disappointed in. First, while some of the presentations were unique (e.g. the VF GF AF came in a tea cup, while another beverage came in what looks like an elegant pintglass for beer), there seemed to be a bit of a reliance on certain styles. The St. Germain drink, the pisco on menu, and the banana-infused pisco sour were all done the same way, with the St. Germain and banana pisco so identical in presentation that I initially told the waitress that I thought she had misheard my order. It's not necessarily a bad thing, but it felt a bit lazy in light of the creativity bestowed upon the rest of the bar. Additionally, they did not have the ingredients for the vodka soda (not), which is a peanut butter aged rum that sounded amazing. It was odd given how light traffic was in the bar and makes me wonder if Le Chalet will end up being more of a place to be seen at than to appreciate as an excellent addition to NYC's cocktail scene.Overall, it's hard not to enjoy the time here; it feels a world apart from the department store, much less Midtown, and its proximity makes it easy to plan on dropping back by here. I do hope that there is a bit more diversification and creativity on the part of the menu, but that is something that can probably be fixed as more time passes.