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Union Hall is a 5,000 square foot bar, restaurant and venue for live music and comedy in the heart of Park Slope, Brooklyn. Painstakingly converted from a warehouse, it offers cozy firesides, a stately library, two indoor bocce courts, outdoor garden seating, and a downstairs bar and music venue. Union Hall is equidistant from its siblings, Floyd and The Bell House, and perfectly balances being both a bar and a live music venue.
Roof access has its price in Manhattan, and certainly the Library Hotel's rooftop terrace adjacent to the penthouse atrium has phenomenal views of the neighborhood around Grand Central Station. While the happy hour crowd packs the place, the terrific selection of spirits, wine and beer make this most unlike a visit to the library.
This three-level venue near the Williamsburg bridge offers a variety of atmospheres for the Lower East Side crowd. During summer months, the rooftop is the main draw, given that it is one of Manhattan's most unique rooftop bars.
Avant Gardner is an enormous 80,000 square foot complex occupying an entire city block of industrial Bushwick in Brooklyn. Comprised of a plethora of stages and full-service event spaces, Avant Gardner’s diverse calendar celebrates community and culture, offering a range of experiences enhanced by the space’s unrivaled audio visual features. The vast complex includes The Brooklyn Mirage, The Great Hall, The King’s Hall and The Lost Circus, all serving as individual locales, or combined to make Avant Gardner the second largest entertainment venue in Brooklyn.
Reviving the golden age of cabaret and jazz, and providing venue for up-and-coming as well as established stars the Metroplitan Room is one of New York's premiere venues for live jazz. Intimate and elegant space that has three nightly shows at 7pm, 9:30pm and 11:30pm. Small plates - cheese and antipasti as well as dessert menu offered. But really folks, it is about a fine cocktail, or wonderful wine, and relaxing to outstanding entertainment.
Cheap beer, domestic decor, and a slight hint of the set from 12 Angry Men.
Rock 'n roll bar in Astoria.
Superlatives abound when you are talking about one of New York's oldest continuously-operating bars. McSorley's is so old, in fact, that it it might as well have come with the colony when the British bought it. For over 150 years, McSorley's has been brewing its own, and just entering the place and noting all the antiques, memorabilia and sawdust on the floor, it hearkens back to an earlier time. Ordering your beers, you'll receive two smaller glasses rather than one pint, which is just part of the McSorley tradition. Although there is food here too, we stick to the alcohol. St. Patrick's Day here is a madhouse scene; don't miss it!
This incredibly swinging bar always has great beers on tap, songs on the jukebox, and hotties wandering around the pool table. Check it out!
One of Williamsburg’s brighter spots, Pete’s Candy Store is always busy. The backroom offers local countryish music and has weekly events like the Quizz-Off, a trivia competition. Get one of the few tables early and enjoy.
Located in Manhattan’s Morningside Heights, Smoke Jazz Club offers up a different variety of music throughout the week. On Monday nights, there’s a jam session, which typically begins around 10:30 after the headliners have played their sets. On Tuesday nights the club caters to fans of B-3 music with different organ and guitar combinations. The weekends at Smoke are usually filled with well-known musical acts that are typically based in and around New York City. Many times the prices at Smoke range from $15-$30 with a two drink minimum depending on the popularity of the band or musician that night. The atmosphere is very swank and low key, with a capacity of no more than 75 people. The bar and wait staff are always considerate and make patrons feel at home. Smoke has augmented its reputation as one of Manhattan’s most distinguished jazz venues with an addition very uncommon to jazz clubs—great food. Smoke serves innovative American Bistro fare developed by critically acclaimed executive chef / consultant Patricia Williams. The menu features aged, steakhouse-quality, 14 oz prime steaks, and a skillfully assembled and popular wine list. Another representative customer favorite is the lemon and thyme-infused, oven roasted chicken served with Yukon Gold mashed potatoes and roasted carrots. Smoke’s knowledgeable and unobtrusive wait staff helps to ensure a memorable dining experience.
Joe’s Pub at The Public is one of New York City’s most celebrated venues for emerging and established performance artists. Named for Public Theater founder Joe Papp, Joe’s Pub debuted in 1998 and plays a vital role in The Public’s mission of supporting young artists while providing established artists with an intimate space to perform and develop new work. Joe’s Pub presents talent from all over the world as part of The Public’s programming downtown at its Astor Place home, hosting approximately 800 shows and serving over 100,000 audience members annually. Its elegant neoclassical design, intimate atmosphere, and superior acoustics have consistently landed the venue on annual Best Of New York lists. Joe's offers a posh cabaret setting with comfortable couches that let you sink in and enjoy the show. In addition, Joe's serves a classic Italian menu as well as a wide variety of specialty cocktails. The dinner menu is available until midnight. The real focus here however is on the eclectic mix of performers Joe's brings in on a daily basis. Featuring everything from well known entertainers to talent you are likely only to hear about years from now. The diverse roster of programming includes top performers from Broadway, cabaret, dance, world, singer-songwriter, jazz, country and indie genres as well as New York Voices, its commissioning initiative, today’s rising stars and GRAMMY Award winners. Joe’s Pub also collaborates with other Public Theater programs to present events such as the Under the Radar Incoming series and the Public Forum lecture and debate series. Seating is limited and you are advised to get there early for all shows!
Since the liberation from Prohibition, the bar had no name. To the sailors and longshoremen, it was like a clubhouse and was known as “The Green Door.” Its motto from long ago was “Known from Coast to Coast.” There used to be a pool table, gambling, tall tales, and no music except the sea songs of the bar room buddies. No women were allowed. Then in 1977, new resident-owners christened the place the Ear Inn. The new name was chosen to avoid the Landmark Commission’s lengthy review of any new sign. The neon’ BAR sign was painted to read EAR, after the musical Ear Magazine published upstairs. Ol’ timers never noticed and still call the place the Green Door.
Lit Lounge is a place for painters, musicians, writers, and performers whose visions are not accepted by the mainstream to hang out and build a community. Lit offers a two level immersive experience featuring a spacious two thousand square foot lounge and a fifteen hundred square foot basement. The basement offers nightly music and features an alternating roster of local, national, and international DJs dedicated to an eclectic and experimental mix of styles. Lit's design is based upon the pre-existing stone arch and brickwork architecture of its original tenement status, highlighted by rusted steel and suffused with dark candle-lit ambiance.
From its state-of-the-art space in the Meatpacking District, Cielo provides a music program specializing in deeply soulful house music as well as various genres of electronic music. The space is built for sound and dancing, with luxurious banquettes surrounding a midsize sunken dance-floor that dominates the center of the room. Conceived in 2003, Cielo is the brainchild of co-owner Nicolas Matar. A DJ for the past 20 years, Nicolas was most notably known for his residency at the infamous Pacha Nightclub in Ibiza. Nicolas played in the funky room or “El Cielo” and credits those years as the inspiration for Cielo and his eventual return to New York. Since opening the focus at Cielo has been on maintaining a high level of service and an experience unlike any other. As demonstrated by the unprecedented number of awards and nominations the club currently boasts, Cielo has established itself as an international brand with an edict of outstanding electronic music. In addition to its accolades, Cielo has featured more top international DJs than any other club in North America since its opening. The intimate size and impressive sound system have made Cielo a favorite of the DJ set (Francois Kervokian, Frankie Knuckles, Louie Vega, Deepdish, Tedd Patterson, and Victor Calderone to name a few), and the club remains vibrant and music-driven. Of course, you do have to get by the door, which is one of New York's toughest...
Both a characterization and a caricature of the Williamsburg music scene, this well-designed music venue also serves as a bar and as a training ground for the hip-to-be. The quarters are a bit close, but it's a welcome trade-off for the comfortable booths. Besides, with a backyard for the smokers, Union Pool seems to keep the pint-glass swimmers from overcrowding. Portrayed erroneously as "Brooklyn Pool" in the movie Nick & Norah's Infinite Playlist. Check website for band schedule.
Return of the Fish! Seemingly chased out of the LES by ever increasing rents, Max Fish returns in its new digs on 120 Orchard Street. The fish that spawned it all, Max Fish was one of the early Lower East Side revival bars, offering plenty of action, alcohol, excitement, nonsense, and more alcohol to lubricate the neighborhood and get the East Villagers to move south of Houston Street.
Boutique (whatever that means) Karaoke bar that is popular with the hipper downtown set. Live band lets you be the front-person of your own rock band, or sing tunes off the karaoke play list. Private rooms are available as well. Cool L shaped bar that brings to mind a Baby Grand - which makes one think that may have something to do with the name. Or is the bar named for it? No one knows!
With new songs added every month, Karaoke One 7 has become one of the most popular sing-along joints in the city and the best Chelsea has to offer.