Nightlife in Manhattan

Nightlife in Manhattan

1. DoGreenwich Village

   55 Bar

   This bar has some good blues and jazz acts, but what's so unusual about it is that it dates back to 1919 and still has a lot of the original furnishings and Beaux Arts-style lamps. Keep your drink orders simple and enjoy the atmosphere.

2. EatGreenwich Village

   Arturo's

   A popular local pizza restaurant with an "old-time" theme, serving coal oven pizza with a lightly charred, crispy crust and other dependable Italian-American dishes. There is live jazz there every night.

   Sun 3PM-midnight, Mon-Thu 4PM-1AM, Fri Sat 4PM-2AM

3. DrinkEast Village

   B Bar

   Restaurant and bar, this place caters mostly to the bar and club crowd.

4. DoTheater District

   Birdland Jazz Club

   This historic club (though not at the original location of W. 52 St.) — universally acknowledged as one of the top jazz venues in the city — features a great lineup of justly famous performers and has good acoustics. Expect to pay a fair price for that quality.

5. DoGreenwich Village

   Blue Note

   Also has a lineup of famous jazz and blues performers. It feels a little more like a bar (with people talking during the show) and a little less like a venue that's only about the music.

6. DoTheater District

   Broadway Comedy Club

   This is one of the most respected comedy clubs in all of New York City, one that has played host to the likes of Joe Devito, Scott McFadden, Jimmy Fallon, David Letterman, and many others who have gone on to make it big in television. Tickets generally run for about $20 a night, and include a free pitcher of beer. Shows run up until as late as 11PM and are a great way for you to end your evening.

7. DoTheater District

   Carnegie Hall

   If you ask a New Yorker how to get to Carnegie Hall, you may get the answer "Practice, practice!" This elegant 19th-century hall is New York's premier venue for famous recitalists and visiting symphony orchestras. The complex also includes the more intimate Weill Recital Hall slightly further east and Zankel Hall, in the basement of the side of the building facing 7th Av. near 56th St, a medium-sized venue used by jazz groups and classical concert pianists, alike.

8. SeeCentral Park

   Conservatory Pond

   Most well known as the Model Boat Pond, visitors can often see a racing regatta between members of the Model Yacht Club, or rent a model boat from a boathouse and cafe on the pond. Just to the north of the pond is the Alice in Wonderland sculpture depicting the Tea Party scene, and on the west side of the pond is the Hans Christian Andersen sculpture, which shows the writer seated on a bench reading a book to his Ugly Duckling character.

9. DoUpper West Side

   Cotton Club

   A dance club/dinner club near Columbia University. Swing dancing is on Monday nights (8:30PM-midnight, $25), with a 13-piece swing band. Friday nights at 8:30PM are taken over by Latin Dance ($20) with a live 14-piece band playing merengue and bachata, appropriately for Dominican-heavy West Harlem. Th 8PM and Sa 9PM are jazz/dinner and dancing nights ($55) for a southern cooking buffet and swing band, while Sa-Su have gospel brunches at noon and 2:30PM ($45).

10. DrinkUpper East Side

    Ethyl's Alcohol and Food

    A 1970s-themed bar with specialty drinks and quick yet delicious bites, Ethyl's certainly isn't a place to miss if you're into funky dancers, live music, and DJs.

    Mon-Wed 5PM-2AM, Thu 5PM-4AM, Fri Sat 4PM-4AM, Sun 4PM-2AM·Fairly cheap prices here. Happy Hour until 7PM everyday features $5 food and $5 drinks, and at other times, prices still remain somewhat low

11. DrinkEast Village

    Holiday Cocktail Lounge

    Old-timers to the neighborhood may remember this as a no-frills bar that had booths with torn upholstery and was presided over by a friendly old Ukrainian bartender/owner. After he died, the bar remained shut and vacant for several years. The new owners had it renovated and somewhat redesigned, but it still has the feel of an old-time room. To afford today's expensive rents and follow the new trends, they now specialize in excellent cocktails and also have a menu of small plates. However, one thing hasn't changed: The bartenders are still personable.

    4–11PM daily

12. BuyEast Village

    John Varvatos

    A rather vivid example of the gentrification of the Bowery, this store is noteworthy for being the former home of CBGB, an underground nightclub that was famous for being the center of the New Wave and hardcore punk scenes in the 1970s and 80s. Today, it's a high-end men's fashion store popular for the many rock stars among its clients. Though the punk crowd is gone, the flyer-covered walls from CBGB have been preserved and rock memorabilia sits beside the store's designer jackets and shoes.

13. DrinkEast Village

    Otto's Shrunken Head

    A fun, boozy reimagining of the once popular post-war American tiki bar. Yeah it's pretty tacky, that's the idea. Grab a sickly sweet Hawaiian-styled cocktail, or just get a basic beer. Sometimes hosts live bands with more of like a Punk/Country/Rockabilly vibe. No cover.

    2PM-4AM daily·Drinks $5-14

14. DoUpper West Side

    Smoke Jazz Club and Lounge

    Live jazz seven days a week. Performers often jam late into the night so go for the late set if you can.

15. EatEast Village

    Somtum Der

    This is a branch of an Isaan restaurant headquartered in Bangkok. Expect spicy food unless you request for it to be made milder, and also be aware that items marked on the menu as including fermented fish have a very strong rotten-fish taste, which is authentic but may or may not meet with your approval. Among their best items are the gaeng om kai (Isaan-style chicken soup in a large bowl with cabbage and herbs, though you may want to ask for it with "less salt"), sa poak kai tod der (Der-styled deep fried chicken thigh), moo ping kati sod (grilled coconut milk-marinated pork skewers) and tum mangsavirat (vegetarian papaya salad). The restaurant is mellower at lunch, when the lights are on and Quincy Jones Band albums from the 1960s play on their sound system. At night, the low lights, techno music and crowds of young customers may make you think you should be dancing at a club. The restaurant is more crowded since Michelin gave it a locally-controversial star, but if you are a small party, you are unlikely to have a long wait except perhaps at peak hours on Saturday night.

    Daily noon-11:30PM·Tum (papaya salad): $11-12; Deep-fried: $9-15; Larb/spicy salad: $11-15; Grilled: $14; Soup: $14-15; Rice & noodle dishes: $13-14; Side dishes: $3-6; Beverages: $3-4

16. DrinkEast Village

    The Bowery Electric

    Good local music club (the music room is in the basement). There is usually a cover charge of at least $8 to get in, and drinks are marked up (e.g., $9 for Stoli and soda). Good acoustics. You might get lucky and get a seat (if that's what you want to do), but most of the crowd stands for the entire performance. Bring earplugs in case the volume is pumped out louder than you like.

17. DoGreenwich Village

    Village Vanguard

    Presents a great lineup of jazz performers in a quiet room (except for the music) that has good acoustics.

18. DoUpper West Side Not mapped

    Jazz at Lincoln Center

    This organization was founded by the well-known jazz trumpeter and educator, Wynton Marsalis. Many famous jazz musicians perform solo or small combo sets at this venue and there is also a Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra, which is quite excellent.

19. DrinkChelsea

    Paddles

    NYC's alternative/fetish/BDSM club

20. DoGreenwich Village

    Small's

    A great place to hear excellent jazz at low prices.

Listings from the Wikivoyage guide to Manhattan (CC BY-SA 4.0).