Angels and Kings
500 E 11th St
(between Avenue A & Avenue B)
New York, NY 10009 (212) 254-4090
- Nearest Transit:
1st Ave-14th St (L)
- Price Range: $$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Good for Groups: Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
- Outdoor Seating: No
- Music: DJ
- Best Nights: Thu, Fri, Sat
- Happy Hour: Yes
- Alcohol: Full Bar
- Smoking: No
- Coat Check: Yes
26 Reviews for Angels and Kings
The beer prices are way too high, but mixed drinks are more reasonably priced (aside from the "special" drinks with names like Ashlee. Come on!). I recommend going for the happy hour, even though there's no food. I've been pleasantly surprised by the crowd-not as many 18-year-old emo girls hoping to run into Pete Wentz as I expected. The bathroom lines are somehow ridiculous. The pictures on the walls are kind of interesting, and there's always a random movie playing via projector. Basically, Angels and Kings has a schizophrenic personality, but it's still a decent time if the crowd and DJ are good.
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The bartenders are incredible. Very friendly. The place was much classier than expected, with candles lit all around the bar. They had Casino Royale playing on the far wall and top 40s music all night. My friends and I went just to check it out -- Happy Hour is $2 for any vodka drink from 8-10 p.m. But no one really starts filling the place until 11ish. But even at midnight on a Saturday, the place really wasn't packed.
Overall: Good place to kick back with your friends over a couple drinks.
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Angels and Kings NYC Vs. Angels and Kings Chicago.
I was lucky enough when Angels and Kings NYC opened to be at the opening 2 days. I also frequent this bar every time I am in NYC. This weekend, I attended the opening 2 days of Angels and Kings Chicago, so this has prompted me to write the epic ( or not so epic) battle of AK NYC Vs. AK Chicago. Who will win? Only one way to find out .
AK NYC is small , very small. The drinks are average for the area the bar is in, and the bar is off the beaten path in NYC at 11th Street between Ave A and B.
The space is dark , red lightning , VIP seating and the DJ booth on the right side . ( This bar runs from side to side , with the bar in the back , as opposed to its sister who runs back to front with the bar on the right side. )
AK NYC has 2 small unisex bathrooms and the line is almost always so long you would rather pee in the alley out back
The bartenders are highlighted in both Angels and Kings with a rather attractive male bartender who makes girls swoon and the boys jealous.
AK Chicago. has a wonderful feel to the space, when you walk in there is a lovely "living space" with chandelier lighting and a rather comfy couch, this area is also one of the reserved areas in the bar.
The bar runs along the right side of the bar and spans nearly the entire depth of the bar, on the opposite wall there is ample seating for a large amount of patrons. Also towards the front of the bar on this same wall is a raised DJ booth complete with incandescent lighted halo above the DJ's head.
Towards the back of the bar is a second VIP Area raised on a stage ( I imagine if the bar keeps any of the same themes as AK NYC , this is also where karaoke , rock band and other functions will occur, currently there are 2 thrones on the stage area but it seems if no one is using them, as no one was on the nights I was there the edge of the stage provides some additional seating .
All the way in the back of the bar is the restrooms which are covered in chalkboard and graffiti is encouraged.
There are no bar stools at the bar but this may just be a weekend thing. After making friends with one of the bartenders I was there I also was let on to a little AK Chicago secret that there will soon be a second (Lower ) level of the bar which will increase the space by I would say apx another 60 % .
Making AK Chicago nearly 3 times as large as AK NYC ...
Drinks are priced for Downtown Chicago and aren't cheap. I also believe that this area of town may be the demise of AK Chicago, it seems as though it will mostly attract tourists and yuppies. There probably wont be a fairly regular crowd, while in NYC it seems the regulars are what keeps the bar a float .
However at both bars you will see your Fair are of D list pop punk rockers and their made famous by blog friends. Chances are however at AK Chicago if you're looking for Pete Wentz or his other 1/2 , you'll be looking at a closed door , and a list that you aren't on .
All in all
AK Chicago, Larger space, More comfortable and put together inht all areas. A little frou frou and could suffer with the crowd that visits and the high prices.
AK NYC Better Location , Better drink prices, better crowd. The space is lacking in sq. footage, and the bathroom situation is atrocious.
I would almost call battle AK NYC Vs. AK Chicago a draw. And strongly recommend if given the chance, Visit Both bars!
However even with particular affection to both bars, a slight feeling of loyalty to NYC (as well as bonus for me being as it closer to me in location) , I give AK NYC the winners crown.
What did you expect from a New Yorker at heart?
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Fun, fun, fun! Fun bartenders (not to mention good looking), strong drinks (and free too!), good music if you miss your pop punk alternative high school stage like I sometimes do. This place validates my secret emo side...love the red lighting, the interesting crowd, the scene, the easy walk back down to LES for some latenight fun, the list goes on. Oh yeah, and the DJ loves to accept requests. Don't miss the Gong (yes gong, the asian percussion instrument) behind the bar that says something like "Do me! or Want to F**k?" Does it get any better?
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Nice bartender, I liked that they had Friday the Thirteenth on the screens (I went on Friday the 13th), and nice set-up- too nice of a set up in my opinion. I felt like the place was trying to be too fancy. The inside was A LOT like Retox's interior was, it was trying too hard, especially for the area and the crowd this place wants to attract. For what I thought was supposed to be a rock bar this place was hardly. The music was so-so. A pack of girls that started screaming when they saw each other arrived, which is when I closed my tab and left.
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I guess my experience here was private enough to keep me unaware of most people's complaints. I ordered Sapporo so I don't know how the prices were for the rest of the drinks. The pro's here were the benches near the window, which were mostly empty when we got there. Great for conversations. Nothing really bothered me while I was here and it was an all positive experience. I can see how some reviewers complaints may have come true if I went on a different night, or was with a different crowd.
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Crap, am I jealous of Sasha D!! Where were all those cute straight boys when *I* went?? Of course, the bday boy was cute but not straight, so that might explain the particular demographic mix on Saturday night. Right. Note to self: stop hanging out with gay men to pick up straight men.
Anyway, they don't serve any beers on tap. Too much red lighting. I felt like I was in hell. Or some seedy brothel in Bangkok. And neither of those places seem likely to feature angels. Maybe kings though. Kings like whores. I watch the Tudors! Okay no I don't. I like the old Jonathan Rhys Meyers, from Velvet Goldmine. Bring HIM back! This new one is too buff and a bit of an asshole.
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Let me first mention that this review goes out to all the lady-Yelpers of New York.
I guess I have to mention Pete Wentz is involved with this establishment, and that's why I wanted to go to Angels and Kings originally, because it seemed like some major lolz were in store for me on an otherwise uneventful Tuesday night.
How wrong I was.
What was in store for me was not lolz, but--and I do not exaggerate--the most attractive collection of straight dudes I've ever encountered in a New York bar. I'm talking percentage-wise, because the place wasn't packed, which was nice actually, no bumpy-drink-spilly action, room to sit, etc. But whatever, who cares about sitting down, when you need to look flirtatiously at like, two thirds of the patrons of the bar, because you can't decide which one you like best? I felt like a boy-crazy kid in a candy store where instead of candy they had guys, and instead of selling them, they gave them away for free! Even the bartenders, who might give you free drinks, or Ricardo, the barback, who will adorably dance with you whenever he makes rounds to pick up glasses?
I suggest going on Tuesday. The "party" is great. I guess calling it a party isn't fair, since there aren't usually enough people to constitute a party. But the DJ plays the PERFECT mix of top 40 hip hop, classic pop and indie stuff.
Sometimes weird stuff goes on here though. MTV was filming something once when I was there, and by that I mean shining a blinding light on everything and tripping people on chords. And I've heard tell of emo-celebrities showing up for beer or whatever, but i'll believe it when I see it.
My only problem is $6 drinks. Hello, starving student over here! Luckily, the environs are conducive to the generosity of others, so hopefully you won't be shouldering the cost of your buzz all alone.
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Jenny had been begging and pleading for me to go to Angels and Kings since I moved to NYC in July. Last night, she took me there for the first time.
Let me say a few things first: I don't hate emo kids, but I have my reservations hanging out in large groups of them while drinking. Jenny and I were joking on the way over about how they probably hand out tissues for all the crying that takes place, or have "you can see my balls more clearly through my tight jeans than yours!" competitions.
This, however, did not turn out to be the case. A DJ spinning 90's hip hop and R&B, and he actually takes requests?!? Nice touch for a Pete "Sugar, We're Going Down" Wentz bar! They were also playing "At Close Range," the amazingly awesome Christopher Walken/Sean Penn movie, against one of the brick walls. That was like, the first R Rated movie my mom let me watch! The bar is lit in red lighting, giving it a burlesque feel, which is only enhanced by the plush antique leather couches that run along the perimeter of the room. The bartenders are friendly, fast and helpful.
A few down sides: there always seemed to be a huge line of people for the bathrooms, of which there are only two unisex single service stall rooms. Luckily I have the bladder of an ox and was able to hold it, but others are not as lucky. They charge $4 for PBR (don't force people to overpay for piss), $5 for bottles of bud. I'm a firm believer that all bars should have at least one tap line running, and these guys don't.
One surprise of the night (and someone else caught on to this in another review) is that a Thursday night in this place will have you swimming in estrogen. Seriously, the guy:girl ratio was something like 1:4. And the girls weren't even emoed out!
I will undoubtedly be coming back to this bar, not because it is particularly amazing or deserving of my hard earned cash, but because Jenny will definitely be jonesing for Pete Wentz and will want to go. At least after last night, I know I'll have a decent time.
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In the East Village, it's a punk bar with poseur prices. No food (though they do have take-out menus), but plenty of barely 20 somethings experimenting with new haircuts. The crowd is friendly, though, and so is the bartender. Not the snob action you might expect. Lots of space... and some dancing. Not much else to say. --Drink Club NYC is a roving group of NYC drinkers
Pros: friendly, good people watching,
Cons: no food, somewhat pricey for the style and location
They charge $6 for a tall boy of PBR.
I'll let that sink in...
If you are going to serve tall boys of PBR (market value = $0.40), then they better be dirt cheap. I'm not against the hipster backlash against microbrews and finer beers and the re-immersion of waste beer as the drink of choice amongst yupsters, but if you are going to play that hand, then make that beer CHEAP! If this place charged $2 for that PBR on the other hand, this place would be awesome.
Besides that, the music was actually pretty good. The dj was mixing between Justice, MJ, club hits, etc. although there wasn't really room to dance (the place is the size of my tiny Chelsea apartment).
Ok, before you read any further, keep a few things in mind:
A) i'm on the border of being in love with pete wentz. correction: definitely have crossed the line of being in love with him. the line is a dot to me.
B) i love fueled by ramen/decaydance.
C) i like going anywhere emo-type band guys are involved (which at a&k is at least once a week).
D) if you are judging and making a face right now, get the f out of my review.
So, if you still have any respect for this review, read on, yelpalicious reader.
I love angels & kings for a few reasons. One is that I hate going to bars where you have to wait in line and have to get bottle service and all that stupid crap. angels & kings has the friendliest staff, to the pitiful point that I've hung out there just with the bartenders, bouncer and the owner and had a fantastic time. it's not a dance club type of bar, but you can sit around the "dance floor," drink beers watch people trying to dance. very amusing. the bday parties they have there are usually fun for people watching, there are so many different types of people that stumble in. sometimes its a grand entrance with cameras flashing (read: travis from gch, pete, panic!, etc), and sometimes its just a random group of interestingly weird people. either way, i always find myself having oddly insightful conversations.
the gong thing is funny. it seems to me that anyone can just go bang the gong, and everyone gets free shots. not sure if its always like that, but give it a try.
either way, i like going here. its cool to mingle with people who write/sing music i like. and nobody acts pretentious, everyone just hangs out and has fun. i thoroughly enjoy myself each time i go. take this, hatersssssss :)
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For Pete Wentz's bar I for some reason had some higher expectations, but I was mildly impressed by the playlist they had. This place isn't huge and their drinks aren't the strongest, but there's something about it that's got me wanting to go back. Who knows maybe I'm being overly generous but I still think it has a lot of potential.
it seems like this bar has its ups and downs in the eyes of recent reviewers. but i for one, will protest that this place is awesome.
the bartenders are super friendly and attentive. i never wait longer than 2 minutes for a drink, ever. the atmosphere to me, works perfectly with what they were trying to achieve when this bar first opened. i mean yes, everything assumes, oh pete wentz's bar = super fancy and like all high end quality things. that is not the case, and by the way pete wentz is NOT the only person involved with this bar. he actually might even be at the bottom of the barrel, all the bar is to him is an investment. the lovely fueldbyramen men run, operate, and own this bar as far as new york sees it. the only con i have is the long bathroom lines! but what can you really do? it's a popular party bar and people always have to pee! other then that, i love the constant classic movies that play on the brick wall, and almost always love the crowd and how everyone just gels together to have a good time, and most of all the music. it's just the things you want to here, always at that moment. with a few duds here and there of course. but overall great dance hits and sing a longs.
i recommend this place to young people in there 20's just looking to have a good time and hang out. i feel like its my extended living room. there is no judgment here. who cares who owns it? it's a dive bar. and I'm sure i speak for everyone that attends regularly, we'd like to keep it like that.
My friend likes this place, so I thought... why not? Let me tell you why not... It is too try-hard-to-be-divey for my high-maintenance friends and too chic for my low maintenance ones. It has a big EMPTY dance floor. (I can turn on my radio and jump around my studio apartment and get the same effect without making an ass out of myself.) It has very little in the way of atmosphere and the whole time my friend and I listened to eachother's iPod's because there is only so much bad, non-descript 80's music that I can take. I did the 80's once sober. It doesn't get better after a few martinis.
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Let me preface this review by saying that my pair of beer-seekers and I stopped here because it was far less crowded than the 11th Street bar (which is about half a block away.) We were actually interested in sitting and drinking and talking to each other (not yelling and standing and waiting on the bartender to see us.)
Secondly, the two stars that I've given are dedicated to the two bartenders, a cute guy with tattoos and Buddy Holly frames and a cute blonde girl who was quite talented at catching peanuts in her mouth. A Stella was six dollars... pretty standard.
The music on this Saturday night at about 11:30 was a pretty standard selection of bad pop song after bad pop song. (Amy Winehouse, AGAIN? really? someone PAID for this?) I heard more than my fair share of high-school-pop-punk jingles that night.
And when the music is bad and it's coming from a patron-controlled jukebox, you know that the crowd is going to be just as irritating. It felt a little high-schooly in there....
To top is all off the lighting is almost 100% red lights which made me feel like I was about to develop film or that I was going blind. I'm sure that many a one-night stand has it's roots in Angels and Kings and ended in, "She was so much hotter when all the lights were red!"
Bottom line: ew.
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It's important to look at this bar for what it is and not what it once was. It has a standard drink selection with standard prices and a very loud juke box with standard hits. The decor is interesting and somewhat unusual with deep reds and comfy couches.
This place's value (and rating) plummets when you factor is the crowd. It is crawling with "hipper-than-thou" folks who's idea of fun is dancing obnoxiously and demanding all of the attention with obviously intentional "drunkin" antics. There is also a strong showing of B&T types with popped collars and tight polos clearly interested in being in the Fall Out Boy guy's bar.
Skip it, you'll be better off.
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Went on a Saturday night expecting it to be packed as we just left 230 Fifth Avenue (which was) and the place was dead. The bartender was very cool; he and one of my friends got into a discussion on NYC dating, my roomie (very sophisticated and cosmopolitan) split, and I was pretty bored. Loved the Jukebox- Clash, AC/DC and other goodies- not as great as Welcome to the Johnsons Jukebox, but nice. Met a geophysicist and loved the free water.
Supposedly have karoke night there....may go back and check it out. I do suggest taking a flashlight with you if you go; you'll need it to be able to see in the bathroom.
Kind of reminded me of LIT in the early days, but less cooler.
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Went here with my roommate because we heard it was Pete Wentz's bar and thought we'd be able to go and make fun of emo kids with fake IDs. The crowd couldn't have been more different -- this place was full of yuppies! Not that there's anything wrong with 30somethings in Original Penguin shirts, but it certainly wasn't what we expected.
As my roommate put it, "Clearly the crowd here is the demographic that reads food blogs and heard that it was Pete Wentz's bar."
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True story: I wanted to go to The Orchid Lounge with my friends but now it's this place. They don't use the gong to give out free shots or display weird old Chinese movies on the wall. So basically it's the same bar but without the cool ambience and filled with hipsters. We stayed for half the night but got bored staring at the people in this bar. Nothing stood out and our goal was to show friends visiting from London a good time.
It wasn't until a few days later that I found out this bar is owned by Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy. Does that band even exist anymore? Anyway. I guess it made it slightly cooler but still. Bring back the gong!
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There is only one reason to come to this bar and that's to see if you can spot Ashlee Simpson shooting up in the bathroom. Otherwise, this bar is a dud with a poor atmosphere, a tool of an owner (Pete Wentz) and with a large enough dance floor without any dancing.
If you enjoy wasting time, come here.
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I had my birthday party here with 2 others and our trifecta menage of awesomeness (myself and 2 women) went off without a hitch. The staff was pleasant, people were cool, the jukebox was pumpin' (some Clash was to be heard along with random DMX), etc. I had the best birthday I had in a long time here (and with lovely thanks to my wonderful girlfriend who set it up).
Now the thing is, yes, you can see Pete Wentz here sometimes. In fact you can see more of Travis from the Gym Class Heroes here more often (nice guy actually if you talk to him). I've seen 'em both, seen other bands (Cartel, Motion City Soundtrack, etc.) Will you see Fat Mike walk in? No. Is Henry Rollins going to walk in on a random Tuesday? Will even Tim Armstrong walk in and play some acoustic Operation Ivy songs? The answer is no. So you get what you pay for...a nouveau scene propagated by guys who think they are coming to some hipster establishment but the thing is half the girls with the (freshly done) tats won't even look at Mr. Lacoste anyway.
I have had some interesting experiences here (water dripping from the ceiling) and I've had to move out of a "reserved area" so Travis could have his birthday party. So its a hit or miss. But doesn't he know that blowing out candles isn't having a good time???? We have to take our CLOTHES OFF (cue high pitched voice)!
Had a party here and can attest only that:
a) the staff is friendly and awesome
b) the arrangement of seating is such that it's great for groups and parties, sort of a loungey situation in a dive-ish bar
c) the happy hour is killer: half price ($3 for a rum drink) till NINE o'clock
In short, a good place to get drunkadoo.
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i live right next door - which is a plus in my book.
drinks were just ok - they wouldn't let me bang the gong unless i bought the whole bar a round of shots..which definitely wasn't gonna happen.
there were like 2 guys there and they were with dates..all girls on a friday night at a bar = lame. we drank our drinks fast and left.
i could see it being fun on a night where there was a dj maybe.
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What happened to this place? It used to be both comfy and cool and now it just seems hacked together by a bunch of amateurs? Where's the picture of Connie Chung? What happened to the reasonable beer selection?
I don't understand this place at ALL.
From what other people are saying here, it sounds like it used to be a cool bar with good atmosphere. Now that it's Angels and King's, it's full of yuppie losers trying to spot D-list music celebrities. Everyone here looks like they work on wall street, or are old, or just wannabees. I expected hipsters, but they must know how bad it is, and stay away! My friends go here two times a week (because their friends DJ), and I just don't get the attraction. It's boring. They play good music, but no one dances. People just stand around staring at the door waiting for Pete Wentz to walk in.
I'm truly upset that two of the best party nights in the city moved here, and became total shit. "Private Men's Club" at Black and White and "Stolen Transmission" at the Annex. Both parties are now here, with a bit of a name change. But also they went from being awesome, to sucking. Way to ruin a good thing, guys.
I went opening week and this place was awful. So I gave it a few more chances, and it's still awful. Maybe WORSE. Drinks are watery and overpriced, the lines are too long, the bathrooms are right next to the bar so the line is always long/mixing with the bar line. This place has like 14 owners (not just Pete Wentz) which may explain the schizophrenic "we don't know if we're scene/hipster/or want to be the next exclusive VIP club" vibe going on.
I gave one star for good music. And the bouncers are always friendly. Other than that, Horrible waste of time/money. I give it about a year before it becomes something else.
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