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Categories: Jazz & Blues, Middle Eastern [Edit]
Neighborhood: Upper West Side96th St (1, 2, 3)
This is a review I have to write. You see last August my buddy Steve (who now is my roommate) was in town visiting NY for a week. It was his first time being in the city so I was determined to show him a good time.
So here we are on Friday trying to figure out how to spend our Friday evening after I get out of work. So I enlisted the help of my lovely co-workers. David the friendly and helpful new head of construction who I frequently chatted it up with in the early mornings, suggested I take my buddy to this great jazz club called Cleopatra's Needle. So I abided and here's the story that follows...
So Steve and I get ready and headed over to this lively jazz club only to find no cover charge...great start! We then are lead back to this private room where for most of our meal we get the room to ourselves even though the rest of the place is packed... this creates smiles all around. We enjoy a few cocktails, a stellar meal, listen as the terrific jazz band plays on and I steal a flower from a cup on the table and place it in my hair. Then a good night gets even better...
As we go to pay the check that we were starting to rack up, our waitress informs us that a man at the bar has already taken care of our bill. Bewildered but pleased we decided to leave this gracious stranger a thank you note and we pass it to the waitress to give to him. So of course as we leave we stalk the bar in hopes of discovering which lovely fella did us this favor. Just then I lock eyes with this handsome retro-dressed fella wearing a gray newsboy hat who has incredible brown eyes...*gush*
Although nothing happens as I think I am just imagining things until my buddy Steve states "Did you see that retro dude at the bar checking you out?". AHHH he was real! I freak out of course and asks my buddy if he thinks I should go back and say hi or perhaps drop my number? My ever clever friend states that "If this guy wants you, he'll find you" and we walk away from Cleo's. Ugh.
Ever the optimist I create fantasies in my head that this gray newsboy hat wearing guy is the one who paid the tab and in a city of 8 million people will find me...WRONG! Instead the next day I end up getting messaged by a random look-a-like who pretends to be this guy while my heart does flips. So two crappy dates later and after telling the intial romantic story to co-workers I find out that David (the co-worker who suggested the place) was at the bar that night and paid the tab. As well as this phony messager had never even been to Cleopatra's. Wah, wah.
Moral of the story is this; don't be a hopeless romantic. Also don't take love advice from a friend who is visiting the city of 8 million people for the first time. Therefore in my last stitch attempt... my Cleopatra's Needle going, retro-dressed gray newsboy hat wearing fella with the gorgeous brown eyes... if your still out there, here I am.
People thought this was:
Remember that time in high school when you took acid and went to the grocery store? And you saw the weirdest shit ever? That's exactly what this place was like. It was crawling with weirdly boisterous seniors - you know the type - NYers who never got married or had kids, but instead sat on that same bar stool every night for the past 30 years and let their brains rot? Yeah, I walked into their bar.
The bartenders were equally strange - one looked like Ratchel Dratch and the other was Asian with platinum hair - both looking like a prostitute straight out of Full Metal Jacket. I couldn't understand either, and they overcharged me for my beer.
If you're into flashbacks then I would definitely recommend Cleopatra's Needle.
People thought this was:
GREAT jazz music. Nice bar. But TERRIBLE food. Average it out and you get a good bar featuring nice live jazz to keep your mind going, your body comfy, and your liver employed. Just leave your intestines at home for this visit.
People thought this was:
This is a great place to hear some good jazz music for free, BUT I'ts not what is used to be. The talent used to leave you wanting more, it used to be so crowded that you would sometimes have to stand outside to listen to the live music. Now the talent is just OK. But it is a good place to grab a decent meal and some drinks and be entertained. It can get loud but that;s to be expected in a bar/restaurant that offers live music. Some nights are open mic for singers which is cool.
The food is decent, The drinks are pricy but then again you have to remember that there is no cover to come in and hear live music. Oh and the drinks are served in little glasses. The service is decent. I've been many times and have never had a problem with the service.
Sunday afternoons are cool at the needle because it's strictly open mic for singers so if you have an urge to get up and sing a jazz standard sundays would be the time to do it.
all in all i say that the needle is a decent after work place to chill and grab a bite and maybe a drink and be entertained.
Came here at night when jazz was playing. Enjoyed the live jazz music with no cover. Can get kind of loud at times, but good music for the most part. Now, if only the food could match the music.
Ordered a hamburger with fries....no cheese and it was around $14. A blue moon on draft was ~$8. The waiter asked a friend how he wanted his burger cooked, he said medium rare. He received a dried out piece of beef between the buns. I wasn't feeling the need to be picky, I was hungry and didn't care. My friend on the other hand sent back his burger. Ten minutes later he received something similar to the first plate.
The food is overpriced as is the alcohol. The staff "acted" like they cared. Come here for the music, expect to drop at least $20 for a meal and a drink.
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As a former service-industry employee who religiously tips 20% and over, I'd never before left a tip less than 15%. But this bitch deserved it.
Maybe instead of arguing with your fellow server IN FRONT OF ALL OF US about who would serve the adjacent table (hint: her, since she'd already taken their drink order), you should have brought our drinks out in less than 20 minutes.
And maybe instead of hastily asking us to just sign the bill you split evenly between two cards instead of splitting it the way we'd meticulously written out, you should have adjusted it and reprinted the checks instead of saying "you couldn't" and saying we should "just work it out."
And maybe instead of sleeping with the manager, you should learn to be even a mediocre server.
A real shame when an otherwise okay place is totally ruined by sub-sub-sub-par (like, me playing non-scramble-format golf) service.
People thought this was:
I went to Cleopatra's Needle yesterday with some friends and we ordered the calamari, mussels and some drinks. We arrived around 6:30pm so we could take advantage of the half-off drinks special. They offer half-off on drinks everyday before 7:30pm.
The calamari was good and the mussels were so-so. I had better at the Olive Garden. The drinks were good. I ordered the wild passion martini. I was disappointed that it didnt have enough alcohol in it.
Finally just before 8pm, the jazz band performed. The music was good and soothing. Between eating, drinking, dim lighting and listening to jazz music I was falling asleep. Which wasnt a bad thing. The only bad thing was the waitress was ok. Not very sociable, no personality and when it came to getting the check, she was a no show. And the food was a bit pricey. Overall, I had a decent time. I may come back again.
People thought this was:
My story's probably unique when it comes to this place, but if you don't want to read it, the basic facts are these: it's expensive, the food's mediocre and the music is fantastic.
I went here for a date one Tuesday night and after we left at 1 a.m. closing time (who has 1 a.m. as a closing time?), I was standing outside talking to my date. We must have been there for a little while, because someone came out and locked the front door and gate, leaving the whole establishment dark.
No more than five minutes after that, I had a really weird, intense flushing sensation and fainted, hitting my head on one of the glass windows at the base of the wall, basically shattering Hulk-style.
I was ok, and walked home after that (it's a date mood-killer in case you're wondering), but did stop by the bar a day or two later to explain what happened and offer to give them some money to pay for the repairs (which had already been done).
Up until this point, I can chalk this up to coincidence. Sure, I've never fainted up until this point in my life (or since) so it's not entirely possible it was the food or win there that did it to me, but I had my suspicions.
Three or four days passed before I got an angry call from the owner, telling me if I didn't bring him $150 (for a small window, mind you), that he was going to get the authorities involved if I didn't pay right away. I gave him the money a day or two later (I obviously wasn't shirking it, otherwise I would have never told them about it) but he had called me three times in those two days threating legal action.
Anyway, that's a long way of saying I'm never going there again. Which sucks, 'cause the music is fantastic.
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We went on a Thursday night so perhaps that's why I'm going to disagree about the service and the food. Both were great! Had the seafood with linguini, my wife had a curry of some sort, both were quite tasty as was the chocolate mousse cake for dessert. We made reservations - contrary to the one voter who said they don't take them - but there were definitely open tables (again, weeknight, I know...)
The trio playing were phenomenal though I did wish the drunk people behind us sat further from the musicians. Can't beat the no cover IMO so quite yer whining about overprice drinks - they gotta pay those players somehow and $3 beers ain't gonna cut it.
We're definitely going back, sounds like it may be best to avoid the weekends.
People thought this was:
I agree with Clarissa. Bottomline: DO NOT EAT HERE. EAT NOTHING, NOT EVEN APPS. Come for drinks and accept that they will be overpriced and have a fucking blast listening to some of the best jazz in the city.
It's not a pretty people bar, the bartenders are downright ugly (but nice) and the food seriously sucks. But somehow it has atmosphere, probably because sheer talent wafts in the air. Hello, there's no cover. I hate to say it, but I love this place. The reason the food blows ass is because they know no one cares, people come to jam out and chill. Cheapies beware, music lovers bliss out.
(Seriously, the reviews for this joint breaks down to people who come for music and those who don't; if it's not your top priority, don't bother, if it is, you've scored.)
People thought this was:
Actually I'd have given this place a half star if I could. A friend I wanted to be around people and get a drink - she thought we should head here. Once inside, the Jazz band was playing, not being a big jazz person I could have cared less.
Once seated, we decided - since it was so hot outside - to order frozen drinks. They tasted like plastic - no liquor just plastic. I sent mine back immediately and requested a gin & tonic, my friend tried to hold on to hers - that lasted another 2 sips. She got a beer.
There's a minimum at the table, so we order some apps - calamari & garlic bread. The bread was WONDERFUL (hence the 1/2 star). The calamari was poorly breaded, extremely chewy and such a small portion (we could see the bottom of the plate before we had even moved a morsel).
The manager did come over and ask what was wrong with the first set of drinks - which we told him and he assured us they were fresh...made at the beginning of her shift. But it's now midnight?? Her shift started at 5pm...and then it sits and is churned in some (I'm guessing plastic) vat until ordered. There are too many other places in the area that are better.
People thought this was:
Really bad service. Our waitress went MIA for most of the evening, and then ignored us after we called for her four times. Then, she overcharged our credit cards because she included a tip for herself. We got no support from the manager, who totally took her side.
Overpriced food with a weird aftertaste.
Oh, and: $3 for a cup of tea?
People thought this was:
This place was pretty terrible all around. Apparently the music is pretty good if you go when there's a live performance. I did not. My meal tasted like it could have come from a TV dinner. Cleopatra's Needle gets one star, because I'm unable to give zero.
My girls dinner group met here just shy of 7:30 p.m. to take advantage of the 1/2 off martinis at the bar, which were fantastic.
We sat for dinner just as the live jazz was starting at 8 p.m. There's back room seating in case you want to have a conversation and not be drowned out by the music, which is what we chose to do.
Our waitress recommended an appetizer for the table that cost $15 and included hummus, olives, feta, veggies, grape leaves, babaganoush and warm pita. Delicious!
I wanted a light, affordable dinner so went with the spinach pie, which they serve in generous portions, and the house red. This is a special restaurant that will now be on my short list of neighborhood favorites.
Skee-bop! Get into the swanky jazz mood with this wine bar turned lounge. I've never eaten here, so can't vouch for the food but if you're looking for some live music without a cover or the pretension, then here's a spot to check out.
Yes, it is odd that there's a big screen playing all the biggest sporting events as a smooth solo rings out on the saxophone, but that's the norm here -- a little bit of everything. Not a great place for an quiet conversation since the music can be a little overpowering, but definitely a good spot for a cocktail and some jazz...if that's your thing.
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This place has free wi-fi. The owner types in the password. (Then let's you hit enter.) There was one outlet open near the bar. Happy hour writing. Half price drinks. Not bad.
People thought this was:
LOVE this place.
classy patrons, classy atmosphere.
just buy one $10 glass of wine, and enjoy the rest of the set =]
People thought this was:
The drinks are a little pricey ($12-14 for a martini) but the music is good. No cover, much less pretentious than Smoke just up the road. Usually serve food until midnite.
Jam sessions most nights, open mic on Wed, I think. Great place to bring a date.
I'm there once a week.
People thought this was:
ONLY GO FOR THE JAZZ -- If you must go.
The food: Overpriced with horrible sides ('steamed' or hard veggies and dry rice are the only sides they offer...) My 'steak' was 25 bucks merely a slab of fat!
The Jazz: Great
The Ambiance: Customer service is LOUSY. I ordered a Peach Bellini. Instead received a Peach Schnapps with a floating cherry in a martini glass. That's it. Took TWO sips of the nasty concoction and wanted it taken off my tab. So when our absent waiter finally came back to out table he impolitely told me he could not take the drink off my tab because I already tasted it. (WTF?)
I ask for the manager and the waiter brings some other waiter who could not form a complete sentence to tell me whether or not they would satisfy me, the customer (what ever happened to 'the customer." He gets visibly gets mad (and loud) and tells me the manager is not there and they will not accommodate me.
So the owner comes out and inarticulately tells me (in a VERY LOUD VOICE) "I hate customers like you who take two sips of my drinks and then want it taken off the bill -- I hate customers like you!" It sounded as if he had rehearsed or had been through this before with other customers.
I reply with my "this is horrible customer service, blah blah blah.." and he gets more angry and refuses to serve the rest of my party.
Long story short, DO NOT SPEND YOUR HARD EARNED MONEY ON THIS TASTELESS, DIRTY 'RESTAURANT.'
People thought this was:
I should start this by saying I don't know anything about jazz, so I will mostly be rating it like a regular restaurant. Assume that the jazz was pretty good.
This place is outrageously priced--$6 for a Coors Light, you're talking double digits if you want anything better. Entrees are $19-$30; I didn't order one, opting to split an appetizer, but the one friend who did said it was just okay. She paid over $30 for her chicken curry and a teensy glass of pinot grigio.
Our waiter was like no man I've ever met. Though his gait never seemed to slow to anything below a scurry, he somehow managed to go 20 minutes at a time without so much as checking in on our table, and our repeated attempts to flag him down went unseen or ignored. We had to ask if the food had even been ordered. As he brought us the check, he apologized for his behavior, saying it was a busy night. I guess it was a busy night but there's also six tables in this place, so. Sloppy sloppy.
I also learned jazz does little to nothing for me.
I have this matchbook that reads, "Cleopatra's Needle" in my nightstand drawer... That takes me back a few years to my first ever trip to NYC. I was walking around, no clue where I was going (I like it better that way when I have idle time) and I walked passed a little door that looked a little mysterious, a little bit inviting. I walk in, go to the edge of the bar sort of in the back of the crowd and grab a Jameson neat. I walk toward the middle of the floor in this small space and stare up at a young guy on the trumpet giving it to the audience... He had a little key chain cartoon character hanging from the bell of his horn and it occurred to me at that moment that I was in a real jazz club in an amazing city.
To the side of the stage area there was a group of guys (some with a Tenor Sax, some with a Trumpet) and they were all waiting their turn for an improv moment along with the stand-up bassist, drummer and pianist that were pumping out a solid jam.
There are little tables, like with any jazz good jazz club and bench seating lining the wall of the room. There is not a TON of space, but if you don't have social anxiety disorder and aren't afraid to be near to people (in terms of proximity - not in terms of opening up and being vulnerable) you will not have a problem wiggling into a comfortable spot.
I did not eat here, so I can't comment on the food. It is a series of Mediterranean dishes though, and if the food is anything like the local music played live here then prepare yourself for a mouth-watering experience...
People thought this was:
The drinks would have been expensive, but we were there during happy hour, and so martinis were half-price and others were also discounted.
On Saturday night, the live jazz music was fun, although it was a little distracting to have CSI projected on a large screen (no sound) at the same time.
I thought the food was great--maybe it depends what night you go? Imam Bayildi is highly recommended, as are the mussels. The appetizer with all the mediterranean food (baba ganouj, hummus, grape leaves, falafel) was pretty good. The hummus had an edge I wasn't used to, and I'm not sure I liked it. The baba ganouj was pretty strong. Grape leaves were standard. Falafel, though, were very good, and contained enough mint to make them green inside. I would order them as a meal, even though falafel isn't something I usually like.
Apricot pudding dessert is pure apricot, pureed, with whipped cream on top. Seems like a healthy dessert, if you're looking for that kind of thing, but worthwhile even if you're not. The baklava was odd. Not a lot of layers to it, and do they use peanuts?
People thought this was:
Went to this place for jazz and Mediterranean one Saturday night. No cover, $10 min per set. Good jazz, but otherwise there is no reason for me to return.
The service was terribly slow. Appetizers and dinner came out at the same time. We got the Moussakah - which actually had a good flavor, but if I'm going to wait 45min-1hr for food, it better come out hot and fresh but it was warm and mushy. The hummus had a good flavor as well, but the portions were lacking - especially for the price. The prices on the menu in the restaurant were on average $4 more than the on-line menu and Sam on draft was $8. Booo.
The ambiance would have been interesting - maybe even somewhat romantic - but hanging from the wall were cheap fall decorations held in place by a single piece of packing tape. Why did I notice this? Because one of them fell off the wall right in front of me while waiting for a table. I started to wonder about the speaker looming overhead...
If you're curious about this place, go for happy hour, find a spot at the bar and enjoy the jazz - it might be the only way to enjoy this establishment.
People thought this was:
Eh....if I was a jazz fan I can see myself giving this place 4 or 5 stars. However, I can appreciate jazz but I would also like it to be the background noise for my conversations - not THE noise. We were completely unable to have any conversation at this place on a random Tuesday night. The food is average and the drinks are EXPENSIVE. If the drinks were quality or regular size I wouldn't mind paying $10 for a glass of red wine but when the wine glasses are baby size and cost $10 for poor quality wine I am sure not to return here anytime soon. If you are into the jazz scene you'll probably enjoy this spot. Otherwise...pass.
Great atmosphere.
The food wasn't anything spectacular so I would just go for the music and drinks.
People thought this was:
love it! yes i know i am turning to the inexpensive places but i am a recessionista so...i am picky. but mis amores, i love the place, fabulous bar, fabulous crowd, easy going, love the music i am a jazz music lover so even if u not a jazz fan you will get into it. the food is really good. have to say the calamari with drinks is fabulous. music gets loud at one point so if your ear sensitive bring your ear plugs. enjoy!
People thought this was:
been coming here for at least 10 years (can't believe its been that long!) any venue with no cover for jazz gets the highest rating in my book....i prefer the late night jam sessions, i once heard stevie wonder's daughter play here with him sitting in the audience! it does get a bit loud sometimes, but hey...that's jazz right?
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I love JAZZ. I come here for the music and drinks. The hummus platter is delicious so I take that as a good sign that coming here for dinner would be as well. Jazz Jazz Jazz. Get yourself situated in a good spot. For some it's a table for me it's at the bar. As soon as the music starts I immediately transcend to a very peaceful place.
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My friend and I read the reviews and took heed not to order the food. I have to say, the tiny wine glass wasn't worth much either... The jazz was great, but I think if I was in a jazz band I would be a little annoyed to have to play in competition with the basketball game on the big flatscreen TV. The service was ok, although it took a few tries to grab our waiters' attention throughout the night. Not really impressed. I think I'll dish out the $20 and try Smoke next time.
People thought this was:
This place is great for a drink and to take in some music. The music far out weighs the food. The food is fine. Nothing to write home about. It's fun to watch the musicians jam. Usually, you can just show up and play with the band. That is what it looks like to me. Anyway, It is literally 2 minutes from my house and that is the number one reason I like it. I wouldn't go out of your way to come here, but if you are in the neighborhood...check it out have a drink and enjoy some good music.
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Silence is stronger then words
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I went here with high expectations and I was disappointed... I thought the jazz was good to great, but the food, service, etc, was average to bad... We waited an hour to be sat, and about 45 or so minutes to get our food afterwards. The prices were way higher then their internet site said they were to be, the beer was expensive ($8+ for draft beer...), and the service was crappy at best. We ordered appetizers and main course and they came out at the same time. They seemed in no hurry to get us our drinks, and in fact we didn't even have a second drink because we got our drinks AFTER we already had our food!!! The atmosphere was good, but the fake attempt to put up very gaudy and terrible fall decorations held up by packing tape kinda ruined it for me... Several of the decorations fell while we were there, and the extremely intelligent wait staff attemtped to reattach them back to the walls with the same tape that didn't hold them the first time... The food was not hot, but only warm, and the portions were small. The food did taste good, but I left hungry and thirsty.
I would recommend that the Cleopatra's Needle move back to their core competency: good, hot, decently priced food, and leave out the decor if it is going to be cheap and held up with packing tape...lol The music speaks for itself. Stop screwing your customers with a liar website and lower the price of brew. I can think of plenty other places that are close to get 3 beers or more, and a larger selection for a cheaper price then 1 beer at Cleopatra's.
I will not be back anytime soon. I would go for the music, but not for the drinks or food. Sit at the bar and eat before you come. Maybe I will give them another chance in a year or so...
People thought this was:
Mediocre food, terrible service, the only cool thing is the live music. Even the french fries were disappointing. Sigh. I thought this place would be so cool, and it just wasn't.
People thought this was:
went to cleopatra's for dinner one night on my week vacation in ny... 1) because it was close to my hotel and 2) because it was featured on rachel ray's $40 a day :P the jazz was nice to listen to, the staff was very friendly and the food was good. i ordered this thing that was like an eggplant lasagna with like a ragu sauce over it and it was pretty damn tasty. the portions were pretty large so after eating over half of the meal... i got over the flavor and the mushy eggplant was starting to really bother me. still, it was a cool place. oh, it's open late too!
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great place to see some new york jazz with a date and get drinks at 1 in morning. i love this place.
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