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Categories: Bars, Dance Clubs [Edit]
Neighborhood: DowntownI'm excited- more than wooo-ooords, that after my 3-year absence from Florida, Thursday Indie Nights came back with me!
It's true, you can't find it anywhere else. Whatever niche you have, they have a special night for it.
I do the indie nights, drink, dance my brain off, and come out feeling like a better person once the hangover subsides.
Sometimes you have to kick me out because of my sudden lack of balance, but I know you'll always take me back next Thursday. Thank you IBAR. You're a true friend. You don't judge.
They should have one of these everywhere, but I've been around the country, and they definitely don't.
The I-Bar shattered my views on the club scene in Orlando as a former Tampa Bay resident that has been living in San Diego for the past three years I never would of pictured any city in Florida hosting such a cool place. Even in SD I have failed to find a Bar that plays great Alt-Rock tunes and features a sweet dance floor.
When I first walked in to the I-Bar I'll admit I was underwhelmed sure they had some really cool music playing but all I saw was one bar and a patio. The bar tender was super nice so I didn't mind that it wasn't what I had imagined. It wasn't until natured called that I realized that there were three more bars and a dance floor at this point I was in Heaven. What I only meant to be was a few drinks at the bar turned into me dancing the night away.
Whenever I'm ever back in Orlando and I want to kick it at a place that has the friendliest bar tenders I haver ever met and the coolest music I know where I'm going, I-Bar.
Breathe a sigh of relief, Tampa inhabitants. A kinder, gentler version of The Castle exists! In Orlando. Come on, don't be a pussy. It's only a couple of hours away, and it's so worth it.
From the outside, it's incredibly deceptive. It looks like a bar and nothing more. The sheer genius lies in the fact that there are two fairly discreet doors on either side of the long bar which take you to a huge dance floor. In between bar and dance floor, there is a weird little enclave for SRS GAWTHS. Smart architecture, if you ask me. I'd like to hide those weirdos from folks walking by on the street as well.
Huge video screens, a nice bar staff, and an amazingly friendly crowd are in the main room. And if you're not too totally wasted to walk, you can mount the spiral staircase and go upstairs.
And, come on....80s night. As a true 80s aficionado, I have to admit that I was dubious. The only other worthy 80s night that I have found exists 3,000 miles away in the heart of San Francisco. Surely some club in Orlando wouldn't be up to par. Um, my bad. I was wrong. The 80s music was perfect and the sound system here is good.
I cannot stress enough, though....do NOT go to the bar in the front, which is the first bar you see from the street. The bartender was nice, but there were so many drunk idiots ordering jagerbombs that momma couldn't get properly snockered. Go to the bar in the back, where they're more adequately staffed.
Then try to walk up the spiral staircase, because that would just be pretty funny.
My girlfriend took me here about a week ago. It's probably the best club I've been to. Best music out of any Orlando club. It truly is one of a kind in this city.
I-Bar is one of the better bars downtown. Most of them are so generic. I-Bar's eclectic mix of music is refreshing. Alot of it strays away from mainstream. The atmosphere is more chill and relaxing than places on Church Street like Makos where you pretty much can't move. There are several different levels and bars throughout I-Bar. The bars are never so crowded that you can't get your voice heard. There's a chill area with lounge chairs and benches to kinda sit back, relax, and watch everyone dance. Drink prices were pretty reasonable too. If you come before 11 PM, you can avoid the 3-5 dollar cover.
I really enjoyed the music at this place and the multi-levels you could go to find a less crowded spot to buy drinks and watch people go at it on the dance floor below. THere are some seriousl hard core people here on the weekend though! Like its most because its where I first heard about the Ting Tings :)
Edit: Removing a star because Sunday Night Vinyl is no more. So sad...
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Independent Bar, iBar, Barbarellas... call it what you will. This is the best place for dancing in downtown.
The drinks are average, no frills. Depending on the night, the hour and your gender, the cover is somewhere between 0-5$.
The front bar has an outdoor area where you go to be seen and people watch. The main dance floor is in the back. There's a little side dance floor down stairs, and a third bar upstairs (along with the bathrooms).
All the stairs (hard to maneuver after a few drinks) and the tendency for the djs to be schmucks when requesting music is why they are 4 of 5 stars.
Best night? Sunday Night Vinyl!
3.5 stars.
Good spot for dancing. Drinks are cheap.
Atmosphere comes and goes. DJs could be better.
Better than most of the bars on Orange Ave. At least there aren't a crapton of douchebags at this place.
I will never call this place Independent Bar, it will always be Barbarellas to me! I have spent many, many, many, many nights here and many of my fondest nightlife memories took place in this very spot.
Rather than bore you with many stories of drunken debauchery, I will just get on with the details.
Orlando is known for having great music, some of the best according to some magazines, even over NYC. Their clubs' popularities depend on the music because Orlando's clubs certainly don't put their money in the atmosphere. (I am talking about real Orlando clubs, not those Citywalk trendy types....)
What does that make Barbarellas? A club with substance over trendiness! My kind of place!
LOVE this place... it brings back memories from back in the day... they play lots of 80's music and other stuff mixed in also... gets crowded towards the end of the night...but that is the fun part!
This is an okay place to go for a night out. If you're really into dancing, I'd suggest somewhere else unless you're really into the music they play here, which is mostly eighties, new wave, and industrial.
The crowd is pretty interesting, consisting of mostly Goth and Industrial kids every time I've been. I'm not really into that scene so much as it seems like a lot of work to look different when really you just look like everyone else who's trying to look different.
I don't really like the decor too much either, the whole place seems really tiny and cramped to me.
Independent Bar used to be called Barbarellas for many years and among the people i know who have lived here for many years we still call it that which can cause some confusion among newer folks.
It's a fun place, drinks are not too expensive, music is good for dancing especially on sunday nights.
I-Bar stands out among the other clubs and bars in that the atmosphere is less skanky and more generally enjoyable. It's less of a place to go simply to get completely trashed and more a place you might go to dance, socialize, and listen to generally awesome music with a fun, interesting crowd.
I was one of a handful of swing and blues dancers from the Orlando area that regularly went there to dance and had a blast, even when we weren't dancing.
The DJ (at least on Tuesday nights) is a good one; he's not just some guy with an iPod and a playlist that he lets run. He watches the crowd and gets a feel for what they are liking/dancing to and adjusts accordingly.
The atmosphere/setup is nice. The third bar is in an upstairs loft that overlooks the dance floor, with a few tables to sit at and people watch. The dance floor is surrounded by booths, the bar (in back) and a wall devoted entirely to screens playing music videos (on Tuesdays these are mostly psychedelic).
I personally have never seen any goth kids there; a better description would be indie kids and mainstream folk, with a few punks sprinkled about.
Independent Bar, or I Bar as most of the bar hopping regulars refer to it as, is a crucial establishment in downtown Orlando's nightlife. It is a booze-filled haven for all of central Florida's citizens, plus any visitors to the area that may stumble upon it. The key element that pushes I Bar to the fore front of the city's other bars is the music. Whether you are there for Tuesday night's "Grits & Gravy," which features tunes from the 70s of the rock 'n soul variety, or Saturday's old school, new wave night, you will always have something to shake your bum to.
And that brings us to the dancing. Each night the diverse crowd brings with it even more diverse dance moves. No matter what genre of music or pop culture you stem from, you will feel at ease letting the beat control your feet.
Mondays the bar is closed, but if you are looking for a night of fun on a night when most of downtown has slowed down, I would request going on a Sunday for some 80s music fun. A handful of the nights forgo cover until 1am, and the drink specials can't be beat (especially for the broke and desperate college crowd).
The bottom line is Independent Bar is a place where crowds of all types gather for an unselfishly good time to shake it to some great music and sip on some budget priced beverages.
Gets a bit crowded but nice. The prices on the mix drinks are competitive. Good music! Hard to mingle because of the loud music but great for dancing. This is where I met my fiancée so needless to say I'm a fan.
For those looking to escape from the typical club scene and enjoy dancing to something other than techno,rap or r&b, this is the place to go.
Independent Bar or I-Bar as its most commonly known as is a unique place for people to go enjoy and dance to good alternative music. The place is usually packed to capacity on the weekends, so if you going for the first time i'd recommend visiting it during the week as you get a real feel for the place.
With two dance floors playing different music there is something for everyone. If dancing is not your thing you can always sit outside and enjoy a drink as you watch people walk up and down orange ave.
fun place to hang out on 80's night. but i have to say i'm not that happy with how they redcorated insitde. they got rid of some of the best places to chill out in there. on the second floor there use to be this extremely comfertable couch that was nice to just sit in and relax with a beer if you don't feel like dancing. now if i remember right there is a table with stools in its place. just a few small changes like that. but aside from that still a great place. If I still liked puting up with all the B.S. in downtown orlando i would still go there.
Went there for my first time (as the I-Bar that is) a few weeks ago for 80's night, and it was fantastic. They played less of the 'pop radio' 80s and more of the awesome, amazing tunes that came from that decade.. Echo and the Bunnymen, The Cure, Depeche Mode, the Smiths, Peter Murphy.. I was in heaven... I'll be back soon, that's a fact.
I don't get out very much anymore, but from 2003- 2007, I frequented IBAR weekly. You will never find a bar like it anywhere else. Trust me, I have tried. IBAR is the only place that I can convince my eclectic group of friends to meet up and dance to everything from New Wave to Britney Spears.
Love the I-Bar! Every time I go, for whatever reason, I'm never that into the club scene; the thing is, I always end up having the best time. I totally dig the music and it always gets me dancing (and I'm NOT a dancer). I haven't completely decided if it's the shots or the music, but I always end up on the dance floor. When you go, look up at the ceiling--very cool decor.
I'm here in Orlando for a couple weeks, and it seems like every time I get in a cab, the cabbie is all, "Going downtown? Going to Chillers?" And I'm like, "Hell no that place smells like butt!" So I was relieved that after dinner one night I'm walking down Orange Ave and stumble into the Independent, "Home of Emo" as a cab driver once put it. There was a $3 cover, but well drinks and bud lights were $1, and after a simple calculation in my head, I knew that that was going to turn out to be a way cheaper experience than any place I've been to in my home city of San Francisco.
The scene was decidedly awesome and confusing. It was 80s New Wave night but there were plenty of people in there old enough that you could probably assume they looked the same they did that night as they did in the 80s. A nice collection of loner pirates, lots of leather and platforms, striped shirts, goths, and I was suprised to see a crew of about 10 fixie riders pull up and attempt to lock all their bikes together in true urban style. They failed.
The upper dance floor is a great size and the tv screens are colorful and seizure inducing. After some guy wearing a white v-neck t-shirt (pshaw!) asked me to get gothic with him downstairs at the other dance floor, I decided to stay put, and had a fine enough time "getting gothic" with the real goths upstairs.
anytime and everytime I go to Orlando i go to disneyworld. oh wait wrong review. I mean I go to the independent bar. was it weds that the drinks are super chep? I love the music here. I love the people here. I love the drinks here! but since I'm an ex smoker and live in a state where smoking is banned inside clubs/bars the smoke is annoying untli about drink 3 and then I could care less until the next morning when I get a smell of my hair and clothes.
I've been here twice over the past five years, but I've had fun both times and I really like the set-up of the place. I'm not much of a downtown O-town person, but if I was and if I decided to go out drinking and dancing, this is probably a place I'd stop.
Formally known as the all familar BarBarella's...this place is a local favorite for 80's night (mondays I think) and has had several great promoters come through over the years. They used to have a great Tuesday night with DJ 8on. The weekends tend to play industrial music....and rock. I saw several great live bands on the back patio. this is one of the few bars embraced by all walks of life. The crowd really depends on the night....I avoid going on the weekends...a little too EMO/Goth for me.
I like I-Bar a lot, but there are usually way too many people. The music is great, but the alcohol is cheap. Can't complain too much though. Every time I've gone I've had a great time. Lots of great music, stuff you usually can't find anywhere else, and lots of great atmosphere.
Independent Bar, or I-bar for short, is a very popular scene for the indy types of Orlando. I always feel as if I could very well have been transported to the days of Billy Idol and New Wave obsession upon delving in. Its big, one of the biggest establishments downtown. It has multiple bars, levels, and a huge dance floor, all the ingredients to make it a fan favorite which it is. I personally am not in love with the place as most are but I see its appeal. The dance floor is always a thrill and normally allows enough room to move around. They play indy music you won't hear at the mainstream bars of downtown but also have theme nights such as 60s on Tuesdays and 80s on Fridays. Dancers are not shy here and any style is acceptable as long as its attempted with flare. I have been there on most days of the week and its amazing how its never dead, even on random days of the week when downtown O-town more resembles a ghost town. I-bar is definitively alternative, so sorry preppy Abercrombie types, you're going to feel out of place. The drinks are fairly cheap and beer specials are always on the menu. I-bar has a great presence in downtown Orlando and a huge draw. To put it bluntly, it s not going anywhere, so you may as well jump on the bandwagon... just be sure to wear your synthpop t-shirt when going.
Very welcoming dance floor that never over-crowded. Love the decor (love the bloody barbie in the light fixure). The drinks are cheep and strong and the moving good and the cover usualy isn't more than $5 if there is one.
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Dive Bars
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Music Venues
Orlando, FL
Category: Dance Clubs
Neighborhood: Downtown
Category: Tapas Bars
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