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Came to dance, but stayed to listen.
A friend visiting from out-of-town suggested L'Etage. It was a weeknight so street parking was simple, and there was no cover.
Walking upstairs, we stumbled upon an erotic story salon. We enjoyed ourselves: we laughed, nodded appropriately, and a friend yelled encouragement. A bartender poured us wine, and gave me a hefty pour of vodka and pineapple ($7) - smooth and tasty.
On certain nights, L'Etage hosts story slams and sketch comedy. On other less-cerebral nights, they turn themselves into a hopping dance venue, DJ and all. Note the douchebag-to-intellectual ratio tends be higher during these nights.
From their stage to the lounge's rouge accents, L'Etage exudes elegance. This venue is a romantic choice for a date - complete with cozy nooks - and a classy spot to grab a drink.
Upstairs from a creperie, L'Etage perches like the strange bird that it is. Part bar, part performance space, and apparently a dance hall too (where?)
When we got there (late evening on a Tuesday), a comedy act was wrapping up on the stage (from which "l'etage" gets its name); we just parked it at the bar. For all its schmancy appearance (red bead-fringed curtains and other luxuriant styling), they didn't have a cocktail list, so I went with a sidecar from aging alterna-emo bartender, which was pretty weak. We had a round and split.
Overall, the atmosphere was nice enough, but there are other, better bars. Maybe the cabaret and whatnot are the real draw here, but as far as drinks go, step away from the stage and find someplace else.
I just checked Babelfish and L'Etage is French for over-priced crap. Someone please hold my hand and explain to me why there's a cover for this place? Any answer you give me short of extortion, I'll puff my cheeks out, shake my head and whine until my face is wet with tears. My biggest grievance is that the beers are overpriced. Well maybe the bartender overcharged us. I'll go with the latter.
Maybe I'm being a bit too harsh as well. I did have a good time dancing. But at that time I was drunk on all the overpriced beer. So who knows. Pregame somewhere else. Learn how to flirt with the bouncer in French and you may not have to pay cover. Let me know how that works out.
I absolutely love this bar/club for any saturday evening event. The DJ is probably one of the best DJ's around and can get the crowd moving. It's a smaller venue so it does get really packed but once you're 4 or 5 drinks deep you don't even notice. If you go with a large group the key is to get there a little early to snag a table. This place is great for all the different scenes out there (i.e. hipsters, college kids, young prof's, hip hopsters, etc).
Also, for the ladies like myself who are always curious about what to wear to a new place. This is the type of place where you can get really dressed up or be casual. Great for smaller bachelorette parties. Anything goes!
Hope anyone that reads this enjoys it as much as I do.
What happened to this place?? Not that it was ever the most rocking place, but I have fond memories of dancing here into the wee hours to loads of those cheesy 80s songs you hate to admit you love, as well as my fave booty music.
Came here 2 weeks ago on a Friday night for a bachelorette celebration. The place was sparsely packed at 10:30. Still early but I remember having to fight the crowds to get a drink in the past. By midnight the place had filled up and the dance floor was packed, but that was no thanks to the DJ, who had decided to play the crappiest music he could dig up. Way to keep the crowd moving! Cover is $5 and drinks are as pricey as anywhere else on a Friday night. I'm sure I'll end up back here soon enough. Hopefully the DJ realizes that playing obscure Prince songs is a surefire way to send people packing...
Get out of Olde City and go here for your late-night escapades. L'Etage has several things going for it:
- Great music, like REALLY great! The DJs play all kinds of stuff and mix it really well.
- Very attentive bartenders. They're running all over the place and they do a very good job getting everyone they're drinks around a huge bar.
- Good looking crowd. Nice atmosphere to make random conversation too.
Only negative here really is that the place does get very crowded, but that's expected for a good late-night bar. Definitely go here for your late-night dancing adventures.
Thank you for hosting the 1st Person Story Slams!
Cheap beer is the only thing that is cheap in here though. Everything else is coated in bling. Its a pretty little venue/ resturant/ dance party place. Wear your nicer tight pants when you go here.
This is one of those typical neighborhood city clubs - small and packed - yet it had quite the a-typical feel.
We tried this club on a Saturday night with a group of friends and had such a blast.
The wait to get in was a little bit of a line, but not the end of the world.
The coat check was free - bonus.
The bar service was slow at first, but then usually they were pretty responsive and quick to make our drinks - bonus.
Also, the DJ was rocking that night and the tunes were a fun mix of current and old hip hop!
I would def. hand out there again, maybe even go early to try and score one of the 2 long tables on the dance floor if going with a group again.
Cool place, cool people, and pretty low key on the pretentious scale.
The place has in interesting "Grandma's Outta Town House Party" feel with trompe-l'œil curtain-wallpaper combo, but the place was dim & comfy enough.
Dropped in on a Friday night...early on people were milling about mostly and casual and it didn't get going until late...the dance floor was packed by the end of the night.
DJ had some decent mixes...sprinkle of 80s w/ standard dance fare. Drinks were a bit pricey...I switched over from Chimay to Kenzinger to save a few $$$...too much buck for not enough bang, but could be fun for younger crowd or groups.
I've been here for the story slams and it seems like a really interesting space.
When there's not a show or some sort of performance going on it's full of assholes.
I cannot elaborate here in this public forum but I have had many a great night in this dark, crowded enough, no windows, red drapy curtains, black little semi-private alcoves...bar. Im not sure how much the drinks are or what the menu is like or what the clientele is but all I can say is that every single frickin night I come here is a good night. Except last time...was a little crazy...
this place is fun! its right above beau monde - and boasts a decent sized bar, lounge area, and dance floor. The DJ played a good mix of top 40, 80s!!, and reggae/reggae-tone. He mixed stuff well - and all in all it was a really good time. The crowd is laid back - but a little on the younger side (21-23ish) - but that's ok b/c we all know that i like them young. ;)
for it being in phlly - and me partying and living in new york, the party capital of the U.S.- giving it 5 stars means its really pretty damn good.
I stopped in on a wednesday night when it was pretty much deserted, but I liked it that way. A totally chill place with a big dance floor area and a big loungey area with couches and stools and tables and such. And don't forget the bar.
I'm sure on weekends this place is hopping, but for relaxing and being able to actually talk to the people you're with, on a weekday evening, this place was perfect. The one bartender was also in charge of the music and it was a great mix of random stuff. The decor is also very warm and soothing. I'd definitely come back to check this place out when it's crazy on a weekend, but I'd definitely recommend it for a quiet place to chill with your peeps.
Remember that time a few years back when every single new bar in the city had a French name with a French theme? Which basically meant hanging up a bunch of old Godard posters everywhere and offering fries in a paper cone on the menu. Yes, this was the "freedom fries" counterculture era in Philly, when it was so "uncool" to be French, that being French became inexplicably cool.
Fortunately after injesting one too many Grand Marnier-laced martinis, we all returned to our good senses, which meant that in a heartbeat, being "French" returned to its rightful position as being just as uncool as it has ever been.
And herein lies the problem with a bar such as L'Etage. On one hand, it is an undeniably beautiful space. Warm curtains, chiseled bar, throw pillows on the seats. It looks and feels like a place you could walk into during a night out in any historic city in Europe and order a bottle of wine for you and your companion. On the other hand, the music played here on Thursday nights through the weekend is so bad, I seriously doubt they even hire real djs. Its almost as if Jerry Lewis dropped a few hits of acid, stole David Hasselhoff's ipod, and rearranged his "80's greatest hits" and "what Americans like" playlists into one incoherent trainwreck of a mix.
Yes, I understand, that in order to "pack it in", you need to play "what people want to hear." But by doing so, they risk losing their Euro-chic "cool" and risk turning into a head-butting cheese-eating caricature of what they once were.
You definitely walk into a mood when entering L'Etage. This venue is decorated with warm reds and soft browns with a wonderful bar and seating selections. The venue is versatile and has been home to various theatrical productions and is a haven for college student on the weekends as the talented selection of DJs spin it to win it! The staff is very cool and eclectic. I find it best to arrived for happy hour. You can almost have the place to yourself as it would seem. The vibe is much different than it would be later in the evening. Oh, and if you are hungry, you can order for the menu of Beau Monde on the lower level. How perfect is that! I am a fan of L'Etage!
For live music and cabaret nights this place can be worth checking out, otherwise it definitely matches the descriptions below. Every 1st Thursday Martha Graham Cracker, of Pig Iron Theatre Company fame, hosts a Cabaret night that is definitely fun to check out and they go with the overall atmosphere of the place.
I remember Univox playing a show here before and am pretty sure that they have had other rare concerts. but they definitely don't happen on a regular basis.
The regular DJ nights that happen here can be avoidable at best a lot of times. if you can see past the music then you do have a beautiful lounge that has great food and a good selection of beer and alcohol. but you can get the same food and drinks downstairs in Beau Monde. so you have somewhere to go if the music gets to be too much.
i suggest this place for groups, yes, but arrive early if it's a weekend. i've had a ton of fun dancing here on some occasions and on others it was way too packed to even move, much less dance.
much depends on when you visit, weeknights and early weekends have a relaxed lounge vibe. weekends later in the night can be sweaty dance party-o-rama.
the decor is euro-frenchy sleek, with plenty of dim lighting and comfy booths. i'd say service is okay, some of my friends have been overcharged, we've waited long periods for drinks and they're not exactly cheap.
i recommend buying drinks at the bar and skipping table service, especially when it's crowded.
speaking of which, late into the night it can get a little out of control with drinks spilling, long lines to get in and overzealous dancers who will elbow/smack into you with abandon.
if you've had a bit to drink, be careful going down those stairs on the way out!
I havn't been here in a while though I used to frequent it for the Story Slam. It's a pretty bar and stuff, it's staffed by nice looking pretty people and it has a fine selection of Beligian beers. But somthing about this place doesn't do it for me. Maybe it's my partiality to divey spots because L'Etage is well.. not at all divey, in fact it is sparkly. I've gone dancing here to bad euro house stuff and geez, I guess it's fun and all, but I'd rather go to Oscars and drink a tall lager while watching a Phils game. But it's got some class, you can't knock that.
Quite honestly, I don't like this place, and I hope I never go there again. Can you say OVERPRICED and PRETENTIOUS? Bleh... I've actually been here two or three times, but never stayed very long. In the past it was no big deal because my friend new the guy at the door, so I didn't have to pay a cover. But now that I (would, assuming I went there) have to pay the cover AND $10 for a regular old cocktail, forget it. My friend got a vodka tonic for $9.75 (their bottom shelf is Stoli) and before she could even drink it, the glass slipped out of her hand and spilled everywhere. I understand that the bartender is not obliged to give her another drink but, come on, it's just cold-hearted. Poor girl had already been duped into buying an $11 martini. I may be notoriously cheap, but I am a person who stands by the you-get-what-you-pay-for principle. At L'Etage, you don't get what you pay for. This place is snobby.
They may charge a $5 cover on weekends, have a tiny dance floor, and charge $8 for a vodka cocktail, but I can't help but love L'Etage. There's always a crowd but it's never too overwhelming and the free coat check is a total lifesaver on bitter cold nights. It can get hot in there but when you're boogying to music you haven't heard in ages, you tend not to mind. When you're ready for a breather you can plop down in the swanky lounge area to cool off. And with the brightly lit mirrors in the bathrooms near the door, you can't help but feel like you're in a dressing room backstage at the Moulin Rouge.
alright, i can't pretend to be a hipster anymore, and admit that i love l'etage.
it's a club. sure, it tries to advertise itself as some lounge-y place, but it's not. it's where my friends and i go to dance it out on the weekend. hip hop, 80's, sing-a-long songs...it's terribly fun whilst drunk, i have to say. i can put my stuff in the corner on a chair and dance the night away with not a care in the world. yes, i look like a dork, but who cares?
for me, it's like reliving my college days, minus the groping guys.
Crowded, but not overwhelming. I don't like the cover, but I guess it's not too high a price to look at such attractive (and tattooed) bartenders. The place feels a little schizophrenic - half scuzzy wannabe losers, half hipster/punk. Free coat check is nice, and the music is usually pretty good.
On the surface, L'etage has everything I would seem to want in a bar. Loungey seats, a great beer and wine selection, a pretty bar and a gloomy ambiance. However, there is something that bugs me about the place. It isn't, as Setephan mentioned, the spurious Frenchie thing. That I can deal with, as pretentious as it might be, particularly in South Philly. Rather, it's the obnoxiously loud music that seems to be cranking every time I walk in. Why? Why not eurotrashy downtempo dance or hell, even jazz. Why junky dance and hiphop? If I'm spending $7 for a beer and sitting in a cozy lounge, I would like to be able to hear the conversation I am trying to have.
I went here one night a while ago with some friends, and, eh, it was okay. The decor is actually pretty nice, but the place had a weird vibe. The drinks were okay, and it had a (small) dance floor with so-so music. The crowd was very, uh, interesting, to say the least. Actually, that's being nice. I felt liked I'd walked into a place in Jersey or something - and not the nice part. I spend most of the night avoiding sketchy dudes and being grossed out by a middle-aged, greasy-looking man in a 70's leisure suit, open shirt, and lots of gold chains making out with a 30-something, fake-tanned, ditzy-looking, sluttily dressed fake blonde whose boobs he obviously paid for. Gross. And most of the other women there weren't much better. When did 35-year-old-dressed-like-a-hoochie-mama and 20-something-dressed-like-a-teenager come back in style? Despite the bar's attempts to be classy (or faux classy), I wouldn't go back b/c the clientele really isn't my style.
Neighborhood: Northern Liberties
Category: American (New)
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