Lenox Lounge

Elite '08

11

123

Jesse S.

Brooklyn, NY

It's a real schlep getting all the way up to Harlem, but if great jazz music in a totally authentic atmosphere is what you're looking for, then it's definitely worth the trip.  

Lenox Lounge looks straight out of the 40s, replete with the old-timey bar area in front, and the leopard-print velvet wallpapered back room, full of cozy banquettes.  The front is cool, but the back is where the action happens, the musical action, that is.  I've only made it up to Lenox once, but it was quite the scene.  Expect your normal jazz club annoyances such as exorbitant cover charges and 2-drink minimums, etc.  But it's a really cool place to bring people to hear quality music in a 100 per cent authentic environment.  Drinks are pricey but well-made.

Recommended!

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1

Peter C.

Jamaica, NY

Monday night is the best night of the week to go to the Lenox. The music starts at 9.00 p.m. but get there early to get the best seats in the famed Zebra room. This was Billie Holiday's favorite spot and you can even get to sit at her table. Wow! How about that. Holding court will be the Patience Higgins group, famed from his days with the Duke Ellington Orchestra under the leadership of Duke's son, Mercer. But, this is the spot that ALL the cats come to jam when their own gigs are over. And, I'm talkin' about THE cats, who come to blow and show off their prowess to their peers. Don't whine about a $20 cover when you are going to hear jazz of the highest order for six hours or more!! This is one of the few spots in NYC where on Monday evening, jamming is the order of the day. Out of town musicians and singers come too. You just do not know who will be there. Rest assured though, the music will be swinging and great. The regular crowd who go there are Harlem's elite and they dress to impress. You should too if you don't want to be considered a pleb. The food is new Orleans style. I recommend the crab cakes.

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Elite '08

20

75

Seve' M.

Conshohocken, PA

*Disclaimer: A lover of everything Harlem so it might be slanted"
All my life I have seen this place and wanted to be old enough to get in and be sooooo cool.  Going to Catholic High School across the street didn't help the appeal of the place. My parents and grandparents have both gone there in the past and when I finally moved back up to the area after being gone for 6 years I finally got to go.

Every monumentally cool thing you have ever heard about old Harlem is incased inside this Jazz bar/club. You can just feel it when you walk in. I went on a boring Thursday night and trust me the nostalgia alone will make you want to come back.
I am not going to talk about the venue or the drink prices at all in this review because at THIS place, it doesn't matter.
It was everything I thought this place could be and I'm hitting it up everytime I get back in town.

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6

t.tara t.

Los Angeles, CA

This review is for the food, not the jazz. The food sucks. It's nasty. The waitress was overwhelmed with two tables. The drinks were disgusting. The wine made me ill later. Please know that it's not cheap here. Jazz is twenty bucks a person plus two drink minimum and a little something off the menu. It starts at 9pm or around there. Any time before then, you are a basically in the Harlem Twilight Zone. Watching the characters come in and out is pretty entertaining but if you could do it with a beer (like not a mixed nasty drink or wine that will make you ill later), do so. It is decorated quite art deco and that is nice for a few minutes. It makes me still wish there were more lounges in Harlem that didn't fascinate tourists so.

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Elite '08

9

71

Anna Y.

West New York, NJ

my girlfriend lives in the area and we always try to leave our men at home and go to lenox lounge for drunken bonding.  it's laid back and the live jazz is great.  love this place!

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51

316

TL C.

Emeryville, CA

I've been inundated with hipsters for so long I've forgotten what cool really is. Well Lenox Lounge is one tall cool drink (not of water though). This place is so cool -- right out to the 40's without being kitschy. An awesome jazz venue. A big plus is that the cover is reasonable (depending on the group performing) and its right off of 125th Street so its easy to get to.

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6

23

Alex J.

New York, NY

I came here for a night of jazz and a dinner. We got in a bit early and took the best table while everything was getting ready. It was not really necessary: there was not much of a crowd. For jazz they have a little cosy room in the back. Don't mind the noisy modernity from the bar area, but sit away from the door. Don't look into their kitchen.

The music was very interesting. I don't think any of the jazz players was below 60. It took them a while to warm up, but the grinning 80-year old grandpop drummer with hearing aid, the 70-year old bassist wearing all white, and a pianist named Bertha did a thoroughly enjoyable show.

All of a sudden, one of the guests starts shaking marimbas. Hmm. It wasn't a guest, it was a mystery musician. Then he gets on stage and starts to sing romantic songs, whoa. Then he starts playing a flute. More romantic songs. Then he grabs a woman from the audience and starts dancing. It was a great performance, reasonable value for the price of the cover.

The food and drinks... As long as you order the fried chicken Harlem staple, you should be fine. Don't order anything fancy: my gumbo was awful with shrimp that spent too much time in a freezer, and fettucine Alfredo were passable. The wine I got was not good. Stick with something they can't get wrong. Then you'd give it 4 stars.

[Correction, Sep 07] They removed gumbo from the menu, so their food has improved. Mojitos were great. The music was loud but good.

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