Mehanata

I love love love Mehanata. I've been here around 4 times and have had a blast each time.

It gets really crowded, but worth the hassle. The inside of this place is just so cool and wild. Its a big space - THREE levels. Do not lose your friends like I did once or you'll be texting them all night trying to find each other! The bartenders are too busy to be super friendly, but they're fast.

There's a quieter bar, but it turns into a dance area at 11pm or midnight. I forget which.

A word of warning, don't leave to go outside. You'll have trouble getting back inside.

Well, it seems that this place has since closed, which is a shame because I loved it! I went to a fashion show and mostly stayed by the bar. The staff was super friendly and engaging. Very willing to share a story and have a conversation even though they were busy. Drinks were great and the night was amazing once the crowd arrived.

Hearing it had reopened gave us a chance to satisfy our curiosity to see what the appeal about Mehanata was. Upon arrival, good music welcomed us to a very empty dance floor (4 people). As we settled in and tried to decide what to drink, a request for water was denied because, "we don't make money on water". If there are five people in a group and one asks for water, don't you think the rest of us are going to buy drinks?

Well.. apparently our lovely server wouldn't even give us a chance. We were told to leave because we didn't look like we should be there. In a bar with less than 20 patrons, you turn a group of 5 away because we didn't fit the vibe?

Seems like the math is off.

What a trip. Went on a Thursday night, no cover, not sure what to expect. Granted, it was dead and not what it's known to be. Walked through the dirty sketchy alley to enter the main area. There's a bunch of bras hanging to one side (quirky!), a small bar with some swings hanging in front of it (romantic!), wooden booths downstairs (cozy!), fancy old-school sofas and nightstands upstairs (museumy!), and an ice cage, stripper poles, and dance floor downstairs (too old for this shit, but you guys have fun!).

Eugene Hütz from Gogol Bordello was randomly playing accordion with a few people watching him. There was a Couchsurfing meetup happening downstairs, too. Chilled on the swings watching Eugene play and taking in the weird decor. They have some cool cocktails as well. A quirky, grimy place that I'd definitely recommend you go out of your way to visit.

First time at Mehanata I almost got lost, if it were not for the two body guards to point me into the right direction. As soon as you step in there looks like there is an entrance to the right, left, and straight ahead. We were told to steer left and next thing we knew we were walking down a hallway and pushing open a door coated in stickers. There are 3 floors all decorated very nicely and better yet, let's describe it as fun - swings instead of stools by the bar, (come on why isn't this a thing everywhere?). I would recommend trying Barney's Tit one of their specialty cocktails - it tastes delicious and comes with an ice cube that lights up (it's been four days and still going strong).

The only thing I wish there was more of is the gypsy music their site claims to play.

We came, We drank, We pole danced, We laughed....will I go back? NOPE!

Mehanata may want to consider hiring an interior designer and maybe change their security staff. First the security stood in the front of the establishment drinking and smoking cig's. That was a big turnoff for me. The entrance was ratchet and the inside decor was nothing to be desired. We made our way to the lower level to the freezer box and almost went sliding past the bar. There is water and ice all over the floor and if there are a great deal of ppl there you will not realize it and you will fall. Brace yourself on the lower level.

There are about 3 dancing poles so that gave us something to do, until the DJ figured out what the heck he was playing. He needed to go back to DJ school because the mixing was absolutely horrible.

The drinks were 2 thumbs down and the group on 11 ppl who joined us at Mehanata agreed.

All and all - sorry I am not a fan!

1) Gave a one star bc the bouncer stole money from most of our friends (we found out only when another friend of ours was perplexed we had to pay $10 each to get in). Don't know the whole story but it was surely a big red flag for us

2) Coat and bag check in is $3

3) Main floor is cultural music and a bar with homemade san gria/cider, drinks ($10 card minimum), tables

4) Downstairs has the ice cage and bar for shots (cash only) and a more hip dance floor with stripper poles

Found this spot on Yelp. Definitely very interesting. It's almost like a hidden speakeasy, except it's not? Anywho they have a cool lounge area and the "quiet" bar turns into a Eurovision dance party after 11. I didn't have a chance to venture down to the super cold room, but now I have a reason to back.

So many good times here with crazy Serbs, Bosnians, Albanians, Greeks and Russians. Who cares, we are all friends. Bad Buka, DJ Joro Boro, Yuri Yunokov! Hip rolling, circle dancing, shoulder shaking music, joy of life!
Covid lockdown challenge: try to see if you can resist dancing to this: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=cvDgIFUQ1w8

It's 8pm on a rainy Saturday night. But it's 75 degress in the middle of December so you're not going to let the only warm night of the month vanish.
You call up your friends and form a small group. "Lets try that Bulgarian place. There is a cover before 10pm so hurry up."

You're the first to arrive, dressed head to toe in black. Tight jeans and boots. The bouncers are surprisingly super sweet.

The place is dead empty, but you kind of like it. You grab a drink that has a funny name and comes with light up ice cubes and smoke. It's not what you usually order but hey. Lets have fun.

The upper floor is a mismatch of cool seats and mirrors. The royal plush seats are great for photos but not that good for your butt. When your friends finally start to show up, the club is a bit more bumping. They even let one of your male friends sneak by with no cover change though it's pass the allotted time. You head down to grab another drink, and secure a seat at one of the cool swing seats at the bar.

The DJ is playing a mix of international hits and it's refreshing compared to Niagara or No Fun.

Around midnight it's really starting to get packed. You make friends with some strangers that share their hookah. You're really hitting a buzz when one of your friends comes over and points out a mysterious staircase. "Oh yeah...Wasn't there supposed to be an ice cage?"

You gather your entire group and head down the mysterious stairwell. You could swear it wasn't there just 30 minutes ago.
But somehow...the basement is full and BUMPING.

You secure a booth and grab more drinks. Check out the ice box and definitely make a note to come back.

We danced till about 2am and have been itching to return since winter. You can find a groupon for the ice cage.

Get there early and there is no cover and it's worth it for sure. It has such a unique DJ and vibe. The drinks are slightly more expensive but the crowd is pretty friendly and we did sneak in 2 mcChickens so I'm sure you could sneak in something else too....

The place is pretty hot though, so def expect to come out with sweat leaking off of you. Take advantage of the stipper poles. Amazing.