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Bowery (J, M)
2nd Ave-Houston St (F, V)
Spring St-Lafayette St (6)
Wed-Sat. 7:00 p.m. - 4:00 a.m.
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Had my birthday here initially last night. I don't believe we stayed any longer than half an hour. We ended up hitting Rewind instead. Crowded is an understatement. And it's really not the establishments fault if people like going there. I just can't understand how this can be someone's hotspot on the weekends. Who makes intentional plans to stand in a bar not be able to move? They try to have as many people in there but even so, there's still a line outside. The door man's nice. Never had a problem with him.
Word of advice: come here on a weeknight.
Ah back to the scene of the crime.
I once spent a whiskey fueled Halloween at R Bar. On that night I surely charmed everyone by writing out tickets for their bad costume violations and assigned couples to make-out for their crimes. If only all cops were so creative.
I'm quite sure everyone also enjoyed my listing an inventory of lost costume accessories "I lost my hat, I lost my pen, I lost my walkie talkie..." repeatedly throughout the night.
On this recent night, we just went for a few low-key drinks before the main event at CAPITALE. There were some bands banging about in the back room where the stripper poles are located. Up front, crystal chandeliers hang above, fuzzy black and white photos of chicks in bras-poom poom shorts- thigh high boots adorn the walls, and blood red couches and walls set a boudoir mood.
An OK spot to pre-game or act a fool in costume.
Been here before, but last night crashed a friend's of friend bday party here and the similar lackluster experience finally prompted the efforts into writing up this review. No cover when I went (around 11pm). Some low tables in the main area seem to stay until 12am, at which point the staff will go around and remove 'em.
Ethnically mixed crowd. This place gets WAY TOO packed. Making matters worse, I was with the group last night that still felt the urge to circle dance in the middle of the already-narrow room. On their behalf, I'm sorry to all other fellow patrons out there. I had read all these reviews previously, and thought, nawwww there's gotta be more than one DJ, but no, it seems like the same schizo jump from 30-second clips of the latest popular songs is still working his magic.
Bottom line at R Bar -- super packed bar, lots of people, okay drinks, no room to move at all, impossible to talk. Would I hold a friend's large party/gathering here? No. Would I come here with a small group of friends in hopes of joining the other sketchy douche characters? Maybe on a cold, lonely night.
Cosign everything Ms. Maria and Roddy Rod Piper said.
Wanted to add that I wore a seriously straight-out-of-the-80s (literally) black lacy prom dress (for a themed party), and some people legitimately complimented my dress as though it were actual I-go-out-in-this-every-night attire.
Really?
Also, just an insight into how crowded it was: So crowded that dropped glasses stayed on the floor for god-knows-how-long so that you could kick them on your way out towards ventilation and so that you could step on the lawsuit-worthy shards on your way back into this hellhole (although why you'd return other than for my lovely's bday is anybody's guess).
Yelp has it right - methinks NOT.
Pop that collar, son! We're at Level Orange on the Douchebag-o-Meter.
I came here last night for a birthday party. And boy oh boy, if I wasn't in a hurry to waddle out of there, I would've nailed this particular asswipe of a fratboy that bumped into me onto the poster of Joey Ramone that hangs over the bar. I wanna be sedated indeed! Seriously, how many times does one need to tap someone on their shoulder and say "excuse me" to get by them? Once? Twice? Well I drew the line at five times and shoved him out of the way. And then he has the nerve to call me on it? I think not, Niedermeyer.
Now to talk about R Bar itself. Whoever said that this place has an identity problem is 100% on the money. There are pictures hanging of Debbie Harry, iggy pop, The Ramones, the Sex Pistols and the Clash. seeing those pictures, one would assume this to be a rock and roll bar, right? To quote one John Bender, "not even close, bud."
The DJ was playing music that was anything but rock. And here's a tip to the DJ since he didn't know how to be an actual DJ: dude, spread the music out. Let the song play, don't start mixing it with the next song after 30 seconds. If you see the crowd is loving the song, let it play! Oh, and when you mix the songs it would help if you knew how to transition them. They have to mix at the same beats, not a slower song mixing into a faster song.
And yes, this is one of those places with the mandatory coat check. The crack staff wouldn't even allow me to enter the back room, where my friends were, unless I checked my coat. And another tip for the people who work there: if you know everyone is checking coats, it would help to have more than one person doing the task. Don't get me wrong: my man did a really good job and was placing the coats onto the hangers very gently and in a very neat fashion. But give him a little help, huh?
I swear to G-d, there is SO MUCH potential in this place. But they are attracting the entirely wrong crowd i.e. B&T'ers, frat boys and sorority girls, etc. There are more than enough clubs out there, especially in this area, where people can dance and have a good time. Carve your own niche out. This can be a great hardcore rock club that could bring back memories of CBGB and, dare I mention it, The Ritz?
Then again, they're making money hand over fist so why on earth would they listen to, oh I don't know, their own customers?
This place is everything I never liked about clubs: WAY too crowded, crap door antics, mandatory coat check (for $2 - it was the principle of the thing), douchebaggery, overpriced drinks, etc. Add: a male bouncer shoving people in and out of ladies at one point during the night, and very poor ventilation (I worked so hard to do the 60's Mod makeup for my BFF's theme party, just to have it melt down my dress while in line for the bathroom). Honorable mention goes to the drunk and slightly belligerent bachelorette (and friend) who insisted on taking a stall to fix her shirt thereby fucking up the bathroom cipher. Also, the guy pimping out his bitches on the stripper pole and shoving everyone aside as he spun around it.
In addition to the usual dance and party anthems, we were treated to the occasional 80's pop and, at one point, AC/DC. Yes, I did have fun dancing. But, alas, the DJ was doing that awful thing whereby he mixes in another track 20-30 seconds into the first. Ugh.
I was excited to get the hell out of there and switch the venue to good old White Rabbit. Where everyone knows our names.
Three things:
- yes, the place is FILLED to the brim with douchebags
- There are stripper poles. Women AND men seem to be fascinated by them (but for different reasons?)
- this places is packed like you wouldn't believe, for no apparent reason
This is a very popular bar and I can't pinpoint exactly why. The drinks are about average in cost. The decor is a bit tacky. The people are... terrible, but that depends on the night, I guess. This is a great place for birthdays merely because of the size (and it's a good location to have people meet up and then break off into smaller groups). There are other really great places to drink and be merry with a decent size group (::cough::sweet and vicious::cough::). Give it a try. See what you think. Then steer clear. This is New York! There are so many other places to go...
I have several confessions to make (I promise, they are relevant to this place):
1. I don't do stripper poles. Sorry to burst your bubble. I did it once at Crunch gym during a pole dancing class and it will probably end up on your "least sexiest things you've ever seen and don't ever want to see again" list. Warning: it will also induce vomiting and scratching of eyeballs. Lucky for me, this place has 4.
2. I enjoy dancing to Jay-Z at a club, at home, or on the street. It won't really bother me that the DJ will play him for four songs straight until he changes it to Beyonce's "Single Ladies" at the best line of a Jay-Z song.
3. Usually, I'll smooze with bouncers to get inside without waiting in line, but the ones here are serious a-holes. They need a serious attitude readjustment.
4. I like to wear my pretty party shoes out, especially on joyous occasions like my friends' birthday parties. Unfortunately, I will have a freak out "Cher" moment when my snake-skin open toe heels get wet from spilled drinks and stepped on every 0.5 seconds. They're not Cher's red suede pumps, but they are just as special.
5. I find the least joy in having to push and shove people out of my way to get to the bathroom or to do a little dance. Fine, I won't be modest--a lot of dancing! Riverdancers have nothing on me.
6. So after a few minutes of standing inside, I've realized that this place is not conducive to having birthday parties. I love my friends dearly, but please do not throw a birthday party here. Pretty please. Or else I'll get on one of their stripper poles and you'll deeply regret it.
R BAR!!
my first ny club! went in there expecting something different from the clubs typical on the west coast - bay area.... they sure didn't play anything that was consider 'hyphy', but i still had a freakin ball in there.
this past friday night, they played a mash up of east coast hip hop and alot of dance joints, which is a pretty weird combo IMO... but the DJ got the club jumping and i gotta admit... i definitely played along... or danced along!
the stripper poles were cool... but never seen 4 in one room in a single room in a dance club, that was pretty odd... there were several chicks that 'wanted' to use the poles... but... epically failed, it was pretty funny to watch. i guess the stripper poles add
weak drinks!! (minus one star)
... great start to NYC! thanks R BAR
Damit I should have have my birthday here !1
The location is a bit obscure and questionable... but the mixed crowd turn out to be loads of fun !!
Loved the Top 40 hits that got me dancing all night... not to disregard the fact that i got to dance with a Gay.. who was trying to prove to me that he wasn't into girls.
Let's just say that he definitely got his point across after the dance .
good times!
NOTE:
2 poles in the back for those who desire to show off their inner stripper.
So I had my birthday party here last Saturday. 3.5 stars. Saturdays are packed, Friday less so.
First, this is the perfect spot for a birthday party that will keep people talking and make everyone wish they had their parties there. Why? Stripper poles. Not to mention how great it is to show off your new moves from your pole dancing class. hehe.
Second, the drink prices are pretty reasonable.
Complaints - they stopped manning the back room after about 12:30 and just let anybody back there. The room got ridiculously full of chicks who thought they owned the place even they were not there for any parties. Hard to do spins on poles when the whole stage is pressed full of people. My party felt totally run over by random people - what's the point of having reservations etc. We left around 1:30.
The music was super schizophrenic, it was allll over the place. From one random techno song to one random eighties song to half a second of some decent hip hop, ummm where was the T-pain (okay, its not the best, but its the easiest booty-shaking music you can ask for). They needed to stick to one thing or another for at least a couple songs. It was hard to get a good flow going.
But, it is a-ok with me. Probably will be back, but not soon.
I'm not really a club person and I was really drunk when I arrived there last night. A friend of mine was already in the club, so he somehow finagled a way for me and everyone in my party to skip the massive line. Considering I've never been part of "that crowd", that felt good.
Again, I'm not a club person. Music was all over the place. It's like they took 30 second strips and throw a bunch together and play them non stop. That must be what people were into. Many of the girls there were slammin though. Absolutely slammin.
I went to R Bar last Saturday, for a bachelorette party. Pretty good I must say. No cover, no wait, good, dancable music (top 40 mixed in with 80's hits), and decently priced drinks ('bout $8). Bartenders were fast despite the bar being 3 deep... Rest room was fairly clean as well. I didn't even see the stripper poles! Wish I did!
I would definately go again for another party.
R Bar. By the Numbers.
20: months (approximately) since I'd been to R Bar.
0: percentage chance I would've been there if it wasn't a friend's birthday.
0130: time that I arrived.
15: people on line.
10: minutes I waited on line.
7: dollars a tequila shot cost.
8: dollars a vodka soda cost.
3: staff members who actually impressed me with their courtesy and professionalism.
4: stripper poles in the back room.
2: guys who needed to step away from the poles, and allow the cute girls their turn.
0: guys who should be allowed on the stripper poles. Ever.
37: amount of fun I had. Oh, I guess you can't quantify fun.
2: maximum stars I anticipated giving R Bar after I arrived to a line and The Thong Song blaring out the door.
Wow, sexy club, hot photos, stripper poles in back!?!? crazy. When we arrived at 10pm, the place was empty and I was wondering what we might be in for. But by 12pm it was wall-to-wall people, and amateur stripper girls seem to be coming out of the woodwork. What is it with a woman wrapping herself around a pole like that??
The downside was it started getting really B&T which I wasn't expecting.
Overall I liked the place, good music, good times. tons of girl-birthday parties, and a few bachelorette parties...
EH, i mean there are stripper poles but girls were simply dancing holding onto the stripper pole in a "OMG -friends name- i cant believe i'm doing this!! *giggles* " kind of way and they just hold the pole and bop up and down with no rhythm. I mean i dont expect to see anything outrageous but from what i've seen tonight, ladies these days got no skills at dancing regular let alone on a pole.
some drunk chick tried dancing by the poles but she was just bad. whatever.
music selection was okay i guess. i'm picky with music, or maybe i just expect too much.
the drinks were WEAK sauce and i just ended up sitting down bored waiting for the rest of the people to get motivated enough to vacate
no guys on the poles please, buzzkill
Are there stripper poles? Yes
Does anyone there know how to use them? No
I went for a friends birthday on a Saturday and the DJ was playing a pretty great selection of music that everyone could appreciate. The one downside is that the place gets way too packed way too quickly. At 11:30 it was way too hard to move around and when it was time to leave getting from the back room to the front door was an exercise in agility to avoid getting drinks spilled.
Overall not a bad place if it wasn't so full, but what should I expect for a saturday night. Oh, last thing, pretty weak drinks.
So fun! R Bar is a perfect stop for a bachelorette party:
1) Cheesy music to dance to
2) Poles to make the bride-to-be dance on
3) Goofy but not that douchebaggy clientele
These are the three things I learned at R Bar:
1) If you don't want to dance with a guy that comes up to you from behind and gropes you, give him the "thumbs down." Apparently, that is the signal for, "No thank you." That is what one guy told us at R Bar. It wasn't enough to dance away from him. I thought dancing away from would be as clear as a punch to the nuts but I guess not. Whatever.
2) Don't check in an expensive designer jacket at the coach check. Things always get lost at coat checks! That is why you bring your Forever 21 jacket and not a PUCCI coat to the club. I felt bad for the girl hysterically crying to the bouncer while her boyfriend was dumb founded. He obviously did not know how serious it was that the club had mistakenly given away her PUCCI coat. I think the bouncer said it best, "It happens all the time. We will work it out. Calm down. There are worst things in life. We will work it out." Girl, I feel you. Especially when they juuuuuuuusttttt doooooon't understaaaaaaaaaaaand.
3) R Bar is worth the wait! Especially when there is less than a 10 foot line. Some people didn't want to wait in line but the line was pretty minimal. 10 minutes tops. And no cover. Line? I guess you haven't been to Vegas or Los Angeles.
R Bar is pretty cool. Its got a laid back grungy LES feel but is large enough for a night out. The decor is a little rockstar glam; deep reds, chandeliers, beads and black and white photography of rock images. The music isn't all that. It's not even mash up. It's just discombobulated hip hop, top 40 and, 80's. Just when you start to groove, you lose the beat. Or maybe I just can't dance.
Above all, R Bar is a cool spot to kick it with your friends. It's not so chi chi. The crowd is on the older side but they still act young and doofy. Lots of drunks dropping their alcohol filled glasses. The staff was pretty good about sweeping up the pieces of broken glass. It would be horrible to be known as the club where everyone's feet got cut up.
R Bar- good job!
With top forty music and two bars on each side of the club, it is definitely a great place to let loose and have fun with your friends. I try and go as much as I can, because not only is it in a great location, but the youthful crowd makes it an energetic place. The entrance is narrow and can get crowded easily, but the bouncers do a good job not allowing too many people to come in at once. The drinks can get pricey, but hey it's New York! Overall, R Bar is a great place to go, because you can always count on having a good time.
You know that the bartender is the fucking man when he pulls this shit:
I had a tab open, bartender is an Irish dude who has been taking care of me and my friends all night. Fast service with a smile, etc. Anyway, these two pretentious and drunk people at the bar mention that he didn't put any alcohol in their drinks.
So, what does mr. bartender do? He looks at them, stares them straight in the eye, pours both drinks on the floor behind the bar, and says, "Watch."
He pours the drinks to the top with vodka, puts in a tiny splash of cranberry, hands them to the two of them and says, "$20. You guys have had 4 drinks apiece and haven't tipped me once. Next time you want to tell me how to do my job, make sure you're overtipping."
He comes over to me, gives a little "ha ha ha I told them" wink, and I get drinks for my crew. Fuck yeah, guy!
Anyway, the guy/girl ratio at this place was ridiculously good. I got groped by a bachelorette who tried to unbutton my shirt and caress me. I would have given her a lap dance if she gave me her sombrero, but then decided against it because I did not want to hold or wear the sombrero for more than 10 minutes.
The bar backs are all shorter than 5 feet tall.
Really unpretentious and you figure it would be. Only gripe I have is that you need to use stairs to get to the bathroom, and my coordination is not that good when I'm drinking. Just an awesome bar, not a bad clientele, drinks are moderately priced, location is fine, definitely going back sooner than later.
I vaguely suspect that R Bar, BOB Bar, B Bar are together conspiring to rebrand LoHo into a more low BROw Alphabet City. It'd be in name only though - I've really yet to see anything on this strip that leaves me salivating for a second helping, except, maybe the poles, once I hit up that dancer I met for lessons.
It's nice that there's no cover, but lame that there's a bouncer. It's nice that there are stripper poles, but lame that only every third song is appropriate for stripper-pole-dancing. The other 60% consists of My 1990's Junior Prom's Greatest Hits.
Good bar and very diverse crowd. Can't beat the free cover and their cheap drinks. Also, you gotta love the music here, a lot of good jams but they seriously need to do something about AC and ventilation. It was WAY too hot in there, perhaps it was intentional to make all the ladies go out in their skimpy clothes while dancing on the strip poles. I'm sure the male population wouldn't mind that.
It was great that my friend had her bday celebration here. =)
Came here Saturday night for a friend's birthday.
Let's lay out the bad stuff first:
1. crowded, so i had many drinks "accidentally" poured on me.
2. hot in the back room. needed air, so simply relocated to dance floor area right under big fans.
3. As the night goes on, people will get drunk and get too obsessed with the poles, including men. Some guy twice my size tried to obnoxiously pushed me and a bunch of other girls off the pole, because his drunken self wanted it to himself. When we wouldn't budge, he got one of his female friends to pour drinks on us.
4. Music...10-11pm, need to make up your mind of whether you want mainstream or old school stuff that no one my generation has heard of.
Pros:
1. Security was strict...usually i would give that a negative, but since this guy was being a jackass to everyone, security gets a plus for dragging his butt out.
2. Drinks are cheap.
3. Music got more mainstream and popular as the night went out, suitable for everyone to dance to.
4.Welcoming to mixed crowds.
I need me a place like this. I walked right in with no cover or ID. That helped. I saw countless amounts of women too. That helps too. I'd like to see a bigger crowd dancing though, I was very tempted to get my groove on. I didn't see any poles, I wouldn't mind to be in a place with poles. I think I know what the R stands for.
One of the good things I can say about R bar is that I learned what LES means ...
Other than that this bar is really cool with the red mood lighting, red beaded curtain partitions and just the overall feel of a bar just to go to and have a drink. It's not the biggest place but it serves it's purpose.
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
http://www.yelp.com/bi...
The bartenders poored a drink as stiff as Hugh Hefner after learning viagra was invneted because they were on the verge of stiff. The shots were definitely a good pour though.
They play music, they have a coat check and the door men don't give you a hard time.
Definitely make this a spot you want to check out if you're ever in the LES.
What I like about R Bar is that it is a very mixed crowd. Not everyone that frequents this place is the pretentious LES-type. Also, it is not like every other bar in Manhattan in which the ratio of girls to guys is unfair (last time I came here, there were a lot of boys). The drinks are a bit pricey, but not outrageous, standard for Manhattan. The decorations are really cool, very unique.
Make sure to arrive here early or you will wait out in the cold for a long time. You can call ahead and arrange a bday party guest list (if you can get enough people), and the back part is usually reserved for people on the guest lists. But just because you are on a list doesn't mean you get to cut line.
The downside is that it really gets so crowded you can hardly move, let alone try and dance. The coat check AND bathrooms are downstairs and there is not enough space for three separate lines in such a tiny area.
I am usually not the biggest LES night-scene fan, but I would come here again for someone's party.
It was cousin's night out on a rainy Friday night in New York City. My first couple of selections were too crowded and rowdy for us to engage in any conversation. And so executive decision was given to my cousin Jen who mentioned R Bar.
No line. No cover. Sweet! Yes it was 10 PM and I had forgotten that NYC, unlike LA, has a much later last call. Anyhow this gave us cousins some ample time to get our drink on and chat. Try the cosmo's because cousin Jen and my sister said it was pretty good. Personally I opted for the Brooklyn Lager (anything Brooklyn is bad ass right? ) and the Spaten drafts. The Brooklyn Lager started out smooth then finished mildly bitter. The Spaten was a little tangy. I also tried the Jack and Coke which I recall was very SWEET - I guess their soda dispenser was pumping just the syrup. Expect to pay $6 for the draft beers, $8 for regular cocktails, and $10 for top shelf cocktails.
I liked the decor inside the place. The walls are covered with large black and white paintings of girls. The bar area is glowing red, which reminded me of my days in the dark room developing film prints. Although there was no DJ the night we were there it appears there is a wide open area for getting your groove on at the very far end of the bar. The music varied from hip hop to ambient vibes and it was played at a comfortable volume for easy conversation. I think this place is a great appetizer to get the party started.
I was invited to the Lower East Side lounge to celebrate a mutual friend's birthday. What I intended to be a semi-enjoyable evening turned out to be anything but. My first encounter with animosity came from the mandatory $2 coat check. Others have said it; I will shout it:
IF YOU ARE GOING TO MAKE A COAT CHECK MANDATORY, MAKE SURE IT'S FREE!
I would rather be charged a $2 cover than have to pay a mandatory coat check fee. My initial reaction was to bolt. Unfortunately, because it was not my birthday, I stayed.
My second encounter with animosity came from the music. The DJ was awful, and I'm being nice. I cringe at the thought of the music as I type these words. He/she would play a good song, followed by three bad ones. There are poles but it doesn't matter because the music kills any desire to dance. I'm usually pretty open when it comes to club music, but I actually found myself pissed off at the DJ. That has NEVER happened before.
The biggest deal breaker came from the crowd. To get a picture of how packed it was, imagine Rockefeller Plaza 2 weeks before Christmas. Now replace the tourists with college students...
Highlights for the evening include the awesome wall décor (old rock star icons in black & white); the bartender recalling my current choice cocktail by heart (gin & tonic); and a couple interesting people I met throughout the evening, including the friendly bouncer who watched over our party of drunk and the random people who danced with me on my way out the door.
There are too many other great places in the area. Hold onto your coat and save your money on this one.
Average bar, good prices. Mandatory coat check.
Watch out for the cracked out "bathroom bouncer"... Tried to kick one of my friends out for no apparent reason and then said if she gave him coke in a creepy back room that she could stay... We left.
Sketchy neighborhood, weak drinks, TRASHY people. I only go here if I have no other choice. Save yourself time and a huge cab fare down town and don't go.
Recently came back to R Bar for a friend's birthday party - we were in the back room with the poles. The DJ is terrific on Friday's, awesome hip hop tracks. However, the same complaint remains that it gets wayyyy too crowded. They tried to do some crowd control by making people get different stamps for the back room, but that clearly didn't work. Glass was being broken all over the place and people were so drunk! One of my friends lost her wallet and cell phone here. It was kind of a random night. Ultimately, everyone had a blast because we were in great company.
In the LES, across the street from BLVD. Interesting decor. Great space for a party if you go into… Read more »
So you want to dance on a pole huh? Classy.... OK I dig it....
This place is overwhelmed by birthday parties on the weekend, when I first tried to go a while back my party couldn't even get in because it was all parties (and their was a gay guy with us which I think they took into consideration not wanting any more men to come into the sausage fest). All other times I went no lines, and of course I was their celebrating a birthday which means you get the stamp... access to the poles... big deal on the weekends...
Drinks fairly priced... the music was okay, danceable... very wide variety... and just when you feel like you are dancing up a storm they will kill it with a song that you have not even a clue as how to sway to... The first room kinda sucks... no poles... so it gets boring.. the second room when you step up the 2 steps (be careful many drunk people fall it is so dark at that very spot) and show your stamp to enter... this room gets packed, I am talking the movie Animal House packed... and very sweaty... the bar in the 2nd room takes too long to get to so arrive tipsy... Also, the bartender had no idea what i was ordering, I was so fed up I got a soda... The Bday ppl usually take hold of the poles and the slightly lit up stage, I believe there were 4, 2 on each side... and there are usually 3 girls dancing on them at a time... I have yet to see a highly skilled girl work it their... so try and be the first ladies! However, I have seen people fall from the stage... be careful and HOLD on to the pole the stage is very small so I can see why it would be so easy to fall... Also, if you feel deathly hot and sweaty jump up by the pole - the air conditioning vents feel so good for a few minutes.... Also, no boys allowed on the pole most of the time...
Overall, if you want to have a bday party, dance on a pole, sweat a lot, not meet anyone with Grade A quality, and take some CLASSY myspace pictures - this is the place for you...
Mediocre at best. We waited in line for 45 minutes only to discover that inside the place wasn't even that hopping. I guess it's part of the appeal to "wait" to get in when there really shouldn't be a wait.
In addition, I was with one other girl and the bouncer felt it was appropriate to let in one of us while the other girl waited outside for another 15 minutes. Under what circumstance is that appropriate - there were 2 of us????
The music was excellent, I'll give it that!!
Anyplace that welcomes you to 4 stripper poles in a dance club is going to have a slight air of ridiculousness - it's all about when that's wanted by you/your group.
Fun for late nite shenanigans with a mid to bigger sized group, b'day, bachelor/ette party, etc.
Protip: Guys, stay off the pole or you might be nicely asked to leave.
There were not sufficient space for dancing but just mingling. I was in the mood for dancing for a Halloween party despite having a Cinderella costume worn at work made entirely of Mulberry paper. The cocktail drinks are strong as I had one Cosmo and one Apple Martini and was already tipsy which I usually never get that effect with just two drinks until the fifth.
There are four stripper poles and a stage for the action and excitement for performance in a separate room. The space is long narrow rather than wide and big. The bouncer continously give patrons an enchantingly nasty look to profile from head to toe as rather obviously blend in with the patrons. The bouncer continously all night wears a rude scowl on his face while profiling patrons. There is a reasonable amount of booths, tables for my party to have our space.
Have to be honest, I was none too excited about making the trip down to R Bar when I got the evite for a birthday party. I looked at the yelp reviews and saw things like lines and waiting and 3-1 girl/guy ratios to get in and I was far from excited.
But, things went better than I thought. The birthday girl was told by the staff to have people show up before 11 because the line gets bad then. I got there about 10:45, there was zero line, and I got in no problem. Obviously, that early the crowd was a little sparse but it was just starting to get busy. Drinks were a little pricey but not crazy. And here, gentlemen, is the key thing, from the time I got there until I left around 1am, the ratio was ridiculous in favor of the guys. I'm thinking easily three to four women per guy.
Right around the time I left though, they were starting to let more guys in to even things up. I left before it got really crazy so I can't say anything about the packed crowds that others have mentioned.
Basically, it wasn't as bad as I thought, and while I probably wouldn't plan a party here, I'd have no problem coming back for somebody else's. And yes, of course, stripper poles.
I have to agree with the other reviewers that this is a great bar to have a birthday party. The back room has stages on the left and right side with 2 stripper poles and seating. The birthday girl had one of the stages reserved so we had an area all to ourselves. Although all guests had to do was give her name at the door, there was still up to a 45 minute wait for some people to get in which was lame.
I really enjoyed the music which was a mix of new and old school hip hop and random rock and bar anthems. It was a little choppy as they would play a 1 to 2 minute clip of each song before cutting abruptly to the next song. As the night drew to a close around 4, I hit the bar for one more drink and the bartender refused to charge me. For that, they get a 4th star.
-Leather
-Stripper Poles
-Red and Black as far as the eye can see
-$7.50 well whiskey and sprite
-one toilet missing seat, one toilet covered in piss, one toilet passable
-hand dryer was busted and no towels were available so I had to dry my hands on my jeans
-nice sound system
There are poles and that makes R Bar a fun place to hang out, if you like to dance on poles, which I do. I've been here a few times. The music isn't always the best for dancing on the poles and sometimes people annoy me by sitting on the platforms or so close to the platforms that you really can't spin around. The crowd is a mix of ages and by the end of the night it's the kind of place where the floor is sticky and some girl is crying in the corner. I would suggest R-Bar if you come with a group of your own friends and want to just have a fun time dancing- not necessarily for meeting new people. The drinks are average price for Manhattan. I've never had to wait outside, as some have indicated. I guess I've always gotten there pretty early, which you have to do if you come with a group and you want to stake your claim on one of the poles.
Neighborhood: East Village
Category: Bars
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Category: Art Galleries
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: Lower East Side
Category: Lounges
Neighborhood: SoHo
Category: Pubs
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