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Categories: American (New), Jazz & Blues, Dance Clubs [Edit]
Neighborhoods: Theater District, Hell's Kitchen50th St-8th Ave (C, E)
8th Ave-42nd St (A, C, E, 1, 2, 3, S, 7, N, Q, R, W)
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So there are a few things you have to know about Swing 46 before you go. First, it's in midtown. Not just in midtown, but like, 9th Avenue midtown -- right on Restaurant Row. Second, it's a little bit pricey, and if you plan to do dinner and drinks there, you might end up dropping a lot of cash for what essentially is a swing dancing bar. Third, although the place is nice and big, the actual area where the swing dancing is has fewer seats than would be expected, so you kind of have to show up on the early side (like before 10) if you and your friends want to sit in the main room and watch the dancing.
These caveats aside, however, Swing 46 is a great place to spend a night out and offers a refreshingly different scene than much of the rest of Manhattan's bars and clubs. It's a place where, no matter what night of the week it is, you are guaranteed to have fun. I don't know if there are lots of other swing dancing clubs around town, but I can say that the people who come here to dance are really, really good and it is so fun to watch them spin and jump and side step and twirl and all the other cool things they can do. Before I came here, I thought all swing dancing people dressed in 40s clothes and/or in some version of the clothes worn in "Swingers", but at Swing 46 it really is anything goes. Some of the best dancers come simply in jeans, t-shirt and sneakers and it's hilarious to watch them do such elegant dances in such casual clothes. Other people come in the full suit and fedora and the big skirted dresses and it's fun to see them too.
The cool thing about this place is that whether you dance or not, there is something for you to do. You can simply watch and drink and enjoy the live big band music. And if you do dance, there are lots of friendly people there who show up looking for agile dance partners and like to socialize and meet people. Even if you're a clumsy type who doesn't swing dance but really wants to pretend, you are allowed on the dance floor and can just try out your thing without people getting annoyed. And if you hate the scene altogether, you can retreat into the front bar area which is quieter and more conducive to conversation.
The food here is ok; I had some salmon once and it was nothing to write home about. Probably wouldn't eat here again but I love coming for the drinks, music and dancing. It's definitely entertaining and anyone of any age can go here and have fun.
I recently discovered the Swing 46 Jazz & Supper Club on Restaurant Row. Swing 46 is an intimate supper club focused on traditional American jazz and swing music. The club offers live jazz and swing music from different bands each evening. Also, it is affiliated with a number of dance studios and instructors who are very much in evidence on the dance floor. I visited Swing 46 with a large party of jaded New Yorkers and wide-eyed tourists, and everyone enjoyed the vibe greatly. It is definitely a fun place for an evening out.
Unfortunately, not all aspects of the club are as enjoyable as the music and dancing. The club offers a standard menu in addition to a $25 prix fixe dinner option. The food was mediocre and the prix fixe option minuscule. Additionally, there was a $12 cover charge per person for the live music, despite the fact that we had a party of 10 for dinner. Quite frankly, I would have preferred to pay more for dinner with no cover charge. Service was adequate but certainly not exceptional.
I will go back to Swing 46 with my dancing shoes on. However, I will eat dinner elsewhere, and just have dessert. Hope to see you on the dance floor!
Visit http://www.bromography... for more.
A good friend and I were hungry we were shopping for a restaurant on Restaurant Row. We came across Swing 46 and opt to attend swing dance lessons and sit for the live band another day. For $15.00 one can enjoy dance lessons and obtain a live band performance to open the world of jazz.
Service is attentive. The quality of food is good, although not excellent. There is pre-fixed menu of $25.00 per person (without drinks). Swing 46, disappointedly, does not have a full-service bar as I was hoping for a Sangria but opt for a Cosmo.
I rate it four stars due to the high price and the brownie for dessert is a very small piece.
We stopped in here the other night as we were looking for a different place to eat. The gentleman outside convinced us to stop in as they were having a great jazz band that night. So we obliged as we are jazz lovers.
The band was awesome and the food was pretty good. The only problem was the service. The waiter wasn't the friendliest so it would have been a much better experience if he was better.
So, like my birthday, this is an important review, and yet one, I don't really want to make a big deal out of. #100, meet Swing 46, Swing 46 meet my birthday, no big deal meet everyone and the music's started let's move on.
Venue:
I love dancing, but not get down and nasty on the club floor sweat till you drop dancing. Nah, not really my style. I'm a sophisticated lady, of old world tastes and cotillion (read: social grace and manners) classes when I was a girl, I know how to properly set a table and ballroom dance, dammit. So for my birthday (don't ask which one, I'll kill you), we made our way over to Midtown's home of swing for a night of fun.
Swing 46 is a great place with lots of space and big ol' bass that'll get your body movin'. The cool cats play way in the back where they'll give you a heart attack if you're not groovin'. You can dance and jive until your swingin' high, the night'll pass you by and you'll never stop to question why you didn't bother to try and dance with that guy--cuz now you are and he's buyin' ya drinks from the bar and this music's no long bizzare, and your steps, they are improvin'. You're having too much fun, and the night's almost done but sure as the sun is risin', you'll be come back to have another whack at that guy and the bar and the steps that saw, cuz Swing's still alive, that, you've just proven.
Food:
We were sat at a table on one side of the dance floor, up on the elevated platform, which meant we had a great view and could really listen to George Gee and the Jump Jivin' Wailers. There were some great dancers to watch and learn from too, as well as a quick mini-dance lesson at 10pm.
We started with the coconut shrimp and mixed green salad. The salad was great, but the shrimp tasted like they were wrapped in paper. The orange marmalade, however, was scrumptious. I optioned for the scallop and mashed potatoes and sun-dried tomatoes, which was quite tasty, but could have used another 30 seconds on each side. Our other entree was the hanger steak, which was tough, but only as much as it should be. Tasted great in carbernet demi glace and coupled with it's mashed potatoes. The food, while not superb, was pretty good. And not too drastically over priced.
The drinks were however, but at last one of my two gin martinis (two olives and a little dirty) was made properly. The Jack kept flowing and while they're could have been more water on the table at all times, we were satisfied. Heads up though, there's a $12 listening charge per person. It was a $200 check, for two, about 7 cocktails, 2 appetizers and 2 entrees, and the listening charge. Pricey, but when you're getting free dance lessons, not so bad. You can also just sit at the bar or head in during happy hour for 1/2-priced drinks. And they even have a "price fix" menu in case you were worried.
I definitely plan on going back soon, once I get a few more dance lessons under my belt. The last time I think I swing danced was at a bar mitzvah!
I couldn't ask for more for a good night out. It's $15 a person for the show and a 30 minute quick swing dancing lesson. After that there's a jazz/swing band that plays well past midnight and you can dance until your hearts content. I had dinner there as well. The fillet mignon was very good and reasonably priced for that cut of meat compared to other places. If you don't dance that's fine too because you'll get enough entertainment watching everyone else dance. The waiter wasn't as attentive as he should have been but I won't deduct any points because I didn't go for the waiter service. This is a great great date place and I'm sure you and your date will talk about it well after the date.
So this just so happens to be one of my favorite places in good ol' New York! When my best friend was visiting last April we came across this gem. As I am a retro/vintage-loving kinda gal, I vowed I would go back as my friend and I already had plans at another venue that evening.
So when it came time to attempt my first solo birthday in the city...Swing 46 was where I was headed. Upon arriving in my 40's throwback get-up I was greeted by the hostess saying "Happy Birthday"! A stunned version of myself then found out my super cool mom called them to let them know I would be spending my lovely 24th birthday alone with them and for them to make it "special". Yeah I love my mom...she really is a good woman yet she sure knows how to embarass a girl.
Anyways this place went ahead with my mother's wishes and spoiled the birthday girl. Not only did I get free champagne, the band played Happy Birthday for me and the regulars pulled me out onto the dance floor while 6 lovely gentleman got me to get down'! It was awkward at first then I just went with it because hell no one knew me and it was my birthday!
So after this unexpected turn of events I enjoyed a few cocktails, made friends with another rather fun solo guest, dined on a terrific meal of salmon and butternut squash soup all the while with a mile wide grin on my face.
Needless to say best birthday ever!! Thank you Swing 46 for being AWESOME : ) . I'll be back and this time I'm be bringing some retro-loving friends.
Great Food + Awesome Music + Nice Staff + Swing Dancing = Perfect in my book
Did I mention I had a cute waiter? Umm yeah too cute in fact...you know he got a good tip because yeah I'm sexist like that.
Great band and singer.
Smallish swing dancing crowd (I went for dancing). Newbies need to learn dance floor etiquette.
Ambience and crowd a bit mixed.
Brought the girlfriend here for a weekend in the city. Being both jazz fans I decided this would be a great place to go. You have dinner, jazz, and dancing. We went on a night that the band Double Down was playing. They're a ratpack swing style band, so we danced the night away to Sinatra/Dean Martin-ish tunes. They also played a few jazzy/swing covers of modern day pop songs. They were a lot of fun.
The food was pretty tasty, steak was cooked perfectly. Service was great. Unfortunately, in the end, this place rang up a bill just under $200 for two for one soup, two steak dinners, cheapest bottle of wine, and one cheesecake. It was a ton of fun, but if I do come back here again, I probably won't have dinner here.
I highly recommend coming here if you've never experienced it. I've never swing danced before, and before the shows they have an instructor teach you some basic moves so you don't feel incapable out there. Have dinner between 8 - 9 pm. We got there around 7 pm, and there were barely any people until 8:30ish. They have a schedule on their website of the upcoming performances. They do charge a music fee of about $15 a person....and I think there's a cover if you don't have dinner here (not sure if that's the music fee or not)
I had a GREAT time at this place. Despite the expensive bill, it's totally worth coming to at least once. If you're looking for a change of scene for a date, Swing 46 definitely worth a try!
Very original place - glad to see it's still in business.
The food here is actually REALLY good. The portabello mushroom appetizer is mouth watering; and the steak was grilled to order & to perfection.
The music was really cool and we paid an extra $10 to get swing dance lessons. Very cool.
Will definitely come back here.
This place is nice! I love it! l definitely stop by if I'm ever in town (:
Spent Saturday night at Swing 46, a swing dancing club in Hell's Kitchen for a friend's birthday. Having been to Swing 46 twice before, this club is always a great change of pace from a typical NYC bar. Swing 46 has a large dance floor and a live brass band, playing the best jazz.
I will warn that drinks are a little pricey (beers start at $7 and bar food starts at $11) and there is a cover (which drops as it gets closer to last call), but this place is great to visit for a special occasion.
My recommendation is if you choose to have a party here, call ahead and speak to the manager. We were able to get in for $10 instead of $15 since we called ahead and had a large group. Also, make sure you have a good guy to girl ratio. Swing dancing is one of those things where you can't really dance by yourself. Finally, just note that the club closes at 1am, so make the most of the night and get there early.
My fiance has always wanted to do an old-fashioned night of dinner and swing dancing, so I made a reservation at Swing 46 as a Valentine's Day gift. Beware of the online reservation system -- when I called the day of our reservation to see if I could change the time, I found out we had never been added to their books in the first place.
The one word that sums up our experience at Swing 46 is OVERPRICED. I knew we would be charged $15 each at the door for the live music ($15 each? Overpriced!), but I was a little miffed that we were forced into checking our coats. When I tried to order one of the appetizers as my main course (partially due to the smaller portion size and partially due to the fact that I just wanted to eat coconut shrimp as my dinner!), the waiter informed us that we were required to order "one entree per person" (even though it doesn't say that on the menu). They also added an 18% gratuity onto our bill.
Service was pretty slow. There were very few people there when we got there, but it seemed to take an eternity for everything to come out, and we were rushing to request and pay for the check before the start of the dance lesson. Unfortunately, there happened to be a bachelorette party of about 15 women there, and because of that the dance floor was too crowded to move or hear the instructor, who had to keep shushing everyone awkwardly. I don't know what it's like on a "regular" Saturday night (like, minus the bachelorette party nuttiness), but the dance floor seemed very small for a place that is supposed to be one of the best places to swing dance in the city.
My fiance's chicken was tasty, but my pasta was rather bland. I will say that the band was great, but dropping $100 for the evening was a little over the top.
Went here on a date and the ambiance of the place is really cute. There are some tables and a bar in the front, then in the back room there's a few more tables and the dance floor with a stage for a live band. The lighting is pretty dim and romantic.
Got dinner and swing dancing lessons. I believe the swing dancing was part of the cover? I can't remember how much exactly but it was more than $10 less than $20 for sure. Oh and I went on a weekday.
The swing dancing instructors was good, taught a few steps and you get to practice than learn some more steps. The live band was great, played a lot of Frank Sinatra that night.
Got the fried calamari for an appetizer. It was crunchy, but nothing out of the ordinary. I got a steak and the date got a salmon. Ha who wears the pants? Anyways. I got the steak medium, and it was delicious, maybe because there were some onion frizzles type thing on top. The salmon was okay, again nothing spectacular. Got two glasses of red wine for about $7-$8 dollars each. The dinner was around $25-$30 each. And the appetizer was around $10.
There was also a coat check which was kind of nice. I think it was only a few dollars.
This place is pretty cute to take a date. The dancing was fun and the music was great. The food was a little bit more than mediocre. It can get pretty pricey though, but nothing over the top.
It especially made me giddy when I see an old couple dancing away in the dance floor.
NON-NATIVE REVIEW HERE!!! I have the best time for a quick Sunday night here. Great atmosphere, great music, good appetizers and delicious drinks! And the price point was less then expected. As for the gal that complained about the 1$ charge on tap water... I didn't experience that, but in San Fransisco I paid 25$ for a freaking Crown and 7. That is messed up.
So, back to Swing 46- I loved my evening here. I danced my dress off with a couple of really nice men. AJ works there and took me for a spin a couple times! Fun! And took my friend out too. I could only WISH a joint like this would make it is Boise, Idaho.
I had a blast at this place. However, here are my gripes: the cover was $15.00, and drinks were outrageously expensive (okay, I'm not really used to or down with spending $9.00 for a glass of crappy house wine).
AND they made you pay $1.00 for water. Water! Just regular old tap water in a plastic cup - and believe me, you need to drink that water after swing dancing for five minutes. I sorta resented Swing 46 for entrapping us, making us sweat - then refusing free water. It seemed, dare I say: evil?
However, on the good side: the dance instructor was really great and worked with us throughout the night, the staff was friendly and the over vibe was fun.
I would love to go here every weekend as I love swing dancing - but I really just can't afford this place every Saturday. Those are my two cents - which, I believe were just taken by Swing 46.
This place is really cool. The food was very good, although I don't remember anything about the prices, since I wasn't paying, ha. The band, the Harlem Renaissance Orchestra was really great! We were there with a larger group, and we did the swing lessons with the instructors there, which was a blast. Afterward, our new dancing skills were put to shame by the old-timers and professionals showing off. I loved that we were dancing to live music, very authentic. Definitely something I look forward to when coming back to New York.
This is one of the places to find Lindy Hop in New York, every Tuesday night. They always have live music. They used to have George Gee, but now it seems that the Big Bang Big Band has taken their place. Occasionally, the Blue Vipers of Brookyln play there, which are fantastic.
The dance area is fairly small, and there aren't too many dancers. But, it's cozy.
As a tourist from a place where this type of place is unheard of, I really enjoyed it. We didn't have dinner, just drinks, and my wife had a desert. We don't really dance, but they started of the show with a dance lesson, and this gave us the incentive to try a couple of more dances throughout the night. When the music was upbeat we left the dance floor to the really experienced dances because we didn't want to hurt anyone! Yeah, the drinks were pricey, and they had a $15 cover charge, but people you are paying for the entertainment. I had more fun and spent way less than the broadway shows right down the street.
The band that was playing when we were there was Double Down, and they were very good. The singer had the Harry Connick Jr vibe, and they were very entertaining.
I've never been here for dinner, so I can't comment on that. I've been swing dancing for almost 10 years, so I love to come here to dance to live music. George Gee plays on Tuesdays and he is great. If you're going to check out Swing 46, then definitely come on a Tuesday.
I also read that they have a tap dancing day on Sundays and I'm looking forward checking that out soon! Sounds like a blast.
You know, life can be funny. I heard about Swing 46 initially from Linda Pagan, owner of The Hat Shop on Thompson St. (http://thehatshopnyc.com) last December. Then, I heard about it again from a fellow swing dancer. Now, I was walking down the 46th St. with Le Festa, after going to see the VERY delightful musical "Curtains," starring Tony award winner David Hyde Pierce. We were looking for a place to eat after we abandoned the idea of going to the Lincoln Center Swing event (since it wraps up at 10pm). Lo, and behold, we came across Swing 46! I was jazzed to see it, and John agreed that we should go in.
I'm deducting one star because they wanted to charge us $12 a piece to come in and eat dinner. Uh, no. I guess it's a quandary when live music is offered but it's not a formal show (I understand a cover charge, drink minimum, etc.) or an informal bar either. So, we reached a compromise: they would seat us as far away from the music as possible (fine by me, since we wanted to actually be able to communicate with each other), and if we decided we wanted to dance, we'd each cough up the dinero. We didn't.
Our waiter, an aspiring writer and local baseball fan, was cute but not very flirtacious. Bummer. I had the Maine Crab Cakes and the 10 oz. Hanger Steak off their small menu. I find crab cakes to be a rip-off but I was on vacation, so I figured, "so what?" The steak was done to perfection (medium rare, thank you).
The bill for 1 cocktail, 1 appetizer, and 1 entree, including tax and tip? I forget, but figure around $50.00.
We didn't have reservations for a Tuesday night. Going around 10pm, the place was pretty empty but that could have been explained by the Lincoln Center Swing event.
Probably The Best Supper Club in all of New York. Live big band sound, swing dancing, great food.
Not many menu options for vegetarians, but just ask and their chefs can come up with amazing dishes.
Friendly, not dingy atmousphere. Make reservations if you can!
Okay, so here's the thing... I came here the other night for a private party, so I'm sure my experience is somewhat different than an average night here. However, the night we had here was one of the most fun I've had since I can remember. The band was incredible... so much fun! All the food was great! I had salad and mussels, both delicious. All of the passed hors d'oeuvres were delicious as well. They had mini crab cakes (bursting with fresh crab flavor, barely any fillers), chicken satay with peanut sauce, and red pepper hummus on crostini. All of it was amazing, as were the cocktails I had. The staff was INCREDIBLY attentive and friendly. There were about 60 guests and they seemed to remember what each of us were drinking when we would ask for another, they barely had to glance twice before they returned with our correct drinks. I know the folks throwing the party had come here before and loved it, which of course is why they chose it as the venue for this party. I would definitely agree! I plan on returning here on a regular night sometime to check it out for myself, just like all the other visitors who've never been here for private parties. I imagine it will knock my socks off! Stay tuned!
When we left...my first thought was..."I am going to yelp the shizz out of this place! If there were a zero star rating...I would give it that. Any one who has given this anything over one star is probably the wait staff writing about their own restaraunt. Let's begin... 1) a FIFTEEN dollar cover charge (fine...its NYC...I get it) 2) They literally RIPPED my coat off and demanded that I check it...even though I was begging for it back because it was so cold! AND THE COAT CHECK COSTED $ every single item....including scarves, gloves, etc. 3) THE FOOD WAS TERRIBLE...I was waiting to see Gordon from Hell's kitchen to come storming out...I had "broiled" chicken which was really like my grandma's boiled chicken...hell on a thigh bone. My husband got the chicken linguini which tasted like a Christmas candle? Did we get a dessert? No. An appetizer? No. Bill? Almost 152 dollars!!!! 4) Music was terrible and untalented, wait staff aggressive and rude. Do NOT go here...it is like a Disney Theme restaraunt in he&*.
Swing 46 has dance lessons a few times a week which are really fun. The lesson itself lasts about 20 minutes, and then you get to try what you learned as a live band plays in the background. The people in the club range from being totally inexperienced to being expert swing dancers - don't worry if you've never done it before, they'll teach you - and from twenty somethings to seventy somethings. After the lesson, you can keep dancing with your partner (if you came with one) or one of the other people in the bar (friendly, not a pick up scene). The better dancers are patient and happy to get more people involved, so they'll keep working with you a lot of the time after the lesson ends. After a few times you'll feel comfortable enough to dance without staring at your feet.
Very, very cute dessert option before heading over to the Theater District. It's swing-themed; the wait staff is friendly and fun, and the atmosphere is straight out of the Big Band Era.
What a fun evening. I took my g/f here for a little belated Valentine's Day celebration and we had a great time. I guess we are a couple of nostalgics but the idea of a nice supper club, in the old school sense, has been appealing to us for a long time. It was great to go out for an evening of dining and dancing in the style of bygone eras where elegance reigned. We will surely be returning to hone our newly developed swing dancing skills.
Pros:
Nice Atmosphere - Cozy feel to the bar area as well as the dining/dancing room. It was a good mix between upscale and comfortable. Niether us in our suit and dress or others in jeans and t-shirts seemed out of place.
Good Service - From the moment we walked in and were greeted fondly by the host to our very attentive waitor to the friendly bartender all had a really great attitude. It was like they enjoyed being there not just collecting a paycheck.
Unique Experience - It's great leaving a place with a sense of accomplishment. We were no Fred and Ginger but it felt really good as we picked up some basic moves and our growing confidence led to further experimentation and ad-libbing.
Good Food - For a joint that is more about the dance experience the kitchen didn't miss a beat either. We started with some calamari which was surprisingly light and not at all chewy. The sauce that came with it was one of the best marinaras that we've had. I had the hangar steak which was cooked perfectly medium and was accompanied by some tasty mashed potatoes and scrumptious mixed veggies. My g/f had the grilled shrimp and rigatoni. The pasta was just right and the shrimp were big and juicy. Unfortunately this didn't have the same sauce that was with the calamari but it was still good. They were out of a couple of the dessert options on the menu as well as the champagne that we wanted but even our second choices were very good.
Cons:
The Bottom Line - When you throw in the cover charge the price was a little steep. When I got the bill I noticed that the bottle of Champagne was $5 more than the menu price, but I didn't feel like haggling about it. Plus they automatically added an 18% gratuity to the bill, so I had to be careful not to double tip. It seems that with dinner you should be able to pay a reduce cover. I don't think we'll be eating there much in the future.
Again, overall we really had a great time here. I would and have been recommending it for anyone looking for a fun time that isn't your run of the mill night out. This would be a great choice for all kinds of occasions; first (or any) date, birthday, friends or relatives visiting or just something different.
i didn't try the food here, but the music was great! i came here on a monday, and saw the harlem renaissance orchestra. i'm biased because i love jazz and swing, but i brought my boyfriend and he had a great time too! during intermission, they have a dance instructor teach audience members how to bust a move. on this particular night, evita taught us the charleston. overall, i had a really fun time, and it was refreshing to do something different from the normal movie/dinner/bar/club routine.
Free pool for the ladies!
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