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The Sugar Bar
Category: Restaurants Caribbean Caribbean [Edit]
254 W 72nd St(between Broadway & West 72nd St)
New York, NY 10023
Neighborhood: Upper West Side
(212) 579-0222
- Nearest Transit:
-
72 St (1, 2, 3)
79 St (1, 2)
66 St - Lincoln Center (1, 2)
- Hours:
Tue-Wed 5 pm - 12 am
Thu-Sat 5 pm - 1 am
- Attire:
- Casual
- Accepts Credit Cards:
- Yes
- Parking:
- Street
- Price Range:
-
$$
- Good for Groups:
- Yes
- Good for Kids:
- No
- Takes Reservations:
- Yes
- Delivery:
- No
- Take-out:
- No
- Waiter Service:
- Yes
- Outdoor Seating:
- Yes
- Wi-Fi:
- No
- Good For:
- Dinner
- Alcohol:
- Full Bar
- Noise Level:
- Average
- Has TV:
- Yes
- Caters:
- Yes
- Wheelchair Accessible:
- Yes
32 reviews for The Sugar Bar
Review Highlights
"I heard open mic night can be more crowded."
(in 7 reviews)
"...the performances great Ashford and Simpson were there and..."
(in 3 reviews)
"The "live" band is phenomenal."
(in 7 reviews)
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32 reviews in English
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Review from Danyel G.
Brooklyn, NY
1/28/2012
I'd never been to Sugar Bar before last night, even though the spot is legendary! Such a fantastic place, relaxed environment, and delicious food. Valerie Simpson and the late Nick Ashford have made quite the little spot for losing yourself in intoxicating music and sexy decor.
Getting lost in the music was made easy my Matt Cusson's performance as well - talk about the sweet face of Jason Mraz with the soulful voice of Brian McKnight....a brutal combination :)
One of the best Friday nights in New York I've had in a long while! -
Review from Kara C.
12/18/2011
Price: Groupon Special
Highlight: The vibe, the performance
I went on Tuesday, the Blues night which I heard is significantly less crowded than the open mic night on Thursday. The show started with a live band followed by a great, engaging performance by Allyson Williams.
Foodwise it was okay, generous portion, satisfying for an afterwork meal but not craveworthy. I had the fried red snapper (came whole) with mashed potatoes and rice with kidney beans. My friend enjoyed the pork chops and collard greens. I had the rum punch which again was okay but Negril Village is still the winner in the rum punch category. The place is narrow and tiny - small 2 person tables crammed together against a wall.
I will be back to check out the Thursday open mic and Sugar Bar is so conveniently located on the upper west, 72nd between broadway and west end, closer to west end with welcoming staff that it would be hard not to pop back in once in a while. -
Review from B. Jackson C.
Washington, DC
8/21/2011
Wow! To my surprise! It's the Sugar Bar! Let me say, there is more than just sugar in this place. There is much SPICE going on too! This place is definitely the spot for a Thursday evening in NYC.
The "live" band is phenomenal! The MC and local entertainers are amazing and fun! If you're performing, bring yo A game! I did and gave out quite a few business cards. Oh, so be careful because you never know who could be in the audience. I later found out. (I was sitting next to and across from a few celebs) Heheheee
The food is delicious and fresh! The drinks are a kick ass so be careful! The customer service is okay.
I gave it a 4 because everything was great but the servers could really do better. I plan to return...well, because I was invited to sing again. Yay! I hope the service is better this time.
Highly recommended spot for out of towners! Go! Spice up your evening with a bit of SUGAR BAR in NYC.
JC -
Review from Paula T.
Mahwah, NJ
2/8/2012
Wish I could give no star- worst experience ever! Argued about Groupon, waited one and one half hour for food, cold potatoes, tilapia instead of salmon, no
bread-could not enjoy the music-beyond bad-really sad... -
Review from Edward L.
Jamaica Estates, NY
2/5/2012
One of my worst dining experiences. We were relegated to the 'garden' room, where you can watch the musical performance on a TV screen. While other music is broadcast through the speakers! No waiter showed for 45 minutes, then the manager took our drink and food orders. Drinks came 30 minutes later, food 30 minutes after the drinks, two of the four entres were wrong, the mashed potatoes were cold. The manager did offer a round of drinks to compensate, but it was too late. Go for music and a drink, skip the food.
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Review from Dan H.
Danbury, CT
2/4/2012
This place was just plain awful. I took my GF and she was just as disgusted as I was. The food was so bland! We both got fish and it was chewy and tasteless. Oh they also add gratuity regardless of how many people you go with. Pure NYC ripoff. Do yourself a favor and go get a TV dinner. It will taste better then this place...
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Review from Erica S.
Danbury, CT
2/4/2012
My boyfriend purchased the Living Social for this restaurant thinking we would have a nice night out. Well aside from the OK atmosphere the food was NAUSEATING. I guess I should have known when the menu said Caribbean and there was Salmon Teriyaki on it. My catfish was rubbery and the mashed potatoes were instant. I may be a food snob but this place was just awful. In addition to the terrible food there is an automatic 18% gratuity added to every check. Plus they tried to charge us a $10 cover just to eat dinner. RIP OFFFFF.
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Review from Josiah H.
Astoria, Queens, NY
11/28/2011
Wednesday before thanksgiving. Went with a friend and my stepgpa who was in town and likes blues/jazz. I really enjoyed this place. It wasnt crowded at all the night we sent, the band was great, and the bartender Eric was super nice! Dinner was really great! All of our meals were delicious. No one likes spending money on disappointing food. After the set we went back to the bar to chat with Eric again before leaving. Hostess was nice, waitress was nice, bartender was nice and made good drinks. We'll be back :)
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Review from Charles P.
Manhattan, NY
12/18/2011 1 Check-in Here
You've got to decide why you are going to the Sugar Bar and go from there. Going for open mic night to listen and get a drink? Four to five stars. Going to use the restroom in a private area and have a nice meal, go elsewhere. Going to for a four star meal and service, go elsewhere. How do the young kids say it, it is what it is...I was told by the staff, listen we don't want to see your bald head up there in everyones way................I was trying to tip the singers who had done a good job, twenty dollars I might add,...........
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Review from Char K.
Manhattan, NY
1/30/2012
friendly host and server. seated immediately for a friday night with reservation, just in time for the live music. had the fried shrimp and whole snapper plus bread pudding dessert. all were delicious. should note that menu is not very vegetarian friendly. Overall enjoyable and will likely come back.
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Review from Saira K.
10/7/2011
Live music, nice food, and fun decor and love the location. The first time I was there several years ago, it was for a Maya Angelou event. I was excited to meet her. Some unique items - scallion cheddar mashed potato, garlic soup, goat stew.
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Review from Kathleen M.
Miami, FL
9/27/2011
Nice place. I will go back. It is small. I managed to find a seat at the bar. My drink was good and strong. Ordered the garlic shrimp appetizer and side of mash potatoes. Food was good and hot. On stage was a showcase of various singers. Entertaining. Felt very comfortable and at ease. Not touristy. Very nice local spot. Friendly atmosphere.
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Review from Ashley J.
Brooklyn, NY
8/8/2011
The food was good, but it took 45 minutes for fried fish and mashed potatoes. The bartender was terrible, I've served and bartended for years....she would be fired at any other place, i'm sure. I asked her 3 times for tartar sauce until I finally gave up and went to the kitchen myself. The blues music was great. If my service experience were better i'd give this place 3 stars.
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Review from Amanda F.
Hoboken, NJ
4/10/2010
This place was unreal. GO for open mic night. My best friend from home was in the city.. and she had gone to dinner at The Sugar Bar.. So i met up with her afterward for some drinks. Lucky for us, if was open mic night... and we had no idea what we were in for.
I feel like every single person that performed coulda been up for a freakin Grammy. Everyone was absolutely amazing. Not one bad person performed.. It was a really great night. I didn't actually order any food, but everything that came out looked and smelled amazing. The bartenders were awesome, and hooked us up the whollee night. If you're looking for a good, entertaining night out with friends.. Go here. The only downside was that it was VERYYYY crowded.
PLUS... I was told a lot of celebs frequent the open mic nights--we saw WHOOPI anddd Michael Douglas. Wahooooo! -
Review from Liz W.
Long Island City, NY
1/18/2010
If you're looking to do an open mic night on a Thursday, DO NOT COME HERE!
Its a $10 cover charge and a $2 coat check. The tables are all reservation only so even if no one is sitting at them, you will be forced to stand in the aisle or go to their upstairs bar. The waitresses will not like you or the twenty other people who are standing in the aisle with you. There will be a tv screen portraying what is happening on stage by the bar though.
Upon entering you are directed to find the guy running the open mic to sign up. He will judge you immediately with his behavior unless you are someone who kisses up. I watched this first hand when my friend went to give him his name. You will wait for 2 and a half hours only for them to skip over your friend and then once say his name under his breathe then skip to someone else. They will tell you that there is a 1 song minimum...that is until he calls his cousin to come sing for a 2nd time! When you ask when its your turn he will snap at you...awesome.
You will watch beautiful and decently portioned plates of food pass you by. You'll be in awe of how incredible the backing band sounded. However half way through the mic session you will feel like you suddenly were taken to church, when people start sweating, holding up candles, and screaming into the microphone...WOAH now.
You'll hear from your pal it costs almost $10 for a gin and tonic. Soon you'll have to squeeze through to try to use one of their 2 unisex bathrooms located in the center of the restaurant. (I actually liked the bathrooms).
After hours of waiting and not wanting to be yelled at again you will leave. For me it ended up being a waste of time and money on my friend's first night in the city. I will say though, although the guy running the show was a total Diva, he sang an absolutely gorgeous rendition of song "Something".
Also my friend was my "ex" and he had plans to sing his verison of the song "I Love You More Than You'll Ever Know" by Donny Hathaway and I am pretty sure if I would have heard him sing that, the whole room would have witnessed my heart-break. So I guess it was for the best.
Regardless I see no reason to return or to recommend anyone to go here. -
Review from Kara K.
Chicago, IL
12/29/2009
Ain't No Mountain High Enough to keep me from visiting this cute little Ashford and Simpson owned eatery on the Upper West Side. Who knew Ashford and Simpson retired from soul singing and became restaurateurs?
Anyhoo, I was in town celebrating my birthday and the dinner plan for Night 2 was to go to my all-time favorite Chinese Restaurant --Chin Chin. However, after pulling an all-nighter on the town, which lead to an all-dayer in bed nursing a hangover, we didn't want to go far for vittles. Boyfriend did a search on his hi-tech phone for restaurants near-by and The Sugar Bar popped up.
We checked out the website and loved the offerings on the menu--Caribbean. The added bonus was a live performance by Irini Res and the Jazz Mix. Never heard of her before but hey, I really love to eat and be entertained at the same time.
We arrived way after the start time of the Irini Res show , to the point where we thought we missed it. However, we were informed she was still on, thus we had to pay a $10 cover each. No biggie though. The dimly-lit bar was packed with the Cialis Set so I wasn't sure what to expect once we made our way inside the restaurant. I was relieved when I saw a young, hip crowd chowing down and grooving to Ms. Res and her Jazz MIx. Not that I mind partying with my parents, I just like to know in advance.
This place is surprisingly small and the tables are pushed tightly together so squeezing into our seats was like squeezing into a pair of Gloria Vanderbilt jeans circa 1982--a lot of work! Even though there were open seats in the front where we both would have had a great view of the band, we were placed right by the stage with my BF's back to the stage and the crowd. Once seated I exhaled and took in the decor which was very voodoo-esque and sexy. I felt like dancing naked to Irini Res's samba rhythms while pouring chicken blood all over my writhing body.
Service was slow, not with a smile and unaplogetic. Our server seemed harried and I couldn't quite figure out why because there was, what I thought, a full wait staff. The drinks were slow to come but they were oh-so-delicious. The BF and I had the Gangsta of Love which was sooo good. For an entree I had the salmon with collard greens and plaintains and my guy had the jumbo shrimp with a caesar salad. Both solidly good, but not world-rockingly good.
We had to flag down our server a couple of times to re-up on drinks and just for some overall attention. She seemed annoyed and put-out. If you happen to go and your server makes you think of the movie The Crying Game, then request a new one.
Irini Res and the food made it a pleasurable experience but the service was sub-par, although I would go back again just to give it another chance. -
Review from Amelia Z.
Bronx, NY
2/15/2009
No,
Just...no.
First of all, I guess I made the mistake of going on Valentine's night, when it was uber-crowded. Crowded to the point where tables were placed RIGHT next to each other...to sit against the wall, one had to pull out the table and walk around it.
What kind of sick and twisted fire code violation is that?
The food was okay...the shrimp still had the heads attached, which made me potentially have a heart attack. I cannot eat something with eyeballs. But the Cornish hen and collard greens were okay.
The band was good too...but I was literally sitting on the stage.
Priceless... -
Review from Lauren N.
Boston, MA
3/6/2008
Went here last night to support a friend of a friend perform for their open mic night on Wednesdays and all the performers were great. Nice array of jazz, soul and rap.
Venue was cute with a southern/African/Caribbean vibe but too cramped. Drinks were strong, food and service not great...our server disappeared after we ordered our first round of drinks and when she did come back, didn't even ask if we wanted another round despite our glasses being empty. -
Review from A L.
New York, NY
10/16/2009
A total gem. GO, GO, GO for an open mic night. You will not be disappointed with the extremely talented yet-to-be-discovered singers.
As other reviewers have mentioned, it is indeed "unpretentious, friendly and lively." Expect to find dancing/clapping elbows in your space as the night wears on.
Go for the music and have fun! The city needs more places like this! :) -
Review from Katherine L.
New York, NY
1/18/2011
I tried this place because I was curious about it. I paid the cover charge, and I sat by the bar. I think this place has a lot of regulars, because when Ashford & Simpson came in later in, they said hello to many people. The quality of the show was really good. I felt comfortable here and had a couple of drinks and enjoyed the show. The people were friendly also. I talked to one guy who said he's an artist, and he even drew me a nice drawing about musicians. I'll go back when I get a chance.
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Review from jane d.
New York, NY
9/24/2010
I went on Open Mic night and was hoping to sing. This is what happened. We were charged $10 at the door as a cover charge. We ate and had a glass of wine and when Mr. Smith came through the room asking for singers, he completely ignored us and went to people he knew.
I have to say the food is good and the wait personnel were very nice and helpful but Mr. Smith and the management are bad for business. -
Review from Ting S.
6/25/2008
this little gem of a place completely took me off guard. an r&b spot on the upper west side?! yeah, it's for real.
i heard it gets packed on open mike nights, but came here on an off night, and it was great. nice vibe around the bar area, and although there was no jameson to be found, the bartender was more than accommodating in finding a satisfying replacement. jim beam black was surprisingly available.
all in all, a nice spot to indulge in some libation while taking in some Wu. -
Review from Marc A.
NY
3/12/2007
The Sugar Bar is a long and narrow space with the bar at one end and a stage at the other. In between the bar and the stage are a lot of tables crowded together. I met people who had already had dinner there (they said the food at the Sugar Bar isn't that good) and I was there to watch Mary C. (a sultry soul/R&B singer) perform. She was great, the crowd was great. I'm a small person and couldn't really see the stage from the crowd (sadly). The venus is cramped and not very manuerverable and the food seems carribbean inspired but lacking in merit. The drinks were a tad overprice but nothing too insane for New York. The bathrooms, for some unknown reason, are located right in the middle of the venue and open right into the middle of the dinning area. That's some poor design.
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Review from Ola F.
Brooklyn, NY
4/4/2010
I have mixed feeling about the Sugar Bar. I love the vibe here. Small, sexy, dark, very grown and sexy. But! I hate prices. $20 door cover on a Saturday night. Seriously? I mean, the live music is good, but not that good! usually, I am going here to have dinner so to have to pay $20 on top of dinner, seems a bit much. I would understand if you weren't having dinner....But I did have a birthday party here once and they accommodated us very nicely. I will probably go here again, but I won't be seeking it out, if you know what I mean.
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Review from Yas F.
New York, NY
9/15/2010
Went last night to support a friend at open mic night and had a blast. Not only were the performances great Ashford and Simpson were there and both sang a little backup! Food wasn't that awesome but the wine and cocktails were 'right on time.'
Would def go back to see open mic again! -
Review from Ericka R.
New York, NY
Updated - 12/27/2008
Okay, i take it back...
I so wanted to love on the Sugar Bar so i went back a 3rd for dinner with my mom and auntie.
Breakdown this time round: Waiter was retardedly slow. Food was dumb expensive and again super SLOW and I'm talking nobody in the spot eating was getting their food/just sittin looking around at each other. Our waiter knowingly but unapologetic avoided us like the plague and then had the nerve to add gratuity to our bill but the addition was handwritten and this too took a lifetime to come to the table cause his ass was obviously lacking in basic math skills. Oh and we were hassled by the door chick about whether we were staying for the band (that was way too loud/I blame the sound system) and came back looking for the cover when we were still there as the band started to set up. BUT guess what we would have left an hour b4 had our service not been a shit! One other thing we were close to the bathroom (the whole eating area is really) and Deuce funk invaded my nostrils of course as soon as my food arrived. Got dammit Sugar!1 Previous Review: Show all »
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11/1/2008
It is possible to love a place so very much regardless of a few errors. Like The Sugar Bar!
Spent my… Read more »
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Review from Karen W.
Los Angeles, CA
8/18/2010 1 photo
We couldn't have picked a better way to start our vacation!! The Sugar Bar is a place for grown folks. I was on vacation with my bookclub. 8 ladies from Los Angeles looking to have some fun. Well we had a ball. Valerie Simpson was there. She was friendly. She sat right in the mix. Michael Phillips was playing and he was awesome. He and Valerie sang a couple songs together. The food was fabulous! The ambience was fabulous! If you like live music, this is the place to be!!
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Review from Chinku G.
Hicksville, NY
1/13/2006
It's always a treat to go to the Sugar Bar. Nick and Val are the most gracious hosts there are. The food is very tasty and the staff is at your beck and call. The music is outstanding. But what would you expect from these world class entertainers. If I weren't so stage frightened, I'd get up sing along during their Open Mike on Thursday night. Lastly, the band is fantastic. Five stars!
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Review from Monica N.
New York, NY
3/9/2009
Definitely a breath of fresh air on the UWS. Unpretentious, friendly, lively, but a little cramped. Go on an off night, order some apps and enjoy the music. The music can get very loud, so not an ideal place for a first date, unless you want to yell across the table. We went on a Friday and was able to be seated right away. I heard open mic night can be more crowded.
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Review from shilpa p.
New York, NY
1/14/2011
decor was nice. wine was ok. didn't really feel welcome. probably won't go again.
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Review from Kieran M.
New York, NY
Updated - 11/3/2010
Have to give credit where credit is due. They have really stepped things up here. The chef has found her groove, first of all, which is the most important thing, and a lot of the menu items from the Good Old Days have reappeared and taste just as good as they did before. The giggling goofballs behind the bar have been given the boot; while they still don't have enough bartending staff on busy nights (which is just stupid, from a revenue standpoint; they might as well just flush twenty dollar bills down the toilets in the restrooms that still and will forever open onto the dining area), the bartenders they do have are professional and attentive. The website has been overhauled and pushed into the 21st century, and overall there's been a big improvement.
1 Previous Review: Show all »
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2/25/2010
The table service is inattentive and sporadic regardless of how crowded the place is, so eat at the… Read more »
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Review from Adinah J.
Bronx, NY
2/17/2009
DELICIOUS!!! The bf and I ordered the motherland shrimp with mac/cheese, and they were excellent. The seasonings on the shrimp were spicy without being too spicy, and they were huge. The mac/cheese is the best I've had outside of my own family. The drinks could be a little tastier/stronger, though.
