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Categories: Lounges, Tobacco Shops
Neighborhood: East VillageMention Yelp and pay no BYO cover charge ($8 normally)! This offer is good until 11/29/09. Can only be used once per person.
Announced 5 days agoAstor Place (6)
2nd Ave-Houston St (F, V)
1st Ave-14th St (L)
Mon-Fri. 3:00 p.m. - 1:00 a.m.
Sat. 12:00 p.m. - 2:00 a.m.
Sun. 2:00 p.m. - 12:00 a.m.
They have a limited selection consisting of house blends and some Oliva cigars, but the prices are very good and the house blends are decent at the price point. I like the small, cozy atmosphere and the fact that you can bring in outside beverages.
The one thing I would recommend is cutting your own cigars-- some of the cashiers working behind the desk are not that experienced with cutting cigars.
Although Satine (Sateen?) has left to pursue other opportunities, Jamie and Ashley have taken over the hostess duties. Dan the proprietor is a distinctive gentleman that greets newbies and regulars if the hostess steps out.
Newbie tip #1: if you want a good selection of beer for BYOB, I would walk to the East Village Convenience store which is located on 2nd Avenue between St Marks and East 7th St (next door to the Orpheum Theater: STOMP). The selection is the best (I can't count the number of Belgian beers on my fingers and toes) for that area. The deli/bodegas around the corner from Velvet are ok if you are just lazy.
Newbie tip #2: even if the establishment looks exclusive, scary, or crowded, walk through the door. Sometimes people are getting ready to leave and you will have a seat.
I returned with a friend last night (I brought my own stash) and enjoyed every minute of it. Pura vida.
A wise man once said "Gentlemen, you may smoke!"
Welcome to Velvet Cigar Lounge, the last of a dying…
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This is a small Cigar Bar Hidden in the East Village. 80E. 7th Street Bet 1&2 Aves. Thanks to Mayor Bloomberg It is totally now BYOB. With a $8 bottle charge per person. There is a $10 Cigar Cutting fee. Unless you purchase one of theirs, from $5 up. Their Cigars are Dominican & quite nice.
The Atmosphere is friendly. If you like a small place really nice & cozy. Check it out.
I spoke with the new owner Dan. He welcomes cigar clubs & groups.
Wish he had a place in the Bronx.
Be well,
Lenny Waller
Edward F. and I arranged for a "Cigar Night 2.5" this week and as always, hanging with Edward for cigars is a great experience. Good cigars, good company, and in this case, a great venue.
Velvet Cigar lounge is part of a rare breed of establishments; it's a place where the owners actually love to hang out and meet the people who patronize their establishment. They're more than happy to sit around and smoke cigars with you. One of them was even leaving on a trip in a couple of days and while talking about his travel arrangements and about being away for the weekend he said to his business partner and friend, "I'm going to miss this place." I can understand why. It's like these gentlemen are truly inviting you into their livingroom to hang out. It's absolutely awesome. One of the best things is, you can smoke cigars in their livingroom and not stink up your own.
The place is small but super cozy and fun. There are coat hooks outside the door to hang your coat on so you don't come home smelling like... my Uncle Abe (I think everyone has/had an uncle like this; you know, the guy with the stub of a stogie in his mouth who gives you big painful hugs, and smells like old stale cigars). Trust me, you don't want to smell like Uncle Abe.
It's a cool and casual place to fire up, and they have their own boutique brand of cigars you can buy, they have humidors you can rent, and beers you can buy. As has been pointed out, they're instituting a BYO policy.
Best part is, I know exactly where our next cigar night is going to be!
I stopped by on a late Sunday night and it was not packed. The young woman behind the bar was very helpful and gave me the rundown on the policy:
- There is a BYO policy: Beer or Wine only (no hard liquor everyone). A simple $8 cover charge per person and you can bring your own 6-pack, bottle of wine(s) in any quantity.
- You can purchase cigars from the bar humidor, or, if you bring your own, there is a $10 cutting fee (fair enough, as this seems to be the trend at most cigar bars). Alternatively, if you purchase a cigar from them, you can smoke your own without surcharge. VCL offers a deluxe assortment of private label premium cigar handrolled in Nicaragua. You can choose from mild, medium and full-bodied (cuban) strength.
- Velvet lounge also offers locked humidor rental service where they will store your precious cigars (about $60/month).
It's a very small lounge -- seats 12 people at most (with 5 seats at the bar), but comfortable.
I ordered a Brooklyn Lager ($5), purchased a Robusto cigar from Nicaragua ($7) to store in my humidor and proceeded to one of the chairs with an ottoman and sat down. From my bag, I took out my Romeo Y Julieta Exhibicion No. 3 (hencho en Habana), cut the cigar with a cat-eye clipper and lit up the corona gorda with a wooden match.
The opportunity to sit back and enjoy the complex aromas of blue smoke for an hour, chat with a few patrons (all seemed to be regulars but very welcoming of guests) and listen to Coltrane, Miles and Oscar Peterson is priceless. I will be back here....often.
By far the least pretentious cigar bar I've ever seen. It is really a place for people who enjoy a fine smoke and don't want to be surrounded by social climbers attempting to look cool. Besides, the place is far too small to become a scene.
Alright, so you probably read the other posts - small place, BYOB, etc. Here's what people don't talk about enough: the cigars. They only allow cigars (I even asked if they would allow a non-aromatic pipe blend and they said that because of the members it wasn't allowed). Cigarettes are definitely not allowed.
They have their own label which comes in light, medium, and full bodied strengths, all of which are Dominican blends. Each of these come in a wide array of styles: Churchills, torpedos, robustos, grandes, and, only for the very brave, the Presidente. Ring gauges went from 44 to the low 50's, while the length ranged from 4" to 9" (Presidente. Seriously, this thing is ginormous). The mediums had an amazingly easy draw, while the full bodied were not overwhelming. No need for a nice lighter, as they have a great match box for a proper, fuel-free light. You can get all manners of cuts, and they know what they're doing, so go crazy and get a v-cut.
Finally, the atmosphere is awesome. Mostly guys, but my gf felt completely comfortable. I think partly due to the size, everyone is really genial and talkative.
This is where I popped my cigar smoking cherry so I don't have other cigar lounges to compare it to. What I can say is that Velvet reflects what I imagined a cigar bar SHOULD be. Dark, comfortable, sports on the TV, knowledgeable, friendly (female) staff and discussions ranging from physics, politics and country music.
The place is small (10 people would pack the room) but it is New York City and I liked the intimacy. No hard alcohol is served but they do have bottle beer (I had a Guiness.)
The cigar made me a bit green on the taxi back home but nevertheless I think I will be back to Velvet soon.
A true gem in what's now Disney-fied Manhattan.
Intimate, relaxing, great jazz, unpretentious and friendly crowd (all guys when I went there), and $8 per person BYOB! We were the only two women in the lounge, and the guys just treated us like one of them. The house cigars smoked a bit unevenly, so I may try a brand name next time.
Adrienne the hostess (Aussie from Perth) was awesome - friendly and accommodating. Will definitely be back.
**7/18/08 Update
They no longer serve alcohol here. But don't fret. They allow BYOB (with $8 charge for each person). In some ways, this is better. There is a small store just around the corner where there is a nice selection of beers so you're not limited to what they have. Also, since it's much cheaper to buy the beers at the store, the $8 charge isn't such a big deal.
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What a great find in the East Village. This small cozy shop is a perfect place for a nightcap after a night of drinking and partying at the various sake joints nearby.
It appears that they roll their own cigars (presumably from imported tobacco). I have to ask them where they are sourcing their cigars next time I'm there.
They had a great selection in terms of size and strengths-everything from maduro wrapper robusto(my favorite) to Connecticut wrapper coronas (perfect for any cigar newbies).
Space is tiny and intimate, but people were quite friendly, including the young lady that was behind the counter. Besides the cigars, you can get beers (they even had Brooklyn lagers). It's quiet enough to have an intimate conversation or strike up a new conversation with one of the other patrons.
This is a very different experience than Club Macanudo, which is much larger, more expensive, and less intimate (but which I also enjoy immensely). Club Macanudo is a great place to take your business client or host a bachelor party--boisterous, loud and fun. Velvet Lounge is the kind of place you go to with your close buddies to have a nice cigar and a beer and just relax.
I visited Velvet for my birthday cigar. I love Velvet--the selection, the atmosphere, the staff, and the other patrons. Add some liquor (at least a small selection of whiskey) and let me get a better handle on the gender dynamics, and this could be a five-star place.
There were plenty of cigars to choose from varying in price and type. I'm a know-what-I-like guy with cigars, so I can't speak authoritatively on selection, but the bartender helped me choose a delicious medium flavored smoke at a good price. Also--you have your choice of 3 cuts when it's time to clip the cigar. (I don't know what difference each makes, but it's nifty to have that many options.)
The space is small and intimate--plush chairs; plenty of ashtrays and candles accompanied by sticks to light up with; warm, slightly dim lighting. It feels like something called "lounge" should. There's a small selection of beer available, but no liquor which was a disappointment. A nice touch was no cigarette smoking inside--only cigars, cigarillos, and other things wrapped in tobacco to keep the smoke smell rich and pleasant.
The staff was one helpful, friendly girl. Her job description is probably equal parts cutting cigars/serving beer and hanging out with the customers. She was completely at ease and engaged with the regulars.
It's clear Velvet is a place of regulars. Most of the guys who came in (and they were all guys, and 90% middle age and up) joked and made the small talk you make with old friends. Everyone seemed to know each other. Despite this regulars feel, I didn't feel uncomfortable, chatting the other guys, getting cigar recommendations, and just quietly reading comics for a bit.
My one caution--Velvet did seem like a guys' place. No women the evening I was there, and at one point when the (young + cute) waitress came out from behind the bar, she announced "OK everyone, hands up," and all the guys grinned, laughed a little, and raised both hands while she walked through the tight spaces. It looked like a drill that had been done before. I couldn't tell if this was just a running joke with the regulars or a skillful way to prevent ass-grabbing without ruffling feathers.
Overall, I highly recommend this place. Comfy and friendly, it nails the cigar lounge atmosphere. The faults I have with it are no liquor (I want a good whiskey with my cigar) and gender dynamics that may or may not be comfortable for women (I don't want to overstate this point, though--it's based on one visit, and one moment that may have been just be a running joke among regulars).
This place is really a nice and very chillaxed place, I wasn't a big fan of cigars but my boyfriend introduced me to them and basically started to like it. He brought me here once or twice and I must say it was very relaxing, cigars really do help ease the stress a little bit. Oh yes a female that likes cigars, ya gotta love it :P
was celebrating with a couple friends friday night, and after dinner decided to go to a cigar place. this place was perfect. although on the small side, it helps with the atmosphere. probably seats 12 at the very most.
the girl who worked there was very friendly and helped in selecting the right cigar. for the record my cigar knowledge extends to big or small.
ordered some drinks (no hard liqour), and all in all was a great time to relax and chat. i think they close at 1 on fridays, but there were a few regulars so she kept the place open a little longer.
wouldn't recommend this place if there are more than 4 in a group since it's so small, but i would defintiely recommend this place as a non-pretentious place to chill and enjoy a cigar.
My boyfriend took me here for my first cigar and I was very impressed! Velvet Cigar has wonderful ambiance and despite it being completely occupied by men, I felt very at ease. We sat at the bar and struck up a conversation with a regular who was a member. (For $50/month, members get to have a locked wooden box with their name on it for safe-keeping of their own private stash.) This man had just come back from Tokyo with a load of Cubans and he gave one to my boyfriend to try! Wow! How insanely generous. The man just shrugged and said he was in a good mood. That's what the Velvet Cigar does to you I guess...
One of my favorite cigar lounges...hidden gem...don't tell too many people about it!!
Some patrons may not like it when the wives smoke clove cigarettes, and in fact may be rather obnoxious about it. The charges for bringing your own wine are not very reasonable. We do not recommend the house cigars, they are only average, however if you're just out for a night of fun it is okay; small space but okay. Lots of single men talking about their favorite sports team. Go to smoke in solitude and midlife-crisis ameliorating atmosphere. Otherwise don't.
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: Tobacco Shops
Neighborhood: Midtown East
Category: Tobacco Shops
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Category: Bars
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Category: Tobacco Shops
Neighborhood: Midtown East
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