Identity

Great Bar! Strong Drinks and it never gets crowded! Great place to go if you are meting friends or on a first date! There is also a lounge downstairs.

Having stayed really close by on my vacation, I came here a few times for an easy, inexpensive drink to unwind at the end of the night. This bar is definitely more of a dive bar so if you look at it that way, it is what it is. The owner is really cool, charming, and easy to get a long with. I would say come here if you want a really low-​key environment, but with chill people.

Wow, someone give whoever took those Unilocal photos of Identity a raise. This bar definitely does not look as good as these photos. I mean, its not a terrible bar but the photos definitely make it look a more loungish than what I think it is. This is just a small bar that serves good drinks at reasnable prices. Congratulations on getting such good photos of your place though.

This place is horrendous. If I wanted to go to bars like this one, I would have stayed in the town I grew up in. Décor, music, quality or drinks, everything is bad. I feel like this is what bars in a post-​apocalyptic wasteland would look like, except with more Ke$ha.
The bartenders are completely incompetent. On a slow night, I stood there for a few minutes while 4 of them stood around not serving anyone. When one of them (clearly very new) decided to come over, I asked for a well liquor on the rocks. He then unironically asked another bartender «How do I make that?» What?! You take the alcohol, and you put it in a glass with some ice. I clearly asked for well because I am broke and want to be able to leave a good tip. The main guy came over and grabbed a bottle of top-​shelf liquor and handed it to the guy who was serving me. I said «Nope, well please.» The bartender then spent 4 minutes, leaning on the bottle, telling me about how that was a weird request and a bad idea. Dude, I know it’s disgusting. I don’t want to have a conversation about how broke and weird my drink order is. Put it in the glass and take my money. He walked away, and for a few seconds no one did anything and left the bottle where it was on the bar. Classy. Then the new guy came back over, poured 2 teaspoons of alcohol into a glass with ice, and looked at me. I asked «How much?» Panic struck. Oh man. Numbers! Math! Questions! He walked away to find the other guy to find out how much it was.
On a slow night, it took me 10 minutes to pay $ 8 for well liquor on the rocks.
Literally go anywhere else.

The pictures make Identity look way better than it is.
Upstairs there is a decent bar area with a pool table and an atm machine in it.
Downstairs reminds me of an unfinished basement without proper flooring put down. The music was jumping, my friends’ man was the dj that night.
The drinks are so watered down. I paid $ 16 for two Jameson n ginger ales that tasted so horrible, i think the ginger ale was watered down.
I don’t think i will be making a trip back down here.

AMAZING MARGARITA’S!!! I go here once or twice a month for a fetish theme party my friend throws and I love the atmosphere. Music is always good. A nice mix of 80’s New Wave, Top 40, Industrial, whatever your mind can imagine. I always have a, «Oh my god I haven’t heard this is so long» moment.

Wow, this was pretty awful, lol.
Very non-​descript bar, unremarkable in every way.
Seriously, one bartender was ignoring everybody and the other looked cracked out and was like, floating around the bar, slowly making drinks… never, ever, ever venturing down our end of the bar. I swear I was waiting for over 15 minutes and she’s just sloooooowly mulling along.
One of my friends finally waves her over. She pours me a glass of red. I hand her a 10 and I’m not even kidding, she hands me two 1’s all scrunched up in her fist and places it on the bar, two scrunched up bills, no lie. i am fuming, looking at her like WHAT THE FUCK? And she starts giggling nervously going ‘sorry! sorry! tee hee! sorry!”… I don’t know why I left her a $ 1, i guess she looked like she needed it.
AWFUL!

Friendly bartenders, and a big bar room upstairs, good sized dance floor downstairs but the sound isn’t great. Fun venue to come to for a good party, just not outstanding.

I’m in love with this lounge, really chill out and cool atmosphere. The bartenders are really down to earth and cool Greg is a good guy. I’ve personally met lots of interesting people here. Drinks are pretty decent they got a couch, cool music. Check it out.

Nice place to hang while waiting forever to get seated at Buenos Aires…
The girl DJ was gettin it!!! I’d return for her… everything else, ehhh.

A non-​descript, uninspiring lounge with a basement. Dime a dozen.
This place could have mustered 2 stars but some of the bartenders rip you off. I have no idea what’s wrong with the female bartender in the basement, but she is just awful. Bad attitude and under-​poured everything, even after I offered her a buy-​back which she ignored. Watered down drinks are one thing but pouring half shots into cups (no shot glasses to call them on it) and calling them shots is venturing into the realm of stealing from your customers.
But it’s not just her. The coat check took 15 minutes cause the guy was bored and drunk, and still drinking in front of the management. The mixed drinks upstairs were also over priced and the service subpar.
There are no decorations or theme, well other then cramped and dark. All of the sexiness of a dive sports bar (i.e. none) with none of the sports, food, quirky cast of characters or friendly atmosphere. The mini-​dance floor downstairs reminds me of lame 18 and over joints I would go to as a kid in suburbia. I’m a baffled how this place stays open.
This is New York, there are literally thousands of other bar/​lounges. Why bother with this shithole?

Halloween weekend, 2010. I went in and I felt like I was in a frat house. I left.

Whaaaat is this place doing in my precious Alphabet City? Bizarre mood lighting, terrible music, over priced drinks, rude staff. Ick ick ick. Hope it shuts down soon.

I’m rating based on the old management. I know sometime last year or so, new management took over the joint!
I haven’t been here in a while, but when I went here we use to hit it up every-​other weekend. The place isnt really small but just very narrow. There’s two floors for your bouncing around pleasures. Each floor has a DJ playing different types of music. There’s a bar downstairs and upstairs which is very convenient. Also KRS-​ONES brother use to play at this place every weekend. Not sure if he does anymore. Pretty dope spot and drink prices are fair. Good for a small birthday party also! SHHECCKK IT OUT!

If you have read any of my other reviews, you probably think that I was pretty cheap. I’m not — I’m just reasonable.
It’s possible to live in New York City without getting ripped off, you just have to know where to go.
A bottle of Bud Light is $ 5 at Identity. Granted, that’s not crazy insanely expensive, but for a tiny bar in Alphabet City that masks itself as a neighborhood dive bar that’s too much to pay. That is the «new» East Village, I guess.
That and the bartender is one of those bartenders who loves her regulars, doesn’t care about anybody else, and has no concept of the buy-​back.

If you like ‘em small and cozy. this place is for you!
Downstairs. careful down the stairs btw. they had a DJ playing house music. which was my first experience anywhere with house music. I had a fun night and it was hardly crowded all night. Very intimate and quiet venue for just a romantic time with you and one other.

If you’re a DJ and actually like to spin vinyl records as opposed to just clicking away on a computer, this is not a bad place for you to setup shop. One of the few bars left in the area with their own turntable setup so that you don’t have to lug around your own.
I started coming here on occasion for the the music (golden age hip hop, once a month usually on the second Thursday). For that event, the DJ is great. And the crowd is good, it’s a small crowd of locals.
I feel the beer’s a bit pricey, and the selection on tap isn’t very good compared to other bars in the neighborhood. The bartender with the beanie is quite a character, and a good server. But one night I was here and the other bartender (younger guy with dreadlocks) was too wasted to make any mixed drinks.
I think this space has a lot of potential, but they need to do something a bit more unique with the space, adust the prices to bring in more customers on weeknights, and promote their music nights better.

These days, I am getting more and more picky about bars, especially when I’m out for a friend’s birthday. Identity was fine, I guess, but it was just a pretty plain lounge with some nice space downstairs for dancing — if you’re into that sorta thing. The DJ wasn’t bad but it was mostly hip hop as opposed to a nice mix. Bottled beer selection was limited (Amstel, Heine, Red Stripe, Guinness cans, and the usual light beers). At least it wasn’t too crowded., although it was not empty and there was a decent scene on this particular Saturday Night.
Identity reminded me of what Niagara has become, but it’s a little smaller and thd crowd did not seem quite as douchey. Will I be back? Nah, probably not… at least not until another friend has a birthday party here. Also, the photos make it seem a lot nicer than it actually is. You have been warned.

Went here for a monthly house-​music-​dance-​boogie-​broohah that goes on… so fun. Why is it when people take photos of you on the dancefloor you always look like:
a) a drunk idiot
b) a douchebag
c) some sloppy combination of the above
Most of my pictures from the night look like I just woke up and couldn’t find my contacts, with a beer in one hand.

I think my favorite things about this bar are the signs that say «NO DANCING ALLOWED.» Apparently it’s according to some New York City law. However, the DJ that spins there plays some quality stuff. He threw in some Kanye, Gorillaz, and a bunch of other stuff. It was almost kind of difficult to hold back my moves. I swayed back and forth a couple times though. I just couldn’t help myself.
Upstairs they have flat screen tvs if you want to watch the game and a dart board. Down stairs they have a pool table, couches, and a wide open space, but again, NO DANCING ALLOWED.
Bartenders are nice, and they make good drinks. Bathrooms are clean. Quality spot in the east village.