The Village Underground

NOTE: I visited this establishment in 2006. This review was copied from a travel site I previously blogged for.
I found this dance club online before we left, and it caught my attention because of the type of music they play. Techno/​House music is very common in clubs in NYC, and it’s just not my thing. I can’t dance to it and I certainly can’t sing to it. The Village Underground promised hip hop and some 80’s stuff. Bitchin. We walk in to a rather dark, kinda smelly club. Immediately I judge and I want to leave. We order some drinks and start to loosen up. I step on the dance floor and it’s like a natural reaction– my body just goes with the music. You may have seen me, and if you have, you know I can’t dance. But I love the energy– I love the bass thumping, I love the pulse of the people around you. The deejay here was awesome, and really knew how to mix to keep people moving with the tempo. The setting, once you get past the drab entryway, had Hundreds of miniature, reflective glass domes that cast a warm light on the crowd of party animals. Make time for this place, you won’t be disappointed. Unless you don’t like fun.

Solid five stars for the comedy show, but 1 star for the RAW FOOD I was served.
The dim lighting, set up and size of the place makes for an enjoyable atmosphere. Arriving just before the 8:30p show without any reservations, we were accomodated without a problem. We were seated at a booth in the back where they sat 6 people per table. This was a little cramped and I suggest installing bag hooks underneath the tables to maximize seating space. But I get it, these comedy undergrounds are often closterphobic, so this wasn’t surprising at all. The comedians here were great and it was truly one of the most enjoyable shows I’ve seen in the city for the price. However, I have one substantial complaint: DO NOT ORDER THE CHICKEN SKEWERS. Everything was going well until I bit into severely undercooked chicken skewers.
For $ 2 per skewer, I ordered two of these chicken skewers. Wary of the unusually tender meat I had bit into (for chicken), I cut open the next chunk. To my horror, the chicken in the middle was straight up raw, not pink, RAW. UNCOOKED. I immediately notified our waitress who apologized profusely. Since we were in the middle of a comedy act, I didn’t want to make a big deal it. Can you imagine if I had eaten two skewers full of raw chicken? Thank god I only ate one piece and didn’t end up sick.

We called and they said there was no cover. There was, so we went upstairs to the Fat Black Cat or something. My friends and I sat at the bar, it wasn’t close to close or anything but the bartender very rudely pressured my friends to order at least one drink if sitting at the bar. What if my friend was sober? Also important to mention there were PLENTY of open bar seats. The place was dead to begin with. I had ordered one drink but we were so insulted at his insisting that they pick something or leave that we left.

Wow. What an incredible night here. I have to first give a shout out to Liz F. — my experience here couldn’t have been better.
I’m not sure how this differs from CC, but as you’ve read they are sister venues. We had a really great view of the stage. In all, about 5 – 6 comedians came on; expect to spend about two hours here. They tell you to come 15 minutes prior and not any sooner; it’s really not necessary to come early. The food and drinks were perfect for the ambiance and the sangrias — just wow! Ordered a few pitchers for our table.
I did think some of the acts were a bit strange… one girl was sick! And she even made jokes about her being germy… well by all means rest and get better, no one wants you to spread your germs. The people sitting in the front are generally going to be the butt of most jokes made. The last act was definitely a comedian that we all recognized (totally blanking on the name, but he’s in some bigger comedies) — he was great.
I’d absolutely love to come back here, but it’s just a tad much for an average night out (I think tickets are ~$ 20 and then drinks + food, etc). Perhaps when it’s a special occasion!

I have been here when it serves as a branch of the Comedy Cellar, not as a dance club, so my comments will be confined to that.
The nearby Comedy Cellar is one of the elite Manhattan comedy clubs and comics often perform at both clubs the same night. Excellent comics; more comfortable seats then the Cellar; pleasant staff and reasonable (for clubs) pricing makes this a great choice.

This place is awesome and definitely top notch. I had an awesome band playing a variety of music and adding their own twist. It was an amazing performance. It was an amazing experience and definitely would come again and would recommend to friend to come.
They serve drinks such as beer and wine and cocktails. It was just a great time and you forget what time it is when you are there. I love this place!

This place was amazing, and my friends and I had so much fun! The house band is to die for — truly an amazing and talented group that will entertain you and make you dance all night long! They play all different types of music, but a lot of dance numbers, but the place often times gets really packed and then, there’s not a lot of room to dance. But nevertheless, I’m definitely coming back here!!!

I’ve always been a fan of VU because of their cover band. I was a little sad to see the Then not playing as often and it is more of a comedy show place. I came here last night for the first time to watch a comedy show. Marina (our host) was hilarious and kept the audience going. My favorite comedienne was Greer Barnes. I would definitely come back to see them again. We satin the front row so it was great to see them so close but I think I might sit 1^st/​2^nd row center to get a better view of the facial expressions. I would recommend this place for folks looking for a nice casual night of laughs.

So I was sad to find out the house band wasn’t performing on Saturday nights anymore and turned it to a comedy club that night. I then gave it a try because I heard good things.
If you have ever been to VU in the past for the band, it looks EXACTLY the same… just filled the dance floor with tables. So here’s some tips:
— Reservations are important… do it weeks in advance if you want a specific time. They have different time slots starting from 7:15pm to 12:15am…check out their website. I came to the 7:15pm showing and I went to the front doors at 6:30pm and they gave me my tickets and asked what area I wanted to be seated at. It’s first come first serve so we chose the front. We pay everything at the end of the show. Depending on the time you choose is how much you’ll pay for a cover charge… mine was $ 20pp
— There’s 2 locations
— There is a 2 drink minimum. If you want munchies the calamari is pretty good.
— If you sit in the front, bring a shawl or sweater… the air is pretty much on you and can get a bit nippy.
— I had Marina As our host… she was fantastic
— 5 comedians… I had 2 faves Greer Barnes and Leonard Outzs
— They offer 25% off your food and drinks at the bar next door (The Fat Black Pussycat… gotta love the name) AFTER the show… they give you this offer card before the show begins.
It was a great time. The reason for 4 stars is because I was really cold in the front. Now that I know I will definitely bring something to keep me warmer.

Go on Monday’s. Just go on Monday’s. the place has great talent and its a good place to just listen to music and be upbeat. Later in the night they had other performers who could be hit or miss but they are usually hits.
Highly recommend this place when you want a more interesting Monday night.

So funny! Such a good night here the comedians were great. We went to a Saturday 7:15 show and got there early to get a spot closer to the front. Reservations book up fast so make one as soon as they release them!

We went to the Village Underground when Comedy Cellar was showing their acts here. Always a fun time to go to a comedy club unless something went really wrong. The wait service in the village underground were super quick in seating and serving us. Drinks and food were reasonably priced, providing an assortment of beer, martinis, and fried bar foods. The acts, although can vary depending on when you go, were great! I’m sure they their homework in ensuring the acts are sufficiently laughable.
I would highly recommend making reservations when going as it is more than likely they would be sold out on a weekend night. I saw them have to turn down a number of people who didn’t make reservations given the full house. This is definitely a great venue for dates or just a group of friends looking to laugh their faces off at someone else’s own emotional expense.

This place is always great I love open mic night. Honestly i wish they had more seating because it can get really crowded down there. The cover charge to get into the downstairs Live-​Band area sometimes changes.

5 stars for the music!!! no stars for the staff who are soooooo rude and pretentious. Expect to be punched in the ribs by the old Lady in the back if you walk the wrong way to the restroom! Crazy!
Bartender is also rude! What’s up with this Nazi– run establishment? And don’t be surprised if a bar fight starts between the wait staff!

Went with a group of friends after booking a 8pm show on a Wednesday night on Comedy Cellar. Seemed like Comedy Cellar has expanded to this location.
It was so packed for a Wednesday night! Great energy, good mix, every single comic was really great and the lineup was impressive with people like Friedlander. Has a great time. The food options were actually better than expected and included sliders, fries, little burgers and the like.

I’m a new fan of the Village Underground. This was my second Sunday evening attending an open mic where great talent hits the stage – and yeah, there are some misses too; but BLESS their little hearts for such tenacity and b
The host, Ron Grant, the hostess, the back-​up singers including gospel great Melonie Daniels and band are AWESOMELY talented. They too would intermittently perform between sets. It was quite moving yet entertaining having them «take you to church».
The venue is dimly lit and very intimate though a crowd of 200+ can comfortably be seated. There’s a $ 15pp cover charge and table seating comes at a minimum charge of two items off the menu per set during the evening OR you can stand for FREE.
It’s a good way to spend your Sunday evening as a tourist or a native New Yorker – even if you have to be at work Monday morning at 8AM. Live a little and experience the VU.

My Fiancé and I went here on a Labor Day Monday – BlackVelvetMonday. One of the bartenders at Junior’s highly recommended it for my taste of music.
I made a reservation 3 hours before – and it stated to arrive at 9:30pm. We did just that, and was one of the first 3 tables to be seated. The band didn’t start playing until 10:15ish… So it was quite a wait which was fine.
The table sign indicated that there’s a two drink minimum, but it’s actually a two item minimum– drink and or food.
I ordered the fries– it looked and tasted like McDonalds fries. And I ordered one chicken Skewer ($ 2) there were 3 one inch cubed chicken breasts. It was alright, I would definitely suggest eating before coming here.
BUT OH MY GOD– the BAND and MUSIC was amazing. Gave me chills. And they had open mic, so a lot of the talented New Yorkers showed off their talents. I had so much fun!!! It was the cherry on top to the end of my New York Trip.

There is a cover charge to get into the downstairs Live-​Band area. After being invited in we got to experience it and very much enjoyed ourselves. For it being a Friday night, with a live band, and a birthday celebration going on, the place was pretty calm and not crowded at all.
Not sure if it was the venue or the company but we had fun dancing the night away. Dancing is after all one of the best ways to unwind!
The live band playing that night was really good, composed of one d*uchy Im too cool to acknowledge you lesser beings — guitar player but the other band members were celebrity-​esk cool! There were plenty of seats, dancing area was narrow but then again not many people were dancing so it was perfect.

WOW. My wife and I were in the city for just one night. Looked through Unilocal and saw the reviews and decided to give it a try.
We were blown away, they were simply amazing. Thought Cheryl Pepsi Riley was just a guest with the band but I guess she is part of it and is there all the time.
We ended up staying till they finished at 2am (normally we are well asleep by then) It was a Wednesday and wasnt crowded at all.
Service was good, didnt order food but drinks were good and for NYC reasonably priced.
I would give them 10 stars if I could. We will make it a point to see them again when in NYC.
Show doesnt start till 10pm, web site says 930.
If your looking for good live music and are in NYC on a Wed, Thursday, or Friday this place is a must.

I wouldve given them five stars, but te seating arrangement was ridiculous. (ill get to that at the end).
The performances were jaw-​dropping! Some were so entertaining and comical. I even gave one performance a standing ovation — that woman with the violin killed it!!! There were some performances that weren’t that great, but nobody sucked. The host was even entertaining, as well as the house band!
Now to the reason why i dropped a star. We made reservations beforehand and was told that we would have a table. What they left out was that there would also be a party of 5 joining our table as well. (it was a total of 8, including us). It was not comfortable at all, because whoeever was at the end of the table had to keep getting up to allow those in the back to use the bathroom. All this annoyance for a $ 15 cover charge? But honestly, the performances were worth it, and i will be returning in the future, although not the immediate future.

super soirée avec un groupe de reprise orienté funk, soul, pop qui cartonne! mention spéciale pour le bassiste.