Where to Go Dancing

by Citysearch Editors - 0 Reviews - 488 Lists

Updated: January 28, 2009

When you just need to get funky (or freaky), only the best dance clubs will do. We've got a list of New York's top spots for dancing, from bars with room-shaking DJs to clubs with the space to unleash your ultimate dancing dynamo.

Dance Your Pants Off

  1. 1 3.5 Star Rating: Average Cain
    Read Reviews

    544 W 27th St, New York, NY 10001 (map)

    The 5,000-square-foot west Chelsea hot spot formerly known as Cain gets a new look and a (slightly) new name.

  2. 2 1 Star Rating: Poor Southside
    Read Reviews

    1 Cleveland Pl, New York, NY 10012 (map)

    Preppy kids like to get funky on the lower level of this go-to hangout. It's where like-minded (and like-dressed) folks bop to hip-hop and indie rock late into the night.

  3. 3 3.5 Star Rating: Average APT
    Read Reviews

    419 W 13th St, New York, NY 10014 (map)

    Make a reservation and settle in the upstairs lounge or the sleek downstairs--outfitted with nouveau wood paneling, cushiony stools and a smoking DJ roster--where the savviest scenesters start their very own private dance party.

  4. 4 3.5 Star Rating: Average Le Souk--CLOSED
    Read Reviews

    47 Avenue B, New York, NY 10009 (map)

    Multiple tiers of Middle Eastern fun at this theme-park of a restaurant and lounge allow you to bop alongside belly dancers between dining and hookah smoking.

  5. 5 3 Star Rating: Average Mansion
    Read Reviews

    530 W 28th St, New York, NY 10001 (map)

    This offshoot of the Miami original brings Floridan heat to Chelsea in the way of a hot, multi-room dance club with a sexy, swank feel.

  6. 6 3 Star Rating: Average Le Royale
    Read Reviews

    21 7th Ave South, New York, NY 10014 (map)

    Pop art prints and chandeliers set the mood for hipsters to bump and grind to electronic and rock tunes spun by world-class DJs, affordable well drinks in hand.

  7. 7 4.5 Star Rating: Recommended Libation
    Read Reviews

    137 Ludlow St., New York, NY 10002 (map)

    A three-level playground for the Lower East Side's next generation hosts a crowd of 20-somethings who've just started to make it. The third floor in particular swarms with warm bodies getting down.

  8. 8 4 Star Rating: Recommended Pink Elephant
    Read Reviews

    527 W 27th St, New York, NY 10001 (map)

    Come for luxe bottle service, and the pheromone-shooting scent machine, both of which make for an intoxicating West Chelsea scene.

  9. 9 3.5 Star Rating: Average Marquee
    Read Reviews

    289 10th Ave, New York, NY 10001 (map)

    A tough door leads to a stylish, bi-level club in which anyone lucky enough to get in will likely get down and dance, too.

  10. 10 4.5 Star Rating: Recommended Royal Oak
    Read Reviews

    594 Union Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211 (map)

    Drink in 1930s style at this comfortable Williamsburg bar. The discreet entrance masks the bar's spacious interior, where bands and DJs regularly perform.

  11. 11 4 Star Rating: Recommended Studio B
    Read Reviews

    259 Banker St, Brooklyn, NY 11222 (map)

    The nightlife mavens behind the Delancey hatch an indie nightclub out of a Brooklyn warehouse. Whether the hot pink marquee and fluorescent lights are leftovers from its Polish nightclub days, or meant to be ironically hip, is up for debate.

  12. 12 4.5 Star Rating: Recommended Savalas
    Read Reviews

    285 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211 (map)

    Hot music charges the neighborly atmosphere, making it a natural Williamsburg fit. It attracts the creative residents of neighborhood's south side, a crowd that's big enough to energize the place but small enough to keep the mood light.

  13. 13 4 Star Rating: Recommended Santos' Party House
    Read Reviews

    100 Lafayette St, New York, NY 10013 (map)

    A regular schedule of live DJs lures dancers downtown to this large, cavernous space, along with relatively affordable bevies and an impressive sound system.