Rue B

Recommends

mpatc

Joined 7 years ago

great bartenders!. My group of friends and I stumbled (really, stumbled) into this place on Saturday night "for one drink" on our way to another bar. I had a sombrero on my head (31st bday...yes, "31 not 21" but whatever) which probably indicated that this may be a fun crowd. Needless to say we livened up the place, which was small but still very fun. The bartenders were SOOO much fun, entertaining us, and putting up with alot of drunkeness, I'm sure!!! But when we tried to leave to go to the next place, they asked us to stay and so we did. Finally, we really stumbled out around 3am. I left without my sombrero but I figured it was a good tip (besides, it had all of the drink garnishes inside the rim...thought they could use them back!)

Recommends

djanaba

Joined 7 years ago

Still fun but not as fun as it used to be. Stellar food -- "old school" sopressata sandwich (not on the menu anymore but the sandwich jedi in the back can whip one up pronto), fabulous ciabatta creations, amazing polenta, yummy guac, and one of the best brunches in the village!

Staff has changed, less friendly and less attentive. Manager can be very blunt but he's a good guy.

Music has changed; used to be great, amazing, well-balanced jazz that still let you have a quiet conversation. Now it's louder blues with the guitar amp turned up so loud you can't hear the piano or your friends.

Drinks very tasty and priced New York style; stay away from their "specials" and your dry martini with lots of olives will be nice to your tongue and wallet.

Fun people watching, especially on the weekends.

Recommends

clilac

Joined 7 years ago

Good jazz...but extremely rude staff.. Our waitress knew that our group of five was only ordering drinks, and she offered a table to us anyway. We proceeded to order a stream of expensive cocktails and bottled water, but clearly we were not spending enough $. It began to fill up, and we had just finished our cocktails and were about to leave (we had even collected the check) when the manager came over and said (in an extremely rude tone) "I don't mean to be rude, but there are people waiting and it is time for you to go." We were floored. We had done nothing to deserve this hostility, other than fail to order dinner, which they were aware of when we arrived! To make matters worse, the waitress followed us out, and demanded that we leave a better tip. We shouldn't have left a tip at all, and we WON'T be going back.

Recommends

adg045

Joined 7 years ago

Definite Favorite. Your best bet is to visit Rue B on a weekend during happy hour. Drinks are half-price (at the bar ONLY). Shane should be working the bar and you can pretty much be guaranteed your drink will be nice. If it's not simply say something and he'll make it right. Rob follows up for the late night crowd and he's equally accomodating. The food is fantastic. It's better than typical "bar" fare with options ranging from antipasta to polenta and desserts to match. It does get crowded, though, and, like every other piece of real estate in NYC, space is limited. It's definitely one of my favs and promises to remain as such. Pros: fair prices for great drinks and food, good music, live music (on occasion), great photos, nice people. Cons: small space, the occasional pretentious bloke. Verdict: rock on!

Recommends

bigness116

Joined 8 years ago

Great Find. I randomly walked on in the other night and the place was packed with nice people. They had live music and one of the best piano players I have ever seen. He completely took over the bar. The service was great as well. I'll defintely be back!

Recommends

jkali65

Joined 11 years ago

Overpriced E. Village. Way too loud when packed... One perfectly nice waitress versus one psycho waitress, somewhat clueless bartender and a hyper-sensitive owner make it kind of unpredictable. The unassuming Jazz trio makes it more mellow on less crowded nights. The sweet drinks will get you over the top before you know it...

Recommends

palatzio

Joined 10 years ago

Great Service. Low key, great food, well-mixed drinks, EXTREMELY nice and accomodating staff, great jazz (but you can still hear who you are talking to!), there is nothing bad I can say about this place. Highly recommended.

Recommends

GMM21576

Joined 11 years ago

Hidden gem. Cozy, welcoming lounge-restaurant. Came here on a Saturday night. No-cover jazz that was actually pretty decent. A good atmosphere & crowd--not snooty and not boorish. Everyone seemed to be enjoying themselves. A nice (not overwhelming) selection of light plates, appetizers, sandwiches and cocktails. I had a mozzarella, prosciutto and arugula panini--yummy. Everything at gentle prices.

Recommends

gary

Joined 11 years ago

fine food. looks like a cafe--I was surprised to have such tasty treats and a great selection. had a bluefish spread on toast which was really, really good. small place, but comfortable and worth the duckets.