Pianos

With clientele decked out in runway-ready rock-and-roll gear, Pianos is a live music club that makes fashionistas feel at home. The regulars buy their designer jeans pre-distressed, wear choppy haircuts in deliberate disarray and enjoy indie garage rock as an aperitif to late-night DJ sets. Sure, the music matters--as long as it's chic. And as trends change, Pianos' fresh, whitewashed walls and expansive bar will continue to create a versatile and stylish space. There's no cover at the door, but it'll cost you to catch the band in the back room, which serves as a dark, sweaty antithesis to the…

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Editor's Tips

Know Before You Go:: The proprietors ditched the dankness of a traditional punk rock bar, but failed to update the dingy unisex bathrooms downstairs.
Where To Sit:: Hang out toward the front of the bar for a shot at scooping the picnic bench table near the window--its prime people-watching point of view make it the best seat in the house, and table service is free of charge.

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User Reviews (50)

ambiance	100.0% positive	“great place when your not sure what to do, but wanna have a fun night out.” “But the atmosphere is great and I would definitely go back there to grab a drink with friends.” “Good crowd, busy but not packed, and great atmosphere.” “Sunday night was good, crowded but not too crowded, with a fun group of people.”
drinks	75.0% positive	“It's a very real bar- a refreshing twist to the usually annoying "hip scene” “Make sure you check out the bar because the prices are sooo good for someone on a budget” “Theres no line at the door, no cover, drinks are good and crowd is chill.” “Always a good spot to stop in grab a bite and a drink.” “The traffic flow of the main room is terrible when it gets crowded and the service at the door and the bar is marginal at best.” “But the atmosphere is great and I would definitely go back there to grab a drink with friends.” “You can either have fancy hors d'ouevres and expensive drinks, or you can be a divey, lower east side rock n' roll club, but you cannot be both.” “great bar on the Lower East Side.” “Its got a standard space up front with different size tables for small or big groups, a long bar, and good beer on tap.” “The bartenders poured great drinks and decided to see the live band downstairs.” “The bar downstairs gets crowded quickly, but it's still a good scene and the bartenders are sweet.” “This place is the worst of both worlds - overpriced drinks and food, plus teeming with hipster wannabes.” “Overall, a nice new spot-- dive bar with a great (live) jukebox!” “The food is delicious and reasonably priced and the bartender isn't afraid to poor a real drink.” “this place seems like it's only for chillin at the bar, but recently I went by and had a fantastic dinner.” “Great bar and music venue” “what a real find, great music, great vibe, we had a few beers, Tiger cos not many places have it and just chilled, it was great” “The drink prices weren't that bad and the music was diverse.” “went last Thursday when there was a large crowd, but not too crowded and had great drinks and food.” “stuck around a bit after dinner and enjoyed the bar scene and some good music, but the dinner stole the show” “Worst bar experience of my LIFE.” “and the drink service was fast!”
food quality	62.5% positive	“dont really like the scene, but i live a few blocks away and i'll stop by pianos frequently to have their blackjack burger.” “This place is the worst of both worlds - overpriced drinks and food, plus teeming with hipster wannabes.” “Cool vibe downstairs, meat market upstairs” “went last Thursday when there was a large crowd, but not too crowded and had great drinks and food.” “good food too” “The food is delicious and reasonably priced and the bartender isn't afraid to poor a real drink.” “There is great music on both floors, the burgers rock, and the staff is really friendly.” “This place had great food and a great vibe.”
menu variety	100.0% positive	“The drink prices weren't that bad and the music was diverse.”
overall	66.66999816894531% positive	“great place when your not sure what to do, but wanna have a fun night out.” “But not a great place to meet people because my girlfriends and i met some pretty sketchy people there.” “It's a great place to chill and hang out with friends.”
return potential	100.0% positive	“But the atmosphere is great and I would definitely go back there to grab a drink with friends.”
service	57.14000225067139% positive	“There is great music on both floors, the burgers rock, and the staff is really friendly.” “Sunday night was good, crowded but not too crowded, with a fun group of people.” “Marcus is a fantastic bartender, even when he is swamped with 28 trendoits demanding his attention.” “signed up for karaoke and a stocky dude with long curly hair (spitting image of Hurley from LOST) tacked my slip of paper onto a bulletin board full of people waiting to sing, which is understandable.” “Awful, rude service by uncaring waitstaff.” “The traffic flow of the main room is terrible when it gets crowded and the service at the door and the bar is marginal at best.” “People are friendly not stuck up and it just meshes together in a good way.” “bartenders have terrible attitudes and act like they were doing us a favor by serving us and then charged $45 for five shots!” “But not a great place to meet people because my girlfriends and i met some pretty sketchy people there.” “Good music, great bartenders but it gets crowded.” “The food is delicious and reasonably priced and the bartender isn't afraid to poor a real drink.” “They are not keeping on listing their shows, the staff is unbelievably rude, and they don't seem to understand how to work a door properly.” “bad customer service” “and the drink service was fast!” “Drunk people like to sing.” “The bartenders poured great drinks and decided to see the live band downstairs.” “THe upstair's staff is so cool and nice.” “think the bartenders are good but know what's going on as they are always watching people and i'd say security ,host /doormanagers might all be in on the thieving and know someone on their staff is ripping people off :BECAUSE THEY DON'T EVEN PRETEND TO ” “The bar downstairs gets crowded quickly, but it's still a good scene and the bartenders are sweet.” “Plus, door staff and bouncers are inexplicably rude.” “Great music and the bartender likes to talk.”
value	60.0% positive	“The drink prices weren't that bad and the music was diverse.” “You can either have fancy hors d'ouevres and expensive drinks, or you can be a divey, lower east side rock n' roll club, but you cannot be both.” “Make sure you check out the bar because the prices are sooo good for someone on a budget” “This place is the worst of both worlds - overpriced drinks and food, plus teeming with hipster wannabes.” “it turned into a huge fight with my bf because we're both huge tina turner fans and my shirt was a souviener from my very first tina concert.”
wait time	50.0% positive	“Its got a standard space up front with different size tables for small or big groups, a long bar, and good beer on tap.” “signed up for karaoke and a stocky dude with long curly hair (spitting image of Hurley from LOST) tacked my slip of paper onto a bulletin board full of people waiting to sing, which is understandable.”

05/09/11

Love it

by GoDuke

We're neighbors, love this place. Great happy hour specials, sick Saturday night electronic dance party.

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07/29/10

A Good Sunday Happy Hour From 2PM - 7PM

by huhnchen

My friends and I stopped by on a Sunday. I think the happy hours were from 2PM - 7PM and I was sold when I saw the sign for $4 frozen margaritas! We didn't intend to stay too long, but I'm glad that we did because I got to try the Mediterranean nachos for the happy hour price of $5. I liked that they had chickpeas in addition to the traditional toppings of cheese, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. There were quite a few other $5 happy hour appetizers that I'd go back and try.

Pros: frozen margaritas, cheap appetizers

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05/13/10

dont bring anything valuable here!!!!!!!

by jakethegr8

i used to frequent pianos but recently had a really bizairre experience.

i was having a great time as usual but it started to get really hot so i took off my shirt (i'm a guy lol). i left it with my bf while i danced with my friends. when i went back to get my stuff i realized my shirt was gone! it turned into a huge fight with my bf because we're both huge tina turner fans and my shirt was a souviener from my very first tina concert. i was devastated and angry and genuinely thought my bf had taken the shirt for himself. we broke up the next day and i went back to pianos because i needed some cheering up but i was shocked to see the bartender wearing my tina shirt! he clearly didnt even wash it either because there was still a stain from the night before. eww! who does that?!

i know this story sounds crazy but i swear on queen tina herself that every word is true. these people are two-faced. the staff will act like your bff one minute then turn around and steal your tina turner shirt. never again will i go back!!!!!

Pros: bartender obvi likes good music
Cons: bartender is also a theif

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05/13/10

Like fist pumping to bad music? This is your place!

by mandacat

I'd heard good things about Pianos, so I checked it out on my trip to NY. Upstairs, people were fist pumping to MC Hammer, which was followed by a Vanilla Ice song. Later, they played some 80s music, which was alright.

The crowd/staff seemed very strange. Some guys had fake tans and blowouts, and others had tight pants and emo glasses. The girls all looked like they needed a good shower. No one was friendly, either! One guy wearing a Metallica hoodie with plaid pants spilled a drink on my new dress. When I told him he should apologize, he had the audacity to insult my dress and tell me he hopes it leaves a stain! Another girl was dancing/convulsing wildly and knocked me over. Instead of helping me up, she stepped on my arm with her stripper heels. Weird mix of people...

Plus, the whole place reeked of B.O. and feet. Strangest night ever.

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05/13/10

Worst bar experience of my LIFE. Staff should be fired!

by sweetcataxtrophe

My unfortunate Pianos experience began with a trip to their grimey ladies' room. Not only was it missing a toilet seat, there was pee and blood all over the floor. I never judge a dive bar by its bathroom so I decided to stay. Little did I know, the off-putting ladies' room would set the tone for the rest of my night at Pianos--appalling... x10.

I signed up for karaoke and a stocky dude with long curly hair (spitting image of Hurley from LOST) tacked my slip of paper onto a bulletin board full of people waiting to sing, which is understandable. Drunk people like to sing. An hour later, I asked "Hurley" how many more people were ahead of me. He was reluctant to let me see the bulletin board and kept pushing me away from his iPod, which he referred to as his "equipment." When I finally caught a glimpse of the board, I realized I hadn't moved. "Hurley" rolled his eyes and said he'd bump me up, so I stayed another hour, spending over $100 at the bar with my cousin. After realizing "Hurley" wasn't sticking to the lineup but letting the same people on stage over and over, I walked back over and tipped him $4. He told to "calm down" because I had less than a half hour left, then called someone else up on stage. Oh, and once again I was standing too close to his "equipment." At that point, I'd had enough. I reached into his tip jar and took back the $4 I had tipped him and walked out.

I soon realized my wallet was gone, which is VERY interesting considering all the reviews about the shady staff at Pianos. I called the bar at 2 am but the manager said he hadn't seen it. The next morning, I saw I'd been sent a Facebook message at 1 am--an hour before I'd called the bar about my wallet--saying they had my wallet, but also had video of me "stealing money" from the karaoke guy's tip jar. I immediately called the bar to retrieve my wallet before my flight that day, but was told that they guy who had sent me the message had possession of my wallet and I'd have to speak with him to get it back. I was forced to reschedule my flight, and I still haven't gotten my wallet back. During an irritating phone call with the guy who messaged me--presumably the owner--I was threatened to have the police called on me if I didn't apologize and hand over $20. I decided to forget about the whole thing and go home. Honestly, I'd rather cancel my credit cards and get a new wallet than deal with pompous hipsters who accuse me of stealing and talk down to me because I'm not part of their little clique.

Pianos

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What People Are Saying About Pianos

Kara Zuaro

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Editor's Tips

05/09/11

Love it

by GoDuke

07/29/10

A Good Sunday Happy Hour From 2PM - 7PM

by huhnchen

05/13/10

dont bring anything valuable here!!!!!!!

by jakethegr8

05/13/10

Like fist pumping to bad music? This is your place!

by mandacat

05/13/10

Worst bar experience of my LIFE. Staff should be fired!

by sweetcataxtrophe

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