Voted Citysearch's #1 Live Music Venue! Dancing. Print Offer for 15% Discount!

(212) 254-3706

115 Macdougal St (Btwn Bleecker and W. 3rd Sts)
New York, NY 10012 40.72999 -74.000499

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Neighborhoods: Greenwich Village, Downtown

CAFEWHA.COM

Years in business

Established in 1960

Hours:

Sun, Tue-Thu 8:30pm-2:30am

Mon 9pm-2:30am

Fri-Sat 8:30pm-4am

Last updated 8.14.11

Category:

Bars & Clubs, Restaurants, Musical Entertainers

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, MasterCard

Restaurant Special Features:

Bar Menu

Cuisine:

Middle Eastern

Bar & Club Type of Music:

Reggae, Funk, Soul & R&B, Rock & Pop

Bar & Club Special Features:

Live Music

What People Are Saying About Cafe Wha?

The Owner

Cafe Wha?

Owner

Feel like having fun? Featuring a mixture of Classic Rock, R&B, Funk and Reggae we present the most exciting talent in New York, in a friendly and informal atmosphere. Voted one of Zagats Top 50 Nightspots and "#1 Live Music Venue" by Citysearch, see why people come to the Wha over and over again. Spend one evening with us, and you'll instantly become one of our thousands of regulars.Available for private events.

Provided by CityGrid

Featured Review

Contributor

Contributor

The Scene – Back in the '60s, the likes of Hendrix and Dylan played here before they were famous. These days, a youthful mix of students and tourists dances in the aisles to the sounds of the Cafe Wha Band, which pumps out high-energy, workman-like covers of everything from the Beatles to Marley. Low ceilings and tables crammed close to the stage make for a cramped, intense atmosphere. – – The Draw – The house band is in residence from Wednesday to Friday; Mondays play host to one of the city's more popular Brazilian nights, Tuesdays a funk band takes over and…

Editor's Tips

When to Go:
Get here before 10pm on weekends. The good seats fill up fast, and so does the line around the block.
Save Money:
There's no cover on Wednesdays. On Mondays and Tuesdays, it's $10; Thursdays, $5; Fridays, $12 and Saturdays, $15.
ambiance
97.55000114440918% positive
  1. stopped in one night by chance and was such a great time that have brought many friends back weekly- is always fun, music great- luv variety of talent in C. Wha band- elan n jason win best vocals hands down- finally found a spot lacking in pretentious cro
  2. Drinks were a tad steep, but all in all I really enjoyed the music and the atmosphere.
  3. The atmosphere is always in party mode and the band and it's memebers are awesome!
  4. Great great great music, fun crowd, good service, and etc etc... where is there a place like this in LA?
  5. is an exciting, high energy pased atmosphere where the food is good and the music is great.
  6. The atmosphere is fun and full of energy, leave your inhibitions at the door go in and have a great time - I think it's impossible NOT to have a good time at Cafe Wha.
  7. Sure there's a bit of a cruise ship atmosphere (as someone stated below) but it's a FUN & entertaining vibe if you go in there knowing what to expect.
  8. it's a great place to have fun and listen to the best music in town.
  9. The bands interpretations were fun & upbeat (Was that "Dueling Banjos" on guitar and bass?)
  10. This is a place to have fun, good drinks and music from one of the best live bands in New York!
  11. If your looking for a quite spot with romantic music dont go.
  12. The atmosphere is fun and the location attracts a great crowd.
  13. Go here for a girls night out- or for a fist date- actually it's great for first dates- very lively, sing-a-long music and great atmosphere that will get chemistry going.
  14. The bands(because I've heard all three of them) are excellent quality musicians and they are alot of fun.
  15. The atmosphere is capturing, and its created by the amazing group of musicians that are on stage.
  16. Great Ambiance great house band and a lot of fun packed in a small cozy space
  17. The live band is so much fun, they can impersonate any type of music genre.
  18. I've lived in New York for three years, and I had kind of given up on finding any really fun place to see live music.
  19. My fiance recommended this place because he thought it would be a fun place to go with my 8 friends for my bachelorette party.
  20. is a great place to relax, unwind, and have fun.
  21. highly recommend this place to anyone who is looking for great music and fun, but don't attend if you hate dancing, because here, you just can't help yourself.
  22. The atmosphere is just fantastic and people here all have a good time regardless of the day.
  23. It is also a great place to take people from out of town since it is so much fun!
  24. It is the perfect place to go when you just want to have fun.
  25. The band was really fun and seemed to enjoy interacting with the crowd.
  26. Great bands, fun to dance, sing along.
  27. Musics good and crowd is fun, but when u cant move or dance, it gets lame really fast!
  28. Great music and the most important thing: You can see that the people on stage are having fun!
  29. The atmosphere is just fantastic.
  30. The music is great and very fun!
  31. My fiance recommended this place because he thought it would be a fun place to go with my 8 friends for my bachlorette party.
  32. love cafe wha, it is the most fun i have when i go out and hope that it never chages
  33. best value and NYC fun
  34. the band seem to genuinely have fun on stage which translates to great entertainment for the audience.
drinks
96.30000114440918% positive
  1. This bar is without a doubt the best place to listen and dance to a great live band.
  2. this one of the bar that have more beutiful girls, and the band is one of the best in new your city, and the food is good, every Wednesday and Sunday there are the best.
  3. The food and drink was affordable.
  4. The band, the audience, the service, the drinks was fantastic.
  5. This is a place to have fun, good drinks and music from one of the best live bands in New York!
  6. Slightly overpriced drinks buts that the norm.
  7. Good music, good food, good drinks.
  8. If you enjoy a variety of popular music, sweet & strong mixed drinks, munchie food, & gorgeous men whose smiles make you melt.
  9. The music is so diverse and the drinks are good.
  10. drinks are reasonable and the vibe is always easy.
  11. You want to have a night filled with great music, great dancing, great drinks, and great food?
  12. You can't go wrong when you have a great band, great service, great drinks and food, plus a great crowd.
  13. Service was good, drinks were small and pricey.
  14. the best music, the best band, the best drinks.
  15. IF you can get seating, you can order your drinks at your table while the waiters/resses wait on you as they do at the comedy clubs.
  16. the music is great and the drinks are fantastic.
  17. The drinks were very good and not as expensive as you would expect from NYC.
  18. The vibe in the place is energetic, the food and drinks are good and the crowd is quite friendly.
  19. This is the best bar, with the best music I have ever been to.
  20. If they had treated me respectfully and used some good business sense, I would have had my coffee at the table with my friends and spent about $30.
  21. cafe wha is the best bar in the whole city.
  22. Good mix from classic rock to reggae, and great value at only $12 plus one drink.
  23. best damn band, bar none
  24. The charismatic band alone is worth the trip but throw in the good food, cheap drinks and the rare friendly wait staff, what else can you ask for.
  25. The drinks are reasonable and the food is great.
  26. The best bar in town
  27. The drinks and food is decent, but the performers are just so good!
food quality
100.0% positive
  1. If you enjoy a variety of popular music, sweet & strong mixed drinks, munchie food, & gorgeous men whose smiles make you melt.
  2. The charismatic band alone is worth the trip but throw in the good food, cheap drinks and the rare friendly wait staff, what else can you ask for.
  3. Looking for a good time, good music, lovely food.
  4. The drinks are reasonable and the food is great.
  5. The food and drink was affordable.
  6. is an exciting, high energy pased atmosphere where the food is good and the music is great.
  7. You want to have a night filled with great music, great dancing, great drinks, and great food?
  8. The food is good and the band is out of this world!
  9. this one of the bar that have more beutiful girls, and the band is one of the best in new your city, and the food is good, every Wednesday and Sunday there are the best.
  10. The drinks and food is decent, but the performers are just so good!
  11. You can't go wrong when you have a great band, great service, great drinks and food, plus a great crowd.
  12. Great wings and the Whachos are to die for!
  13. the food is really good, the sangria is tasty and so are some of the band members!
  14. The vibe in the place is energetic, the food and drinks are good and the crowd is quite friendly.
  15. Good music, good food, good drinks.
menu variety
100.0% positive
  1. If you enjoy a variety of popular music, sweet & strong mixed drinks, munchie food, & gorgeous men whose smiles make you melt.
  2. Not only were they talented, they played a wide variety of music that was just bumpin'--people were dancing and just having a great time~
  3. stopped in one night by chance and was such a great time that have brought many friends back weekly- is always fun, music great- luv variety of talent in C. Wha band- elan n jason win best vocals hands down- finally found a spot lacking in pretentious cro
  4. They play a great variety of song, some of which sound better then the original performances.
  5. The music is so diverse and the drinks are good.
overall
100.0% positive
  1. Make sure you get there early though to get a pretty good place to sit - gets crowded and FAST.
  2. is a great place to relax, unwind, and have fun.
  3. best place in town
  4. We love live music, and this is a pretty good place to go.
  5. Had a great time in a great place.
  6. but on the other hand, it is also a great place to dance, get wound up, and party!
  7. What a great place.
  8. it's a great place to have fun and listen to the best music in town.
  9. Cafe Wha is the best place in the Big Apple.
  10. This bar is without a doubt the best place to listen and dance to a great live band.
  11. On Mondays they usually have live brazilian music and, being that I am from Brazil, I must say it is the best place to listen to some good brazilian music outside of Brazil!
  12. It's just the best place in New York!
  13. Great great great music, fun crowd, good service, and etc etc... where is there a place like this in LA?
  14. Its a nice place where you can bring a date or group of friends to enjoy live music.
  15. It is the best place in the entire world for a good night out.
  16. best place in town!
  17. the best place for livemusic in Manhattan, New York City
  18. It is also a great place to take people from out of town since it is so much fun!
  19. the best place to be in new year eve i will be there with all my best friends
  20. cafe wha is a great place, there is no second place for the best place to hang in the city, CAFE WHA, the peoples choice!
  21. is the best place to go, if you want to spend a night with friends, singing, dancing.
  22. Fabulous music and great people~* Came in from SF and I must say, my most attractive date took me to this place and I had a great time!
  23. only comes in second to Manny's car wash (which closed down) so that is why it is now the best place for live music!
  24. Just a great place to hang at, and now beeing back in Sweden I miss it soooo much, hope to be back soon and for sure go dancing, moving and groving to the music at Cafe Wha?
  25. by far the ABSOLUTE best place to go to hear some AWESOME live music.
  26. is the best place to take out of town guests or your local friends for a good time.
  27. Wha wha wha what a great place
return potential
75.0% positive
  1. Just a great place to hang at, and now beeing back in Sweden I miss it soooo much, hope to be back soon and for sure go dancing, moving and groving to the music at Cafe Wha?
  2. will always drop by everytime I come back to the big apple!
  3. will definitely go back again and again, it is an awsome place with some of the most talented people I have heard in a long time.
  4. wouldn't return and definitely wouldn't recommend this place to anyone.
service
84.09000396728516% positive
  1. Great band, respectful waiting staff, great crowd.
  2. it was sunday night and the house band played amazing tunes from rock and roll to reggae and R & B we were treated very kindly by all staff members and specially by the manager on duty Anthony and the server Jonathan
  3. Fabulous music and great people~* Came in from SF and I must say, my most attractive date took me to this place and I had a great time!
  4. Brian stepped up to the mike and sang a stunning rendition of "She's Always A Woman" by Billy Joel, with a sexy, rock twisted voice that the crowd loved, and people were dancing in the aisles to James Brown tunes!
  5. The band, the audience, the service, the drinks was fantastic.
  6. But peole are very friendly, even the waitresses that have to go trough all these excited, dancing and celebrating people!
  7. The music is just great, people are friendly and the music band is perfect!
  8. The vibe in the place is energetic, the food and drinks are good and the crowd is quite friendly.
  9. Great great great music, fun crowd, good service, and etc etc... where is there a place like this in LA?
  10. Our waitress was really nice and very helpful-even though it was PACKED she still made sure we were ok and had everything.
  11. The charismatic band alone is worth the trip but throw in the good food, cheap drinks and the rare friendly wait staff, what else can you ask for.
  12. Very expensive for mediocre music and shockingly rude staff.
  13. And I love the my waitress never fails to ensure that no one at the table is driving.
  14. -band understands what people likes to listen to.
  15. But, the combination of poor management and poor customer service put a damper on the evening.
  16. We sang along with the band all night long and the service was prompt even when the place was full.
  17. loved the different races of people that were present and it definitely felt like one big melting pot.
  18. The band is great, the people are great, the service is good.
  19. The atmosphere is just fantastic and people here all have a good time regardless of the day.
  20. oh & a mix of friendly patrons from all over the world, you will love Cafe Wha?
  21. will definitely go back again and again, it is an awsome place with some of the most talented people I have heard in a long time.
  22. The service was good.
  23. I've met some great people there and made some new friends for life.
  24. Not only were they talented, they played a wide variety of music that was just bumpin'--people were dancing and just having a great time~
  25. The bands are always fantastic, and the servers I get there are always very friendly.
  26. Some clubs will offer a Tourist friendly atmoshere.
  27. It is a unique, friendly environment.
  28. Good music, great waitresses, Best Bands.
  29. It is also a great place to take people from out of town since it is so much fun!
  30. Great music and the most important thing: You can see that the people on stage are having fun!
  31. You can't go wrong when you have a great band, great service, great drinks and food, plus a great crowd.
  32. It's really great, some waitress is really worst, but it's fine.
  33. The energy of the people there were amazing, you'd even want to dance to the music because it was so good.
  34. The music was great as were the people working there.
  35. The staff is great and they let you make reservations for large partys.
  36. Compared to all other nightclubs where they play techno and stuff, these people play GOOD music to dance, sing along or just listen to.
  37. Also Jennifer is the best waitress ever - EVER.
  38. IF you can get seating, you can order your drinks at your table while the waiters/resses wait on you as they do at the comedy clubs.
  39. the only thing is that the service is a little slow.
  40. Got great seats next to the stage and had a wonderful time with our waitress.
  41. Village 9/27: Rude staff and extremely mediocre (and weird) band.
  42. Great music, great dancing, gorgeous women, and the service is always top notch.
  43. But, and I cannot emphasize this enough, the service is HORRIBLE.
  44. The server we had was attentive and friendly.
value
84.61999893188477% positive
  1. Service was good, drinks were small and pricey.
  2. has the best band you will ever see so it is with out a doubt worth the trip to go.
  3. The drinks were very good and not as expensive as you would expect from NYC.
  4. The food and drink was affordable.
  5. we felt that this was the best night we had for a long time and surprisingly the prices are reasonable (if not cheap)
  6. But definitely an awesome place worth checkin out at least once!
  7. Very expensive for mediocre music and shockingly rude staff.
  8. The Cafe Wha had a great run, but at those prices and no more band I don't think it's really worth it anymore.
  9. Good mix from classic rock to reggae, and great value at only $12 plus one drink.
  10. best value and NYC fun
  11. not too expensive and a great live band rippin' all night long.
  12. Slightly overpriced drinks buts that the norm.
  13. The charismatic band alone is worth the trip but throw in the good food, cheap drinks and the rare friendly wait staff, what else can you ask for.
wait time
71.4300012588501% positive
  1. We sang along with the band all night long and the service was prompt even when the place was full.
  2. will definitely go back again and again, it is an awsome place with some of the most talented people I have heard in a long time.
  3. not too expensive and a great live band rippin' all night long.
  4. Band has got to be the best live band I have heard in a long time!
  5. we felt that this was the best night we had for a long time and surprisingly the prices are reasonable (if not cheap)
  6. Go here for a girls night out- or for a fist date- actually it's great for first dates- very lively, sing-a-long music and great atmosphere that will get chemistry going.
  7. the only thing is that the service is a little slow.
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

10/24/11

If You like Live Music and Entertaining Show

by Vanessanicole at Citysearch

I love Cafe Wha, another great place to go is The Griffin NYC to Michael Fredo's Wednesday night party. They have a great show and an open bar from 8-9:30. Free admission too. Michael Fredo with The Benny Reid Orchestra is a great Jazz/ Ratpack show.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

09/24/10

Must-Go for Visitors and New Yorkers alike

by CraigSmalls2010 at Citysearch

I'm a native New Yorker, and recently started going to the Cafe Wha? and now I'm hooked! Their house band is phenomenal, and they play all different sorts of music. By far, the best house band I've seen in the city. Whether you are just visiting or have been around a while, you've gotta check this place out, it always makes for a great night with friends

4 Star Rating: Recommended

09/04/10

Exciting and fun Live Band performance!

by Athena Chang , Citysearch Contributor at Citysearch

Cafe Wha? delivers the Wow effect. It seems like a tourist trap but if Bob Dylan used to play here, I have to visit this indie band mecca.

I came here on a Tuesday night so it was not too overly crowded nor did they charge cover although there is a 2 drink minimum.

The band they had that night was real amazing. Everybody in the band can sing. They know how to work the audience too. There was not a single down moment.

Drinks are a little expensive for what it is but I guess you are paying really for the live performance and the fun atmosphere.

3 Star Rating: Average

03/14/10

Good and Bad

by Johns22332 at Citysearch

We love live music, and this is a pretty good place to go. On the night we went (a Thursday) the band was pretty good, but looked a little unhappy. A couple of the singers were really good. Service was atrocious.

  • Pros: Nice intimate room
  • Cons: Horrible service
3 Star Rating: Average

01/04/10

The band was really good.

by msdecember at Citysearch

We heard many good things about Cafe Wha? from family who goes there often.. I'm not really a fan of live music from house bands doing covers so it never was on the top of my list of places to visit. The decision maker was really their website advertisement of Sunday having no cover.. Having trekked all the way from Jersey on one of the coldest nights ever.. we decided to still go in after we were told it was $10 a head to enter due to it being a holiday weekend.. (whatever, dude.. it was freakin January 3!!!)... (add that onto the 2 drink minimum per person).. I was a bit bummed at first but after deciding to make the most of it (that and the stiff martinis I ordered).. I ended up actually enjoying myself. The band was really great and made the evening cool.

  • Pros: Great band, strong martinis, history
  • Cons: So very overpriced, misleading on cover charges, very tight

The Details on Cafe Wha?

Place Categories:

  • best place
  • great music
  • good mixed drinks
  • best great live music
  • love cafe wha
  • good lovely food
  • great fun crowd
  • good service
  • fun atmosphere
  • great better people
  • recommend great show
  • really nice my waitress
  • awesome lead singers
  • terrific quality musicians
  • nice spot
  • poor customer service
  • not too low acoustics
  • great dancing
  • great good comedian
  • best experience
  • mediocre loud music
  • fun vibe
  • best bar
  • best house band
  • great live band

As Seen In…

Message from Cafe Wha?

  • Live Music, Dining & Dancing
  • Classic Rock, R&B, Funk, Rgae
  • Certain great night out!

Feel like having fun? Featuring a mixture of Classic Rock, R&B, Funk and Reggae we present the most exciting talent in New York, in a friendly and informal atmosphere. Voted one of Zagats Top 50 Nightspots and "#1 Live Music Venue" by Citysearch, see why people come to the Wha over and over again. Spend one evening with us, and you'll instantly become one of our thousands of regulars.

Available for private events.

Cafe Wha?

15% Off Your Entire Bill

To receive discount, please print out this page & present it to your server as soon as you are seated. This offer is valid for you and your party of up to six people.

Cafe Wha? - 115 Macdougal StNew York, NY10012 - (212) 254-3706

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