Pubby yet loungey--not an identity crisis, but a bar with two sides, both nice.

(212) 375-0297

232 E 9th St (Between 2nd Avenue and 3rd Avenue)
New York, NY 10003 40.729671 -73.988376

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Neighborhoods: East Village, Downtown

myspace.com/solasbar

Hours:

Daily 4pm-4am

Last updated 10.27.11

Category:

Bars & Pubs, Bars & Clubs, Singles Bars, Taverns, Lounges

Payment Methods:

American Express, Visa, Discover, MasterCard

Reviews & Ratings for Solas

4.5 Star Rating: Recommended

35 reviews

What users are saying:

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Reviews from:
3 Star Rating: Average

08/01/10

Good Venue for Private Parties

by Athena Chang , Citysearch Contributor

Solas has become a popular venue for birthday parties among my friends. There is a dance floor in another separate room and there are two floors on the other side where they play different music and offer a quieter lounging area.

I like it because you can choose to be dancing on the floor or chill on the couch sipping cocktail with friends.

  • Pros: Separate Dance Floor and lounge
4 Star Rating: Recommended

04/25/10

The Go-To Spot in the Hood

by a Tooch , Citysearch Contributor

Solas is our go-to spot in the East Village no matter the group we are with, time of night or level of intoxication. The place is completely unpretentious and has an overall good vibe. The front room offers a bar with board games, a floor above is a comfy lounge and the side room is a spacious dance floor complete with another bar and DJ.

Though there are doormen of sorts, there really is no dress code here. Most of the crowd is trendy-casual but there are sneakers and prom dresses alike. My favorite part of the dance floor are the tables/booths (no, you don't need to buy a $400 bottle to reserve) to hang out, rest your feet, and watch crazy dancers. The crowd is mixed as well, though it usually leans toward the young professional 20s-30s group.

Generally a crowd pleaser and great last-minute spot when it's 3 am and you just have to get that last bar in!

  • Pros: plenty of space, board games, music
  • Cons: drink prices
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

04/09/09

Great place to bring a party

by colorful1

One of those reviews you don't really want to write because you don't want a different crowd showing up at a place you really liked. I brought a group of about 10 people here last Saturday and had an awesome time. I had called well in advance and the manager was cool and reserved a table for us. Everyone was very comfortable -- the music was good, the bartenders were busy but very nice and worked FAST. Despite a full house we never waited more than a couple of minutes to get drinks... much better than most places. There was plenty of room to dance and to hang out: full, but definitely not elbow to elbow. We liked that there are other rooms but stayed nearby our table; we'll have to come back a different night to explore further. Overall it was a fun vibe -- not chaotic and not uptight.

Everyone had a great time and we closed the place. The only complaint we had was that sometimes they'd play a great song for maybe 45 seconds and then switch. Mostly we liked the music though; not enough to keep it from getting 5 stars.

  • Pros: Plenty of people yet plenty of space
  • Cons: Music medleys
4 Star Rating: Recommended

03/07/09

Good Pint o Guinness

by NinthStreetNYCdotcom

They pour a good pint here, and the decor and feel is a bit different from a standard Irish pub. Solas sets itself apart. The upstairs space is cozy, with texture and small tables. Downstairs is the full bar. The service is pretty friendly, and the vibe is a bit younger than some other Irish bars in the hood.

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

02/02/09

Great Birthday spot

by eml12345

I wanted to have a bunch of my friends go out for my birthday, and I know I usually have fun at Solas. I spoke to the managers at Solas, and they really took care of us. They kept our tables like they said they would and they kept coming back to make sure we all had enough drinks. It's great that they have different areas with different stuff going on within the bar. The place started emptying out a little around 2:30, but it was a freezing January Saturday night.

4 Star Rating: Recommended

08/07/08

spacious and fun

by MickLaz2

Though it gets crowded on weekends it's a big place and the bartenders are all pretty awesome dudes. Wish there were more ladies working there...saw a gorgeous brunette once when I went in but she either just started or was learning there...and haven't seen her since. too bad...she was nice too!

They always play great music and will even take a request if you're nice. The only thing that's bad is it gets hard to here when it's very but all in all, a friendly and fun environment.

  • Pros: good staff
  • Cons: a bit crowded on weekends
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

06/24/08

Great Music, Great Staff, Great Venue for a Party

by cali_bwoy

Celebrated a birthday here in the upstairs lounge. It was spacious and worked out great. The staff were all friendly and helpful. Drinks were reasonably priced. The DJ was spinning some good music - very eclectic - a little bit of everything.

I would definitely have a party here again or just go to hang out and have a drink while listening to some great music.

  • Pros: Great music, reasonably priced drinks, and helpful/friendly bartenders and cocktail waitresses
  • Cons: ??
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

03/18/08

Great service

by dre2008

We used the private room upstairs - great for a group or a private party. The staff were really helpful and we'd definitely go back. A good experience, overall!

5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

12/03/07

Thanks Solas!

by citychic06

I just had my party here Saturday night and it went off without a hitch. The manager, Kevin, was so nice and helped me thru the whole planning process. When I got there, the staff was very accomodating and they hooked me up with my own section for my guests. The music was bumpin' and everybody had a good time. After previous years of bad bday party experiences, Solas was able to give me a great bday.

  • Pros: music, service, location
  • Cons: it can get too crowded at times
5 Star Rating: Highly Recommended

10/12/07

Must go Fridays and Saturdays!

by maddypatty

I've found this place to be a friendly environment, good service and awesome staff. Especially the nice and handsome bouncer (Julio) at the front, he is so dreamy, I love going just to see him and have pleasant conversations with him. Me and friends are in competiton with him, we make plans every week just to see who can get his number, I dont understand why they have that ugly big nose bouncer (Fouad) working with this fine handsome dominican, I would go any day just to see this one handsome and intriguing bouncer, and I would recommend it to the girls but you will be in competition!

  • Pros: Handsome Julio
  • Cons: Ugly Fouad

Showing 1-10 of 33 reviews

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