03/24/09

The best karaoke bar everrr

by ayseasli

I held a surprise Birthday party for my sister here on a Friday night and it was AMAZING! I set it up only a few days in advance with the owner, Iggy. He re-assured me that everything would be perfect and it was! They let us go there in the afternoon the day of the party and decorate, the bartenders were awesome and kept the drinks coming. We did the open bar for 3 hours at $35 each ; ) We ordered mixed platters of food too, which were delicious! Everyone keeps telling me how much fun they had and we will certainly be going back!

• Pros: easy going, good crowd, friendly bartenders, & IGGY!!!!!
• Cons: What are the drawbacks?

10/25/08

Would be Five Stars, But...

by bullhurleyschild

The first time I went here, I felt like I had found the Fountain of Youth or the Ark of the Covenant, I had one of the best bar experiences I have ever had in Manhattan. Iggy was there and he was cool, friendly, and right away made my friends and I feel like we were home. The bartenders were great, too. The special was a pint and a shot for $6. I figured there has to be some sort of limit on what kind of shot you could take during this deal, but the bartender gave us the deal and served us whatever we wanted, not just cheap well liquor, but Jack, Patron, etc. A pint and a shot of Patron for $6? We were in heaven. Then we rocked the karaoke (after enough of those cheap shots) and had one of the best nights ever at an Upper east Side bar. Then I went back a second time... It was my friend and me, we were barhopping so we weren't going to be there all night, I started a tab, we both had two pints, the total should have been about $20 or so. When I went to close out, my tab was $56. The bartender gave me someone else's tab. When I pointed this out he tried telling me I had ordered shots, I hadn't. He finally ran the tab that was actually mine, but when I checked my bank statement, the next day, he hadn't canceled the other one, so he charged me $56 for someone else's drinks and then $20, $76 before tip for 4 pints of domestic. So that did not make me happy, but I feel that the time I had before that was so positive I will go again, except next time I will pay in cash! I suggest you do the same.

• Pros: Fun Atmosphere, Cheap Drinks, and Karaoke
• Cons: You may end up paying for someone else's drinks

07/27/08

Iggy's is a blast

by NyBob85

Iggy's is a fun dive with a great set-up for karaoke. Certainly not a high-brow venue by any stretch but a fun place with a laid-back crowd, friendly staff, and reasonably priced drinks. The decor (especially the entrance) is decidedly vintage, a throwback to New York's wilder and more carefree days. The few fools posting negative reviews about Iggy's here are either snobs expecting something more upscale in the Upper East Side or more likely people incapable of grasping the concept of first come, first serve in regard to karaoke. Iggy's gets packed on the weekends and when the entire bar is waiting to sing you can't expect to be on stage ten minutes after you walk in. The DJ isn't going to bend over backwards to accomodate you. Wait your turn like everyone else or come earlier when it's less crowded if you want to sing so badly.

• Pros: Affordable, Great Karaoke, Friendly Staff, Good Crowd
• Cons: Gets Crowded At Times, Occassionally Long Waits for Karaoke (Live it with you tools)

07/15/08

fun, fun, fun

by netscape101

this place is very unique. watching people having a good time and doing karaoke is quite the experience at Iggy's. the people that work there do a great job keeping the party going. the food there is very, very good. its not the usual greasy bar food, it was very good. overall a very good experience.

• Pros: food, fun, quick service

06/24/08

No matter what day you go, it's always a positive experience.

by Jspsych

Whether you go for the karaoke, the food (try the Bison Burger!), the great drink specials (perfect for loosening up those vocal chords), or just to hang out with some good friends, Iggy's is ALWAYS a positive place. Iggy, himself, is a genuine and positive chap, whose infectious attitude has clearly made it's mark on the rest of the staff.

Perhaps it is because of this atmosphere, that Iggy's also tends to draw a great crowd no matter which night you visit. The crowd varies from college students, after-work hipsters, scraggly regulars who have never left in 13 years, 20 and 30 somethings out for a good time, and birthday parties. The crowd tends to be multicultural as well. The unique mix of people, all of whom are willing to shake it to the music of karaoke, lends to an awesome night out, where you are bound to have a good time no matter who you are.

• Pros: Atmosphere, food, drink specials, people.
• Cons: Fridays and Saturdays can get a little crowded, leading to longer waits for drinks and songs.

06/21/08

Interesting experience....

by ny224

I had a party at Iggys last night for a friends birthday. I came almost an hour early to set up and the staff was very friendly and accommodating. Once 11pm came, everyone was having a great time, yet it took a very long time to get our drinks (maybe next time there should have been 2 waitresses to handle 4 large parties because 1 took 20min to get drinks, but I understand she tried her hardest.) The owner Iggy even came over and bought me and the birthday girl a drink. Around 1-1:30am everyone who had a tab was closing them out and there was an altercation between my friend and the waitress because my friend said that Iggy offered to buy one of the rounds of shots that my friend ordered (he ordered a few rounds shots, 10 at a time), so when the waitress gave him his tab, he let her know that Iggy offered to buy one of the rounds. The waitress said he did not approve this and it ended up in a small argument that put a damper on the end of the night. Then after we all left I was waiting outside for a friend and a few members of my party told me that the waitress wanted to see me. I went back in and she told me that she only made 20$ from my whole party, so I gave her more money and apologized. Then when i returned outside to my friends they all were shocked. One tipped her 50$, another gave her 40$, and another gave her 10$ on a 20$ tab. These were only 3 in my party who said that, so i can't imagine that the other 10 people didn't tip her either. So the waitress clearly lied somewhere which is so shady. But then again, many people in my party got drinks from the bar because it took over 20minutes to get a drink from the waitress in charge of the parties. Overall the night was fun and everyone had a great time, yet next time I would book a table for a party and then get all my drinks from the bar because the waitress was slow, lacked customer service, and may have been lying to me to score a larger tip then she got, but she made out VERY well last night.

• Pros: Free Karaoke/ Free to book tables for parties
• Cons: Slow drink service for parties/ shady waitress

06/11/08

Iggy's is Awesome!

by happyday2

Came to Iggy's with a group of friends as we were on the Upper East lookin for a few drinks. By the end of the night, we had so much fun singing so many songs in karaoke. The back room was really huge and made it very comfortable to enjoy yourself.

I am going to be planning an upcoming party there for my office after meeting Iggy the owner who was just as great as his place!

• Pros: Great Drink specials, Karaoke
• Cons: None

06/05/08

charity -- no deal

by poprock

Owner promotes his bar as a place where people can earn cash for their charitable endeavors. No dice. He is actually more about dissing his customers when they "complain"... meaning if their order doesn't come in 40 minutes. I mean -- I actually got a lecutre at the bar for this. Don't go here. It's a small, loud, hole in the wall with bad wine and beer.

• Pros: can't think of one.
• Cons: rude waitstaff, crazy owner

06/03/08

Fun party

by aka67

Some friends and I just hosted an unconventional baby shower at Iggy?s recently and it was a huge success. It is a fun atmosphere the staff was very friendly and helpful and Iggy, the owner is a riot, very energetic. He was very welcoming and easy to work with when planning our event. It was no problem when we wanted to add a few personalized theme decorations for the room. Not that you need to, the room is quite festive on its own. There was plenty of space for people to chat, sing and dance if the spirit moved them. The food was really good, and they were able to have healthy options. Many of the guests commented that it was a really fun party, so we came across as party planning superstars, but that was mainly due to Iggy and his staff. So a big thank you goes out to them.

05/19/08

Perfect for a Party!

by HGML

I just had my birthday party at Iggy's and I thought it was great. Iggy, the owner, was very warm and took great care of my guests. The food was fantastic and the drinks were reasonable. The music selection was very extensive. Iggy's is a wonderful place for a casual party.

• Pros: Great Music Selection and Friendly Service
• Cons: None