Rivertown Lounge

12/17/04

Lower East meets Upper West.

by Contributor at Citysearch

The Scene
The Rivertown Lounge attempts to cover all the nouveau Lower East Side bar bases at once within its massive space: There's exposed brick everywhere, a pool table in the back, a DJ booth and various couches clustered together in an attempt to accommodate the loungers.

The Draw
It's not quite as painfully fashionable as the surrounding bars, and as a result the Rivertown has a nice vibe, even if it feels more like an Upper West Side hangout than an Orchard Street bar. There are cool bartenders, a jukebox and a weekly open turntable event for aspiring DJs. You'll feel like you traveled a couple of miles north, but that's OK, 'cause baby, it's warm inside.

05/05/04

loungin

by csoc at Citysearch

I stumbled into this place on a thursday night and ended up having a great time. Atmosphere was great, good music and strong libations. If you're in the area bar-hopping and the sort, you might just stop into Rivertown Lounge for the rest of your night. Cool bartenders too.

01/05/04

Started out promising...

by joez at Citysearch

but was disappointing. Went here for a private party this past weekend. We had a decent size private room with small bar and private DJ. Now for the bads: drinks were so badly watered down I drank 3 vodka tonics and didn't even feel a buzz. I switched to bottled beer just so I could get my money's worth. Then there was the "DJ" - a complete idiot. He thinks all music should be turned up as loud as it should go. It felt like your ears were going to start bleeding. I asked him to turn it down so that the people could actually hear each other (you are not allowed to dance BTW) but he didn't comply. Then, when they let in another party the DJ turned it right back up to the max volume. We all then left and spent several hundred dollars elsewhere on drinks.

• Pros: Nice private space
• Cons: Moron DJ, Watered down drinks

12/22/03

Why?

by bg217 at Citysearch

Why come to the Lower East Side for this cold, staid scene? If you'd like to listen to top 40 hip hop, pay a cover for no dancing, get attitude from the bouncers because "this is a *lounge*, not just a bar", then this is the place for you.

A sad reminder of how quickly the LES is gentrifying.

• Pros: Spacious
• Cons: Cover for nothing, Expensive Drinks, Boring Scene

12/11/03

Washed Up

by tlab at Citysearch

They now charge a cover on Fridays and Saturdays, this place used to be chill now it is pretentious. How can you charge people a cover if they can't even dance in the joint? I used to love this place and go all of the time, never again!!

• Cons: Cover, No dancing, Cover

10/20/03

horrible night!

by lowereastside at Citysearch

Went to Rivertown lounge this past weekend for a party. The bar did not give us a private room, as promised, and charged the party guests covers. I tried to speak with the owner about getting my cover charge refunded and he wouldn't talk to me - - in fact, he walked outside, looked at me, and walked back in. The bouncers thought this was funny and made no effort to help me out. What a rediculous night. Definitely not a place to have a party. I'm never going back.

• Cons: crowded, rude owner/staff

05/27/03

pretty chill

by anna530 at Citysearch

i liked this place! music was good, didn't much notice the crowd because i was a little drunk but there was a good vibe going, no attitude from anyone, drinks were pretty cheap and the bartenders were cool.

• Cons: only 2 bathrooms

04/21/03

Nothing Exciting!

by qasar3 at Citysearch

The separate lounge is a nice touch with different music, don't bump in to the bouncer though.... The pool table are is a little cramped so don't plan on having friends come and watch. Other than that....not a bad place to hang out.

03/03/03

Group Pleaser

by newyorkerklg at Citysearch

If you have a group of friends with a diverse background and interests this is the bar that will pass with everyone. The DJ in the back lounge is fun as long as there isn't a private party. The pool table in the back keeps game players occupied while the couches are great for the loungers. It is also a decent single scene. The $6.00 beers may make you want to choke, but this is New York what do you expect.

• Pros: DJ, Pool Room
• Cons: Crowded on Weekends, Limited Bathrooms

01/25/03

Preppy Paradise

by candicissima at Citysearch

I strolled in on a Saturday night after reading the reviews thinking it would be cool...not. I felt like I ended up warped to a college frat party. It's a surreal scene for the LES but if you like drunken Girls Gone Wild type action, this is the place for you!

• Pros: Dancing Music
• Cons: Scary crowd