Bar Next Door

Great intimate place, for great music and nice drinks. Service was great, and got to talk to the band.

I went there to see some friends play! Excellent music! Really nice, cozy room. The service was horrible & the waitress was So rude! Not friendly at all! The room was almost empty & She kept asking me if I was going to stay for the second set (so she could charge me $ 20). The band was on a twenty minute break but I felt pressured to make a decision — so I got my check after one glass of wine. I will NEVER go there again!

Visited the Bar Next Door with great anticipation for a little jazz and dinner. The place is intimate to a fault – with a trio against one wall, there wasn’t a seat more than twenty feet from the band. Sounds great, unless the band has all the nuance and control of a large herd of ill-​tempered elephants. Tonight, the drummer was pounding as if he thought he was playing MSG, and the guitarist and saxophonist raised their volume to match. Instead of staying for dinner we left without ordering a drink because the volume was ear-​splitting, bone-​shaking unpleasantly loud.
The place is cute, and I like the food at La Lanterna, so I’d definitely try again, but the trio tonight didn’t play to the room (or didn’t have the control to do so). Given the very small size of this room, I’d think the Bar Next Door would be careful about the size, skill and sensibilities of the groups they book. This would be the perfect place to see a solo or duo, but the trio tonight seemed to think they had a much larger room with which to fill with sound.

Checked this place out to watch a friend perform. It’s a very tight space and if you get stuck at the bar or by the band, you will be sitting side by side with someone you don’t know. I did get bumped a number of times by the waiter. It’s not that he was doing it on purpose, but that was annoying. If you do hear a band, they do charge a $ 12 cover.
Got the personal pizza with lamb, which was enough to feed me and my friend. UIt was very good. After a few beers, I was doing just fine and was able to enjoy the music.

Just adore this place and when I visited last Sunday night to catch the exquisitely– mellow sounds of «nimble-​fingered virtuoso» (as Time Out had described him!) guitarist, Peter Mazza (who performs here every Sunday night with his trio), I was especially thrilled to hear about the special New Year’s Eve 2015 celebration taking place here and (gulp!) that there were still some rezzies open for the night (which I promptly snagged a pair of for my boyfriend and myself). $ 75pp for what sounds like a sumptuous 5-​course prix fixe, including a Champagne or Prosecco toast and featuring a mains choice of their three fab personal-​size lasagnas — I know I will opt for my fave pesto…) and dessert is their über-​potent liqueur-​infused house made tiramisu (to die for!) plus music by the über-​hot Colin Stranahan & Friends — what more could a jazz lover ask for to bring in the New Year in intimate luxury and style? Oh, and did I mention that the working fireplace and handsome little separate bar wtih eye-​candy tenders, really add to the ambiance in this English basement of what I had heard is this 1829 landmark townhouse that is rumored to have been built for Aaron Burr? Really!
I also still haven’t made it to but definitely plan to experience one of the Mon.-Thurs. early (6:30−7:45pm) Emeging Artists sets (these take place before the nightly headliner trios gigging here) — from what I’ve heard, top-​notch college-​age jazz stars-​in-​the-​making and no cover (unheard of!) plus one of the amazing cocktails and another of my faves, the (also personal-​size) pizzas here, sounds like a great week-​night pick-​me-​up of the hidden-​gem ilk, too.

This joint is my little rabbit hole :) I love coming here and writing and it’s so damn easy and delightful to do when they have such good music and drinks and deserts. It’s extra cozy when the streets seems grey and it warms my heart when they have emerging artists play (usually earlier in the night).
I wouldn’t change anything about this spot except for perhaps quieting some patrons because I hate when people chatter obnoxiously when it’s such a tiny place and distracts from hearing the music.

The Bar Next Door is a pretty, intimate room for listening to jazz. Very nice ambience, and it seems that the music that they present is of a fairly good calibre. The food, however, is very mediocre. The worst thing, though, I have to say, are the bathrooms! The ladies room was filthy, with paper towels all over the place and the toilet seat so disgusting that I had to take a shower when I got home! That is just unacceptable. The cover charge is not so bad, but with the food it adds up and one would expect a reasonably clean bathroom — not one that’s worse than a gas station.

Wandered in near closing time on a weekday a while back in late Autumn– no live music and not many people. It was small. It was also cozy, welcoming, and down-​to-​earth in a worldly way.
Their pumpkin cognac cheesecake was harmonious in texture and taste. A hint of spice, a whisper of earthy. Felt like a gentle, boozy caress with a sweet, but not overpowering, kiss.

What a beautiful, intimate space to hear some jazz! Guitarist Peter Mazza on Sunday nights is a class act. Always good musicians. Cheap drinks. Nice crowd.
What more do you want? A fireplace? That’s upstairs in the front of the café.
You want a backyard under glass? That’s behind the building.
If for some reason you want to talk to the octogenarian Coen Brothers, who fill their scripts with 32,789 words too many, sorry, you won’t find them here. The Coen Brothers are in LA trying to pick up young chicks.
The crowd at Bar Next Door knows silence is golden.

They book some great jazz here, and the cover is usually $ 12 on weeknights which is not bad for jazz covers these days. It’s dark and inviting, the service is attentive, and I LOVE the Pizza Prosciutto Arrostito. The edges of the ham get a little crispy, and they use good quality cheese and fresh basil. Each table has chili flake infused olive oil for drizzling on the pies — it’s great at the end, on the crust. Wines by the glass are in the $ 8 – 12 range. Get a slammin’ pizza, a drink, and hear some good players. The owner is nice, too.

Love the Jazz music and food. Great romantic date night.

I only had drinks here but the the free early jazz show was very cool. I will definitely come back to try out the food and a later show.

I went on a Tuesday at 7pm. It was slow, it was just me, a couple, a student, and an Asian musician. The jazz was impeccable. I sat at the bar.
The bartender, Sebastian, was incredibly helpful and very charming. I mostly drink just black label, and they didn’t have that available but Sebastian had me tasting a couple of other scotch and i ended up discovering and new whiskey i like :)
The server was okay. I can’t recall her name but she did her job, she should just censor what she says. A lot of negativity, talk of money (or the lack of it) just things a customer did not need to hear.
Anyhow the spot is small (think basement). And the door opens weird, and a couple of customers walked away because they couldn’t figure out that hey maybe they should pull the door instead of push.
It’s a super cute and intimate spot. Great if you enjoy jazz, candle light and good Italian food. Try the calzone with red pepper and lamb sausage. Yum yum.

This place is great! I was a little wary of going here after seeing the reviews about how tiny and overcrowded it is, but we took the risk anyway and I’m glad we did. Maybe it was the time we got there (about 7 pm on a Tuesday) or we just got lucky, but we got the best seat in the house and it wasn’t crowded at all, but had a good amount of people. It’s small, yes, but that just adds to the very warm, cozy, NYC atmosphere. The service was excellent, the jazz was fantastic (come before 7:45 and there is no cover!) and the passion fruit champagne cocktail was amazing. The bar menu is extensive. The pizza wasn’t groundbreaking, but it was good and I have no complaints. The salad selection is pretty good and they do not skimp on the ingredients. Overall, a great evening.

This is one of those places I would only go to see a specific group that I love. It is tiny and pricey but does offer an intimate atmosphere thats great if you love the tunes. There is some good food and fancy drinks to be had here as well if you are so inclined. The cover charge is average for a jazz bar ($ 12 – 15)
Over all not the type of place I would just drop by to see some random tunes, but if you are free flowing with your cash, or just feeling adventurous go for it.
Right now Jonathan Kriesberg is playing wed nights and he is a world class jazz guitarist. a must see for any jazz fan!

Advertised like a place with live music but you find out that it is only available in the very tiny basement. Considering the big space in the backyard/​garden, maybe they can consider the possibility of having some live music there, too since the place is very attractive. The basement is not for very tall people, either. Other than that, nice music and good meals.

The place is SO tiny, SO crowded, and SO overpriced.
But you know what. You can hear some of New York’s best jazz players play right in front of you. In a venue this intimate, you can breathe the music and absorb the music with your skin.
Perfect for a date if you both are jazz lovers. I don’t recommend going with a big party. There’s no room for that.

A good friend plays there sometimes, otherwise I would never go again.
Our group settled the check and a friend and I stayed for the second set and had the cover charge slapped on a second time, even though it’s one charge for both sets. The rude waiter pretended it was a mistake, but I think it was deliberate.
Food and drinks are okay, but the service is absolutely the worst ever.

An acquaintance of mine was playing here last night. Latin fusion jazz.
It is hidden inside of La Lanterna Caffe, so just keeping walking once you are downstairs. It is small, dark, cozy and cavern-​like.
Despite the abyssmal service, the place still managed to charm. Mostly because the music was good and the venue facilitated flirting and good conversation.
I definitely will not be back for food or drinks. Everything was overpriced.