Sway Lounge

Make sure your Über/​Lyft driver does not enter the Holland Tunnel! Googlemaps spazzes out and will direct you to turn in. Best bet is to get off closeby and walk.
Came for a friend’s birthday party on Saturday night. Place was pretty empty besides her friends.

I hadn’t been here in over ten years, but a friend of mine had recently become a regular again and kept telling me that it was worthwhile to go on Sunday nights. He was definitely right. It was actually like a timewarp to the early 2000’s in NYC – moroccan tiling, kids with heavy eyeliner on, lots of black clothing, etc. I recognized one of the bartenders right away and it was so cool to run into people who know what New York used to be before everyone became a hedge fun manager or a bro in training. I don’t know – I just felt at home there. It reminded me of an old school regular NYC party – where some of your goth friends would show up, your rock & roll friends, your straight laced friends who were secretly fun & crazy, to random tourists and a bunch of kids from the outerboroughs – all dancing their faces off together and sharing in their obscure music taste. From having bouncers greet us and nod at us from the moment that we arrived and direct us right inside, to the bartender buying me a drink right away, to hearing «Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This Before» in an establishment where everyone else actually knew that song and it meant something to them… it was just really uplifting. Old New York and Style and Taste do still exist. And it seems to exist at Sway. At least at 2:45 a.m. on a Sunday night! Highly recommend if you want to know why so many of us miss the Old New York. The ONLY thing that I didn’t love is that the DJ stopped playing the Britpop and Smiths around 3:05 a.m. and started just doing reggae until closing. I love reggae but once you’ve gotten me into Smiths mode, please don’t take me out of it!

If you are a group of 5+, 20-​something year old girls, looking to forget guys and just dance the night away to the best music (new pop + solid ’00 hits i.e. nelly) this place is for you! This is my go to for my girls nights and it’s kind of a hidden gem doesn’t get too crowded and has places to sit, drinks are a little pricey but it’s NYC. I love this place and will definitely continue to go back here as long as they keep the awesome DJ!

Sway is nice because I have gotten to know many of the people that work there. For my friend Marco and I, this has been our ‘go to’ place late night after a good time in New York. Always nice people to hang around with, get to know, and great music to dance to.
For the Tribeca/​Soho crowd, I don’t think Sway will ever ‘get old’. And the bartenders make a great drink too!

Nice enough place — got here a bit early last time around 10:30 on a Friday. Things really start picking up around midnight. The décor is nice and there is no cover. The crowd is usually pretty good here too.
The drinks are a little bit on the expensive side but not too bad for nyc. The music was pretty good overall (a bit older not current top 40 — thank god) but sometimes meandered — for e.g. from 80s rock to Missy Elliot and then back again so took a bit getting used to

Went to sway after leaving Kañas at 3:00am and the vibe was alright granted it was pretty late. Drinks are nothing to rave about I do like the seating towards the back its good if you’re going with a group of friends and want to hang out. It’s defiantly not a place to shake the goods. …, but maybe scratch the review in general I was pretty bombed when I went

I love this place!
Came here on a Friday night around midnight. The sign out front says «McGovern’s Bar» but is known to most as Sway Lounge, and it’s definitely more of a lounge than a bar. This place is located a bit off the beaten path, so you are able to avoid the pretentious attitude of most fun/​trendy lounges in NYC. Showing up at midnight, you will NOT have to wait on a long line (for appearance purposes) and there won’t be a cover charge. The DJ was great on a Friday, played a good mix of hip hop, top 40, EDM, etc. There’s a big dance floor in the back and some tables lining the dance floor. We walked in, sat down at a random table, and were NOT greeted by a cocktail waitress (thank god). Drinks are fairly priced (maybe $ 12 dollars for a vodka soda if I remember correctly?) but if you think about what you’re saving by not having to pay a cover or for bottle service, it’s well worth it.

They did an awesome time handling my birthday. They set me up with an area to sit, gave me a couple of free drinks throughout the night, and let my friends in with no issue.
I mostly dealt with a woman named Pebbles, who was absolutely awesome at handling everything.
Oh, and like most people have said on here, don’t get here early. We made the mistake of coming at like 10pm on a Saturday and we were the first people at the bar.

The music is amazing! Great old school mix. There is an Asian bar tender– named Christian with a pony tail that is the rudest bartender I have encountered in ny. My husband got cocktail that was really good then got a second one which ended up being really sour. So I told him to go up and get them to fix it… His next drink they gave him ended having a piece of hair it in. I took it to the bar and the same Asian guy– Christian ridiculed me and states «that could be your hair.» He refused to believe that this came from the bar and said «I don’t have time to deal with this» and walked away. I wasn’t asking for a free drink, just another one. Worst bartender ever. And FYI– how can the drink have my hair in it before my husband got back to our table. Bad customer service! Either wear a hair net or just understand and make a new drink– I wasn’t trying to get a free-​be!

The best place in South village. Hipstery music, from the Killers to Morrisey and beyond. Simply, a great place! Also, met some also great people!
This review gives this place four stars and not five because a lot of the guests seemed to be high on cocaine. Although a great pub/​bar.

Very reasonably priced drinks which is often hard to find in NYC

You’re looking for Sway lounge, eh? But there isn’t a sign to be seen. Don’t fret deary, look for McGovern’s bar. Why? I haven’t a clue, but that’s the door you must enter to enjoy Sway.
Sway tries to uphold it’s Mediterranean touch come evening, but they know they have to compete with the neighboring dance places. The music and dancing is fun, and there was plenty of space on the night I came. Apparently Sway has a tendency to fill up, so I’d suggest getting in by 11.

Had a surprise party for my friend here. Got there early at 10:30– the place was relatively empty, which was perfect for the surprise. At 11, it started getting busy. It’s a great place to dance– a combo of throwbacks, top 40, and some great hip-​hop. If you and your friends know all the words to Drunk in Love, this is your spot.
It’s Moroccan-​themed and very un-​pretentious. By midnight, it’s packed. Don’t expect too much room to dance, but if you’re just looking for a good time, without any fuss at the door or snobby bartender bs, Sway Lounge is perfect.
The coat check line gets long– like really long– so I’d recommend you’d get there early to claim a spot and grab a drink. There’s no sign for the lounge either; you’ll see a «McGovern’s Bar» sign hanging by the entrance and probably some bouncers. Once they see how confused you are, they’ll let you know you’re in the right place. There’s a large bar in the front and long lounge area in the back for dancing.

Pretty good music. DJ AK was on the 1^st and 2s and did a good job mixing Hip Hop (old school and new) and top 40 hits. Crowd was chill and good atmosphere to dance away.
Drinks were average Manhattan prices. $ 9 and up per cocktail. And bartenders were cool people.

Great music. Need I go on?
First– don’t get here before 11pm. Just don’t. No one will be around.
When you’re here (after 11pm) and you feel like dancing a bit? Wonderful! Sway is good for that! Especially in the lounge set apart in the very back which also has a small bar, also seating along the wall if you just want to chat.
Not so enticing from the outside, I admit, but on the inside: It’s nice, it is a lounge after all, but it’s comfortable. Lots of young people that aren’t bad to look at and that are attractive and conversational enough that you wouldn’t mind seeing them again during the day when you’re not drunk and bouncing around to Dirt Off Your Shoulders. It gets crowded but not too crowded. And the crowd is aloof but not so aloof that it comes across as hostile and you want to punch them in the face– even if just to ugly them up a bit. For their own good, really.
The manager, doormen, bartenders– All REALLY fantastic people. And all of my drinks last night were strong but not Date Rape Me strong– the perfect balance of fun without the throwing up in the morning.

Not really sure how to describe this place, and to be fair — I was only here briefly — but what I saw really wasn’t that cool.
Door situation is ridiculous. I got right in to The Anchor across the street earlier (only left to meet some friends), but for some reason, a mean doorgirl was holding people outside for no discernable reason. Finally my buddy came out and got me. I learned later he could only do so because he bought a $ 400 bottle of crappy vodka. I hope he doesn’t read this. hahaha. Anyway…
Music was BLASTING and it was pretty awful. Some generic electro. Crowd was a bunch of button down brah’s all bumping into each other in the narrow bar area.
Not worth the frat party for the prices they were charging.
I left immediately and went back to the Anchor, never to return.
I was thinking about one star, but even this place doesn’t deserve that.

Fun place to dance with a group of friends! Love the music here — and they change it up enough so that you never get bored and you don’t want to leave because they keep bringing up new and fun stuff.
No hassle at door — easy to get in even if there are guys in your group. The place is huge too so it’s easy to find you and your friends a comfortable and open spot on the dance floor.
The crowd is pretty diverse — can’t really put my finger on the «type» that comes here.

I’m really not sure what to say about this place. When you first walk into this spot you automatically know that there had to be some sort of sexual activity that occurred here. For me the place screamed mystery and strange sex. It’s so loungey and chillax in the back it made me want to just lay on those plush couches and go to sleep. But as soon as the music started thumping my butt was up and running to the dance floor. I love that it is very dim lit so everyone looks pretty. There is a back area that is behind the curtain that I have yet to discover. There are mirrors everywhere which is great because if you feel self conscious about how you look you can sneak a peek. No one will think your conceded because its not your fault there are mirrors all over the place.
The only reason I even knew about this spot is because of the monthly party that is thrown called MATING SEASON. Pretty much people wear animal type gear and you can get in for $ 2.00, $ 10 without. Honestly, it is worth the $ 2.00 but you would never catch me spending $ 10 to go into this place. It is $ 9.00 for a house rum and coke. Really? That is just mind bending. Yes, it is the city but c’mon this location is not even a hot spot. You might even feel like your walking the wrong way on your way to this place because the river is literally up the block.
:BATHROOM ALERT:
Yea, guys you need to fix that bathroom of yours. The girls bathroom has two stalls. The stall to the left as soon as you walk in is broken. Always use the one on the right. I am lucky it was not a busy night because only three people can fit in this whole spot so a 4^th would have to wait outside to even get in if they wanted to clean their hands. The sink is super tiny but cute and the mirror was actually quite clean. I give this bathroom 2.5 flushes out of 5. Odd smells happened throughout the night even tho there was a funny smell before the night started.
I doubt I will ever go to this place ever again on a regular night. Only MATING SEASON EVENTS. Those events seem to be worth it because there is a whole hour of house rum and vodka. All the dj’s spinning sounded awesome and almost everyone was dancing. Other then that I would not waste my time here find somewhere else to sway.

Pretty crowded spot around 1am. I’m still getting used to going out so late vs in CA where everything closes by 1:45!
This place had some good OG music playing which was fun to dance to. More of a narrow yet lengthy bar setup.

My friend and I like going here for the following reasons:
1) no cover charge
2) beautiful décor, it looks like nothing from the outside but you come in n feel like you’re in Morocco
3) great music
4) good mixed crowd
There is no dance floor per se but there is space for you to boogie down if you want to.