The Evelyn

This place is now closed! Sorry. I dont know why since they charged $ 14 for a mixed drink… should be enough money to keep the place running doncha think!

Curious, but I was strolling through the neighborhood the other day and it is gone. Am I correct?

I stumbled on this spot and decided to take a gamble by going in. We were pleasantly surprised by the ambience, décor, and handsomely diverse crowd. The people there seemed to be having fun and were dancing like no one was watching (which is a good thing). My only complaint was that apparently, there was some rule that stated that you must check your coat. (which is somewhat understandable). However there was an obnoxious bouncer who was acting if he was on «coat patrol». He diligently searched for people who had their coats on, and made them take the coats to the coat check. He actually stood over a woman who wasn’t there for five minutes to the point where I overheard her say: «OKAY! I’M TAKING IT OFF». I thought that he was going to unbutton her coat for her. Clearly, this woman didn’t have an submachine gun sewed in the satin lining of her jacket. (I digress) Other than «coat patrol boy», the lounge was a nice place. Judging by the people having so much fun, I’ll go ahead and assume that the «coat thing» was just a one time deal.

Apparently this is one the few places with a lounge/​club atmosphere on the Upper West Side. We didn’t move around too much during the night, so I didn’t get to explore but the place seemed absolutely huge. It feels a bit like you’re in a cave — sort of dark and prehistoric… but in a good way. Decent music, bartenders can be a bit hard to track down.

This is where we go when we don’t feel like going all the way downtown. I guess it’s reliable, but not exactly exciting. I usually go downstairs which has the dancefloor. DJ doesn’t take requests, what BS. Music is usually good and very danceable though. Décor is meh, just cavern/​cellar-​like. It can get really hot because it’s crowded and the ceilings are low.

I really want to love this place, but here’s the deal – the waitresses are HORRIBLE and all of these ridiculous rules like «only two to a couch,» «its time to order drinks you have been sitting here too long without ordering” – WTF is that about?! If they hired an entire new waitstaff and got rid of all the MePa-​esque rules, this place would be an amazing addition to the UWS bar scene.
The atmosphere is perfect – cozy couches and a crackling fireplace. The cocktails come in pint glasses and are STUHHHRONNGGG. Love it. Solid wine list if that’s what you are going for, and if your date can bare the ridiculous nature of the waitstaff, this is an ideal date spot. Might be too intimate for a first date, but definitely a second!
Haven’t tried the food and I don’t dare venture downstairs, but as far as upstairs goes, you’ll need patience and a couple stiff drinks to bear it.

Upstairs is great. Great atmosphere with fire, big sofas. Quiet and comfortable. Great for dates.
Downstairs…not so much. Unless you are n a fraternity. So crowded and so noisy. Music can be fun on the right night. If you are 21 — 26 downstairs could be fun… i guess.

I give this place 5 stars for the many many good times I’ve had there.
We got in tight with one cocktail waitress downstairs that would hook us up with drinks… only way to go.
Our nights would start off finishing a bottle of $ 5 Popov Vodka, then we’d stumble here…
Top 5 times there.
5. Watching my buddy Craig bomb on chics that I would entice him to hittin’ the Popov.
4. Happening to get involved with a bridal shower and dancing with the bride to be in a most unmatrimonial way…
3. Sitting by the fireplace upstairs with friends for hours.
2. Waking up on our waitress friend’s couch with her sister! haha… nothing happened.(i think)…haha
1. Pouring a drink on myself and the girl I’m dancing with as I’m trying to adjust my sunglasses atop my head but forgetting what hand my beer is in… only to act as if someone just did that to us and pull it off so the girl didn’t know… she tried to calm me down, but I had to be persistent to pull it off. The only person to catch it was my partner in crime, Craig… goooood times.

I will preface this review by saying that I went on a date here on a Saturday night and my date, being the chivalrous gentleman that he was, paid for everything. So, I have no clue what the prices are like. The drinks, however, were quite solid. They were large (cocktails served in pint glasses) and fairly strong and the waitress kept them coming at the perfect pace (often).
I was upstairs and the place was not annoyingly crowded in the way that NYC bars can get — there was plenty of room to sit and relax but the place wasn’t empty at all. We sat at a cozy sofa, which was the perfect place to sit. The music was pretty good, the place wasn’t that loud, and overall it was a perfectly enjoyable place for a first date.
I’ll wrap up by saying that this place wasn’t particularly special and that there were a lot of logistical factors in its favor (it was just two blocks from my hotel…) but for some reason I was really happy with this place. Still, having been to a lot of crappy bars around there (Brother Jimmy’s, anyone?), Evelyn was a good break from the loud, crowded, spring breaky bars that abound.
Should I find myself once again on a first date with a man who lives across the country while staying on the Upper West Side and looking for a place to get a drink, I would absolutely stop in to see Evelyn for pint full ‘o gin.

I’ve never been downstairs, but I can’t say that I’ll be going anytime soon, based on my last experience at The Evelyn Lounge.
My first time there was great. Romantic date, not packed, but enough people. Great drinks (although a bit slow to come to our table) and warm, comfy couches by a fireplace.
My second time there was… short. It was freezing cold and snowing out. Since they were open during the day, we figured they’d have coffee and we’d curl up on a couch and take a break from the elements. No coffee, no problem. We left.
My third time there was unnerving. During the city’s health code violation crack down, I visited Evelyn Lounge. The service was horrible. All those «I came to New York to be a model and didn’t make it» waitresses were just standing in the entrance. No one paid an ounce of attention to my friend and I. When we finally flagged someone down, she took our drink order and when we asked for the appetizer menu she said «the kitchen has been closed until further notice». Yikes! Rats!
The fourth time was the worst. A group of 3 of us walked in after work at about 6pm. We sat down on a comfy couch in the EMPTY upstairs lounge. The hostess came over and told us we could not sit there, it was reserved for parties of 4 or more. She said the area for 3 was «over in the corner there». The area for three consisted of 3 uncomfortable, straight backed chairs around a tiny table. We ordered drinks and 2 appetizers and it all had to precariously balance on this quarter sized table. Meanwhile (and this was the best part), the bar stayed TOTALLY EMPTY. NOT ONE PATRON the whole time we were there. Gee, I’m glad we freed up that table for 4.
The waitress spoke barely a word of English (she had a hard time understanding that we wanted a glass of water, had to check the menu when I ordered a vodka martini and served all three drinks to the wrong people) and was ridiculously, ridiculously slow.
When my boyfriend arrived, we now had the required four people. We asked «now that we have four, can we sit in the section for four people?» The hostess replied «well, actually, that couch is for 2 groups of 2».
WHAT???
I asked «if we pretend not to know the other two, can we sit there».
She said «I guess so» (with a huff).
Yikes, I will not be going back here ever again.

Evelyn’s Lounge is great on a cold Saturday or Sunday afternoon (5pm they open) just after your mini mimosa buzz you got from brunch. I like it because its big with tons of cool couches and a couple of fire places. I say the afternoon because every time I’ve tried to go there at night it was incredibly packed standing room only and not much fun. I personally feel that the drinks are overpriced but I will excuse that on those chilly afternoons when I’d like peace and quiet with a few friends next to a warm fireplace.

Place was dead and played crappy music until about 11. Then it picked up and I had fun!
Very dark lounge, hip-​looking, would be a good place to take people from out of town on a bar-​hopping night. Not a good place for quiet conversation.

At 10:00pm on a Saturday, the doorman was entertaining («I’m a sixties baby… seventies — you’re kidding – you’re practically a teenager!») but the downstairs was depressingly empty. A basement lounge doesn’t feel quite so hip when you’re the only group there and you don’t feel quite so glamorous when the even more glamorous wait staff is breezing by. There are a number of small tables, flanked by couches, but they all had silver buckets on the tables and menus which read in large letters «bottle service». We didn’t stick around to find out how much bottle and how much service you get for however much cash you’re willing to drop.
We – 7 girls – headed upstairs and were immediately (!) seated at a couple of baroque couches around a coffee table. It was fairly busy, but the seating arrangement made the experience feel intimate and comfortable. Prices were reasonable — $ 28 for 2 beers and 2 mixed drinks. If you want a place to hang out and look glam with a group of friends, I’d definitely consider the Evelyn.

Not a bad place to grab a couple drinks and lounge by the fire upstairs. Nor a bad place to grab a couple drinks and boogie down in the basement «club» area. I did both last week while in NYC and I might have to choose the 1^st option over the 2^nd. Preferred the older, more tame crowd on a weeknight vs. the drunker, younger, ghettoer crowd on a Friday night. Both occasions do have some good music, so kudos for that. Prob not a destination to go cross town for, but defintely a good option for a neighborhood hangout.

Renting is considered at best a necessary evil in New York. You should buy not rent your apartment… it’s throwing money away… blah blah blah…
Why the bad name? All the fun stuff is rented in a way… The food we eat… the beverages we drink… songs on a jukebox… time on the pool table… space on the dance floor… watching a live performance… art…watching a movie… a sporting event. Even the things we ‘buy’ are just long-​term rentals… clothes wear or go out of fashion, cars and electronics race to obsolescence or permanent breakdown…
That philosophical preface is meant to set up this observation on The Evelyn — it’s a fine choice for renting a couch with a fine companion in this fine city. Between the upstairs ‘lounge’ and the downstairs ‘club’, there are plenty of couches to rent. The accompanying darkness permeated by candles and a roaring fire boost the value. As do the waitresses who seem to share closet space with Robert Palmer’s back-​up singers. The so-​so music, the erratic wine (don’t know if it turns over very quickly), and the overpriced finger food bring it down a bit.
I’ve had some memorable exchanges on these couches. I’ve also had a memorable conversation or two.
If you’re not on a date, the upstairs bar portion is small and occasionally serves as a good spot to start a conversation w/​a stranger. Better in the winter when the fireplace is going.
The ‘club’ portion — which I think is open only on the weekends — doesn’t really get busy until late. I’ve gone in at 10:30PM or so and it’s near empty. By 12ish, it starts getting busy and the music gets louder/​more annoying.
All in all, I wouldn’t say this place is better than other UWS lounges like Shalel and Loft but I find it easier to rent a couch here. And there’s something to be said for that.

Good laidback place to dance on the UWS. don’t bother to go upstairs… it’s boring and dead… head straight to the basement with the nice comfy antique couches… there is a bar area for talking, and thn another room for dancing… the typical hip-​hop songs but also plenty of reggae too… the dj will also usually play your requests. good vibe with lots of people who just want to dance and yes there are some people who want to pick up or get picked up, but not as bad as some other places and they are usually polite anyhow.