I've been coming to AWOL for at least 2 years now, since I moved to New York from Boston (probably more than 2 years). Been there since Hector was the karaoke DJ and now Eliza and a DJ I don't know the name of that DJed Saturday night (1 AM 3/9/2025). When I came in I found it odd that I couldn't really hear singing from the back like I usually could. You could sometimes kinda hear 1 girl but I heard the dj singing the most. For some reason this DJ keeps muting the mics of the people singing and unmuting his. Pretty sure no one is there to hear him sing and are there to hear their friends singing no matter how awful or great they are. This was not how I remembered awol to be. I guess don't come on a Saturday night if you're looking to do some Karaoke. The bartenders, drinks and everything else was amazing as always though! read more

AWOL Bar & Grill - Saturday DJ - American Near Me - New York, New York

I randomly stumbled upon this gem and fell in love ! I was bar hopping around the area and couldn't pass the Karaoke sign. I'm so glad I went in ! The bar is divided into 2 areas. The part with the bar in the front, which flows into the 2nd room with the karaoke. Earlier in the evening most people dancing were in the karaoke side of things but the place did gradually fill up. You get a karaoke ticket for each drink you purchase. Everyone who sings with you must turn in a ticket to go on stage. Honestly it was a great system! They also have a virtual karaoke list which is amazing (why don't more places have this?). They also have themed lists if you can decide what to search for. Everyone here - from the door guy to the bartenders to the people - we're so sweet and welcoming. It was just such a positive pocket of NYC and I'm so glad I found it read more

AWOL Bar & Grill - American Near Me - New York, New York

I guess you could say the service was really fucking bad. A friend was discriminatorily refused entry. She presented an Indian-issued ID, which had her birthdate to prove her age, and she was told that she would have to present a passport instead. This young woman has lived in New York for years. The bouncer gave us some nonsense excuse for his racism like, "this is one of the easiest IDs in the world to fake". Please. This older white man with greying hair and a cigarette in his hand under an awning of a dive bar dismissed a brown woman solely on the basis of her skin. In 2026. He wasn't scanning IDs. He could have looked at her identification as said, "yeah, this is clearly real, and there is no computer scanner standing in my way to prevent you from coming in". There were 9 of us in our group trying to gain entry to do give them business. It makes no financial sense whatsoever for this man to turn us away. Why else would we have been turned away? What could have improved my experience? Maybe some fucking respect for me and my friends who have every right to enjoy your space. But you blew your chance on that and I hope you lose business when people find out about this. read more

Love AWOL!! Been coming here for 8 years every Sunday for football with my friends. Such a fun atmosphere! Great food, great service and good people! Love it here. Big bonus for Patriots fans every touchdown is celebrated with a Jell-o shot! read more

AWOL Bar & Grill - American Near Me - New York, New York

I never leave reviews because I used to be a bartender and I know how hard it is to serve people but I really disliked the experience I had at this bar on Nov 9th 2025 so I felt compelled to leave a review. This bartender sneaks the 20% tip on your bill without telling you. Last time I double tipped her. That is unscrupulous and wrong. I got one bud light bottle, one burger, fries and a coke and the bill was 47$. I would have tipped her 20% but I looked at the bill more closely this time and made it a point that they already included the tip without my prior consent. I always tip 20% but At least I should have the right to make that decision. Be careful when you go to this bar. Also its not very clean. It used to be packed for patriots games and now its not. I not only leaving this review but writing a hand written letter to City of NY explaining what occurred and my experience. - Peter read more

Overall a good karaoke bar that brings in a good crowd, though much on the younger side. I think the young crowd makes the staff a little more strict but as long as you're respectful there should not be any issues. What I will say is do NOT open a tab at the bar, as they have the scummy practice of automatically applying a 20% tip, and if you're a habitual tipper like me and my friends you end up double tipping by the end of the night. read more

This is a fun spot for karaoke and drinks. It's super cheap and the bartenders are really quick. The crowd is good and it's a lot of fun.

Fun karaoke bar with lots of lights and drinks. You get a karaoke ticket with each drink purchase and this place was totally empty on a Sunday night! read more

AWOL Bar & Grill - Cider - American Near Me - New York, New York

If you're looking for a fun night with a young crowd and slightly trashy night this is the place to be! This place is honestly a great time. Drinks aren't too expensive and it's always entertaining to listen to different people and sing along. If you aren't shy this is a lot of fun or if you're looking for free entertainment this is also a lot of fun- no cover!! read more

AWOL Bar & Grill - a tray of margaritas and lime wedges - American Near Me - New York, New York

See all

AWOL is a favorite amongst my friends to lounge, drink, and sing karaoke. The ambiance is gorgeous with the purple, it immediately stands out. The staff is always nice. The food is okay, it's not food that I'd necessarily die for. But, the vibes and the drinks definitely make up for it. The karaoke happens at night time. Sooo fun. :) read more

Just ok! This was probably my third or fourth time at AWOL, but it wasn't as great as I remember it being pre-COVID. My roommate and I came here on a Monday night for their Bachelorette viewing and the place was so busy! I felt bad for the waitress and bartender (both super nice) because it was clear that they were understaffed/very stressed. It was also extremely hot inside! There is no AC and the fans were not enough to keep it cool. Our drinks were good, but the ice in them melted almost immediately because of how hot the bar was. For food, I got the chips and guac, which also comes with queso and salsa. It really wasn't great, but I remember really liking the chicken tenders I got last time. So the food is slightly hit or miss! I probably would still come back, but with managed expectations. read more

AWOL Bar & Grill - Inside - American Near Me - New York, New York

I walked in feeling nostalgic after a few years because its where my partner and I first began our love and was met with an unpleasant experience. The bartender with the ball cap was rude and dismissive. We ordered 2 drinks and he put an auto gratuity on our tab even though it was not disclosed to us before hand and only presented on the check. Typically an auto gratuity is reserved for parties or 6 or more. This is an industry standard I mentioned this to the bartender and he argued, And did his best to gaslight me. (I've worked in the service Industry for over 10 years and this was wild to me ) I mean I guess at the end of the day its his loss because I was going to tip over 100% until his attitude chimed in. This places service use to be better . I still had fun regardless of the attitude. The environment still just as pretty in there I just miss the good service that use to be there The law has these requirements for auto gratuity First, businesses must disclose their automatic gratuity policy to customers in advance. This can be done on the menu, on a sign at the entrance of the restaurant, or verbally by the server. Second, automatic gratuities cannot be used to reduce the minimum wage that employers are required to pay their employees. Finally, customers are not required to pay automatic gratuities if they are not satisfied with the service they received. However, they may be asked to leave the restaurant if they refuse to pay. read more

AWOL Bar & Grill - American Near Me - New York, New York

See all

First of all the name gives me chuckles LOL. On the way to dinner, a friend and I peeped that they had a sign for karaoke, we kept that in mind. After dinner, the rain stopped, though it was MUCH colder. Either way, we weren't ready to end the night, and we decided to do karaoke! Before we even stepped inside, you could hear the music, and hear people singing (maaaaybe not so well lol). We stepped inside, showed our IDs, and headed straight for the bar. It was busy, but it wasn't quite as packed as I thought it would've been. Was able to flag down a bartender and get drinks relatively quickly -- nothing special. We then proceeded to the DJ booth and asked to sign up for karaoke. We were told to get tickets from the bartender, so we did just that and got on the queue... A 1 HOUR WAIT! Now, I've never been to a place with a wait that long, so I was shocked. Is that how they get down in NY?? Despite that long time, it wasn't so miserable -- in fact, it ended up being less time because some people didn't take their turns. With each skipped person, a good 3-4 minutes were shaved off. Besides... we were among the oldest patrons there. Apparently we're near a college and that was quite obvious. Watching those kids act a fool was quite entertaining. By the way, I sang "Everlong" by The Foo Fighters. The scary thing is that that song is older than some of the kids who were in there. SCARY OLD THOUGHT! Anyways, after singing and taking a round of jello shots, my friend and I were off. If you don't like a rowdy setting or a rather... loud fog machine, don't come through. But if you wanna sing, have at it!! Be prepared to wait. But it's easy to have fun! read more

My cousin and I came here for lunch (around Christmas time) after getting off a bus from Boston, so this review is on the food and not the bar overall.. AWOL looks like a fun place with interesting decor/signs, I liked the Christmas lights on the ceiling and the little window seats next to the tables. They were playing "a Christmas story" on TV, and Christmas movies automatically put me in a good mood. Also the beer was good. But the food was awful! We decided to share a Pepe burger and the chips with queso. I'm not sure if we ordered the wrong stuff but the burger was weirdly oily, fries were meh, queso tasted like something out of a box, and the chips were stale. I was so hungry I thought I would've liked anything, but this food proved me wrong... super disappointing read more

AWOL Bar & Grill - Nice Christmas scene, but bad food. - American Near Me - New York, New York

One of our absolute favorite spots in the neighborhood to end up at on a night out. The karaoke stage is a great time, and the drinks are very well priced- we always had fun and loved coming here! read more

Decent karaoke bar, but I really hate it when bars add gratuity and don't tell you! Of course the receipt has a separate line for additional gratuity so you would never know you've already been charged. They also charge a credit card fee! read more

BEWARE!!!! They charge you $6 for every burger you order To Go. 2 burgers had a $12 To Go charge. Absolutely ridiculous taking advantage of customers during these times. I called prior for a total before pick-up and he did not give it to me. They got me. Update: I asked for Medium Rare. Does this look like medium rare?! read more

AWOL Bar & Grill - $6 extra charge per burger. - American Near Me - New York, New York

See all

As somebody who has been a regular for a while, the new changes don't really sit right with me. It's become really strict, the DJ will basically reprimand you on stage if you forget a singular karaoke ticket (even if you have it and have given it to her already) and it's taken the fun out for me. Dj has a list of songs she doesn't want to hear again/songs she wants to hear. Which is fine, but the whole point of karaoke is that your group sings what you guys want to sing. And if I have to buy a drink for every person on stage, I don't want that to be dictated by the DJ. I personally don't think karaoke should be so methodical and planned out- the whole point is spontaneity Bartenders are awesome and so is bouncer read more

Good atmosphere but skip it if you're looking for a karaoke bar, you have to pay for multiple drinks to request one song and it may take hours for them to play it. Otherwise very nice night read more

This is a great place. Great music, great bartenders, great fun, great people! Go there. AWOL deserves six stars!!! Patrick read more

Have some self respect - don't go here. Even though it's terrible vibes, you practically have to BEG for them to let you sing your karaoke song during your turn, and they will push you around and act extremely aggressively. After patiently waiting for our turn to sing for an hour, finally when it was our turn, we approached the stage and got stopped by the bouncer, who tried to get out attention by POKING us and yelling at us in a very rude manner, and told us that we have to have tickets to sing. Which we did. However, it took us 5 minutes to even figure out why he was angry at us or what he was asking, because all he did was put his hands on us and yell "BRO!!! BRO!" without communicating anything at all. During this discussion, the DJ skipped our song. We kindly asked her to go back while trying to communicate with the bouncer who was still yelling at us and pushing us around. My two friends managed to get up on the stage, and finally managed to get back to our song. When I tried to go up right after them, the bouncer yelled at me and literally pushed me off a step, back into the crowd, saying "Not you! Only 2 people." However, groups before us had gone on stage with 7-8 people at a time, so I know this was not a rule. I don't appreciate this kind of behavior from a shitty neighborhood bar that we went to just because it was close by. I don't understand what makes them think they are so special that they think it is appropriate to push people around like this, seeing as they had 10 patrons at most on a Friday night. read more

This place is a terrible bar! The owner/ staff will RIP you off. We went there over the weekend. We ordered 2 glasses of wine. At first the bartender said no wine...so i was like sure we will get beer.. then she came back with two glasses of wines and charged $37 for that. We were confused why was it so expensive? So we looked at the bill. Found out they automatically added 20% tips and covid sur charge! It is ridiculous. So we went to the owner and said what is this all about? He took the receipt from us and said, " go home". We never get to sing a karaoke too.. please don't go. read more

I can't believe this was my first time here. I used to work in this area and go to a lot of the bars in the neighborhood but never came here for some reason and I really missed out. This bar is a lot of fun. I came here for SuperBowl with a group of 14 people. We had reserved a table for 10 and the other 4 were standing room. About $20/person to get in which is a fair price considering it was SuperBowl and you also got a raffle ticket with that. Sadly, none of us won :( I was with all Pats fans, and this is a Pats bar, so everyone was rooting for them. This made it really fun since everyone was so into it. Whenever the Pats scored, they passed out free jello shots!! The service was great, we kept ordering rounds of 14 beers and lots of food and the bartender brought them so quick. Everyone working was really nice. We had the fried pickles, chicken wings and tenders and fries. All were good - good bar food! They had a ton of TVs so you could easily watch wherever you were sitting. Now that I know about this place, I would come back on a regular night! read more

Don't be fooled by their cheap prices. They charge a Covid tax! Lol, what??? Honestly, I think that's enough to give you an idea of the experience we had here. The burgers were good, not great, but at least not the thin little frozen patties you see at some other pubs like this. The service was OK. The outdoor table configuration isn't great for watching football. There are better places along the avenue, but if they're booked up, then come to AWOL as a last resort. read more

This place is a classic dive bar with good ambiance and the option to do karaoke in the back after 9 o'clock. I thought the staff was great and attentive but I'm pretty upset about the included gratuity (20%) and I wasn't even paying for a large party as there were only three of us. This was never mentioned by them. I ended up tipping another 20% on top of that after seeing the "suggested tips" at the bottom of the check, not realizing they already included gratuity, and being in a rush to get into my Uber (also: alcohol). It was a fun spot, but I feel scammed and don't appreciate the double dipping. read more

I really wanted to like this place since it's nearby and was a part of my quest in finding a neighborhood bar. But.. there's nothing that I really like about it. Beer prices are average.. happy hour deals aren't so happy.. food is subpar. Cool to stop by maybe if you want to grab a beer while you're waiting for someone else but that's about it. read more

My boyfriend and I were staying at a hotel nearby and wanted something small to eat. First, the decor is unique and super cool. They have red lights all up and down the ceiling and wall and mugshot pictures of celebrities everywhere and even a table that says "No Karens allowed". However, when asking my order, I merely hesitated and glanced at the menu, the bartender decided to cut me off and say " I'll give you more time" - twice. I found this rude and unprofessional and immediately was turned off by how impatient the staff was. Second, the food took forever which I don't understand when getting small bar food. The same bartender then gave us free jello shots before we left so seems like a cool place after all lol read more

So here's what happened: I saw a sign that reads, "Happy hour well drinks for five bucks" or something like that. Of course, the bar honored its advertisement and all - but only during the week - which is okay, I guess. But one day, I made the mistake of going during the weekend, thinking that happy hour prices still apply. The bartender on shift served me a wine, which I asked for, but he only filled it up a quarter of a glass and charged me $12. Well, I told him that I did not want to pay that much for a glass of rose, and he proceed to ask if I drank from it, and I said, "No." Well, can you believe that he actually took the glass and poured it back into the bottle of wine?? Apparently, this pig did not know that this is illegal in the city of New York. (Is he from somewhere in the midwest?!) Anyways, I returned about a month later - thinking that the other bartender would be there. (The nice bartender is the one with the nice haircut and a beard. His first initial is P- a very respectful and nice man. I have to mention him so that the managers will not confuse him for the other pig). Anyway, to my dismay, P wasn't there, but instead the pig who poured the wine back into the glass. I told myself, "Let me risk it, oh heck, it was only something that happened once, and well, it's the weekday so I'm going to get my $5 wine." Well, I was wrong. The pig brought me a grossed out glass full of lipstick. (Up to that point, it would have been okay, since you know things like this happen at bars). Unfortunately, when I told this bartender about the lipstick on the glass, he proceeded to take a clean glass and pour the wine from the grossed out glass into the clean glass! When I brought this to his attention, he actually did not see anything wrong with what he did! I can't understand why people are so disgusting! I cannot imagine what his house looks like. Freaking GROSS! Hey look buddy. (The bartender who's always wearing the backwards hat - the one with the grossed out haircut and beard). I understand that you want to fit into that, "Guns & Roses" culture - that's cool and all. But when you're serving customers in the city of New York, you need to be effin' clean. Don't you people get rated?! Anyways, this grossed out crap behavior of yours is not only illegal, but should be brought to the manager's attention!! For this reason I am writing this review. Seriously, I had to go to Abbey's where it is not only cleaner, but where customers receive much, much, better treatment! read more

That wasn't very nice... I tipped very well and got Cheap Well Liquor...Drinks $12.00 each, no prob but giving me well liquor got me very sick when I woke up. I only had ONE drink. I know what a cheap disgusting well liquor headache feels like. I asked for Malibu SPECIFICALLY. You lost a potential repeat customer. Dont trust these people. read more

They force a mandatory tip of 20% without a clear warning beforehand at certain times.

Went here tonight for a quick drink and walked to the bathroom prior to buying a drink . The bartender literally came out from behind the bar and grabbed me by my arm and tells me for customers only. Completely uncalled for and unacceptable behavior. first and last time here. read more

I come here all the time, and bring friends here all the time, and everyone always loves it. They do a karaoke competition which has a "gong," where they gong you and you get kicked off if you don't sound good. I, for instance, got gonged, and so did two of my friends. And we laughed about it because we are normal, affable human beings who don't yell and swear at staff over karaoke. Some people--who don't know how to use a microphone and hurt the crowd's ears by holding the mic too close to their face while belting--apparently aren't. And then write Yelp reviews like bitter children. ‍ But yeah, the bar tends to have good beer on tap and the bartenders make a decent old fashioned, which is a fairly good litmus test of capability. The food is good, too (though the chicken tenders are pretty bland). read more

I think this bar was previously known as Hairy Monk. Now AWOL, it's still a pats bar on game day and full of pats fans. Small and cozy, food is average to expensive but typical of New York. They play sound, and on non game days it seems karaoke is a thing. read more

AWOL Bar & Grill - American Near Me - New York, New York

As I was walking on 3rd Av. Looking for a less crowded and less noisy bar this one seem just right for a date or a meeting with friends and have some fun. The laid back casual bar is excellent for a quiet evening in NYC. The chairs facing the sidewalk was for me the perfect spot to have a conversation while getting the fresh air of NYC, did I said fresh air? Yes! The night had a great weather. This bar has the Presidente beer which is the top beer for the Dominican Republic it was recommended to me by the other customers sitting by the bar, how cool is that? ;) There are many more fun and cool things about this bar and the food menu seems really tasty which I didn't taste this time, that's why I am keeping it at 4 stars. read more

Their burgers are amazinggggg, 10 out of 10 and their staff is super lovely!!! Don't be fooled by the hater reviewers, this place has a greaaaaat vibe, cool music, all types of liquor just super amazing. Y'all should check it out seriously, no joke, not too pricey, and they follow all of the COVID guidelines for sure. read more

Thumbs up to the owners and staff here for providing a great experience one Saturday for lunch and game-watching. The bar acts as the NYC venue for watching Georgia Tech football, and we happened to be in town for the NYC Marathon and decided to stop in to watch a game with other Georgia Tech alums. Whenever Tech scored, the staff would blare the fight song and start handing out free jello shots. Not really sure how the other patrons felt about that, but obviously, we loved it and felt like we were being appreciated (Tech scored so many times we eventually had to start refusing the jello shots). Standard bar fare (burgers and wings) with some fascinating decor to boot. read more

Just moved in the area. Had minimal amount of fun! service SUX. Automatic gratuity for events. This wouldn't have been a problem if the bartender wasn't disrespectful. I will be finding a better place in the area! She was sassy just to us when we were the coolest people there. Upset. Me and my crew do not deserve that #hotbisexuals Peace and love, we're out! read more

I loved going here for karaoke! The food special were delicious. Perfect place for a weekday afternoon beer and weekend fun!

The service is usually good, but the owner, who sometimes bartends (always in a sleeveless shirt), is kind of jerk. Have been mistreated by him on multiple occasions. read more

I created a Yelp account just so I could say how pathetic this place is. Karaoke = fun. Karaoke with an air horn in the background = major lame. The bar is naturally fun and lively, but it seems like they are desperately trying to lure people in. Instead, they are just being obnoxious. Chill out, people will still go to your bar. read more