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    Cafe Wha?

    3.4 (486 reviews)
    Closed 8:00 pm - 1:45 am (Next day)
    Updated a few days ago

    Cafe Wha? Photos

    CAFE WHA? ATMOSPHERE

    What's the vibe?
    Live music
    Very loud
    Outdoor seating
    Good for groups

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    Recommended Reviews - Cafe Wha?

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    Reviews With Photos

    Aperol Spritz
    Nikita K.

    Came here for a live performance for Beatles covers. The tables are a little bit too close to each other and it's extremely hard to even get in your seat I felt suffocated. There's also a 2 item order minimum per person which I think is too much since we already paid for the performance. I got the peach mocktail and it was too sour and I didn't like it. The cocktails like aperol spritz come in very small glasses as well. The French fries were good and crispy though.

    Food that is good
    John C.

    Cafe Wha? never disappoints. Every time I step into that legendary basement in Greenwich Village, I leave feeling more alive than when I walked in. The energy, the history, the sound -- it's electric. But what truly takes it over the top is Robin Andre. His stage presence, vocals, and connection with the crowd are next level. When Robin's on the mic, you're not just watching a show -- you're part of it. If you haven't experienced a live set at Cafe Wha? (especially with Robin in the lineup), add it to your NYC bucket list. It's more than music -- it's magic.

    The cover charge was reasonable on Sunday night, @$10pp. The House Band was great and very talented. Everyone seemed to gave a great time. Highly recommended.

    Stephanie G.

    Came here to observe a performance by The tall Black guy & Zo. The place was really small & if you are looking for space away from others this is not for you . There is a 2 order minimum per person . I ordered a fruit punch juice & Nachos. The Nachos I will say was the worst I've had . The vibe overall was good & the performance was amazing .

    Outdoor
    Ani P.

    Great food (nachos are bomb), and great music. We had a res and they did have us sit outside for 20 min past it, but when we got in they had a table near the stage saved for us and the food/drinks service came quick, so that made up for it. Vibes are 10/10, loved the band so much we followed them to their next gig that night. Most people end up getting up like it's a concert, so just do that early if you're short.

    Maurice M.

    I had been eagerly looking forward to visiting this legendary spot since our plans to visit NYC for NYE were finalized several months ago. I was not disappointed at all. We were able to witness one of the best house bands we've ever seen; an incredibly versatile and talented collection of musicians. Shout out to management and the waitstaff for making our night special. The top highlight of a great winter trip (even more fun than watching The Ball Drop!).

    a crowd of people at a bar
    Nikhil R.

    This cafe is ok. It's a popular music venue, but unfortunately both the layout and practices are really disappointing. First of all, seating here is terrible. They cram you into small tables with no view of the stage. We were lucky to get a good view, but many others are not lucky. Second, they have no phone service or WiFi down here. It's really disappointing that they don't provide WiFi for patrons, especially knowing that being in a basement kills phone service from all providers. Last, they have a minimum food and drink purchase per person even if you buy a show ticket. They make you purchase 2 items per person, sodas and water not included. Every food item is $12+, and drinks start at $9 and go up to $20. You can easily double what you spent on the concert in just following this, in my opinion, terrible rule the venue sets. I will say that their French fries are awesome and served with a sauce I can only compare to an unsweetened Chick-Gil-a sauce. Overall, this venue could use many improvements and changes to their "rules" to make this a better experience overall.

    Yuna C.

    Didn't know what I was expecting but left having so much fun, listening and bopping along to such talented musicians!

    Derek V.

    As seems to be the theme in New York City, I loved the look and feel of this place. I was also hyped up by the bouncer for my outfit which made me feel really cool and fresh. But our waitress was not very patient or friendly. Very pushy and frustrated because I couldn't hear over the music. This always makes me feel badly as someone with hearing problems; despite letting her know she was still condescending and rude. This was definitely a disappointment. I love music, I love history, and combining the two was something I was really looking forward to enjoying. Unfortunately the waitress kept making us feel uncomfortable, coming over way more than necessary despite ordering a good amount of food and drinks, so we ended up leaving a bit earlier than we initially planned. I hope our next visit to Cafe Wha? will be better. I just wish my first experience was. Otherwise great drinks, great live music & great hype man.

    Band playing
    Eric F.

    OMG, best night club entertainment ever. People are friendly, band audio was great and songs were entertaining. From 90s classics (Creep, Oasis songs, etc) to a soulful woman doing Rhianna and Adele etc I thought I would be there 30 minutes and left 2 hours later with no voice. Totally worth it! Drinks I had were a White Russian and Whiskey Sour - both good.

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    1 year ago

    It was amazing from the moment I walked in to the moment I left food drinks, and entertainment on point will definitely visit again

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    Page 1 of 13

    Cafe Wha? Reviews in Other Languages

    Ask the Community - Cafe Wha?

    Do you have to make reservation or can you just buy at door?

    Reservations are highly recommend, especially on the weekends. We typically max out on reservations on Friday and Saturday nights.

    View All 6 Questions

    Review Highlights - Cafe Wha?

    The music was awesome- the house band put on one of the best shows I've seen in a long time.

    Mentioned in 93 reviews

    Read more highlights

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    Monkey Bar - Smoked Whitefish Caesar (~$28)

    Monkey Bar

    4.3(475 reviews)
    2.5 miMidtown East

    Getting a reservation here is very hard. One just popped up in my Resy app for lunch though, so I…read morewent for it. It was my first time here although, it has been around for ages. The front part where you first walk in is the bar area with some tables. This restaurant is on the darker side and brings you back in time. Once you walk in further that is where the main dinning room is. This is also on the darker side as you can maybe tell by my photos. The wall paper and art around the restaurant is cool and there are some monkey statues around the restaurant. I was seated in a corner table in a booth area that seemed to be for at least 2-3 people. I thought for sure they would seat me at the bar area. I had a wonderful waitress whose name I think was Taylor but I could be wrong. I ordered the Monkey bread to start off with. It's a very buttery bread with truffle and parm cheese on top. I have alot of allergies and I was searching online if I could even have truffles as I have a nut allergy. So, I asked the waitress and she said she had never heard this. But, she came back to me and told me that White truffle grows near or like over where Almonds grow from but that, they don't use white truffle so I was all good. Well, this was super nice of her to check for me. I had no idea she was going to do this. She said the restaurant has strict protocols when it comes to food allergies. I then got for my main dish the double cheese burger with onions and pickles. To drink I had the cucumber martini. WOW everything was pretty darn good!! I passed on dessert. If you get a chance or a reservation pops up in your resy to go, even if it is for lunch..I highly say go for it.

    From the moment we sat down, the service set the tone for the entire experience. Our server was…read moreincredibly warm, upbeat, and full of energy--one of those people who genuinely elevates a meal. I only wish I could remember her name because she deserves the recognition. We started with drinks, and mine ended up being a surprise standout. I ordered the coconut margarita, slightly hesitant since I'm not usually a margarita fan--but it completely won me over. It struck a perfect balance and leaned just enough into the coconut to make it feel unique without being overpowering. My sister-in-law, who's pregnant, had a non-alcoholic Ritual margarita and loved it, noting how convincingly it mimicked the real thing. Since we were sharing, we got to try a good mix of the menu. The monkey bread came first--definitely a splurge at $34, but it's one of those fun, indulgent starters that's worth ordering at least once. While I wouldn't call it the best bread I've ever had, I also wouldn't change anything about it. The crab rangoon was another highlight. Having it made with real crab made a noticeable difference, and the dipping sauces complemented it really well. It felt like a more elevated take on something familiar. For mains, the French dip was a hit. The meat was incredibly tender, the bread had that ideal crusty exterior, and the au jus was packed with flavor--I was very glad I ordered extra. It pulled the whole dish together. We also tried the smoked whitefish Caesar, which was the only dish that didn't quite land for me. It was a well-made, fresh salad, but the smoked fish flavor was a bit overpowering and took over the balance of the dish. Even though we were too full for dessert, the restaurant surprised us with a scoop of strawberry ice cream with chocolate sauce to celebrate my sister-in-law's babymoon. It ended up being one of the most memorable bites of the meal--we're still talking about how good that ice cream was. We arrived right at 11:45, and by the time we left, the place was absolutely buzzing. It's clearly a popular spot, and for good reason. Between the lively atmosphere, strong service, and well-executed food, I'd highly recommend making a reservation if you can.

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    Spicy Shrimp scampi

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    Truffle Monkey Bread

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    The Ellington

    The Ellington

    4.6(382 reviews)
    5.2 miManhattan Valley
    $$
    Casual dining
    Romantic vibe

    I enjoyed a really nice Thanksgiving meal here. The place was beautifully decorated…read more We had a pre-fixed Thanksgiving meal so I'm not sure what the regular menu is like but I'm sure it's just as good. We ordered two fish dishes (salmon and swordfish) and they were both delicious. The only thing I didn't really like was the rolls were ice cold and so was the butter. Wasn't something I was excited to eat on a cold Thanksgiving evening. The table next to mine was reserved for people who were dining alone and I noticed the waiters and owners made a point to chat with them and make sure they were okay. I look forward to coming here again one day.

    Made reservations for brunch, but wasn't needed. The place was rather quiet on Sat, but it was also…read morefreezing outside. Got a cozy window seating and loved the ambiance thanks to their floral interiors along with holiday ligthing right next to our table. Noise levels on the quiet side and easy to have conversations. They have a decent kids menu, and the Chicken Fingers ($10) were perfect for our little one. Huevos Rancheros ($19), and Vegetarian Omelette ($19) which was served with home fries and tossed salad was a good portion. Kimbo Coffee ($4.25) was actually pretty good although would've loved it to be warmer. Refills were slow to come. Food was inline with our expectations. Food arrived within 8-10 mins of placing our order, so yeah, really quick! Our initial server/waiter wasn't that attentive but their crew members were definitely more alert. Overall, pretty decent experience.

    Photos
    The Ellington
    The Ellington - CHICKEN FETTUCCINE

    CHICKEN FETTUCCINE

    The Ellington - GUACAMOLE & CHIPS

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    Zou Zou’s

    Zou Zou’s

    4.2(582 reviews)
    1.6 miChelsea, Midtown West, Hell's Kitchen
    $$$
    Full bar
    Gluten-free friendly

    Went to Zou Zou's for a little bday celebration with gfs and had a great time. Not to mention,…read morethere was such a sweet little bday care when we got to the table. So thoughtful, and such a great touch to start the evening for us. We decided to order the family style menu and we enjoyed the whole dinner. All of the dishes on the menu were really good and great price for $74pp. I wish we had a 4th in our party so we couldve had the duck, but we'll definitely be returning to do so. The dips were so good and so fresh! I think all of the dishes were perfectly seasoned. I get sad when dishes are overly seasoned or overly salty. Oh, and im not much of a sweet tooth, but their dessert was marvelous and the sweetness was balanced so nicely.

    Mixed feelings towards Zou Zou's. Having dined at most of Quality Group's restaurants, we had high…read morehopes for Zou Zou's and booked a table for dinner on Easter. Walking in, it's a stunning restaurant and on this night, not too crowded which made us wonder why they would seat us next to the servers station away from dozens of much nicer tables. Note that I booked through Open Table where I have Gold status which I thought meant you get a better table. Next fail, we wanted to start with a Mediterranean dip, but they only offer that if you go with a $39 tray with multiple dips. Not something a party of two would be able to east, so we skipped apps altogether. Sucks too, because several tables had it and it liked amazing, just too much for two. For dinner I had the Yemeni Au Police Kebab, Filet Mignon which was absolutely delicious. The peppercorn Hawaii really sweetened the meat's flavor. So high marks for the steak. My wife had two small dishes which she wasn't as thrilled with, Grilled Artichokes which were too dry for her liking and Manti, which she liked. Main takeaways. Very pricey, beautiful atmosphere (if you get a nice table) and maybe a place that's better for a group than a couple.

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    Zou Zou’s
    Zou Zou’s
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    Cafe Wha? - musicvenues - Updated May 2026

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