My wife and I had a "free" night without the kids so we decided to try and hit a comedy show for some fun. We had a good time at Catch a Rising Star. The club really isn't a club, but a space within the Hyatt Regency in Princeton, NJ. It hold between 75-100 I'd say in mostly two-tops but they accommodate bigger parties by pushing tables together. As you can see in my picture, this will probably be the least dive bar-like comedy club you'll ever be in. It actually has carpet and comfortable seats! The outer tables are high tops. Our table even had a touch sensitive lamp on it. We didn't pay for VIP, just general admission a few hours before the show online so we got seated towards the rear but the sound system was fine and we could hear everything just fine. Our sight lines were ok if you got the perfect line between other patrons. The food menu was adequate, and drinks were on the reverse side. My jalapeño pineapple margarita really sucked. No balance, no finesse, no good taste. My wife's Cosmopolitan was almost as bad, so she ended up ordering another instead made with the stuff she likes. A little better, but not by much. We also ordered some fried calamari which actually were pretty decent. They came in a wire basket with some "fancy" sauce which also was good. We got to hear the host, an opener, and the headliner. Was just under two hours and my wife and I enjoyed the show snd laughed a bit. The room skewed older and was a bit difficult for the comics tonight. I'm guessing the costs per comedy show depends on the comics, but tonight was just over $60 for two general admission tickets. The three drinks and calamari with tax and tip added another $70. A pretty solid three and one half stars, but I'll round up for Catch a Rising Star. An added bonus was that the hotel's lobby where the club is located is beautiful with gorgeous water features, koi fish, an extremely nice bar, and pretty cool architecture to see how the rooms are laid out. read more

Catch A Rising Star - General Admission seating tonight. 4/1/23 - Comedy Clubs Near Me - Princeton, New Jersey

Went here with bestie. A little hole in the wall comedy club. Havent been here in years. Decent food awesome perfect drinks. Comedians were funny. Definitely a great place to go on a date and with a group of friends. Servers were kinds grumpy and inattentive but it is what it is. I will have to say bartender was spot on with drinks. Delicious. Reasonably priced, we were in a corner which had perfect view of stage and didnt feel claustrophobic, which is was quite packed. But you still had room to move around. Located in the Hyatt Regency hotel in princeton. Drinks and food were high priced but hey it was a night out. Definitely worth another check in. read more

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We saw Jeff and Renee Norris! They were hilarious, seriously haven't laughed like that in years!! So, the club produces some class acts that are worth seeing. I didn't love the "premade" cocktails BUT our waitress was a gem, she went out to the bar in the restaurant and got me the cocktails from there which was amazing. The only thing giving this 4/5 is the food. The food was very meh, the calamari was good but my pizza did not taste as described - it didn't even have the right ingredients. The menu said "shrimp fra Diablo with ricotta and a bunch of veggies" - most of the veggies were missing and there was no ricotta.. it was essentially a cheese pizza with shrimp on it and the "fra Diablo" was jalapeños sooo.. not great ha. The chocolate peanut butter cheesecake was decent though. I'd come back for comedy, and probably eat before i came :) read more

As businesses go, most comedy clubs aren't that funny. Too many are dark, dank, cramped backwaters spitting out diluted cocktails and rancid food simmering since you were chained to an oar next to Charlton Heston. And of course, if you hit most clubs on a night with mediocre talent you would have been better off just flushing a Benjamin or two down the toilet. Then there's Catch A Rising Star in Princeton. Fortunately, it's housed within the Hyatt Regency so it's not allowed to be a subterranean dive. With electricity and functioning restrooms, Catch is already in the comedy hall of fame. The club carries a two item minimum per person (food, drinks) which is neither unreasonable nor a rip-off. No small aside, the food comes from the Hyatt kitchen so you can safely leave the antibiotics and the portable stomach pump at home. Since I was last here a few years ago, the club has been reconfigured so that you're entering into an open space facing the stage, a vast improvement over the claustrophobic configuration previously. And what about the jokes? Look, the headliner is usually someone that you've vaguely heard of and better than average. The openers are charitably, working things out and can usually be relied on for a few good lines. If you've come expecting Seinfeld, don't bother. If you've come for a solid show of up and coming comedy, stay. Catch A Rising Star is a terrific evening out in surroundings that based on experience are a few notches towards funny on the the comedy/tragedy spectrum. And very lucky for you, Ben Hur is nowhere in sight. read more

Comedy offering depends on the headliner. I've visited this place many times & overall enjoy it. Food is decent & the cocktails are good. The space is narrow but well orientated towards stage. Place is well run. Small gripe: they recently introduced an automatic 18% grat on top of a two item min - on all checks regardless of party size. This fee is not communicated upfront. read more

This was a women's club group event. We were 92 women. This venue is located at the Hyatt Hotel in Princeton New Jersey. We were taken to a large room and a buffet dinner was included. There was fried calamari, vegetables, various dips and bibb lettuce, assorted sandwiches, flatbread, and for dessert .. cookies, brownies and coffee. Soda, water, and iced tea were provided. Unfortunately the food was not hot and that was disappointing. Fortunately there was a bar with alcoholic beverages. We were in a large room with very little ambiance. There was a small stage for the comedians. We were entertained by 2 comedians who were funny and interacted well with our group. We did have a lot of laughs and for that I was grateful. read more

Very funny show with Gilbert Gottfried 2 drink minimum Long line before getting tickets Enjoyed the show Will return read more

I'll preface this review by saying that until this visit, I had only been to comedy clubs in NYC and LA. Audiences are much larger and the talent is already pretty famous. Still, I had a really fun night with some great laughs and memorable lines, and wavered between 3 and 4 stars for this venue since comparisons really wouldn't be fair. Catch a Rising Star is located on the lower level of the Hyatt Hotel (saying basement just seems wrong). The space was smaller than I expected, but comfortable with great seating arrangements that allowed audience members a good view of the stage and the comedian regardless of where you sat. It was pretty popular, and almost all the seats were taken when we arrived. Although I hadn't heard of the headliner or the opening act previously, both were good. Both involved the audience, and the headliner also acknowledged some of the regulars. Servers were friendly and attentive. They serve both food and alcohol. We were coming straight from dinner, and were already stuffed, so skipped both. Location is far more convenient than heading to either NYC or Philly, so I'll definitely be back to check out some of the other talent that comes through. I just can't believe I never thought to try out this spot before! read more

Two months after my prior review the "manager" Mike T decides to reach out. Answered the message and I can guarantee that this is a comedy club NOT worth coming too. As a long time patron of the club, we had always been treated by Craig Neier and others with the utmost respect. Not so with Mike. Never to return until there is a change at the top level of the club I would suggest you sponsor the comics at other clubs that are not that far away, This club and the club @ Iplay if still there are run by the same guy - from my understanding. So just hop over to PA for some comedy clubs where most of these comics go to or head to Stress Factory in New Brunswick. Vinnie is a true professional and has always been very cordial with us. And they never ask for your name or phone number either. So YOU ARE SAFE! read more

Great Comedy Club right in the Princeton NJ Hyatt Regency Hotel called Catch A Rising Star. It is an intimate snug place that is a great place to go to for an informal relaxing distraction after a nice diner at the hotel's restaurant. Funny Upcoming and veteran comedians help you unwind while you listen to the Stand-up Comics entertain you. You can also always eat while watching their funny show. Nice weekend entertainment to go-to just to unwind. read more

Wow. This was an interesting experience. Here's the deal: New Years Eve. We had been lucky enough to win tickets from 101.5 (as did a LOT of people) for the 10 p.m. show. There were two shows that night, 8 and 10. Tickets to the 10 p.m. were $55 and $75, and included a midnight champagne toast and noisemakers. We checked in early as the website said first come, first seated. But when we checked in we were assigned to table 42. that didn't bode well. We got in line to be seated at 9:30. here's where the oddness started: the 8 p.m. show took place in the actual comedy club; the 10 p.m. show was in just a "meeting space." It was not held in the club so no stage and kind of weird round table banquet seating. Again: NO STAGE NO LIGHTING. WAS IT BECAUSE THE CLUB COULD NOT TURN THE ACTUAL CLUB SPACE AROUND FAST ENOUGH TO BE READY FOR THE 10 P.M. SHOW? That's all we could figure out. So we get into the space and find our table. Not surprising, all the ticket winners were placed in tables that can only be described as "no man's land." Our table was so far away from where they were putting the performers...we could not even figure out where the performers were going to be. This space was so ill-suited for a comedy show -- especially one where some people had paid $75 for a seat. We seriously thought about just moving up to a better table (as some at our table did) but we figured we would just gut it out. Long story short: Show was not exactly stellar, but what made the evening truly awful was the service, or the lack thereof. The club was woefully understaffed. After we had ordered the first time (website says there is a THREE ITEM minimum -- do NOT believe it. Don't order if you don't want to because your waiter will never know. because they never come back and check on you) we ordered a drink and a snack which came out after quite a wait and came out wrong. Took forever to get order right. Some tables (paying patrons) didn't get their drinks and food for over an hour. not sure what happened here, but we won't be going back. because although the tix were free, the evening still cost us $50 for bad service, but seats, and bad food. Even the headliner was making fun of the wait staff and the room and the fact that there was no spotlight on the "stage." there WAS no stage. Hyatt -- what were you thinking putting on such a crummy show? read more

Haven't been to this club in years and decided to go last minute with another couple. The room is small but nicely arranged so easy to feel close to and part of the show. The space however, was extremely cold! Even the comedians joked about the audience all wearing coats. We were seated promptly for the 7:30 show and waited and waited and waited for a server to take our drink/food order. Finally, our server who was less than friendly and clearly would rather be any place else, took our drink order only to disappear again before taking our food order. It was well over an hour before our food arrived. The food is mediocre at best. If we decide to return, we would definitely have dinner someplace else. We enjoyed the comedians but they need to pay attention to the service, food and temperature! read more

I have been to this comedy club a few times and had a great time every time. Did not disappoint. Comedians were funny. Some funnier than others but hey that's comedy. Food menu is limited but anything I ordered was good. The club is in the Hyatt hotel which is convenient and no worry about parking as with going to a club in NYC. Will definitely be going back. read more

it's like $20+ for a seat, then each person basically pays $25 for required food/drink/tips. It's not too bad but it's still a $50/person for a headliner and what amounts to a small group of wannabe nobodies who seem compelled to rant about their life's shortcomings on stage in front of their families without really even having practiced too much. i would have been happy with just the headliner. Comedy is hard. Leave it to the professionals. read more

We came here for my husband's bday and had a great night! The host did a great job of interacting & engaging with the audience. The headliner, a warm up act for a big late night TV show, also happened to be a "local boy", so in addition to a hilarious set, it was fun seeing him interact with both the audience and some personal childhood friends who'd come out to support him. Because it was hubby's bday and I'm currently pregnant, we applied the majority of our food/drink minimum to helping the birthday boy maintain a nice buzz. He enjoyed the margaritas enough to keep them coming! We didn't try the food (had gone to dinner beforehand), but it looked & smelled great coming out. I actually expected the pricing to be worse, but everything seemed pretty reasonable for a comedy show. The wait staff was quick with service and discreet during the sets. We just moved from NYC to central NJ, so it's nice to know there's an option like this for a fun night of comedy right down the street! read more

Fun night...... Comics were good...... Kept us laughing..... Audience involved...... We hit a good headliner....