Last night was my second time at Sony Hall. I just gotta say that this venue has great sound and a great space. I was here for Saint Patrick's day and saw a great band, Altan. A surprise star dropped in and it was Steve Martin! I had no idea he played the banjo! He was great! There is a $20 food or drink minimum. The food is pretty standard bar food. I would give it 5 stars if the food was better. read more

I bought VIP tickets for a comedy show with guaranteed front seating. When we arrived, though, we were seated all the way in the back because the front and middle sections were already full. I assumed they would know how many VIP tickets they sold and make sure there were enough front seats to honor that guarantee. Instead, I paid extra for VIP and received none of the benefit. I also didn't bring my glasses, so being seated that far back made it hard to even see the show properly. If they really are tracking VIP sales, then it seems like they may have sold more VIP tickets than they could actually accommodate, which is not okay. I asked for a refund, or at least the difference between the VIP and regular ticket price since the only added value was the guaranteed seating. They refused and only offered VIP tickets to another show instead. My takeaway: don't pay extra for VIP, even if it comes with a "guarantee." You're probably better off buying a regular ticket and just arriving earlier. read more

Sony Hall - "Guaranteed VIP seating" but was placed at the very back of the room - Music Venues Near Me - New York, New York

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Just because it's a Sunday night doesn't mean staying in for the evening! Sony Hall at times offers an excuse to see a fave act on a school night. Terrific concert with Adrian Vandenberg and band playing a monster setlist of Whitesnake classics and some of his own songs. Great musicianship on that stage, real instrument playing and no fake pre-recorded vocals. These guys are pro's. Just pure hard driving rock. Great acoustics here and not eardrum splitting loud where you get instant tinnitus. It's a small and intimate cabaret style venue. Nice looking decor. Can be a bit cramped as tables are close to each other, and some standing room area by the back bar. Food and drinks are overpriced as expected, and server staff seemed to be spread thin. Still, we had to get a few drinks and party a bit as it was a rock concert. \m/ read more

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This venue is the biggest rip off in New York. Beware buying "VIP" tickets. They are VIP as far as being close to the stage. That's where it ends. When I bought the tickets, GA was sold out. VIP was the only option. Two weeks later suddenly GA tickets appeared available, very sketchy. The tables are smushed together, and the seats are all right up against each other. You will be sitting in basically strangers laps the entire time. We sat at the end of our table and half our bodies were off the table as the table was over stuffed. The food is a price gouging atrocity. $30 for a burger, and $33 for pasta PLUS $12 extra for you want meat! The cocktails are $20 and up. Wine was more reasonable at $15. The food was not disgusting but also nothing ground breaking or worth $30. Service was fine but they are stretched thin. Received our food 10 minutes before our drinks. Not sure if the space is ADA friendly as I did not see an elevator and there's a long staircase leading downstairs. Coat check if you need it but I didn't see any one working it. The space is very pretty itself. Bathrooms have attendants and multiple stalls. Would not return for any event in VIP due to the atrocious seating. Might consider returning with a GA ticket since those tables seem more spaced out. read more

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We only went to the bar on a Saturday night. We were in town for a matinee theater show and dinner. The bar was pretty empty, but they were playing fun music. The bartender was nice and attentive. The bar is clean and well organized right in Times Square. My only gripe with bars like this is they automatically put in gratuity and nobody tells you that until you get your bill therefore the items that you ordered or not itemized and I had to ask the bartender how much tip was automatically included she told me 18%. I tipped $10 on top of that which was a lot for two glasses of crown royal which cost $36. I know it's New York City but it just seems like a sneaky thing to do. And it says in really fine print you can reduce the tip. I would never do that but it should be disclosed. It's like a tourist trap and I'm not a tourist. read more

Went to see destiny child imagined ft Matthew Knowles. The show was fabulous and the service was immaculate. Food and drinks were decent nothing to write home about. Only qualm I had was with the long wait time to get into the venue. It was very cold and the line wrapped around the block. read more

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Small and cramped. Definitely a fire hazard coming in and leaving. Cant speak on the bathrooms or bar service, as I just wanted to see the show and leave. The sound was also not good! Weird echo like, not sure if it was the venue or the artist. read more

Sony Hall - Monaleo 12/2/25 - Music Venues Near Me - New York, New York

Cozy yet appropriately spaced venue. I came here for a concert and truly enjoyed myself. You can order food and drinks while you're here. They also have seating around the perimeter of the room. read more

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Beautiful venue for intimate shows. The layout makes it easy to socialize, and everyone feels included no matter where they're seated. I had a seat front and center, which gave me a great view of the entire space; there's really no bad seat in the house. I liked the cozy couch sections along the sides, perfect for groups. For this particular show, there was a $20 minimum spend, which wasn't hard to hit. Drinks alone cleared that. The staff seemed a bit overwhelmed at times, but they handled it with as much grace as possible. I would have expected the number of ticket sales to help determine appropriate staffing. The performance itself was fantastic, one of my favorite artists! I'm only withholding one star because getting to the venue felt like I walked five stories underground. I wondered if we were beneath the subway, lol! read more

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Sony Hall is in that awkward niche between Irving Plaza and City Winery. At times there are mostly seated events with $20 food-and-drink minimums, while other shows have a standing general admission area and the tables are on the perimeter. I saw Belly recently. The show itself was excellent and maybe 3.5 stars would be a fair rating given the pristine sound for these Buzz Bin icons. But the "pit" was too close for comfort and had iffy sightlines, not offering as many qualify of life tradeoff options as other GA venues. The staff worked diligently to keep the line moving briskly. read more

Jeremy Piven brought down the house. Packed sold out show. Awesome food and drinks with comfy seating. Great sound system, no bathroom lines, great service. Very organized venue. read more

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Very comfortable live music venue The room is attractive and the seating is comfortable, particularly if the show is not sold out. The cocktails were disappointing, which probably contributed to the feeling that the drinks and food were overpriced. The burger was acceptable. The service was attentive. read more

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not a terrible venue, but a little scummy with the pricing. I have bought VIP tickets for an event. I was seated further away from the stage, then general admission. When I brought this up, they told me this is where they see the VIPs. I understand that I have a less obstructed view as I don't have to look over people's heads, but it would've been nice to just be physically closer to the main event. Additionally, they had a $20 processing fee for the tickets which I did not like a $20 per person ordering minimum if you are seated. They sold standing room tickets, but it made no sense because the whole venue is seated with tables. The food itself was decent and overpriced, but that is the norm for Manhattan. They did not have a list of non-alcoholic drinks I don't like either but that's more of a me thing. This is one of those venues that do not list the prices of things on their website so I made sure to take pictures of the menu as there was none on yelp. I apologize for the red lighting, but they never turned on all the lights during my event. read more

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Saw Rebirth Brass Band here recently -- a great time. The space is expansive but intimate, one of the better medium concert halls in New York. Service was excellent with the bartender introducing himself immediately and taking care of us all night. The beer selection was disappointing but the cocktails were pretty good. Food was excellent -- I got the Shrimp Po Boy that was themed to the show, and it was much better than I would have expected. I am taking off major points, however, for the undisclosed (or somewhat obscured) included gratuity. They give you the final bill in unitemized format with just a "total" and the ubiquitous line with recommended gratuity on top of the total. I get that they probably get a lot of foreign tourists who are not used to tipping. Building in automatic service charge is one thing, but not disclosing that is not kosher. Space: 5 stars Service: 5 stars Food: 4 stars Gratuity shenanigans: 1 star read more

We ended up here because we saw the espresso machine and one of us wanted lattes and the rest wanted martinis. We were the only people in the bar which was actually kind of nice. The bartender was a little confrontational when we asked what coffee drinks could make but then she ended up relaxing and was very nice. They had tvs on with games but not the Rangers, although they were in. They also had a gaming system set up to play Mortal Combat at the bar. One of us has tuna tartare and it was very good and a large serving. The latte was really good and the espresso martinis were as good as it gets. The bathroom is down in the Sony Music Hall, about 6 flights and was dark and really warm. I'd recommend bringing a buddy to go. They did have a nice tribute to Sony history which was pretty cool. Low key, good bar. We'd go back. read more

Sony Hall - Music Venues Near Me - New York, New York

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Ok. Here goes. I've been to Sony Music Hall on two occasions thus far. I think it's a really cool spot to check out a band perform. I'm not an expert on sound. But, to my layman's ears, I had zero complaints. The wait staff wear nice uniforms, are easily accessible since there are a good number of them servicing the patrons sitting down at the tables. And, in my case, my wait staff Karen G, never made my friend and I feel rushed when she took our order. She did a great job. So, kudos to her. My friend and I each ordered drinks and an entrée. Food was great. Drinks were great. The band sounded great. And up until now I was definitely planning on leaving a five-star review on Yelp! So, the deal breaker happened when the server handed me the receipt for our meal. As I scanned over the paper receipt, I felt something was amiss. I had pre-calculated in my head what my total bill'd be even before Karen (the sever) handed me the final printed receipt. When she handed me the printed receipt, I parsed and scanned each line only to be shocked to see that an 18% *Suggested Gratuity* had been added to my bill. Had I seen that charge on the server's handheld POS, I would definitely not have added additional gratuity (Not that the server didn't deserve it. But that I'm under a tight budget right now). After having discovered that the 18% *Suggested gratuity* had been automatically added to my bill, I motioned to Karen (our server) for her to come to our table. I told Karen that had I known that there was an automatic 18% gratuity added, that I would have not added additional gratuity on top of the 18%. She assured me that there was in fact mention of the 18% *Suggested Gratuity* on her handheld POS when she had handed it to me for me to look over the charges. I'm very thorough when reviewing documents. So much so, that I even informed Karen (our server) that had I known there was an automatic 18% added to dine-in customers, that I would not have added additional gratuity. I also mentioned to our server that automatic 18% or higher gratuity is typically for parties of six or more, sometimes at some establishments, for parties of four or more. But, never have I seen automatic 18% gratuity being charged for a party of two people. Now, that being said, if this was an oversight on my part, I will gladly change my Yelp! rating from a four to a five star. If I receive (via an email message) a screen shot of the handheld POS indicating that an 18% *Suggested Gratuity* will be automatically charged, then I will change my rating from a 4 to a 5-star. read more

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Came here for a Jason Chenny show which was amazing! Venue looked super nice and show was funny and very enjoyable. Food (4/5): We got the burger with fries which was large and quite filling. The food options was relatively basic American food and was rather overpriced but the burgers we got were at least well made. Service (5/5): Food came out fast and because we came early they gave us really good seats in front of the comedian. They also checked up on us a good amount of times. Ambiance (4/5): Really nice interior and good layout for the show. Main improvement would be that they tried to cram too many tables and seats in a small area. Besides that the venue is super nice! read more

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Let me begin by stating I've been going to shows to see bands in NYC for 25 years or more. While the venue itself is decent, the overpriced nickle and dime nonsense Sony Hall engages in pisses me off. scummy ticketing/service charge nonsense, which they then tax you for and automatic gratuity for service...at the bar. BS. Venue was full and all VIP seating was sold out for the show we saw here. Now this is both good and bad. Imagine a usual stage setup when you see a band; stage, floor space with standing patrons, with a mixing desk somewhere towards the back of the standing area. on either side and parallel to the sound mixing desk are two raised areas sectioned off with seats and tables at $200 a person. Behind that section is a thin drinks table bit that isn't wide enough to hold a full plate... but that's where they expected us who didn't buy $200 to $350 VIP tickets... for food that cost $175 per person... we had to eat it with one hand while holding the plate on the sruface to prevent it from falling off. I'd have to think very carefully about how much I liked a band playing at this venue before consdiering booking here again. read more

There is no good reason to be seated for a show at 6:40pm and it now 7:25pm and not one waiter has taken an order or my drinks . This is unacceptable . And I'm seated in the VIP section . (Started review in venue but decided to wait to post it ) . Sometimes you need to make sure you voice your issues with the appropriate people . I decided to call over the lovely gentleman who I believe was the manager . Forgive me for not getting your name but thank you for making things right . I do understand short staff issues as I deal with people and customer service fault and I appreciate the efforts to correct an issue . The food was excellent - I don't eat beef often but I had the best burger and truffle fries . Saw Raheem DeVaughn and as always he was amazing . Took pics with him and brought merch and after a rocky start , I still love Sony Hall . What started as a 1 star review when I began writing this is now a 5 . Thank you for making it right ! read more

Sony Hall is on W. 46th Street, located in Midtown Manhattan in the Theater District. It is near Times Square, close to hang-out spots & restaurants, including Lady Blue, which is one of my favorites. When you arrive at Sony Hall, there is typically Security at the front entrance, so they conduct a bag check, etc. & then you can either purchase tickets for any concerts, shows, or events that are scheduled to be held. Having visited Sony Hall several times throughout the years, the wait time between getting into the venue, staff scanning your tickets, and getting situated downstairs into the concert hall area has decreased significantly, which is appreciated. Sony Hall has beautiful lighting throughout the place. Cool lighting is everywhere. Even as one proceeds down the hallway to the bathroom, the bathroom is nicely lit, even in the concert hall area, near the stage, etc. Sony Hall is spacious enough w/ the option of VIP Seating as well as General Seating for specific events. There are some events that may have standing or a mixture of standing & seating room. One can order food & cocktails via the menu. Concerts / Shows viewed have included the following: Rappers Wale, Kemba, Jah Medicine & Fabolous w/ DJ Herbert Holler in 2018. Wale & Fabolous gave us an outstanding show & performed all their hits. Rapper Jeru The Damaja: Sun Rises in the East 25th Anniversary Concert w/ DJ Chuck Chillout in Feb. 2020. DJ Chuck Chillout played a fantastic set that included hip-hop, r & b, and reggae. DJ Premier made a guest appearance. Jeru was phenomenal! It was great hearing jeru the Damaja perform this classic album from beginning to end 25 years later.... Comedian Eartquake is one of my favorites & his show at Sony Hall in January of this year was so good. Earthquake is hilarious and had us laughing the entire time, which was much needed after a long day at work - lol. A nice way to end the evening! Sony Hall is open every day from 11am - 2am. Website - sonyhall.com Instagram - @sonyhall Sony Hall also has a YouTube channel. read more

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Been here 3 times. The venue is beautiful. I have to say last night for Melvin Seals the space was way too hot. Like you don't feel air conditioning at all. Every time I was there the seating/floor arrangement was different. If you pay for VIP seating you can possibly be sitting with a general adm ticket. Knowing that, I'd always get GA and hope for a seat. Also be aware that the tip is included in everything - bar or table. It's dark in there and hard to see the itemized bill. The scanner asks if you want to pay an additional 3 or 5%. (Something like that). The size of the spot is a bit less than half of Brooklyn bowl. As far as food we just had a corn salad which was bland. I'm also not thrilled about being that far underground but if there's a band playing that I love I'd go back. read more

Sony Hall - Inside the space - Music Venues Near Me - New York, New York

Great venue for live music. Aside from being located in the theater district, my only negative statement, Sony Hall is a great room to see quality live music. This weekend we saw Holidelic, a funky Christmas music show that was awesome. Sony Hall has General Admission seating in two areas, VIP (which means towards the front) and not VIP ( toward the rear). Make sure your party gets the same types of tickets and goes in together to ensure you'll sit together. Seating is at shared tables. They have a minimum spend of $20 per person which was not an issue as we ordered food and some drinks. The food was surprisingly good. We shared a charcuterie platter that included smoked duck breast, prosciutto, braseola and some cheese. We also got a plate of fries of course. Quality sound, lights and performances. Worthy of checking out for quality shows. read more

Really cool place with pre war decor mixed with contemporary. The sound system and acoustics are is top notch (would you expect anything less attached to the SONY brand?). I've been to just about all the music venues in New York. This is right at the top regarding sound, design, and ambience. Right up there with the Beacon Theater in terms of acoustics and sound system. The band was pretty good (I was expecting much more, considering the hype around them (Soft Parade). But that didn't take too much away from the overall experience as I was really impressed with the room itself. When I go to a live music show, I couldn't care less about the food (I rarely, if ever, dine at these events). The drinks are typically priced for a live show. I had around 5 IPAs and my cousin had 4 or 5 Coronas and an order of fries. The tab was $109. Not bad. Probably $10 per beer. The service was OK. We had to flag down the waiter a few times, but nothing terrible. He was very polite and personable. Bathroom was clean with an attendant. The upstairs bar (street level) was pretty cool with some historical items in a nice display case. Nothing special, but still pretty cool. They could have lowered the lights to add some ambience. I don't like bright lighted bars. The upstairs bartender was very nice and attentive. Overall, a really nice room for a live show. I'll definitely be going back to see some of my favorite bands. read more

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Depending on the type of night or type of event, this place seems to prioritize up selling food and drinks. However, once you order, it's hit or miss on getting a hold of your wait person for the check or to order more. Went for a candlelight concert. Performers were great but ambiance and service just didn't match up. read more

Exceeded my expectations . I went for the first time April 9 to see Gene loves Jezebel with Jay Aston. Got there early not realizing there's ample seating with a great view no matter where you sit. I chose front stage. Sound was perfect. Was really surprised Me was the food. I had the veggie burger that was filling . The burger was grilled , had lovely grilled onions, mushrooms, pickle , lettuce and tomato on a delicious brioche bun. The fries were addicting. I wish I would've taken a picture. The meal was delicious ! Definitely looking forward to my Next show there! Shout out also to the kind waitress Krystal. She was super nice! read more

I went to Sony Hall for the Wailers this weekend. First time back to the venue since the pandemic. Fortunately it was like nothing changed. A good thing! Sound booth did a great job. The band played an awesome set that got the crowd moving and singing along. The Wailers did about an hour and a half, including an encore. The show ended at 11pm due to curfew. FYI - Sony Hall is right by Times Square. If you're into seeing the 24/7 crazy of Times Square, walk down 7th Ave. if not, walk on 8th. read more

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NEVER AGAIN. This was the worst club experience I've ever had. I honestly don't understand how the Fire Department hasn't shut this place down. It was dangerously over capacity with no crowd control and zero visible security -- anyone could have walked in with anything. The sound was horrendous, easily the worst I've ever heard at a live show. This venue is an embarrassment to live music, to Sony, and to NYC. It felt like it was being run by people who have never worked in a club before. With the sky-high ticket prices, packing the place well beyond safe limits is not only unprofessional -- it's reckless and greedy. Avoid this venue completely until it's under new management and staffed with a real sound engineer, not someone's unqualified nephew. read more

Venue was beautiful. Staff was friendly. Food was just okay. Absolutely no cell service and spotty WiFi.

No back checks in this day and age? No security so that the SINGER OF THE BAND WAS ATTACKED ONSTAGE AT GANG OF FOUR? Didn't see one bouncer the entire night. Why do you have lit candles in a packed nightclub/bar? What a hazard your place is. I've managed the largest clubs in the 90s in Chicago and NYC. Epic fail. read more

Quaint place to see a show. Tickets are moderate and reasonable right in the heart of time square New York. Didn't know about the $20 minimum or the included gratuity would have been nice to know beforehand but it was fine read more

Megan is the best- had an amazing time here. Great service. She is so kind and helpful, loved our experience!

Get to the music venue 90 to 120 minutes early. Even V.I.P. seats can be challenging seating patrons in very tight quarters. We saw two excellent artists introduced to us by another couple. Companions advised that th cocktails were very good, my glass of wine was fine. There is no elevator and the venue is two flights downstairs so note to those with ambulatory difficulties. read more

Sony Hall - Music Venues Near Me - New York, New York

Came here the other day for a work event, space was nice. The food/snack were decent but mostly bar food and bite sized, got some yummy spring rolls, fries and other stuff. Still left hungry though. Bars are super busy and slow. read more

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Another year! New York Fashion Week 2023!!! Amazing show and beautiful models/designs read more

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Bijan was our server for the show that evening and took amazing care of us. Kayin also hooked us up with ear plugs when the music was loud! Venue itself is a lovely one. read more

What's with all the bad reviews? The place was beautiful, staff friendly, fast service, great comfortable set up, got free upgrade from GA seating to VIP seating, reasonable NYC prices, on time start, clean bathrooms with attendants, coat check, great sound system, space to move, bill taken care of immediately so no waiting to leave... only complaint is expensive ticket prices for shows but now seeing the venue I understand. It's a beautiful venue. Seating allows you to show up at start time and be guaranteed a seat. I bought a discounted ticket but almost didn't because of the bad reviews online. Glad I did! read more

I'll be honest--I was a bit nervous at what to expect for my first time at Sony Hall after reading many of the reviews. BUT I had a pretty decent experience if I'm being honest. When I got there I realized that I'd walked by this venue a ton of times and had never realized it before. I had a Standing Room Only ticket for Nikka Costa, got to the venue on the early side. Was offered standing at the bar or a table (with a noted $20 min per person--I was solo). I was shown some table options and had a decent spot just behind a row of VIP tables in the center of the room. Not too long after my arrival, a waitress came over to take my order--a cocktail and an order of fries. My waitress also asked if I'd like water--yes--and she brought that over with my drink. The fries came out incredibly fast (likely sitting under lamps, waiting to be brought out to anyone ordering them). They were nothing to write home about, but I ate most of them since it was my dinner. Later a party of two joined me, and closer to showtime another solo guest joined our table. Waitress checked in on me each time a new group joined my table and a few more times throughout the evening. Got my water refilled once, was ready for a second and then my glass got taken away. When I ordered another cocktail the waitress brought me another water. The floor started to fill in a bit more as the show started and throughout the night many others moved from their tables to the floor. I clung to my seat for a while (it'd been a long week already) and eventually got up for a bit, to get closer to the stage (and since my view was blocked a bit from my seat a few times). Was easy to settle up and pay the check at the end. I remember checking to make sure my order was accurate and that was really it. Waitress encouraged me to just sign and not add tip (because as noted by others that was included already). Appreciated that she didn't try to make me add additional tip--if i'd felt it was warranted I would've...but in this case it was not. Would I come back? Probably. Maybe I'd try something other than fries. Did enjoy my cocktail though (clearly since I had two--though again, these days a second cocktail functioned as a dessert). I got the impression that the seating set up can vary a bit for each show...so I'd chance it again by not buying a VIP section ticket (which was more expensive). read more

Hello, My readers, My Sister and I stopped at the bar called The Bar which was located in Sony Hall. The food was pretty good to be Bar food. I was impressed. The bartender and bus guy were supper sweet. It was my sister's birthday. Here are the pictures. read more

Sony Hall - Charcuterie board. SO GOOD. BOTH ITEMS MUST HAVE. GET THEIR WHISKEY SOUR AND GIN MARTINI. - Music Venues Near Me - New York, New York

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"I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to the incredible staff for making New Year's Day a bit brighter. Your dedication and hard work, especially the security team, truly made a difference. I appreciate everything you do!", Tanks , Nicole read more

First off,every employee we came in contact with could not have been more friendly and helpful. The food is pricey,but it's good. I probably would not return because the seated (more expensive) guests get to sit BEHIND the standing (gen admission) guests,thus there is a very poor view of the stage. Tables should be up front with standees in the back. The venue itself is nice and again,every employee,even security,could not have been more friendly. The $20 off at meyer parking was nice too! read more