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    Cafe Wha?

    3.4 (487 reviews)
    Closed Closed
    Updated 2 months ago

    Cafe Wha? Photos

    CAFE WHA? ATMOSPHERE

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

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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

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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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    Grove Street Social has an excellent happy hour with a million choices of food! When I'm looking…read morefor a happy hour, I'm always looking for one with bar food. We had the sliders, mozz sticks & fried pickles and were happy with all of them and the prices. Drinks were also good. This place is very small, with maybe 3 tables, a small couch seating area, and seats around the bar. To snag a happy hour table, getting there before 5 is preferable. It can get loud in there, but it's a great spot!

    We met up for happy hour at Grove Street Social with friends--one who has lived in the West Village…read morefor over a decade and another visiting from Pennsylvania. It ended up being a nice spot for a casual catch-up, though with a few mixed impressions. The space itself is cute and very much feels like a neighborhood bar. One of the things we liked most was that they have games available--we ended up playing Scrabble while waiting for our friend to arrive, which made the time go by quickly and added to the relaxed vibe. Happy hour prices are solid, and the fried pickles we shared were decent. I also had a watermelon cocktail that was refreshing and perfectly fine, if not particularly memorable. Service was a bit inconsistent. The bartender wasn't very warm or welcoming to us initially, though that changed once our friend--who is a regular--arrived. Overall, it's a comfortable spot to meet friends and hang out for a few hours, especially on a weekday like Thursday. That said, I probably wouldn't go out of my way to return, but I can see why it works well as a local neighborhood hang.

    Photos
    Interior
    Interior
    Lamb chops
    Lamb chops
    Grove Street Social

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    Dear Strangers

    Dear Strangers

    4.3
    (29 reviews)
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    Dear Strangers is a wonderful hidden gem! We celebrated Valentine's Day there last night and while…read morethe restaurant was incredibly busy, we never felt overlooked or underserved. The owners were milling around making sure everyone was well taken care of and the wait staff were kind and personable. Now the food...AMAZING!!! Every bite we took was wonderful and so surprising with creative combinations and gorgeously presented. The restaurant itself was hip and refined and seemed to be the happening spot of the night. We will certainly be back!

    Met up with friends here for dinner before a show near Washington square. It wasn't super crowded…read morewhen we arrived around 6pm (maybe due to the extreme cold that day) but started filling up gradually. I loved the ambiance and decor, very cozy. As for food, there were some true hits but most of the food was good but basic. The highlights for me were the wild mushrooms & rice cakes as well as the Caesar salad - loved the use of nori in the salad and would definitely come back for the mushrooms. The chicken cutlet and chicken dumplings were fine but I probably wouldn't order them again. The wait staff weren't super attentive nor super warm, but they were efficient when we asked for water refills, etc. There was ample standing room at the bar while we waited for our friends, but the table/booth that we sat at was super narrow, I was knocking knees with my friend all night and generally felt squished.

    Photos
    Dear Strangers
    Dear Strangers
    Smoked chicken croquettes

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    Sip & Guzzle

    Sip & Guzzle

    4.1
    (290 reviews)
    0.1 mi

    Came for just drinks at the bar. The vibe is dark and cozy. Even though the bar was full we were…read moreable to stand along the wall with a decent amount of space. Super delicious and unique. We got the Miami vice negroni and the wagyu old fashioned. The negroni was a strawberry take on the negroni and definitely less bitter and more sweet. The wagyu old fashioned was RICH. My partner liked it, especially that it came with a piece of meat on top. The mouth feel was creamy. Didn't taste the peanut butter though.

    Five stars if we not counting price. Very good burger, bun didnt get soggy and meat was charred…read morewell which i feel most of these gourmet burgers dont do well. Flavors were great too, most times i feel these burgers just grease bombs with no acidity to cut through besides two pickles However sip n guzzle burger was very well balanced where i did not need to ask for extra pickles, really enjoyed it, maybe the number burger for me in nyc My only complaint is price, 35$ is wild, i know its cuz they use a5 miyazaki wagyu but wagyu burgers is just a gimmick to upsale. Grinding the meat destroys all the hard work of the Japanese cattle farmers. In a burger you can effectively create a wagyu burgers just by adjusting the ratio of fat and meat so using wagyu and regular beef to get to a 60/40 blend is the same. I guess my complaint is mostly just to wagyu burgers lol

    Photos
    Bar Area by the entrance
    Bar Area by the entrance
    Hand rolls $
    Hand rolls $
    Wagyu old fashioned

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    Wagyu old fashioned

    Cafe Wha? - musicvenues - Updated July 2026

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