this is the place to go if you're just hammered and need to scream-sing pop songs with piano players. don't go in there looking for good service or specialty drinks. you're there solely to sing along to show tunes or taylor swift. i saw a bachelorette party happening one night and they were having a blast. good times. read more

Great place to watch & listen to pianos playing. Floors are super sticky & bathrooms smell like urine by the end of the night, but it's expected when it doesn't close until 2am. Dualing pianists were great-- and their song range was even better! Nightly drink specials and good selection of cocktails. Service was quick but only at the bar, which can be a pain when you're up in the front trying to break the crowd to order. read more

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Fun place. But long bathroom line, long bar line and bartenders didn't acknowledge us for about 10 mins. Good drinks when we got them, and we were enjoying the music until we discovered an employee bussed the nearly full drink and souvenir cup we had briefly set on the bar with no offer to replace it. Disappointed. read more

Kind of a scam, we requested several songs, but somehow, they only played songs from the 60,s and 70,s. 95% of the audience was way younger than me but somehow they were requested these old songs. Appears they have set songs and no matter what you request, they play what they have rehearsed. Don't bother making a request and tip for it. You'll never hear it. read more

This place has a lot of potential. We went here on a Friday night and they were short one bartender so service was slow, but the pianist acknowledged it for the crowd. Also there were drums the night we went which was a twist to the music. I think it can be a lot of fun if you go with a group and are able to sit up front. The seating space is a bit limited so if you want a seat close to the stage, go early! read more

Ivory Room Piano Bar - a band performing on stage - Piano Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Pro: Dueling piano! Fast service, friendly security. Live music bidding via cash or venmo. Con: Two bathroom for a place that can hold 300 people. Bumper car in front of the bar when busy. Parking hell. Tis a college bar, so the songs are a bit on the current side with the dueling piano. We got to the bar around 7 pm and left at midnight, paid cover and waited by the back of the bar to check out the piano action. Got some seats after 30 minutes then the place got crazy full around 9 pm. The kids were wasted and had a joyous vibe to the sing along, mostly females in large groups all over the place. Some older alum are also around telling war stories of 80s and 90s, they all are drinking here before a home Badgers' game. The bathroom gets really problematic after a while. There are just not enough toilets for the establishment, good luck waiting in line. read more

Really fun place with really talented musicians. Not kid friendly after 9pm though. Gets very crowded on weekends. Bar and front door staff are very friendly and welcoming. They really try hard to make it a good experience for all. read more

Ivory Room Piano Bar - Dueling pianos playing the crowds favorite songs by request. - Piano Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Great guys working the pianos. Anthony and Luke are amazing at tickling the keys and your heart with old and new songs. Just make a request with a monetary donation and it's done well. read more

Ambiance, drinks and musician were fantastic on a Wednesday night. Just a single pianist though. No dueling pianos that night, even though they had advertised that the duel would start at 9pm. read more

A very interesting place! Tonight's piano players were of different ages which made it comical. They didn't make many songs requested. From doors, piano man, to marroon5. I guess it was my first Visit so I expected more. They changed a doors song to lady Gaga because that's what they knew?! Wow. Piano bar fail.... 10:30 and house was not packed, wonder why?! $10 cover charge disappointment!! read more

Ivory Room Piano Bar - Piano duelers - Piano Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This place has good vibes. The pianists are generally decent. However, when it comes to drinks, it's a scam. I asked bartender for two Cas Amigos Anejo shots and he gave me watered down Blanco tequila that was not Cas Amigos. I'm a tequila enthusiastic and know tequilas by smell let alone taste but I'm sure anyone else would have figured it out because it was that obvious. Mind you that the bartender was the one who suggested, first, that he has several tequila options including this specific one. Also don't waste your money on cocktails either. The bartender added so much bitters to compensate for the lack of alcohol in the drink so they tasted so bad. When the bartender makes drinks, he will walk back and forth pretending to do something until he loses your eye on them so he can add whatever he wants. I approached bartender later and confronted him about the tequila shots. He denied what I said and pointed to the shelf saying " I poured you shots straight from that bottle" I looked at the shelf and there was no Cas Amigos there lol read more

Very rude staff and manager. Not a one time occurrence, when I have been in there the staff and management is incredibly rude. It's a shame because the music is always decent. read more

From never having been to a piano bar before, it was a fun experience to spend on a Saturday night. The musicians were extremely talented and so much fun to watch! They did prioritize the recommended songs based on how much people tipped so if you didn't tip, you pretty much waited for your song until they didn't have any more songs to play. It is also a pretty small place so it filled up fast. Make sure to get there early before you're forced to stand in the back read more

Pretty fun place to hang out and do some "crowd karaoke". Piano players were quite talented, and were even good sports when they'd get requests for songs that wouldn't be a hit with the audience (I'm looking at you Taylor Swift fans). Drink service was fast and friendly at the bar, prices were decent, and hey, $3 something lemonade vodkas with the yelp check in! I can see how it might not be enjoyable if there's not a big and active crowd, so maybe linger in the hallway and gauge the audience before you pay the $5 cover to get in. read more

Ivory Room Piano Bar - Brandy old fashioned! - Piano Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

Stopped by on a Friday night, $5 cover at the door. Belly up the three steps to the bar area, getting the attention of a bartender didn't take long considering the wave of people standing and waiting for drinks. We wanted the $3 raspberry lemonade vodka with the yelp check-in, showed her my phone as she nodded in agreement. After the drinks were poured, she tells us $16. Then it went a little like this: Me: Hmm.... no. Should be $12 with the yelp check-in? Her: Yea that's the special, $4 raspberry lemonade vodka, see the board? If you wanted double it's $6. Me: I didn't want doubles, I wanted the yelp check-in price. See *holds phone up again*. It's a yelp thing. Her: I know what yelp is. Then rings up $12 ........ Other than that, the piano players are actually pretty talented. Try to go earlier if you actually want a table/seating. We stood near the stage area and still had a good view, the sound filed the entire place so you can't really gave a bad time... after you get your drinks. read more

Ivory Room Piano Bar - Drink menu - Piano Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

I had a really great time here the other night but I think someone spiked my drink because I was slumped outside on the pavement after bar time. 2.5 drinks had never done that to me before. Be safe everyone, travel with good friends. read more

Looking for something different to do on a Sat eve in Madtown. Atmosphere good with allot of bachelorette parties (5) at same time Piano players were great, but the one player Richard who was announced as new to Ivory Room kept playing these random 70's songs with the crowd being mainly 40 and younger. So lots of looking around like they had not heard that one before. The two main players (she and he) would have the place rockin with crowd participation then it would be Richards turn and he played like the Wreck of Edmonds Fitzgerald and changed the whole vibe to bring the crowd down, Richard had a couple of good songs, but hopefully in the future, he can read the crowd better and let the party continue and not bring it down. read more

Great fun music. Rip off on drinks. Do not buy drinks here. Smuggle in little shooters. Bought doubles all night went home sober. Rip off. Fun but robbery. All bartenders fill glass 100% to the top with ice. They pour booze and wash at same time, nothing measured. I asked them to use a shot glass to measure the booze, they refused. Drinks are so weak it's unbelievable. Very much a rip off bar, zero value. Ordering a double and paying for a double while getting maybe a half shot of booze is criminal. Never I'll I pay for a drink here again. read more

The last time I went in, the chick playing piano kept rolling her eyes at the "Top 40" pop songs that were being requested. I'm married to a musician and spend my life around them. They know how to take a dumb pop song and spin it into gold the way Rapunzel did with straw. This piano player couldn't have looked more irritated to take the crowd's money. The guy was a great sport though. I can't help feeling like if the woman was more talented & creative, she'd find a goofy way to ham up the ridiculousness, instead of making disgusted faces at the people who are showering her with cash. What a snot! I feel like if you've been once or twice, you've seen all you need to see. Also the shared bathroom situation is unnerving...they had a bathroom bouncer that made me feel really awkward about joining my friends. read more

We stopped in late on Tuesday night at like 12:30. The guy playing the piano was hilarious and played a lot of good songs to sing along too. The drink selection was really good I got the Wisconsin amber they had on tap. They do close at 1am on Tuesday though which was a bit of a bummer for us as we stopped in after a concert. I would come in again it was a great atmosphere. read more

Ivory Room Piano Bar - Amber. - Piano Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This place is a kick! $5 cover or a drink receipt from next door to get in,but once you do, the atmosphere is fun and crowd is mature. Always fun to belt out some classics with your buds. read more

Fun piano bar in downtown Madison. $5 cover but well worth it for live dueling pianos and good, energetic atmosphere. You can tip the pianists to request songs, and they switch back and forth with jokes and comments in between. Drinks were relatively inexpensive and we found a nice spot to stand by the bar and enjoy the music and the atmosphere. Not a huge space, but a decent amount of room for groups sto stand/sit nonetheless. The bar got consistently more crowded and fun as the night progressed. Definitely recommend for a nice change from the regular sports bar/dive bar atmosphere. read more

Fun place to go after b&b, the dueling piano guys are awesome. They take a lot of requests and are able to play songs immediately. Always a chill place to go at night if you're not looking to go too hadd read more

My latest visit to The Ivory Room was scorned by the lack of space to sit/stand/move. This piano bar is a true unique gem in Madison, but apparently, it's gotten too popular for the amount of space they have in their current location. Good beers? Yep! Awesome drink specials? Always! A few years ago they added a second piano, which is when this place really took off. The dueling piano concept is really neat because it provides continuous playing throughout the night and allows the pianists to play off each other. Pro tip: go have a drink at Wisconsin Brewing, save your receipt, and get free entry into the Ivory Room (instructions located at the bottom of the receipt). You're welcome. read more

(I will preface this review by saying I've only been to the Ivory Room twice, and I haven't been sampling bars for very long. So. Disclaimer over.) Despite that, this place is my absolute FAVORITE. They just expanded, which means more room for dancing around--always a plus for me. If you're going to go for an all-out, crazy, fun time, go on Dueling Piano nights (Thursday-Saturday nights, I believe). There's a $5 cover charge (though if you go to Capital Tap Haus first and bring your receipt, you get in free), but it is so so worth it. It's basically one big, loud sing-along with the entire bar. Order a few $3 sweet tea vodka lemonades on a Friday or Saturday night...you WILL lose your voice from sing-screaming to the pianists, but I promise you will not regret it. I've never had any problems with staff or service, so I can't really speak to what other people have said about that. Love this place. Will definitely be going back, many times. read more

We came here last night for the first time since the remodel and were a bit disappointed. We would come fairly regularly and loved hearing the local musicians (Especially the Caos) in the past and were always extremely happy with our experience despite how cramped it was. So there's a $5 cover--Not a big deal and pretty standard for live music in Madison. The biggest complaint we had was the sound! They no longer use a real grand piano but just digital pianos in a grand shell. I think they said 'Slam Grand' on it. The entire sound was off and very digital sounding. Maybe the acoustics were just off where we were sitting (by the bar). Also the 'main talent' that started a bit after 9:00 PM just wasn't very good and we thought some of his renditions were weird. We will probably be back and give it another try but will make sure to know who is playing before we come. read more

I joined some friends, recently, on a Saturday, at about 9:30pm, and ordered a tap beer. That particular beer was out, so I ordered a different one. The bartender, served me a cold beer in a HOT pint glass!, even though, there was a stack of clean glasses on the back of the bar. I informed the bartender that the pint glass was still "warm", and he rudely commented that, the glass must have come out of the dishwasher- well DUH! After charging two beers on my credit card, I closed the tab, with a cocktail server. But, the server never gave me my card back!! I didn't notice until the next morning, and when I did, there was a separate charge made, AFTER I HAD CLOSED MY TAB! And, I had to wait three days, to get my card back. Which, is when I disputed the charge, to get my money back for the unauthorized charge. The bartender that day, while friendly, was unable to help, and said a manager would contact me. After not hearing from anyone after a week, I have again, contacted this establishment, to get money refunded, for the UNAUTHORIZED CHARGE, AND, I am STILL WAITING TO HEAR FROM A MANAGER!!! Apparently, the management at the Ivory Room, doesn't care about ripping off their customers. read more

This place is small! The small size is good and bad- more intimate, but you have to get here early if you want a seat. On weekends doors open at 7 and show starts at 8. We had a larger group (~12 people) so we got here just after 7 to make sure we got seats. Definitely come early if you don't want to stand around because every seat was taken before 8. Like other dueling piano bars, it can really be hit or miss based on the performers for the evening. There were 3 guys who would rotate and I thought one guy was really good but the other 2 I wasn't blown away by. The show is all based on requests, and generally the larger the tip, the more likely your song will be played. Drinks are a decent price, with the standard $5 for a tap beer. read more

Maybe it is hopping on a weekend night but on a cold weekday night, it's kind of depressing. Without the crowd, its a lot easier to notice that the interior is pretty dated and dirty and the carpet being sticky. The piano player did an admirable job trying to engage the crowd but let's face it, it's hard when you are starting off with a song from Mulan. read more

I don't get the fascination with this place. I've hesitantly been here three times and every time I wonder why people seem to dig it so much. Then it hit me. Everyone that isn't yawing at the tedious, lackluster music is completely hammered. That seems to be the only way to enjoy what's being played. "Living On A Prayer" or "Call Me Maybe" might be crowd pleasers, but after the second time of hearing each in one night, I understand how people want to start slamming drinks to dumb their brains up. Service is just bad. I have a couple experiences there that irked me, but the most recent was being told by a bartender to "fight through the crowd to the other end of the bar for better luck getting served." I don't really know what the story was behind that. It just seemed rude. The crowd is pretty varied in age. It's not above a frat bar like some people might say. The frat guys are just camouflaged in sports coats , and even Bon Jovi doesn't relax their egos enough to step aside as people try to walk past them. Personally, I just don't enjoy this place. read more

The piano music / atmosphere are nice, but the staff is incredibly rude. I am pregnant and my husband and I have never been treated so badly. We were given the incorrect drink - and not only did the manager make us pay for the returned drink, but he was very verbally inappropriate. I'll never return and I'll be calling the owner soon. Very disappointed. read more

Boo- what's the deal with the $5 cover charge at the new location? So, you pay $5.00 to get in, but then you also keep tossing $ in the jar so that they'll play your song, or in the case of Dueling Pianos, stop playing a song you don't like. I'm pretty sure the average patron drops $20 on songs in addition to drinking during the course of the evening. Maybe I'm just bitter because I wasn't the one to dream up this racket. read more

For my ex's 21st birthday we went here. Her and her sister wanted to go someplace that was elegant and nice. This place definitely was. But the staff, drinks and patrons matched that. The piano player was really good. He played requests. Played a Dylan song for my my ex, but it was one of his "gospel songs." In anycase. I was ridiculed by a couple of older guys who were at the bar when I ordered a Choco-tini. Literally. They called me a little girl for ordering it. The staff wasn't much better. Hey, wait... I'm paying like $7 a drink. And people are making fun of me? Yeah, this is a place I want to go! Maybe now that I'm'a professional drinker, and not a Community College 21 year old, I'd appreciate a Vodka Martini or Manhattan at this place. But, as it stands, I'd rather stay away from a place where people make fun of me. Not to mention the 20 minute wait to get a table. Not even a "let us seat you" situation. More like a bar or pub. And we stood around for 20 minutes in the vestibule waiting for a table to open up. Not the best place for a college kid drinker on a budget, but for a swanky rich person: bingo! read more

Who doesn't love dueling pianos? Seriously! Great spot for groups. Drinks weren't too bad but boy is it crowded. Get there early if you want a table! I give props to one of the pianists who actually managed to bang out a portion of Rhianna's epic tune "Bitch better have my money". There's a $5 cover that seems reasonable based on the entertainment factor. Get over there quick after dinner, grab a table, and hold on! Oh ya - careful with the plastic - pay cash and you can't get mis-charged. read more

Pro: $3 vodka and sweet teas Con: Santa in suspenders wouldn't play our songs. In fact, when we put our songs on the post-it and placed it on his piano, he would simply look up at us and shake his head no. That's poor service. Do you treat the elves like that? Pro: $2 mystery shots Con: It's a very small club with limited seating. Pro: There are seats right up against the piano, in case you want to get up close and personal with whoever is playing. I hear the girl and guy couple on Saturday night are awesome, and they look up songs for you if they don't know them. But my Friday night experience was not so hot. read more

I had not been to the Ivory Room for more than one year, maybe two. Time flies! At that time they had one piano in the front and a much smaller space. We visited on a Tuesday for a group event and the place grew! They practically doubled the space size and now have two pianos. They only had one musician on Tuesday however he rocked the joint! What a FUN time! The drinks were good and they offered a Rum Chata Russian which was a new treat. I cannot wait to visit for a weekend night when I suspect both pianos will be dueling!! Nice job on the space!! read more

Ivory Room Piano Bar - These guys rock. What else is there to say? - Piano Bars Near Me - Madison, Wisconsin

This place is a real gem in a town full of frat-boy bars. The atmosphere is high-class and impressive. As soon as you walk in and you'll see black leather chairs, red velvet, and a black ceiling lined with white pin-sized "star" lights. I feel like Frank Sinatra when I'm getting a drink in here. Watch what you buy here, though. I ordered a cosmo that tasted like dish soap and ended up costing $10, and that's when I realized I need to just order beer/specials. And the specials are pretty good deals. But basically, most drinks are expensive and the bartenders aren't particularly talented. Regardless, the place itself just can't be beat.. I showed up on a night when a big bearded guy was playing the piano, pretty well I might add. He took all kinds of requests and ended the night with a medley of popular rock songs from the 80's and 90's. read more

This place is pretty cool. What's not to like about it? Music? Goood! Alcohol? Gooood! Drunk singalongs? Gooooood! read more

I can't believe I haven't been to this place sooner! Dueling Pianos - what great entertainment! The place became very crowded throughout the night. In the beginning my friend and I were sitting back by the bar area. It was fun to listen to the music, but we weren't really able to see the performers. Later on, we ventured our way to the front and were able to find a couple of seats - wow, what a difference. It was much more interactive and WAY more entertaining! So amazing the talent these guys have that perform. Very wide array of ages at the bar, and a very wide array of music which was nice. I felt that the bartenders weren't very friendly and seemed like they didn't want to be there. Super fun place that I could find myself frequently going to. (made me miss New Orleans - Pat O'Briens!) read more

Get your drink next door at buck and badger, then use your receipt as cover charge here. The drink specials are good and cheap. Make sure you tip the pianist plenty so you get your song in first. And if you're a rival of Wisconsin, drop like 40 bucks to make the whole crowd mad and pony up the cash to get them to stop playing your alma mater's song!!! read more