Classic East Village dive. Good, smart ownership. Rock n roll. Weekends get some fratty/banker cornballs, but I'm glad to see they've been pushed back a bit by good music selections and more of a local, rock n roll crowd - though that crowd has now started getting a weird, fashion pretension vibe to it as well, it's better than the frat douches, and the type of young chicks that come on Yelp and have the audacity to choose a review score based on their whines about the "weird music they can't dance to", etc. Ha. Get outta the neighborhood. Pretty strong drinks, decent prices. A classic. And the Joe Strummer mural is a beautiful piece of the neighborhood. read more

The GM is such an asshole. Very rude and unprofessional. Me and my business partners were in East Village yesterday around 6pm, so we saw a few empty tables outside of this place and decided to have just a quick juice or soda. Everything went well, nice waitress, served us the drinks, in about 25 min I asked for the check, paid it with good tip, and then the fun part began. Some really weird looking person come to us and asked us to leave immediately. My colleague was on the phone, and I was finishing my drink, so I asked for a few minutes, so finish the call and the drink. But this person completely ignored us, moved our table from us, took the chairs away, while we were still sitting, and then just stood right next to my friend, without any face mask, lifting his hands up and pushing the guy to get out. I asked whats going on , and what was the problem, and if I can speak to the GM - the answer was "I'm a general manager, and you have to get out". Nothing was explained, some other costumers took our seat and the table, and this "GM" just stepped on the corner and started to smoke. Is this a normal practice at this place to kick it's costumers like this? Again, we had no alcohol, were super quiet, polite, left 20% tip, and at the end we were kicked out in front of other people. If the ownership is reading this review - please reply back so everybody can see it, and explain why are you treating people like this?? read more

Only worth it at night if looking for a fun-ish, rowdy-ish time. All I wanted was a local dive bar to have some pops after work couple nights a week. This doesn't appear to be that bar. The bartenders seem to have their manager and group of friends at the corner of the bar that they pay 90% of their attention too. It takes quite a while to get a drink when there's 8 customers in the place when most already have a drink. To the manager - you should probably recognize you are not a patron and should let the customers be served instead of having an intense convo with him and your caravan in the corner. That being said....I will give it one last shot, only because the atmosphere is what I'm looking for with solid music. read more

Love this place for its simplicity and straightforward bar-ness. Being what it is and being good at it. Bartenders are awesome and attentive. Vibe very different depending on mix and ratio of chill stoners to Vietnam Vets to NYU students to stand-up comics. Whatever the mix -- GO. You won't be disappointed. read more

So quick preface to who is leaving this review. I am in the F&B industry and have been since the age of 16. I have been to bars on 2 continents and in about 10 or so countries worldwide so I do understand this business very well. I don't expect anyone to answer my review based on the fact that none of the previous bad reviews have had any communication from management. In fact "management" was busy texting all night instead of overlooking the floor which is what they are paid to do. But I digress... I am ashamed to call this place a part of the F&B industry and I will not associate with any place that chooses to treat their patrons in the way it was done tonight. I am someone with a very high tolerance so I have no problem when someone wants to cut me off. I have even had the cops called on me to prove to the bartender that I am only halfway to the legal limit (which is when they proceed to accept their error and continue serving me drinks). When I was a bartender I learned to read people and know when they are drunk. This place clearly has no training when it comes to that. I was at the bar and my friend and I decided to order one last round of Jame-o shots before calling it a night. My friend tore his MCL so he was on crutches. This would have made reading whether he was drunk easy...or so I thought. The bartender told me I could have the shot but that my friend was too drunk to get served. As someone who is in the industry, and I made that clear, I asked for the reasoning behind this. As a manager I would always expect a bartender to give me a clear answer as to why they are making that call...even though it's their call. After all they are denying a sale which is less revenue for the bar. She refused to let me know why and asked me where I worked. When I proceeded to tell her and also let her know that I was changing job as I had accepted an assistant restaurant manager position she decided to be rude and say that my employees were "going to love me over there". This was too much...I give you business...I tip well and I am always courteous (unless you really push my buttons). She managed do exactly that. Personal insults will not get you respected and I can tell you if this bartender were to apply where I work there is absolutely no way I am hiring her. I decided to react in kind to the way I was treated and told her that if I could take my tips back I would and that she is one of the crappiest bartender I have ever seen. She told me to get out of HER bar (seems to be a trend based on other reviews) which I promptly proceeded to do considering there was absolutely no way I was going to give them more business. Miss texting manager was outside talking with the bouncer (which happens to be the only employee I would respect). I walked up to her and let her know that even if it is totally the bartender's call to cut someone off it would be nice to have reasoning behind it. Additionally I also let her know that being treated in the way we were treated is not right in prison...much less in a New York City bar. Her reaction was beyond underwhelming. "I will talk to her about it" she said. Wait Am I choosing to provide you with business or am I forced to? Because i think I can take my business elsewhere. So why are you not doing everything to keep my business (especially considering your star rating on this site!)? I still can't possibly imagine why except for the following reasons. Either 1. they make huge margins on their drinks so they don't care how many patrons they have or 2. their management staff is poor at best (and I'm pretty qualified to make that judgement). Unfortunately I think it's a combination of both. All this to say that my experience here was beyond poor and I will never give them business again. I at least expect an apology (even if it's half-assed) but instead got nothing but a "I will speak with her" which changes nothing to the guest's experience. Needless to say I was very disappointed with this place and will most likely not return. Only extremely bad or good experiences cause me to write a review and I felt compelled to write one for this place (and not because it was good). The place is nice but it's staffed by some of the poorest staff I have seen in my industry. Really a sad experience considering the place is well located and has a pretty cool feel to it. Bottom line is avoid it unless you want to be treated like crap! read more

I really want to love this place! I live next to this place and it would be awesome if we could have a place to conveniently go to but it always smells like puke! :( read more

While there is nothing about this bar that is particularly distinguishable I love this place. Many of the bartenders have a heavy hand and pre-12AM this place a prime for dancing and getting in a couple of drinks before you go to one of the trendier (read:pricier) spots near by. The crowd is generally young, attractive and not particularly bro-y or hipster. Then midnight tolls and it's like Cinderella's carriage turning back into the pumpkin and you might as well be at Phebe's. The crowd get very bro heavy and the dance floor turns into a maylay of heavy petting and looking for potential hook ups. Definitely a pre-game spot. read more

I stumbled (quite literally) into Niagara again this weekend. It was my second trip to this strange bar. On one hand, I really enjoy this bar. On the other, I kind of hate it and do not know why. The point is, each time I've been there, it's pulled some sort of reaction from me, so that is a plus. The space is nice. Big, cool looking, the first visit: not so crowded. The second: I swear I was impregnated. People were packed in so tightly, that I literally felt wood on my back more than once. (By "wood," I do not mean the wall). The drinks are what NYC bars charge, $10-15, which is reasonable when you are used to those prices. Beers are probably less expensive, but I wouldn't know as I do not drink beer. Not a terrible place, but not my favorite either. read more

This month, Niagara keeps rescuing my evenings. First time, the night of my birthday party, after Orchid Lounge pretty much threw my party out (booo!!!) a good friend of mine suggested we go up Ave. A to Niagara. At first, I was skeptical..the wooden tables and overcrowded feel was exactly what I didn't want. But, photo booths and strong drinks were to be had, and the evening was saved. New Years Eve, another party, another location debacle...however, Niagara saved the evening! Highlight: Allison G. and myself wrapped around a pole, dancing as the room applauded. I lie not. And there are pictures to prove it. read more

Either I'm old or... well, I'm old. I could have sworn this place was something else but that's NY. Here today, gone tomorrow. When my friends said, let's go in, I thought, wait, isn't this a gay bar? Or maybe it was something else. Who knows? Anyway, it was never really that good. So it's nice to see some things don't change. Niagara wasn't really that good. There were a bunch of pre-teens there. Ok, maybe they were college students and barely 21 kids. See, I told you I'm old. Also the dance floor was way too crowded. Speaking of the dance floor, they were playing rockin 80s music. After 80s kareoke, I was so ready to get my 80s dancing on. The downstairs dance area was totally packed. I wouldn't even have minded that but half the damn people were just standing there. HAVE PEOPLE IN NYC BECOME THIS RETARDED SINCE I MOVED AWAY? Seriously, who goes to a bar with pumpin 80s music and just stands around IN THE DANCE AREA?!?!?! If you want to stand around in a bar, just spit. You'll hit 5 other bars. So my friends and I finally worked our way through the crowd to the "stage", where people were actually *gasp* dancing. It was fun till some ultra-sweaty guys climbed up and doing these horrible dance moves and getting their sweat all over everyone. Ewwwwwwww. So this place is cool for 80s music if you just want to stand around and look dumb and get sweat on. Otherwise, get really drunk, come here, dance, elbow some people and go for peirogies after. read more

I used to go to Niagara many times when it was literally my corner bar. At the time it was extra divey. The sour scent of beer emanating from the wood floors pores. Dark wooden tables, booths and chairs made the back room and front bar area flow seamlessly. My favorite part, the downstairs dance floor. Crowded and sweaty I'll never forget meeting those out of towner 40 something women, shakin' their hips and making a scene all with their poofy boy cut hair. Niagra has gone through a few facelifts since my last visit. Their back room is white and feels more like a Starbucks than a bar but, Niagara's divey days will always have a special place in my heart. 4 stars for nostalgia. read more

I am disgusted by this place of "business". Went here on Saturday evening (3/5/2023) with friends for a drink as part of our night out in NYC. There was a bartender with a beard and long hair who appeared under the influence. He charged me $37 for two drinks when I ordered four. I let him know that he missed the other two drinks I ordered so after making them for me he charged another $74 on top of the $37 I already paid. When confronting him on this error, a little short girl behind the bar jumped on her stool, and flashed a light in my eye. They told the female manager working the door that I was being disrespectful. They did not even allow me to explain my case and told us we had to leave. All in all I was out $100+ Dollars and did not even get to have one drink. Ironically, the only person empathetic about the situation was the bouncer. If you are in New York, I highly suggest you avoid this place at all costs!!!! read more

This place plays good music and has a badass Turbonegro sign. That's about it. My boyfriend and I were on our way to the subway a few blocks up and decided to stop here for a cider or two. At about 8pm it was pretty dead, and there was only another couple at the bar. We were greeted by the bartender, and we asked for 2 ciders. She informs is it's $12 and we are thinking ok, cool we'll keep the bar tab open since we want to hang out. Not even 5 minutes after getting our drinks she demands the $12 and says she needs the money NOW. Ok, I was going to pay you and was planning to keep the tab open, but that shitty attitude left a bad taste in my mouth. Needless to say I just paid the tab and left the bar, there are plenty of other bars in the area with bartenders that have better attitudes. Yuck. read more

I have to admit, I heart Niagara. I've had birthday parties here, done New Year's here...and I keep coming back. The upstairs bar is always crowded. I stick to the booths in the back, by the photo booth. YES! I said photo booth, which is a part of Niagara's allure. I love taken drunken photo booth pix with my friends. There's nothing like them to relive the night's shenanigans. The downstairs is tiki themed, and small and intimate. It is good for dancing and gets pretty crowded (and sweaty due to the number of people in such an enclosed space). There's a VIP room down there but I've never been in. I think there is also a courtyard to smoke, but being that I don't, I've never ventured out there either. It's a great place to get your party on and have a good time. And with a photobooth, you can't go wrong! :) read more

I went to this bar because it was raining outside and I wanted to stay warm while waiting for a table at Kyoya. The last time I went in a bar was almost 11 years ago during my college years in good old town Ouagadougou in Burkina Faso. The bartender here was friendly and pretty quick at serving me my water. I don't drink alcohol, so I can't comment in that matter. The ambiance was nice and surprisingly charming. I was enjoying the ambiance and the music so much that I found myself dancing to the R&B songs. The customers seem to be mostly in their early adulthood years, which is already a great characteristic to make a bar hip/cool. I only stayed here for half an hour and I very much enjoyed myself. Totally recommend this place. read more

I owe Niagara so much. It used to be my go-to bar. I live in Brooklyn, but I am fearless and filled with a sense of wonder and adventure, so sometimes I take the L train pass Bedford Ave (gasp) and end up at Niagara. The awesome thing (or sad, depending on your point of view) is that I used to be there every. single. day. The bar opens at 4pm, and there I was, on the dot, ordering my first gin and tonic of the day. I am pretty sure there is something wrong about this in a textbook somewhere, but fuck it, I'm still in my twenties. Niagara has introduced me to two things that are now a constant in my life: - I have met one of my very good friends, Kelly, in that bar. She wasn't a fellow patron who hit on me; she was a bartender, and not only was she giving me drinks, she was also playing amazing music (her own band) and loved my hair. What more can I say? She is no longer bartending there, but we're still friends, and that's pretty cool. - Hendricks gin. I was ordering my usual drink, and the bartender there, Maria, asked me what kind of gin I wanted. Until this fateful fall of 2009, I was a London Dry kind of girl. She suggested I tried Hendricks and boy, did it change my life. I had no idea of the errors of my youthful ways before. Where had Hendricks been all my life? Granted, this superior gin is not part of happy hour, but I'm happy to pay a little more just to have the softness and subtlety of Hendricks wash over me before the sun sets. (I may have a problem). I still go there on a pretty regular basis to meet friends who work in the city; it's a great, quiet spot before 7pm. Happy Hour is 4-8 and your drinks are $3, which is pretty cool. It's also a very convenient location. If you need to eat, you can always cross the street and go to 7A. Or you can be a total douche and ORDER from 7A and have it delivered at Niagara (I did it once, not sure if bartending staff is still on board with it, but back then, they were okay as long as you shared your fries). It's still very funny to see all the tourists take pictures of themselves in front of the Joe Strummer mural. (I was once one of those). It's also funny to see all the crackheads in Tompkins Square come in and try to use the bathroom. (I'm not one of those). Music is always great. I'm pretty sure they hire bartenders according to their iTunes library. I don't think anyone in the East Village would ever have the unnerving balls to plug in their Taylor Swift, but you never know, gentrification and all that - but Niagara is safe from all that crap, and because it's Niagara, you can always play the following drinking game: every time a Ramones song comes on, take a shot. Open a tab if you do. Do not go on weekends or later at night unless you want to feel very very intimate by everyone living in Lower Manhattan. Maybe that's what you want and in that case, godspeed. read more

My friends always want to come to Niagra when we're in the hood looking for a bar. I'm not sure exactly why because it's SUPER crowded on the weekends. I think it's just because everyone's been here at some point and it's conveniently located on an East Village corner. Yeah, they also play some good music and there's a decent crowd. You can see a girl push her wait out the bar in a drunken huff and then eat it on the concrete after she trips down the stairs. You can also have a loud, drunken conversation about the new MTV show "Jersey Shore" and then head to Criff Dogs for some late night eating action.... or Plan B for some actual dancing... which you can't do at Niagra. read more

I was charged $17 dollars for a plastic cup of spoiled house wine, it literally tasted like feet. The outdoor seating is convenient but doesn't make up for the substandard management and service. Generally an unsavory presence in the neighborhood. I won't be going here again. read more

Nice. Downstairs was crowded but the upstairs was comfortable. I don't even remember the music, maybe it was really low? (atleast upstairs) My Bud Lights were $5. read more

This place sucks. Came here for a friend's birthday last weekend. She loves breaking it down on the dance floor, so I expected this place to be popping with good music and a huge dance floor. When I walked in, it was surprisingly small in the front. The bar took up a lot of space. If you keep walking towards the back, there's a small coat check area and bathrooms on the side and a large dark room in the back. It looks like a dance floor, but there's an awkward divide in the middle that cuts the room in half. Oh and don't even get me started on the music. I have no idea what they were playing, but it wasn't music you could dance to. It wasn't something you could ignore or talk over either. Anyway, I didn't want to say anything to my friend since she chose the bar and it was her birthday. But when she arrived and heard what I heard, she immediately wanted to bounce. Apparently, her friend gave her a recommendation and she took it. Luckily, we got out within half an hour and went to another, better bar instead. Would not recommend coming here. Ever. read more

Meh. Just not really my scene. It was insanely loud on a Friday night, with a mixed crowd of drunken girls waiting for the bathroom and douchey guys standing elbow to elbow waiting for the drunken girls to come back. Music was sort of clubby. Could have potential on a week night maybe. read more

Another bar that can be good if you hit it at the right time and at other times can be very annoying. I've had some good times, I've had some weird times and I've had some times where I've walked in and just thought, nope and walked back out. Funny, I've never been in the basement...I don't think I even realized they had a basement bar. I like getting drunk and using the photo booth with my friends. And the happy hour is a good deal. read more

Not a bad place to stop off on a night of Bar Hopping through the East Village. It can get pretty packed on the weekend late night, which makes it pretty hard to get a drink. Clientele is the norm for the EV. The coolest thing about this place is that they have local artists showing their works in the back room pretty regularly. The art is sometimes cool, sometimes just plain weird, which can be pretty funny depending how drunk you are.... And they also have Big Buck Hunter, which improves any dive bar by 38.2%. Oh, and one of those old timey photo booths, if you're into that sort of thing.... ** They have a credit card minimum of like $20 bucks, so bring cash if you're just going for a round. ** read more

$26 for a double well? Outrageous. Music selection was outstanding. DJ said no requests but played In Da Club for us anyways. He was an absolute champion. Bud light bottles were great for performing our own rendition of hot cross buns (we don't expect anyone else to be able to do this). read more

Yeah this place actually scores a solid five. Of course sightings of me had occurred all over the village by the time I made it here... so maybe my memory is blurred. This place was packed on a Saturday night, so squeeze tight through the first floor. It is worth it getting downstairs for the crazy dance party waiting for you. Beware of the $20 credit card minimum. Normally this wouldn't have been a problem for me, but as I said before, I had been sighted many-a-place before Niagara. read more

Having spent more than a few Saturday nights here I feel it's time for a review. This place from what I've seen is completely different on weekends, more bro'y even then during the week so take this review with that in mind. PROS: 1) Strong drinks (props to the girl bartender in the back) 2) Great music (80s/90s/Top 40s) 3) Cool crowd, everybody's looking to have fun. CONS: 1) Packed, seriously at 12:30 AM I could hardly walk through the bar 2) Wait for said "strong drinks" can take a while. 3) Forced coat check to go in the back dance room (only notable during the colder months). OVERALL: A fun spot to check out, but it can be hit or miss depending on how crowded it gets. Above average but by no means my favorite bar in the area. read more

They bouncer was super cool and didn't care about gender ratios, but the inside of the place was packed, especially the dance floor. Don't be misled, folks. Those are mirrors and not a whole other room. I watched so many people walk in thinking there were two dance floors, only to leave disappointed. Be prepared to throw elbows at bros also. The music choices from the DJ were kind of weird. I guess nobody told her that you only play songs like "Shout" and "Twist and Shout" at the end of the night when you want people to leave. read more

cool bar to just grab a drink and hang out with friends up stairs--or head downstairs [on a night that it's open and a good dj is playing] and get your dance on. The drinks are reasonably priced and the crowd is decent. If you're planning to make a night out of Niagara, it's kind of a 50/50 chance that It's either really fun or really dead. Have a back up plan read more

I hate to admit it, but I love shaking my groove thang at this place. When my girlfriends and I just want to go out and have a good time we come here. Also, I have met a couple of cute boys here and that is definitely never a bad thing. I hardly ever go upstairs and drink. I walk through the door and head right downstairs where all the action is. The drinks are fairly priced as well. If you want to dance and not be around a bunch of stuffy boring people then I would recommend going to Niagara's. read more

Even though my new Yelp friend Jill didn't like this place (wanted to bang her head against a wall in disgust) I had a good time here the other night. Granted... I was little "tipsy" and hanging with Yelp employees :) The upstairs bar is long and narrow. It was cramped but we had a nice corner carved out by the door. I don't remember anything about the drinks except that my wife was drinking 12 year old something and liked it (honestly she gets a different drink in every bar). At some point someone said "let's go downstairs." "Downstairs?" I didn't know there was a downstairs. 2 rooms downstairs ... both playing cheesy music that for some reason I loved. It was kind of hard to get a drink downstairs but the 7 foot tall hottie bartender made me forget that I was I thirsty. I wouldn't plan an evening around this place but stumbling in was fine by me. read more

Fun dive bar with a dance floor in the back! I always have a good time when I come here. Pros: Fun and often corny music that will make you want to dance all night Pretty decent prices for drinks Cons: Overly crowded on weekend nights, like seriously can be hard to move around DJ's say they'll take your requests, but usually don't (womp womp) Just a tip, watch out for the girl bartender in the back, her pours are crazy heavy and she WILL get you wasted! read more

This was the first bar I ever came to in New York, long before I lived here. Most of the bartenders are awesome, and the little space downstairs is really cute for live music. Yes, I said "cute" for live music. Whatever. Anyways, there is one bartender who works in the day on Sunday I think, and he pours the best guiness ever. He really really does. Plus there is a photo booth. Plus they just got a jukebox. Plus they have good D.J.'s I will always love this bar, no matter how much the village changes and gets more yuppified and UES...a certain bit of nostalgia stays with me and gets me excited about living in New York every time I walk in. read more

This place is so weird and random and yet so fun. You walk in and it looks like every other boring bar, and luckily I was with some friends that knew to go downstairs. You go downstairs and there are people flailing their arms everywhere having the time of their life, people dancing on tables or stages (I don't even know), and the tiniest little tiki bar in the corner (and I'm pretty sure someone was probably dancing on that as well). Then you go deeper and there is a "VIP Lounge." Yeah, whatever, you just walk right in. Then in the VIP lounge there is another little nook. I bet there are even more hidden passages in the place that I don't even know about. You go there and it seems like everyone's having a good time with some good music... can't really go wrong here, just bypass the boring upstairs area (I am pretty sure they were playing some boring music up there as well). read more

I felt like such a toooourist taking a photo of my little brother in front of the Joe Strummer mural, but then, I did the same thing some years back, so what am I too good to take pictures in front of a Joe Strummer mural? No man, not me. Not too good for that at all. Good ole Joe. Anyway, so I haven't been to Niagara in a while. ("Niagara... Slowly I turned) So, we went in for a wee drinky and the the music was pretty good and then a little later, or much later, everybody suddenly seemed to have started dancing, and I'm all for people breaking out into dances and dancing a step. We actually ended up staying a lot longer than planned and I'll a certainly back. Funnnnn... read more

Niagara refuses to provide customers water for less than $3. This should be a free service. This is a safety concern.

The drinks are kinda pricy for the size and they charged my friend for water: but the dance floor and atmosphere made up for it and the music was pretty good. read more

Stumbled into Niagara last night, and was glad we did. The bar is made up of a series of rooms, you can start off in the front room, which is pretty much a standard bar. Then more inwards is a decent seating area, some cool booths to slide into. Downstairs is sort of a half-baked tiki lounge, they used to have more tropical fruity drinks but I guess stopped that madness, a darn shame in my mind. Finally, they have a downstairs side space that also has another bar, but serves as a makeshift art gallery. Good, drinking crowd, and fair number of East Village hipsters give the place a nice overall vibe. I'd probably even give this place 4.5 stars, if they still served a Scorpion Bowl (the key to my liver). read more

You have to be in the right mood to enjoy Niagara. And by the right mood, I mean drunk. Head to Niagara when you've already done a bit (read: lot) of pregaming and are feeling nostalgic for the old college party scene. Descend into the bowels of Niagara, where college kids, recent grads, and a few intrepid older patrons are getting down like they don't care who's watching. They don't. They may not even be aware that anyone's watching, or of where they are. This may not sound like a great review so far. But the fact is, I've known to only come here when very drunk, and from what I remember I had a great time, embarrassed myself immensely, and had funny stories to hear and tell for days afterwards (I can assure Courtney that I was not the gentleman who threatened to pee on her boyfriend's leg). So I say thumbs up, whenever your liver can handle it. read more

Everyone loves a throwback, but in my opinion most DJs stick to the same throwbacks--ignition remix, wasn't me, etc etc. If you're as sick of those two songs as I am (which you probably aren't, honestly, since literally no one agrees with me on this), then you'll love Niagara. Niagara forgoes the classic 90's throwbacks in favor of something even better -- 70's throwbacks! The bar may be a bit too crowded for comfort, but at least the music is always on point. If you're jonesing for a taste of Disco Fever than this is the place for you. The drinks are overpriced, but that's pretty much unavoidable anywhere. read more

I stopped in here for a drink while waiting on a table at a popular restaurant nearby. It was dimly lighted with a small bar all in a very long narrow space. I never saw the infamous photo machine, but I did catch the $6 Hefeweizens on tap. The bartender was pretty capable, and the clientele was a motley assortment of young, casually dressed people. It was fine to catch a drink, but I did not have any interest in staying for a long time. There was just nothing to catch the eye or ears. 2.75 stars (rounded up) read more