Quaint underground music venue next to The Starlight Diner. Look up the schedule to see who's playing. Nice for a date or just to chill and listen to music. Elevator for those in need. The staff was friendly and helpful read more

The Iridium - Jazz & Blues Near Me - New York, New York

I logged on to their website to purchase tickets to an upcoming show the tickets were listed at almost $900. A piece WTF? I Have been there in the past will not be back if this is their new pricing read more

Service was great, our server was excellent. The food was good, certainly not the best and it does seem like they share the kitchen with the stardust diner, but here are some details. The meatballs were tasty, not served with the whipped ricotta but a small slice of mozzarella and the sauce was good, but the bread it came with was definitely like...white sandwich bread. We got the French onion soup and it had great flavor. We also had the Caesar salad with seared Salmon - the salmon was seasoned and seared, cooked perfectly. The calamari was good, but forgettable. What can I really say about the club. We had GREAT seats, the place really had fantastic views of the stage and the sound was incredible. read more

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Usually a great place but I went to Pointer sisters retrospect on Thursday ordered fries and diet coke the waitress never came back with diet coke had to ask another waiter and asked for receipt never got a receipt been going to this venue for years never had that problem read more

Located right downstairs from Ellen's Stardust Diner*, this intimate venue for live music located kitty-corner from theatre row. It's one of the more well-known live music venues in NYC for rock, jazz and blues, featuring smaller touring bands, and was home for 14 years to electric guitar and music recording trail-blazer Les Paul. The space seats around 150 in close quarters. Tickets can be purchased online or in person at the venue once doors open the evening of the show. There's also a min spend per person separate from the tickets for the musicians. Food here is mostly traditional American with some Italian and Latin influences. The last time I was here I had a burger and fries which were solid. Roasted salmon was tasty and the quesadillas they used to offer were decent too, and they have an extensive wine and liquor selection. Honestly most people are here for the music and the food is secondary, though for a music venue the food is above average. * which in itself is a Broadway institution. read more

Great show by Ed Palermo Big Band. Fantastically talented musicians, especially the Baritone Sax. Ed Palermo is a passionately creative entertainer. read more

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This is an amazing listening room, with great views, intimate and not a bad seat in the house, BEST of pro sound production which is never too loud, and allowing for conversation, measured mid show at 93 to 95 decibels, comfortably below the more typically encountered 105 to 115 dB at many clubs. The server staff is attentive and friendly . The artist we enjoyed was Andy Timmons, guitarist extraordinaire, who always pours his heart and soul into every performance. Sadly, the one and only glaring problem for our visit, (which could easily been prevented by stronger management() was that literally 2/3 of the wines listed on their already uninteresting and limited list were out of stock! We were stuck with a terrible bottle. Whatever person is in charge of ordering and maintaining stock of beverages has to go! An epic failure, read more

Regrettably the cocktails could be the winner of the most diluted ones in NYC. Ordered Midnight Memories - the glass was full of ice almost to the top and the only taste you could feel is a bit of Amaretto. For this price it is an insult. Otherwise the service was great, the show was fantastic! read more

The Iridium is a great and intimate spot to see live music in New York. It's a table service style venue. Only seats about 160. The staff is super friendly and fun. Every night you're guaranteed to see some amazing music, regardless if you've heard of the band or not. They also have a great menu. The sound is perfectly dialed in too. It's a great place to see your favorite artist. read more

Amazing club for jazz. Not too crowded like most NYC jazz clubs. The food is decent too.

I went to see Rachel and Omar Hakim perform live, and it was one of the best jazz performances that I've seen in a long time! The concert was amazing,- I was completely captivated and the music was nothing short of inspiring! The energy was just high the entire night, to which I will always have a fond memory of such a legendary night in music history Unfortunately, I had to give Iridium a three star rating because of the service that I received. The server was a young lady with this pretty red bow in her hair who I initially thought as was polite and professional. She was very respectful of the live performance, and made sure to come and check on people intermittently without getting in the way of the show. However, I ordered the salmon (which was pretty good) but I just couldn't eat it all because I had the full sized caesar salad already. I hadn't even gotten 50% of the way through the salmon and I decided to take it to go. I thought they would take it away to wrap it up like most restaurants do, but she said that she would "be right back" then somebody came by and asked me if I was done with my food, to which I replied, "No I would like it to go" He then gave me a thumbs up and then took it. I figured that meant that he was going to wrap my food to go, considering the restaurant was a slightly nicer scale restaurant. The woman returned and said "he took your food didn't he?" to which I replied, "Yes.." Come to find out, he tossed the entire salmon and all of the sides! She told me that she could offer a discount on my order of the salmon, to which I replied "Yeah, but I actually wanted to eat it.." When you go to a nicer restaurant, the point is the experience. Having nine dollars deducted from a $33 order of salmon on top of there being auto gratuity at the end of our bill doesnt make a big difference. It's already going to be expensive anyways, the point was I wanted to actually enjoy my food and unfortunately I couldn't because apparently the worker who took my food, didn't speak English at all. I understand there being language barriers, especially in the service industry. The man seemed polite, But that shouldn't reflect on my quality of service. She told me she was going to try and "figure something out" and then disappeared until it was time to give us the bill. She was moving in a rush, and she was avoiding eye contact with me although she was standing right over me whenever she would visit the table or pass by the table. I wanted to be able to enjoy my night, enjoy the music (which I did because it was amazing) And enjoy the service that I received, but unfortunately, on top of the miscommunication around my food being thrown away, and the woman who was serving me beginning to avoid me when she couldn't find a resolution to the problem, I just have to give this an overall bad rating for the restaurant itself. I was hoping to be able to speak to a manager without making a scene or get a dish remade, but the kitchen was closed. It makes sense, but she didn't come by our table very often during the show, so there wasn't much opportunity to order food while the kitchen was open. Anyhow, the night was busy and we simply just were not seen enough during our time there, I still hope to find a resolution because it was so recent last night, but considering I was meeting friends, I didnt want take the attention away from their big night! This does not reflect on the performers. Which is really the reason I came, but I'm very disappointed in my service. I would give a lower rating, but the music was so incredible that it saved this review. read more

The Iridium - teriyaki salmon - almost everything was completely wasted ! :( - Jazz & Blues Near Me - New York, New York

This review is for the MISERABLE girl handling the door Saturday May 24th, not the venue or food. After seeing Tedeschi Trucks Band at the Beacon we headed to The Iridium with our pre- purchased preferred seats tickets to see the Quinn Sullivan & Friends - Tedeschi Trucks Band After Party. We had no clue what we were getting into, we went on a recommendation. We arrived late and was greeted barely a grunt asking -do you have tickets, we reply -yes we do we say all smiles after seeing an incredible TTB show. Before we even show our tickets she says -well we are not serving food, no eye contact- ok we repeated back to let her know we understood. Though the concert was loud we did not lose our ability to hear. She scans both tickets -tells us the options we have to sit - however we could not hear as Quinn was playing, so we had to step inside the hall as she miserably repeated her spiel on where to sit, this took up a about a 1/2 of a song. What she neglect to share was the band was on their next to LAST song and we could have sat ANYWHERE. We politely waited for the band to finish there song before we dashed to the 2 options she gave us to then sit through their last song. Thank you for reading. read more

My 3rd visit! I really love this place, seeing Albert Lee tonight, it served Patrick D. was the best of my 3 visits! I fly from ft Lauderdale just to come to these concerts I thank this small venue that give ne a reason to travel and visit this amazing city! I'm not a pretentious ass I know everything isn't perfect but rhe feeling I get here is very near perfect! read more

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This place was crazy. We stood in line and had preferred seating but there were two lines out front. Make sure you get in the right line when you get here. We met the musician we came to see before the show. My mom flew down here specifically for this show. We were completely turned off to this event because of our negative interaction with the musician. He was very rude. My sister and I shared the brownie. It was very stale and hard. My coffee was cold. It was also very difficult to flag our server down during the show. There is also a $15 per person minimum. I wouldn't recommend preferred seating, the food (just get drinks!), or this place. read more

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I'm reading these reviews, overpriced drinks?? That's your main complaint?? I am here for the talent! You're in NYC, the greatest city in the world. I want to see a jazz show that you are so close that you can make eye contact with the performer. That in itself is worth the price of admission. My wife and I are walking towards the club. I see this loooooong line. I walk up to the front and ask, are you all waiting for the jazz club? No, the Stardust diner. Whew.. Not to fear, I this is something I have to stress, buy the preferred seating upcharge. There are people trying to clamor their way in from the cold. I get to the front. Ticket sir? Oh preferred? Right this way. That folks, is just a rock star move. I'm dropping knowledge on you yelper! Boom goes the dynamite. My wife and I had choice seats up front. I see there are people ordering food. Really? If you feel you have to eat food at a premium price, I'm not judging you. I just think, for the same cash you could have an incredible meal a few blocks away and come here for the two drink minimum. Sure the club is cozy, there are a few tables that have reserve signs on them. The people that are not preferred are sitting in the back. If you're ok with sitting in the back, then bully for you. We had seats at the front of the stage, saw an amazing jazz show and caught the subway to Penn Station. The acoustics are amazing, The Iridium is a great venue to host an intimate show on the small stage. read more

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The sound here is amazing! And that's all i really care about when it comes to a music venue

This place is terrible. You will be seated with people you don't know, subjected to servers walking in front of you constantly, and, the prize: servers dumping buckets of ice every 10 minutes or so. You will be charged a forced gratuity of 20% (in my case, a "corking fee" that included merely the untwisting of screw top on a bottle of wine), and you will leave feeling ripped off but realizing that the place isn't going anywhere because of Les Paul's fame and suckers like you. Seriously, though, if you are reading this as the booking agent of a serious musician/legend, book your musician at a club where people still care about music. That place is not Iridium. read more

An incredibly intimate venue certain to meet the expectations of any knowledgeable jazz or rock music fan.

Great Jazz. Going back. Love this venue, couldn't get in birdland and bluenote. Found a new Jazz club.

Forget it. This spot is a disgrace to music entertainment in the USA. DO NOT waste your money, as I did, but never again. I was seated, alone in a decent spot, not because the hostess found me a good seat, she didnt. She took me high and dry behind a post even though I arrived 45 minutes early and the place was near empty. I pointed to the place I wanted l and she grudgingly obliged. Then I sat, and sat for 15 minutes. The waiter said "be right with you" and then he purely disappeared. Never to return. I watched as he took drink orders from three people at one table and two at another bypassing me glaringly. I concluded that if the service was so lame before the show began, Id be screwed in the midst of it. I asked for the manager. He was a total ass and so I simply left, minimizing my losses. Go here at your own risk. Its poorly managed, unclean and no one in staff cares crap about the guest's experience. Iridium just SUCKS. read more

What a crap hole.Show was canceled last night. why wasn't a pick up band hired ,could have stood open serving expensive lousy food and expensive drinks.I would have hung around, i was out anyway. read more

Amazing little jazz club. Great sound and great food. Also easy to find street parking after 7 in the evenings.

Went to see a musician I loved, spent a bunch of money and gat sat behind some column where I couldn't see anything. The manager guy was a dick, incredibly abrasive, and unhelpful. Big waste of money, shitty experience. read more

First time here. Came to see Roy Ayers. Sound was great. Very enjoyable experience. The venue looks like a cross between a jazz lounge and Planet Hollywood Very cozy, intimate feel. The place is dimly lit so bring your specs to read the menu. If you have issue with stairs there may be an issue as this is located in the lower level accessible by stairs, in a dimly lit stairwell. Great for an intimate setting. Food was good. Service was just ok, but it could be due to the fact the place was packed. Will come again! read more

The Iridium - Jazz & Blues Near Me - New York, New York

** IT'S A DRAMA FILLED TOURIST TRAP WITH OBNOXIOUS STAFF - AVOID ** This venue is a total nightmare and awful place to see a show. I've been coming every Summer to see one of my favourite performers who for whatever reason picks this place, but -- for now on I will have to see him elsewhere because I can't take another moment of the drama that seems to occur every single time I come here. Without fail, every time, there is some nonsense from the staff going on. I have seen folks lined up on the street for ages when they already have tickets. I have seen the manager give away reserved tables and then yell (and I mean yell) at folks who arrived late and wondered where their table was.(How dare someone be late to an event in midtown on a Saturday evening in July?) Every show, the staff are running around, blocking the view, talking, arguing with each other and ruining the whole reason you came there - to see live music! Most of all I have seen the staff tirelessly harass customers about their ridiculous $15 food and drink minimum. It's a shame because it's a cozy little venue, but it is a complete tourist trap and the staff ruins the experience for everyone. This past July the performer I came to see played three consecutive Saturdays in a row. I arrived the first week and stood by the bar. I ordered two ciders which meant I was mostly left alone, but the waitress and bartender hounded my friend and the guy sitting next to us the entire show to spend their $15. It's sooooo annoying to try and watch a show this way! But we made the best of it because we enjoy the performer so much. I returned the following week and again stood by the bar. The bartender (a different person from last week) and her helper or boss or whoever immediately started nagging me to buy drinks. A few songs in, I asked the bartender for a cider. I'd had two the week before so this seemed like a reasonable request. The bartender did not think so because she immediately snapped at me that they did not have cider there. She called me, "honey", too which I guess was meant to be condescending. "Honey, we don't have cider here. And there's a fifteen dollar minimum so you HAVE to order something!" Was that even necessary? She was really, really rude. And I've come to expect staff to be rude at the Iridium; I imagine they are trained that way. But she was really, really rude. I told her I would have to think a minute about what I wanted because last week there was cider. (And there's a photo attached to prove it.) But Miss Naggy-pants bartender raised her voice and snapped at me AGAIN that there was no cider, that there had never, ever been cider at the Iridium and that I had to order SOMETHING. Really? I really hadn't meant it as an argument at all - I was there to see a performer I loved and have a nice evening, not argue back and forth with a spoiled brat bartender! But I did not like her tone and her attitude (and her misinformation) and at this point I was ready to tell her to shove her fifteen dollar drink minimum up her arse. She continued to nag me and call me "honey" throughout the entire show, interrupting every song - but when you behave that way towards your customers (or anyone, really) you have to expect that you will get the same in return. Is it really so hard to just be nice? Apparently it was. Miss Naggy-pants bartender got zero drink orders out of me that night. Zero. You behave that way, you get ZERO. After the show ended she approached me and demanded I satisfy my minimum. I wanted to laugh in her face, but I ignored her. How about at "minimum" you be nice to customers and stop snapping at people and behaving like you have a Heineken up your ass? She followed me up the stairs (!) telling me that I needed to give her my ticket stub with my credit card number on it. Ha! That did actually make my friend and me laugh. I thought she was going to chase me down Broadway, but I guess she gave up which was definitely the correct choice at that point. Some friends and I went across the street to the pub and had several ciders with a friendly bartender and staff. I was really quite thirsty having had nothing to drink at the show and these ciders tasted good :) Sorry, but I am DONE with the Iridium and their drama and nonsense and abysmal customer service. There are a plethora of other places in the Tri-State area to see bands and live music. **Attached is a photo of my hand holding an Angry Orchard cider at the Iridium on the 30th of July, 2016. This review is about the show I attended on the 6th of August, the following week. read more

The Iridium - Oh look! It's an Angry Orchard cider at the Iridium; July 30, 2016. - Jazz & Blues Near Me - New York, New York

5 stars are for Les Paul, who plays on Monday nights. The Iridum itself, on its own merits the other nights of the week, gets a 3. Tickets to see Les are $50 and then there's a $25 or so food/drink minimum. Between $75 and $100 a person. It is not uncommon to pay $500 and up to see Madonna, Britney or Hannah Montanna. Let's get some perspective. So, people, really, settle down. Stop griping about the cost. 1) It's very much in the "reasonable and accepted" range for prime real estate in downtown NYC. 2) It's Les Paul!!! Folks have expressed a few gripes that I will concede to such as the fact that they do, in fact, pack you tighter than drag queen in a tube dress. Unless you get on line hours in advance, your chance of getting a good seat close to the stage is not that great; still the place is tiny, so you're not going to be 100 feet away, either. The dude is 94 now. He's a legend, an icon, and a significant figure in music. He stays after the show and signs autographs and takes pictures FOR HOURS until everyone in the line has had a chance to sit with him. So, I don't want to hear anymore crying and whining about the nit-picking details. Ya hear me? read more

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Very intimate venue for live music. If you get a good seat that is. This venue has a pretty prestigious track record for the talents they bring in. Tho it was my first visit, I was quickly impressed by all the artists that had performed here. Les Paul, Albert Lee, Zakk Wylde just to name a few. The reason I gave it a 3 stars is its size and price. (Well, I guess it's expected in Manhattan) If I had done my research prior, I would've known it's first come first serve. Of course, smart me didn't so me and my gf were cramped in the back. Okay that's fine, serve me right but wait. What's that pole doing there...? It literally sits in front of Andy Timmons the WHOLE time (take a look of the photo). WOW. And the seats in the back aren't even elevated, so good luck trying to take a good peek when it's jam packed. We were pretty much shoulder to shoulder with others and the table was so small I couldn't even open my menu without bumping into other people's glass. On top of that the $15/person minimum purchase was pretty taunting too. A bottle of domestic is 8 so you can gauge yourself. Remember it's Manhatten. Overall the food was decent, staff were friendly. My main complain is the seating arrangement. If the main focus is live music, especially big name live talents, the seating better off be rearranged so it can accommodate more. Aside from that I still appreciate the talents they bring and the intimate vibe you get from this kind of venue. You get to see them up in person (with a good seat of course) and often time, artists would do a meet/greet since it's so small! read more

The Iridium - The best view ever! You can see all the details of the pole, the rust, the fade on the paint, etc. Wish Andy wasn't in the way. - Jazz & Blues Near Me - New York, New York

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Do not go here. It was the worst food and experience of our trip to New York. The food was horrible and overpriced. The bread was burnt black and hard. The macaroni was hard and uncooked. After an hour and a half wait for our food we never saw the waitress again. When we got the bill we felt like we were robbed. I can't get my money back but maybe I can get people not to go there with this review read more

Music: went here to see Naturally 7, a phenomenal group of performers. Their performance was 5 stars! Hands down. Venue: it's a small and intimate venue that allows for an up, close and personal experience Food: the food was decent. Can't complain Service: this is where I will have to mark this place down. Our waitress, the platinum blonde female, was incompetent, rude and dismissive. We felt dismissed, ignored, and discriminated the entire night. From the moment she handed us our menu, we knew it wasn't going to be a pleasant experience based on the way she kept on reminding us that gratuity is automatically added to our bill, as if we didn't know that already. "I hope you realize tip is automatically added" was one of the first things she said to our group as she sat us down. She didn't say that to any of the other groups she sat next to us. She neglected our table after taking our order (when we repeatedly asked for straws, hot sauce, and water). One of us had to walk over to the bar to grab straws. After taking our order, she didn't once come by our table to check on us or refill our water. We are not asking for world class attentiveness but it would be nice to have the server come by just once to see how the group is doing after they have placed their order. Only at the end did she come by to drop off our checks. Funny thing is, she seemed very attentive to the other white patrons. A tip is earned, not deserved. Please treat your customers equally, regardless of their skin color. Thank you. read more

I have no idea what the negative reviews are talking about. It sounds like they were not at the Iridium. There are no "rows" at the Iridium. There are mostly long tables with the short end of the table facing the stage, like the Bottom Line used to be. In the area in front of stage left, it's only 10 seats deep. It gets deeper in front of stage right, but even if you're at the back wall, it's still a great seat. Although I've been to the Iridium before, it's been a while, so based on the negative reviews, I was expecting the worse. I was there tonight to see Jimmy Vivino & Friends, a phenomenal show. (Jimmy was the bandleader on the Conan show and is also in The Beatles tribute band, The Fab Faux and the 70's Fillmore East tribute band, Prisoners of 2nd Avenue). He was accompanied by some great musicians, including some that played in a later version of The Band as well as Felix Cabrera on blues harp, Fred Walcott on percussion and the great Catherine Russell sharing vocals. (Catherine is a force of nature.) The young woman selling tickets was very nice and so were the greeters at the bottom of the stairs. The waiter who was called over to seat me was a very pleasant young man from New Jersey. I asked if I could sit in a particular seat and they said, "sure". As other people came into the club, they were allowed to sit anywhere they wanted that had an unoccupied seat and everyone was very pleasant. There was absolutely no attitude whatsoever. The service was fine. Waiter got my drink, then came back to get my food order and the food arrived in a few minutes. The food won't win any fine cuisine awards, but it wasn't bad. It wasn't cheap, but it wasn't a ripoff either - it was typical pricing for Manhattan or for any NYC diner (maybe even a little less). I had coconut covered shrimp - it wasn't bad and it was a large portion. Burgers didn't look bad either. A hot dog and soda at Madison Square Garden or Yankee Stadium or the Javits Convention Center is a far worse deal than the food in this club. And the food was at least as good and probably less expensive than that Stardust diner on the corner that tourists stupidly line up for. Iridium is fairly small, so with only a few exceptions, every seat in the house is a great seat. There is no need for "VIP" seats and at this show, there weren't any anyway. All the seats were one price and that was true for the other shows I've seen there in the past. So if there's an act here who you want to see, IMO, this is a great place to see them. read more

An affordable, small basement music venue on Broadway, between 50th and 51st. We took our niece and nephew, got our entrance via advance tickets / will call, and sat down. Service was professional and rapid. There was a $15 per person minimum, that a martini or two quickly took care of. The jazz at the beginning of the 8pm show was frankly inspiring and talent laden. Our musically interested teenagers were entranced. Later, some guitarists came out and started jamming on southern rock. What the? Near the end of the two hour show, the word "gumbo" came up in the lyrics... Check please. My advice is that this is a excellent, small establishment to see musical performances that cannot be duplicated in mere recordings. However, my secondary advice is to call ahead and get a very clear understanding of what and who you will hear, and plan accordingly. read more

Terrible service. Watery drinks. Saw Freda Payne - just ok. Food was mediocre. Not worth the cover price. Won't go back unless someone amazing is performing. read more

In New York speak it's a very cozy venue that allows you to experience the act in an intimate setting. In real speak, it's a very tiny venue whose layout was designed by god knows who. So venue - the ladies room is practically on stage, you don't have a good view of the stage if you're at the bar or if you're sitting in the back. If you're in the back, your view is obstructed by poles. Lastly, the tables in the front are awkwardly placed. Unfortunately, I can't think of a way to ameliorate these issues because the stage is very low so people can't stand. I'm giving it 2 thumbs up because I saw one of my favourite guitar players (Andy Timmons). He was fantastic (I mean really, he's excellent - highly recommend seeing him), but I really wished he played at B.B. King instead. My experience would have been significantly better - I sometimes head bang at shows and (unfortunately) sitting doesn't prevent me from doing it, so I'm pretty sure I pissed off some people around me... Andy Timmons can bring the crowed, but even if he doesn't B.B. King does feature not that known musicians. I saw Eric Johnson & Andy McKee there recently. Even if the ticket price was higher, I'm certain that Timmons would make more than he made at this venue. read more

Came here for Voss Events Drag Brunch. The show started about 40 minutes late and we had to wait outside in the hot sun (possibly not the venue's fault). However, it would have been nice if the door person would have stepped out to let us know that the show was starting late. We were all outside, very hot, trying to figure it out. About the venue - we paid for the drag show and then you have to pay extra for the food/drinks. Our waiter was incredibly slow - we were amongst the first to be seated, but some tables had food before we even got our drinks. The drinks, when they arrived, were very watered down and didn't taste like much. Since this was a bottomless drinks brunch, they make the drinks in huge batches, which is why the drinks were so watery. I ordered the veggie burger and asked if they could add cheese - the waiter said no alterations. :( The show itself was really great, but the venue, lack of organization, crappy watery drinks, tasteless food - all of it could be much much much better. read more

First and foremost this is a fantastic place to see live music in an intimate setting amongst real music fans. For those who criticize drink prices, I think that's unfair. Sure, it's not cheap but neither is bringing in great talent. You get what you pay for and the value was great. It was a full house and I want to that Lisa and Lynda both for their hospitality and a great spot to see the band! read more

I bought two tickets to see Anna Nalick (an entertainer I adore and saw at this venue in Oct '17). The website offered two price levels $25 and $50. The latter is VIP seating. The tickets are for tomorrow night. I live 270 miles away. Last night (not in a 48 hour window before the event) I received an email from the venue with "revised times" for the show and a bold and in caps warning that VIP tickets DO NOT come with seats to the show. I immediately wrote back asking for clarification. They still have not responded to my email. I called the box office only to be "acknowledged" that "yes, the website is not clear enough" but there is nothing they can do. They have since revised the website to say that there are three price points: 25, 50, and 75. Honestly, it's not the extra $25 they are trying to extort; it is that I won't go and drop the $250 on dinner and wine for a mediocre meal from a joint that is this dishonest. Filing a report with the BBB. read more

An intimate spot to hear music in the heart of the Times Square district. I have been here a few times and while the music is always great the food not so much. They have a minimum of $15 for food and drinks. When we first started going there the menu was extensive but today the food selection has been greatly reduced. My last time here I was disappointed to see that they took the pizza off the menu so I opted for a Mediterranean salad it was just OK. They also stopped serving one of my favorite brews by the Harlem brewing company. Just as an example we are friends of one of the bands that plays there. We met them there before their last show for dinner. They wanted to go to a Japanese restaurant down the street, so much for eating with them at the Iridium. But I don't come here to eat I come for the music from now on I'll eat before I get there and have an after dinner drink to satisfy the minimum. read more

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The venue is okay however the hosts are really rude and not nice. We were cramp next to people with almost no place to seat.

Iridium's mistreatment of its patrons represents the absolute nadir of New York City entertainment venues based on the thoughtless, rude and seemingly intentional nastiness of the club's managers. In a city known for velvet ropes, preferential treatment based on status, greased palms, and caste-system sorting of audiences, Iridium gets the game ball for pushing the sorry-ass envelope of disrespect on every level. To wit: I've been to Iridium about a dozen times, and then only because there were no other venues in which to see specific artists. Each time I have been to the club I've been made to wait outside in either stiflingly hot or bitterly cold weather for at least an hour before being allowed in, sometimes two hours. I can't think of another venue where a $100+ ticket earns you the privilege of being left out on the street for no good reason. Last night was by far the worst of these experiences. The spectacular band-Steve Lukather, Bill Evans, Will Lee, Keith Carlock and Steve Weingart-had played the previous evening, so there was no sound check happening last night that would necessitate keeping patrons out of the music space. Was told the doors would open at 7:00. They didn't. Was told the doors would open at 7:30. They didn't open then, either. Finally, after standing in sub-zero weather for about an hour and a half, the doors opened. We had "preferred seats," which simply meant that we were allowed in first, but not before an unbelievably hostile, ravingly angry woman came outside to inform patrons that "no cell phone video or audio recording, or picture taking would be allowed," and that the show would stop if a single person was "caught" doing any of those things. She further threatened to incite the audience to accost any phone-using miscreant and demand that the person refund the admission other patrons had paid, since it would be her/his fault that the show had abruptly ended. "I don't play!" she kept shouting and "I paid too much money for this band" (to allow anybody to piss off the musicians, who would supposedly thereafter refuse to play). She even said that this edict/threat "came from Luke himself," which I find VERY hard to believe. Who was this unhinged woman? Yes, we finally got great seats, the music was as good as it gets, the wait staff were efficient and pleasant. The little bit of food and the bottle of wine we shared were on the same low-mediocre overpriced level as they are in almost all NYC music venues (except for Jazz Standard). The late, unlamented B.B. King's was a model of efficiency and courtesy compared to Iridium, and that club had an imperiously sucky attitude too. Go to Iridium only if there is someone or some group that you MUST see. Avoid it like the plague under all other circumstances, unless you enjoy being treated like a nuisance rather than a paying customer. Shame on Iridium! read more

The question is... are you REALLY looking for a NYC experience? if so.. than this is a must. Don't go for the food(although i am sure the food is fine. I have not eaten here myself), go for the experience and most of the music! This is a place where history has been made and thank the good Lord, is still being made on a nightly basis.I saw the infamous Les Paul here many moons ago and it rocked my world. Open you mind and your ears and ENJOY!! read more