Pianos

Brandon here. Local born and raised in Manhattan. Been a customer for over 8+.yrs. Tonight 7/13/13 the Pianos lower bartenders and manager displayed reprehensible behavior. The simple my GF and I didn't get out for the night till 2am. Our second stop at around 2:45ish was Pianos. I offered my GF cash for drinks as I went to the bathroom. She said ""no, I got this round"". I come back from the bathroom and she is in tears. She had paid for $19 worth of drinks with a $100 and got change for a $50. My GF only had a $100 on her, one which I saw earlier before we went out, the same one she had received from her part-time job earlier that day. Apparently the bartender had short term memory recall issues. While the manager reviewed the situation, the bartender came over and verbally stated ""don't worry, the bar has to re-pay you"". I thought that was so bizarre, as he was the one who was being dishonest. The manager provided the correct amount of change. However he didn't forget to dig my GF before payout by asking me how long I knew her and stating ""I do not believe you"" (directed at her paying with a $100).  The bar team acted like a group of gangsters. Like we need the bars money. I had $300 cash in my pocket alone. This night manger has some limited social skills. In addition, after the manager walked away and the money situation over, I was finishing our paid for drinks, and the two staff bartenders were clearly speaking disrespectful in my direction. Giving nasty looks. Upon my commentary to their advances they pulled my full paid for (Gin & Tonic) from my hand and poured out over the bar. Got very aggressive with me, and then motioned for security as if I had been a threat. I walked out on my own. Very classy establishment pianos has become. Please help to keep our city patrons safe and secure from establishments with shady business practices and employees. Be aware, and don't fall for sick practices. I'm sure we were not their first, or that bartenders first attempt. All I can assume, is he saw a single pretty girl at a bar, thought she was more drunk given the lateness of the hour, and tried to take advantage and got caught. Pianos has lost a patron for life and I hope more to come after this review. They do not deserve our hard earned money NY! Thank you for reading my review. more

Let me tell you something that no one else will tell you about Pianos. I went to Pianos to ask for a waitressing position because I waitressed on Ludlow street before. I have a few friends in the neighbohood, gossiping hipsters, who told him I was lesbian. When nightlife psycho Carlo Schiano heard I was gay he quickly demoted me to coat check and watched me starve, hiring the people who told him I was gay instead and made them my boss. A friend of mine from Europe visited Pianos and tried to hang out with Carlo Schiano, he pretended to be a great manager to me, Carlo Schiano raped her with his fellow employees. She and her lesbian assistant (who was held down by her limbs) were raped by Carlo Schiano and his friends who got away. No one called the police. Carlo laughed about it. Mind you, I don't make any money at Pianos, and Carlo was so paranoid, he made me speak about my childhood in Queens, NYC on a recording and any other info he finds useful. He called my childhood friends and threathened them for no reason. At the same time, the now mayor candidate of New York City, Chris Quinn, had an event there and saw that I was not eating or able to pay rent. She told me to call her office so she can help me find the right work, and told the Pianos staff to make sure I call. Carlo, knowing what he did, refused to give the information to me. He had Heidi Solander, a bartender at Pianos kicked me out, and warned me if I ever pay rent around there they will break in and rape me too. Carlo Schiano is crap from Queens, knows nothing about music, and a rapist. more

We're neighbors, love this place. Great happy hour specials, sick Saturday night electronic dance party. more

My friends and I stopped by on a Sunday. I think the happy hours were from 2PM - 7PM and I was sold when I saw the sign for $4 frozen margaritas! We didn't intend to stay too long, but I'm glad that we did because I got to try the Mediterranean nachos for the happy hour price of $5. I liked that they had chickpeas in addition to the traditional toppings of cheese, salsa, sour cream, and guacamole. There were quite a few other $5 happy hour appetizers that I'd go back and try. Pros: frozen margaritas, cheap appetizers more

i used to frequent pianos but recently had a really bizairre experience. i was having a great time as usual but it started to get really hot so i took off my shirt (i'm a guy lol). i left it with my bf while i danced with my friends. when i went back to get my stuff i realized my shirt was gone! it turned into a huge fight with my bf because we're both huge tina turner fans and my shirt was a souviener from my very first tina concert. i was devastated and angry and genuinely thought my bf had taken the shirt for himself. we broke up the next day and i went back to pianos because i needed some cheering up but i was shocked to see the bartender wearing my tina shirt! he clearly didnt even wash it either because there was still a stain from the night before. eww! who does that?! i know this story sounds crazy but i swear on queen tina herself that every word is true. these people are two-faced. the staff will act like your bff one minute then turn around and steal your tina turner shirt. never again will i go back!!!!! Pros: bartender obvi likes good music Cons: bartender is also a theif more

I'd heard good things about Pianos, so I checked it out on my trip to NY. Upstairs, people were fist pumping to MC Hammer, which was followed by a Vanilla Ice song. Later, they played some 80s music, which was alright. The crowd/staff seemed very strange. Some guys had fake tans and blowouts, and others had tight pants and emo glasses. The girls all looked like they needed a good shower. No one was friendly, either! One guy wearing a Metallica hoodie with plaid pants spilled a drink on my new dress. When I told him he should apologize, he had the audacity to insult my dress and tell me he hopes it leaves a stain! Another girl was dancing/convulsing wildly and knocked me over. Instead of helping me up, she stepped on my arm with her stripper heels. Weird mix of people... Plus, the whole place reeked of B.O. and feet. Strangest night ever. more

My unfortunate Pianos experience began with a trip to their grimey ladies' room. Not only was it missing a toilet seat, there was pee and blood all over the floor. I never judge a dive bar by its bathroom so I decided to stay. Little did I know, the off-putting ladies' room would set the tone for the rest of my night at Pianos--appalling... x10. I signed up for karaoke and a stocky dude with long curly hair (spitting image of Hurley from LOST) tacked my slip of paper onto a bulletin board full of people waiting to sing, which is understandable. Drunk people like to sing. An hour later, I asked ""Hurley"" how many more people were ahead of me. He was reluctant to let me see the bulletin board and kept pushing me away from his iPod, which he referred to as his ""equipment."" When I finally caught a glimpse of the board, I realized I hadn't moved. ""Hurley"" rolled his eyes and said he'd bump me up, so I stayed another hour, spending over $100 at the bar with my cousin. After realizing ""Hurley"" wasn't sticking to the lineup but letting the same people on stage over and over, I walked back over and tipped him $4. He told to ""calm down"" because I had less than a half hour left, then called someone else up on stage. Oh, and once again I was standing too close to his ""equipment."" At that point, I'd had enough. I reached into his tip jar and took back the $4 I had tipped him and walked out. I soon realized my wallet was gone, which is VERY interesting considering all the reviews about the shady staff at Pianos. I called the bar at 2 am but the manager said he hadn't seen it. The next morning, I saw I'd been sent a Facebook message at 1 am--an hour before I'd called the bar about my wallet--saying they had my wallet, but also had video of me ""stealing money"" from the karaoke guy's tip jar. I immediately called the bar to retrieve my wallet before my flight that day, but was told that they guy who had sent me the message had possession of my wallet and I'd have to speak with him to get it back. I was forced to reschedule my flight, and I still haven't gotten my wallet back. During an irritating phone call with the guy who messaged me--presumably the owner--I was threatened to have the police called on me if I didn't apologize and hand over $20. I decided to forget about the whole thing and go home. Honestly, I'd rather cancel my credit cards and get a new wallet than deal with pompous hipsters who accuse me of stealing and talk down to me because I'm not part of their little clique. Pros: bartender was a nice guy Cons: staff is terribly rude, shady, and condescending; bathrooms more

never again.... hm.. N E V E R A G A I N !!!! If a bar so packed that you can't even move without spilling your drink or worse, having someone spill theirs on you, is your thing.. then by all means, go here. what is the point of having a door man if he doesn't respect capacity. uhh.. greasy people rubbing all over you as they walk by... words can not describe. way to bright inside for a bar.. just no. a thousands times no. Pros: cheap-ish drinks Cons: crowded, bright, CROWDED. more

This venue has two floors that will definitely bring you a good show. I went once when there was a hot DJ spinning in the front room with a rock show/viewing party in the back room. DJ Alias was spinning the jams and our group had a great time. The DJ played on our vibes and we danced what seemed like for 3 hours straight. Make sure you check out the bar because the prices are sooo good for someone on a budget Good tunes, great crowd, sweet vibe and a amazing time! Pros: Cheap Drinks, Music, DJ, Shows more

Always a good spot to stop in grab a bite and a drink. Great choice of music, supporting local and national acts from unknown to well known. The crowd is diverse and funky. The food is delicious and reasonably priced and the bartender isn't afraid to poor a real drink. I've been popping in for 3 years now - always a good time. Pros: Great location, music, food & service Cons: None in my book! more

I LOVE Pianos!! The upstairs dance floor is the best - the DJs always play great dance music, lots of stuff from the 80's. Going there is always a blast. And the bartenders don't skimp on the alcohol, either. more

I normally like hanging out at Piano's and like to go there when friends are visiting. I also like going on Thursday night because they usually got good bands playing. Oh man, but we went last night and the sound was awful. It was painful. There was so much feed back and the sound guy didn't know how to fix it. Also one of the speakers/or microphone was buzzing super loud. And it was so loud that it was painful. I'm not an old lady. I'm not offended by loud concerts, but last night was bad. And there was a cool band playing, but unfortunately we left because of all the feedback on top of the troubling volume was all too much. Pianos needs a new sound guy bad. It was disappointing to come across a cool band and then not be able to appreciate their music because the sound guy does not have a clue as to what his job is. It was so bad that I wouldn't pay to see another show there. And after reading about the racism incident...I don't think I'll go back. There are plenty of bars on that block and lots of other music venues too. Pros: generally play cool music, good atmosphere all around Cons: painful sound in the concert room on first floor more

The happy hour specials are great, especially the 3 dollar frozen margaritas. They are far stronger than the price tag suggests. I was also shockingly impressed by how tasty their veggie burgers are as well. As for concerts in their main room, well sometimes it gets a little cramped, depending on the show. But they generally speaking it's a great affordable place to catch an eclectic array of indie musicians. Additionally, every Tuesday night there's free music upstairs. It's a cozy, intimate space -perfect for catching some up-and-coming acts. more

Awful, rude service by uncaring waitstaff. Plus the sound was beyond terrible, and the engineer abandoned his station halfway through the set. A friend had $20 swiped from him at the bar, and the bartender didnt even care, another friend was thoroughly ignored and i ""lost"" a few items in a bag. Liars and thieves. I've been there three times and all three times I found the people working there to be thoroughly unhelpful and full of attitude. The last time stuff was stolen and I'll never go there again, no matter how enticing the atmosphere and the area may be. People hate hipsters because of places like this; down with Pianos! Pros: Attracts an attractive crowd Cons: Rude people work there and thievery abounds more

Whenever those nights come along where I'm not sure where to go and nothing spectacular is going on, I know coming here will still be a good time. Theres no line at the door, no cover, drinks are good and crowd is chill. I usually head upstairs, where this a $10 fee to get in, but thats just b/c I prefer the dj up there and small dance floor. It gets very crowded but finding a couch isn't impossible, its usually just the walk to the restroom that gets a little pushy. Pros: Always a good time Cons: Crowded more

I went here on a Tuesday night to see some bands play. If you go for the opening acts and stay in the back room you don't have to pay for the main band. The lounge upstairs is nice and chill. Great music and the bartender likes to talk. Beers are about $6. Pros: The decoration in the lounge upstairs Cons: You can't buy beer in the same room where the bands play more

Went to Pianos on Saturday night. No cover at the door and decided to check out the upstairs lounge before we went to see the band play. The upstairs had a live jazz band which was good. The bartenders poured great drinks and decided to see the live band downstairs. Cover was $8 to get in and saw two bands play. Overall good music. Though we didn't realize how fast the time went. Night was still young and decided against going back upstairs because of an additional cover charge. Pros: Music, Bartenders Cons: Crowded more

Frankly I have never liked this place, and every time I go there I swear it is my last. Well...this is really the last time I ever go here due to their not so subtle racial profiling at the door. Let me preface this by saying that I am a Black woman, 25 years old, an attorney and an upstanding member of this community. Sometimes in this part of the country, racism is so subtle that its hard to recognize it when its in your face, but make no mistake racism was exactly the motive for the below described events at Pianos this past weekend. When I arrived at Pianos last Friday to meet up with some friends, the greasy long haired bouncer at the door took one look at my ID and said, ""nope, can't let you in..."" meanwhile letting in scores of white young people. When I asked if he was serious and why, he simply said, ""the guys upstairs say you can't come in."" Um... the ""guys upstairs?""... I had no idea if this meant the voices in his head or the big man up in the clouds, but frankly I thought this was a joke. Just as it became quite apparent that it was not a joke, another bouncer came up from the side and said, ""that's not them!"" after which we were let in admidst less than sincere apologies (and immediately left after realizing our friends were not inside). Sorry that some other black girl is running around town making trouble, but contrary to what the staff at Pianos may think, ""we"" don't all look the same. Furthermore, I am so short that I barely can grab onto the top rail in a subway car, much less cause any trouble that could get someone banned from a bar, and can only in someone's wildest fantasies be described as an intimidating person. I suggest that Pianos fire that greasy bouncer and give their staff racial senstitivity training before they lose any more business. Thanks to that other bouncer for trying to remedy the situation, but its too late --- they've lost this girl and her friends as customers forever. more

Bands maybe decent /upstairs music with DJ's good but this is a DEN OF THIEVES! Pros: DECENT LIVE BANDS NOTHING SPECTACULAR. GOOD dj'S UPSTAIRS NICE PEOPLE GENERALLY Cons: STAFF IS SNEAKY SLEAZY WILL ROB YOU WISH I READ THIS REVIEW BEFORE I WENT! more

I LOVE Piano's. THe upstair's staff is so cool and nice. THey always treat me and my friends with respect. It does get crowded but it's so much fun. I always meet someone here and the atmosphere is trendy and everyone is there to have a good time and lots of smiles! People are friendly not stuck up and it just meshes together in a good way. Pros: Cool Bartenders Cons: Sometimes too crowded more