Verlaine Bar & Lounge

Nice atmosphere, pretty affordable, and the food smelled amazing, although I was there for the booze. more

BEST PLACE IN TOWN ! GARY IS THE MOST BEAUTIFUL PERSON ON EARTH AND DON'T FORGET THE AMAZING HANOI MARTINI more

I love this place and usually meet friends here all the time, but I think it's time for a break. I'm so sick of having to leave out of frustration that I can't hear the group that I brought to the place! Please turn down the music to a level that people can hear each other! Especially since this place is perfect for pleasant conversations over drinks and not dancing! Pros: $5 lychee martinis until 10pm, decor, appetizers Cons: music is too loud- can't hear friends talk more

This came recommended and I can understand why as the Happy Hour specials are a good deal. Don't order the Sangria though! it was gross and literally just bad cheap red wine with some fruit tossed in it. YUCK!\r It's also incredibly dark inside, you truly can't see the person you're speaking too. It needs some light, it was like a dungeon. Bottom line-we left as soon as we finished our drinks. Pass it.. people. Pros: Happy Hour Prices Cons: Crowed, Sangria & Can't see more

The tapas here are excellent. I also love the lychee martinis! This is a great place to go with a big group of friends. more

This place was at one point, our Friday after-work hangout. If you go, as the other reviews said, get there right after work, like 6 or 7 (happy hour ends at 10). Because of the crowds that come later, and it's small size, the place is really only enjoyable if you have a place to sit. Get a table or sit or sit at the bar and hold your spot! We get the $4 lychee martinis (or 2 for 1 pale ale for the beer drinkers). You get completely wasted for a fraction of the cost. Besides the drink specials, I really like the place itself. Lower East Side meets Miami South Beach feel. They have alternating local art on the walls, the music is pretty good, and they have some light food (which tasted good, but being as intoxicated as I was I couldn't give you a fair opinion) Most of the bartenders are pretty cool as well. I did throw my fiancee's b-day party here one year and the manager was pretty rude. We reserved the front alcove but people were sitting there and he wouldn't let us take it over because 'they're eating and drinking.' I said,' well, what the hell do you think my party of 20 was going to do?' Otherwise, this one of the best places to go until 10pm. Pros: Happy Hour, location, bartenders Cons: The Manager, small size more

Came here for a date on a Thursday one night- I am not one to drink martinis- ever- but I must say their lychee martinis were delicious. I really liked the atmosphere, dim lighting and mood, the appetizers were good too. Beware though, before I knew it I was wasted off those things, I don't quite remember leaving... Will definitely be going back! Pros: Lychee martinis, chill setting Cons: You may not remember leaving more

I've been to Verlaine couple times and am not planning to stop doing so any time soon. This is definitely a good place for happy hour, assuming that you get there early enough. Normally I get there at around 6pm when the place is still nice and quiet (and able to sit at one of the tables) and leave just before it starts getting hectic. There are limited choices of discount drinks, but lychee martini and sangria is all I need so that's fine with me. I've tried a number of their food/tapas and they all came out decent and went well with the cocktails. To my surprise, last time I went, they started having bouncer at the door so don't forget your ID! more

Verlaine attracts semi-attractive people, and has pleasant music, but the best part about it is that 30 minutes into your visit there you won't notice either. \r The $4 happy hour lychee martinis are amazing. Get there before 10:00 PM and double/triple/quadruple order happy hour half priced drinks, and spend the next hour or two sipping them slowly. The people will get increasingly more attractive as the time (and the martinis) go by, and the music will suit your mood.\r Another plus - the food is delicious and perfect to nibble on mid-drink. \r This is the perfect spot to go to before hitting one the many clubs/dance bars in the area. The staff is friendly and so are the drunken guests.\r Enjoy!\r Pros: Happy hour drinks, food, friendly staff Cons: None! more

For people looking for an intimate setting, a place that is warm and cozy and a place to have an entertaining converstation . . . this ain't the place for you. It's a bar! And at a bar expect loud music, overcrowding, and busy waitresses. If you are looking for a place to go and just let you hair down, have a a couple of drinks (that will give you a great buzz!), and good food, before you head home, to the club or out on a night on the town, then this is the place for you. \r It's a bar, so expect the bar atmosphere, but all in all it's definately the place to go and just ""hang"". more

Great neighborhood hang out. Drinks were original and food was great. The people were awesome except for some 400lb pervert that was making moves on everyone in the bar. Hope that 'harryham' has fun at the Magician. Love the music too, especially the I-40 mix. I will happily close that place down everytime I visit New York. Pros: Great place to take a date or just hang out. Cons: the 'harryham' but I think he moved on to the Magician now more

So this place was uncomfortably crowded, the music sucked, the service was slow and pretty rude, no one in the place was remotely attractive or interesting, and one of the 'owners' (I think) was just incredibly rude to me. I refuse to go back to a place where one of the owners (um, the tall white one) thinks it's cool to have a very weird holier-than-thou attitude.. (this was a while ago but if he's still around, stear the hell clear.) This might have been forgivable if the rest of the experience had been amazing, but seriously, the drinks are not good/cheap enough to be worth the crappy environment. Not when you just want to have a good time! The whole atmosphere is just a bit off-kilter an there's a bad lingering energy. I'd rather go to the Magician. Pros: good happy hour Cons: service, service, service (and clientele) more

You need a sense of humor to deal with the seating at Verlaine.\r I chuckle when I see a party of 5 seated at a 2 person table.\r If you are looking for a romantic date spot or a place to have a deep conversation...then this is not the place.\r But if your with a group of friends who don't mind getting cozy....real cozy.....then stop on by at Verlaine's.\r The happy hour is what always reels me in. Those Lychee Martinis are so yummy...yet so strong! \r The appetizers are tasty too so order a bunch and share with friends.\r Despite the crappy seating and sometimes aloof waitress I always leave here with a full belly and (alcohol-fueled) smile on my face.\r The neighborhood is great for bar hopping too. Pros: Happy Hour & Yummy Appetizers Cons: Bad seating more

I have been here many times and although the bar was named for a writer, I've never seen anyone here reading a book . . . . ha ha! Seriously, it's just a nice, warm friendly hangout bar in my favorite neighborhood in the whole city! Pros: Great value, nice bartenders Cons: More and more people are getting to know the place more

I came in, sat at the bar and tried four mixed drinks... one sweet and fruity, the other peppery, one fresh/slighty sweet, and a sparkly bellini. They were all so delicious, especially the peppery one! It was wonderful. Great place for just chillin' and enjoying drinks. The photos on the wall were amusing... I just wish they would serve their food late nights (was there at 2am) to go with some late night sippin'... Pros: Mixed drinks, service, prices (please don't change) Cons: no food late at night more

So I threw a friend a bday party here one day, and the drink prices were smashing, for lack of a better word. The lychee martini was quite tasty, and you can't go wrong for $4-6 bucks per drinks(happy hour lasts until 10pm)! However, we made a reservation, and the insisted that we sit at our very uncomfortable row of tables despite our comfort level at the bar. The waitress was hard to get a hold of as the bar became crowded and she was clearly overextended. The food was average, at best, and not expensive nor cheap. But we drank quite a bit, and for a party of 10, the $600 tab over the course of 3 hours was really decent. So, I grudgingly recommend this bar because the drinks are very good and extremely reasonably priced. PS-- they also have an extensive scotch menu at likewise reasonable prices! Make sure you call to reserve your ""table"", otherwise you may not have as much fun! Pros: happy hour till 10pm, good drinks Cons: food is average, place gets crowded, and service is overextended more

drinks keep flowing here... the food is great but the noise tends to get really loud after 8pm and it's hard to talk without shouting... Pros: great drinks, good appetizers Cons: music too loud, overcrowded bar more

I used to come here all the time - it was my LES ""go-to"" spot on any given night because it was laidback, never too empty/full. As it says in some old descriptions and reviews, this place used to be the best spot in the city for actually being able to have a conversation and it was versatile enough for groups of friends or canoodling couples. But in the past few months (just like the rest of the LES) it's been taken over by the same Vuitton-carrying, pop-collared crews that frat party-up the UES bars. Also a sign of the time: Verlaine's menu used to be etched in these gorgeous frosted glass tablets that you'd have to hold over a candle to read. Now it's laminated to survive the party-party crowd. Woohoo. more

I was invited to an after party here one Friday night following an opening. I missed it, but made it on the following day. I must say we downed the Lochojitos ... like sugar cane drinks. It was painful the following day, but worth every moment. The place was packed, crowd was young and vivacious, DJ was uber sweet and cool, plus the bartender was a sweetie. Dug it!!! Yummy Lochojitos more

It's a good place to take a group that likes different scenes. It's loungy but without pretension. There are couches up front and tables alongside the bar. Don't expect to do much but talk and mingle though. The prices are great, the bartenders are nice and the drinks actually have liquor in them! Try the lychee martini. more