Berlin

The bar is really fun...Ive gone twice because I was told theres different events on Thursdays,but entry differs though(free or admission)...First drink is on the house & theres live bands performing & a dj booth...Im also friends with a bartender & a musician that plays there

***If I could give zero stars I would*** Have never felt more disrespected in a bar in my life, especially by another woman. I (23 y/o) went with my boyfriend (24) and friend (22) to grab a drink this weekend before going to a club. The bouncer scans our IDs and lets us in. We go the bar and the bartender (woman in her late 20s/early 30s with straight dark hair) looks at us for half a second and says she needs to see our IDs. Why she needed to see our IDs after the bouncer had checked it I dont know, but I know I look young so Im used to the double-checking when I go out. I give her my ID without complaint, she looks at it for maybe half a second and says you all need to leave. I tell her Im 23, this is a real ID, Im not sure what the issue is. She says I have the right to refuse service to whoever I want. And I said you can call the cops, this is a real ID, Im 23, it scans, etc. She says They all scan, honey. We go back and forth for a bit, but its clear she isnt going to serve us, and at this point I wouldnt spend money at this establishment anyway. We are all of age, our IDs are real and thus they scan, there was absolutely no need for any of this. She mocked us and belittled us and was incredibly rude. Truly upsetting

My date and her friends suggested this place. Theres an upstairs bar Im told but my date and I went down stairs in the club area. Its Small (BUT) a lot of Fun if youre just looking for dancing and drinking. There is a good selection of beer and the D.J.s Music was a nice mix of current rap and pop music. My ONE complaint with the place was the bathrooms . Theres two unisex bathrooms but only one person inside each at a time. So theres a line. Otherwise I spent about $60 for me and my date on admission and I think 6 or 7 beers🙂👍

It is a small venue, but it definitely has some good energy. The drinks are quite expensive, but the music they curate is quite good.

This place is a pot of culture and it’s a vibe. If you’re visiting from anywhere in the world and would like to check out the local party and music scene, come here, this is a great taste of the city. Place sounds really nice and usually curates really good local talent. Drinks are good and fairly priced and the overall bohemian underground vibe fits very nicely

Garbage place. Rude staff, disrespectful, I recommend not coming here or playing here. One of my bands played there recently. My crew and friends tend to be very respectful and polite so this was such a disappointment in how they treat paying customers and people who bring business to them. The sound is 6/10.A man with white/grey hair, glasses and tattoos was the main culprit. We were going to soundcheck, so I grabbed food since I didn’t eat at all. Was going to bring my food downstairs to eat before soundcheck. This man stops us and says we can’t eat down there, I politely asked to make sure if this rule only applied to customers and not bands playing so I asked “wait, even if we’re playing?” He then rudely responds with “ I don’t care if you’re playing here and slams the door on my face. Instead of simply saying no like an adult he went out of his way to be emotionally immature.He also kicked out my friend for no reason at all.As well as later on, another friend was drinking outside in the outside area where they have seats, with a drink he had gotten from the bar and a female worker politely tells him if he could move down the block, and he then politely replies with “okay, I’m sorry, I was waiting for my friends, I’ll move”. To which the same man with glasses from earlier comes out of nowhere a second later and just has his arms crossed, without saying anything, right behind him, taunting him, harassing him as he was walking down the street and says “yeah stay behind those trees and don’t come back”. Just completely unnecessary and lack of respect for your neighbor.Not to mention the last time I played there with a different band, almost about a year prior. Our friend from the UK came down to play a show with us, I’m not sure what it was but it was like their set was sabotaged on purpose, the monitors didn’t work mid set, etc it’s like the sound guy wasn’t even trying. He was much nicer this time around. As well as we were supposed to have a dj that night, the poor dj brought their equipment and everything and came from Connecticut. But as the last band finished, the staff was wrapping things up, so we were confused. The vocalist in my band asks the bartender “we’re supposed to have a dj set after the show” the bartender replies with “no you’re not we’re closing”. To which then immediately my vocalist tries to politely show him the email chain he had exchanged with the person who booked the show to show proof but before he could even show him, the bartender just laughs at his face and completely ignores him. Now that same bartender was a little nicer this time around but be wary of this place.

One of the smallest live music venues Ive been in but lovely nonetheless.The sound is pretty good. Should be when the sound booth is almost as big as the stage. Theres an unfortunate column in front of the stage but theres still pretty good sight lines from the bar and the table seating on the right. The place holds more people than youd think.Not dim, atmospheric. Makes everyone look great. The bartenders could handle the rush between sets. I just wish the pour was a bit heavier. But I cant really complain when a double Rum & Coke runs for 16 bucks. I just should have been feeling my third one. I went home way too sober.If the caliber of acts are as good as this visit, Ill definitely be back.

Very bad experience! Our drinks were taken from the bar, and when we asked for gin and tonic, they just put water in it!! When we claimed that the drinks were not what we asked for, we were kicked out of the bar. This is the first time that has happened in NY in 20 years. They don’t care about their customers but about their bartenders….Im happy that there are more honest bars in NY.

Great music night

Check out the music shows at their underground space next door on 2nd Ave—intimate venue with good sound quality! There was a $10 cover when we went, this probably varies depending on the show.

I was downstairs for a show with 4 bands. Nice atmosphere. Small, cozy, space. The light fixtures are nice and give it a warm feeling. The band Nancy Whitaker was awesome.

The bouncer physically assaulted my friends boyfriend to the point that he has bruises so do with that information what you will. My friend in the band that played recently was told they were allowed to exit through a staff exit, upon leaving the bouncer psychically put his hands on my friend, and when her boyfriend approached him, he held him against a wall choking him. Id prefer not to get assaulted by a bouncer but aGo here with caution

Last night, the bouncer at the door scammed me and my two friends. The bouncer asked for $50 for all three of us— much higher than normal, but fine, it was late and crowded so I shelled out $50 cash to the bouncer. Immediately after he pocketed the cash he looked up at me and said, “you only gave me $10. I need $30 more.” Of course shocked, I told him, “I just gave you $50 cash.” He argued with me and became very nasty, told me “you only gave me $10.” He would not let me in until I gave him $30 more in cash, so $80 cash cover total for 3 people. It’s a shame because I really used to love this place. Absolutely shocked and disgusted by this treatment. If the management is reading this, it feels pretty clear that the bouncers working on 9/16/23 were pocketing the extra cash. Be warned.

LOVED THE BAND ‘THE RADIO HOUR’ !!!! They were AMAZING, especially the girl playing the violin !

Small intimate bar. Great place to hang out. Servixe was very friendly. Drinks are reasonable price amd size. Saw a few bamds play. It was a great time. I will definitely go back.

Small and intimate venue. Stage is not a stage, just a 1in platform. Not good. Space can get very cramped for a sold out show. Very cramped! Bit musty given its a basement but the dive vibe is there.

Nice venue went to see a friend perform.

There were initially two bouncers at the door then a third dude came out and start berating them about there not being a line and requested everyone to step back. Found it weird and uncalled for so I started laughing because the two other dudes were obviously taken aback and wondering if all that was necessary because they were doing their jobs (checking ID’s and ensuring no weapons enter the facility, cool no problems).It’s our turn to get our ID’s checked and pay the entrance fee, I am laughing because I was still processing this dudes approach to a non existent situation. First bouncer checks my id and directs us the other bouncer to pay, the douchebag was standing to the side to check bags. When we stepped towards him he asks me‘what’s so funny?’I responded ‘I am not talking to you’. Guess he was offended because he looks in my bag and tells me to throw away my water. I said hell no (the bouncer collecting the money was trying to make other suggestions but I was already turned off) we got our money back and walked off.Apparently my friend also have had a bottle of water and he (douchebag) waved it off. Me laughing at him was too much to handle I guess smh.Weird interaction

Great vibe, amazing talent, would definitely return 👍🏾

Show was really good. I love Blix and Patch. Vodka soda was $15 tho…. this isn’t the River

2A is one of my all time favorite bars in NYC, dive upscale or otherwise. Its authentic. As I got older I visited less often. But I am thrilled to see that the basement, unused for decades I believe, is now Berlin Under A - a small, brick walled live music venue. Check it out as East Village artists are performing there like its 1999 (the great Marcellus Hall, formerly of White Hassle, for example).

Really fun spot - great music, fun people, great staff. $10 cover which isnt bad BUT they let in 2x too many people. Borderline dangerous, no space to breathe. Would love to come back but not fun due to how crowded.

The best bands every time!!

The staff is alright, but once the evening starts, the DJ is routinely rude, in addition to the staff. $10+ cover. Would recommend for people seeing their friends play live, no but not otherwise. Crowded and hot + filled with drunk college students .

It’s such a cool place, so comfortable and I loved the aesthetic 🫶🏼

Had a great time. drinks were good and reasonably priced, live music was great and the vibes were very chill and welcoming.

Great spot to enjoy a band. Awesome manager named Marco makes you feel very welcome!

Typical dive bar on the main street level. No opinion on the live band section below.

A really good time on a rainy Saturday! MattPour and mamadou were really welcoming.

The DJ on Friday 3/17 spent 2 hours talking to his female friend in a satin pant suit. When I asked if he could play anything from the 80s, he said I dont take requests in a condescending tone and continued yammering on to said pant suit woman. I didnt request a song, I requested a decade. Totally ruined the vibe with his rude attitude and unprofessionalism. In addition, when asked if the bartender could make a dark and stormy she said yes, but then gave me some crap drink with sour mix. If you dont know how to make a drink just say no. For the record, a dark and stormy is dark rum and ginger beer. Extremely simple but if you dont have ginger beer just say so. I would have ordered something else. This place has been great every other time Ive come but if that guy is DJing, Ill take my business elsewhere.

I’m just dropping a review to complement the staff. Very gracious and cool people.

Rad bar with great vibes

Horrible bar - the doorman is very rude. He tried to scam us on the entrance and started asking us for more money than what was originally required. He then said to get out and was extremely rude, would not visit this place again

Bouncer denied my sweet friend because of her “vibes.” she did nothing wrong and is of age. refused to answer why and pushed us all out of the club. ridiculous and offensive and totally anachronistic. unacceptable behavior

My band played here last weekend. The door man and person booking the show were great. The sound guy took great care of us also. The venue was small but really nice and we has a great time.

Great place for live original bands but gets crowded since its a small space in the basement. Still love it and go there often.

Amazing concert venue and club. Good bands and friendly bartenders make this a perfect spot to hit early and stay late.

Great venue for rock shows! Reasonably priced drinks & cool atmosphere

DJs are lit here!

Got there towards the end of show last week 9/27/17, but Jay Aston of Gene Loves Jezebel was FaBu-lous!! ⭐🌠🌟*PS-cozy space.

It was lit!

Very cozy bar and cabaret

Intimate bar/concert venue with solid music and a decent beer selection. Great for small live shows.

Was a lot of fun every Monday they have a free comedy show...with 🍕 and its free pizza. Different line up every week!

Update: even the owner/managers of this place are mad rude. They tried charging only the guys cover, and then openly called everyone cheapskates when no one paid it. First of all, how you gonna charge any cover for this tiny lil half empty dance floor? Also, do you really think yelling that the guys are cheapskates will encourage anyone to pay up?Extremely racist and rude bouncers. My friend (we are south Asian and east Asian) pulled out a vape but didnt actually hit it, and within seconds we were swarmed with bouncers who even accused me of vaping and I never vape. This was despite at least a dozen whiteboys openly vaping elsewhere in the club. The bouncers harassed and kicked us out without even listening to us.

Great music in a great space! best bartenders fr

Love this place. Excellent new indie bands in an intimate space.

Great club, great music, and an all together fun place😎

I was surrounded by underage 17-year-olds!!! If you feel like being attacked by high schoolers come here, if not, don’t bother.

Drinks and staff were excellent! DJ was rude and overall sub-par.

Very cool venue to see live music. Fortunate to have been in the crowd to see OUTERNATIONAL!

Support local music!Great place to do that!

Extremely rude bartender. Highly overpriced drinks for a little hole in the wall place. One evening wasted that I will never get back.

Great performances, professional, fun staff!

Let’s take this from the top. A bunch of my friends and myself bought tickets to an event happening at this bar since our friend was performing. The long haired male security guard up front is straight up rude and disrespectful. We assumed that the event was for all ages (it was a musical performance) and when my two younger siblings came to the door (both 20) he immediately denied their entry. When I went to speak to him about why, WITH NO ATTITUDE, he immediately started arguing with us, people who were all of age, saying that he wouldn’t let us in either. All he had to do was say it was a 21 and over event. When I told him this, his response was “WELL, you started it.” We quickly ended that conversation and headed downstairs without our younger siblings because we obviously understood his reasoning and we would have much quicker had he nicely explained that. The blue haired female bartender downstairs refused to serve my friends drinks because “you people don’t tip” when EVERY SINGLE PERSON THERE, me especially, tipped at least 15 per order. I have receipts to prove it. When the people there started questioning her, she went and told a manager that my friends were trying to “jump her” and throw a lit candle at her because of drink prices, which never happened. That is the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard. If we didn’t like the prices, we wouldn’t have purchased as many as we did. I do need to mention that the male bartender who was there before her was very professional and helpful. I find it a bit ironic that no one “threatened him about the prices.” It was also said that people were threatening the security guard which if that were the case, why were we allowed in? This is a very racist and unprofessional establishment and I will be sure to highly advise anyone I know to NEVER go there, especially if they are of color.

This place is awesome for the live music atmosphere

Cool place for live music

A comfortable dive with an upstairs room and a basement space. Owner is Jesse Malin.

Bad experience. Very unfriendly staff

Berlin was fantastic.Great music,different varieties(90s, rnb,hip hop...

Really cool venue

Nice downstairs stage area. Good spot to see an intimate performance.

Fun spot!

There is a room with great music and a Cover charge.

An man publicly and intentionally spilled beer on me and my friends heads and when notifiying security they would not do anything about it since the man denied it.

Terrible venue, rancid vibes, sound team is at least decent but as a member of at least a dozen bands I’ve told everyone I know to never play here again. During a gig I got harassed in front of the bathroom by a drunk man who threatened multiple times to assault me, including while following me around the venue, and the security did nothing.

Went over for a little concert ordeal. Nice place, good atmosphere. Small, and the drinks were pricey, but all in all, I had fun.

Small venue with a bar, good drinks, and great music when there is a live band playing.

Beautiful venue!

One of my favorite venues in NYC, both to play at as a musician, and to attend as an audience member. The sound and sound mix has always been superb and rises above the other small venues in the city. Good ambience no matter the genre. Just watch your step as you go downstairs lol

Very little and intimate place for live music. No food available, just drinks. Unfortunately during the week it is attended only by college students.

Came blue but left green

This place is just perfect , it’s cozy, the drinks and food are amazing , and the staff working there are so friendly 🥰

Went for a solid night out on a Monday. It is a little confusing which venue is what and we thought we had inquired about renting the above space only to learn that they were closed on Monday nights. AKA incorrect information given. Thankfully, being a Monday, our entire party was able to fit on the main level and we had a lovely time. The space is very dark which is a bit off putting but the bartenders were kind, after getting past the first who questioned almost every person who came in, and willing to work with us/our group. The prices were pretty OK for the neighborhood. Overall, a bit out of the way of my usual grounds and I cant imagine going out of my way to revisit. A solid stop though if close by.

Great spot and great show! Check out Kim Boekbinder!

Nice venue with cool vibe. Not expensive.

Its an awesome place, come and check it out!!!

Staff was super accommodating and nice. Venue was intimate and fun with fine sound. No creeps, no thieves.

The DJ Aaron killed it!!! Go there friday night and turn up!!!!

Great venue for live music. The Nightclub has some rude crowd. Loved clone, the crowd is definitely different for live music for punk rock, than club music. Almost everyone just mingled with their own friends and dont want to dance outside. 5 stars for the live venue and the staff there. The DJ even played some good songs. Not so for the crowd.The name is also Berlin because it reminds me of the the American guitarist in Berlin playing for the German crowds. The dance scene is something of the 80s before nyc turn into all these luxury nightclub with no dancing.

This place is such a vibe. Drinks are good. Music is goof.

Great live music venue/ bar

A bit cozy good music good drinks

Underground venue is a gem!

Do not go here unless you want to be assaulted by the bouncers.Myself and my boyfriend were enjoying our night untilone of the bouncers began banging down the bathroom door and insisting we leave, as we began to leave (we were heading home anyway as it was 2.30am) the worker pushed past me and roughly shoved my shoulder. I was in shock and not to mention pain, once I confronted the said worker he began squaring up to myself and my boyfriend and trying to initiate a physical fight. This is a very rough bar and I urge you not to attend. I will be bringing this further in regards to legal as I was left very upset and with a pain in my left shoulder.

I had my 23rd birthday at Berlin Under A. They charged me $150 more than they should have without me signing, did not have a bartender in our room like they said they would, and there was no organization among management. The DJ went on an hour late and a metal band was playing instead. I do NOT recommend having a birthday party here or any event for that matter. I wish I knew this information before having my party there.

Horrible experience at this venue. Staff both inside and outside the door were rude and we were repeatedly questioned when inside the building (eg. when queuing up for the bathroom).

Such an underrated NYC venue. Great place to see bands that are on the way up. Cell phone signal kind of sucks down there. Even better!

Horrible unskilled bartenders, tragic music(top 40s) if your into the basics. Super jammed packed covid Im sure is rampant. And overall very homophobic treatment. This bar clearly is not gay friendly. Avoid this place. Oh yeah, they have the nerve to charge a cover 😂😂😂🤣🤣🤣🤣

Sadly experienced very rude bouncers, which spoiled the place.

Great main stream musicvery crowded during the weekends

Terrible service. I personally saw bouncers assault customers and lie about it to the police. They have no idea how to treat a paying customer, let alone another human being.

Lots of good spirits!

Went back again and was pleasantly surprised with improvements in facilitation and drink selection, music was fun too.

An overrated, overcrowded high school frat party that serves $12 sodas mixed with a dash of alcohol. With the $10 cover, you’re better off spending your cash somewhere else. Good luck ;)

Fun space for a night out! Its a super small venue, so dont come here to sit down and be comfortable. Drinks arent crazy expensive, and the bartender Stevie is super nice!

Cool dive with great music and drinks. Extremely loud though.

A dimly lit bar with red noir glow. Kinda of a dive themed after mid century European speak easy/cabaret. Drinks are good prices, music is fun. Upstairs is a little more lively than downstairs.

First time I went there and it was like NYC Rock Club used to be and should be in downtown. One of the smallest live music venues but lovely and the sound was pretty good. Tried cocktails with my friends.

Incredible venue to see live music love playing here with my band

Beyond horrible, a new level of terrible experience

Probably my favorite bar in Manhattan. Great music, shows in the bottom floor are intimate and special, as is the top floor. Fantastic bar.

Sick little basement bar. Small venue.

My friend was wearing open toed heels and allowed in. I was wearing open toes sandals (with straps) and denied entry. Safety was obviously not the priority since our toes were similarly exposed. I find it a bit misogynistic that Im expected to wear heels to get in to dance.

Always fire but the bathroom situation is atrocious.

Man I hardly remember this placed I was so damn blasted. Seemed cool. Staff were chill and the floor was bangin. Respect

Great stage, medium bands. Not the best drinks. Overall delightful time

This is just... your very [below] standard east village bar. Cover charge, only to be led downstairs to a basement with NO VENTILATION, no cell service, long bathroom lines where 3 girls go in together and take 15 minutes, bartenders that pick and choose who they want to serve, AWFUL beers on tap, a DJ that doesnt take any requests, people constantly pushing you, drinks getting spilled on you.... everything you could hate in an NYC bar. Its here.

Small bar and concert venue. Ive been to many events there in recent months. I always have a good time, but limited seating and standing room make this place a little cramped. Drink prices arent bad.

Great intimate place to see a show. Great drink options. Cool music options

The show underground was great not expensive and just a fun place in nyc nothing crazy

Make sure its was awesome listening to Anna Volpe sing

Loved this club/bar, L7 rocked the house, keep up the great work guys, cant wait to return in 17..

Incredibly rude bouncers, just wow.

Small music venue with nice staff. Some obstructed views but usually a lot of great local musicians on their calendar.

The bar upstairs is a cool spot, cant say the same for the club.

The downstairs is very cool and viby, check it out if you want to impress your friends from out of town.

Its a sad commentary on progress when in 2017 a random nobody like April Lestansky can leave a review about something and its the first thing you see when you do an internet search about it. As if to imply hers is the definitive word on the subject. Not only can this spiteful twerp not understand English: requests, she obviously hasnt spent enough time out of her sorority bubble to recognize that the real world does not actually revolve around her and her inane demands (masquerading as requests). It would be interesting to see how long after her visit she posted the review - a safe bet was that she had already composed it in her tiny mind before she left the bar. Google Reviews, Yelp, etc = millennial crybaby snitch culture, gotta love it.

Ok, not one to go out of the way for but a pleasant time!!

Staff is just despicable. Terrible atmosphere overall.

Love this small bar with an authentic East Village vibe. Used to live in 2nd and B and this was my bar of choice to start the night .

Great selection of live bands and great vibe. Little gem in the east village

A very nice place to listen new and cool music.

I was supposed to go here for my birthday on 6/29, as I spoke with their booking agent who was going to give us the VIP room. When we arrived, the bouncer said we could not enter because a few girls in our group of 40 people were wearing sandals (who were visiting from out of town nonetheless)... other people throughout the group were wearing open-toed shoes, platform sandals, heels - all that were deemed OK by the bouncer since they had even less than a 1 inch heel, except for flat shoes / sandals.He kept saying flat shoes arent allowed then changed his story to Well flat sandals arent allowed, you cant come inNot only was I shocked by this because I have been living in NYC for the past 2 years and have NEVER had this issue but I was also shocked at how rude the bouncer was being. This rule was never mentioned to me when I decided to have my birthday party here and it was not noted on any type of sign outside the bar - its almost like they made it up on the spot.Quite frankly, when the manager (Ryan) came upstairs to assess the situation he immediately said the bouncer was correct AS girls were exiting the bar wearing the SAME types of shoes they were not allowing from our group.He told me he had more power over the booking agent and had no problem denying us entry. I tried to explain how we were given the VIP room so we would be in a more secluded space and he simply said, Yeah Im not sure why the booking agent was letting you use this room which I found pretty rude.I have never been more disappointed in a bar - one, because they were turning away 40-45 people who were willing to spend money on drinks / shots the entire night and because they were so incredibly rude to us. They also mentioned they had been turning people away due to how packed it was, however, it was 11pm on Saturday night and there was no line when we arrived / most people in NYC dont go to the bars until 11:30pm-12am.If I were one of the owners of this bar, I would truly rethink the way their staff treats others and their rule to not allow women to wear flat sandals into their bar. Especially in the summer in the city. I wear flat sandals all the time and have never had this issue.A sign noting this, warning people to enter at their own risk of cutting themselves on broken glass would suffice - as again, I have never heard of this rule in my entire life. I am truly beside myself at how my group was treated and how rude their staff was.Thankfully, the booking agent showed up and was nice enough to walk us to her other venue - Coney Island Baby where all types of shoes were accepted (ha!) and the staff was very nice and accommodating. We ended up spending the whole night there and they played great music!As someone who goes out almost every week, living in the city - I have made sure to tell people to avoid this bar and strongly suggest the owners take a look at their staff and lay down some basic, humane guidelines on how to treat individuals, especially a group of 24-26 year olds who were only trying to have a fun night and not trying to start a fight.Its truly unfortunate they lost money from a group of 40-45 people over SHOES - its actually quite comical.

An intimate venue for up and coming bands

Very small underground bar/music venue. Fits only maybe 50 people, but the drink prices are decent and the music is pretty good

Coat check did not have enough space

Pook hustle was great 👍🏿👍🏿👍🏿

A really cool Club with a speakeasy vibe

Great LES rock club

Came here for a show. As mentioned in other reviews, the sound system is terrible. I could barely made out the song.

Best dj - Saturdays

Intimate but very nice

Grab a drink and watch some bands rock out

Beautiful place to visit

Cool place to perform at

Coolest spot in all of the EV

Cool little bar.

Favorite place in the hood.

Cool, small bar

Fun bar and venue

Cool venue!

Be warned! Troy the bouncer sells drugs to underage kids. Police need to finally bust this guy! Bartenders extremely rude.

Beautiful city

Pretty good spot.

What do you think abour

To loud

Great

Great venue!

Super cool

Great ambiance

Awesome space.

Excellent music

Awesome time

Nice place

Rude staff

I recommend

Great venue!

Nice place

Great music, warm and welcoming atmosphere.

Historic cocktail bar located in the East Village with great music. During the time we were there, a few New Wave bands, contemporary alternative/indie music and rock classics played. They have happy hour, you pay for one drink and you get two drinks.

Very good music

Excellent visit.

Very bad experience