Music & Nightlife

Where to go out

26 rooms, with honest notes on the door, the cover and the sound.3 carry a score; the rest are on the list and not scored yet.

See all 26 on the map

Start with these

Our favorite rooms in the city
9.9H0L0ClubRidgewoodVaries by nightOn the MUSEENYC M ListThe best-tuned sound system we have heard in New York — deep, loud, and somehow never harsh.9.8Cellar DogJazzWest VillageSmall cover, cashOn the MUSEENYC M ListJazz downstairs, ping pong and shuffleboard in the same room, and the only cover charge in the city we would call cheap.9.6BasementClubMaspethTickets, bought aheadOn the MUSEENYC M ListThe techno club under Knockdown Center in Maspeth, and a world of its own until morning.Rating TBD3 Dollar BillQueerWilliamsburgVaries by nightBrooklyn's biggest queer venue, with an outdoor patio and something different every night.Rating TBDBarbèsLive musicPark SlopeSuggested donationA back room in Park Slope where the music is from everywhere and the door is a hat.Rating TBDBill's PlaceJazzHarlemSet fee, cashA jazz speakeasy in a brownstone parlor, on the block where Billie Holiday was discovered.Rating TBDBossa Nova Civic ClubClubBushwickSmall coverThe little tropical room that built Brooklyn techno.Rating TBDElsewhereClubBushwickTicketed per roomSeveral rooms and a rooftop under one roof, all running at once.Rating TBDGabrielaClubWilliamsburgVariesDisco and Italo in a small Moroccan-style room that feels like a house party.Rating TBDGood RoomClubGreenpointDepends on the bookingA real dance floor with a bar room next door, booking bigger DJs than you would expect.

By neighborhood

RidgewoodClubWest VillageJazzMaspethClub · WarehouseHudson SquareLatin & salsaLower East SideCabaretEast VillageJazzGreenwich VillageLive musicChelseaClubUpper West SideJazzHarlemJazz · Live musicWashington HeightsLive musicWilliamsburgQueer · ClubGreenpointClubPark SlopeLive musicBushwickClub · WarehouseGowanusClub

By kind of night

Club11 spots · 7 hoodsJazz6 spots · 4 hoodsWarehouse2 spots · 2 hoodsLive music4 spots · 4 hoodsQueer1 spot · 1 hoodLatin & salsa1 spot · 1 hoodCabaret1 spot · 1 hood

Everywhere worth going

9.9H0L0ClubRidgewoodVaries by nightOn the MUSEENYC M ListThe best-tuned sound system we have heard in New York — deep, loud, and somehow never harsh.9.8Cellar DogJazzWest VillageSmall cover, cashOn the MUSEENYC M ListJazz downstairs, ping pong and shuffleboard in the same room, and the only cover charge in the city we would call cheap.9.6BasementClubMaspethTickets, bought aheadOn the MUSEENYC M ListThe techno club under Knockdown Center in Maspeth, and a world of its own until morning.Rating TBD3 Dollar BillQueerWilliamsburgVaries by nightBrooklyn's biggest queer venue, with an outdoor patio and something different every night.Rating TBDBarbèsLive musicPark SlopeSuggested donationA back room in Park Slope where the music is from everywhere and the door is a hat.Rating TBDBill's PlaceJazzHarlemSet fee, cashA jazz speakeasy in a brownstone parlor, on the block where Billie Holiday was discovered.Rating TBDBossa Nova Civic ClubClubBushwickSmall coverThe little tropical room that built Brooklyn techno.Rating TBDElsewhereClubBushwickTicketed per roomSeveral rooms and a rooftop under one roof, all running at once.Rating TBDGabrielaClubWilliamsburgVariesDisco and Italo in a small Moroccan-style room that feels like a house party.Rating TBDGood RoomClubGreenpointDepends on the bookingA real dance floor with a bar room next door, booking bigger DJs than you would expect.Rating TBDHouse of YesClubBushwickTicketedAerialists, themed nights, and a consent policy they take seriously.Rating TBDKnockdown CenterWarehouseMaspethTicketedA former glass factory with huge rooms, an outdoor yard, and Basement underneath.Rating TBDLe Poisson RougeLive musicGreenwich VillageTicketedA Bleecker Street basement that books classical, jazz, electronic and rap in the same week.Rating TBDMansionsClubRidgewoodUsually free earlyA natural wine bar with a dance floor. Turns out that is what everyone wanted.Rating TBDMarquee New YorkClubChelseaTable minimumsBig-room house, LEDs everywhere, and a bottle minimum that's the real cover charge.Rating TBDNowadaysClubRidgewoodVaries by nightA backyard that turns into a club, and a Sunday party that barely stops.Rating TBDNubluJazzEast VillageSmall coverJazz, Afrobeat and electronic on Avenue C until very late.Rating TBDPublic RecordsClubGowanusTicketed for the Sound RoomA restaurant, a listening bar and a club with a custom sound room, all in one building.Rating TBDSmalls Jazz ClubJazzWest VillageCoverA basement on West 10th with a jam session that runs past 3am.Rating TBDSmoke Jazz & Supper ClubJazzUpper West SideTicketed by setA small uptown jazz room where the players are as good as downtown and the seats are easier.Rating TBDSOB'sLatin & salsaHudson SquareTicketedSounds of Brazil since 1982, and where half of New York rap played its first show.Rating TBDThe BoxCabaretLower East SideTables or listA late-night cabaret that's been shocking people on Chrystie Street since 2007.Rating TBDThe Chocolate FactoryWarehouseBushwickVariesA multi-floor industrial club in an old chocolate factory.Rating TBDThe ShrineLive musicHarlemUsually freeFree live music every night of the week, from Afrobeat to punk, in a room papered with old album covers.Rating TBDUnited PalaceLive musicWashington HeightsTicketedA 1930 movie palace uptown, gilded to the ceiling and still in use every week.Rating TBDVillage VanguardJazzWest VillageTicketedA basement wedge on Seventh Avenue, recording live albums since 1957.