Iron Horse Music Hall

We had really no idea what to expect pulling up to Iron Horse last night. There was already a long line of people outside, although the doors didn’t open til 5:30 and we were a good 20 minutes early. A few people in line had been there before so they gave us the run-​down on how it all works.
Basically: you stand in line. Once you’re in the door you either pick up your will-​call tickets or have your in-​hand tickets checked. You then wait to be seated. There are various tables all around the venue; some seat 2, some seat 4, some appear to seat more. Supposedly there are futons and a counter upstairs, plus the bar on the main floor. You are seated where there is room and hopefully you’re early enough to have your group sit together. They only sell as many tickets as there are seats, so you won’t be standing unless you choose to. If you’re seated at a four-​top and there are fewer than 4 in your group, you’ll have to share your table with a stranger or two. Hopefully they’re friendly!
Once you’re in, you get a menu and place your drink orders. It may take some time before you receive your food or drinks. Everything is a reasonable price although the food isn’t really that great. I ordered the caprese grilled cheese and my sister ordered the veggie burger. We ended up splitting each so we were able to try both. The grilled cheese was soggy and definitely over-​seasoned, although I think even with the seasoning it would have been good if it was actually crispy. The bun on the veggie burger took away from what little flavor there was in the burger. Our sandwiches came with tortilla chips that reminded me of the standard Sun Chips. Not bad, but bland.
Our waitress was responsible for about 20 tables so she was all over the place. The pitchers of water she brought over were warm and had no ice. I ended up pouring my water into my ginger ale glass since it has ice in it.
The seats were good — we had a little bit of an obstruction with one of the pillars for the 2^nd floor but were mostly able to see the stage. It’s such a tiny venue that I can’t imagine there are truly any BAD seats. The acoustics are good and it is loud enough without being too loud.
Bathrooms… eh. I would suggest going before you get there or holding it. There are two single stall bathrooms and, at any given point, a good 15 – 20 people in front of you in line. Oh, and the bathrooms are at the end of a hallway in the basement. The floors overhead are creaky and old and pretty scary to be standing under.
All in all, I would come back here for a concert but would eat ahead of time. Plus, there’s Herrell’s down the street, so you can get ice cream after.

Horrible. Least amount of fun i’ve ever had watching live music. Tables on the dance floor prevented anyone with standing room seats to see or dance around. There was no place to go! The beer was flat. And so was the vibe. Not the first time this place disappointed.

I also went to see Judy Collins (who was awesome as I expected) but the Iron Horse experience was not.
I got there early (4:30) to get a good spot in line and froze for an hour while I saw 5 or 6 cut in front of me who had a friend place-holding…THEN get inside and find half the tables reserved. The women who cut in front got a table right in front of the stage and I got shuffled off to the side…
Oh…and…a $ 30.00 bill for a cheeseburger and 2 beers? REALLY???

Given it was Judy Collins, the artist we saw was still in her prime (bless) – but it was a surprise to have our waitress come up to ask for our order with stoned eyes and an inability to focus. It took one hour for her to bring us two beers and one glass of wine. She forgot the tea, but went back to get it. And totally forgot one glass of water.
Then she disappeared for good. Meanwhile other wait staff zoomed left and right, as we waited. At last, another wait staff came up to mumble she’s help us. That our first waitress was, ah, off. Did management finally realized, she was trashed? After another hour, we got our orders… but meanwhile, we watched as others who’d been seated 1 ½ hours after us – got fed. Egad. So next time, and my suggestion to others – bring a sandwich.
It is described as pub grub. Alas, someone hasn’t been in UK recently… this is an insult to pubs. It was like pub grub, circa 1980s. Not now. We travel to visit family there frequently and have had the pleasure of gastropubs.
So go for the music, don’t eat the food. Just buy drinks.

I’ve been going to this venue for a little over 15 years. The only thing keeping me coming back is the musicians. It’s a great spot but it really needs new management. The food, service, and pricing are absolutely the worst around. It’s so sad because it has such potential. I’m afraid my most recent experience (Scott Weiland tribute) will be my last.

This place is VERY OVER RATED. First of all, it’s not really a music HALL, it’s a glorified saloon. The food SUCKED. First served COLD, then burger served RAW! Insulation hanging out where the walls meet the ceiling. Gross dirty walls and greasy tables. We will NEVER be back. Waste of time and money. Only gave one star because I HAD to.

Miserable experience at the Iron Horse. My family and I go out to the Iron Horse every year to see our favorite band. Over the years, the food and service has been in a decline and this year was the worst. After a cold hour of waiting outside for doors to open, we had to take a less desirable table on the second floor because good tables were being saved with coats and bags on chairs. We spent the night thirsty because he hardly ever saw a server. My husband went to the bar to order drinks himself and was denied service. He was told to «too bad» wait for the server. His burger ordered medium well was practically raw. He couldn’t have it returned after it was served because no one came to check on the food. The music is great but Northampton has amazing bars and restaurants with great service. My advice stay warm. Eat and drink at another establishment then show up just to hear the music. It may be standing room only but that’s ok. We had a guy fry the adjacent booth standing and obstructing our view anyways.

I went to a concert at iron horse and was under the impression that it’s general admission standing room before I got there. I was not happy when I walked in and saw its general admission seating. Each party had a table and some of them were so far back that I’m sure the view of the stage was not desirable. Luckily I had gone to the show alone so I got a good table. The young lady working there allowed me to choose my table and I got one right up front in the elevated section. I was glad to have a table of four all to myself and not have to share with strangers. If you get there late you’re out of luck on getting up front. I would like the place better if it were general admission standing so you wouldn’t have to worry about getting there early for a great spot. They had two small bathroom stalls downstairs. The acoustics sounded pretty good.

The food was just barely mediocre. My chicken nachos were almost cold. The waitress was fairly attentitive though.
Four stars for the level of intamacy with the artist. We sat 30 feet away and it was an amazing experience.
I would come here again for another artist that I love.

Five stars for the world class acts they book and for the location. Four stars for generally pretty great service. One star for food — I have found it to be lacking flavor and all made out of the cheapest ingredients possible. As a pescatarian who also avoids garlic the options are extremely limited (almost all of the veggie options have lots of garlic and there’s no seafood at all). I reckon that evens out to about 3 stars overall…

This is an old-​fashioned music hall and it is great. The musicians they bring in are awesome and the venue is just fantastic. The food is not worth the price. The drinks are expensive, but they are at most places. My suggestion would be to get dinner and drinks before or after the show. Their brownie sundae is the best food on the menu if you get hungry!

Decent music @ a very «tired» Iron Horse. Nothing says «gotcha» like overpriced drinks and food. The bathrooms, well… let’s just say I’ve seen cleaner facilities at the local gas station. Two stalls for all those people means you have plenty of time to waste in long lines counting the cobwebs hanging from the ceiling while missing the show.
We were a party of 4 and spent $ 170(+ tip) on food and drink. Add on the $ 30 ticket price with a rip-​off $ 5 service fee per ticket and we’re into it for $ 310. A lot of $$ to spend for an over-​cooked burger and a few lousy fries. Also don’t get the coleslaw ~ worst ever, bland is an understatement.
Lastly, it would be nice to see the owners of this establishment put some $$ back into the décor and furnishings. Our Formica table top was junk with huge pieces missing with a «classy» pressed wood finish. Time to re-​invent the menu, renovate the bathroom facilities and get some decent tables and chairs.
This place was a huge disappointment. We won’t be back :(
TIP: Wear a warm coat, as the owners don’t put the heat on. Guess they don’t care if their customers feel welcome and comfortable. It was down right chilly in there!

I saw a great show there, Livingston Taylor and Chelsea Berry. They were fantastic, I had wonderful, friendly patrons who I didn’t know fill out the table. The staff was good. The food was not bad but not fantastic. I give it the five stars for a wonderful overall ambiance. I was there for the music and everyone and everything there supported it just fine. A long and first rate show in an intimate setting for a very modest cover charge. Livingston Taylor stopped at our balcony table and assured us that Livingston Taylor looked like him, just in case we were too far to see, which we weren’t :-)

Iron Horse is a GREAT place to watch a show. It is relatively small and allows for an intimate musical experience. I love that you are seated [somewhat] comfortably at a table for the show (unless you show up after the show has already begun, in which case, shame on you, you deserve to stand); it is a huge plus for a short girl like myself. I hate it when rowdy crowd-​goers weasel their way in front of me and obstruct my view for the remainder of a concert.
But…
It’s a TERRIBLE place to eat and drink. The food is mediocre and WAY overpriced. $ 13 for a generic pulled pork or grilled chicken sandwich? No thanks. Pay for one drink and sip it slowly throughout the show. Then go to any number of awesome restaurants and bars on and around Main Street to get your fill.
I’ve been here a dozen times, and I’m sure I’ll be back a dozen more, but I’ve definitely learned my lesson when it comes to the food & drink.

5 stars for the chad and Jeremy show we saw last night. up close and personal concert with two talented guys from the british invasion 1960’s music scene. now. onto the iron horse itself. My wife labels the place a dump… I sense it has a lot of character but needs work. No assigned seats… you start waiting in line at 5:30 and they march you in… VERY slowly… to your seats. If its raining outside. you are screwed. Most early arrivals (to get better seats) end up ordering some food which means sitting in very uncomfortable chairs for over 3 hours. My Manhattan was good as was my wife’s glass of wine. our waiter was spot on. running around a lot but he did take care of us. food is so-​so overpriced pub grub. cheeseburger was smallish with delicious French fries. luckily. didn’t have to try the bathrooms after reading the reviews here. many here complain about the high pricing. while I agree… tickets are just $ 25 each. they have to pay the talent… the help etc… so they have to make money somehow. Looks like no improvments have been made here in many many years. Seems like a fire trap. But as a place to see a concert. grab some light food and a beer… its pretty decent.

the last review was one star too high
what is your cheapest beer i ask the bartender
bud/​bud light/​miller lite he responds and i think, oh, terrible, but as i am not the crown prince of anywhere, i decide to pass on the expensive beers on tap. been there done that, not going to fool me this time iheg
he hands me a bottle of budweiser. six fifteen he says. SIX. FIFTEEN. FOR A BOTTLE. OF BUDWEISER BEER
and fifteen cents! why fifteen cents? because fuck you, that’s why
i don’t mean to continually harp on the drink prices, but they are pretty important for a venue and have trickle down effects to the actual show quality. as it is now, there is really no reason to take a chance on an iheg show. an iheg venue would likely never be the location of a night out unless you know and like the band playing. cheaper drinks means more walk in traffic which means more people which means better shows and more exposure for bands (i went to the jenny hval show at iron horse last november. including me, there were TWO people there)
granted, i’m sure iheg has done some cost-​benefit analysis, which most likely involved somebody saying «hey guys, we can just charge WHATEVER WE WANT» as their eyes all slot-​machined to dollar signs, but FUCK.
just have one cheap beer. one. that would be enough
god, i hate this place

The space is nice, the music they get in is generally aligned with my tastes, and it usually sounds good. That’s pretty much all I can say that is good about it.
Unfortunately, I don’t think the menu has changed in the 17 years I’ve been going there and it is overpriced food that is not very good. We usually try to eat somewhere else before a show and just order drinks (which are also overpriced). They at least remodeled the bathrooms, but there are still only two, they are still kind of gross, and you can wait a long time to get one.
Lately it seems like the patrons all talk through the shows and it’s getting more and more annoying to see acts there if you actually care about the music. Shows are getting more expensive and they skim off the top of the sales that bands make of their own merchandise.
It’s pretty much the only game in town though since the owner owns all of the other venues except for the Parlor Room which I’m surprised he hasn’t either run out of town or tried to buy.

One of my favorite places to see a show in NoHo. Great national touring artists and a good selection of local folks. Good bar, decent, if pricey fare.

$ 8.50 for a shot of Beam? GFY Ironhorse. Make sure to either bring a flask or drink beforehand folks. The drink prices are intended for middle eastern oil barons apparently.
The staff was nice and the sound was good though.

There is no better music experience than Iron Horse Music Hall. This is the perfect live music experience. Very intimate, not a bad seat in the house. This place makes it very hard to listen to live music elsewhere because no other venue measures up — the sound is great and you’re always in close proximity to the performers. Any musical genre here is great, ranging from Senegalese music to jazz to oldies rock to singers like Dar Williams.
The food isn’t fantastic— I’d stick with the apps (the wings are incredible and the nachos are great, too), since the burgers and other main courses are just so-​so. Love this place and would never go anywhere else.