Black Door

Decided to switch up ladies night and stop by Black door on a Thursday with my 2 girlfriends. I was lured in by the fantastic music selection of late 90’s rap music including missy elliot and jay-​z, good vibes good vibes. However, it was a little bit too loud for talking. I found myself yelling and we ended up finishing our drinks and heading over to Ainsworth. I did like the dim lighting and old fashioned feeling of this bar. It’s definitely not pretentious and would be fun with a group of people. The private section had an event so I didn’t see the back but it looked pretty. I’d like to see the Friday night or weekend crowds.

Happy hour: $ 1 off Bud bottles. No specials on drafts. Meh. You can do much better. Also, even when place was half empty the music was too loud to talk comfortably (see other reviews).

The crowd here is chill on a friday night. Met here for a date, but it’s nothing special in terms of the scene here. Smallish and I’m not sure if there’s dancing after a specific hour, but the drinks were decently priced I guess. Probably might come back here if I’m in the area.

Comfortable, nice bar in Chelsea I was so glad to find. Reyna was there on the Sunday night and made the evening even better. I’ll be back for sure!

Nice space, good music, and good service.

Great place, very lively exciting atmosphere, music, dancing space available, good bartenders

This spot is a great place to grab a beer, glass of wine or shot of whiskey. It’s got a great feel with its low lighting, dark wood bar and tables, and super cute tile floor.
The seating isn’t limitless so get here early or be ready to stand. The bartenders are fine… not remarkably kind, but nice enough and can pour a good drink. This is my first stop when I stay in Chelsea (mostly due to the fact that it’s next door to my hotel) and never disappoints. So grab a friend or a single seat as you belly up to the bar and enjoy a drink.

great service; great décor.
friendly bar staff (was his name mike?) and super attentive. Will return asap!

Came here on a Saturday night and loved the fact that it was very quiet and chill. The music is always great and the bartenders are cool… I discovered several new whiskeys here based on their recommendations. The crowd always seems relaxed and fun.
This is my go to bar in the area for a good drink and conversation.

Space is good, came for drinks and it wasn’t too packed. The doorman was funny. He was a tall African American man with all black on. He recommended somewhere to grab food after we stumbled out. Drinks were a bit pricey but that’s the norm for the city. Music was hit or miss. I don’t think they had a DJ, maybe I’m wrong.

The selection is affordable and decent. The atmosphere is lively and welcoming… unless the man we had tonight, Wednesday April 1^st is your bartender. I walked into the bar with my friend after we got off work nearby (we work in the industry, chef & bartender here) I order a Bulleit Old Fashioned & quite frankly I’m excited to get a nice cocktail after my crazy shift at work. He makes it and hands it to me, we pay.
The gentleman sitting directly next to us ask us the bartender what the drink he just made me was and his answer, while standing right in front of me was «A huge pain in my ass».
Let that sink in.
Really? A simple Old Fashioned is a huge pain in his ass? He didn’t even have to get a shaker out and why am I even justifying this? I bought a top shelf bourbon cocktail. The man next to me was almost interested in dropping his cash for it too until the bartender shut it down by saying it was a huge pain. He could have really increased his sales tonight but instead we are leaving now looking for another bar where we are welcomed and not a pain in anyone’s rear end for ordering a Jack and Coke with a shot on the side and an Old Fashioned. We just dropped 40 bucks to want to bail and never come back, and we almost we’re going to stay here the whole night until he made that absurdly rude comment right in front of our faces. Please hire staff that WANT to serve your guests!!!
Shaking our heads as we walk out the door & not look back, then telling all our co-​workers to forget this place as well.

Stopped by here for a quick couple drinks after dinner. Beer selection was good and the bar tenders were attentive. Great time!

I came in and bee lined for the back door, not realizing that it’s only open for private parties. Both times I’ve been to the Black Door it’s been a great!
There aren’t many places in this neighborhood and Black door is one of the hidden gems. Great crowd, good music, good drinks and not an overly crowded bar.

Pretty mediocre. There is no food which I always find disappointing because after multiple drinks, I usually need a snack. That did not happen at Black Door and things spiraled out of control a little faster… oops. Okay, so that one is my fault.
Anyway, I digress. They had great cider that you could mix with your choice of liquor. I went bourbon and it was pretty good. They did give us free shots when we left…
Overall, nothing really special about this place…

Here is how fair I tried to be to the Black Door: I was there two weeks ago and had a terrible experience, but I returned a second time to give it another chance. That was a mistake.
The first time I visited, I ordered a Manhattan and it was simply terrible. I have no idea what was wrong with it – it’s such a basic drink to make, I can’t recall a time I’ve had even a mediocre one, much less a bad one. Maybe the bartender used dry vermouth rather than sweet? My friend ordered an Old Fashioned, and it was so terrible he left with his drink only half consumed.
I don’t like giving one-​star ratings, so I wanted to give this place a second chance. I returned last night with a different friend. Again I ordered a Manhattan, and again it was simply awful. It tasted nothing like any Manhattan I’ve ever had. I should have returned it, but I choked it down and vowed never to return. As for my friend, she tried to order wine, but it was so poor she returned it.
As if remarkably poor drinks were not bad enough for a bar, on both visits I found the staff rather rude. The server on the first visit acted like she was doing us a favor to take a drink order and she knew nothing about the liquors stocked at the bar. On the second visit, my friend asked for a drink menu and the bartender acted like that was a ridiculous request and waved at the mirrors on the backbar where some wines and liquors were listed (but almost impossible to read.)
As for ambiance, the place does have a very nice and comfortable décor, but it is ruined by two things. First, on both visits, the room was ridiculously warm. (I really don’t expect to sweat while sitting quietly in a bar on a November evening.) Second, what is with the stupidly loud music? Is there anyone in the world who wants to try to scream a conversation over «Pour Some Sugar On Me» played at 100db?
Based on my two visits, the Black Door really, really earned this one-​star rating.

Place has a cool atmosphere despite being a bit too loud. A complete and total shame that the bartender was rude beyond belief. He was very nasty because my friend was indecisive about what drink to get. When he finally gave us our drinks he charged us and we gave him cash. He counts the money and looks at us and says «This isn’t enough to cover a tip.» I have NEVER had a bartender ask me for a tip (I always tip) and so I told him he was being very rude. He asked if I wanted him to just take the drinks away then… so I told him to take them and we got out before our night was ruined. If the staff isn’t whipped into shape AVOID like the plague.

Good bar in the area. They have a back room for birthday parties.

It was SO HOT and the place doesn’t serve food! However they will let you order in should you wish to dine.
The pinot noir I had was gross. The service was good. All in all, a-​ok.

Walked in, saw no beer available on tap, little odd these days but this is a small bar; so I went with an Old Fashioned cocktail. Nicely done and affordable at $ 9.00.
Bartender was personable, knows how to have a casual conversation with a new customer. Some free bar snacks.
Place is too nice to be called a dive bar, but add some garish lighting and put in a couple of video games and it could make the transition. As it is the lighting is subdued (?) or just a bit too dim. Neighborhood place. Nobody else needs to know.
This particular bar has been there for 12 years but the building is quite old — older than me for sure.

Not sure when this place popped up, but I’m glad it’s there. It has the feel of a neighborhood pub, with a slightly more convivial atmosphere. It feels right for an after-​work drink with a small group of coworkers/​friends, and more than appropriate for a casual date (there appeared to be several in progress on a Monday night).
I didn’t get to spend too much time in the main bar room – we were visiting the private pre-​New Year’s party in the back. Speaking of the back room, what a cool place to host events! There’s a bar back there and plenty of space for your friends to spread out and water themselves with booze.
The beer options were quite decent – there was Sweet Action, Rogue Dead Guy (a nice, mellow maibock), Lagunitas, and more. Not sure about food options, but it’s a keeper for the neighborhood, which could use more hangout bars.