Blue Owl

Blue Owl? Why are you so hard to find?
After walking around the block a couple of times I was able to find this hidden bar. I actually went to Blue Owl for a portuguese language meeting. Coincidentally, the happy hour special was $ 5 caipirinhas, which I enjoyed to the fullest.
It was a good crowd of people and there was enough space that even with about 30 – 40 people there at one time it did not feel crowded. There is also an open space near the bar and private rooms hidden. I’m guessing the party gets started after hours at this spot.
I see myself coming back to enjoy those drink specials.

Cool, trendy lounge space. A bit overpriced, but it’s not too bad considering the location and ambiance. I’ll have to give happy hour a try. Like many bars/​lounges in NYC, the music is way too loud. Doesn’t quite fit with the classy lounge/​tapas bar vibe they seem to be aiming for, but maybe that’s just me.
A while back, I contacted Blue Owl to make a reservation for 10 — 15 people for a birthday party. Party packages for groups of 10+ are supposed to start at $ 25 per person, which sounds pretty good. I attempted to contact them via phone and email listed in the reservations/​parties section of their website. Never heard back from them. Meh.

This place isn’t really my scene, but I came here for a Birthday Party. We pretty much took over the front section of the bar by the door. The crowd I was with was fun, but I couldn’t really talk to them. They were playing the music super loud at 9ish when the bar wasn’t very full… almost like they were really pushing people to dance, but no one was having it yet.
Ordering drinks was confusing all night because there was a waitress wandering around and insisting we should order from her… but we only saw her once every 25 minutes and when we did place an order from her she’d forget at least one drink, so I mostly ordered from the bar.

The place was really nice and they were very accommodating. Set up a nice place for my reservation of 15 – 20 people. The drinks were really good and the atmosphere was a good one, with good music. The downside was definitely the bathrooms, they had 1.5, one which isn’t usable unless you don’t mind everyone seeing you.
Overall great experience

Oh gosh, its been a couple of years and i feel bad for not reviewing it right away. I found Blue Owl on Unilocal and decided that I celebrate my birthday here. Absolutely loved it! The music was great (a Friday night), the drinks were unfortunately NYC prices, but nontheless tasty. It’s a great spot! I must of had 30 people. The place is not too crowded; a great spot to catch up with friends you haven’t seen in a hot minute.

Great cocktail place for happy hour, if you can find it! I’m not sure if it’s considered an actual speakeasy, but you certainly have to look hard to find it. Look for the blue owl on the side on the 12^th St. Ale House and go from there. The cocktails themselves are speakeasy, prescriptive type cocktails, and are on special for $ 6 until 8 PM every night.
I’m docking it one star for the state of the bathrooms. The bathrooms are two single stalls, but only one can be used by women, since the door for one is completely busted and you can see right into the toilet. How hard it is to put up a new door, guys?

Came here with girlfriends on a friday night for happy hour.
First of all, the place is kinda hard to find coz its in the basement and doesn’t really have a sign outside or anything. I also think they could use a few more tables. Not sure if i’m right, but there was only i think 4 tables aside from the bar. The ambience is really nice though, and the music isn’t too loud, you don’t need to shout at your friends for a conversation. The drinks we’re really good though! for $ 6 cocktails, we were all drunk after two! It was nice that it wasn’t watered down or anything. I liked that the most. The service is pretty decent, however, i feel like they should add more staff. If I’m not mistaken, there was only one bartender and another waiter collecting empty glasses.
I’d definitely come back for more happy hour!

I really hate writing bad reviews. And this place wasn’t BAD, per se… it was just completely not exceptional, or even good.
I like the décor. Pretty lighting, gorgeous copper bar, brick everywhere… very warm to look at. And the bartenders were really nice, which makes me feel even more guilty for not liking their drinks. But when I’m charged $ 13 for a cocktail, I expect it to be an exceptional cocktail. And these weren’t. The drink I got boasted spice elements — well there weren’t any. When I asked for it to be made a bit spicier, the bartender tried to comply, but it didn’t work. What was supposed to be a balanced drink was far too tart and sharp.
The place is pretty enough that the bad drink alone would have just made it three stars, but the kicker was that the bathroom was in complete shambles. It looked like someone had beaten down the door; it was cracked in three separate places and there was an enormous hole where the doorknob used to be. I filled in the doorknob with TP. Unbeknownst to me, there were two bathrooms, but seriously, fix that door. That’s not even a SMALL detail, and the classiness of a place is in the small details.
Meh is right.

I was invited to a party here last Friday and let me just say that when I walked in I was like Oh boy this place is small… But the size of the lounge was quickly forgotten as soon as I got to the bar. Both bartenders were great! I ordered a few rounds of patron shots and also got a shot for free!
The DJ was awesome! He kept me on my feet for the entire night with his master mixes. They mostly play hip hop here… And thats just fine with me!
You should definitely go to Blue Owl you wont be disappointed!!!

You’d think a blue owl would be pretty easy to spot with the naked eye, yeah? Nocturnal predators aside, it turns out it’s not most obvious of spots along 2^nd Avenue in East Village… but I suppose that’s part of the appeal.
Met a few pals here last week for a dimly lit rendezvous, and it sure was dripping with sultry vibes. Nothing but an Edison bulb or two glowing its muted hues, a few candles burning away, and a room full of sex-​starved 30-​somethings engaged in some sort of obscure salsa routine that looked about as close to vertical intercourse as one could get without disrobing first. I’m a pretty free spirit, but I felt a little uncomfortable watching these kids grind the night away, but hey — go get ‘em tigers. I’ll be looking for a birth announcement in the Times about nine months from now.
The drinks are about average on price, but below average in taste for bars if similar ilk. For $ 13-​$ 14 I have a certain threshold for quality, and it missed the mark by a pretty hefty length. Like Mark Sanchez overthrowing a wide open Santonio Holmes on a post pattern. Wamp wamp wamp.
I could see myself coming back for an indescript encounter or two… so if you see me hanging at the bar anytime in the near future, you can bet I’m likely plotting an underground drug smuggling ring or something.

I. Love. This. Place.
The atmosphere is nice, enticing, yet simple.
The bartender was fabulous & entertaining.
The cocktails are amazing and the happy hour doesn’t even serve them justice.
If you like carefully, concocted cocktails with personality and many flavors, you’ll enjoy.
Just go. You’ll be glad you did.
Side note: The bathroom literally looks like the Jay-​Z & Kanye ‘Watch the Throne’ album cover. No lie.

Welcome to the owl cave.
Slightly hidden from the street, this basement lounge on 2^nd Ave offers all the nooks, crannies and overpriced cocktails worthy of a good date. Just make sure your pardner doesn’t desire craft brews since they only offer a selection of 4 – 5 generics by the bottle. I always enjoy what they pour into a martini glass but at $ 13 a pop, it’s pretty steep for an East Village bar that only sometimes is empty and romantic and the rest of the time swarms with drunk coeds.
And yet, they still offer a nice happy hour until 8pm and their cheese plates aren’t too shabby. If you’re familiar with The Dove in the Village, they are very similar spots; one red, one blue. Guess which this one is…

The lights are dimmed down low, real low. Unless you head over to the bar, I am pretty sure you won’t be able to see your date’s face clearly. So if you want to get your date some drinks without having to see them too much, then this is the place to go! HAHA. But seriously the drinks are good. Some a little bit on the sour side, but its stiff enough. The prices would be pretty average if not cheaper than your other «mixology» type bars. But the place is quiet enough with low volume music in the background. So conversations here would be very clear and understood.
Happy hour the drinks are a lot cheaper. So definitely come here during happy hour.
So definitely a good pre-​dinner drink spot with a date. Have yourself a seat in the corner couch. No one will be able to see you two ;)
HAVE FUN!

After already polishing off a bottle of red wine amongst friends, we decided we needed more to imbibe in. My very good friend was in town and since we were right across the street at a house party, this seemed like a natural choice.
This has been on the to-​do list for sometime and I was happy to hang out with my friends here. We immediately approached the bar and had a few rounds of drinks. The usual gin and tonic, rum and cokes.
I was shocked that they played some really good danceable music, mostly 90s hip hop. And what can I say? I like to get down to old school and so do my friends. We all were bumping and grinding the night away and having a «gay» old time!
At one point, one of my friends commented, «Gee there are a lot of Asians in here!» I actually didn’t even notice that, I was too busy trying to shake my bon bon. But what I did notice was this couple canoodling obscenely in the corner. They couldn’t care less that there were people around. I congratulate their bravery and lustful intentions!
Overall, a wonderful way to end a Saturday night with good friends, good drinks, and good company. It is also a great make-​out spot. Keep that in mind since it is Cupid’s Day today. Who knows? You might just get struck by his bow right in the heart!

This is in my hood and I always think it is a nice chill lounge to go but I guess on Saturdays it’s popping. We went around 1AM and it was pretty packed. There was little AC so we were all sweating really bad.
The cocktails were about $ 14 each although I don’t see paying $ 14 at such a lounge given it is not meat-​packing, midtown or even so upscale.
Music was great nonetheless. I like the scene but I don’t think I can take the heat again.

This place is HOT and stuffy. It’s either they need to pump up the A/​C or work on their air circulation.
All in all, it was good fun.

Came here on a Wednesday after work for drinks with a friend. Saw on the menu that drinks were $ 13 a piece but as I had been on detox the week before and had a bad day, $ 13 seemed like a small price to pay for some mental Novocaine. The bartenders were very helpful and skillful. They recommended good drinks and made them well. The place had cute decorations and was relatively quiet with a few customers outside, a few on the couch, and a couple at the bar with us. Read about problems with crowds but didn’t have that experience on a Wednesday night. When it came time to settle up, our 4 drinks totaled $ 24.
What?!
Surprise! It’s HAPPY HOUR! I love you, happy hour.
I have to give the place –1 star because the bathrooms were kinda gross.

So me and a friend came in here by accident on a Wednesday night. We tried to go to Professor Thom’s but they were having Bingo night and we found it too loud for our liking, so she suggested that we go here. I’ve never been here before so I said why not.
Now of course we go inside and the DJ is playing music, so really it wasn’t very much softer volume wise than Thom’s, but it’s fine because the DJ was spinning nothing but 80s and 90s R&B and soul hip-​hop tracks, it was amazing actually.
Also it was Wednesday, so their cocktails are apparently half priced all the way until midnight. We had two each and all of them were good, and completely different tasting than the others, which is nice. It has a really nice vibe and everyone who was there was having such a great time, not to mention there weren’t alot of people so that was nice. The bartenders were attentive and fun and clearly didn’t mind doing a shot with a patron or two, which is always a plus. I had an excellent evening here and I will definitely be coming back soon.

I went here on a Wednesday night for my birthday. It was great for a group of people to come and go. Wednesday night drink specials were great… made the place a little more crowded than it should have been for a Wednesday night.
It’s a great lounge.
There were several places to sit that were comfortable. It filled up around 10pm – resulting in fewer places to sit… but standing wasn’t bad at the bar or in the lounge area. The lighting was low… great for relaxation and conversation.
My favorite drinks are the Rucker Gimlet, the Copperhead, the Ellison, the Featherstone and the Flapper. They are all inventive and have great flavor.

Home of the June 4^th, «Happy Office Hour» (
), I decided to drop in and say hello.
I passed this place and had to double-​check for the address. It was downstairs. After looking both ways, and looking like a tourist, I found the hidden venue.
Parched, I looked for the bartender and wanted to know what was on the menu. Although two bartenders were working the bar, I always waited a few minutes before I could get an order in (they were constantly making drinks). When I caught one, he immediately informed me of the happy hour specials, which ran until midnight.
Nice.
Bottled Amstel, Heineken or Stella for $ 7? Corona for $ 5? I’m not feeling that.
Scaled down martinis (smaller versions — less volume) for $ 6? Sounds better.
It was nice to meet new faces (especially the Unilocal Amb’s Stephy S, Chantelle K, Stephanie I) and catch some old friends (what would I be without photos? Go see them).
Unfortunately, it was «hot in herr.» Do you know how many times I had to excuse myself and head towards the exit (singing Semisonic’s «Closing Time» to myself) because of sweat patches under my shirt?
«I don’t control the temperature in here, Pedro» apologized Sam P.
Besides the temperature issues and the drink prices, I had a good time. I had other plans so I had to leave after an hour of fun. Hands down, I would come back for the Blueberry Caipirinha. Pronounced «koo-​chasa» and sometimes I like to say «koo-​chaka,» this traditional Brazilian drink prepared with «cachaca» would be my weapon of choice.
Next day update: Yes, I came back on Thursday. Brought S and we tried the Blueberry Caipirinha, some Castlerosso cheese and charcuterie (Bresaola and Petit Jesu ~ Baby Jesus). This time there was no temperature issue and it was cool hanging out here before going home and witnessing Boston beating LA in game one of the NBA Finals… I’m glad I came back.
Oh my, the Thai olives (marinated) are so delicious. I could return just for that.
IFHTP 2