Cafe Space 212

What a dump! When I rented an old house with my friends in college, we used to throw parties in the basement and I have to say that our set-​up was more luxurious than Space 212.

So… the downstairs part of Space is closed… forever? Im not sure.
The upstairs is still there though.
Its become a really quiet lounge/​bar.
They still dont card and have come up with some really odd mixtures for drinks here.
I dont recommend the peach soju. it was not a happy morning after haha.
Too many different liquids going on in that.
Other than that, the prices arnt too bad, a little cheaper than the other spots in K-​town.

The manager is awesome, very friendly and cool. The bartender is mad awesome.
A very chill place to just kick back and drink.
However… The crowd is not the same, got a bit darker. That would be why its only three stars.

A good place to end a night on the way to the 33^rd street path as the service is always friendly and they’re open late. Whatever the yougurt drinks have a sweet taste but a dangerous effect.
How much booze is actually in a shot of this stuff? I dont think its a lot, but somehow I drink too much of it and pay for it in the morning. If you see me around the city or Hoboken this week… I’m the guy limping around after my visit to Space last night and ensuing trip down the stairs. Awesome.

So the entrance is really tiny.
You walk in and get stamped if you’re under 21 and then you gotta walk downstairs… into that darkness… that’s blasting Lil Wayne music. Awesome right? To top that noise, the DJ made it louder and fussed around with his iPod. Lil Wayne all night.
It made it hard for the waitress to hear our orders correctly. At least they didn’t charge extra for the change and few gulps. Yeah, those waiter girls were pissed with our bajillion (count: three) requests, but at least she turned the volume down slightly.
Still was really hard to hear yourself think, and you gotta lean real close to hear what your party is saying.
Two bathrooms. Pretty decent condition. Soft toilet paper. No vanity glass.
Low sofas. These four-​seater egg chairs and tables.
Really dark. Small candle. Should offer flashlight of some sort.
Greasy menu.
Complementary popcorn.
Did I mention the ground level section is decently-​lit? I’ll update this review when I get there.
Anyway, the yogurt soju tastes great :0)

It finally re-​opened so I got a chance to go.
They really should hire a new DJ, and not play some music off of a ITunes set-​list. (It was playing Lil-​Wayne all night, with music so loud and sound proof walls, it’s just impossible to even hear yourself think). It was just SO loud that they got our drinks wrong. When it’s like that, you know it’s just TOO loud.
The yogurt soju was nice… I guess this was a place to go if there’s no where else to go.

I actually like this place. I went with a group of friends on Memorial Day. Due to it being around 7:00 pm on a Monday afternoon, we were the only ones in there. The prices are a little expensive but the workers gave us a free bottle of soju. It’s pretty much pitch black in there so make sure you bring a flash light to spot the butterfaces. Also, props to them for playing Tupac.

does this place still serve drinks to the underaged?
i just want to know for someone’s safety

The place is really really dark. Nice and spacious. Been there once on a Tuesday night (yes, very random, empty night to go there: The place was virtually empty). This made for attentive service from the waitstaff. This place seems like it would be good for groups of friends just wanting to relax and enjoy each others’ company.
Nothing special at all about this place, but nothing bad either.
Edit: Been here on a Saturday night and it was still pretty empty.
Very young crowd here (teens, early twenties)

Space is like an alcoholic café. Tons of tables to sit at, complimentary popcorn, and you will be chatting the night away with some friends while sippin on some soju. Not going to get buck wild here but good spot to chillax and kick it in K-​town.

Been here twice. Both times it wasn’t crowded. Both times it was so dark I couldn’t see my own hand.
Drinks are cheap. Popcorn is free. Decent if you are looking for a place to drink and you don’t want to wait in a long line to get into a rooftop bar.
If you ask them nicely and no one is there, which usually is the case, they will turn the lights on a little bit so you can make sure you are sitting with your friends.
This place is good for a big group especially if you don’t want to be bothered by other people.
I remember having Ginger Soju here and I liked it.

Koreatown. Yet another long dark staircase that we have to climb down that leads to something great. But this time, alas, it’s not that great, just okay.
Yes, dear friends, we have stumbled upon Café Space 212. When we came here on a Sunday night the joint was empty. I mean, the empty chairs outnumbered the members of our entourage. On the projected screen was the Jessica Alba classic «Honey», to the part where she is, and I have to use quotes because it’s just too funny to use as a regular word, «dancing».
It was great that it was empty that night, because we took refuge on the couches and pretty much laid down on them. I’m not talking putting our feet up, I’m talking full on near-​sleeping mode. We were that relaxed. Too bad the couches had big holes in them. Holes big enough to lead Leonidas’ army of 300 through. That’s how big they were.
The bathrooms were a whole other story. No soap. What I thought was soap that was in the soap dispenser was actually antibacterial gel. So I’m scrubbing my hands and there are no bubbles. The hell kind of operation was this?
I’ll tell you what kind of operation: the kind that gave us big jugs of yogurt soju and free shots, compliments of the lonely bartender. Pretty good drinks I must say. But the décor, or lack thereof, is kind of a turnoff. That’s not to say that we won’t come back to get our drink on.

Space 212 was my first bar in the city. And despite the fact that I haven’t been here in the longest time, it probably has been the place where I graced my shit-​faced self the most in New York. With such a history between the place and I, there’s no way I can write about this place coherently; I’m sorry.
****
10 reasons why I used to go to space
***
1) They never carded. Never. Ever. Ever. A very big deal when you’re 18, new to the city, and want to drink everything in sight.
2) Every Korean I knew had his or her pre-​21^st birthday party here.
Reservations or not, Space has always been very accommodating the many times I’ve gone here. Space has two floors; the ground floor is a private room that could arguably fit about 25– 30 people and the basement is the actual lounge area. There’s about four or five small tables that could seat 5 – 6 people around, and there’s also 3 groups of sofas and ottomans to seat parties of 10 – 15 people. I’ve never actually came here with less than 10 people, and even on their busiest weekends, we’ve always managed to score either the private room or one of the sofa groups.
And so because Space is so good about taking large groups, it can also get really noisy at times. But this place is never packed.
3) Maru was too cool for us.
Maru has a cool bronze bell. Space has Christmas lights. Sometimes, it’ll even go fancy and use a projector to show a movie. Once, it was Shrek (I kid you not) and once, it was a Korean movie with an extended brutal sex scene.
4) Red Bar was too cool for us.
Red Bar is a quiet lounge with plush velvet sofas, revealed brick walls, and interesting art on the walls. But not to be outdone, Space got the Ikea furniture special going on.
5) We were too lazy to go down to St. Marks for Yakitori.
We pay a little more for a pitcher of beer than we would at St. Mark’s, but we pay a lot less on the cab ride back home.
6) Pretty cheap.
Don’t ask me to quote the prices. Yes, I’ve been here far too many times than I’d like to admit, but I don’t actually remember being here.
7) Korean food nearby
Seriously, has there been a better combination than beer and galbi? Or hangover and sul-​lung-​tang?
8) Yogurt soju.
I’ve never came to Space with a group of girls, always with a group of guys. Now, whenever a group of guys come, a group of girls come as auxiliaries. But this group of girls are divided into two camps– the girls that drink beer (usually friends of guys) and girls that drink girly drinks (usually girlfriends of the guys). It’s hard to find a place where you can satisfy both female camps for a cheap budget, and thus Space fills that niche by offering OB by the pitchers and yogurt soju by the jars.
9) I don’t actually really know.
10) I didn’t know any better.
*****
5 Reasons I stopped going to Space
****
1) I remember I was in the bathroom and realized, «Huh. The toilet got chipped since two weeks ago.»
Um. yea.
2) After having been to other places, I’ve come to the conclusion that this bar kinda blows.
3) I got too old.
Not to say that I matured, but to say that I … just can’t sit there anymore without wondering why on earth I’m here again.
4) Seriously? Space? Again?
5) I believe the last time I was at Space, I actually accepted a «No, she and I are over. You’re the one I want. I want to start new with you» confession from a boy who, despite being only 3 inches taller than me (and I’m not tall, folks), had consumed 12+ beers (we lost count) and 5+ shots of soju and was sweating ethanol as he told me that. Needless to say, it didn’t work out between us (I fondly call it my resume builder for the Special Olympics), and I just don’t think I can walk into this place without hating myself for my stupidity.
Quantitatively speaking, there’s 5 more reasons why I should go to Space. Qualitatively speaking, I should be petitioning this place to be razed down and have salt thrown over.
O Space. Thanks for some good times. Maybe I’ll come by when I’m nearing mid-​life crisis and I want to relive that all over again.

packed on a friday nite, turned around and left without even getting drinks:
— underage dudes frontin like they’re from the hood. dudes, you’d be pussy-​footin it if you were in the company of actual «niggas».
— this basement level bar smelled F U N K Y.
enough said?
yeah.
afterthought: i may come back to give it another try for a more fair review, but this was my first impression.

an extra star for having some of the most creative and memorable drinks in Koreatown!
yes, the patrons are underage… the food isn’t restaurant-​quality… the music varies from hip-​hop to classic rock… it gets rowdy up in there… there’s karaōke… most of the time– it is empty. but so what??? i want to go to a place in Koreatown where it’s NOT packed or full of tourists. ah-​thank-​you.
i first came here 2 years ago. my friend usually came here with her college buddies and suggested we try the place here. then– it WAS crazy busy (in the middle of spring and still freezing outside), full of laughter, dancing, music, and drinks clinking all over the place. we had a special server we call «Unnie» (korean for «older sister) and she would bring us free Lemon Drop and Jolly Rancher shots… just for being «cute» to her. okay? whatev… thanks for the drinks! lol. for a whole month straight, i came here with more and more friends. most of us were all west-​coasters, so a lot of the cocktail names were a total nostalgic experience for us. from «Adiós Mutherf*ckers» to «Washington Apple» and «Chocolate Cake»… i’ve never seen anyone in NYC consume these drinks EVER. it was so awesome… that it brought an imaginary tear to my eye sockets.
sure it’s not pristine and sexy (like most of the bars/​lounges in Koreatown) — but the drinks are killer creative and fun. the servers and bartenders always give out free shots and drinks to those they favor… which always seems to be ME and the people i bring. haha.
stop your whining and try the Yogurt infused Soju. it will change your life. i’m dead serious.

It’s entertaining when the main bar of a bar/​lounge has all these new hip upcoming liquor on their shelves shining in fancy lights yet the bartenders are busier pouring for the server station than paying any attention to the actual eager customers sitting infront of their face practically throwing money at them.
That is my run on sentence for this place and I’m sticking with it.
Oh and don;t play Turbo’s Happy Busday song in this day and age, person (me) was ready to slice your throats. You can give me 50 but not that song. NO!

The bar downstairs is dark and plays loud music.
The crowd was rowdy and perhaps under-​aged. I wouldn’t go back on a regular night out. There are better bars in K-​town where you can just sit and drink at tables.
The space behind the stairs is good for big groups.
If you have 500 people and nowhere to take them, I’m pretty sure Space will have space.

Ok, I’ll review Café Space 212 just to balance Lily H’s review; I’ve been here twice; first time around it was really packed, they were showing Lucky No. Slevin on one of the walls via projector and the music was okay, but second time I went there it was completely empty, with the exception of some guys who walked in a few minutes afterwards… Drinks are cheap, constant refills of popcorn will eventually litter your table, and one good thing I liked ’bout this place was the Amaretto sour, very good. Plus the service wasnt bad.
I dunno, I guess I root for underdogs, but I’ll still give 212 2 lonely stars. =(

If you want someplace completely empty, this place has been virtually uninhabited every time I’ve been there. Which is many. Not necessarily a bad thing. Some people use it as a work space, and if you ask them to turn the music off they will, because no one else is there. I keep thinking it will go out of business but I think it’s associated with the bar downstairs so their accounts balance. It’s a little odd because they serve alcohol due to the bar influence, and they don’t have any food, so it’s not what you’d expect from a café. Also the décor is a little mixed up, plastic chairs plus a homey lamp, I don’t know how to describe it off hand but it’s a tad confused décor-​wise, though mostly it’s got a consistent feel to it… i suppose because the lighting is somewhat dim and bar-​like, and yet the chairs are white plastic and seem like they would belong in a differently lit place.
I stopped going here because it was weird to be sitting there with the one employee staring at you, and at one point this korean lady whom I think was the owner, started to hang around there in like, her sweatpants, and this made it even more awkward because she wasn’t a congenial type or anything, though she didn’t seem mean either, she kind of had the air of a boss watching over her small business and there was something stifling about it.