Ella

Good place to go in lower east side to meetup and have some catching up with friends. Extra special was the last time I was there I celebrated my birthday. It was one of those places I ALWAYS walked by and now finally saw the inside. I think even when you set a time to leave when you plan to go somewhere else, you exceed that time you set for yourself. The setup inside was lovely, so it was no line really to get in either on a Friday night. There is the first floor once you walk in, you see a big bar setup then a DJ in other side. The theme from the DJ booth that night seemed to be hip hop. There was a mashup of Iggy Azelea with the beats from the Wu Tang Clan. Fancy meets WU Tang Clan ain’t nothin to fuck with. It was interesting. Downstairs featured experimental trance or Ambien music. I guess it was just whatever, Ambien is okay, I can see it being better in a different night. My boy as part of my birthday celebrating brought out like 5 lady friends just to hang out with the two of us, It was kind of crazy. Gotta love those Indian playboys with money. I did have a few Heineken to drink, a Ciroc and pineapple here and there and lots of dancing with the Korean and Guyanese girls with us. Mix drinks were expensive, maybe $ 18 it $ 19, I was the birthday boy you know I didn’t pay the bill. I like the area but some people look like they were trying to hard to be trendy. I would come back on another night, just not thrilled to spend $ 10 just on one Heineken, but then I had to remember Oh yea, I am in the lower east side on a late Friday night/​early Sat. around 1 or 130 in the am.

I visited this bar last night and will never be back. I’m giving them one star because you can’t give a lower rating on Unilocal.I arrived with 6 friends and there was no line to get in. There was this Asian bouncer who was very rude and racist. First he tells us we need to be on the list (which was non-​existent) and then he tells us we need to wait 10 minutes. As we waited, he lets in another group of 6 people (all white kids) and tells us we still have to wait. At this point, 3 of my friends decided to leave, one of which was African American and who the bouncer kept staring at. As soon as they left, he let the rest of us in. Against my better judgement I decided to check out the place anyway, and was greeted by a drunk/​high coat check guy who kept chatting up all the girls and dropping all the coats on the dirty floor. I left almost immediately. What a waste of my time and my friend’s.

2 stars for the awesome DJ, 1 star for clean bathrooms and another star for no cover, all on a Saturday night. Checked in around 1am and was really pleased. I ordered beer and shots so I can’t say much about the cocktails but the bartender definitely sought me out through the sea of people in front of me to get my drink order (thank you! I was drowning and losing hope) Found an empty booth in the back and got down with my people! Heard everything from reggae to house to French Montana. My group was mixed so I was really excited about this (the music is everything.) Pretty girls everywhere and one more time for the clean bathrooms and excess of mirrors throughout the spot. *hair flip*

I’ve been to Ella before with friends who had a table, and we actually had a great time, other than one of the bartenders being rude when I went up to the bar to get a water. The group still had fun though and had both of a club/​bar feel, so I would’ve still recommended it to friends.
However, I went there as one of the stops on the beer-​a-​thon this past weekend. I could’ve anticipated being ignored while ordering a drink that was included, because that seems to be the attitude of the bartenders here, but I was actually ordering a simple bud light (should be a pretty quick and easy drink to get…) that I was going to PAY FOR.
I ordered and had been waiting around with the bartender (kind of a tall, bald guy) serving everyone else around me. I understand it being busy, but when I reminded him of my order, he went on a sarcastic rant about how he forgot to serve me on purpose, etc and then still didn’t give me the drink! Probably the rudest bartender I have EVER come across in NYC. Obviously, my group of 15 – 20 people moved onto the next bar.
The only way I’ll be coming back here is after baldy bartender is out the door. Unacceptable.

They were participants with beer-​a-​thon but then didn’t let anyone in before the 12am cut– off time. My friends went to all other spots except that one. They crushed their beer-​a-​thon dreams! Shame on them for not honoring the event! Also deleted my Facebook post calling them out. Lame and pretentious.

Been to Ella a number of times and even chose it as a destination for my birthday. Been living in NYC for over a decade and Ella never fails to impress. The staff, from the professional gents out front, to the bar staff are as on-​point as the music selection. If you’re looking for a go-​to in the New York dancy-​bar scene, this should be a staple (upmarket from Beauty Bar and Pianos).

This place is horrible. It was extremely hot and humid. The bartender was drunk and did not know how to make a drink. They were out of pretty much every liquor. It was not a good experience. She put pineapple and orange juice in a margarita for gods sake.

My friends and I arrived at Ella at around 11:30pm-12am on a Saturday night and stayed until probably 2am. For being prime time, the place was practically empty. There are better places to dance in area that actually have, you know, humans in them.
The drinks, as people have noted, are overpriced and watered down (although that’s what you are to expect at a place like this). And, to make matters worse, the bouncers (Brian and Chase, just for the record) were really rude to some people in my group of friends and were also inexplicably not letting people in even though the bar was empty.
My friends and I have been to Ella a few times (including NYE which was $$$) but it seems to have declined, and we won’t be back.

Wasn’t a huge fan. Tiny place and funky music. Funky as in funk music, not that it was weird.
Not much seating, and it’s one room basically.
Bathrooms are clean though. There’s toilet paper. Hallelujah!

Walked into Ella because it seemed pretty cool on a Saturday night bar crawl. Ella seems like a lounge, but it doesn’t have too much seating. The drink prices were pretty average and it has a small dance floor.
The DJ was playing a good mix of music. I really liked the décor. It was very dark, prominently featuring my two favorite colors, black and red. I’d go back, depending on who I’m with.

Came here for a friend’s birthday party and was not a fan of the B&T crowd and overpriced watery drinks. The DJ upstairs was not the best, but I never made it downstairs to check out the scene there. Overall I have definitely experienced better bars in the East Village!

I rarely write reviews for bars, but our experience here was so bad that it is worth sharing. I arrived at Ella with my boyfriend and cousin around 11 – we had eaten dinner and the area and were meeting friends here later for a birthday party. The place was literally empty. People kept arriving, looking around at how empty it was and leaving. We would have left, as well, if we weren’t waiting on friends. I wouldn’t always mind an empty bar, if it has a good ambiance, but it was chilly and bare and they were blasting the music. The DJ was awful. It must have been his first time spinning. EVER. He kept on starting songs, the skipping to the next song in the middle with no transition. Then there would be 30 seconds of silence. If I am able to pick up on how bad it is, you know it’s bad. I will not come back here.

Why haven’t I known about this spot this whole time?!?
Enjoyed the atmosphere, good looking people, reasonable drinks, good music. Great place to start the night off, especially if you intend to stay downtown or in LES.
They are pretty strict about their $ 20 minimum at bar so beware. I also wouldn’t roll there with a ton of guys, there is a host during the weekend.

I don’t care how packed or busy it is, it is NOT ok for the bartender to drop two cubes of watermelon onto the bar and then proceed to pick it up, toss it into the shaker and make two watermelon vodkas.
It is also NOT ok for the same bartender to shove two lime wedges down a girl’s shirt and flip her off, whatever the reason may be.
Utterly disgusted.
Department of Health please get on this ASAP.

We searched for places with Shrubs or Drinking Vinegar. Sometimes you want a sour drink. Ella came up, we walked over. They had one shrub, allegedly, but the bartender said the Shrub Maker Person had just moved to LA or London (or something). Looked like a boring, normal bar otherwise. Nothing special.

I have been to Ella a couple of times, and never walk away feeling thrilled.
Good cocktails for the most part. But seriously weird layout so it’s hard to find a comfortable spot unless you arrive early and grab a huge booth (one of three coveted spaces), and the crowd is strange.
Plus, it’s kind of weird to me that they have almost two separate venues.

Last Friday I attended a going away party here. Before entering I heard it was one of «those» bars, that kids flock to immediately after graduating college, black out in, and make out at. Considering my initial preconceived notions, I actually wound up having a pretty good time.
The drinks were reasonably priced and pretty strong.
When we arrived (around 11pm), there was a 4 – 5 piece live jazz band playing — which was pretty neat. The band members bopped around the dance floor as they were playing and mingled with the guests. After they wrapped up about an hour later, a Dj with a Macbook controlled the music — which consisted mainly of top forty hits.
I’m not in love with this place, but I would def go back.

Came here last night/​this morning to celebrate my sisters 21^st birthday and had a blast!!!
When we arrived there was a live band and they were awesome! They were gracious enough to sing Happy Birthday to my sister and gave me a free CD. At midnight the DJ took over and played a mix of hip hop, pop, and house music. He wasn’t very good at mixing but he had some great selections.
We only did shots of tequila but I would def like to go back and experience their mixed drinks!
This place is totally for 20somethings but I had so much fun!!!

Ella is a slightly upscale lougey-​club type place that kind of blends into the background noise of clubs and bars in the area. There is nothing wrong with the place, but nothing really remarkable either.
There are 2 levels and both are long and very narrow. This is a bit of a problem when you are there on a busy Friday night, like me, and you try to make your way through the place with your friends. The street level has a big long bar with several bartenders. Downstairs has just one tiny bar and one bartender. Waiting for a drink downstairs got old after a while, but the bartender was working his butt off trying to keep up, props to him for that.
The music was was dancey /​housey, with some hip hop thrown — the usual fare in a place like this.

A brief visit for a single musician to perform was the cause of this visit, when extreme neglect and constructive abandonment were imbued cited. This musician neglected my self worth.
Ella Lounge’s name emits a mellifluous sound for an appearance derived from Rihanna’s «Umbrella» song, but this is a burlesque speakeasy, music venue and lounge. Ella = Elegance! Acoustic sound quality is average for music venues in the lower level and a utter dismay $ 10.00 pesky cover admission apply for patrons. Understandable that the pesky cover fee contributes directly to musicians and bands, but it does not go far for one’s immersion of enjoyment nor include a measy drink. Oddly bouncers do not inspect patrons for photo ID to ensure age requirement in accord to NYS law of 21+. Ella presents a contemporary black and white Prohibition Era of a 1920s lounge.
N.B. The lower level’s music stage do not have air conditioning or lack thereof poor air circulation which was stifling hot. I swiped a large amount of Ella’s black cocktail napkins to absorb the sweat emitted from the lack of air circulation. Black cocktail napkins and my Seltzer water is priced average at $ 3.00. Curved ceiling in black and white strips in the lower level to display its unique setting. Stairs is carpeted in black and white zebra strips, while the entrance to the facilities is black and white block links. Chanel No. 5 in pink is elegantly depicted on the upper level in the rear by the facility’s entrance. Facilities is immaculate clean, without vile stenches, black background with pink floral wallpaper which the black and white crown molding is continuous displayed throughout. It percolates with simple chandeliers, red leather couches with large mirrors, and white seashell exist by the corridor’s entrance. The business card is shaped to an old fashion microphone.
Staff is welcoming and acknowledges my presence without question, without further inducing grief to my weary heart. No TV exist as neither did many in the 1920s era, ergo all the focus is the person next to you… no excuses! I would surely return to fully intake Ella’s hipster lounge that emits burlesque speakeasy.
Ab-​so-​lute-​ly! Swanky, yes. You slay me.