Exchange Bar & Grill

This bar is permanently closed and the location is the home of the new and improved Plug Uglies from across the street.

Came here on a Sunday afternoon to watch football. Bartender was nice and friendly. Decent beer special $ 15 pitchers. Space was big and pretty clean for a bar.
Seems a lot of bad Unilocal reviews because of food. Today they told us they were not serving food so could order delivery or bring in outside food which was great! Not sure if that’s a permanent thing of just today

Walked in at like 4pm intrigued by the concept. Ticker was completely off and the «theme» that attracted me was shut down.
Lame…10 dollar drinks.

I strongly caution everyone: do not order food here. It is some of the worst bar food I’ve ever had. My group made the trek down to 14^th Street for pizza after this, even though we ordered a ton of appetizers. That should be some indication of the quality. Everything was overcooked and flavorless, some of it to the point of inedibility.
Despite that, I had a great time here. The theme can be a lot of fun, especially if you’re with the right group. My friends loved the concept of the mystery beer. Between that and the stock market crash, which sent drink prices almost absurdly low, we were very entertained. I can see how it would be gimmicky for some folks and I don’t really recommend it for date night or solo drinking.
The crowd was pretty weird to me since I’m used to going out in the village and Brooklyn. Nearly everyone was dressed like fancy wall street businessmen. And I say businessmen because there were mostly men here. Well hey maybe this is a good place to pick up a guy who has his life together?

This bar is my favorite! Everyone who works here is awesome and everyone who drinks here is too. They offer draft, bottle and canned beer as well as beer towers, pitchers, sangria, and of course hard liqour. Exchange is literally my Cheers. I can’t go a week without dropping in and it’s 100% the good company the bar brings. I love Exchange bar!

Very interesting bar concept, but take away the ‘drink ticker’ it’s just your standard bar. The bartenders were pretty nice and the drinks were good and made well. The one disappointing thing was the food. The portions were small, the food was mostly burnt and was way below average. All in all, this is just your average bar and there are probably better ones in the area that have similar drinks and better food.

Pretty decent bar just on on the fact it’s different and your able to play a nice game of buying low while drinking. The staff is friendly since I’m sure they get questions all the time and it’s in a great area. Cheers. Should maybe be three stars only if you love to dance. Either way still good. Go dancing somewhere else.

Yaya is THE best bartender in all of Manhattan Camille makes the best mozarella sticks and chicken tenders. The staff is what really makes this place a great place to frequent and the fact that they know how to do what they do well makes it that much better!!!

I LOVE this place!!! Yaya always shows up and turns!!! Love Camille, best mozt sticks everrrrrrr!

So this use to be one of my favorite places I would always come late at night and get the 96 oz of beer for 26 dllrs, I been bringing ppl all around the city and telling them how awsome this place is. until today, i came with my bros and the bar tender told me they could not serve us because it was 1:45 am and he would need a little extra for that deal!
You know what good luck with your bussiness
Dont waste your time go to taproom 307 or tonic is so much BETTER!!! And service does not suck!
EXCHANGE, Never Again!!!

I heard about this place from a friend. Had to check it out bc of their stock market drink pricing system.
We went there on a Saturday afternoon. It seems like a really cool concept but we ordered a few Stellas and the prices never changed. I don’t think they turned it on that day — who knows.
Seems like it would be a lot of fun if they had it on. Will have to try it again sometime.

This place has a younger crowd and is generally filled with college kids Thursday-​Saturday night. During the day and on slower evenings you have a few regulars and a nice, ambient atmosphere. I’m a big fan of their menu because they change it periodically and only keep the best-​selling stuff on there.
The staff over there is awesome! Say hi to Jessica for me!

This place is great. Long Bar with TVs and super friendly and helpful bar staff.
The waffle fries nachos are really good and a massive portion. Evidently, they make the nacho cheese sauce in house.
Yeeeeeee

In a line: This is just another bar.
Was it fun there? Sure it was! But thoroughly packed. The drinks were nothing amazing, and at pretty much average NYC prices. That’s where the novelty lies, though — watching the drink prices fluctuate did have a kind of charm, but it wore off pretty quickly.
The staff was friendly enough, but service was a little slow since it was so packed, from the bar to the tiny dance floor.
So, decent music, packed house, fair prices, friendly staff. Maybe the food is where the magic lies, but I didn’t have any. I’d go back, I suppose, but I’d want to check out the rest of the area first.

I don’t even know where to begin on how amazing our time spend here was. Friday was such a cold day that we wanted to get in somewhere and hunker down. My husband had heard of the bar and wanted to stop in and try it. Well, it was noon so the bar was not packed by any means so we were the only patrons. Our bartender Shannon, was one of the BEST bartenders I have ever had the pleasure of meeting.
She explained how the bar works: The prices of the drinks are based on demand so they change based on their popularity. It’s a «Stock Market» for drinks. It is so fun! So we didn’t have much impact but I bet when the bar is fuller it is really fun to watch the screens and the ticker that runs above the bar. Mystery beer is something you definitely want to give a shot, at least with Shannon. She picked really fun beer, some I have never heard of or tried and then got more creative as time went by once she got to know your taste. I highly suggest going here for those who enjoy the stock market, something that is a different than your typical bar and those who just life finance. So if you have a finance nerd in your life, take them here! They will love you!
We ordered the fried pickles, wasn’t the best ones I’ve had but still good. The waffles fries on the other hand were FANTASTIC! I would order those for sure! The nachos were very good as well. We didn’t have really anything but appetizers so I can’t speak on main meals but the apps were fantastic!

Watch the derivatives. Sell short on tequila. Trade Guinness futures for rum bonds. This is what it’s like to be a business, man. Keep your eye on the ticker. You never know when whiskey will drop below $ 8.
The only problem is that these drinks don’t drop to day low prices when you need them to. Otherwise, it’s a fun, New York-​centric experience.

This bar delivered quite an experience for Santacon. Even the bartenders were dressed up! Even as hoards of drunk Santas lined up for frosty beverages, these bartenders kept their cool. They had a special going for $ 25 you got a two-​hour wristband for unlimited beer and well drinks. They were so busy that this wasn’t really that great of a deal, but I suppose that on a less busy day this would work.
The bar also put out cupcakes and bagels for their Christmas revelers.
Consistency was an issue. One bartender charged me $ 12 for the same drink that another charged me $ 7 for. Same drink. Hmmmm… I’m seeing this in a lot of other reviews as well regarding pricing.
One bathroom per gender was an issue when the bar was as packed as it was. Girls were getting feisty in line to use it. One pair almost came to fisticuffs because the drunker one kept insisting that this was «her party.» She repeated this statement multiple times as she stood in line. What, Santacon? Uhhhh… nope! If you’re going to make up stuff, do a better job at making it believable or you’re going to have to wait in line like everyone else. :p
I did like the layout of the bar. Front bar area with a back portion for more of a lounge atmosphere. I’d come back with a few friends to sit at the bar. That way you’re right in front of the stock ticker bar thing and can clearly see the listed prices if that is a guiding factor in what you’re hungry/​thirsty for. I want to see the place when it isn’t swarmed with drunk Santas, and will update accordingly when I have the chance to experience it. A solid start for the Santacon adventure though!

My initial understanding was the concept of this bar was the fact that drink prices were going to fluctuate based on supply and demand throughout the evening. Therefore, the fact that the moving drink prices were only listed on one small TV (when there were several other large TVs with games on) really took away from the experience and purpose at the bar. Otherwise, it’s just an average bar with slightly pricey drinks.
Definitely plenty of better options for a happy hour for sure. And I couldn’t see myself heading there later in the evening as a place to meet up with friends.
Buy, Sell, or Hold on this Bar?:
Sorry, I’m selling on this place.

I went to Exchange with a few friends from out of town who had heard about its unique concept. We walked in and promptly took seats at the bar to start the ‘bidding.’ We had a few drinks and quickly understood the bar’s attraction: drinks are priced based on the most favored drinks of the night – a supply and demand idea. During the course of the evening, new mixed drinks were added to the options, which was a fun surprise.
As far as my impression of the place though, I will say that the drink menu is slightly limited, and there was only a short list of beers on tap. My friends and I expected a little bit more from this place in terms of drink options. During the course of the evening, we inevitably started to get hungry, so we had ordered some nachos and other bar food. What was delivered was standard – nothing to write home about. I have heard that the place has friend Oreos, so I guess that’s a unique. I didn’t try them though, so I can’t really comment on them. The most impressive thing going for this place is the hospitality of the staff. Everyone was extremely friendly from the second we entered the bar. The offered us a few drinks that were not yet available to order, and we were able to negotiate a price for a few shots also.
Overall, the place was a good time, but didn’t live up to our expectations. The staff was friendly and drinks and food were standard. I’d go back if I was in the neighborhood; otherwise, I don’t have a strong desire to go back.

I came here with my friend Laura A. and met Stephen, Paul, and some of the other great people who work here.
The fries are excellent — perfectly crunchy, and they don’t skimp on quantity. The salmon slider was quite fishy. My burger really hit the spot.
Next time, we’re going for the fried Oreos!
Snatch a spot in front outside. It’s a great spot to people watch.