Katra

Death trap. This place is a rectangle with no where to go. PACKED, and I’m certain it was past maximum occupancy. Was supposed to be a SOCA fête but it was more like a Reggae fête with a splash of soca. Danced because we had no choice, it was either stand and get bumped around or leave.
Free before 12midnight. Got in line about 11:45pm and didn’t get in until 12:40AM. About 10 people ahead of us so ended up paying $ 20 to get in.
Line did not moving for ½ hr and it was pouring rain. Luckily we had a large umbrella and a couple smaller ones.
Top floor was Hip Hop, Basement was Soca Fête.
Bottled water was $ 5.00 — SMDH
Would not recommend this joint and will not go back to this place.

No bueno.
The bottle service was fine.
The music? Eh… It was super annoying that the DJ was ADHD. He switched songs every 15 – 20 seconds. Yet he would play Drake & Fetty in their entirety. No Biggie, Pac, Chingy, Snoop, etc. was fully played. Uh, nah.
Priorities, bruh –_​–
Katra was just absolutely unorganized. First, they spelled my friend’s first name extremely wrong on the table service list so both of our groups had issues getting in. The girl at the door tried to get the other group to pay $ 20 each at midnight on the dot. Yet remember, they were on a table service list & it said $ 20 AFTER midnight, not right on the stroke of it.
Then, they had my friend’s bf take his credit card out online OUTSIDE after they found her incorrectly spelled name for the second time. We were steps way from being in the foyer area where the payment situation should have been handled.
Girl at the door? You were asked twice about the same person. On try number two you should know what it is…
Seriously? Such a ghetto way to conduct business. Get it together, Katra.
Then, one of the bouncers (or whatever he was) helping out the coat check guy was abysmally rude. He caught attitude towards a ton of people trying to retrieve their coats from coat check, which was taking 56 676 553 years since Katra was having issues locating the majority of the coats.
The bouncer guy said something nasty complete with profanity to one of my friends who immediately cussed him out. He was being sarcastic & facetious trying to calm her down and then said, ‘Yeah, I know that your private school education paid for your precious coat.‘
Jealous much? Why the shade towards people who have an education? He has some unresolved resentment towards people with access to obtaining diplomas and degrees. Like your job much, my dude? Oh wait, DON’T care. And anywho, that’s none of my friends and I’s business…
Also, the décor needed a MAJOR upgrade. The fabric & pillows on the couches were rubbed out & had holes in them.
All in all, Katra was a DAMN mess. Organization, attitude, & façade upgrades are in dire need here.
Won’t be back.

Run away! 1 Star s/​b ZERO! There are so many other options in the city then this ‘trap house’. Unfortunately I’ve attending 5 different functions at this place over the past 3years… Birthdays, anniversaries etc and no matter the occasion I WILL NEVER GO BACK! The staff alone are extremely rude! From the obnoxious bouncers to the unprofessional coat checkers (known for losing your coat check ticket & making you wait until the place closes-​happened 2x!). If you have a really nice/​valuable coat your ticket will miraculously disappear with the hope that you will be to inebriated off of the cheap alcohol (overpriced cocktails) to notice. Thats why the coat check line is always so long! The over sexed bartenders could care less about making a descent drink, they appear to be more concerned with either acting like strippers or scouting out talent for an after party.
I once stopped in to meet friends on a not so busy day. Two female patrons were standing at the bar with hands in each other pants while with 1 free hand smoking hookah. That male bartender stood around them they entire time and told us he had to shut down early. A friend realized she left something behind and after convincing the bartender to let her in she peaked in and saw the two girls naked laying on top of the bar. The bartender barely had his shirt on!
Bottom line this place attracts a lot of undesirables/​street crowd which works perfectly with the staff. They overpack the place which has lead to many drunken brawls, male and female! Save your hard earned money and go elsewhere! I really hope they shut this place down.

Hello Katra owners,
LOUNGE
noun
1.a public room, as in a hotel, theater, or club, in which to sit and relax.
OK, i came here with my girls for my birthday and was coming to have a good time so I didn’t expect it to be a library. But this place is far from a lounge. This is a straight up tiny club. I am surprised they haven’t been shut down by the fire department. Saying this place was crowded is a gross understatement. I have never been to a spot this packed. You couldn’t walk much less dance if you werent in the vip area. It is irresponsible of the owners to allow so many people in. Not to mention, the crowd was mostly a bunch of young, dumb, immature kids.
If you are looking for a place for the grown and sexy, (30+)that plays good R&B and hip hop music, where you can dance but also socialize, DO NOT COME HERE! This spot is straight up for the 24 and under. And that’s putting it nicely. Needs better management.

Love the theme in this place. I arrived at 11:00 pm on a Saturday and the entry was free. Mandatory coat check is $ 4.00. I love the early crowd here. Everyone just sipped, socialized and enjoyed the 90’s hip hop jams. Hookah was great although I believe I was charged $ 46.00. The calculation along with the drinks I ordered didn’t add up. I didn’t sweat it though. Very attentive bar service and they were very nice. My beef about this place is there’s no where to sit unless your dropping hundreds for a table. At least put some bar stools there. Management: Females usually don’t like to stand in heels all night. Plus my husband and I kept getting shoved and bumped around once the late crowd came in. It was then we decided to leave.

Came here this past weekend, it was ridiculously packed, wow you could barely move in there, how do people enjoy this I do not know. I ended up in VIP thank God, but even that was crowded. Overall, I guess it was ok just not my scene anymore, way too many people and not enough exits!!!

I celebrated my birthday at Katra the weekend after Thanksgiving, and my party had a great time.
I made a reservation through Birthday Party Booker, so we did not have to pay a cover. We also arrived early (around 11), so we did not have to deal with any line issues. There was some minor confusion regarding our reserved table, but I was able to quickly resolve that by speaking to who I believe was one of the managers. We opted for bottle service, and our waitress was super nice and very attentive. She frequently came to check up on us and make sure that we were ok.
The DJ was great, he played an awesome mix of old school hip hop and R&B, and was very open to requests; when I asked if he could play some bachata, he granted my wish within two or three songs. He also gave shout outs throughout the night to everyone celebrating a birthday which was nice. The crowd was lively and friendly, and everyone seemed like they were there to have a good time with no drama.
Some people have griped about the location being in an unsavory area, but I didn’t think it was that bad. I did encounter a panhandler outside of the club, but it’s NYC, we should all be used to it.
I would definitely recommend Katra and will be back.

Got totally ripped off by this place. Was visiting from Boston for my cousins 30^th birthday and the bouncer and doorman seen 5 beautiful women with Boston ids and thought they would hustle us and they did. The cover is $ 10 for women after 1: am, yet we were charged $ 20 for 40 minutes. We got there at 3:20 because we got lost.
And to add insult to injury when I called the restaurant group to rectify the situation they informed me that I should’ve handle the issue that night. Obviously if I knew that night that the cover was only $ 10, why would I pay $ 20? We just wanted to have some type of fun for my cousins birthday but even still, not that much fun to knowingly pay an extra ten for forty minutes. I was reminded of the price because it was on our weekend itinerary. I was also informed that it’s New York and things are done differently there. Obviously because in Boston there are rules and regulations to be followed when operating a business.

While looking for something to do on my way home from Uptown, a peer of mine hit me up to pass through Katra for the night. I obliged and met him there. I’ve heard a lot about this place but have never been so I figured it was a good time to check it out.
I walked in and immediately found it to be pretty empty except for whoever was left from the happy hour population. They were still at the bar/​enjoying their hookahs. Pretty open space with couches and booths lined around the walls with a decent sized bar as well. I proceeded to check out the entire venue (as usual) and go downstairs. My peer and I went downstairs to find another bar, a smaller slimmer space and a whole different group of people. Apparently, there was an unsigned hip-​hop showcase to be held that night. I thought to myself, «cool, let’s just hang out down here».
My peer and I grabbed a stool at the bar and proceeded to scour the menu. I was hungry — yes, I know; story of my life. I was was greeted by a lovely bartender who assisted me and informed me it was Moroccan food? Go figure. I played it safe and went with the fries and and chicken phyllo rolls. The fries were to DIE FOR! Yes, I really mean that! They were seasoned fries to perfection and came with a side sauce I’m not recalling right now but it was the icing on the cake!!! The chicken rolls were also good but were basically strombolis. The fries were so good though that I had to order another round!
We ate and had a drink or so while watching young rap acts get the crowd hype and all. It was pretty cool and I enjoyed it. We left with a good time and all. All in all I’d go back, however it wouldn’t be something at the top of my list. Those fries though? Oh man oh man!

When I came here it was actually fun! I came for my cousin birthday and we were in VIP. The music was good & the drinks was okay! The only thing I dislike is that it take forever to get the bartenders attention. Everyone was having a good time though!
SN; I don’t like the surrounding of the location.
I’m not sure If I would come back, maybe one day in the future.

The servers and bartenders here during Sunday brunch are absolutely gorgeous so that’s a plus. One annoying factor … We were a party of like 8 in VIP we had brunch service bottle service hookah service and additional drinks, all kept on a tab, yet anytime one of us went outside for air or to tbe bathroom the staff was hunting us down. Then they tried to deny charging my friend twice NO BUENO Katra. I had one of my friends wing it was good. The mimosas were strong as were all of the other alcoholic beverages i tried and the cost was average for boozy brunch. If you’re «fam» check it out.

There food is perfect to pair with drinks. I had the lamb and the shrimp skewers and they were cooked to perfection. There lychee martini is the best if only it were half priced during happy hour. This is a lounge so I wouldn’t order a meal but only little appetizers.

DON’T GET BOTTLE SERVICE HERE. Be warned. It’s not worth it.
I was appalled at the level of rudeness my group received at this club. We paid $ 350 for bottle service (which we arranged two days prior) and were seated at a reserved area with a couch and a table. A couple of hours later, the bouncer hurriedly and rudely told us to clear the table because they needed it for another group who came late. Excuse me? We still had a hookah on the table. For $ 350, we expected to have the table to ourselves all night. We spent an additional $ 150 on two hookahs, food, and drinks from the bar. After spending $ 500 at this club, the bouncer basically just told us to get lost so they could serve someone else. No prior warning whatsoever. I asked the hostess why we were kicked out of our area, and she told us that we needed two bottles minimum to keep the table. NOBODY told us this at the beginning of the night, when we paid for the bottle service. Not the hostess, nor the promoter. We just got shooed away like we were loitering and not spending any money.
Take your money somewhere else. Spend that $ 350 to help the earthquake victims in Nepal, or buy your mother a nice Mother’s Day gift. I told my friends the bottle service was a bad idea. Katra doesn’t appreciate its patrons.

This seductive Moroccan bar has a good vibe and friendly staff.
This lounge bar is sexy, comfortable and intimate as it is small enough to create a relaxed atmosphere.
I worked here as a photographer for a surprise birthday party.
It was a fun happy night with great food and plenty of drinks.
The host was very friendly and accommodating.
On normal evenings the DJ is playing R&B and dance, people wiggling to the tunes and smoking the hookah, a fun night out on the Bowery.
If you like the street glam, funky downtown New Yorkers (it’s not touristy) and good music, than this your place.

We visited this establishment for the first time. We are visitors from out of state. It was on a Thus. April 23^rd. Get to the door and by the sound of the music, we’re happy & ready to get the party started. We were immediately seated on the couches (Its a small place but wasn’t crowded so there was plenty of couch seating).
It was my boyfriend’s birthday so going in we were expecting to buy at least 2 bottles upon entrance. On the menu it stated the Don Julio Silver was $ 350, ok no problem so we inquired if we could get it for $ 300 or at least $ 325. The waitress advised she would check with the manager, no big deal we were still going to buy it for $ 350 if they didn’t agree to lower the price… then the waitress comes back & says «well, actually, that bottle is $ 450 so we’ll give you a deal & give it to you for $ 350», so now we”re offended & insulted that we’re now being treated as stupid. So we decide. The music is decent, we hadn’t planned to go anywhere else so let’s sit around for a while & just buy drinks and by no means are we going to even reach $ 350 on tab… now they missed out on $ 700 because we were going to buy 2 !!!
Here’s the next drama, we get our bill & wouldn’t you know, they charged us $ 2.00 for every drink we ordered on the rocks !!! I have never in my life been to a club where you are charged for having ice in your drinks !!! The manager came over & tried to justify the extra charge by saying when the bartender poured our drinks, they added a tad bit more than the double shots we ordered so that why we were charged for the ice. What ??? That makes no sense, we didn’t ask for anything extra & definitely not to be charged for ice !!
We got so frustrated with this ridiculousness that we just paid the bill & got up to leave. As we were leaving, the manger sent us a round of drinks. Nice gesture but we were already to our liquor capacity & had our coats on, & ready to go.
Poor customer service but nice music & atmosphere.

My mother used to tell me, «if you don’t have anything nice to say don’t say anything at all»
That concludes my review.
…I’m sorry momma
I didn’t have a good time. Drinks were over priced. Bartender was to preoccupied with her phone or her own reflection to properly serve us. Drinks were all watered down. Homeless people all over the entrance. The décor was nice. That was the best part of the experience.
I won’t go back.

If I could give Katra 0 stars, I would. I have visited Katra over 25 times in the last 3 years and here’s what I’ve gathered:
1. KATRA IS UNSAFE. You can literally get hurt here because the staff are aggressive and do not actually put the safety of patrons first. My friends literally ended up in the hospital because security attacked us for no reason.
2. The crowd is very low brow, tacky and rowdy.
3. The DJs are bipolar and change the music in 30 second intervals. As soon as you get acclimated to one song, they change it.
4. They make it hard to enter an empty club. They are notorious for keeping a line for no reason at all.
5. VIG Bar which is safe and fun is around the corner
Skip Katra and go to Vig. Other fun Lower East Side venues include No Malice Palace, BOB Bar and Los Feliz. Also do not go to Taj II Lounge either. It’s owned by the Katra owners and just as unsafe.

Weird vibes here. Clubby but kinda chunky.
$ 10 «service charge» on 4 drinks. That made my heart hurt a lot.

Went here for an after-​work networking event.
So many strikes against this place.
They had a 2-​for-​1 happy hour special going on mixed drinks, so I inquired about their house whiskey (Jack Daniels).
I ordered a Jack and Coke: $ 12. Really? Fine.
Next, there’s a $ 20 credit card minimum. Ugh, I wasn’t in the mood to have 4 drinks, but fine.
But on the way to a second pair, I first needed to savor the first two.
Which was impossible, because they were the absolute weakest drinks I’ve ever had.
A crying shame.
And to top it off, there’s an automatic 20% gratuity attached – no warning, no negotiating.
So I had about a shot of Jack Daniels for $ 29.
TL;DR This place sucks.
On a positive note, it was very clean, which was appreciated.

Why does Katra have 2.5 stars? I have been sitting here trying to find a reason to knock Katra down some stars like the rest of you, but I can’t think of anything that went terribly wrong during the night.
My friends and I decided to come here for Halloween (Friday night). I called days in advance to find out the cover fee and was told everybody is free before 12am. When we were on our way to Katra my friends, who were already there, told us there is a cover fee after 10pm. I was pretty upset I was told otherwise and wasn’t expecting to have a good night. When we arrived, the doorman charged the people ahead of us $ 20. When it was our turn to enter I told him about the call I made days in advance and, surprisingly, we were let in without any troubles. I felt so bad for the people who were gypped. Other than this minor issue, we all had an amazing night. We bought hookah for the table ($ 35), enjoyed the two for one happy hour special (my $ 12 strawberry margarita was tasty — split this special with a friend) and loved the music (great mix of everything). Also, coat check was smooth ($ 3), and despite how packed it was, the night was drama free.
We plan on coming back to Katra in a few weeks for my friends birthday.