The Royal

Pretty standard club on a Saturday night, but I gotta give a low rating because of the nonsense they pulled on me and my friend… When we came in the bouncer insisted that we had to check our coats (which costs $ 5), and he wasn’t letting us in until we did. we thought that was odd so when we got to the coat check we asked the girl there if it really was mandatory and she said it was. Of course, when we get upstairs everybody has their coats with them…
They gypped us for $ 5 each, which isn’t much but it’s just so stupid and disrespectful. Also, another bouncer kept walking around and constantly shining his flashlight on people for no apparent reason which seemed pretty unprofessional. I don’t think I’ll be going back, would rather go somewhere with decent staff…

The royal is a awesome spot, good music, great drinks, NYU right next door so after 9pm it’s get good. Bartenders were really good #SURKUS

I attended a birthday party at the Royal 2 weeks ago on a Saturday night. I had a great time. The music was great, the dj played everything. The crowd was mixed group of individuals in their 20’s and 30’s. The doorman was cool and friendly and so were the bouncers. The bartenders were nice and welcoming. I would definitely go back.

Good place. Nice for a game. They have tons of TVs. Service is pretty decent. Bar is decorated well and the place is always clean. Don’t love the way that coach check works where you go down one set of stairs at the back that are difficult to get to, then you walk downstairs and hang coat. Then you go up other stairs and pop out at front door. Very stupid.
Wings are very good. Tots are also good. Haven’t had much else. But i do like what I have had a lot. Its as good as you get for cheap bar food out in NYC. Good beer prices. $ 5 draft happy hour till 8pm. $ 6 wells happy hour. etc.
Would definitely come back.

I’ve been to The Royal several times over the years for a variety of sponsored events, ranging from product launches to advertising meetups. The crazy thing is, I’ve never been here on my own. Why is this? Let’s see, the drinks have never been revolutionary and the food is just okay. The venue is nice, though. It’s got a modern aesthetic, great sound system and plenty of TVs. This is definitely a place to watch a game if you’re a sports fan who likes the company of others. It’s also one step above some of the bars along third avenue, but scores much higher on the douche scale. If that’s your crowd, check it out.

I came here last week for the Launch Party for the launch of the Paid Easy app and have to say it was one heck of a lovely experience. Unexpectedly ran into a lot of friends here, as well as the crew that I came with, so needless to say that mood was already set. The food was great, the drinks were dished out quickly, and we got free combination bottle/​can openers, as well as free cozies for holding cups. Definitely enjoyed my time here.

This is a regular after work stop for me and it a always a safe bet. It is usually not too crowded and you can get a decent amount of service. They have a full bar but they also serve food which is pretty good as well, basic dinner food.
One of my favorite things about this place is that they serve tatter tots. Like seriously where do you know of the still serves tatter tots outside of the local school district?! Love it.
The music can be realllllllly unnecessarily loud sometimes which is frustrating, it sounds like a club when there is just 8 people in there. I they really need to work on that… I understand Friday and the weekends, But its Wednesday… TURN DOWN…
All in all great spot to chill for a bit if you work in the area.

A big group of us came here for Halloween. It was just to crowded and had a cover 10W/​20M, we called before hand and were told there was no cover. Besides the crowd and the cover, I liked this place. I am very excited to go back when I can actually move around and dance. The dj was great, feeling the vibe of the crowd and playing a good mix of old and new music. The bouncers were funny and kind. The bartenders we very friendly, but the drinks were pricey, $ 18 for two whiskey and cokes, yikes. I will be back to this very hip laid back bar.

Fun bar/​club. I’ve gone a couple of times just to grab drinks in the evening and the bartender made my Margarita exactly how I requested, not to sweet but not something that would leave my head pounding the next day.
I have been during the night in a couple of years but when I did it was a solid spot for early 20 somethings to socialize and meet new people.

Had some drinks and appetizers — wasn’t disappointing.
Went for a college happy hour networking type deal. The drinks were overpriced, the atmosphere was very hip, and the food was decent pub fare. Overall, exactly what you would expect from this type of place, although I remember the service being particularly good. Yay?
Happy Eating.

For a sports bar, I like this spot — They play good music between games, which is helpful for those of us who don’t watch sports. There are easy to see TV’s from every angle, which is helpful for those who do.
The food is not very good at all. Basic bar food, but greasy, overpriced, and average in flavor. I would stick to just drinks.

This place was nice for a couple of drinks with a friend, until I got home and realized that I left my backpack at the bar. Immediately upon realizing this, I called with the hopes that I could have them place y backpack behind the bar so I could come pick it up.
My first call was answered, but the phone was seemingly put down and left, and after 7 minutes of waiting and hearing background music, I was forced to Hang up and try again.
The following 6 times I have called, I’ve gotten the voicemail. Of a bar. That is currently open. How is it possible that no one is around the phone for a full hour? I even left a voicemail which I expect no chance of a return call. It is beyond explanation of how at a dead bar, on a Tuesday night, that NOT A SINGLE EMPLOYEE could hear my countless phone calls. The music is not loud and there were a whopping two patrons in the bar when I left.

This seems like a decent place to come watch any sporting event of your liking. They probably have 30 or so big screen TVs around the bar and seem to be able and accommodate all requests. While we were there, they were showing the Rangers playoff game, Yankees game and NBA playoff games. There are some sofas in the back of the bar that you are able to sit down on if they aren’t reserved which ended up being comfortable for us.
I am sure if you need a place to watch a game, this could work but it seems like a ‘bro bar’ and could get rowdy if the proper variables are in place. For grabbing a drink and watching the game, this could work, but I am not sure how the menu items are as we didn’t touch anything there.
Enjoy.

I’ve been to the Royal a few times before and enjoyed it — it’s never too crowded after work and they have good happy hour specials. However, I just had an unsatisfactory experience I wanted to post about. I was planning a low-​key happy hour for a group of friends from work. We wanted someplace that wouldn’t be super loud and crazy, and where we could get a table so we could maybe order food and definitely sit around and talk instead of standing. The Royal came to mind because that exact thing has been my experience here in the past.
I called a week ahead to reserve a table, telling them we had 10 people and were just looking to have some drinks and snacks. However, when I arrived I was taken to three separate two-​person tables along the wall behind the bar. I asked if we could combine the tables so the group could be, well, grouped, and was told that wasn’t allowed. I asked about one of the several other open tables (the place was nearly empty when I arrived) but was told they were all reserved. I told the hostess that I would wait for my group but we might end up leaving depending on what the rest of them wanted to do. Both hostesses were nice, but it was frustrating that they couldn’t do anything.
Fast forward — we did end up deciding to head to a different bar because it was so loud and crowded, and we were huddled around one of the tiny tables because the others were too far apart. It turns out as we were leaving we spotted the sign for some kind of «meet a roommate» speed-​dating style event that was going on, which would account for the crowd.
I guess I would have preferred that when I called for the reservation they had said «hey, we have an event going on that night so it’s going to be a little tough to get you a table» or something — and I also find it crazy that reserving a week ahead got me a completely unusable set of tables. At that rate I could have saved myself the trouble of the reservation and just come in to stand in the less-​crowded space away from the bar.
Anyway, I’m sure I’ll be back since this place is near my office and is generally good, but I don’t think they handled this situation very well.

I came here for a March Madness party and it was a nice-​ish place, felt like it was a bit small for the amount of people there. They also have a very shady path to the restrooms and out… I also didn’t like the fact we had to leave our belongings around because checking in your coat costs $ 4.
Anyways, the drinks were okay. I feel like the rum and coke I ordered was a watered down in comparison to the the vodka and soda. It was a decent place, I didn’t eat but the food smelled pretty good.

Came here for NYE and let’s say my friends and I got our money’s worth. We paid $ 79 for all you can drink and buffet. I assumed the drinks would be in small plastic cups and watered down to cut costs. Nope, they loaded that sucker up in a nice glass. Jack and Cokes all night and the bartender did NOT water down.
The layout of the place was cool with endless TVs covering the walls. The reason we chose this place was its proximity to NYU — younger crowd around our age. Good music, good drinks, good times.
If I had one compliant it would be the bathroom downstairs in the basement. It got a little tricky navigating down those steep stairs after I had a few drinks in me.

The Royal has the most abominable coat check situation that I’ve ever encountered.
Upon entering, you are required to pay $ 4 in cash to check your coat. As my friend didn’t have cash on her, she proceeded to walk into the bar, leaving her coat on. A bouncer followed her, threatening to escort her out of the bar if she didn’t check her coat. When she explained she wasn’t able to pay in cash, as there were no ATMs in the bar, the bouncer took her coat off of her body and aggressively got her a ticket. The situation was ludicrous, unnecessary, and left us feeling like criminals.
When leaving, we headed downstairs to retrieve our coats and found a coat check line extending down through the entire hallway. The line moved at a glacial pace– we waited for over THIRTY MINUTES to get our jackets.
My friend had had misplaced her ticket, but her jacket was right beside mine. The attendants gave her a hard time about giving her the coat without a ticket, and I told them that after waiting for a half hour in line they should have the decency to actually give her the jacket without trouble.
A bouncer was posted at the coat check line to handle what was becoming quite an unruly mob, and he told me that after working at dozens of bars, this was the worst coat check he had ever seen (He suggested I write a scathing Unilocal review).

I highly recommed NOT coming here to drink. I went here for NYE and got ripped off. I bought an $ 8 drink handed the bartender $ 100 bill. He gave me $ 2 change. I understand that people make mistakes, but no one was at the bar because a fight broke out before we got there and everyone dispersed. I confronted him about the incorrect change and he argued with me saying I was in the wrong. Finally, he admitted into giving the wrong change. I had a minor arguement with the two bartenders and ended up getting kicked out due to getting the wrong change back. I will never return to this place.
**If you go there be sure to check the change they give back**

Loved it! Such a great sports bar, they had like a million TV screens to watch practically any game from any angle! They had drink specials for the game, $ 6 beers on tap, $ 7 pickle back shots! The bartender looked surprised at how many times we kept getting those pickle backs. Yum!
The food was good too, the chicken tenders were perfect and I fell in love with the buffalo sauce they gave!
I’ll be back for more pickle backs!

I wish I could give this place 0 stars. There are no redeeming qualities about this place. I went here with some friends Saturday night to watch a college football game arranged by the alumni club. During the third quarter they changed the channel on most of the TV’s and refused to change it back to the game. 80% of the bar was there to watch the game.
The bartenders and waitresses were rude and not accommodating. We asked several times to change the channel back, even starting a loud chant to change the channel back. Nothing. This bar is poorly managed and will soon close because it does not pay attention to its clientele.
The food was also bland and oily/​stale. We asked for extra napkins and had to get the napkins ourselves from the bar.
After we left, we encountered two girls whose phones were both stolen. GHETTO bar.
Avoid this dump at all costs.