10 Best Piano Bars In New York City

piano bars in new york city
Sharadha
Sharadha 
Updated
| 5 min read

New York City is a city of never-ending fun. People in New York always find a way to keep their spirits high and energetic. One such fun activity is dancing to your favorite tune at a piano bar in New York. It is a city of exceptional talent and people of the city love live music. People here enjoy all kinds of music from contemporary tunes to classical jazz. A piano bar is similar to a usual bar only it features a piano and music shows. These bars organize live performances for their patrons. Watching a live piano show while nursing your favorite drink is one of the best things to experience in New York. Check out this list for the best piano bars in New York City.

1. The Duplex

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

The Duplex holds almost 70 years of legacy as a one-of-a-kind entertainment destination in New York. Ever since its inception in the year 1950, The Duplex has been the center of non-stop colorful and vibrant live performances during the night. As the clock strikes nine, the most-admired singers and pianists of this elite club start their non-stop musical performances, often blended with comedy. This club is one place where you will find even your bartender belting out a song as he attends to you. Mondays and Thursdays at Duplex are even more special as you will get to enjoy special performances by in-house singers Darius and Maria.

The Duplex

Address: 61 Christopher Street (at 7th Ave.), NYC, NY 10014

Website: The Duplex

Opening hours: 4pm - 4am (daily)

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2. Bemelmans Bar

Bemelmans Bar
Source: Photo by Flickr user Corn Farmer used under CC BY-ND 2.0

Bemelmans Bar is a jazz bar that is quite often packed with couples, New Yorkers, and tourists. Filled with a friendly crowd and flowing music, Bemelmans Bar is a great place for people to meet and greet. The pianist sits on the keys from 5.30 pm and plays on until midnight. This musical treat is the one reason why people flock to this place. Finding a spot even by the bar becomes difficult when the music begins! It is a popular piano bar among the locals and you might even get lucky and spot a few celebrities at Bemelmans Bar. Tap those shoes to Bemelmans’ energizing beats!

Bemelmans Bar

Address: 35 E 76th St, New York City, NY 10021-1827

Website: Bemelmans Bar

Opening hours: 12pm - 1am (daily)

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3. Mezzrow Jazz Club

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Our "listening room"

Posted by Mezzrow on Tuesday, August 26, 2014

Another popular jazz destination among New Yorkers is the Mezzrow Jazz Club, located at the heart of Greenwich Village. The very sight of the gorgeous new model “A (6'3”) piano from Steinway will tempt you to visit this place. Mezzrow is owned and run by a group of musicians and has a very relaxing ambiance for its visitors. The jazz club has a dedicated music room where you can witness a very intimate experience of the very best piano artists’ performances every night. Mezzrow is a place where music is created by musicians for music lovers.

Mezzrow Jazz Club

Address: 163 W 10th St, New York, NY 10014, USA

Website: Mezzrow Jazz Club

Opening hours: Mon - Wed: 7.30pm - 1.30am; Thu: 7.30pm - 2.30am; Fri - Sat: 7.30pm - 2am; Sun: 4.30pm - 1:30am

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4. Brandy's Piano Bar

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Brandy’s Piano Bar is a secluded spot in the Upper-East side of New York, tucked away in a side street. This place has been serving musical treats to its visitors every night for the last 35 years and is one of the intimate destinations for experiencing live musical talent. Brandy’s is a gay piano bar that is open to anyone looking for pure fun. The piano bar opens up from 9.30pm every night and you can witness sing-alongs as well as solo performances throughout the night until early in the morning.

Brandy's Piano Bar

Address: 235 E 84th St, New York, NY 10028, USA

Website: Brandy’s Piano Bar

Opening hours: 4pm - 4am (daily)

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New York Tour Guide

Annie Leguennec

Annie Leguennec

My name is Annie. I am a local Tour guide based in Philadelphia enjoying fully what the city has to offer with its deep history, street arts, murals, architecture, traditional food, black history, Farmer Markets, green space, a melting pot of neighborhoods and its great locals. I am looking for to welcome you and show you this incredible city where you will gain a better understanding of the city's rich heritage and its continuing legacy as the birthplace of the United States of America. Book my tour. Explore and learn about this unique city where you will walk on the footsteps of our America's founding Fathers. My tours are conducted in English, French and Italian.

Tours by Annie

5. Shake Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Shake Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos is a place for a very unique musical experience. Here, they treat you with a rock ‘n’ roll party and you get to pick your favorite playlist. With over 20 years of expertise in the field of entertaining people with music and comedy, Dueling Pianos stands at the top of the preference list in New York. At this bar, you not only get to enjoy your requested songs but also interactive experiences like a sing-along, dance-along, and laugh-along! This is a place that offers a perfect cocktail of comedy and music that will soothe your soul after a busy day at work. The bar is also open for conducting special events such as weddings, parties, fundraisers, reunions and bar mitzvahs.

Shake Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos

Address: 306 W 39th St, New York, NY 10018, USA

Website: Shake Rattle & Roll Dueling Pianos

Opening hours: Fri - Sat: 10pm - 1am

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6. Uncle Charlie's

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Uncle Charlie’s is a gay bar that has been providing unique experiences to its visitors in the Midtown East of New York City. It is a very warm and one-of-a-kind place that has a separate music room where you are served with musical treats by the local stars. The bar also has an outdoor patio where you can enjoy the vibrant colors of the city during the night, light a cigarette or even have a peaceful time under the stars.

Uncle Charlie's

Address: 139 E 45th St, New York, NY 10017, USA

Website: Uncle Charlie’s

Opening hours: Mon - Sat: 4pm - 4am; Sun: 5pm - 2am

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7. Don't Tell Mama

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Another 35-year-old piano bar in the city is Don’t Tell Mama. This famous piano bar is located in the heart of the New York theater district, right on the popular Restaurant Row. Don’t Tell Mama is a fun-filled night club that has four separate halls that are most-often packed. They have a restaurant, two cabaret halls, and a piano bar. The performances at the piano bar begin late in the night and go on until early morning during the weekdays and late midnight on the weekends.

Don't Tell Mama

Address: 343 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036, USA

Website: Don’t Tell Mama

Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 4pm - 2:30am; Sat - Sun: 11am - 2:30am

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8. Townhouse

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

When speaking of piano bars in New York, it is hard to miss out the Townhouse. It is a gentleman’s bar that has nightly piano performances by the best talents in the city. This is a truly elegant and upscale space with three bar rooms - the main bar, club room, and a piano bar. The TownHouse is a posh gay bar where you may end up finding your soulmate. They have an open microphone where you can go solo and the pianists will tap the keys for you. Don’t forget to make the best out of their daily Happy Hours from 4 pm - 8 pm. They also serve generous amounts of drinks!

Townhouse

Address: 236 E 58th St, New York, NY 10022, USA

Website: Townhouse

Opening hours: Sun - Wed: 4pm - 3am; Thu - Sat: 4pm - 4am

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9. Sid Gold's Request Room

Editor's Note: Photo taken from the establishment's official social account

Sid Gold’s Request Room is an all-request piano bar where you get to enjoy classical music with a contemporary touch. The unique aspect of this place is that the bar stools are placed around the piano where you can sing along with everyone as the pianist Joe McGinty plays the tune. This space has a laidback ambiance with a large piano at the center where everyone gathers and the drinks are served around.

Sid Gold's Request Room

Address: 165 W 26th St, New York, NY 10001, USA

Website: Sid Gold’s Request Room

Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 5pm - 2am; Sat: 7pm - 2am; Sun: 7pm-12am

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10. Marie's Crisis Cafe

Maries Crisis
Source: Photo by Flickr user Ed and Eddie used under CC BY-SA 2.0

The last on the list and the oldest piano bar in the whole of New York is the Marie’s Crisis Cafe. The bar was built in the year 1839 during the Prohibition Era. The bar has a rich history of over a century depicted on its walls. It has come a long way from being a warehouse, then a gay bar and now a popular piano bar. The bar was named after a blonde haired Austrian woman named Marie Du Mont who is said to have had a mesmerizing voice. Check out the famous epitaph by Thomas Paine on the bar’s wall. Visiting a place filled with nostalgia and music is simply a rare experience, isn’t it?

Marie's Crisis Cafe

Address: 59 Grove St, New York, NY 10014, USA

Website: Marie’s Crisis Cafe

Opening hours: Mon - Fri: 4.30pm - 3pm; Sat - Sun: 4.30pm - 4am

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Enjoy the upbeat tunes of a piano

New York City by night
Source: Photo by user reynermedia used under CC BY 2.0

The city of New York is always bustling with business and people are always on the move during the day. But this relentless city assumes a completely different character during the night. As the sun goes down, so does the work stress, deadlines and business targets. Everybody come out on the streets and makes the best out the evening by indulging in musical treats and delicious foods. This is the main reason behind the popularity of piano bars in this busy city. Enjoy the soothing tunes as you settle down for the day.

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Any must-sees we missed? Tell us about them in the comments section or write a post here to help out fellow travelers!
Disclosure: Trip101 selects the listings in our articles independently. Some of the listings in this article contain affiliate links.

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Sharadha is a happy 'paw'rent to beautiful GSDs - Max n Tuffey. At times, when she is not too busy pampering her furry kids, she is trying her best to stay fit, write and travel. She loves...Read more

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