Tribeca Bistro Bar

If Tribeca were twice the size, it would easily be my favourite club in the city. With an artsier, bordering-​on-​hipster crowd compared to the Ed Hardy conventions happening elsewhere, it’s got the right good time, free-​spirited vibe that’s tough to find in a city whose larger clubs descend into anarchy on a near nightly basis.
The small upstairs is outfitted with a funky décor, retro seating, and some of the best jams to get your body moving. Nightly themes highlight great dance genres ranging from dubstep to Britpop, from classic rock to classic boyband, giving clubbers a welcome break from anything that has ever been touched by Pitbull, the Black Eyed Peas, or LMFAO.
Of course, the problem which I’ve already mentioned, is that the place is teeny tiny. While that makes for many a close-​quarters dance-​off inside, it means that unless you arrive early, you’re going to be stuck in line waiting for other people to clear out for most of the night.
On the plus side, the happy-​go-​lucky crowd means that even though it’s hella packed, the odds of it turning into a douchey brawl are slim to none. You’ll just be making fast-​friends with a slew of people in plaid shirts and black skinny jeans. Embrace it.

The place to be for great dance music on a Saturday night to dance off the previous week’s stress. Very much the place for hipsters, however — I counted at least 5 dark-​rimmed, glasses-​wearing men hovering around me at one. There’s nothing wrong with this, I just thought I was seeing double.
Overall a great vibe for a night out!

Dear Tribecs,
I’ve become accustomed to your retro car-​seat perch along the upper bar wall. Cosy, comfy and the ultimate view for a voyeur. While Saturday nights are most hyped, I find myself clipping down Granville for a Friday fix of dancing and intermissions of lounge. Your quarters are tight, and Friday night crowds make this bustle just right!
Always good tunes to mix, match and move… never anything less than shoulder popping grooves. It seems I’ve developed a minor crush on the bartender with a bountifully layered mane… spending $ 5 on a vodka water w/​lime no longer feels ‘a shame.
Late night ventures aren’t always my thing… but Tribeca, you make it easy to come out for a dance, a glance and a swing!
Yours Truly,
Laura P
xoxo

Tribeca — seems to be the hot spot of Halifax. With the summer fast approaching, the streets are filling up with lots of drunken folk.
This spot has a great upstairs as everyone has said. If you want to shake your stuff, this is the place to go.
It is a relatively younger crowd, but a very nice scene. Cramped but enjoyable space. Lots of great tunes and plenty of action going on around you. A great place for a fun group to go.

I’m a fairly new fan of Tribeca, I had never been there until this summer when my boyfriend convinced me it was the place to hold my birthday celebrations. It just so happened that my birthday fell on one of Tribeca’s infamous «Rock Night» or possibly better known as «Shirts off Saturday. I’ve only been to Tribeca to experience the night-​life, so I’m not sure how it functions at a restaurant.
The upper part of Tribeca has a stage at one end and a dance floor and bar at the other. Downstairs is more open, with booths and a larger bar facing the doorway. The line to get in was ideal, and lines at the bars were great all night. Maybe people weren’t drinking very much because the bathrooms were nearly impossible to get to with everyone crammed into such a little space.
While I didn’t actually see any topless people, it was certainly hot on the dance floor and I can understand why people complain about it being the hottest bar in town during the summer months.
Hot Hint: To battle the heat I like to camp out near the large fan that hangs from the ceiling on the right hand side of the stage, it’s positioned perfectly to cool off after some intense dancing.

I like how cool I feel when I walk up the stairs at Tribeca into the smallish upper bar. I sometimes like to imagine that I’m in a teen flick and I’m the mega-​villain girl, you know the one that calls the shots and acts like a jerk all the time. Not that I want to act like a jerk or anything, I just want to enter with the confidence of a teen queen.
Okay, so what transpires in my head can be deemed lame, but nonetheless it’s what this chic downtown bar brings out in me, so it’s not entirely my fault. I don’t know exactly what the deal is with the lower section of Tribeca. I only ever see people taking rest breaks there, or else lolling about in the booths after drinking too much.
The upper bar is great for dancing. The bar boasts cool DJs, including the likes of Cosmo and T-​Woo who were spinning the last time I went. Sometimes there are neat live drumming collaborations that happen while the DJs spin their jams, which can be pretty fun to witness.
They play far too little B. Spears and old school classics like N’Sync — but, they do cover the retro hip-​hop and R&B which is pretty fun. Sometimes the music gets a little stale for me, maybe that’s just the nature of retro night — it being focused on old hits and all. I’ve enjoyed the Brit-​pop nights on occasion, and always find it funny when people touch the pipes overhead and then get asked to stop, only to see it happen again moments later.
In conclusion: fun spot. Good for getting down with your bad self. If you like making an entrance, get yourself dolled before hitting the stairs. Maybe when you get to the top you can have a friend take your coat and then hand you a drink; you’ll def be the ultimate in cool.

Tribeca hosts two of my favorite Saturday nights in our fair city, Panic and Shirts Off Saturday. Panic is a night filled with Northern Soul and Brit Pop, expect to hear a lot of Pulp, Blur, Oasis, U2, etc. Shirts Off Saturday is better known as Rock night, where I always get a kick out of seeing girls in short skirts and boys in popped collars dancing to Killing In The Name Of. Rock night gets especially crowded and heated, which explains why shirts tend to come off (hence the name!).
Tribeca’s other Saturday night specials include All City (Hip Hop) and Hustle (Funk). Both are fun, but certainly not to the extent that Panic and Shirts Off are.
Tribeca is always crowded on these nights and is always a great time. Stop in one of these Saturdays with dancing shoes and a shirt you’re willing to spin around your head and prepare to have a lot of fun.
But don’t hang from the pipes! Never, ever hang from the pipes!

Tribeca is an excellent spot to head out for the night if you don’t want to spend a fortune and you want to dance to music that isn’t necessarily much top 20 material.
Tribeca also has theme nights which means you can periodically dress up in your favorite 80’s, 90’s and rock ensembles and head out for a great night!
With reasonable cover and drink prices, Tribeca is definitely one of my top few favorite places to go dancing in Halifax.

When I talk about Tribeca, I’m referring mostly to the upstairs bar, rather than the downstairs restaurant, because the two are so vastly different in my mind as to be unrelated. The downstairs restaurant, with its high booths that surround you in a little woody cocoon reminds me a bit too much of a Gap store, so it’s not my favourite place.
Upstairs, however, is the seedy, grungy little dive bar that I love. Ah, rickety old rummage-​sale chairs and mismatched tables. Ah, delightful little corner nooks, nestled in against the exposed brick, where you can have a martini-​fueled conversation with your best friend, or your new friend, or that guy that’s ALWAYS at the bar, like, every single day.
Despite the grunge factor, this is a really funky comfortable space, and the folks that run it and work the bar are the friendliest and most helpful bar staff you’ll ever meet. Some customers love this place for the heavy bands and hip DJ’s, but I’m all about having the space to myself and my friends before the funky kids arrive.