KGB Bar

Interesting bar we discovered on a prohibition pub crawl. Bar has an interesting story from the speak easy days. Enjoyed my Russian beer and the décor of this place. Bartender was friendly.

Came here for a poetry reading last Friday and was charged $ 7 for a club soda.
Received some convoluted explanation from the bartender. Ridiculous.

A themed bar that is known in the literary community as a place to read work and discuss ideas over drinks. The drinks themselves are not bad and the service is decent. People come for the poetry and the atmosphere.

Cool, hidden place. It was neat to see all the posters and knick knacks from the old country, but nothing really special to want to come back to. Came here on a Monday night, maybe that was the problem. There were people, but the place was pretty boring.

Comrades, this dive is the real deal. I’ve never had a bad time here. Every time I come here I end up having a fascinating conversation with someone, and I can actually hear myself not only think, but talk! It’s cozy, quiet, intimate, and lavishly themed with velvety red Soviet dressing — and you can listen to some live poetry on Sunday nights. It’s dark and high up, and you’ll feel a bit like you’re in an alternate universe (in the best way). The place attracts a lot of hipsters but I’m cool with that because they are literature snobs with moleskines and horned glasses — not photography snobs with mustard yellow Kankens and mustard yellow cardigans and mustard yellow high tops. I don’t give 5-​star reviews out just willy-​nilly, but this bar is the literal bees knees. Get yourself there immediately.

I guess you gotta check it out as it is somewhat noteworthy. Disappointed by the beer selection. Was expecting more from this place based on having heard of it a few times prior to going.

Anyone who gives this bar less than four stars is the human equivalent of a used condom filled with diarrhea. Seriously, if you don’t like fucking awesome places like KGB, where writers gather, the Japanese bartender quotes Foucault and Marx, and drinks are strong and cheap, kindly crawl back to your polished cocktail lounge and die.

I did another reading at KGB last month, this time with my friend Ed Lin, and the experience was once again wonderful. The only reason I’m bothering to update is that when I left on that Sunday night, I forgot an ENVELOPE FULL OF CASH on one of the tables.
I’d collected this for book sales, and it amounted to a cash reimbursement for my own purchase of my own books. The details of this arrangement are befuddling and uninteresting, but suffice it to say that had I lost this envelope, I would’ve been paying my publisher full price for books that I wrote, and for which I only get a small percentage in royalties.
I didn’t miss the envelope until hours later in my hotel room, and I wasn’t even sure I’d left it at the bar. I called, feeling like an idiot, and asked something like, «Uhhhhh did you by any chance find an envelope full of cash???» To my enormous relief, the bartender responded, «Believe it or not…»
He took down my info and gave me instructions for pick-​up the next day, when he wouldn’t even be working. I swung by that Monday night and got my money from another bartender, who was equally nice. Let’s be real I’m an author not a drug dealer so most of the cash was in ones but it was a thick envelope and I’m super grateful to all the honest people who got it back in my hands. KGB is the best for many reasons, but now I straight up believe it’s magical.

We were referred here from someone at another bar near by. Not being from the area, we always ask for suggestions on what dive bars we should check out. We went late on a Saturday and it wasnt too crowded. The bar had a cool ambiance, decent beer selection and was easy to find. I was also told the restrooms were pretty cool as well, check em out.

Got dragged here by a friend on a Friday night and wasn’t impressed. The space was pretty hot and crowded, and we couldn’t find anywhere to sit. We each got a Budweiser and then promptly left. Maybe this would be a cooler spot on an off night — it’s well-​decorated and overall had a pretty chill vibe. But based on my first experience, two stars seems appropriate.

KGB
NY Manhattan East Village
10pm Friday 1^st May 2015
Three Stars
I feel that all dive bars should have exactly a three star review. After walking up a flight of stairs and showing our IDs to security. We again found a place at the bar. Everybody was doing Vodka/​Whiskey with a Pickle Juice chaser. The bartender ran out of pickle juice while pouring 10 shots and he simply redistributed the already poured brine into the remaining shots. The place is dark, dingy with a bit kitsch. The drinks were like $ 8 a piece. The people here were having a great time. No Doubt about that.

Clearly not the best bar content wise, but the space is great, especially if you are with a relatively large group and want to be able to sit. And it’s not too too loud either…

My favorite East Village bar. Terrific owners and bar tenders. Always full of characters and the speakeasy upstairs has wonderful jazz.

Nice décor, decent service and not too over crowded. Overall nice place to have a drink. Only complaint is the bouncer didn’t let me and my girlfriend upstairs because we weren’t regulars.

KGB Bar is a divey-​esque spot that’s a little dingy, a little rundown, but with a whole lot of character. Kitschy Soviet posters line the scrappily red painted walls and dinged up wood tables shakily hold your drink. It gets busy-​ish later in the night but seems like a chill spot to carouse with your friends.

Das erinnert ja fast an die 70’er/80’er Jahre in Kreuzberg ! Von daher also ganz wunderbar.
Allerdings kriegt der leicht mürrische Wirt die Drinks auch nur auf dem Level der 70’er/80’er in Kreuzberg hin, wo sich ja die Getränkeauswahl auf eine Sorte Flaschenbier (bevorzugt Beck’s) beschränkte. Sein Angebot ist zwar signifikant umfangreicher und die Preise sind es auch, aber als ‘gepflegte Bar’ würde ich KGB nun eher nicht bezeichnen.
Dafür gib’s zwei Sterne Abzug und einen Nostalgie-​Stern gibt’s extra, macht dann vier Sterne.
Mir hat die ‘KGB Bar’ gefallen und wir kommen wieder.

I completely forgot I reviewed this place way back in 2009. Well, obviously I’ve been back since, and what I will say now is that I never have a normal night here. It’s always weird, it’s always the last place I stumble to, usually with a random group of strangers I’ve just met at other bars (I’ve never met anyone *at* KGB).
I don’t remember the music. I don’t remember if they accept credit, or how much anything is. I couldn’t tell you if their drinks are good, or if they have a decent beer selection. The walls are red, the bathrooms a trip, and usually at least one bartender is actually Russian.

IPAs for $ 7 and mixed drinks a few bucks more, that’s about it for this place. I liked the bouncer in the ladies bathroom. The bartender was ambivalent about serving people drinks and the crowd was meh. Basically one of those places that would only be fun if you were also ambivalent about being there.

This review is for the Red Room but I peeked in this place on my way upstairs to the burlesque show happening upstairs at the Red Room. We arrived late on Friday night because we stopped at Wise Men for a drink (so glad we did) but still got a taste for what the place is like had we made it on time (so glad we didn’t)
The staff also double as props or characters in the show so that was impressive to see them take your order then walk on stage and strip (ok maybe not exactly but there is some mild nudity like butt cheeks and boobs with pasties over the nipples.) Everyone is super friendly or maybe they were super drunk because it was the end of the show. The drink was a typical dive bar mixed drink — nothing like the delicious cocktail at Wise Men. Its worth checking out… perfect place to kick your shoes off… go ahead they encourage you to!
I didn’t understand why the lights were on so bright in this place. They should dim them a bit, it felt like we were at a cheesy wedding reception.

I liked the vibe here. Dimly lit and mysterious with Soviet themed décor. Strong drinks!
I noticed some people commented on bartender/​bouncer rudeness. Personally, I don’t come to a Russian themed bar expecting friendly service (nothing friendly about that country at all) and regardless if the bartenders/​bouncers are actually Russian, trust me, the rudeness adds to the authenticity of the experience. The American in me hates this but the Russian in me simply accepts it. Just go outside, bribe a policeman to arrest them on false charges and you’re all set.

KGB is a dark, compact bar that serves its purpose. It’d never make the list as an intended destination, but I do end up here at times and it doesn’t disappoint.
Really the biggest draw for me is being above the theater for Too Much Light Makes The Baby Go Blind. Very decent place to wait for the house to open, though nothing too remarkable about it.