Red Lion Reviews

Awesome live music and a great atmosphere right at Bleecker street. Friendly staff. Probably best Guiness in town too!

The Red Lion is a NYC institution -- a quintessential dive bar on Bleecker Street, in the heart of the Village, with great live music every night -- cover bands, original bands, new stuff, old stuff, fun stuff, enjoyed by NYU students and other denizens of the neighborhood and folks who come to hang and listen and drink and eat. The bartenders are congenial and have about any liquor you'd want on the wall behind them, with beers on tap in front of them. The bar food is a fair and decent representation of fair and decent bar food. All in all, wonderful, friendly atmosphere, and a place that everybody you know who lives in the city has been at some point in their lives.

We have been coming to red lion for almost ten years. The music is always entertaining and most bands are really great. During the week it is pretty low key but on weekends it is a different crowd and can get full and rowdy. The food is really good at a great price too. 10 cents wings on Tuesday’s. The staff are all sweet and mainly Irish folks too which adds a nice authentic touch to this place.

Yes, this is not fine dining or high end, but it a good bar. We always go here for a drink before eating at Cuba restaurant around the corner. Good atmosphere and usually live music is on (some better than others). Also a good hang out for Rugby in NYC.

We specifically went here to listen to a friend's band who is from out of state. We have seen him play many times, but there was something about this location that I felt they played and sounded the best ever! The flow of people through here was amazing and it had such a fun, happy vibe to it. We were lucky enough to get a hightop table close to the band and we had a wonderful waitress who was right on top of things. She was very pleasant and wasn't ruffled by some women who were a little disrespectful. We had nachos which I wouldn't get again as they sort of forgot cheese but didn't forget jalapenos! The pizza was a bar style pizza and very good. We had quite a few cocktails and our bill was reasonable. The guy that organizes the band and sound was on the ball - he had everyone in check and band we know said they love playing there because the sound guy and the owner are good to work with.

We met relatives here for drinks while on holiday from the UK. The atmosphere was breathtakingly awesome. There was a band playing an eclectic mix of upbeat songs ranging from 60's all the way up to the most current tracks, and they were absolutely phenomenal. If you're in NYC and looking for a place to unwind with great service and live music from talented musicians, this is the place to be. I'll certainly be paying another visit on my next trip.

Bar with very good atmosphere! Live music in the afternoons! We went to happy hour with tacos at $2. Very rich! Great selection of drinks and beers!

Just tried to go in and watch the rugby, 20 dollars charge per person on a Friday afternoon for an empty bar.... well done, you just lost a group of 12 people who came from a wedding and would have spent a lot of money on drink... we absolutely won't go back here, your greed just lost you alot of money behind your bar. This is NYC, there's a hundred better bars within walking distance.

We had a drink here before heading to cuba to eat. They had a great happy hour running and the atmosphere was good. We hit it just between the waitress changing, so the service was hit and miss.

Been going to this bar for 10 years. Always open for Premier League Soccer (footy to us Brits) and a great Rubgy bar for Six Nations. Always a good atmosphere and expat hang out. Morning drinking can be accompanied by a fryup or bacon sandwich. NFL also on later in the day. Good place to see friends, decent beer and great Guinness! Live music every night too...

Jan 25th 2015. First round and I'm short changed $10 by the guy serving, clearly deliberate. Not impressed at all. Some iffy looking dealings going on in the toilets. The live music was good.

It's a little dark, but the staff is great. Very laid back atmosphere and clientele. Good place to drop by for a drink or 2 and some soccer on TV. The Bloody Mary's here are to me the best around! I've had a snack here, but never a full out meal, so I cannot speak too much to the kitchen. I will always be back as long as the Mary's stay excellent!

Yearly heads up of likely $20 entry fee if you want to watch the rugby. Other sports bar across the road but not showing same,missing an opportunity or preplanned?

Only had a lunch time drink and snack but Jess behind the bar was very friendly despite a hangover from the night before. Fairly empty when we were there but live bands every night and gets busy on Friday and Saturday nights in particular. Nice place for a drink and a snack just down from Washington Square.

Very nice club. We've been there on sunday nigth, free entrance, good live music (blues, R&B), very nice service people! On monday night jam session, nice as well

Wandered in here one Monday night and heard some great rock/r&b. No cover charge, plus the Bitter End at the end of the block and a few other venues within a stone's throw make this a great little area for music fans. You can head down to Bleeker street and be confident of finding something good either at Red Lion or very nearby.

Rented the room upstairs for snow event. We has about 80 folks join us. The food was very good. Carving station was very popular. Chef was great. The appetizers were excellent but the staff was slow to deliver. The crab cakes, people loved them. The vegetable appetizers were tasty. The bar tenders were quick and professionals. I would come back here for dinner. The singer downstairs was great. Nice entertainment.

5 of us enjoyed our lunches on a Saturday afternoon. We decided to dine there with our 'Big Apple Greeter', and we all found the meals tasty, and enjoyed a nice rest/break from our long walking tour. Staff was friendly. The only negative thing for me was, that when I was taking a bite from my potato skin meal, there was something very hard in it, and it made an awful crunching sound, that the others heard, and it hurt my tooth (I thought I had broken my tooth). Small, black, round thing, that I dumped on my plate. It shouldn't have been in there! I should have mentioned it to them, but didn't want to embarrass our 'greeter'. My mouth is still sore, at times, on that side 10 days later! Enjoyed the Halloween decor, as I love Halloween!

My first time in New York, in for a conference - everybody tells me go to Bleeker Street. I had some reservations about going out on my own. That was put to rest immediately by Jack and Ruth the staff at the Red Lion. Jack let me create the mystery 3 dollar shot. (which I have to say didn't taste half bad.) And Ruth was nice enough to watch my bag while I investigated the bar. Live music, alot of music that I knew. New York people are a lot nicer than you think. They take the stools away at midnight cause it gets so crazy. But Jack said I was VIP and let me keep mine. The prices are much better than midtown where I was staying, (midtown: 8 dollars for a bottle of Coors Lite?!) I didn't get to see much of Bleeker after that. But if there's better then the Red Lion I don't need to know.

Had a big group meet here around thanksgiving. All ages were happy. Variety of live music acts over the evening.we were there early enough so there was no cover charge. Even at that, the cover was $5. Great wings, The Gaelic Burger was best burger I've had in a bar. Reasonably priced drinks and great atmosphere with patient staff.

We are frequent visitors to NYC and always spend at least one night out at "Red Lion". I started patronizing this fine establishment during the late 80's an have seen it grow into what it is today. I worked there briefly for the previous owner and have grown to love it even more. The door staff know us and are extremely cordial when we arrive. They greet us with warm smiles and handshakes. We usually call ahead and out "favorite" bartender usually manages to find a place for us at the bar in a corner. What better service could you ask for???? Our drinks are always kept full and our conversations with George always leave us laughing. Do things get crowded and tense sometimes???? Sure because its a bar with live entertainment!!!! The staff handle everything very well. George in particular makes sure we are not mobbed by the crowds and sometimes unruly patrons. We have grown to really like George and the rest of the staff. It feels like we are part of the family!!! We will always be back!!!!!

went bar hopping on Bleecker street before a concert after a few stops we ended up here and stayed for 3 drinks. It was a nice atmosphere the bartender has been there for years and was great at his job! Super friendly held great conversation, Even played some music for us through his phone. Would def return here for drinks during the afternoon!

Always a bouncing venue and caters for all ages , which is great for all ... The live music is always of a good standard and can range from modern to good old rock n roll like the Stones or Doors etc

I loved the place - only two complaints I had: 1. Place is exceptionally (ear numbing) loud, 2. Tequilas are dilute ... I don't know whether they want their guests to not talk and rather drink and enjoy... if I knew before I would have come with different mindset. I will give this place another try sometime.

The music here - and as others have pointed out no cover - is excellent. The staff are friendly and the service good and there's a good fun atmosphere in the room. This s the sort of place you will come back to regularly. It's possible to have a reasonably priced fun evening here (but don't forget to drop some tip money into the music tip basket!) Downsides - the food for me wasn't great but as a Brit I sometimes get offended with what happens to our national dishes once they cross the Atlantic!

We visited the Red Lion on a Thursday night, it was crowded but we got in (for $5 per person). There's a dance floor and this particular night they had live music, which was a happy surprise. We got to order our drinks immediately and stayed for a bit. Had a nice time but nothing really sets this bar apart from all the others in the area.

Great spot in the village to watch soccer especially Man U. They open early on game days and the vibe is quite fun to watch a game. Great location too, after the game you can enjoy the rest of the day in the village.

If you like live music, good food and drink then The Red Lion is the place to be. We wanted to see a good blues jam and we were not dissapointed. Big Ed's Blues Jam only happens on a Monday night at the Red Lion, but, this is no ordinary jam. The place was full of top shelf musicians, Big Ed Sullivan, Popa Chubby, Mark Bosch, Arthur Nielson, Jake Walker, Dave Bennet Cohen, Christine Santelli and so many others. By way of food we had the fish and chips which were absoloutely wonderful. There were many choices of drinks too and we settled on the good old English 'Boddingtons'. It has a wonderful, feelgood atmosphere in the place, the staff are very friendly and helpful too. A great night out and one we shall definately be visiting again on another visit to New York.

This place was packed on Wednesday night and there was a decent live band on. The house shots are well worth it too!!!

Somewhat worn down but the way I like 'em! Bar food which was good. Enjoyed the music. Convenient location

The waitress called Jacky is an amazing person and very very supportive and the place's prices are reasonable. This is the best place in town

Note: arrived on a saturday at 1pm (well before the place gets hopping). We were in the Village looking for somewhere to watch TN vs UAB college football game on pay per view while we were out of town. We wandered into this bar and Roger behind the bar put the game on for us. We ordered lunch and it was typical bar food, burger and fish and chips.. nothing special there. Beer selection is average also. looks like this place gets really lively at night and it was picking up quickly at 4pm when we walked out. We were just blown away by both Roger and Joe who work there. I'm not the most outgoing guy but they really know how to entertain thier guests with lively conversation. We ended up having a really great time and really appreciated them putting an obscure College football game on for us.

Went there on a recent Saturday during a visit to the city. We had only intended to stay a couple minutes, but ended up staying a couple hours! The staff was SUPER FRIENDLY, and the band was excellent!! We had so much fun, and I highly recommend a visit there, you will not be disappointed!

Three rock and roll bands, cold beer and amazing people! What else can you ask for in NYC? #cheers #newyorkcity #theredlion #livemusic #rockandroll #greenwichvillage

Dropped in for a lunchtime drink. Empty bar. Good range of local and imported draft beers. Live music supposed to be very good. Very reasonably priced at $15 for pint and a gin and tonic.

Band was nice!

Went out Friday night with a friend to "the Red Lion" to listen to a band. Into the night the bartender decided to single me out and each time I asked for a drink he got out a belt screamed loudly "back cougar"! I may be a good looking 40year old woman, but I am married and am not out cruising for young men. I found his behavior unacceptable and embarrassing. I find it odd that the management at this bar would allow this young man to treat a patron this way? Very unprofessional. I will not be going back.

Great place to stop in and have a cocktail while trolling around NoHo, SoHo and beyond. Stopped in for a cocktail to get out of the heat and cool off. Nice people, nice pub atmoshphere.

I recently stopped in here as we were walking the neighborhood before grabbing dinner. It was the cheapest beer I had while in NYC and the atmosphere was good with good bartenders and fun spot.

Nice live music with a typical American bar type vibe. Very chilled and down to earth so no need to dress up. Cheeky little kebab can is also parked outside if you end up getting hungry on the night out!

Even on a Tuesday evening we were able to listen good music, live and to have a quick pub dinner. The Red Lion Stuffed Burger is a great combination with blue cheese and salads were fine too. But the music and atmosphere are the ones making the buck... After 7 pm, of course...

We've been going to the Red Lion for some time now (several years), and its the first stop we make every time we're in New York (which is about every couple of months). I especially love our bartender, and I say "our" bartender because he's the one who's always taking care of us! George is lovely, he always somehow manages to find a seat at the bar for me, and over the years we've gotten to know him quite well. I seriously don't know how he manages to deal with the hoards of people that swarm the bar, especially at the weekends! There's all kinds, mostly the worst for wear at 2:00 am on a Saturday night... and he's able to keep his calm and deal with any situation. Unlike many bars in NY, this is somewhere I feel totally safe - even if I somehow got separated from my husband in the crowd, I know that George would make sure I was taken care of! I also love Anne, the Manager, she's a lovely Irish girl who always has time to talk to us, no matter how crowed or busy the bar is. The music is great, the door staff are really friendly and I love the total mix of people we get to watch!!

Been here twice for drinks with friends. It is a great little spot in Soho with good drink prices and selections. There is usually live music and no cover at the door to get in. Great restaurants are just steps outside the door.

The Saturday night was crowded. The service was good.we were seated outside as it was sunny. A good place sit have a drink with your family and friends.

We were at the The Red Lion to listen to some live music. We had friends who were the opening band to Big Ed’s Blues Jam. The jam occurs every Monday night and there’s no cover, that’s even better! Food is pretty good there and the bar prices is reasonable.

if you like irish pubs this is correct adress! all the days of the week they have live music and every day they have different bands.i choose especially tuesday nights for listening jazz They make really good long icelands.

Love this pub, first came here in 1991, was glad to see it still felt the same, friendly bar staff, great Guinness and football on the TV. The wife liked it too :), just wished we'd had more time to explore Greenwich Village, maybe next time!!

Nice place to go and have some fun. Good live music. A little crowded to dance but the music is hard not dancing!

Good atmosphere, decent friendly service, great music even on a Wednesday. If you are visiting new york and want some "local" pub and bar and live music without breaking the bank check this place out. 3 bands the night I was there, and the two i saw were excellent. Not bad for a weeknight.

Great live music Fun atmosphere Reasonable prices Salad was fresh Will come again! Try the giggle juice ( vodka) drink. Made me happy

We visited the Red Lion twice during our stay in New York,my wife discribed it as a feel good atmosphere.We were fortunate to listen to a very talented easy listening acoustic musician and would recommend to all.

Right from the moment we walked in the door, Clodagh at the bar met us with a smile. We greatly enjoyed talking with her and enjoying a respite from walking. Food was good and the atmosphere was great. We were there at lunch but heard there is music every night!! Location is convenient, great value for the money, and we walked right in and sat at the bar. Fantastic! Will be back.

Ordinary hamburgers and chicken burgers. English pub, with often live music, and overall enjoyable; suitable for friends night. Average prices

We walked into this pub by chance and we were amazed by the cool ambiance of this place. The band played very positive and jolly music, people were dancing, having fun, friendly and simply happy. Entrance on Saturday night was paid (10 USD/person), but it was worth every penny.

Great live music, competent and quick bar staff, good food, and great dancing. This is our go-to place. No one has a bad time here. They tend to over pack the place which is a drawback for more mature clientele and would be dancers. They charge a cover, but you'll never leave disappointed.

We had our 25th reunion for our school here and it was a nice place to have drinks, get some bar food and listen to music. It can get noisy and pretty crowded but that gives the place it's NYC charm. Parking in the area is DIFFICULT so be warned unless you go for public parking. Décor is typical for NYC bar. Interestingly they have a cover for the live music which plays 7 nights a week. Happy hour during week days is very cheap for drinks and pub grub too.

I haven’t been back to the Red Lion since New Years Eve 1996/1997. Just grabbed a pint of their amber ale and relaxed. Place was filled with Brits watching soccer. Very low key Sunday vibe.

We spent 2 nights here last week during our first trip to NYC and had a superb time.The atmosphere,food,drinks and live music on offer means you can't fail to enjoy what's on offer and all the staff are great as well.Get down there,you'll love it!.

This is a great option for live music right in the middle of all the bars on bleeker street they have different bands every night of the week. Not very fancy or anything like that but very good option for live bands.

I came yesterday and toda again because of the music. Today I could enjoy its food as well as good maners of the employees. Highly recommend to come to enjoy live music like 45Riots. Come on!!!!

We found out about the Red Lion Monday night Blues Jam when one of the band members (Arthur) told us about it after we saw him playing in Boston. There’s live music every night, but on Mondays, Big Ed’s band is joined by a wide range of other musicians and they all take turns on the stage either as part of Big Ed’s band or as a mix and match group put together on the night. On the Monday we were there, about 30 musicians and singers turned up including two members of a band from the south of France and a guitarist from Italy. Food is typical pub grub and there’s a good selection of beers. Great evening, great music and such friendly people. When we come back to NYC, we’ll make sure our stay includes a Monday!

very good time here, friendly bartenders, live music, cheap pbr's, Bleecker st. night iife, ecclectic interior

The Red Lion on Bleecker Street is a great bar with an extensive choice of alcohol! We popped in one afternoon for a quick snack after a busy morning sightseeing and ended up staying for several beers! The bar staff are fun and friendly and the food is tasty pub grub, we had a big bowl of nachos to soak up the beer!

A Dive...and nothing but a Dive. Dark and Dreary - Complaints of stale beer and dry sliders. With urinals practically on top of the sink (is this legal?) - and depending on your drinking state - the men's room can be a very dangerous place to be. Best to move on...

Good staff and beer and music goes on to 4am. We enjoyed the music and drinks it was busy and the staff still had time to chat and give helpful advice on the drinks selection.

Live music excellent atmosphere. Alex and Seth did Bowie song and then another on request how amazing they were. Food ok large portions, reasonable prices. Would recommend

I went here as part of a pub crawl tour and loved it so much I went back a second time. The live music is excellent and the crowd is lively and fun. Good times!

Have visited this before but only at lunchtime and we were next door at Wicked Willies Karaoke bar which was kind of dead so we left we passed and heard music so went in. 3 live bands per night and the 2 we saw were great. Bar staff friendly and price of drinks good too

Called in here after eating round the corner at Cuba. Great place with live music and large beer selection. We'll be back and eat there!

I wanted to see the Superbowl somewhere so found this place and for $50 it was all you can drink (any drink) and eat. I don't remember leaving the place but I did leave with great memories of new friends from everywhere across the world! Friendly bar staff and locals, thanks for getting me drunk very quickly.

After patronizing this place, I read several other reviews that said the bartenders or waitstaff tried to take more money from the customer than was due. I went with friends for drinks at happy hour. I was pleased to see their happy hour went until 8PM, but it turned out the only happy one was our bartender. Our round came to $22. My friend gave 2 $20 bills. The bartender returned $8. My friend pointed out that she gave her 2 twenties. The bartender replied, "Oh, I thought it was a ten." She then returned with $5 and walked away. OK, so we're still missing $5. I guess she took it upon herself to take a $5 tip on a $22 tab. Bartenders don't make mistakes like this. This was clearly done on purpose. One mistake maybe, but two in a row? If you want to try to swindle people, you should at least wait until the second or third round when their math skills might get a little weak. Really, it was just rude and insulting, not to mention illegal. I got really upset when I saw on TripAdvisor that other workers at this establishment did similar things to other patrons. Not cool. Not going back. That being said, the duo they had performing there was quite good. If you want to patronize this place for the good music, I recommend bringing exact change for your bill after you check it twice.

Live music was amazing and I loved the atmosphere. However, the staff wasn't friendly at all and it looked like we were bothering her. She didn't check the table often enough and had to be asked to bring us food. The burgers were mediocre, as the meet was (at least for me as an European) too thick and tasteless. Also, the tips were already included on the bill, I wouldn't tip so much if they weren't already included. Overall, I loved the place and live music, but it's not a best place in the area.

Who doesn't love the Red Lion. It's in the village, it's always lively and always has bands. My favorite band in NYC is The Stingers Band. I have been following them since the early 90's and I followed them here. They play on Tuesdays every now and then I worth the visit. Having said that, every time I pop in to the Lion I have a fabulous time. Real drinks, real people, real fun!

We were 8 women looking for something to do after a birthday dinner and we went for the live music and had such a good time we stayed til closing. The bands were great and so was the service. There is also a good mix of ages there literally from 23-55. We all said we would definitely go back.

Love this place - live music 3 times a day, when we were there on Nov 2nd we saw a great country and western band who were cool about a customer / vocalist joining in (and he was great too) Warm waiting staff, just ace

Perfectly imperfect. Unpretentious, fantastic music, you can stand a few feet away from the stage, the musicians sit next to you on the bar, all feels like you're a welcome guest in some extended family event. No cover charge when I was there (I think it varies) Many beers to choose from, with the Guinness fresh and correctly poured. A fantastic evening!

My husband and I visited here when "santacon" was on. They had a young bad on which were good and the staff were very attentive. It does however feel like a student / really young person bar which isn't a problem but just wanted to advise. We had a laugh and they showed the sport.

Excellent bar with Top service. Had the veggie burguer was excellent. But for me, the best part was the musicians!! You guys ROCK ALOT! thank you for the beautifull night! ;)

Great place for a couple of drinks, especially during happy hour. Good atmosphere when they have bands on.

Pubs are made by their bartenders and the Red Lion has a fantastic bartender. Stopped by for a cool drink to get out of the heat and watch some Olympics. Stayed for almost two hours talking with the bartender and the other bar patrons. Drinks were great, beer was cold but you can get that anywhere. Conversation with a funny bartender from north England and a bar full of folks from all around the world really set this place apart.

We took a break here for two beer, is a very nice pub in Greenwich Village with a lot of live music at all hours. The place is cute, an english pub where you can drink, watch sports and listen good music!

Very nice place to go to have fun in NYC night. There always live music in the weekends - very good bands playing different type of songs (pop, rock, blues, old american songs, etc). Price would be between 40 - 80 dollars, considering drinks.

First and foremost, the server we had was very friendly and very helpful. They have a nice streetside seating area and the beer selection here is very good. The musician that was there when we dined was very talented. Overall, a great time and I highly recommend.

Went here to enjoy the music of The Truants, a British Invasion band on the Sunday evening of the 4th of July weekend. The energy here was buoyant! Waiters/Waitresses were super efficient, always cognizant of our needs. Beer prices were reasonable for NYC. Easy to find. Staff was extremely affable! $5 cover charge for this band. Well worth the trip! Will return here again next time in the Village.

Great cover 90s bands but hard to appreciate because it was so loud you couldn't even hear the music! Jam packed even the waitresses push you aside rudely. Beer on the floor. No paper towels in bathroom.

We were told to go here on a Sunday night by two separate people who had lived in NYC for a few months. It was a Sunday night and the place only had about 20 people in it but the atmosphere was FANTASTIC! There were a brilliant jazz/blues/rock band playing there - just the type of vibe we were looking for. Bar people were very friendly and we arrived at 12 am and the band played until 3.30. It was really relaxed in there, good cheap beers and I would put it down as my most enjoyable night in NYC. It was great to get out of times square and head to Bleeker street. Since it was fairly empty the band playing was intimate and you could make requests and the best part was when the barman whipped out a harmonica and started to play along with the band. I won't forget the place for a long time - I imagine it's one of those gems that local people enjoy so much, felt like a genuine Sunday night new York scene.

I was with my parents (59 and 57) in The Red Lion on a friday night and we had a great time. Though the waitress was not the most friendly, she did a good job and we had our cups full for the whole night. The draft was not the best, but it was good enough to enjoy the band and the place. This is a good place to eat, drink and dance. We got in early, so there was no entrance fee. Red Lion isn’t an overly expansive spot, so you can have a good time and without spending a lot.

This is a great place to stop in for a drink or two! Great music always and the place usually always has a table. Tip-see the later show rather than the earlier one...its usually the "headliner"!

great bands, great beer!

A much appreciated lunch break at midday; the owner is very friendly and the atmosphere of the bar is pleasant with good music. Let's recharge our batteries! It's plentiful.

The drinks are strong and perfect for the cost. Food is semi-decent and could be a lot better. Made the best memories here with NCIS actor Michael Weatherly. Our new favorite hot spot! As seen all over his twitter feed.

We came in on a Tuesday night, the allure of 10 cent chicken wings was too strong to resist. The wings were tasty, beer was good and our server was friendly. And Skip serenading us on the piano was the perfect soundtrack. A lot of fun!

If you like Live music this place is for you. They have live bands everynight from 7pm to 4am. I highly recomend the Monday night blues jam.

My criteria for a good midweek bar is pretty simple - reasonable selection of beer with good happy hour prices, above-average bar food (with good happy hour prices) and a comfortable atmosphere. Live music and outdoor seating are both a plus as well. All that being said, it shouldn't be a surprise that I find myself at the Red Lion at least one or two Tuesdays every month, for $3 Yuenglings, $0.10 chicken wings and a steady rotation of fun bands playing.

This has been the 'grunge bar' that we have frequented for a number of years as it always had a good atmosphere. On this occasion, they had not eating on staff, only a bar man who either couldn't cope or didn't care (not sure which), but we were totally ignored. This is a major oversight as there are an increasingly number of new, very nice bars in that vanity, Malt House, GMT etc, so we will not return when there are far nicer options nearby!

On my (now) wife and my first visit to NYC we stumbled across this bar, now on our 4th visit to NYC and our 4th visit to the Red Lion (this time with our daughter) gotta say it hasn’t changed a bit, it’s brilliant. They always have fabulous live music. This visit unfortunately we were not able to enjoy the music as our daughter was super tired (but we had walked nearly 9 miles doing the sites). The lady behind the bar was super friendly and we were chatting with her about how we had to come back, how we’d seen some great live music in there and even partying the night away in there on our wedding night (we were married in Central Park) I showed her a couple of pictures (including one of the bands we saw) and blow me down 15 years on Chuck was sat 4 stools down from us. It was so so good to catch up and say hello. This visit they were doing 50 cent wings, which were really tasty. Gotta say if anyone is in NYC, looking for a great bar with great live music then hit the Red Lion on Bleeker street. It’s just the best. Already looking forward to our next visit to NYC and a return visit to the bar.

Fun place with gr8 music. Square Feeet band was fantastic last night, Burgers terif, just a whole lot of fun

This is a great place for live music and beer. What an excellent combination.

Don't know about the food but the atmosphere is great and the bands they have (even if they aren't always the best) are great. Good neighbourhood feel / friendly vibe. They sell beer too !

This a good little pub located in Bleeker St in the Village. We had an outside table which was nice to sit and watch the world go by during dinner. The food menu is quite good and their pizzas are pretty good. The service for for food and drinks was efficient with the wait staff being really nice and friendly. Well worth a visit.

This place had great music while we were there and good drinks too (although be sure to check your bill as we were charged an extra round). We were there during happy hour so tried some of the nachos...not worth it. We didn't see anyone else eating so that was probably a good tip-off that people mainly come for the live music. But now we know, and will definitely come back to hear some more!

Great food, great service and good music! The red lion burger was great with awesome sweet potatoes fries!

Situated on the same block as the world-famous Bitter End, the Red Lion is a place for all ages roaming around the city after work on a Monday, where they can partake in the blues open mic night, hosted by Big Ed Sullivan.

This restaurant offers very good quality pub food and nice beer. All very good priced, especially during the happy hour.

Went there on the recommendation of the hotel in NYC. Food was fine, beers OK, music great, but the staff tried it on in at least 3 ways. They added 2 main courses to around 50% more than they were, added 3 beers that we didn't have to the total, and tried to keep $45 tip on a $55 bill. It was only the "that wasn't the tip that made the appalling waitress give back $35. Check your check here- ripoffs will be attempted on out of towners

While not fancy cuisine this soccer bar on Bleecker Street in Manhattan provides solid bar food in a positive neutral (i.e. you do not fear for your life if you support the "wrong" team) environment. The "special" $11 Bloody Mary was indeed well beyond the typical watered down mix and justified the $3 uplift.

Me and a few friends went for food and drinks here. After our order was taken the waitress completely ignored us. She never asked us if we wanted more drinks or if we were ok. We then ordered food and she still never checked on out table. Then when it came time to pay she added 20% gratuity to our bill. I was not going to tip her because she's terrible at her job. She didn't deserve a tip. And she couldn't even split a cheque for us. I am a waitress and it wasn't busy. She could have been a lot better. Honestly the most horrible waitress in New York City and she makes the red lion look terrible.

A nice experience, good quality food at unusually low prices for nyc. First on stage was a soloist with a vast repertoire from country music to pop rock. Subsequently a group singing songs requested by the audience performed on stage together with the band. All very engaging. A nice evening

Stopped in here to celebrate riding the subway for the first time and getting to where we were going. Nice old bar with atmosphere.

It's a sort of irish pub, where they play live music already early in the night. Food is average for a pub, my chicken bbq sandwich was really nothing special, hamburgers are surely better. I would rather go for a drink than for dinner

I remember a time when I used to go here almost every weekend and got to know the door staff fairly well. Sadly after my last trip I don't think its worth heading back. The talent is always varied but a couple of straight nights a couple of acts per night were painful. The servers used to be AMAZING but not need some hospitality training. I think its time to head to another spot on Bleecker....

We loved coming here later in the evening to see some great bands play. Both times we went, they had 3 different groups performing. There was a $5 cover but it was well worth it. The drinks were great too!

I travel annually to NYC with friends, simply to experience a wide variety of live music. For me the best area for this is in Greenwich Village, with The Red Lion in Bleecker Street operating one of the very best live music shows. The atmosphere is always good and from circa 8 pm until 2 pm (even later at the weekends), a variety of good quality bands play a range of covers, contemporary music and/or their own compositions - but generally with a high musical ability. The costs of entry & drinks are very reasonable and they serve a good range of food. The pub has been owned and very professionally run by the same team for many many years - make it a date next time you're in NYC

I first came to the Red Lion in 1999 and visit each time that I'm in NYC. Fun place to watch live music and have drinks.

We were told by a friend to try the Red Lion while on our trip to New York and we were not disappointed. We arrived at 7 and found a table, the waitress came over to take our order for drinks. There was a man singing with someone on the drums, absolutely fantastic. The music was not too loud, a good range of Beatles, Queen and some country. We did not eat but the food looked good and there is an offer if you order starters before 7.30 you get some free which was what most people were doing. Do give it a try, Bleeecker Street is amazing.

Live music Nice bar OK music Dishes ok Typical atmosphere Great place to spend a cool evening in Soho Affordable prices

The day i went to Red Lion it was packed but I had a great time. Music is great, beautiful people and great location.

I happened upon this place very unexpectedly and was incredibly surprised to LOVE IT! I am a senior (still in my 60's) but found the music/band/singer all great-they played "my music" where you could dance or simply sing along with the band! I stayed until 2:00 am and had what was called "a blast" in my day. I sure hope I can go back with some friends soon as the crowd was lively, multi-generational (more older folks, too) and lots of fun! If you plan on having a serious conversation with anyone, stay home! It is a loud and noisy place but great for just having a good time! Three bands a night too. Come on seniors and start enjoying life---------spend some of that precious money you worked so hard to earn drinking and dancing and singing-life is sweet!

The night we visited was an impromptu Jazz night and the bands were phenomenal. The drinks are moderately priced and the crowd and ambiance was extremely good. If you’re looking for a late night time out this is the place to be - the talent will surprise you

Visited this pub with a friend. Lovely food and chilled out atmosphere! Staff were really nice too! Would recommend a visit when in Nee York!

Place dedicated to rock music, little lighting even during the day, a stage with instruments and an incredible rock and roll playlist during the meal. A warm welcome for lunch around 3 p.m. The cuisine is simple without fuss but very good. I think the evening experience must be really nice with an orchestra. Very good value for money. I will return there without problem.

I am to see the band the Gyst, drove 3 hours to see them and worth every minute. They should book this band more than they currently do. The food is fantastic and the price very reasonable.

The warmest of warm atmospheres the moment you enter the Red Lion! Thee most accommodating staff, yummy food and the live music is consistently brilliant! I could live there but my liver just wouldn’t allow it! Whether you’re a tourist or a New Yorker- you WILL have so much fun and you WILL want to go back! Highly recommended!

Mrs B and I had pencilled in this pub to visit and it was ideally located during one of our very long walks around Manhattan. Don't get me wrong, it was okay, rather dark inside, food was okay but nothing special. I've no doubt by the sound of things, a visit at night to sample the live music would maybe impress us more.

I've been a patron of the Red Lion since the mid 80's. I took a break from 90-99. Things didn't change much except that they expanded the place and now the live music is even better. The food is somewhat typical bar food with some Irish favorites thrown in. It is well prepared and the portions are generous. What truly makes this place one of my favorites is George. He is the best bartender I have ever met. If you stop in tell him "John and Shirley" from Philly sent you and he'll definately take a liking to you.

Has good, strong drinks, with nice waitstaff. The entertainment was always enjoyable, and the atmosphere was always welcoming. No pressure to leave, or get another drink, or whatever. No cover (at least all the time's I've been there), and drinks reasonable (for Manhattan).

had a couple of great nights here,you get fed and drunk while listening to some great live bands should say excellent bands ,the staff are at the top of the game with there service well done THE RED LION thanks for putting up with the kilted scotsman cheers.

Cracking live music on when we were there, a stonking cocktail served in a pint glass (which went down a treat i will let you know) and a great friendly atmosphere with quite a diverse range of people.

Stopped by for a couple of drinks and some appetizers. The pricing on the night was great. $3 beer and $4 apps. The food was ok. Nachos were plentiful, and chicken tenders were your standard frozen type. Patio was rather small. Service outside was ok. For the amount of money spent, I really can't complain.