Leftfield

When the bartender takes your order and you have to go to him for your drink because he forgot about you… at least it was on the house
#saltyandthristy

A small but nice intimate venue for shows. The area towards main stage has a narrow layout, so I suggest standing at the front if possible.

Went here for a friend of friend’s show. The basement had a full bar and a round couch with a table to the left of the stairs in the corner when you go down (which seemed to have to be reserved). As a venue it was really cool since the band was playing right in front of you rather than on a stage so it felt more personal. Beer wise they had like 7 – 8 solid beers on tap (including Guinness). Upstairs they had a bar at the entrance (which was a fairly narrow) which led to the downstairs area of u head straight and to the pool room which had a nice looking red pool table. I’d definitely check out this place again, good people, courteous bouncer, good show, good drank.

Great venue. Now if I could just get in this mofo to pick up my debit card I left here last night. Too much fun.

So it’s kinda weird but the vibe is interesting. Seriously good energy here. The coolest bartender Brik told me he hails from the planet of the best bartenders. Damm, such a fun place to get weird! Dancing all night and dope drinks.

Nice neo-​dive bar.
A friend was performing here, so I came to Leftfield, not knowing what to expect. I thought that the performance space was cool, but there was some weird dungeon-​porn-​type thing playing on the TV and no one came to turn it off, even when we requested them to.
I had an amazing Leftfield Manhattan and the bartender, Brick, was very friendly.
$ 20 min on credit card or pay cash.

Very interesting place! My friends and I ended up here after being turned away from several places that were guest list only, and just wanting to drink already. The main floor had one bar, several seats, and a pool table in the back room, I believe. Seemed to have a Halloween theme going on, which I loved! Drink prices were awesome as well — I got the Bootylicious, which was a mix of rum, ginger beer, and lime juice, for $ 9. There were also a bunch of options on the menu that came with a specific can of beer and a specific shot of liquor (one, which I forgot the name of, came with a can of Tecate and a shot of tequila — for $ 7!). The basement is a little more club-​y. Had a bar, small seating area, and a small dancefloor/​performing area. My only con was the music. That night the DJ was playing what I can only describe as industrial hip hop? Not sure, but unfortunately not really my thing. Still a really cool place with a nice vibe. I’ll definitely try it out again when I’m in the area!

Love this place! Great sound, great people, cool staff. Unpretentious atmosphere… becoming rare to find.

The upstairs was very cramped; the beer was flat and skunked, and the bathrooms were disgusting and one didn’t even have a door that closed properly. I wouldn’t spend my money here again.

I came here one Friday evening to watch a good pal of mine perform with his band.
I walked in straight to the back as instructed by the bouncer to find out where my pal was. The kind lady told me the band was downstairs and to enter through the door behind her. Mind you — there are like 5 doors behind her… I went into the wrong door which was actually a restroom — thank god no one was in there.
Finally I found the correct door, but watch your step! The stairs are steep. I went down and the ambiance was really cool. I liked the décor with the nice lighting and the way it was set up was pretty cool. They had decent drafts as well which I definitely took advantage of.
The room was lit with Christmas lights on the ceiling and low lighting behind the bar with some more lights where the band was performing. The band wasn’t really on a stage though. They were more at an equal level which made them a big challenging to see.
The gig before them went a bit over their time, so my friend’s band started a bit late which was fine, except for the fact that they cut them early… which I thought was a little messed up. From a performers perspective I probably wouldn’t want to perform here again, but a gig is a gig I suppose.
I also heard the bartender whining a bit about how no one was tipping and everyone sucks… never a good thing to say out loud when I literally just tipped him. (jussayin)
Anyways — if you are going here to watch a band play I say Hey go for it and enjoy it — it’s really cool, but I wouldn’t come here if that weren’t the case.
Enjoy!

Great place to grab a drink, catch a show or dance the night away!

The upstairs bar made a great Gin and Tonic and all the employees around were friendly. I came to the venue because of my friend’s band playing there that night. The downstairs bar was a different story. The bartender told my friend one price for drinks and then charged me another. He clearly saw that it was too loud for me to completely hear everything he was saying. Same with the cover charge. The website said $ 7 and then the bouncer said $ 8.
If I had to go back and my friend’s band wasn’t playing there, I wouldn’t go back. There are too many choices in NYC to stick with a place that is half decent.

Leftfield is one of the first bars I went to after moving to The bartenders are friendly and efficient. The bar itself is a fantastic reprieve from the trying-​too-​hard bars surrounding it. Drink prices can’t be beat either.
What I really love about this bar is the neighborhood feel.
Keep it up Leftfield, you’re quickly turning into one of my favorite places in the city.

Came here for a friends event and this place is pretty cool. Stuck to the upstairs area primarily especially since they have a pool table. Drinks are very affordable and the vibe is relaxed. I would definitely return!

UPDATE ⁹⁄₃₀: Turns out that my friend’s band was booked through a third-​party booking agency, so Leftfield didn’t actually have anything to do with their experience other than having not great acoustics in the basement. The venue actually reached out to me and asked about the issue and were super nice. Hopefully I’ll get the chance to see another show there, just not one booked through such a sketchy agency.
⁸⁄₁₈: This place blooooowwwsss. I would give them a 0 star rating if I could. We went to see our friends play there and the show was supposed to be free, but the venue decided to charge us an $ 8 cover at the last minute. I’m okay with that as long as the band gets a cut of the money, but the doorman took off with all of the cash at the end of the night, and totally scammed my friends. What kind of place does that? I will NOT be coming to a show here again (the venue sucks anyway, the acoustics are horrible and the staffers are creepy).

Monday nights are made less dreadful by the ever so wonderful presence of konkrete jungle in the basement. the music and the people/​atmosphere is always on point. The downstairs bartender Claudia is a sweetheart. But make sure to also wander to the bar upstairs (it closes a little earlier than 4) because the bartender up there, Erik, is one of the coolest cats ever.
Mondays have have meaning again.

this place is so cool! I went on new years and they had like 3 different parties going on, the dj downstairs was playing techno and stuff but the dj upstairs was playing a cool mix of like alternative type dance and great punk music. They had this sick artwork that I wish I could afford lol! the bartenders were sick and I never found myself waiting for a drink like wtf is this guy doing. the art on the walls downstairs is pretty sick too. Def worth checking out if your sick of the loud annoying yuppies at chantel and the DL.

Played an acoustic set there the other night and was happily surprised with the sound and atmosphere! Ben the sound guy was friendly and helpful and Denise runs a good show! Looking forward to coming back for either another band or to play another set myself.
Eric Saint Nicholas

I live right around the corner from this place and have seen it change a lot over the past three years. For those who remember this place as UC Lounge or Lounge 87, they have done a lot to improve the space, including installing a very comfortable wooden bar.
The bar tenders are friendly and have some good stories if you have some too. the bar is shaped like a U because of a staircase for the apartments above. It bisects the bar, which is good and bad. It can make things a bit cramped, but if you don’t want to listen to the live music on a music night, the entrance area gets very little of the noise. There is also a downstairs which has an open floor plan and they’ve been booking some local DJs that play rock from the 50’s though the 2000’s.
Overall, it’s a good place if you’re in the mood for it.

Wow, I have never been so happy to stumble into a bar that we were only going into because we were in need of bathrooms. I am pretty sure I was here several years ago and it was a different bar-​but I can’t verify that.
I love that this spot is a bar with the potential for dancing. Very laid back, if you liked a song and no one was dancing and you started, it was fine. The music ranged from motown to ska to the misfits if you can dig that type of assortment. I really enjoyed it but felt the DJ wasn’t exactly catering to the crowd (could I really blame him though? think everyone was a drunk mess at the hour I was there) and played some random unknown songs and had some extended gaps between songs where everyone would just sorta stop and wait but when the booze is this cheap I feel maybe I can’t hold it to the highest standard.
You walk in to a long, dark, narrow bar space that offers lotsa cheap ($ 3) canned beers (think PBR, but they don’t actually have PBR.) The space is a U shape so there is more seating/​mingling space around the back on the other side of the bar.
Past the bar is a dance space with a fake fireplace that I WISH was lit, because there was a huge breeze that led my friends and I to dance in full out winter gear. Yes, hats, gloves, scarves and winter coats. I was hoping someone would get the hint. But, even hypothermia does not stop my friends and I from dancing.