M1-5 Lounge
“i know its cheesy but when you go out dancing you want music that you know and can sing along to and this is definitely the place for that!!”
“But you know what, there is no cover and the music was great (loved the music videos, too!).”
“the DJ has excellent taste in music, and played a mix of old school hip hop, 90s hits and dance, and good pop.”
M1-5 Lounge
Takes Reservations: Yes
Take-out: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Good For Dancing: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Coat Check: Yes
Has TV: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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Numbers and letters in a name, especially a bar or restaurant lends itself to some futuristic imagery, plus with the word "lounge" in "Tribeca" I kind of had a distinct sleek and cool image in my head.
M 1-5 is homey in a dirty non trendy neighborhood bar kind of way that you might used to find in Hell's Kitchen.
I'd replace "lounge" with "dive" to get things started. It's a simple place with flavored vodkas and nachos kind of place where nothings been updated since 1983 maybe.
Nothing horrible or awesome but I wouldn't wear anything nice and I would never plan a special trip here.
Maybe if you wanna be incognito and/or break up with someone – go here.
Happy hour specials were ok
Booth seating
Top 40 music
Average bar food like sliders and nachos
Kinda reminded me of being in Ronkonkoma.
we came here for my wife's birthday, and though a few communication breakdowns occurred we overall had a great time.
the DJ was pretty good, spinning a good mix of music and even throwing some great videos/visualizations up on the screens.
I had informed the manager via email that we'd be expecting 15-20 people, and when we showed up we were allotted a small booth that could seat perhaps 6. we ended up spreading out and taking over some standing room in front of the booth, but it was a little disconcerting a first when I thought we'd have to play Human Tetris…
apparently bottle service wasn't available until a specific waitress showed up around 10 PM, so for the first hour people ordered their own drinks. not really a problem, but I had been hoping to have something ready for when the bulk of people showed up, and this kinda threw a wrench into that plan. the bartenders on hand also didn't have a printed drink menu when we got there and had to go find one, which took a fair amount of time.
however, the mixed drinks were good, and not horribly overpriced like I feared, and when you managed to flag down a server it was pretty fast. bathrooms surprisingly clean. someone in our group ordered a mixed platter of appetizers and the food was actually pretty good.
we got a complimentary bottle of champagne, which was a nice touch from the manager, for my wife's birthday.
no cover charges, they take reservations, and it's pretty casual. not my usual scene but I had fun.
Music is always on point, good mix of oldies and top hits. Bounces I've had are always friendly and chat my group up. Drinks are a bit pricey, but no complaints there since there's no cover.
Always have a good time here. Would definitely recommend for large or small crowds.
For some reason, I decided that all I wanted for my 32nd birthday celebration was a bottle service party. As such, Mike arranged for exactly that at M1-5. I invited some of our closest friends and plus my sister and cousins from my dad's side for what would turn out to be a night to remember…or rather, barely remember.
My only complaint is that the staff did not seem organized when we arrived, and despite Mike exchanging emails with a couple of managers, they did not seem to remember that we wanted to order individual bottles, though they knew which table belonged to us. Once this was rectified, a charming and pretty "hostess" (bottle service waitress) took care of us for the rest of the night, and was very with-it. Our bottle of Captain Morgan (there could have been more rum options on the bottle menu….) came with a large sparkler and plenty of mixers. We would have ordered another bottle or two but since it took so long for the Captain to come out, people had already started ordering individual drinks from the bar! The night was perfect otherwise.
The DJ played every single hip-hop, pop, and house song I hoped to hear, and we tore up the dance floor. We stayed long after the complimentary midnight champagne came out. The atmosphere was spacious and some interesting decorations including the bottles hanging from the ceiling–very creative!
As a side note, I left my stilettos there as I, at some point, changed into flip-flops that I happened to have with me. The bartender I spoke with, when I called in a panic, did not laugh at me, and I ultimately had a messenger service bring them to me at work, partially out of embarrassment and partially since I have been working a lot of long hours and had no other reason to go down to Tribeca.
I would definitely return for another night of clubbing with my favorite people. I have heard that M1-5 is also a good place for company functions.
Would've gotten 4 stars if their drinks weren't so pricey. $9 for a gin and tonic? I've seen much better in NYC. The lounge is really nice though, very chill vibe, very spacious. There's a lot of dancing space available, so you better be ready to get your groove on! Most of their music is 90s hip hop and r&b, really nice throwback for me. I had a ton of fun here, I think I'll be back here again.
For my 300th Review, I thought I'd review a place dear to my heart, haha. Kind of funny cause this is a dirty, cheesy, old school club in Tribeca, where I used to live, and have been coming to since the '90s.
"M1-5" is the city's zoning code for the neighborhood, which used to be 'Industrial', and a no-man's land between Chinatown and Tribeca. But the condo boom has swallowed up the area and called it 'Tribeca' to get higher apartment prices, changing the whole feel of the place.
I gave M1-5 a 4-Star Rating for one thing and one thing only – for being and knowing what it is, which is one of the last remaining old school clubs in the city (along with Santos Party House) going back to the '80s/'90s.
As Manhattan gentrified over the past 20 years, development unfortunately pushed out all the old clubs…The Tunnel, Roxy, Wetlands, Limelight, Palladium, Arc, Sway, Don Hill's, Twilo, Sound Factory, Subliminal, Centrofly, Vinyl, Nasa, Moskva, Brownies, Exit, Avalon, Save the Robots, etc, etc.
Now, M1-5 doesn't hold a candle to the places above, but it does have a similar feel to them. And it's not like the annoying clubs of today (Marquee, Provocateur, Lavo, Avenue, Tao, for example).
At M1-5, there's:
No Velvet Rope
No Bottle Service crap
No Fashion Statements
No Model Wannabees
No Spoiled Club Kids on Molly
No Glamour
No Cover charge
No Status
No Tables
Just an All-Out, Free-For-All, Dance Party. Anyone can come in, you can wear whatever you want and you can dance wherever you want.
Unfortunately though, these types of places will never be seen again in NYC as it's a different time now, different people, different scene, and different needs/wants.
I actually read, that back in the '90s/'00s, there were 1,700 clubs with cabaret licenses operating in NYC…now there are around 100.
A "cabaret license" is issued by the city, and is what is required for a bar/club to legally allow people to 'dance'. It's a dumb law that goes back to 1920's Prohibition.
And because of this and development, the glory days of NYC clubs is long gone, relegated to the handful of velvet rope, Vegas-style clubs. A trend started by the first velvet rope club to open in Meatpacking in 2001, called Lotus, and to which Jennifer Lopez (remember her? lol) helped make famous and start the velvet rope era. Great, thanks J-Lo.
The clubs have now turned into posers crammed at tiny tables with girls in Louboutins thinking they'll meet a rich guy there, but as we all know, hardly anyone has money in those clubs as they're all feeding off the promoters. And on top of all that, the '90s/'00s alcohol-fueled dance & makeout sessions on an actual dance floor have turned into the '10s Molly-fueled clubbers "rolling" to music by themselves, in a sardine-packed table. As you can see, times have changed.
But fortunately, a tiny glimmer of the past still exists at M1-5, but don't expect too much, after all, it is just a dirty, cheesy, old school dance club that has fallen out of favor in NYC these days.
And one last IMPORTANT thing…DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT show up here SOBER. You have to already have a few drinks in you to be able to handle this place. I've come sober before and had a horrible time – way too loud, people bumping into you, drinks getting spilled on you, etc. BUT, when I've come after a few drinks, I've had a great time. So, take my advice and have a few before you get there.
And, of course…Enjoy (or maybe not enjoy) a taste of Old New York, haha.
There are days when I feel like I've seen it all. And then I go to M1-5 lounge.
On any given night, you can find a variety of crowds here. Often times, it's college kids raving and stomping about. Other times, it's rambunctious reggaeton urbanites. Then just last week, I stumbled upon what appeared to be an older generation dancing about at an office holiday afterparty–moms and dads going full-on YOLO mode. The bottom line here is, you're pretty much bound to have a good time and find your crowd. And if not, maybe you're there on the wrong night–try again next time!
Went here to meet up for Halloween silent party event. The decor was cute and it was spacious. I Def want to come back on a regular Fri / Sat night.