Bar Belly
“This review is for ambiance and drinks — haven't had the food yet, but I hear the oysters are slammin'.”
“Hello (^_^)
The Leadbelly is SuPa SuPa cute oyster bar located at the edge of Lower East Side and the beginning of Chinatown.”
“It was the end of the night so I was kind of ready to call it quits until I saw the cucumber julep on the menu.”
Bar Belly
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Happy Hour: Yes
Waiter Service: Yes
Caters: Yes
PokéStop Nearby: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
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cucumber julep
very cute oyster bar with tasty drinks.
soft lighting and cute decor details.
definitely an easy place to mingle for hh
or get a bite and drinks before heading elsewhere.
Cute spot. They have live music starting at 7pm. I dropped in on a Thursday night with 6 other friends. They accommodated us well. The drinks were a little on the pricier side but the poison arrow and Brazilian mule were really tasty !
Cozy, intimate bar with warm lighting and cute decor. Loved the interior decorations with rich wood paneling, cactus plants and old records on shelves, and old maps on the walls. Their music selection was wonderful and was not too loud. There was a decent number of people there on a Tuesday night but also amazing to be able to get a table for 2 with no wait at all. Great drinks and incredible selection of east and west coast oysters. Our server Jonathan was totally amazing and attentive. He was knowledgeable about the drinks and made great recommendations. I love this place and I can't wait to come back for their happy hour specials!
Great decor, very average food and drinks. This part of "Chinatown" remains one of my favorite parts of the city and have been waiting to try this place out. The highlight was certainly the duck fat fries which were 6 huge steak fries with delicious sauce. Everything else was definetley good but nothing I would come back for. If you don't want to wait 2 hours at mission Chinese and looking for something else in the area then check it out
Some mistakes stick with you for a long time. My mistake was that I missed the happy hour special. Luckily, this is an easily remedied regret.
Ended up coming here for some cocktails with friends. Like others have mentioned, they make a mean whiskey ginger. Cocktail prices range from reasonable to above average, but you can watch the bartenders, so you know they actually put care into it (also why it takes a while for the drinks to come out).
The place is actually very long, with a front room and a back. The back definitely looked much cooler, though we just had a half booth by the entrance.
Wanted to try the oysters which I've heard a lot about, but it wasn't happy hour anymore, and I'm not made of money (yet).
We didn't have a reservation and I was afraid we wouldn't even make it in the door but the bouncer steered us towards a teeny table in a really awkward location. Oh well, lesson learned – always make a resy. Despite this, and the fact that we were far from the awesome jazz band playing, I still loved the Leadbelly. If we had been seated farther inside it might even have been 5 stars. In any case, this is an awesome spot to hang out and have a few cocktails (definitely more of a bar than a restaurant, though they do serve part of the Fat Radish menu, owned by the same people). Learn from me and make a reservation so you can sit close to the live music – hard to beat that. Drinks-wise, my boyfriend had a gin gimlet, and I went with one of their cocktails, a spicy margarita which was okay. Next time I might try a gimlet or something more classic, but I'll definitely return.
Lead belly is an awesomely cute place on the LES and Chinatown border. A group of friends and I went for the happy hour special. Since it was a Saturday, it was one of very few places that had $1 oysters and drink specials. The place had just opened for the evening so it was relatively empty when we first arrived. It began to become more crowded as we were leaving.
The lighting was nice upon entering. The decor earthy and the music was at a good level to have a nice conversation.
The waiter had already set a few of our friends up and he approached us to tell us the specials for the evening. We ordered a few different appetizers and everyone was pleased with the choices.
-The Scotch egg
-Truffle fries
-Bacon wrapped Brussel sprouts
The menu isn't huge. Perhaps because the oysters are the real star of the show. We ordered about 4 dozen and they were fresh and very good. One order appeared to have smaller oysters that were a bit sweeter.
The wait staff was attentive and friendly the entire time.
We will definitely be back for another happy hour!
I was so happy we stopped in here. We were waiting for a table at the Fat Radish (see review) and stopped by to have a glass of wine and oysters. Even though we're are familiar with freshwater oysters in Florida, Jimmy and I had never gone to an oyster bar that had so many different selections.
Carmine was are server and he was just awesome. We were only there for a short time but he was so knowledgeable and attentive. We ordered a dozen oysters and a glass of wine. It was such a great start to the evening.
The atmosphere was so quaint. Had a nautical theme and low lights. Snuggling up to my fiancé on the lower bar seats was nice. Highly recommend going!