Mad River Bar & Grill
“The DJ kept everyone on their feet with a variety of music from dance to top 40 to a few old favorites.”
“Big inflatable bucky out front, cheese curds, cheese triangles, cheese sticks, and beer.”
“Six rounds with ten questions per round doesn't leave you feeling bored or unfulfilled like most other trivia nights I've been to in Manhattan.”
Mad River Bar & Grill
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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BLUF: My go to dive bar to start the night off. Nothing fancy but has a decent shelf and dance floor.
This is your average bar with relatively decent prices. What is a sports grill turns into a dive bar with a great dance floor after 10PM.
However, like your average NYC layout, it is quite narrow in the front with the bar. The service is relatively slow (every time I've been there the bartenders are always new), so it is not uncommon for there to be two or three rows of people waiting for drinks at the bar.
Overall, there is a great vibe and is definitely a place to bring a large group of friends to start pregaming before the night really starts.
Not a bad bar spot. True to any bar it's got your TVs with the game's yo wanna see while you get your drinks and nachos. A little bit of floor space to dance a little if the DJ is in the booth which is cool since a lot of bars are kinda cramped and more divey. There are tables in the back if you want a little more but the food appears to be the normal bar fare – nachos, wings, burgers none of which I tried but definitely had the NYC prices.
The drinks were slightly more than I thought and weren't all that good.. just ok. We had the chips with artichoke spinach dip, nice and cheesy but the chips were salty as was the dip, we concluded that it was a clever way to keep us thirsty and ordering drinks. The other patron regulars were cool and the ambience was good. The bartenders were just ok. Seems like an alright place to try out but this River was more calm than mad.
The bartenders are extremely inattentive, and with the way they tend the bar, I'm surprised they still have any business. It literally took me 10 minutes to close my tab and then another 10 minutes for my friends to get their drinks because only one of the bartenders was actively working while her two coworkers were standing around chatting.
My rum and coke was made with Malibu, which was way too sweet for my liking, and just really strange overall.
I don't think I'll be back, although this does seem like a place that my friends will be frequenting in the future..
Came here for a private event with an open bar, so my review is for that experience in the upstairs area! Our bartender was very nice and speedy at getting drinks, although I was a little bummed to find out that certain specialty drinks were not available, even though the cover was 40. There wasn't a DJ but the music was loud and fun with plenty of space to dance and socialize. Fun place with a cool young vibe!
I LOVE TRIVIA NIGHT!!! Great way to meet up with friends and debrief after a long work day. Get the apple cider beer!!
Mad River. I have a couple of things people need to know!!
1. When you buy 2 drinks, you get the 3rd free!
2. The wings are amazing!
Oh! And the service is awesome! GO! It's a blast during the week it's a nice place to relax and have a few, and on the weekend it's a blast!
I came here for the first time on Halloween and had an absolute blast. The music they played was early 2000's/late 90's and the crowd was having a great time! It's a laid back bar that a decent group of people seem to flock to. They want to have a good time and drink beer in an environment that is lax.
I will be stopping back on a non holiday – i'm sure it will be less crowded!
Atmosphere: 4/5, the environment is chill, laid back and top 50 music but let's be real, we all love dancing to that. The crowd is a mix of laid back and random upper east side overdressed who I'm sure weren't aware of the laid back feel.
Food: 2/5, we ordered nachos and pizza. The nachos took approximately 40 mins to come out and when did they…..we were welcomed with a hair (eek). The pizza was alright too. Just gross overall. Eat elsewhere.
Will I return: yes, no, maybe so. There's not much going on around the area so idk if I'd ever trek up there for just mad river but if I'm in the area, I'll drop by.