18 & over
22 bars that New York on Tap listed under “18 & over” around 2008, with what's licensed at each address in 2026.
Manhattan
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B.B. King Blues Club and Grill
237 W. 42nd St. · Midtown West
Closed; now Target
The accoustics are some of the best and the space manages to be small enough to be intimate, but big enough to draw some big names.
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Bowery BallroomPick
6 Delancey St. · Lower East Side
Still pouring
The best music venue in the city - hands down, and the likely locale of your favorite band's best set ever.
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Cafe Wha?Pick
115 MacDougal St. · Greenwich Village
Still pouring
Home to the best cover band in the city. Which may not sound like much of a recommendation, but trust us. It is.
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1568 2nd Ave. · Upper East Side
Still pouring
The longest running stand-up comedy club in NYC.
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353 W. 14th St · West Village
No license found in 2026
Huge upscale comedy club has a $25 cover, but no drink minimum. Unfortunately with 320 seats the place frequently can feel half empty which can dampen the vibe.
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17 Irving Pl. · Union Square/ Flatiron
Still pouring
Infinitely preferable music venue to the Hammersein. A pale second to the Bowery Ballroom.
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Knitting FactoryPick
74 Leonard St. · TriBeCa
No license found in 2026
Great place to see a show. And an all ages policy means this is the bar to take your underage niece/nephew to give them a taste of New York.
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301 W. 39th St. · Chelsea
Closed
It's 18 to party and 21 to drink at Times Square's only Latin Gay bar.
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Makor CafePick
35 W. 67th St. · Upper West Side
Closed
Hidden away in the basement of the Steinhardt MakorJewish Cultural Center is this relaxed live music venue. While it welcomes all religious and cultural affiliations bear in mind it's closed Friday nights.
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729 3rd Ave. · Midtown East
Closed; now Rosie Dunn's
There's live traditional Irish music every Saturday and Sunday night at this midtown pub. Best yet you can bring your kid brother or jailbait girlfriend because they card at the bar.
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45 E. 33rd St. · Murray Hill
Moved to 239 Thompson Street
Non-profit coffee house and live music venue champions a wide range of social causes. Closed summers.
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St. Pauls Chapel · Morningside Heights
No license found in 2026
Enjoy a Pop-Tart with some coffee, mulled cider, or beer at this music venue in the basement of St. Paul's Chapel . Not only is the music all acoustic, it's also unamplified, which hasn't deterred the likes of Jeff Buckley, Ani DiFranco, Lisa Loeb, and Suzanne Vega from playing here.
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375 3rd Ave. · Rose Hill
Closed; now The Gem Saloon
Live country music, Tex-Mex and killer Margarhitas make this one of the best Murray Hill alternatives going. And if you're under 21 getting in is not a problem, you'll be carded at the bar.
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239 W. 52nd St. · Midtown West
Closed
Super giant performance space draws huge crowds for indie rock shows. Unfortunately with a 3,500 person capacity and all ages admittance vying for a good position to hear the band can quickly become as big an aspect of the night as the music.
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S.O.B.'sPick
204 Varick St. · West Village
Still pouring
A Brazilian music and dinner club that attracts top hip hop talent, DJs and world music acts.
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94 Ave. A · East Village
Closed; now Corner Bistro
Four rooms with remarkably different atmospheres combine to form the Sidewalk Café. There's a clean and comfortable cafe, a dive bar, a downstairs pool table area, and a live music room. Two of the four rooms are all ages, so it's not a bad place to take your little brother when he's in town.
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298 Mulberry St. · NoHo
Closed; now CVS Pharmacy #10407
Surrounded by giant glass windows this huge corner billiard hall has decent tables and inexpensive tables and you never have to wait to get one.
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214 Sullivan St. · Greenwich Village
Closed; now The Dermatology Specialists - Greenwich Village
400 capacity live music venue popular among NYU students.
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5 Penn Plz. · Chelsea
No license found in 2026
It's well neigh impossible to find a good bar or restaurant near Penn Station, well, it would be at least if it weren't for Tír Na Nóg which is happily both.
Brooklyn
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BAM CaféPick
30 Lafayette Ave. · Fort Greene
A different business is licensed at this address: Brooklyn Academy Of Music Inc, The
Above the Brooklyn Academy of Music this enormous and surprisingly inexpensive café has nightly live music.
Queens
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WigglesPick
96-24 Queens Blvd · Rego Park
No license found in 2026
Enjoy a glass of orange juice as you survey the dancers in the tiny main dance area of the only all nude juice bar in Queens.
Already closed by 2009
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El FlamingoPickClosed by 2009
547 W. 21st St. · Chelsea
Closed; now 303 Gallery
All ages and all orientations meet on this gigantic dance floor. On Friday and Saturday nights the long running off broadway disco Shakespeare Donkey Show kicks off one of the most off-beat club nights in the city.
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SpiritClosed by 2009
530 W. 27th St. · Chelsea
Closed; now 6th Floor Theater at 530 West 27th Street
Friday and Saturday nights Spirit becomes the city's number one bachelorette destination, Hunk-O-Mania. Sunday is a gay night. Thursday is Latin.
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Tonic (Lower East Side)Closed by 2009
107 Norfolk St. · Lower East Side
Closed
Great accoustics, all ages, and no drink minimum have secured Tonic a place among the cities top music venues since its opening in 1998.