A Y.

Take it as it is. Turn your brain OFF when you walk in and you'll have a great time. Dance the night away, and don't get angry because there are 1000 people crowded into this place that's over capacity. In fact, just already be wasted. Also, avoid weekends - it gets inundated with too much B&T fist pumping and drunk sloshing. BUT - if that's what your night consists of, you'll love it. If you're there to have a crazy night, I believe that this will be the right place.

jayhawk r.

My friends and I were attracted to this spot two years ago and we had an awesome night. The place was empty and we could move around, dance and speak to each other and we had a great time. Went there last night for the first time in those two years and wtf happened?!?!?! Huge line, packed in like sardines, no bar service and awful, awful, awful radio-rap-garbage music. Don't bother, the charm is dead...

Cindy L.

Arrived here around 11 on a Saturday night with 6 girls. There was a line of about 10 people, which was moving so I decided to wait till I got to the front to tell the bouncer my name that I had put on a "list". I get there, tell him I am on Lyle's list and he says no problem marks our hands and in we go. Here is where the list part confuses me. There was no line cutting as Lyle had said, also we were not charged a cover, but then again at this time no one was. So in we go and it is pretty crowded. We make our way downstairs to the coat check. Down here it was less crowded so we decided this would be our post. There is a little stage in the back and this is where we danced for the two hours we were here. At some point the place got PACKED. We were good where we were but if you wanted to go to the bathroom or outside to smoke you would be gone for a long time. The line for the bathroom was RIDIC and you could not move upstairs AT ALL. This is a place to go to when you want to get wasted and dance the night away. The music was really good, top 40s, 80s, 90s typical music. Do not come here if you are looking for a lounge because this is more of a mini club without the club music. I guess if you came during the week it would have more of a lounge feel but definitely not on a Saturday. Would I come back here? Eh, ok. Would I recommend it? Eh, ok. It was good for what it was worth which was free. Oh and good luck getting a cab when you leave this place. There are people everywhere.

Danielle C.

Setting the scene... it was me +6 guys (we're all good friends, get your mind out of the gutter) It was a friday night and we were warned it gets crowded so we got an amazing seat up in the balcony area where we all hung out for while. This works out much better then losing each other during the night and determining at 3 am who's wasted, who's lost, who's making out and who's sleeping in the subway. I didn't even know about the basement part of this place until i went searching for the bathroom. Kind of shady down there, not my idea of a good time. I found myself being pulled to dance on the main level while trying to get back upstairs. The dance floor is super small so i shook it for a few then returned to my friends. This is a good place to go when your with a bunch of guys and don't want to be hassled at the door. I just wish we didn't hide upstairs for majority of the night, i had fun roaming! Sky*

Deirdre Y.

Trying to get in touch with anyone at this club about a lost wallet. No response to phone messages and emails. Very frustrating.

Sandy N.

Pretty nice place. The bouncer told me I was scrumptious and drew a heart on my hand with sharpie. Not much area to maneuver but music selection was good. Would return.

Demitasse E.

Ummm ok. Place was kinda desolate for a Thursday night. There was live music downstairs but I was indifferent to it. On the main level there was a modest space to dance to the tunes "spun" by the "DJ" on his Mac. Yeah... ok. The bar service was ssslllloooowwww. Half the time I couldn't even figure out what the heck the bartenders were even busy with as my group just waited and waited to give them our order for the next round. Way to ignore the sole group of people giving you any real business tonight (you weren't counting the wasted losers just plopped on the chairs in the back, right?). 1 star, +1 bonus star for the friendly bouncer with a great sense of humor.

jessica f.

I was in a really bad mood when I got here -- feeling sick but obligated to go out with out-of-town friends, standing in a long Saturday night line in the rain, paying too much for a cab because traffic was horrendous. The bouncer could tell I was about to call it a night and go home before even meeting my friends inside, and let me skip the line and get in. He even checked up on me inside to see if I was feeling better. Impressive, for NY. Anyway, great place for dancing --- some of the best mix-up dance music I've heard in the city. And no cover! Drinks were reasonable, I think $7 for a fairly strong vodka soda. The only downside was that this turned into a giant meat market the later the night went on .... my female friend and I happily dancing alone were probably approached at least twenty times. As we left the line outside was all guys waiting to get in ...... yeah, looking back I should have told them not to waste their time. Oh and the bathrooms really were as bad as they say, though try the one upstairs and have your friend guard the door that doesn't lock, it was much cleaner. Anyway, I'll be back next time I need a little dance pick-me-up.

Vinh H.

I've been here several times. Each time was to see a friend performing in the basement section of the place. The bar down there was small but the bartenders were on point. The seats are small but comfy and the stage area was pretty cramped as well. Upstairs is really nice and has a lofted area where the DJ setup is. The bar itself, the dancing area, and the seating areas are all actually really nice on the upper level. My only complaint is that every time I have been here, the DJ has had absolutely no idea what he was doing. The music was always being played painfully too loud and it seems like no one was ever really enjoying the song selections. Aside from that, I've watched the DJs here carefully all 4 times that I've been here and they just plain suck as DJs. There is no mixing or creative blending of songs, just stop and play. Not just stop and play, but stop and play songs no one else is enjoying at unpleasant levels.

Elizabeth B.

I had the most amazing time here a few Saturdays ago. My group started off downstairs around 1130, no cover and hardly a line. The crowd was just starting to build and thankfully we snagged one of the leather circle booths by the dance floor. The crowd was really diverse and everyone in the place seemed to be having a great time dancing and laughing. Around midnight the basement was packed, but it was never hard to get a bar tenders attention. The music is the best, a variety of new pop music, rap, old school jams and sneaky hip hop songs. I danced until closing. This bar seems to cater to everyone's needs. Some of my friends danced all night, some sat in the booth and chatted amongst each other and some picked up some randos. Needless to say everyone had a good time. cavet: went upstairs for a second to grab my friend, looked pretty lame, deff hang in sweaty basement.

Rachel N.

My boyfriend's band was playing here recently, and after reading the less-than-stellar reviews on here, I was somewhat afraid. And determined to pee before arrival and then avoid the bathrooms through sheer force of willpower. Let me say something about these bathrooms. From the reviews, I was expecting the end-days of bathrooms. I was expecting puddles of urine, cracked toilets, a thick layer of grime on everything, the toilet seat showered in, er, love juice and smeared with feces- basically, I was expecting the bathrooms at CBGBs (RIP, toilets of hell, RIP). So perhaps that was why I was pleasantly surprised when I walked into a bathroom only faintly smelling of urine and with no more than your normal public-bathroom amount of unidentified substances. I suppose after the toilets at CBGBs, everything is rosier. I do agree, however, that there is not much need for this place. It is not interesting or cool enough to compete with other nearby establishments, nor is it empty or cheap enough to be an alternative to some of the crowded/pricey hot spots. Basically, unless your boyfriend's band is playing here, I'm not quite sure why you would come.

Diana N.

We decided to come here after Verlaine's, but it's just way too crowded. Which is unfortunate, because the DJ on saturdays is really good and there's no cover! The downstairs is way too crowded and claustrophobic - not to mention the pervasive smell of sweat and beer due to inadequate ventilation. The upstairs is a slightly better, but this place for some reason is always overcrowded!! Takes forever to get a drink at the bar and you will be pushed around the entire night. Not a fan.

Andrew J.

The atmosphere is clubbish but the place is strange. The drinks lean towards weak, and are not the cheapest. It kind of looks like a strip club when you walk up to it, but do not be deceived, its nothing of the sort. If you are a smoker I would not recommend this place as half of the time the bouncers will make you cross the street before lighting up. The inside layout is not designed for any kind of traffic and as such people constantly have to push through the dance floor, weak.

Lindsay K.

More like Phat Baby, yo. That's how I expect the clientele to spell it, because they are wack and spillin' drinks all down the bar, for realz. I'm not quite sure why this place is so crowded, but after going to Fat Baby on two separate occasions, I'm convinced it's a good bar that suffers from an onslaught of crappy people. Drinks fly everywhere, the bartenders look bored (I don't blame them), and after midnight the line is a total sausage-fest. At least the drinks are reasonable ($7 for a scotch and soda, $40 card minimum) and the three-and-a-half floors are fun to push through. And, um, if the bar-back ever goes on Yelp, well hey there sweet thing.

Vi V.

I've only been here once, for a friend's birthday party and no....I wouldn't choose to come back. i didn't have problems getting in, so that was good. but there was only one bathroom and a long line waiting outside. and i had to go! So i waited..... read in other reviews that there are bathrooms downstairs but i didn't get to check that out. there's a cover charge to go downstairs (guess its a separate bar down there!). We reserved a few tables upstairs so it was nice getting to sit, drink and talk. but really, i wanted to dance and that wasn't really happening. The music was bad. No DJs in sight or else I would have requested for some decent tunes. and it was too packed around the bar.

Jen G.

This place it terrible. We came here on Saturday and 5 of my friends got their phones stolen. The manager yelled at us and told us he was busy playing the maracas....wtf?Don't come here.

angelina e.

The bouncers are very pretentious (when they can't spell a difficult word), demeaning, and ignorant. I would never bring any friends there to spend any sort of money nor recommend. I literally said hello bouncer on passing and his response was "wow you can spell." what a horrible place that enlists morons of any nature.

Deborah H.

For some reason I like this place. The few times I've gone it's been crowded enough, but not crazy congested. The crowd is cool, the bartenders are cool, the drinks are cheap, and the bouncer always makes me feel pretty. Tee hee. I've never used the bathrooms. Actually I've never been inside past the bar. I think there's a DJ and dancing and seats and stairs and stuff but I'm not sure.

Alex S.

I like Fat Baby. Not love, but like. Better than a lot of places in the area I would describe as similar. Yes, it can get irritatingly crowded. You may well have a hard time moving around. No, it isn't the cheapest place within a 2 minute walk. There is indeed often a long line, but then again, if you're willing to wait on ANY line for more than a minute, I'd say you're an idiot (in the most good-natured way I could possibly mean that). Go with a couple good-looking girls and it won't be an issue. Also, getting in reasonably early makes life easier. You can always leave and go elsewhere and walk right back in later if you feel like it. I like most of the people that work here, from the bouncers, to the bartenders, to the coat check girl downstairs. Clientle-wise, not the worst. Pretty decently mixed. More hipsters than I'd prefer, but than again, that doesn't take many. Some decent girls. Sorry, wasn't paying too much attention to the guys. I like upstairs better than downstairs. I'd have to agree with those that mentioned downstairs smells a little. But than again, so does most every crowded bar. Music is actually reasonably good, pretty alright DJs in my experience.

Helena F.

I came here to see a friend's band in the basement on a week night and that was super chill. The bartenders were super nice and it was totally dead upstairs. I chatted with them and one of the bartenders made me the most delicious drink ever! It was amazing, he definitely knew his stuff. I came back on a weekend when it was filled with really lame desperate office types. There was a super sad chick that was walking around aimlessly trying to get people's drink orders. Eeeek. Then we went downstairs and the music was ok and my friends and I were able to get our dance on. Though every now and then some sad dude would try to hit on one of us and we'd all just halt and waited for him to awkwardly dance away into the crowd. Also, this gross couple was dancing on the stage and making out in front of everyone - it was funny form like 10 seconds.

Nikki A.

had my birthday party here and it was very fun. nice mix of people. i like dancing downstairs

Lauren G.

I came here a bunch of times and it's a good time, you can dance but it gets SO crowded!! If you come late on a weekend there is usually a line/cover which sucks especially if you can't really move.

Liza G.

Usually, when I'm critiquing a bar or restaurant, I like to look at the glass as half full. At Fat Baby, you're glass is getting pissed in while you try to maneuver out of a jam-packed, sweaty, grope-fest. The fact that the lights are dim and you have NO idea if the guy you're dancing with is a cutie or a pedo doesn't help either. If you're tipsy or just drunk you might start wondering why everyone is totally blasted, fondling each other, and stumbling around and into each other. Once last call comes around, guys see it as a last call to get some action before they stumble back into their apartments... This place is shady, and not in the way that gives it character. It's just shady.

Sarah M.

GROSS! Too many people, disgusting bathrooms, and guys that cannot take a hint. Why was there a line to get in this place? 2 stars for no cover.

Kristin S.

The jury is still out on this place. When you're with the right group of people, it can be great and you can dance the night away. But if you come here early during the night (read: before 2am), be prepared to endure the lame crowd. Maybe "lame" is too harsh. The crowd isn't so much lame as the atmosphere isn't that great. You usually have one or two groups that are trying to dance while the majority of patrons just stand around, staring awkwardly at the dancers. Throw in a couple of creepers in there and you have yourself quite a diverse crowd. The DJ can be pretty good though, depending on the night. That's probably my only draw to the place. Drinks are average prices but there just doesn't seem to be fun, carefree vibes coming from this place. Maybe it has to do with the fact that the entire bar is near pitch-dark ALL the time? Hmmm.

nayoung j.

nifty choice of music + nicely priced drinks. Twas packed sat night. Yet waitress was pretty quick wit the drinks and the crowd was pleasantly mixed. Aaaand that's about it. no need to return.

Chris K.

the floor was sticky. the decor: n/a. - band in basement was decent - ...however said band used the word "google" in lyrics, -2 - friendly waitress - ...but she obstructed my view of stage - ...because she was dancing - ...which was horrible - ...robotic - ...and worse than Simpson (Homer, OJ, Jessica) As I type this I can't help scan the other reviews: "Smells like barf. "Vomit receptacle." Yumm-O.

Charlie M.

music - good, but only went here once so i cant tell if it was the usual quality. crowd - someone else said and i completely agree - packed w/ tools, wall to wall. it was disgusting price - good, considering location service - so bad that id be willing to pay more for the drinks if promised better service. overall - not coming back here. the drink prices arent worth it.

Peggy P.

Love this place when I'm in the mood to dance. Easy to get to, no cover, and hip hop/top 40 music. It's always the first place that pops into my head when a friend says they're in the mood to dance the night away.

Steeeeeeeve H.

Fat Baby is a change of pace from my usual choices of debauchery. Located in the heart of lower east side, this three floor venue offers a relaxed basement with couches for lounging, a small dance floor on the main floor for mingling, and an top balcony for prowling and observing. Major bonus points for the no-hassle door and the excellent bar. I had no trouble getting in with my fashionable flip flops. Thank you Mr. Bouncer. You are very nice to inform me on how good looking my friend is. And thank you Ms. Bartender. I know you made a mistake on pouring, but your mistake is my gain. That was one helluva JB and ginger ale... You are my favorite. Overall Fat Baby is a good choice for those that are without a plan on a Friday night. A solid three stars for its lax door policy and cheap drinks. If you find yourself dressed down and in the LES, do give Fat Baby a try. Please also be aware that the place does not accept AMEX. I was unable to slap down my little green guy and state in my best alpha male tone "Yeah chief, leave this bad boy open." Thankfully I was carrying cash, so I was able to avoid potentially embarrassing situations. P.S. To the girl that shared the awkward moment at the bar with me... Were you angry at me for cutting you and getting a drink before you? Sorry. It's nothing personal, you snooze, you lose. But you were cute, please call me.

Ruben B.

I didn't really get this place. Why was I waiting in line to get in? Why was it packed full of people. It serves its purpose if you're a fan of being crushed by other human beings. The only redeeming quality was that my jack and coke was only $7, which considering how "sceney" the place is, was reasonable.

Laura B.

avoid this dump at all costs. unfortunately i went to support my friends band and ran smack into the weirdest, most rude 'promoter' ever. he was immediately unpleasant to me and my boyfriend. I asked who his supervisor was and he laughed in my face.. ok.. so i said well i'd love to tell him what a pure a**hole you are. to which he then turned to the bartenders and said "can you believe this girl actually thinks i should be nice to people?". really.. are you kidding me? i asked him for change of my 20 for the stupid cover, to which he replied, you need change from me? or the bartender? what stupid planet do you come from, man with the handelbar mustache wearing women's boots? seriously, if you want to get pissed off in the span of 5 seconds, come to this place. to elaborate on the 'dump' of the bar, they barely carry any beers, and the place looks like it is infested with germs, mold, bugs, nasty bar slime, whatever it is... i'm sure is growing there. Do yourself a huge favor, and go somewhere else. this place should be shut down by the health department, and the 'promoter/loser' should find a new job, picking up garbage.

Lauren W.

I was immediately intrugied when i saw a line to get in to what appeared to be a dive bar. Seriously? All of these people want to dance? Well, after a few others places in the area turned out to be a bust, I wanted to just get in and dance and have fun. The line moved reasonably fast, but not fast enough when its freezing out. We headed straight downstairs where it looks like a dive bar meets lounge meets house party. Music was great and perfect for dancing. I couldnt really see what the crowd was like, which is probably a good thing. This place would be awesome with a big group of friends--I'd brave the line again.

Brandon B.

This place can be hit or miss. The drinks are reasonably priced and there is no cover. The DJ is horrible in his transitions but the music is up to date. The bounces at the front of the door are cool. The ones inside are rude and overly aggressive. The crowd is diverse but do not stay at the main bar, its gets packed quick. Go downstairs and chill. If you are looking for a chill bar with some cuties give Fat Baby a shot.

Joanna L.

Barf. No seriously. This place smells like barf. The bouncer was great because us ladies who were FREEZING were let in purely because he thought that we looked cold. Sweet! Too bad our guys had to wait outside... Oh well... Anyway, the music was pretty good and a lot of people looked like they were having a good time. I didn't even order any drinks, but I had an ok time. It wasn't bad, but it definitely had a college-crowd feel.

Karen J.

So yeah, not so much. Went and was not intrigued to stay long. It's always fun when you come around the corner and the line smacks you in the face! Finally got up to the front and our party of 5 gets separated as they can only fit 2 right now. Go down some stairs to come right back up another set to the part of the bar that actually contains customers. Which translates to "Now it's time to shove your way to the bar. " Nothing else exciting happened except a trip to the bathroom, losing half our party again in the crowd and the best part of the evening...leaving.

Elsie D.

I've been here three times, twice on a Friday, once on a Saturday. Man, oh man, I cannot stand this place because I have never had fun there. But here's the rundown: There's usually a short line, that moves relatively quickly. The bouncers are friendly and there's no cover. Inside, the place is two floors with dance floors and full bars on both levels. (Actually there's a third level that overlooks the main floor. I've never been up there though). Fat Baby has never been packed (or even kind of full) any of the times that I've been there. The music ranges from fun music that you want to dance to and what I call wedding music: oldies that everyone knows but not music you want to dance to. All in all, not a great scene.

Amar P.

I'm not really sure what the fuss is all about. It's literally just a dark bar with a circular dance floor at the end. There's nothing remotely unique or special about this place, yet the line stretches for blocks, there are VELVET ROPES flanking the entrance, the bouncers are typically douchey, and you pretty much HAVE to know someone who's hosting something here to have a chance at getting in without too long of a wait. Thankfully, a friend of mine was having his going away party here and reserved the upstairs 'lounge' for us to hang out in. This was pretty cool actually. Then we went down to dance, and all hell broke loose. My girlfriend at the time had her iPhone swiped from her purse as we were dancing, and another friend had $40 stolen from her handbag which really put a damper on the evening and her entire visit to NYC. When we told the bar staff, they casually mentioned that the same thing had happened to several other patrons that evening at Fat Baby. Um, really? As you can imagine, the uninspired design, overpriced drinks, unreasonable wait to get in, and above-average-rate-of-getting-your-shit-stolen makes this a place to which I'm not likely to ever return.

Reshma B.

I've had mixed experiences here. Most of the times I've been here there has been a line and I *hate* waiting on a line to get in anywhere, especially if it is divey. Also was very packed. But the last time I came here it was around 10pm on a Friday night and surprisingly not too crowded + no line to get in. My friend discovered the downstairs section so we stayed there most of the time. Sure, we were pretty buzzed but there was fun music, lots of room to dance and surprisingly a good mix of girls + guys. I had my fun and then all of a sudden it was 3am and time to go home. I am planning a bday party and was contemplating coming back here but the other reviews are making me think twice!

Ramon G.

Way overrated! froze my butt on line and when I finally got in all I could ask my friend was "Was this worth freezing? When they both answered NO! We took off and found a better spot up the block WITH NO LINE!

Davey T.

The place we were planning on going to originally was evacuated because "somebody stole an orange," so I suggested that we go to Fat Baby, because Chastity had said she once saw Jay-Z there. And I could use some more Jay-Z in my life, personally. However, the place ended up completely devoid of hip-hop moguls, and of six model chicks, six bottles 'a' Cris, etc. But then, you have to ask yourself, do I really want that? Or do I want funk-disco music, a secret entrance, a basement full of clumsily flailing dark-clad skinny people with blonde mohawks and feathers taped to their shirts, and a short Latino guy walking around with light-up cat toys? I want that. Sometimes. But even if I didn't, the upstairs is a bit more traditional-slash-classy. Like, a semi-real dance floor and a balcony (complete with women in skirts for the gentlemen below's viewing pleasure) and even a chandelier, which my rosy-cheeked friend Emily cleverly dubbed the "Chandelemily." Ecclectic music selections upstairs: Salt n Peppa, Justin Timberlake, Don Henley, Avril Lavigne, some indi rock, some reggaeton...makes for ecclectic clientele...makes for a good time. It could be totally different during the week, though. I don't know. It was a full moon.

Kimberly C.

So much potential, such an epic fail. The space is really unique, with 3 different levels and the main floor split into bar and lounge area. Cheap drinks and sporadically good music, but overall it doesn't deliver.

Alice M.

Not quite a 4 star, but I give it maybe 3.5 stars. I had so much fun dancing here! Dj was good and we already had drinks at Nurse Bettie's beforehand. I also happened to be there with a friend that I like to dance with, so that probably contributed to my enjoyment of Fat Baby~ The lower level was really hot and stifling though... not my favorite. There's also an upper level that's good for all you voyeurs out there.

JP B.

I've only been here to see live bands downstairs. Not a bad venue for that. Nice room, decent sound. Bands vary from good to terrible, but that's the nature of going out to see unknowns play. The basement room is pleasant, but the drinks could be a little less expensive, especially in light of the fact they charge a cover to see the live music.

Harper S.

This place is a waste of time and I'm not so sure why people go there so much. There's ALWAYS a line. Surprisingly nice bouncer who draws a heart on your hand, but that's honestly the best part of the place. I went for a birthday party where we had bottle service so we didn't have to wait on line, and had a table upstairs (aka I didn't move from my seat because I didn't want to interact with any of the people in the place). The musc is bad, the place smells and is dirty. The handle to the main staircase was completely broken off and nobody put a sign or an anything to notify girls wearing stilettos NOT to hold on to the railing and instead they wiped out. Always a line for the bathroom, that's dirty and smelly as well. Can you tell how much I like this place? never again.

Gabby D.

So we finally. got. to. see. this "FAT BABY" everyone's been hollerin' about. Mmmhmm. I only agreed to go because it was around 9:30...needed to escape the weird old guy buying us tequila shots at Boss Tweeds....and because well, there was this boy. Ooookay. Already kinda crowded by the time we rolled in, but there was no line. Plus One. Decided to myself, "Self...let's get a drink...rum and cokes for everyone." Went to the bar. Crowded bar. Mmhmm. Alright, alright. Got rum and cokes for all (a small suggestion of a drink)...made it back to where the crew was--the 4 steps back took about 3 minutes but hey! found a place to sit down (quite rare) and started to take a look around..... There are some seeeeeeeeeerious people out at this Fat Baby place. Drunky McGillicully's left and right...people knocing over glasses...bottles...bumping into tables. Looked at my watch...10:15. Craziness. But you know, Saturday night....or late evening for that matter...LES cluuuuub...people be gettin' crunk. I ain't hatin. So now, after I've inhaled back my shot of rum and coke...well...two (but who's counting??) it's bathroom time. The bathrooms are located downstairs. Surprised? I was warned to take someone with me due to the shadiness of of the adventure. Good call. First step: Make your way to the back of the bar...try to ignore straaaaange odor that is now circulating throughout back area of bar... Step two: Make your way doooown the rickety steps, Step three: Make way through darkness all the way to the end of the hall...do not get distracted by side room which could either be the Concert Stage area and/or VIP area, Step four: Slowly push bathroom door open (which one? take a guess) as to not knock over the person inevitably waiting right behind. Once you're in the bathroom...it's about as standard as "get in-get out" bathrooms go. Although! There's LOTS of literary entertainment in the stalls for your reading pleasure. Quite worth the trip there and back. Overall...I mean...I guess Fat Baby was okay. I did like the layout of the upstairs to upstairs. I'm into that squarish-balcony kinda thing. Music wasn't memorable. Something no one was really dancing to. I do remember him NOT playing SexyBack even after NewBoy took the balcony stairs up to request it for me. We didn't really last long at Fat Baby. In general, there are other places I'd rather spend my time and money. Like Tina said, we made out exit...shook our heads at the people in the now line-around-the-corner, hopped in a little taxi-tax, took out $2 and bought ourselves some pints at Finnerty's.

Roy L.

I actually like this trashy place, upstairs is somewhat upscale(if you call that upscale) and downstairs is a pure trashy basement bar. It's sweaty and reminds me of Austin, TX. Not bad music and the drinks are priced OK for the LES. Not a chill place though, it gets really crowded and hot. One of my friends from DC absolutely loves this place. It you're into upscale air-conditioned clubs, don't come here.

Emma S.

Bridge & Tunnel upstairs. Dive bar downstairs. My friends' band plays once in a while, so that's the draw for me. The staff is nice. $6 for a pint. Get through the upstairs early or you'll have to fumigate your clothes to remove the secondhand Axe bodyspray stench.

Heather K.

Went here for a friend's birthday and the experience was such a nightmare that we ended up at a random soccer bar in the east village to complete our night. That bad. If 80% of the sections of a club are reserved WHY WOULD THE MANAGEMENT CONTINUE TO BOOK LARGE PARTIES??? We were restricted to the small bar in the front, and they kept pushing back the time that we could check our coats. Really? If I'm paying around 10 dollars for a watered down vodsoda, you better figure out where to put my coat. The straw that broke the camels back was the bathroom. It was muddy (seriously?), smelled worse than the LIRR bathroom on the 2:53 to ronkonkoma. Never again.

Tina S.

So all my so-called "friends" said this place was the jump off... make me wanna jump off a cliff, maybe! The bar itself is quite nice, I ain't hatin on the space... there just wasn't any. It was jam-packed with wall to wall ass clowns and not like a hell yizzy tru story good times packed, but just an annoying packed. I ain't old, I know how to party, this just wain't it. But..... BUT... the redeeming highlight of my WHOLE night.... was the taggin in the ladies: "Kate Moss has roast beef curtains." Oh, the poetry. Whoever wrote that, thank you. You made my day. After reading that, I was enlightened. And we jumped ship, dove into a cab, "we're going to 13th fucking street and 2nd." Finnerty's. Nooch.

David H.

Reading the other reviews, I'm thinking I might have been there on a weird night. I knew the reputation as a punk-rock/hipster hangout, but we were there on a Friday (1/18/08) and it seemed like a pretty standard twenty-something professional crowd - not full douches but nothing particularly alternative, hip or fashionable about the place, as a far as I could tell. Pretty good looking bunch but not super sophisticated based on the 6-8 people I chatted up. The thing I liked about the place was that even though there was a short line to get in, they kept the capacity pretty reasonable. There was plenty of space to dance, move around, etc. Music was standard club fare - not alternative, edgy or new, but fun enough to dance to.

Totoro R.

My friends and I went on a completely off-peak night, a Monday.....at around midnight. It was dead but people started filtering in about a 1/2 hour later. Only the downstairs was open and we were initially turned off by that. It looked like someone's basement. But.....we got the bartendar Aaron to ourselves and he made the night great for us! Great bartendar, extremely fun and created some damn good drinks for us. Needless to say, we ended up staying quite a while there. I'd go back, but not on peak nights. Esp. now that I've heard this place gets packed with "sorority girls" and "ass clowns." Hell no.

B. Jane G.

went here sunday night.. 12:45am ish wasnt really poppin off till 1:30am it was the girl talk after party bartenders were awesome... did a shot with one free beer from another really cool dudes. and once these friends of mine showed up the whole night turned around 2:30am was peak of the night and stayed pretty steady we got kicked out at 4am ish but it was cool cause they gotta shut down sometime ill probably be going back next time im looking to go downtown dont think it would be as fun though with a different crowd so whatevvs we'll see i guess

Nylorac B.

This was literally the worst bar I've ever been to in my entire life. And I am a native New Yorker. The worst part about this place, besides its atrocious music, terrible crowds, and lackluster beverages, was the fact that the bartender refused me WATER. I was there at 8.8.2010, approximately 12-2 AM and the bald-headed douchebag working in the downstairs lounge area not only charged me $1 per glass of water, but when I was willing to pay and did not have a cash alternative, and gave him my credit card, HE DENIED ME BECAUSE $2 WAS NOT THE MINIMUM and refused me water. THIS WAS TAP WATER, PEOPLE... This was the RUDEST experience I've ever had in my entire life... and again, I'm a native New Yorker. I will never go to this place and recommend that my friends never go there either, and on top of that, recommend this person's immediate dismissal.

Kim P.

Decently priced drinks, great and creative DJ who played a familiar and fun mix. Small and cozy with engaging, funny, hip bartenders that love to dance. Setup is cool -- walk in and you're at the bar in this narrow hallway and it opens up to the main lounge, where a huge white chandelier hangs and the DJ plays on the floor above. I went on the Eve of New Year's Eve, yes, New Year's Eve Eve, while visiting friends in town. Most people were probably at home resting up. During the night I hung out on the main floor, but ran downstairs to go to the bathroom and overheard a hip-hop show. The bathroom hallway also leads to this little room where they have underground hip-hop shows, I was told. And when the show got out, these people pwned the Fat Baby dance floor.

Abhinav g.

4/5 stars for fat baby . The extra star for saving my ass on a friday night when me and few of my out of town friends did not get entry into my regular club as they had some private party and few other clubs were too crowded. The place in kinda small but they have a dance floor at the lower level which was not too pack. The drinks are for around 6-7 $.There is no cover charge so that nice. You can always leave the place when you are bored.

Lisa Y.

This is a great place to go to for danceable tunes and a great crowd. It's not too crowded and there is no pretention at the door. The bouncer was a jokester, which I dig. I went on a Friday night, and was mostly downstairs where it was slightly more crowded and darker. But I did head upstairs for a bit, the music seemed just as good, but perhaps the crowd might be slightly less wild. This might be my new go-to place when all else fails on a Friday night.

Shar B.

Heh, this is one of many reasons Yelp is great - I didn't even realize there was dancing here! I've been here a few times to see bands & guess I always just skedaddled afterwards. I gotta experience the dance-aspect at some point - I would MUCH rather dance to rock/pop dive bar-y type music, in a dive bar atmosphere, than clubby music in an actual club! So, uh yeah, as a band venue, this place is pretty cool! Decent sound in a decent space. Plus the bartender cards EVERYONE, which is quite an ego boost for those of us in the 30+ range. I'd return here, sure.

Amanda H.

My best girl played a 45 minute acoustic set downstairs here the other night, and although I had to miss it (and the $7 cover) because I had to work I came down to meet everyone afterwards. On a Friday night and the place is pretty busy up front but in the back there was sort of enough room to dance - we did anyways. The DJ played a fun mix including MIA, MGMT and was craaaacking my shit up playing 90's hip hop like TLC's "No Scrubs" - George Michael's "Faith" - Sugarbabe's "Freak Like Me" - maybe some Coolio and Snoop Dog. Had a good time but the drinks were a little pricey and wasn't there long enough to fully evaluate - I'll try it again and hopefully that DJ will be behind the wheel.

cary s.

yet again, another encounter with a manhattan dive bar that has bouncers that think they are gods. since i live in brooklyn now, i try not to go out in manhattan anymore... specifically because of a few things: 1. overcrowding at bars 2. the people are not so nice (compared to brooklyn) 3. bouncers think they rule the planet went to fat baby for one of many stops for a bachelorette party. the bouncers treated her like she was a homeless psychotic (which she wasn't). grabbing a girl hard enough to cause extensive bruising is unacceptable. a 105 lb asian girl is not going to get violent and start doing roundhouse kicks. it just doesn't happen. so why be so forceful? there's no need for the level of aggression they used toward this petite woman. afterwards i went over to the bouncer and asked him if he could at least apologize to her because she was crying and she really didn't deserve to be crying at her bachelorette party. he said nothing. so i said... 'don't you care at all?' his response was... 'no... i don't care' i was being nice to him, and he was a complete ass. not cool. moral of the story. please be nice to humans. seriously. just be nice.

PM M.

DON'T COME HERE! I reserved a table downstairs for my birthday and when I got there at 10:30, the host said there was an event going on downstairs so I would have to wait for it to be over at 1am which they should have told me BEFOREHAND since they confirmed my reservation that day. My friend ended up buying bottle service so that all of my friends could have a place to sit or dance. The bouncer was also on a huge ego trip and didn't let some of my friends cut the line even though they're supposed to if I reserved a table. I spoke to the idiotic host about it and he said "He'd handle it" which did not happen. In addition, the music selection wasn't too bad at first, but they started replaying the same songs towards the end of the night...

Allyson R.

Went here on a Saturday night and thought it was pretty fun. It was crowded, but what club isn't?! There was a little wait to get in, but no cover, which is awesome. The drinks were expensive and they had a $40 credit card minimum. The dancing area was fun and the music they played was great! I would definitely check this place out again...

Just J.

Yeah, so I've been to Fat Baby on Saturday night and I have to say that I'm not sure I'd go back . (Maybe I wasn't drunk enough) Let's start w/the positives: Diverse fun loving crowd Great music 3 rooms to play in relatively stiff drinks no cover nice bartenders and coat check girl. Negatives: Long wait to get in after 12am (Not sure why the bouncer holds up the line outside for so long) 20 mins. Crowded, crowded, crowded. Did I say crowded? Jeez, on the first floor I felt like the meat and beans in a sloppy joe. Downstairs was SMEELLY! I didn't know if there was a dead rat or dead body hidden down stairs. You can't tell because it's damn near pitch black on the bottom floor. The bottom floor has some what of a dungeon feel to it as well. If drink spilling was an olympic sport then I'd suggest you go here for try outs. Overall I had a decent time there but I'd suggest that someone go to Fat Baby early to get a stiff drink or two and then move on to the next spot.

Bryan H.

Somehow we always end up checking out Fat Baby with this idea that it will be better than the last time we walked in and spent 5 minutes there. I think one of the biggest issues with Fat Baby is the layout; as soon as you walk in you're right at the bar and it can get extremely tight. It's unfortunate as there the space really opens up once you get past the bar. Clientele is usually the "I only know how to grind women" type.

Renee C.

oh fat baby. how i want to love you. i guess i kinda like you. *coochie coochie coo* some friends and i headed over to fat baby a couple nights ago after some hardcore drinking at a rooftop bbq. we arrived and were ushered in immediately by the friendly bouncers. downstairs there was live music with an entrance fee of $5. no thanks. we head back up. apparently the dj was to arrive in 15 minutes, but in the meantime, they played morose, funeral music. drinks please! we head up more to the top level and my friend puts down her card. $8 a drink, $30 minimum. hmmph. the dj came, the dance music started, and the place got much more fun. my friend had to use the restroom, i went too and after one look/sniff, decided i would rather get a bladder infection from holding it in than go anywhere near that toilet. overall, a fun night!

Olivia R.

Went a couple of times for birthday parties. It's an okay place, a nicer dive bar, if you will. The cool thing about it is that the DJ booth is located upstairs with an open setup - and you can walk up and dance near the DJ if you want to. The bartenders tend to be heavy handed here.

Kristen M.

I have been to this bar numerous times and believe this is just the place to go when you just want to dance. The music is good and the favorites always play. The drinks aren't bad, averaged price. However the people are a little creepy, so make sure to go with your own crowd!

Jay G.

I was here to see a friend's band perform in FB's basement. I met some friends prior to the 8pm show and had a few drinks, enjoying FB's 'happy hour'. It was $3 beers and well drinks or $5 premium stuff. So I sucked down as many gin & tonics that I could in an hour. At first I wanted a few beers, but the taps were 'screwed up'. The bartender was cool, a skinny pale discount Axel Rose look alike originally from Carolina (somewhere south). This bar has a lot of space but they really haven't done anything with it. This part of NYC is getting more popular every year, so they will have to make some kind of improvement to the place. A big bar in a great location, really good for big groups but the space is really spartan. Happy hour is 6pm-8pm.

Barry W.

Cool dark mysterious vibe, friendly wait staff, and good music to dance to. There are two levels and I remember the first time I came here they played different music in each level, however when I came here it seems like they linked the DJ booth to the downstairs. Prices are about average for this area, I would def recommend this place for people who wanna get down with no cover.

Nancy M.

one of my faves in the LES. i love the bouncer, the cheap drinks (around $10 give or take), music, crowd, etc! it can get a bit crowded after midnight (almost to the point where it's suffocating b/c people are spilling drinks all over you) but if you're looking to dance the night away, fat baby is the place to be! it's also right next to verlaine so when happy hr ends at 10, you can start/end your night at fat baby!

Vanessa R.

I was in town celebrating one of my friend's birthdays and we decided to head to the LES. As we walked by Fat Baby and noticed the long line we decided to not even try, but the bouncer came up to us and asked if we wanted to come in and after finding out it was my friend's birthday he guided us through the very croweded bar to the downstairs lounge and got us a round of shots and some drinks. Now that's good service! I liked the downstairs lounge because it's a little less crowd compared to the upstairs area. The music was good, from what I remember. I would definitely come back to this place.

kami a.

Is there a secret entrance to the PATH train or the LIRR located in Fat Baby? It sure seemed like it from the number of complete bridge and tunnel douchebags that were filling the place. While the drink prices are pretty standard for the LES, the crowd and music don't justify the cost. Door staff was nice, but the bartenders weren't the least bit attentive. The bathrooms are disgusting.

Caitlin C.

DO NOT GO TO THIS PLACE. I tried to open a tab for two drinks - a beer and a vodka soda - early in the night, and when I went back to pay it later, my debit card had already mysteriously been charged $25. Then, I went home later and discovered that, without my consent, they changed the charge to $30! The bartender must've added $5 to the slip after I'd signed it. Don't ever go to this bar, unless you want to get ripped off! The bartenders must make out well, if they're adding $5 to people's charges often enough.

Victoria S.

I have been going to this bar since I moved to NY a few years ago. Used to love this place. It always had great music/DJs reasonable drinks and a good vibe. It is three stories so plenty of room and the basement level was always lots of dancing. The last time I went there however it had gone way down hill. The AC was not working and it was mid July. We were there for a friends b-day party and he had reserved a table. They screwed up his reservation so didnt make him buy a bottle but moved us to the third floor where we were all sweating our asses off due to the heat. It was miserable. On top of this all the DJ was very sub par and they RAN OUT OF TONIC at like 11pm on a Friday night!! I would have expected so much more out of this place...

Leizl M.

After reading some of the Yelp reviews on this place, I trekked there with friends on a Saturday night with absolutely no expectations. I think that definitely made for a better experience, but at various points my boyfriend was pretty miserable and his single roommate not so impressed with the pickings. There was one girl who insisted on shoving her fat behind into our group even though there was more than enough room for her and her friends to dance and not impede our area (we had a table and were dancing in front of it), but after a few minutes of standing our ground, she was clearly on a mission to steamroll us and I gave up and let her have her way. My boyfriend even politely asked her to stop and said we were all just trying to have a good time, and she looked at him like he was an idiot. I know it's mean, but my only thought was, "Well, I guess we all have to win at SOMETHING in life. This can be hers." I'm a terrible person, I know, but seriously, no matter how drunk I get, I try my best to be respectful of people's space on the dance floor. She was just rude, and a perfect example of one of several reasons I don't really go out to clubs much anymore. Anyway, I digress. The place is on the small/cramped side (the layout lends itself to the narrow), and I'm actually a little grateful that my roommate chose to have her birthday party at Kush instead of here b/c we would have been sardines in a can at Fat Baby. Bathroom was indeed awful - only two toilets for women, and one of them was clogged and atrocious. Drinks were okay price-wise, but unless I misheard (It's a little too loud in there. They need to lower the volume a smidge I think b/c my ears were ringing all night after we left.), they have a $40 minimum on tabs. Fine for some I guess, but I just wanted to have a few beers so that didn't work for me. On the positive side, the DJs were all pretty great - to me, the mark of a good DJ is one who transitions seamlessly between songs, and every single one of them did so well - and there was no cover. We had to wait in line for a little while, in the rain to boot, but I expected as much and the wait wasn't unreasonably long. The bouncers were all pretty nice and amusing: One of them noticed a girl in line behind us who was clearly upset and I think even crying, and he talked to her for a while and tried to get her to cheer up, then let her and her friend jump the line. I actually thought that was pretty sweet of him. Not really a place I'd recommend to singles for a night out, but with a large enough group of friends it can be pretty enjoyable. I'm not big into the LES side these days, but if for some reason a friend had a party here, I'd still come and find a way to enjoy it. Not the best club experience ever, but I've dealt with worse, and what the bouncer did was really charming so this gets the A-OK.

Jeff L.

originally from california where jeans, sneaks, hats, and flip-flops are game at a lot of bars/lounges, i've come to learn that nyc in general has a stricter dress code...okay, understandable...but Fat Baby doesn't deserve no-hat status. what kind of "lounge/dive bar" (according to Yelp) has a no-hat policy? after the bouncer tags some pseudo-chinese character on my hand, i enter the bar with no hassle, no cover, and no mention of my hat. not until after i'm dancing with my friends does a rude bouncer wearing a yankees cap come by and take off my hat. i try to make a complaint about the policy and bouncer's attitude. the bartender was actually cool about it and agreed with me about the ridiculous policy. the manager was rude and told me this was new york buddy, go back to california. anyways, i had enough of the place and went to people lounge. definitely won't be back at fat baby. it was crowded, bathroom was gross, and the dj was mediocre.

Justin C.

Basically a stumbling drunk, PBR filled, hipstr'd out LES hang - you go, get wasted, make out with some "skinny jeans" type and/or a girl with intentionally disheveled hair and probably white pants, maybe an ironc t-shirt, but we're beginning to digress, and, then you forget it ever happened. But you basically know that going in so it's cool. 2 floors, each with a bar, adds to the flava (see: more opportunities to fill body with booze, creating climate for aforementioned make[black]out), and they generally have serviceable music, not that morose hipster drivel that floods so much of the LES.

Jordan B.

I am not a fan. The bouncers outside and downright rude and insulting. There is nothing here to set it apart from every other bar like it on the LES. Only upgraded from one star due to the massive, massive amount of hot chicks here the night I was here.

Andrew W.

Went on Sat for a birthday party. by the time i went at around 1 there was a line around the block to get in. luckily my friend who was having the party used her big tits to get me in and out of the line. only went to the basement part. so cant' speak for upstairs. but heard it was worth missing. Place smelled like cat litter, played some fun music. and i'm not sure my friend ever paid for her drinks. so. just go early if your going. and make friends with the bartender

Joy C.

I've been twice now and always seem to have a good time although I'm pretty sure that has more to do with the amount of alcohol I'd consumed and the company present than the actual place itself. Decent mix of music but it gets really crowded. Weekday here is definitely better than a weekend so you can avoid all the insanity.

Christian R.

wild crowd, great dj and just plain good ol fun. let loose gran a drink and party !!!

Kevin D.

good dive bar, strong drinks, reasonably priced, decent music the lines too long and the place smells like New Orleans

Calvin C.

Fat Baby is absolutely that one lounge in the Lower East Side that you can rely on to be PoPPin consistently on Friday & Saturday evenings, even in the presence of tempestuous weather or extended weekends like Labor day where New Yorkers often skip town to lounge around with the babes/beaus in Miami. In this regard, all the other non-cover loungey bars in LES pale by comparison. A diverse and engaging mix of hipsters/artists, recent college grads, Bridge & Tunnel, and UPPEREAST/LES/EV yuppies flock the scene, dancing passionately to the latest and r-a-w Hip-Hop/Rap tunes with the occasional infusion of classic 90s' and trance remixes. Note: The music is here is In-the-Money if you thrive on mainstream contemporary music coursing through the channels of the radio/tv/youtube/etc. This dim lighted, funky smelling (depending on the weather and your level of intoxication it could be pleasurable or vomit-inducing), and cozy landmark, is popular for celebrating women's birthday parties and bachelorette parties; these women tend to be in the mid to late 20's. The bartenders, colored in various tattoos and piercings all over, are able to pound shots alongside you while magically catering to your thirst faultlessly; just don't have expectations for high quality cocktails (drinks are $8-$10). Undoubtedly, it gets hot and sweaty during Fridays/Saturdays. God forbid you somehow manage to develop a psychedelic relationship with the bartenders, the frustrations toward an overly packed zoo-like environment will be alleviated, and you will have little difficulty snagging the next drink for yourself, your friends or the lucky starry-eyed man/woman in the vicinity. Alike your typical LES bars/lounges, Fat Baby doesn't discriminate against your testosterone-driven men on the hunt, throngs of women shaking their booties seeking attention purposely, indirectly, or purposely indirectly (you never know..), and gangs of friends/co-workers chatting amongst themselves complacently. The crowds tend to be friendly, open-minded (open for interpretation), and goal oriented: they are here to have fun. It is unlikely you'll spot model-looking types, wealthy finance/lawyer types, or kids for that matter (to a reasonable degree the youngest you'll come across are college-grads, while others range from early to late 20s'). The social experience at this three floor adult playground cannot be accurately labeled "grimy" or "sketchy", but more appropriately as "laid back" and "free-spirited". Kill the vibe and you'll standout like a sore thumb. Whether you choose to loosen up the joints on the ample dance floors, drown yourself in a couple of drinks from the bar's standard alcohol selection, or flirt with the intriguingly hipsterish bartenders, if you are in a party mood and have rational expectations for the "LES vibe", you will easily have a great time. This joint fits the bill as one of your "to go" bars in LES, which explains why a line starts forming outside as early as 12am and often maintains its lengthiness until about 3am. The bouncers tend to be wise-crackers, but are inherently good boys and most important of all, attempt to maintain a practical guy/girl ratio within. Play it right with them at the door, and depending on their mood, you'll slip through the cracks in to the whee hours of night.

Trevaughn w.

This place is definately hit or miss. Drinks are resonably priced, no hassle at the door, 2 floors of good music. warning; some times it gets really crowded, which turns into a bad experience cause the lay out of the place is not ment to handle big crowds. I dont know why i have been to fat baby so many times cuz there are alot better bars in the LES.

Alex B.

Worst bar in New York? I really think so.

Irene F.

Meh. I don't like lines and I don't like waiting. However, given a friend was having a deportation party, I didn't really have a choice. Still very annoying. The drinks were stiff, the $40 credit card minimum? Well, let's say it's not too hard to do. I had a decent time but only because of the company (usually is the case, no?). I doubt I'd bother coming back.

Matthew E.

Overall I would recommend to everyone that you try to go on a weekday rather than a weekend. Why? Well this place has essentially gotten a little too hyped, a little too popular and you have people coming in from all over on the weekends. Generally I'm pretty content with the LES crowd but a lot of dbags seem to be filtering in and for some reason have a really bad attitude. Case in point is the main bar area of Fat Baby. It gets CROWDED, as in you're-going-to-spill-your-drink-no-matter-what crowded. Everyone has to walk thru the main bar area and there's plenty of people waiting for drinks, so it is inevitable. As a result, don't be a ponce and start trouble with people if you get bumped into while hanging out in the worst area of the club. Seriously, last time I was here on a Saturday night I got a couple drinks at the bar and went back to where most of my friends were at in the lounge area and a Philip Seymour Hoffman lookalike not only shoulders me away from the bar, but then stairs me down and wants to throwdown because he was being 'crowded' at the bar. Then! Later that night, a HUGE guy was doing a crip walk ("c-walk") in the middle of the dance floor and bumping into everyone. One guy tries to walk out of the way and the c-walk'er tries to start a fight! Man, why can't people just have fun. Dbags. Conclusion: Stay away on the weekends Rowdy Basement level really feels like a basement No hassle at the door Bouncers are friendly

Kevin K.

came sat. night at like 11:30. there was a line of about 40 people that we tried to bypass for a bday party. bouncer told one azn girl i was with that she was lickalicious and let her in. told me i needed a new toupee and let me in. inside was typical upstairs/downstairs shitshow. some guy was hunched over puking silently by the stairs, the crowd edging away.

Erica B.

In the mood for a laugh? Fat Baby (if you can tolerate the hipster, dirty-ish LES scene at this place) can promise that and a bit more. The DJ was surprisingly refreshing, mixing the right combination of hits and hip hop, with seamless transitions between songs. You can't beat the no cover, hardly any line, hilarious bouncer front door. Again, I don't know how much the drinks are, but I can't imagine that bad. It has a fabulous chandelier hanging over the various levels of the dance floor, and a super fun upstairs loft area, complete with poles and metal grates (so drunk people don't fall i'm assuming and so people like me can dance more). All in all, if you are out on the LES either after a delicious dinner or after a simple bar with friends, Fat Baby is a hoot and only a hop (small stroll) away. Perfect for a night of non-seriousness and laughs.

Megan C.

A newish place with some nice exposed brick and a slick happy hour with three dollar drinks. Fat Baby has the kind of super-modern furniture and tastefully fake-ugly fixtures that I always see in the windows of stores but assume are too expensive for anybody to actually own in real life, sort of like those Sony robot dogs which are in all the magazines but nobody apparently actually has except for magazine editors. Other than the esteem-worthy happy hour cheapness and the clean bathroom there isn't a lot to set Fat Baby apart from the gadzillion other bars around it, but who can complain about a bar which has cheapness and a clean bathroom? Certainly not me. Well, I could, but that would make me a rather whiney type of fool.

tanty d.

a totally sketchy place, drinks are expensive and tasted like water. Eh! it's blah.

Ji C.

Fat Baby got crappy pretty quickly. It should be the poster child for people who complain that the LES has become an overly trendy neighborhood that's overrun with hordes of people on the weekends. If you do go, you may see large puddles of spilled alcohol on the floor and/or a super annoying group of former sorority girls who are having a bachelorette party.

Mike T.

From what I remember I had a really good time here. The drinks were strong and the playlist was great. I will say that the crowd was extremely diverse though, ranging from the suit & tie type to hipsters to a hip hop crowd. For some reason in my head it worked though, so I'll be back the next chance I get

Beth W.

If you're lucky, the DJ won't be wearing pants, just his tighty whities. The DJ plays awesome music - AWESOME. He'll go from 80's to Hip Hop to Old School House. The place is beautiful, the people are somewhat beautiful (present company excluded), and the drinks are well-made. It does crwod up quickly which can be frustrating because it is a skinny place, but it does have three floors so there are options available. All in all, such a fun place!

Keon D.

One of the few divey places that I have actually enjoyed. Inside is kinda grungy but still pretty fun. One of the coolest things about this place is that you have waitresses that will come out to you on the dance floor and take your order. It definitely beats having to wait a long time at a bar. The music was sorta hit or miss but it definitely was danceable. There is an extra dance area downstairs in a basement but the only problem is it can get pretty hot down there and the ceiling is low. Honestly it kinda scared me because I thought if there ever was a fire or anything, I dont know how everyone was going to escape LOL. But.. if you can get over that you can go downstairs and dance and enjoy yourself.

Jenny S.

Fat baby sucks bawlzzz!!! Fat baby should go back in the crib and sleep all day and night!! Over priced, we asked for one drink and the bartender gave us something else (i mean i still drank it and all but you know it's not what I ordered) It was overally crowded to the point where you will say excuse me and no one moves. People actually push you instead of using the kind words such as excuse me. Don't bother with this spot it sucks. Better places in NYC especially in the LES!! On to the next ;)

Vivian L.

The place was a little lame on the night I went. No one was really dancing, the crowd was eh, music was alright. People were also really pushy and there was barely any room to move around. It was very easy to get in, only stood in line for a minute. The venue itself wasn't bad, and I liked how there were multiple dance areas. Of course, it's also always nice to not have to pay a cover, but in this case you kind of get what you (didn't) pay for. P.S. Bathroom here is disgusting, you might want to hold it.

Rayna A.

Phat! Good music n strong drinks!

Ro N.

Bouncer J was cool and super duper nice - advised there's not that many people in there. Ha. J wasn't kidding - 6 people. All of them sitting! WTF!

Sean S.

You know I have to get better with my backup plans. I have this horrible habit of drawing a large entourage in tow, hearing the whispers of a good spot to checkout, dragging the whole crew only to find out that that space doesn't somehow work. That happened Friday after funfair, so the few other spots that popped into my head included Fat Baby so we headed over. I knew we wouldn't have trouble getting in, and it wouldn't break the bank for the folks who didn't wanna pay cover. It's good, lot of energy, etc. But the music is sorta top-40 hip-hop, lady gaga etc. If you like the hits you'll never be bored, and there are actually people dancing, so like I said the energy is good. Also the drinks are not *too* pricey.

Elsie W.

Music was so-so. They kept mixing 80's with top 40s/hip hop. No good. Just stick with one and not both together, please. The crowd was mediocre as well, and it was a Friday night. Where are all the cool people? Why can't anybody dance?

Vonetta Y.

OH HELL YES! My first time proper going out in New York (like out out, where there's, like, music and dancing and drankin' and such) and I had a splendiferous time! I wasn't sure what to think of Fat Baby when we walked up, but the bouncer said we were in for a good night. The large man did not lie. The DJ spun mostly hip-hop/top 40/old skool with a DCesque splash of those godawful 80s rock standards that I pray to Jesus will one day be replaced on dancefloors across the country. But anyways... The music was super bangin' and the crowd was young and sexy but not at all pretentious or stuffy. We went downstairs since there's more room to dance, but uh, there's also no air conditioning. So upon awaking from heat-induced fainting spells, we went back upstairs and got our groove on by the bar, which was fine. Then again, it might not have been fine. I was a little bit drunk thanks to the heavy pour of Mt. Gay rum and Coke, so I didn't really mind anything at all, so people could have been running into me or growling at my being in their way, but I had no clue. Le shrug. With no cover charge, great tunes, and $40 credit card min (which is SACRILIEGE in DC, where we caress our $20 mins like infants, but isn't all bad 'cause that's a whole $40 you have to drink), Fat Baby might become my New York baby. Looooove it!

Avneet G.

I normally end my nights here. Oddly, the ratchet atmosphere always makes for great stories. It's a strange, diverse crowd. If you like weird and uncomfortable- then this is your spot. Not hard to get into. At least you'll have something interesting to share the next morning at brunch.

Shannon S.

Fun. Very mixed crowd. We made our way to the lower level and stayed there. There was no band or DJ on that level so the stage was open for dancing and dance we did. It was SOOOO hot. We took turns standing under the AC vent. I felt like I just got out of the shower when we left. Gross. Turn the AC up! Strong drinks helped make this place fun. The main floor had a lot of grinders and booty dropping so i'd recommend the lower level if that's not your thing and if you're with a group.

Steph C.

Fat Baby gets points for ease of drink obtainment relative to the size of the crowd at the bar. From the looks of it, I thought I'd have a drink in hand in around 20 minutes, but even when it took the bartenders a few minutes to get to me, once I put in my order, it materialized in under 30 seconds, mixed proper with requisite strength from top to bottom. In a similar vein, the line outside looked intimidating but it moved quick and the bouncer was nice and loose with the flattery. A+++ bouncer. Add free entry and moderately priced drinks and you have a bar that's relatively hassle-free. The inside isn't particularly nice, and Fat Baby kind of straddles hip and divey with middling results. Still, it's spacious and easy to meet people, with two floors (not including bottle service upstairs) and two dance floors. The crowd isn't bad-looking, though I'd say at least half of the male talent was behind the bar, handing out beer goggles to help out the rest of their kind.

KaThy T.

When my friends and I entered this place it was super packed. We went to the bottom level and it smelled. The people down there seem fun. If you're on the floor you're bound to have a guy come up to you to dance with you. One of my friends was talking to a guy who looked like my ex so she was already not interested, although he had a cool personality and he was young lol The music they played there was good. They play some really old but poplar hits you can sing along to. That's what my friend did, it was hilarious and cute!

Trina S.

This place is okay. It really reminds me of a place I would go to if I just turned 21 or something. I've been here twice and both times, not impressed. The main floor is so packed it's like sardines in a can. Yeah I know, you're thinking well it's a bar it's going to be packed. Well no. This is like a whole new level. The place is so small that if a fire started god only knows who would survive, honestly. Is there any other exit other than the one in front?? I literally had to snake through people just to get to the bar. Good thing I'm a tiny Asian girl. Bartenders were nice and speedy but still...doesn't make up for the fact that I can't dance, can't move, can't...ANYTHING. Downstairs isn't a party either. It's not crowded like the main floor but it's boring and dull. The bar looks like it came from a rundown place. It doesn't even look rustic in any way (if that's the look they were going for lol). The shots of vodka we ordered tasted nasty like it was watered down or something. It tasted moldy to me lol...so gross. Never returning.

Melanie L.

Ummm this place is hit or miss, because i have been there some nights and had a good time and met some cool asian kids i won't rate it too bad! BUT one of the bouncer's as I'm sure you will read in reviews for this place is a DICK! needs to be fired as I'm concerned, he was really disrespectful to me and I never appreciate it but i also get a kick out of it when I'm with my friends and he really puts on a show! One of the guys at the door however is hilarious he always draws a smiley face or heart or sum thin on your hand and acts like he's in love with you which is kinda cute/funny sometimes.. Drinks are pretty average!~ They don't tolerate belligerent drunks ! I seen a grown man get yelled at by a bouncer in the club because the bouncer saw him throw his glass down the stairs , it was a little bit much but funny at the same time, Usually it is packed so be prepared to squeeezzzz through the crowd on the first floor, downstairs is chill to dance, some creeper alerts however!!! And Verlaine in right down the street IF YOU HAVENT BEEN you need to!! great Lychee Martinis! and cheap ! wings are on point!! , you could pre game there before you go to Fat Baby's just saying :) ~

J K.

Fat Baby you smell like vomit and benzoylmethylecgonine/baking soda. The only reason I have gone here 2x is because a dear friend of mine tends the bar. The music is ok, but it is just so sweaty and crowded and dirty. You will definitely catch something in the bathroom I dont care if science has proven otherwise. So kids if you ever get pregnant or get herpes blame it on Fat Baby!

Sarah H.

Maybe I'm not as picky as everyone else since i am married and rarely go out but I actually enjoyed myself for a *few* hours here last Saturday night for someone's birthday party. It was pretty chill up until around 12 as others have noted as after that it was so packed I stood outside for a while just so I could breath.. The music was good. The bouncer was really sweet and quirky. that was when we entered in. When I was outside a few hours later I heard someone cursing at the bouncer but wasn't sure if it was the same one as before as I didn't look at the guys face. When its jam packed like that I cant REALLY dance all I can do is wiggle and what is the point of that? They shouldn't let so many people in. The blue moon on tap was gross but the bar tenders were cool people as one reminded me of John Lennon. I would go back if it was for someone else but not the type of place I would chose on my own.

Weronika P.

They never disappoint me with music!

Radford T.

I've been to Fat Baby twice so far. One time it was open strictly for a show, and the other time, it was open for a typical night of drinking and dancing. This place was like two different establishments between the two visits. For my first visit, Fat Baby was hosting a few bands from Beijing as part of the CMJ 2010 festival. The ground floor space was not used at all and was well lit up, and all of the action was in the basement. A fairly huge number of fans crowded inside the cramped basement for some great music. My second visit was for a friend's birthday party. The drinking and dancing with my friends was a great time, but Fat Baby as an establishment itself was only so-so. The ground floor space was stupid with people just standing around crowding into each other's space, but the basement was more fun with people dancing on the meager space they had to offer down there. I would definitely go back for shows, but as for it being a place to have a drink, there are better places to visit. My pictures from the CMJ show: flickr.com/photos/goowak…

Tiffany T.

Being new to New York, I was very baffled by how rude people are even when they are wasted in line for a bar. This place was not bad...but the first thing I see upon entering was vomit on the floor. The guy cleans it up by sweeping it with a broom (DISGUSTING, USE A SWIFFER FOOLS!) then immediately some girl drops her phone in the exact spot that was "cleaned". It was crowded, but I have to say nothing compared to some of the places in San Francisco. I love New York but I don't know how I feel about the dancing and the rude drunk people who I want to punch in the face!

Erin M.

This place is always crowded and lines long. It's a very narrow space. The music is pretty good but there isn't much room for dancing or to sit if you have a group. It's hard to wait by the bar too because it's almost right where the entrance is... so whoever is entering Fat Baby can potentially just walk into you because the space is so small. The staff is also very unhelpful. I lost my phone here over the summer so I called the office- no one ever picks up or calls back. I stopped by before happy hour and left my information, no one ever contacted me. I also sent an email and... surprise surprise! no response again.

Shannon E.

I'd first and foremost like to say this is a review from an artist's perspective. I really enjoyed playing there and rocking out the stage but there was an aftermath that happened that completely erased the good time I had... I'd like to start my night for you at fat baby. I walked up to the bouncer because I was running behind and needed to get in the venue to be on time for my show. I'm a New Yorker born and raised so I get it, the guy was trying to hit on this chick but business is business and I really needed to get in there. The first the thing says to me is "Never ever do that again." Meaning don't come up to me when I'm talking to a girl. Really!? This is how you'd talk to someone? This is who fat baby has representing them at the door. One of my other female friends was waiting on line to go see the show and she told me every girl on line he said something too... Fat baby needs to look into that but that neither here nor there. We went and did our show and had a great time after the creepy bouncer dude tried hard not to let anyone in. I got numerous complaints by our crowd that people were being given a hard time because of a mysterious dress code... It's a rock show... There isn't a dress code, I get it the place turns into a posh nightclub with a dress code after us, but people said to the bouncer plain and simple they were here to see our band! This was very disappointing. Then after that whole mess I was blissfully unaware of until after the show, they were trying to throw us out because we had our equipment with us. So fine were trying to be respectful of the venue and we move our large expensive amps drum equipment and everything as quickly as possible up these stairs. We just land the equipment up there and not even a minute later the bouncers! Bouncers!!! Two idiots now! Start literally yelling at us to move our stuff that were blocking the sidewalk, we just got there!!! I said "Relax we just got here!" To which they replied "It's not about relax, this what we do! You need to move your stuff or the venue will get a ticket." The cops were across the street but they didn't say anything to us. These guys were just being jerks, I can safely say I will never come there again as a patron and as an artist, if you are an artist looking at this post and thinking of playing fat baby, make sure you think twice! If you do, don't bring equipment because these people are not friendly. Get your game up fat baby because this isn't fair to treat artist this way, were already getting stiffed on our paying customers but the least you can do is have your people treat us with respect!

Saran K.

Nice little place to go dancing......young crowd......fast and attentive bartenders....No Cover!!

Wendee M.

Good place to party on a Saturday. It doesn't get crazy packed either first floor or downstairs. I think the music is the same on both floors. The crowd seems to be the same every time I go, which probably is about 4-5 times. I'm a beer drinker so I don't know if the cocktails are any good. It's located in a prime location in LES so you'd expect it to get pretty busy; especially when it's right next to Verlaine, when happy hour ends at 10pm. There are better places to go in LES but there's a reason why I would keep coming back.

Sue K.

No no no no no. WHY WHY WHY have I been to this place more than once? We really need to find better places to go to after happy hour at Verlaine. Either that or I need to stop drinking those evil sugar hyped lychee martinis. I get a headache just thinking about one. Anyways, the first time I came to Fat Baby, I asked the bouncer what kind of music they play inside. He replied "hip hop". I should have known not to believe him by his nonchalant stare and bored tone of voice. The first five minutes I'm in there, they're blasting Miley Cyrus's Party in the USA. The last time I checked, Miley Cyrus does not fit the description of hip hop. Nor does it fit the description of music. I don't know what was more amusing, the upstairs portion of the bar (that plays "hip hop") or the downstairs, where the last time I peeked in, there was a live death metal band on stage. It was filled with lots of goths and other bored zombie look-a-likes. Came back upstairs to have Katy Perry's Firework blasting. -__- They also mark the back of your hand with a RED SHARPIE. It's in the shape of an X that looks very similar to the mark you get once you're kicked out of a club (yea, it's happened to me before. Don't act like you don't know what I'm talking about!) I think the X is the bouncer's indirect way of telling you to not go into Fat Baby. It's his way of saying "stay the f*** out of here". Or at least that's how I see it. Well, WILL DO SIR, WILL DO!

Intravenous Jameson X.

sometimes the clientele can be horrendous, it gets crowded, but I come back because the people who work here are great. Also, if bottle service is your thing, this place is ridiculously cheap (as far as bottle service goes). Love all the bartenders and the girls who work on the private balcony level are awesome.

Carlos C.

Wah(Snooki voice)....I wanna go back to Fat Baby again! Good music,not great, just plain o' top 40. Bold drinks,nasty bar tender (I had a credit card and she explained the policy that 3 drinks must be purchased in order to close out the card). So she gives me my drink and tells me to pay,in a very demanding voice. First it of all, I turned around for a second and asked my buddies what drinks they would like to have. She assumed that I was going to steal the drink. Anyway, had a good time here, this place is a lot more spacious than Foundation,the drinks were bold and strong, there was plenty of women, and I had great (Tony the Tiger voice) time! Its a 3!

Liana L.

My friends and I walked in here because it is called fat baby. We walked out because it SUCKS. Really, really not good. Annoying broz all up in your ass & weak drinks= bad time. NO TANKS. moving on.

Sera A.

My friends love coming here cause it's so cheap to get a bottle and table. I am not a big fan of the people who party here or the music. Will only go there if I am dragged to a friends birthday...

Mark M.

Fat Baby.....a bar/lounge that turns to a nightclub due to a heavy traffic of in going patrons. Long lines and no cover definitely makes it worth it for one of the fun venues downtown. Make sure to go downstairs for a better dance stage and fun.

Jenna J.

A bunch of friends decided they wanted to go out, so go out we did. The drinks were pretty cheap, and it wasn't dead, but it wasn't packed either. One of the girls in my group needed a drink of water so I went to the bar with her. The bartender took a glass of water that was already sitting on the bar and told her he just poured it. While I'm sure the bartender didn't spike the drink, you can never too cautious, so my friend asked politely if the bartender could please pour her a new glass. He insisted she just take the water that'd been sitting on the bar. My friend couldn't really believe what was happening so we just decided to leave. Why couldn't the bartender just have poured her a glass of water? It would saved an argument and my friend would've felt safer.

Arthur L.

I'm not usually here so I can't give you a real review I came here once on a weekday, safe to say it was not crowded and it was more like a regular bar. I did go this past saturday at 2am (technically sunday) and there wasn't a line to get in. Usually, when I pass by here there's a pretty big line to get in. Since there was no line we decided to jump in. The music was pretty good, the DJ was going in with top40 songs and some other stuff here and there. There is a dance floor if you were curious. Some people were complaining about the bar service but I didn't have a problem getting a drink. I didn't know there was a basement area until my friend told me. So we went down and I didn't even go in. Place was packed and you can just feel body heat radiating from the door. So we decided to just go back upstairs. I don't know if its normal or because we came late but for 2am, the guy to girl ratio was pretty bad. It could've definitely been like a 3:1 that night. Not too awesome...but hey maybe its because we came late???? I'm not really complaining about much, its not supposed to be a fancy club and its not a run down, trashy bar. Fits right into the neighborhood

Alice C.

I think I'm getting too old for LES bars.. this one included. Waited in line only to feel really weirded out/uncomfortable when we got to the creepy bouncer. Having to deal with creeps, bottles, shots, etc. just is too exhausting for me as of late. However, if you're still okay with that scene, I guess you wouldn't mind it here. There's a long bar (bartenders are really annoying and ignored me and others) in the front, dancefloor in the back, loft area with couches. There's also another downstairs space that I didn't visit, but only saw while I was in line for the bathroom.

Steven C.

Dirty grungy dive bar like their supposed to be, however this one is packed body to body with people sweating on you like no tomorrow. They are more than likely over the legal limits of the number of people you can cram into a place. Bouncers are also pricks, way to aggregate your customers but shrug, they probably didn't need my drink business anyways. No cover is a plus but hardly redeeming. Music was aite, the downstairs bar was much less crowded compared to the top. Don't go in the bathrooms, yuck. Your doomed if you have to break your seal.

Christina P.

Friend: Lets go to baby phat Me: Sure, lets go! Friend: I don't know where its at though Me: Let me look it up on my phone. Hm.. no searches. Is it fat with a 'F' or 'P'? Friend: I'm sure its a 'P' Me: nope, not found As we decided to forget about 'baby phat' we walked by a FAT BABY. I can always rely on my friend to mix things around. Although the line was deterring us from waiting, we decided to give it a try. I mean, with a name like Fat Baby ... has to be fun, no? One of the big security guys points to me and motions me to come. I then go over, intimdated as hell and say, yes? He told me to put out my fist and then he proceeds to mark on it. Umm ... that was my cue to go straight through the door. Hate on me or not, but I didn't have to wait in line!!! Once we got in, the place was packed and was bumpin some jams. We got our drinks and dance on. It could be that we were a bit intoxicated before entering, but we had a blast. Only downside was the horrendous bathroom! It was a co-ed bathroom that stunk of (insert nastiest smell).

Natasha B.

I can't believe I actually had to wait to get in! This place attracts a strange crowd, with too many sloppy drunks... DJ catered to a specific drunken (underage?) crowd of girls "dancing," some balancing their drinks, methinks. Anyway, I am not going to go into details. *gag* So, I hung out on the plushy (ew) seat and enjoyed my vodka cran. Fat Baby had decent drinks/bartenders...alright to have a party as there a basement room...the DJ that night wasn't that good neither in the basement or on the ground floor. With a better DJ perhaps, and a right crowd, this place could work..Or you can guarantee Fat Baby 20 (7 of which will be obnoxiously drunk) friends, and you got yourself a "fun" night.

Jess K.

Why oh why is it so crowded inside? The music is so loud and the people are so rude I couldn't even handle it. Also, why does everyone feel drawn towards the back section even though it gets even more crowded than the rest of the bar? Blech. I went here with friends on a Saturday night and ended up leaving after 10 minutes. Thank God they all felt the same way I was feeling!

Anna G.

As a 4th and a final bar on tonights barhopping tour, it was OK. It was 2:30am as we got there, and surprisingly the crowd was still ok on the main floor, and not so great downstairs. The bartender gave me an attitude... long night for her? Confused... anyway, most of the crowd on the 1st floor happened to be decently dressed and polite. The downstairs crowd - quite the opposite... poorly dressed, wasted and rude. No class. Even the bouncer had an attitude. Whatever happened to the laid back LES crowd? Since the DJ on the top balcony was good, I give it a .... nah, will stick to a 2/5. PS: the balcony is filthy, floor in particular. i dont want to know what i walked on... YES if you like: to dance, be pushed around a lot, a somewhat even number of girls/guys, dirty bars, good bar/lounge music NO if you prefer: some kind of manners, hip vibe, clean lounges (is there such thing?)

Amanda L.

I heard great things about this place, but it seems to be of a Fat Baby from yesteryear. If your idea of dancing is shuffling in a circle while flailing your arms a bit, this is your spot. The music was lame. I like get-down-and-dirty music. This place plays the Ting Tings. I like the Ting Tings, but not for Saturday night dancing. I begged to leave and go to my LES home away from home - La Caverna. I don't even know how this place has a line of people waiting to get in (granted it's a short one). Never again.

Katie P.

First review, ever! I love yelp, but i never write reviews. But this place really pissed me off- so much that I had to tell you about it. RUDE Bartenders, and TERRIBLE drinks. #1 ordered an extra dirty martini, bartender made it with rubbing alcohol. I asked the bartender "what kind of vodka did you use?" She wouldn't even tell me, because she knew it was garbage. If you're going to make a martini, you can't use vodka that is available in plastic gallon jugs, apparently she missed that memo, oh and it also cost $10. If I wanted top shelf vodka, i needed to specify it, and i also needed to pay $15 for it. I didn't think to specify, please use good vodka in my martini, so i'm not choking back the vomit. Also she just decided to stop serving my friend, and anyone she thought he was associated with. Was he drunk? nope, only 2 drinks in. Was he rude? nope-- She wouldn't even tell him why she wouldn't serve him anymore. I never experienced anything like this before. Still it seems a bit unreal. Thanks fat baby.

G. K.

Too crowded Rudest bouncers in the Lower East Side, try to blackmail you for cash to get in. Not a cool scene. Very weird crowd. Mediocre music. Tried this place 2 times and will not be going back a third. Don't waste your time.

Emma C.

Jammin' dance music, well priced drinks, and always packed - my idea of a raging good time. Obviously, it's always difficult to measure how "fun" a bar/lounge/club is because it usually depends on who you go with. If you don't have fun here, it's because you haven't been going with the right crowd! (You're always welcome to come join my friends & I!) When I get in dance mode, I don't care about how pretty the wallpaper is or whether I like my martini shaken or stirred. All I care about is the how awesome the music will be, how much fun I'm going to have, and how strong the drinks are. Granted, the bathroom is pretty disgusting, there is no coat check, the lines get really long after 1AM, and things can pretty jam-packed in there, but there's no cover, drinks are only $8, the dress is casual, and the scene is always pretty chill. Great scene for just relaxing and dancing the night away..Tip: make sure you keep an eye on your coat since there's no coat check and people just pile them in a heap-I almost couldn't find mine at the end of the night.

Jerome Y.

Fun place, can get crowded. Hard to find people.

Marissa J.

Maybe they've been reading the reviews, but the bouncers aren't as asshole-y and and the bathrooms have been finished. Or maybe it was because my friend sprung for a table and we was poppin bottles and got VIP treatment, YEAAAA BOIIIII but I don't hate it anymore.

Briana M.

Talk about BRIDGE AND TUNNEL! I somehow managed to enjoy my friend's show (James the Miserable), and another band (Escarioka) despite the terrible crowd upstairs, and the nausea that they induced in me. Seriously. It was THAT bad. Avoid this place like the plague if you're not just going to support the people you love. Really.

Susan P.

Was here last night with a group of friends since it was someone's birthday and we heard it was a great place to dance. While the music was good (a wide mix of different stuff), the place was PACKED and not a ton of dancing was going on. Apparently you can reserve the top floor, so they had plenty of space and were dancing it up. On the main floor, it was just a constant flow of people bumping into you and as they came in or out of the bar. We got in before a line formed, not sure I'd wait in line to get in here. Bar service was pretty slow and the bathroom wasn't functional. That being said, when I headed to the bathroom was when I noticed that there's a basement which might have been more fun since you don't know about it if you just walk into the bar on the main level. Probably not a bad place to start a night with friends, but I got tired of the packed crowd pretty quick.

TJ O.

Seems most of the folks writing reviews are discussing the post 10 pm party that this bar becomes--not my scene, so I'll speak to the live music which takes place earlier in the evening. This is a very solid live music bar--unlike your typical Lower east side basement, I've never felt clostrophobic seeing a show here--it can get a bit louder then is needed, but never is it to the point that the sound quality suffers for it. The staff are nice, the seatings comfortable, and the happy hour prices are great. If theres a worth while show here, which seems to be happening more often then not, I'd totally say to check it out.

Emmeline A.

What do you expect, really. A basic good night out!

Amber K.

Ugh, a friend of a friend suggested we go here on a Saturday night because a bunch of us wanted some place to dance, and while I suggested another place, we ended up here because it was closer. THIS WAS A DISASTER. My friends and I were here for about 10 minutes before the bouncer pulled my guy friend aside and insisted he needed to "get his jacket and go outside." I tried to intervene, but the bouncer was having none of it. Our whole group (I think there were seven of us?) left the dancefloor and the bouncer accused my friend of harassing a few girls and insisted he leave. Considering we had been there minutes and my friend hadn't left my side, I argued on his behalf but the bouncer basically just shouted at us. Turned out some guy who looked just like my friend was the real culprit. The bouncer apologized and offered my friend a free drink, but the damage was done. I already had a bad feeling about going into this place and I was vindicated. Seriously, unless you like unnceessary drama, avoid this place.

Arthur A.

It's a shame. If you were to go in when its closed and walk around to check out the layout, you might say "OK, I like this. Actually I really like this. it seems just about perfect. Maybe I might move this here, but.... nah I like it the way it is." (but watch that first step... If you've been here you probably know what i mean) I'm trying to think if there's anything else positive that I can say about this place. There's no cover charge... and that's it (more on this later). The bouncers are not your typical bouncers. If you had to stand there for hours in the middle of the night you might figure out that you need to entertain yourself, so they do. I understand the music choices, try to please as many people as possible. It's hard to pull off so i'm not going to attack the DJ. I will attack the bartenders. My first drink was a mixed drink (one of the basics, jack and coke, rum and coke, vodka and sprite, i really don't recall) but it was extremely weak. From sip #1 i knew that it was going to have to be a beer night. I've read complaints about the bartenders pulling the wrong change game, and one of them tried to pull it on me. It didn't work. Decent people inside but from what I experienced they HAD to be there because there was no cover. The hardest thing to change about a club (in my opinion) is the way it looks. This place looks good. Why are you torturing the poor building? Charge a cover, make strong (or at least decent) drinks, and do something about the music. I'm not talking about the type of music, I understand. I'm not happy, but I understand. I'm talking about the sound system. Get a quality sound system for a quality layout. Why am I so focused on the layout? Because of the countless times I've been in a bar that had crap for location and design but managed to be a go to spot for fun. For just 5 dollars a visit, you can save this place from itself. TO THE MANAGEMENT: If you charge a cover, you can afford to make stronger drinks If you make stronger drinks, you get better tips If you get better tips, you don't have to steal the customer's change If you don't have to steal the customer's change, the customer feels welcome .... the customer brings more customers, you make more money, upgrade the sound system and voila!

Sean F.

For all the people looking to come from Jersey or Long Island: This place rocks! Seriously the best Bud Light of anywhere in the LES! If you live too far outside the city to enjoy all the wonderful things about 103.5 FM then you can come here and hear the exact same play list! Also, that line is great because it's your best chance to see what the people really look like before you go into the dark and strap your beer goggles on. For people from the city and other folks who know better: Avoid. If I wanted to hang out with spikey haired dudes from Jersey i'd live in Jersey.

Akruti D.

Wayyy too crowded and would not say this is a great under 30 spot, I think it's a great under 23 spot. Felt like a frat party in here!

Adina F.

Fat Baby's not bad, I had been wanting to come here for a while just because the name CRACKS ME UP. You walk down into a basement (no cell phone service) and its super small, tightly packed with people. The drinks are soo expensive for a dive, I get it we're in the LES but there's no reason why a well whiskey drink should be $10. The music they play however is *awesome* and the night I went (there was a hip hop show) was so much fun!!! I don't hate it.

Patricia C.

No admission fee! The drinks there are alright, but the music is pretty good. The whole atmosphere is solely for dancing so if that's all you want to do, then this is the right place for you. I enjoyed dancing all night long with my sorority sisters. I miss it!

Lauren S.

You have to take Fat Baby for what it is: a dive bar where you should be very drunk and in the mood to dance. If you want to dance, this is the place to be because there's no cover and it's filled with other drunkies who look just as silly as you do. But if you don't want to dance, you'll find yourself standing in the middle of a sweaty crowd, listening to club music and drinking $8 well drinks. Choose wisely.

K G.

Let me start by saying that I love Fat Baby and a couple years ago, this place was the sh*t. However, as of late there are a few things that really bother me about Fat Baby. #1 The bouncer outside with the boxing handwraps that pretends to be a pro boxer/ufc fighter but can't even wrap his hands correctly. Clearly you wanna give off the tough guy image but you don't know the first thing about putting those things on.... Additionally, this guy is the a**hole ever. He always kicks girls off the line for being "drunk" or "too loud" and most often it's not even the case... #2 $40 dollar minimum to open a tab on your credit/debit card.. Come on son! This place... with all due respect... is not that expensive. I would have to order like 7 beers to meet that minimum... That's pretty stupid if you ask me... #3 The music actually used to be really good here. I don't know what happened but now it's a lot of top 40 and bubble gum garbage. Fat Baby, you need to do better! #4 It gets way too hot in here and the bum *ss fan in the basement is not cutting it anymore.... This is place can be a lot of fun thought especially if you're here with a good group of friends. The drinks are decently priced, the people in this place can be cool and it's easy to make new "friends" in here especially since its crowded and dark lol... Beware of the blackout girls walking around and hunting for guys. You could fall victim to the deception of darkness... I've seen it happen before.

Miriam O.

BOUNCERS HERE ARE ASSHOLES FOR NO REASON....WILL NEVER COME BACK!!!!!!! I suggest they find replacements...

Katee L.

Saturday night this place was ridic!! OMG no way to move around. I am climbing over people to get to the steps to a party that was upstairs. That seemed like the only space where people could actually move around. I mean isn't that some kind of fired code violation?? You can't dance b/c people are bumping into you left and right trying to move around. There's not real dance floor. Bathroom was disgusting. Avoid!!

Kelly C.

I went on Saturday night with 3 friends around 10pm and there was no line, no cover. There were a few open boothy type seating areas, so we grabbed one facing the door for prime people watching. Drinks were fairly cheap and pretty good, and the bartender was nice... the weirdest thing, was that once we'd been in the bar for 30 mins and had our drinks, etc... the bouncer came over and ID'd us AGAIN.... Oh, and there was a band playing downstairs for a $7 cover, but it smelled so bad down there, that they would have had to pay us $100 to suffer through that. By the time we left around midnight, it was PACKED

Oliver C.

It's difficult to find a bar/club in the LES that has three floors to it. Much like the other establishments down in that area, it's narrow and deep. There is a bottleneck right as you enter in. The drinks are reasonably priced for New York standards. The music played is good, with a blend of house, hip-hop and Top 40. The crowd consists of mid 20-30 year olds. The ratio is typically 2:1 guys to girls, so if you're guy looking to meet a girl, I would try another place. However, if you're in the LES, just looking to grab a few drinks with the boys, you could do worse. Just go there with low expectations. Problem with going downstairs where it's considerably cooler is the smell. Now the three times I've been there, I was met with an odor of vomit.... Now they say that the sense of smell is everlasting, and that would be the scent that I associate Fat Baby with unfortunately.

Ocee D.

3 Stars This was the last stop of the night while bar hopping, so I don't remember everything, but know that it was aight. Bartenders and Bouncers were all cool, drinks were decent, and the music was ok (top 40 and hip hop). Not really a good looking crowd, a good number of big girls mixed in with some sloppy ones.....pukin on the floor and blacking out on the stairs...haha reminded me of a few of the spots in NorCal, but not enough to make me homesick. **just remembered - line isn't that long but the bouncer at the door is slow checking people's ID to get in, but REALLY quick to jump up and let people know that there's NO EATING IN LINE! hahaha! I doubt I'll come back here.

Abraham B.

Don't understand the bad reviews. Yes the drinks are a bit over priced but this place will almost comes through when other nearby bars are empty. Went to la caverna nearby one night and 11:30 the place still was pretty empty(pretty surprised by the emptiness, its just inconsistent honestly) so went to Fat Baby and pretty happy to see everyone was there. Bouncers are fun once you get used to them and once your in I prefer going downstairs. Its fun and small. Music could be better but pleases the crowd all night. People who have a bad time here just aren't fun. Don't expect classy, but you're looking to dance so you can't be too classy honestly. And yes, pregaming at Verlaine is a pretty good idea for a good night out in LES

Ashley M.

I had a pretty good time here- it's a fun place with good music. There's usually a line to get in, but it moves pretty fast

Andy R.

Fat baby is a decent option if you want to go out on the LES. I went for a birthday party, so I didn't have to wait in line thankfully. If I did, my rating would likely be 2 stars. We had our own little spot in the corner, which made it particularly fun. It has a cool interior, with a 3rd floor balcony that makes it look hip and chic. It was terribly crowded for everyone on the dance floor, though. No one was really dancing because...well, people just couldn't move. We went downstairs for a bit and that was more chilled out. Pros: No cover. Decently priced drinks. Good location. Casual. Trendy interior. Cons: Super crowded. Have to wait in line. A little bit gross. Overall, not a bad spot but don't go with high expectations.

Spence B.

There was nothing really going on last night, so when i passed by this place and the door opened I heard some Gangstarr. Naturally I went in and the music was live all night, nothing but classics.... Tribe, Mobb Deep, Fugees, Biggie, Pac, throw in a little dancehall and yup, good times. Once the Bell Biv Devoe, Bobby Brown era started spinning, an impromptu Kid and Play-esque dance off started. The only complaint I have is the d-bag fleet week jerk offs that were partying there, get over yourselves.

Raven M.

This place was Lame by new york standards; there was absolutely nothing special here. Spacious, bi-level, and isolated bathrooms downstairs if that's what you're into

Kaia V.

This place (at least the main floor) is delightful! Mixed drinks (house liquor) are $7 each, the bartenders are attentive and having a good time, and the tvs play AFV, at least before 10 on a Friday night. It can get pretty crowded late into the night, but the bartenders make it easy to extract a drink from the bar. I didn't think Fat Baby was very divey at all, but I didn't go into the downstairs area. Bouncer was really sweet and did a good job of keeping the area in front of the entrance safe for patrons and passers-by alike. Fat baby, I will be back!

Samantha S.

I came here primarily because I was with a group of people who were pretty much like "Hey listen, Mike, Michael. Tonight, dude? I gotta dance. What, chicks? No, no. f**k chicks, dude. I wanna dance. I just want to express myself through the art of dance" So we walked over to check it out. No cover (always nice) and when we went inside (around 1ish) it had a decently sized crowd. It had a couple of obnoxious overly drunk bitches who were gyrating on one another in an attempt to woo a guy (mission unaccomplished) and most people were sitting at the bar and dancing..and by dancing I mean throwing up their hands and singing the lyrics to hiphop songs and bringing the faux gangster required for the Fat Baby pimp game. The music brought me back to high school days with nothing current being played even though the DJ looked pretty young. The best part of the night was when the DJ ::wait for it:: did a boy band mix featuring *NSync and the BSB to which I got overly excited and promptly had my black card revoked. The night ended as a big old security guard pushed past me out the door so you know I had to be nosy. So as we were leaving we got to see two security guards lying directly on top of some drunken man of approximately 300 pounds yelling indiscriminate babble until the police arrived. (possibly I had just run into the fat baby himself)

Lauren C.

4 stars for great music, no cover and good drinks. Like anywhere, nothing good happens after 2am, this place is no exception, leave early because the crowd gets messy. Other then that, def an unexpected good time!

Steve W.

god help me, i think i've been goin to the LES a little too much lately. its a welcome change from the stuck-up pretentious meat-packing clubs i usually frequent. fat baby is a typical les lounge/bar with decent music and sparse dance space. i think i'm just used to the big clubs. this place could get rather crowded but luckily there's a basement and a second floor. the music is ok, not the greatest but all danceable songs. i found myself looking up at the dj as he plays 'girls just wanna have fun'. really? then i look down and see my legs moving. really steve? then i realized i was also singing along. ahhh make it stop. its so damn catchy i can't help it. fat baby is dark and has a good mixed crowd. drinks aren't cheap. cocktails cost $10+ and beers are $6-$7. but overall a good time here.

Pamela O.

Took a bachelorette party here and we had a blast dancing!

Christina C.

Remember that time you arrived at a house party way too late in high school and everyone else was wasted but you? The house was dark and kids were making out left and right. Dry humping is probably the best way to describe it. And there's that that one person who's dancing and screaming alone to "Gangster's Paradise" but doesn't care because they've consumed one too many Keystone Lights. In fact, you and your friend were the only sober ones there...not so fun. Fat Baby brings back those futile adolescent memories that you promised yourself wouldn't experience again because you would never end up at a party like that ever again. You laughed it off then, but seeing it again several years later is like reliving a distant nightmare.

Brian C.

The only thing I liked about this place was the music. The drinks were too expensive for the quality. The basement was weird, smelly. When we first got there, the place was empty. As the night went on, it filled up. But even when it was full, there was too much standing and not enough dancing.

Josh W.

One of the better places in the LES depending on the night, though on some weekend nights the place can be cracking and just full of energy and others it came just be lame. I'm not really sure why this is the case, but more often than not when I come here its a good times. There are 3 levels, and they pretty much play the same music throughout. If you're willing to throwdown some money for a bottle there's an upstairs overhang area where you can watch (or stare at) all the people below. On the basement level there's more dance floor and it seems to be the livelier of the floors. Drinks are reasonable and there's a pretty lax dress code. A solid option if you're in the area.

Amy C.

The place is tiny, even with a few different levels (as in indented section and a balcony). Great for an intimate party with a large crowd to take over the whole place. The drinks are strong. The music is good. The bouncers are nice. There is no cover. Train is right around the corner.

Natalia M.

Am I the only one aware of the ratings being so negative of this venue? Why don't they realize they need a change up, particularly with the douchey bouncers?!?! Look, I understand the bouncers have to be strict but this is in reference to musicians and others who are performing downstairs the entire night. The show is over at 12. People need to leave. If you leave the normal way its insanely crowded with douchey club goers who don't know the meaning of excuse me therefore its almost impossible to get out. Its a fire hazard. Yet we go out the exit from the basement performance space and despite saying excuse me to the bouncer he REFUSES most of the musicians from leaving. I witnessed this guy being an asshole to a bunch of people who were nothing but polite to him asking to get through and he wouldn't budge. His complaint to this one guy trying to get out was "Musicians should have their stuff out by 7"... what? The show starts at 8 what braincells is this guy using? I don't understand why the management would ask musicians to play here without getting paid and then have the right to treat them with such disrespect. I wouldn't even know how to go down stairs to watch them with such overcrowding. The service is rude. The drinks are expensive and the asshole bouncer should be lucky he has a fucking job. The people who frequent this place as a club goer should be a bit embarrassed at how their personalities shine here because its ugly, its rude, snooty, and they should be ashamed of themselves.

Melissa E.

Small, waited in line, way too crowded to stand, left after 10 minutes and went to Katz's.

Ankita I.

I came here on a thursday night with a big group of friends and all I can say is bust. Huge bust. This place was EMPTY with maybe 2-3 people at the bar. Even with all my friend's with me, we still couldn't make this place fun. Not only that, there was no music playing until 20 minutes after we got there! I dont know, maybe this place sucked because it was a thursday...one of my friends was here on a saturday night and she said it was pretty full. Even then, I don't think I'll be back here.

Nancy D.

Oh Fat Baby... You never say no to anyone at the door. Good? Bad? Probably bad since everyone is packed in tighter than a can of sardines and you refuse to turn on the A/C. It's okay though, I still have fun here no matter what.

Kate F.

It's not quite the right moment to try to make the Backstreet Boys and have it be ironic or cool. Maybe by 2020 we'll be there... Though I like the set up with wide bar space up front, a sunken dance floor in back, another bar/dance floor downstairs, and a second floor space with booths overlooking the dance floor... Fat Baby thinks it is way way way too cool for its own good. A divey place like this shouldn't have so many pissed off looking bouncers randomly acting like VIPs are everywhere needing their protection. Ugh. Tiresome. We go here late night when in the mood to dance, and usually it does the trick, but I wouldn't go to Fat Baby without a group as the I'm Cooler Than You vibe trickles down from the staff to the patrons they attract.

Judy C.

All of my stars given to Fat Baby primarily stems from my love for the music they played here a couple of Saturdays ago. I'm not a huge fan of "Bay Area" hip/hop and whatnot -- so I was thrilled to hear some hip/hop but also remixed 80s-90s, along with jazzed up versions of indie/alternative songs. What can I say? I'm a sucker for old school + pop + dance. Bartenders are mostly female, which unfortunately is not to my advantage. Like most bars/lounges in NY, it takes 91283831 years to get a drink. But whatever -- you can easily mingle and dance by the bar, in their tiny dance floor area, upstairs, or in their steaming hot basement (which also has another bar). ...Now that I think about it, Fat Baby's venue itself isn't THAT great. I guess it helps when you're with good company and zoning out to music you actually enjoy!

Sonny G.

We waited on line for a about 15-20 minutes to get in. The same bouncer who walked the line back and forth, told us to separate on a double line, and told us we could jump the line if we bought a bottle inside, then informed us just after he made the sharpie design on my hand that guy couldn't get in with out a collared shirt. Didn't think to tell us that when we asked you how much a bottle would be?? We did get personal with the cat. One star for for FAT BABY for putting a big FAT damper on my night!

Thomas Y.

My friends and I wanted to go somewhere on the LES so we came here to check it out (it was thrusday). Line at 1 was empty and the bouncer was alright. No cover. Inside though it was different, it was pretty busy, two IPA's and a vodka tonic came out to 19. There really isn't a dancefloor, just a space between the bar and the DJ which is basically 7 feet by 16 feet or so. Bathroom was in the front and I believe there was only 1 and it served male and female so it was pretty busy, my friend ended up going to foundation to use the bathroom and came back because it was faster. To the back it split into a recessed area with lounge chairs and a coat check and a upstairs second floor which i assume is the VIP area. Was having an alright time although there were a lot of dudes and it felt they were dancing alone. Felt like a kiddy place, especially when soulja boy came on. What's up with that, seriously guys grow up, wear better clothes and at least try to look good. After that, we decided this place was wack and left for foundation where at least we could see girls dancing. Maybe fridays are better, who knows but either way I doubt I would come back here.

Michael P.

This place kinda blows... Door staff is unfriendly, the basement smells like dead rats, sound system sucks, played a show there once, it's not really worthy of the term "venue" sound person seems like he never mixed a band before, overpriced drinks and aweful clientele

Bethany P.

It's hard to review bars like this after one night. I could see someone being annoyed by certain aspects of Fat Baby, however, I happened to have a great time. This was stop number two with my birthday crew the other night. We got in around 11:30. At that point the bar was pretty empty. The door man was so nice it was...weird. But I'll take it. We managed to grab a corner boot on the side of the dance floor which turned out to be a lucky break because we had a spot to rest later when the place was packed and we were dancing our butts off. They played mostly hip hop and by midnight the place was wall-to-wall people but the atmosphere was so upbeat that I didn't mind the crowd. The drinks were about what you'd expect from a college bar, strong but not tasty. Meant for chugging more-so than enjoying. Overall it was a good time, good crowd, good dance music.

Frank P.

Went here for a friends birthday, and really enjoyed it. Downstairs has live music until around 2:00 AM I think, several different bands went on. Main floor is average DJ with typical Z-100 mix type of music. We did bottle service and loved the price, I think it was just under $200 for a bottle of Absolut and mixes for up to 20 people. The VIP/Bottle Service area is a mezzanine overlooking the dance floor, so definately a plus for creepers lol

Anita D.

Not gonna lie....this place was kind of ghetto. A few good songs, but other than that not my forte.

Lucy L.

I often confused this place with Fat Cat in west village. I believe I came here several times.. of course none of these times I was completely sober. It's one of typical bar/club in LES, they have upstairs, downstairs.. music was pretty typical. Definitely NOT of my go-to place in LES.

alexandra f.

First of all, what the F is with the name of this place? Second, is it that hard to hire a DJ in one of the most densely populated areas of the northeast? DJ Can'tSpin4Shit couldn't even fade one song into another. Also, why are you playing Justin Timberlake when you claim you're a trance DJ but you don't know who Kaskade is. Cool. Oh, and if I can hear myself talk at a 'dance' place then the music isn't loud enough. Third, the scene here is wack. Everyone was over 35? No one really seemed to be enjoying themselves? No one likes a fat baby!

Bryce A.

Your average bar. It is 2.5 levels. Yes it is 2.5!!! there is a basement and a ground level with a catwalk/VIP area. Really no reason to get VIP at a dive bar like this. ~Sit in VIP and don't buy a bottle. ~Music will get your butt shaking!!

Joann L.

Went on a saturday night- no cover. Once you step inside, its pretty dark. The place is pretty large. I didnt realize it had another floor downstairs. However, the music was alright. It was an odd mix of hip hop and alternative rock that were being remixed together..didnt work quite well. We didnt stay there long because of it. Might check it out again in the future.

Jen C.

"OMG I have to peeeeeee!" I squealed as soon as I walked in on Saturday night. The bathroom was giant vomit receptacle. It was so disgusting that I contemplated running to the nearby alleyway to relieve myself. Sorry, maybe TMI. In any case, that was my first impression of this venue. I had my joint birthday celebration here on Saturday night. I like the LES because it's usually no hassle, no cover, and definitely more lowbrow. Since I had spent the previous night popping bottles at Cain Luxe; this was a nice change of scenery. Perhaps I underestimated my overall net value slash popularity because, this place was packed and a 40 minute line had formed outside the door. 40 minutes in LES? Not worth it friends, even if it was my own party. I could barely move through the crowd while I kept getting pulled by my fellow revelers to knock back Patron shots and Wild Turkey *gag*. The music was deafening although the selection was varied. Highlights of the night: Some degenerate threw a beer bottle at my friend and proceeded to get hauled out by the hefty bouncer. The other birthday girl got kicked out of her own party 40 minutes after her arrival because she was too drunk. The bouncers made her do a faux sobriety test which she failed. FAIL.

Vanessa X.

I was here for the 3rd time on Xmas Eve when all of NYC was empty except for those who actually live in NYC or tourists. Had quite a few adventures at Fat Baby for that very reason, maybe because everyone was dancing to Mariah's "All I Want for Christmas" - the only time in the year that this happens. Anyway, Fat Baby was fun and had good music, but that's as far as it goes. It's a convenient bar stop, a transitory passage before or after something greater. I do like how the second floor forms a balcony over the first floor though - creative design and a favorite for people watching.

Annie K.

I was slightly bored. The highlight of the evening was the funny/charming bouncer at the door. I guess that means it all went downhill from there. Same old crowd in hipster clothing, overcrowded, mediocre music, disgusting bathrooms, slow bar service. I was told it was an off night, so maybe I need to check it out again.

Arnold W.

I came here for a show. The sound system isn't that great. The place is a little tight. Overall if it weren't for the show, I probably wouldn't have came. It's your typical loungey bar!

Buo Z.

I love the downstairs room b/c there's always more hiphop/pop music, but the place can get overcrowded and extremely hot. Credit card min of $40 and no cover. I hate paying cover fees. yuck.

Ava R.

I know it says lounge/dive bar in the description, but on a Saturday it was more like a lounge/club. Very high number of people making out, so I don't know what they put in the drinks there. The music was really great--hip hop, reggae, pop, dance/electronica. The dance space was pretty good too; this is not one of those bars that plays loud music but gives you a 3 square inch dance space. With no cover and a decent crowd, I see myself swinging by again in the future.

Zahir C.

I love this place! I really do! One of my favorite places in all of NYC for just a fun night out. Can always count on the music being good and there being no cover. Usually easy to get into as we'll, which can definitely be challenging as a large black male that is not an athlete or rapper or trying to spend athlete/rapper money. Anyways, this review is a 3 and not a 4 or 5 because I went to Fat Baby this past Saturday night to close out the night on my bday and the bouncer tries to deny me entry saying that I had gotten kicked out of the club a week before. I smile and laugh it off because I think that he is at first joking, but he continues to go on saying that he doesn't forget faces and can't let me in. Everyone in my party immediately comes to my defense saying that there's no way that it was me, everyone that knows me knows I'm not the type to get kicked out of any bars or clubs. The bouncer then points at my friend saying that he remembers him being with me, and this is where he was really off because it was my friends first time in New York, EVER! He eventually came off his stance once we threatened to leave and the night went on as planned and we had a great time. Great place for just fun and dancing, but the bouncers kinda suck sometimes.

Allison B.

I fucking hate this place. Let's get one thing out of the way though: The bartenders and the sound guy are all really nice and cool. The bartenders mix good drinks too. They're the one good thing about this place and I have no idea why they work at this shit show. Fat Baby is like what would happen if you took one floor from a really shitty, lame dive and one floor from a ridiculously douchy frat bar and put the latter on top of the former. Let's break this down by level. Shitty, lame dive level: All of the equipment for bands is shit. It's literally falling apart. The sound guy does the best he can, he really does, but when your shit is broken there's only so much one can do. Also, you could be forgiven for not even knowing a show is happening. They do nothing to promote their shows. Not even a piece of paper saying "Live music tonight!" on the wall. This might be forgivable but it's also really hard for the bands playing to promote the show because finding out who else is playing and when is like pulling teeth and there is NO internal communication. Last night they were expecting a band that the promoter had dropped from the bill. I know because I contacted the band directly a few days before the show in a desperate bid to find out who the fuck was playing. The guys at the bar had no idea why no one from the band was there 15 minutes before they were scheduled until I told them. Why the fuck didn't the promoter let anyone know?? Check out the events calender on their website to see what a bang up job that person's doing. Good luck getting people to come out anyway because no one who likes any facet of the NYC music scene likes Fat Baby. I suspect that's because of the: Ridiculously douchy frat bar level: I have less to say because if I spend more than the time it takes to get to the door up here I am going to start punching people in the throat on general principle. It's just utterly generic frat douches in button downs with generic sorority cunts talking at each other about shit no one cares about. I'm honestly not sure how they tell one another apart. It gets ridiculously crowded up here and I have no idea why. I think the root of the problem is that this place isn't half as cool as it thinks it is and it's fooled its trust fund baby clientele by affecting faux exclusiveness via making it a pain in the ass to get around the bar. That statement actually also applies neatly to the trust fund babies who drink here but I don't think they're fooling anyone but each other. The bar won't even open it's doors until 8 and good luck getting a drink before 9. It's Saturday fucking night. I was seriously IDed 5 or 6 times. Please keep the following in mind: 1) I had a B on my hand because I was with one of the bands 2) The very fact that i was there is proof that I'm over 21 3) I'm pretty distinctive looking, especially against the Sea of Chad and I've been here before. Recently in fact. The fat shit bouncer wouldn't let me back in the bar without IDing me despite the fact that i was with a band and had just left 2 fucking seconds ago. Why did I leave? Because this place is too super awesome for an ATM. After fighting my way through the Sea of Chad once more this other chick tried to ID me again to go down stairs. Clearly only the coolest of the cool get to go into the back half of the top level or the basement. Are YOU awesome enough to deserve access to the bathrooms? Seriously, if you didn't get past her you couldn't use the bathrooms. She backed off once I showed her the B but come on, dude. The fat shit bouncer also gave my friend (who is the singer of one of the bands) a hard time and wouldn't let her go back in to get her fucking backpack after she stepped out for a cigarette. He was ridiculously rude to her as well. Frankly fuck him. Unlike her, no one paid to see or came out for his lard ass. I have no more time for a place that treats the entertainment, which brings in extra patrons and cash, like this. Maybe he was mad because he has a hard time finding suit jackets that fit over his tits. This place does NOT deserve your patronage. Ella Lounge is better. Double Down is better. Gotham City Lounge is better. Tribeca Tavern is better. Otto's Shrunken Head is better. Merchants is better. Trash Bar is better. Revival Bar is better. Lone Wolf is better. Swift is better. The Place is better. Drinking a 24 of coors light out of a paper bag on the sidewalk is better.

Catherine N.

Wow I really hated pretty much everything about this place. It's a haven for the 'white men can't dance' crowd (don't get me wrong-it's a very diverse crowd of people, but they all can't dance that well). The music is ghastly - they seem to pick all of the bad top 40 music to play and repeat artists too. Think J-Lo, Enrique, Bieber. I wound up here on a Sat. night, because we were in the area and hadn't made specific plans. Note to self - plan ahead and go somewhere cool. Upon entering, I made a B-line for the basement, which I read was hidden and better. It was not better. They spun the exact same lame music on both floors. The bartenders -now that's where my blood really starts to boil. I ordered a vodka tonic, and they gave me a vodka soda. I had to fight my way back to the bar, and TWO bartenders looked me square in the eye and flat out ignored me acting like I wasn't there. I stood there for 15m trying to get someone's attention to fix the drink they royally screwed up, and they blatantly acted like d-bags. I wouldn't be as surprised if I was at an elite mixology spot, but this place was a dump. I finally fought my way to the other end of the bar and had the person ordering next to me get the bartender to fix my drink. Attempt #2 - same problem! Oh great- I have to get their attention again?!? I had to tell him that his tonic was out, or he was using the wrong pump. Turns out, he was using the wrong nozzle...over and over! Incompetence mixed with bad music, bad attitude, and lame crowd = a night from hell. Never again.

Linh V.

I went there on Saturday July 3rd. Got to the place around 12am. The place was not too packed. No cover. No strict dress code. The music shouldve been more hiphop since it was prime time but to my demise the DJ was bent on playing music like "La Isla Bonita" The music quality was good not so much quality music.... Can a bad DJ cause the place to suck? yes. If they keep the dj, expect a downhill trend.

Eamonn C.

One star for the wise-cracking bouncer. That fucker always has something in the barrel for you. One star for the bartenders, not the tranny ones - but the real females who will outpound you at the bar. Ness-Bombs and everything. One star for the DJ And one star for good luck... as in I've had some here.

Jando S.

For some strange reason I thought this place was a pool hall when I first came here but learned very quickly it was a semi-rowdy bar, crowded full of people, and crowded as hell. The center of the bar looks like a poor man's UFC ring, where there is a VIP area above the main level. Turns out there are three levels, a balcony, main floor, and a basement. The bathrooms were absurdly disgusting and even during a super cold winter night the place was uncomfortably muggy. Crowds are mixed but my night here was a very hipsterish night. The music was a live DJ event, but unfortunately nothing impressive. I am not sure if I'm all that crazy about this place and I could presume this place varies depending on all nights of the week.

Morris B.

One of my top 10 favorite bars in NYC. Located at the heart of the LES, just west of Essex, this place is a great space. Sure they packem in, but can you blame them? It's large enough to fit a lot of people and they always have. No changing now. High ceiling lofty first floor with bar and some select seating towards the back. Drinks are pretty good at this place and it helps they have a second bar downstairs. Used to have weekday concerts downstairs don't know if they still do. (just in case you wanna get your rock on) Upstairs has the "vip" seating (open to all unless there's a private party) right by the DJ. Great music from hip hop to rock and all in between, no cover and a fun crowd ready to party make this one of my fav spots. Bring good friends and this place won't let down PS. This place makes for a great birthday spot. Make sure you can arrange your friends to come around or before 10 just to camp out. Then once it gets packed you won't feel too much of the disomfort of the crowdedness. I've done my birthday here before and it was awesome. ****4 stars for great music, no cover, good drinks and awesome space. Large and packed, this place doesn't fail to please

Mike H.

When my friend told me we were going to a place called Fat Baby, I really had no idea what to expect. Thank god I already had about 4 Jack & Cokes in me from Welcome To The Johnson's. This place was actually pretty cool. I'm a fan of exposed brick and stone, so the walls here were kind of nice, even in the state I was in. The DJ upstairs was okay and they played some good classic stuff as well as the usual fares, and the clientele were the traditional drunk sloppy "Woo-Girls" that just love to scream and gush over every little thing. ("We just got drinks! WOOOO! OMG I love this song! WOOOOO! It hurts when you walk into this wall! WOOOO!) But maybe I over generalize. Maybe the crowd gets better as the night goes on. Either way, this place isn't terrible. If you go in not expecting anything, you'll be fine.

Silvia B.

I like the mix of the crowd at Fat Baby, and the music they play is decent too. Hop Hop/Top 40s. And there's always more people dancing than there are people standing around by the bar, which makes for a fun night if you "just want to dance"! Their drinks are pretty weak though and they have a $40 bar tab min which is annoying. Love that they have three dance spaces, and that they open up the balcony area to the public later in the night.

Monique P.

I live in DC, and was in town visiting several friends. We were looking for someplace to go after a show on a Saturday night. Between the 5 of us, we were searching for someplace with drinks not-too-expensive, variety of music, hip-hip-but-not-too-much-hip-hop, dancing, not-too-divey-but-not-too-pretentious that some late 20s-early 30s people would enjoy. Good Lord. Luckily, my friend suggested Fat Baby might make us all happy. While I love New York and visit as often as possible, I am not a New Yorker. I imagine that if I lived in NYC and had at my fingertips all of the city's offerings, I would have more (and better) places to compare this to. But I live in DC, and if one gave our non-specific list of demands in DC, you might end up at Rumors or one of the mega(awful) clubs, and then you would cry. When we arrived around 11, there was no line, and it wasn't very busy. They were playing old skool Madonna, and we quickly commandeered a booth-like section of the benches on the main floor. The music varied greatly to house tracks I didn't know, 80s new wave (yea!), the requisite Lady Gaga, and 90's hip hop (double yea!). I think there was only one song that I just refused to dance to. We stayed until about 2. During that time, the place filled up, but we were still able to dance comfortably the whole time. The crowd was mostly white (I am not), a bit younger than me, and I'm guessing included a few Jersey folk, but was in no way obnoxious or unwelcoming. I don't think these is a dress code, judging from the variety of dress between the basement rock show attendees and the main floor ladies in hot pants and dresses. Drinks were strong. Very strong. We paid $7 for rail vodka, $9 for Jack Daniels. The service was amazing. Even after the dance floor got packed, we never had to wait for drinks from our server, who was carrying them through and around the dancing crowd. I'm sure there are more awesome places in NYC. But for general crowd-pleasing music, no cover, no dress code, strong drinks at reasonable prices, and excellent service, I give Fat Baby 4 stars.

Kelvin F.

I came here with a group of friends on a Friday night in high spirits but left slightly disappointed. There was a short line outside Fat Baby but it moved quickly and there was no cover. Definitely a plus. Some pretty good songs were blasting on the inside but to my surprise, nobody was dancing. Although there are three levels in Fat Baby, the actual floor space is pretty small since they try to cram a bunch of tables and couches on the sides. Fat Baby is a place that tries to be a bar, lounge, and club but misses in all three categories. The end result is three levels of people standing shoulder to shoulder with music blasting around them. Fun times.

tina l.

this place is unstable. their music selection is weird. not bad, just weird. there is no flow to the music selection, and when they announce that they'll be playing hip hop, playing katy perrys firework makes little sense. regardless, if youve had enough to drink, good times to come! theres also plenty of seating available to lounge around toward the back and downstairs also. make sure you stop by verlaine first. its next door, and their happy hour is until 10pm. $5 for a lychee martini. delicious and STRONG. yeah, go there first, and after 10, move the party over to fat baby.

Anya R.

A real disappointment. This place could be so good. The actual venue and location are pretty great. But the ambiance created by the music, workers, and guests were NOT for me. If I were younger (I'm only 25) and single, I may have experienced it differently. I felt like without my boyfriend on my arm, I was wearing a sign that said "pick me up." And this is how all the girls in my group felt. Upstairs, where it's more bar and less dancing, it was fine. Just guys coming over to ask to buy you a drink, but downstairs it was all guys grabbing you and not taking no for an answer. When I was with other couples, it was better, but still not great. I'm giving a 2 star review instead of the 1 I'm tempted to give because I think if you're single you could have a lot more fun than I did. In fact, the two girls who suggested we go there are single and were looking to meet guys that night. But, to be honest, if I were looking to meet someone, I personally wouldn't go there.

Amanda J.

Came here a couple of times. Like the back area more, small dance place and can get crowded. Sometimes they have live bands. Normally there are no cover, strong drinks, decent club music. Overall, a safe place to start with a group of friends.

Jane K.

This bar is surprisingly dark. It took me a few moments for my eyes to adjust from the busy LES streets at 1am. I actually liked what I saw once I could make out shapes. I wouldn't call it a dive, it's actually well proportioned and there's thought put into design. While we didn't sit in the booths I could see myself getting quite cozy in there... It was pretty empty when we were there, which is likely why their doorman was so jovial, though in context the velvet ropes outside were a bit much. I wonder what the S he wrote on my hand stood for...skank? slut? slave to the music? Loved watching the bartender dancing (swaying) behind the bar. Seriously either he was rolling in a rave or he just really felt the jam.

Justine M.

Ok so this is the best way I can think of to describe Fat Baby. You know that person who you might hook up with, who's not that great looking and not necessarily that great in bed either, but is literally just something to do on Saturday night when you're bored. Yeah, Fat Baby is the club/lounge equivalent of that person. The music's not great but it's not that awful either. Plus, if you're the kind of person who's super nostalgic for music from 5 years ago/doesn't really listen to new music, the music might even be great. However, good music is pretty much my main reason for going out so Fat Baby did not do it for me. So yes, you could do a little better if you were willing to exert a little more effort and drop a little money on a nicer club with a legit DJ but that's probably not the reason you went out in the East Village. (And I grew up in the East Village so this is just keeping it real)

Henali P.

good looking/fun crowd...check! good music...check! good wive/ambience...check! strong drinks...chchchcheeeeckk :)

Marisa C.

I thought I'd be able to give this place a good review like most other places I've been or enjoyed in the LES but the bouncer wouldn't let me in. He was a real dick and said that my id "wasn't me".. Well thank you Mr. Bouncer, but I'm 28 and I've never ever had a problem with my ID, not at the airport, not at the REAL clubs and certainly not at any place in NYC. Oh well, thanks for the compliment sir but it was because of you and your inability to properly distinguish between a real and fake id that I didn't get to enjoy my friend's birthday. ps. if I were really underage, why would I be hanging out with a 26 and 29 year old... FAT BABY gets a big THUMBS DOWN!!

John K.

It's the unofficial NYU hangout spot. The music is your basic, run-of-the-mill LES mix, the drinks are weak (stick with drafts), the bouncers are annoying, and the front foyer always smells like poop, because everyone takes dumps in the bathroom (located right at the entrance) after eating the halal that's right around the corner. Since it is an NYU hangout spot, it's rife with transplants (drunk white girls). Good luck leaving without making out with or getting groped by one of the aforementioned sloppies.

Skinny J.

The bouncers at this place, particularly the ones who run the door, are a classic example of good cop bad cop. There's one bouncer who when you show him your ID he usually cracks jokes and makes you and your group smile before you enter the place. He has a lot of fun with his job but yet he's also no bs at the same time if that makes sense. I wish I knew the guy's name. Whoever he is he deserves a raise. Now to the bad cop. The most recent time I've been there he was sporting a blue backwards Boston Red Sox cap. Any NYC bouncer sporting a Sox cap should automatically be a red flag. But in this case I already knew this guy was a d bag from previous visits. He definitely has a serious power trip and needs to relax. He likes to put his hands on the people in line and physically help move them over to where he sees fit. He's very rude and abrasive. Tells you to take a step forward even when the lines not moving. Yells at people leaving the bar if they stand in front of the place for two seconds. Just a real unpleasant individual for no apparent reason. Bad cop and the meat packing esque drink prices are why this place only gets 2 stars from me. It's too bad because other wise it's a good time.

Hannah L.

Eh.. wasn't too impressed. I came here with a few friends Friday night and perhaps it was because the night was dying down (3:30am - 4am) we were there and not a lot of people were dancing.. it was still kind of crowded though and I think the first song I heard when we walked in was 'Call me Maybe' hahaha - Anyway, think I'm gonna go try other places before I come back here.

Trevor L.

This place reminds me of places that I used to sneak into when I was 18, the only thing missing is beer served in buckets. Way too loud and full of hipster wannabes. I find it amusing that the place is classified as a dive bar and a lounge - it's neither of those things. It would be more accurate to call it a dance hall, but without any actual dancing, since it's either dead or overcrowded and it takes 20 minutes to walk through the room to the bar - longer if you don't want to wear everyone's drink. I came here for a birthday party, and it was a poor choice - people couldn't even hear each other, and the music was unremarkable. My advice is to avoid this place and go to one of the many lounges, dive baers and dance halls that actually focus on being what they are.

L A.

The drinks are okay but I liked it because the DJ didn't JUST play house music. Its music that you have to do more than a fist pump or jumping around to! It gets pretty packed later in the night, but the guy was really nice and told us to go dance upstairs because it was more "air" upstairs. I didn't realize there was 3 floors to this place until we went to the bathroom. Overall a good place to take visitors! YAY!

Elana H.

This is one of my favorite bars in NYC. I usually come here on Saturday nights and the place is just the right amount of crowded. The music is always great. The DJ plays a mix of top 40 and 90s hits you shamefully still sing in the shower. It takes a while to get a drink, that the only bad thing i could say. The bouncers are super funny too!

Lianne Z.

I hate this place. Largely because I lived above it and its thumping music would keep me up night after night. However, living above a bar DOES have its benefits- when I lock myself out, the bouncers let me in through a secret entrance from the bar to my building. As helpful as that was, sacrificing endless nights of sleep, was NOT towards my functioning as a normal human being. But I guess it was kind of my fault for choosing to live there. The inside is cramped and the architecture is all wrong. They could make much better use of their space. The drinks are average and the bouncers swear they are guarding the freakin Buckingham on some nights. If you're in the area contact me and I will give you plenty of other places to squander your money.

Emily H.

The aggressive men in this place made me a bit uncomfortable but my friends and I had a good time none the less. The bouncer was super nice and the bartender was quick. Out of the 3+ hours we were here dancing only 3 songs came on that killed the dance floor for a minute. That's pretty impressive... The music was just basic mixed radio hits, nothing too special but the place was jamming when we got there (midnight) and when we left (4). I'd go again.

Trevor W.

LOVE Fat Baby...except when it's overrun by the bridge & tunnel crowd. Love the basement when bands are playing...it can't get anymore intimate when you feel the spittle from the lead singer

Siena L.

The only positive thing I can say about this place is that there's great music. Other than that, it's very very dark, dirty, claustrophobic, and most importantly dishonest. My group got a bottle of kettle one vodka, and it was diluted. Bottle service for diluted vodka for $300? Will never go back!

Evan E.

The place was huge and had a really cool look to it. The bartender was cool and gave us happy hour prices even though it was technically over. We weren't there for long because we had an appointment, but I'd definitely go back.

Tiff D.

Randomly wound up here last night and had a blast!! The bartenders were so nice, not to mention VERY generous with the liquor. The door man was the nicest one I have encountered in this city so far.

Ted M.

my friend's band played a show at fat baby last night and based on reviews, i wasn't expecting much, so it's safe to say i was pleasantly surprised. serving as the band's manager, i showed up early and got to meet the sound guy and promoter, both of whom were top notch and very professional. additionally, the sound was impeccable - one of the better small clubs i've been to in the LES. bartenders were friendly and remembered my drink order after the second round. at one point, the bartender just saw me and started pouring a guinness, until i stopped him and told him i was switching to water for the time being. we stuck around after the show when fat baby turned into what it's known for - a somewhat trashy singles dance party. even as far as that scene goes, fat baby was quite inoffensive, and played much better music than most of its peers. the girls were cute and somewhat nerdy (in a good way), and the dudes "on the prowl" didn't seem to be too aggressive. the bouncers were kinda douche-y, and drinks are somewhat pricey if you're not in a band. other than that, i very much enjoyed my fat baby experience.

Nona C.

The GOOD: no cover, chill bouncers, strong drinks, music to dance to The BAD: gets too packed and you have crazy drunkards trying to grab you to join them while flailing their pitiful bodies around in an attempt to dance... and if you come late, there's a ginormous line that wraps around the corner!

Shannon D.

fun dive bar - picks up around 11:30 fri/sat - gets crowded though

Sascha M.

Omigod this place is a shiz show in the worst context of the word. When you come to Fat Baby's it is quite likely you will end up black out drunk and playing the tambourine and dancing on stage with the band while wearing a fox fur vest. And the next day you will wake up with a massive hangover wondering what the hell you did and why didn't anyone stop you.

Ben W.

Seriously, not a bad place. I mean for a dirty hole in the wall, with a gross downstairs area, its actually, really not a bad place. It'll grow on you...like fungus grows on rocks. That being said the crowd is laid back, the music is decent, there isn't cover on a Friday night, and the drinks aren't outrageously priced. I'm never going to be a regular at this place, but I will stumble in as I'm bordering on tipsy, looking for a nice place to sweat out my next dance move.

Bugs B.

Wow, it was really dead in LES last Thursday around 2AM. The bouncer was friendly and encouraged us to come in to Fat Baby. It's such an odd bar name in LES...Anyhoo, I think there were only 7 people (including the bartender and drunk DJ). It's too bad it was super slow, because I imagine with more people, it can be a fun bar --don't think Lianne Z would enjoy that... The interior is nice. In the back, there's two level (a balcony). I didn't realized that there was a basement there...we just stayed for a round of drinks. Bathroom is in the front on the main floor --odd but convenient for us. 1 star for the bouncer, another for the interior, and another for the possibilities.

Mo S.

Let's start with five stars, and subtract....just for fun. 5 stars, minus 15 stars for perhaps the most disgusting bathroom I've ever been in= -10 stars. -10 stars -1 star for being overcrowded = -11 stars. -11 stars -3 stars, one for each of the weird guys that wouldn't leave my friends and myself alone (one even followed us down the block....uh, creepster) = -14 stars. -14 stars + 1 star..... the creepster bought me a drink before stalking us..... = -13 stars. -13 stars + 1 star, for no cover, but -1 star for the line = -13stars. Is that possible?

Celia S.

Drunk on arrival and looking to dance--Met up with some friends in this almost sobering grossness of an establishment. Music was okay, danceable but had to be on the lookout for creepers trying to gring up on it! We got some free shots from the bartender since it was my friends bday, probably the only thing that kept me here- Definite dive--which I can only say thanks goodness for the alcohol!

Laura P.

Good music and decent crowd to dance with. Two floors with a small dance area on the main floor and a bigger dance area in the basement. Sometimes there is a huge line if you don't get there before 12:30 but most nights it should be fine. It's becoming a staple in my weekend LES routine.

Bill A.

I have little to no opinion on this place. No strong feelings either way.

Courtney K.

I agree with the other reviewers that this is a good spot if you've already been drinking. The drinks here can get pricy compared to other spots in the LES. However, the bartender gave my friend a free drink for no reason, so that was very kind! The music selection is also good, they were not playing generic top 40's like all of the other bars were that night. A girl can only hear "Anaconda" so many times, so it was a breath of fresh air to listen to some remixes of old school rap tunes (think Biggie, Tupac, that genre) at Fat Baby. The line is pretty long so I'd avoid going at peak hours. Unfortunately, as much as I loved the music, I gotta take 2*s off for how disgusting the bathroom was. I wont go into detail, and I know this is a dive bar, but there is a certain standard of cleanliness that I think should be maintained throughout the night.

Annie H.

I don't know what that bar is normally like, but came here tonight for an immersive play "Playdate" and totally love it! It's a little like sleep no more minus the shiny bling and a lot more intimate. The actors were fantastic, the love stories of New York were both touching and hilariously relatable, and I had a fantastic time watching the play, walking around, interacting with the actors, all the while with a great cocktail in my hand. I'm not normally a person to watch the same play twice, but I might just have to come back with to catch all the different scenes I missed!

Garrett M.

It can be very fun or very poor. It is pretty much always inconsistent. Great spot for drinking and dancing if you've already been drinking. Small bar set up, 2-3 levels of entertainment, lounge area in the basement, upstairs area sometimes open with a raised VIP lounge. I haven't ordered food here so can't comment on that, but if you're in the area and are looking for somewhere to get some dancing in and grab a few drinks, without feeling like you're in a mega club in meatpacking, this is the spot. Take a local bar you frequently casual, drop it into Avenue A, then add a DJ spinning very loud hip-hop/r&b/pop/top40, and you have Fat Baby. Pro-tip: be sure you're a few drinks deep before coming here; also, it can get very crowded so don't go if you don't mind being smashed up against a wall occasionally. 1star - avoid at all costs, wouldn't go back if you paid me 2 stars - probably will not go back 3 stars - I'll go back if in the area 4 stars - would go out of my way to go back, and suggest to closest friends 5 stars - would potentially relocate to be closer to this venue

Burgundy B.

A tiny bar right off the F train in Lower East Side. This as gentrified LES as it gets. It's definitely a frat guy type of bar. General sleezy-ness + a dash of glamour + idiotic behavior to get attention + disrespectfully ridiculous drink prices + heavy handed on hip-hop/ top 40 + hilarious sleazy bouncers + globs of people dancing wildly + slim to no diversity here = frat guy bar It's cramped as 1990's pointed-toe heel in here. I was drunk as what have you one night. I danced like no one was watching with my friends. Would I go back? Not likely. This is the spot to go to when your friends find yourself with no plans and no one has any clue where they should go. You come here after you pre-game as a club hopping appetizer.

Garland Y.

As a disclaimer, the name of the place is Fat Baby.. so if you're expecting some type of high class bougie lounge, this is not the place to be. However, if you're with a group of friends and just looking to have fun and dance in a ratchet environment, this IS the place to be.. most of the time. I've had some really fun nights here, and some not so fun nights here, but never at the fault of the venue. The music is what you'd expect -- typical top 40 kind of stuff. They played enough Bobby Shmurda to have me schmoney dancing the night away, and I never heard "Because I'm all about that bass bout that bass" once all night, which I must say is EXTREMELY REFRESHING and I'm tempted to give the venue 5 stars just for that. The best part of the venue are the bouncers. Hilarious group of guys.

Margaret C.

Crawled around the LES on Sunday before Memorial Day. Nothing else was open and Fat Baby was our last shot at a decent nightcap... BOY WAS IT FUN! Not too crowded, and the music was bumping and the people were super friendly on the main dance floor a few steps down. Made some sweet new friends and danced with strangers in a totally fun and non-creepy way. Not sure if it's like that every night, but I had a blast and would definitely return!

Tim E.

Amazing spot to dance! My go to place for when I'm drunk, don't want anyone to look at me and just want to let loose. Sound system leaves much to be desired, but the dj always plays exactly what the crowd needs. Goes hard on the weekends late into the night.

Mitch E.

WHAT?!?! I CAN'T HEAR YOU OVER THIS TERRIBLE MUSIC. WHY ARE MY EYES CLOSED? HAVE YOU SEEN THE HIDEOUS SIGHTS ON THE DANCE FLOOR? This is a place which resembles a dive bar which slept with a pretentious lounge and gave birth to Fat Baby, a horrible place with serious self esteem issues. They make you wait on line if you didn't get a stamp early. So if you want to suffer come early. Inexpensive LES prices? Not here. Loud awful music so you can't hear anyone? You bet. Does the place have a ton of creepers scouting the dance floors? Oh yeah! I'd stay away at all costs if I were you but who am to stop love between a creepy loner and some really drunk girl who got separated from her friends?

Vanessa M.

You 100% need to show up on your way to wasted. I was dragged here by a friend because there was no line and we just wanted to get to another bar. The bartender was great and quickly re-filled my water, but maybe it was because I gave him $1 every time? (I was taking a drinking break because I was dancing so much that they kept spilling.) It does get crowded and messy but just dance and have a good time and forget all of the people pushing by you - that's what I did and I ended up having a not so bad time.

Amy W.

Should you be surprised that a spot named Fat Baby is more than a little sketchy and borderline ratchet? Probably not. Music wasn't abnormally terrible. Typical top 40 club sh*t. This place serves a purpose - if you want sweaty, sleazy, messy, fratty, drunken nonsense, then this is the place to be. Now, let's talk about the bouncers. These dudes are creepy and tactless, but damn, they are hilarious. I wish I could recount verbatim what this man told me, but it was something like this, "Lady, if you were a buffet, I'd eat you all up, lick you clean, and there would be nothing left for sanitation to take out, girl." On my way out, as I stood there with my friend waiting, I heard him telling the other bouncer, "Now, that's a four course meal... Mmmm mmm mmm..." Etc, etc. Not even mad about it - I was drunk, and it was so dumb, I was cracking up. By the look of him, he may have devoured a few other girls on line. No sexual innuendo intended - seriously, this guy is huge. He could eat me alive. Seriously, though, the place is called Fat Baby - what do you expect?

Dylan M.

I'm a tour manager for a band that played the downstairs. We went in to the basement around Friday and setup with no trouble. Everything seemed fine until no one came to the show. The club opens at 8pm but they don't open the doors up and have bouncers so people know it's open to come in like the other places. No promotion what so ever by the event manager. They didn't pay us for playing (obviously because pretty much no one paid the cover to see the bands.) The upstairs started to get crowded yet still no one came downstairs because they didn't know anything was happening. I passed the girl that was guarding the downstairs about 10 times and was pretty much the only one and she checked my stamps every time. I joked with her how could she not remember me. She gave me some attitude about not even seeing me. Mainly because she was on her iPhone. I told her "good luck on that pic stitch" then she flicked me off. The bartender upstairs informed me that that bands don't get the "discount" on drinks after we played (which is redic 1. If you're not going to pay us then at least give us free drinks 2. We can't control when we go on in the night) My suggestion: if you're booking a show in NYC DO NOT PLAY FAT BABY

Christina M.

crazy fun place, fight broke out though and it took about 5 minutes for the security to break it up. Music was great played all of my favorite dub step songs. I went on a Saturday. Just a place with a bunch of drunk 20 somethings. Its was fun besides the fight breaking out though

Sean C.

Tiny tiny lounge for newbies to NY or the bridge and tunnel crowd. The door can be tough and it gets extremely crowded.

Jennifer H.

Good music. Fast moving line (and it was raining buckets that day, ha-- maybe that's why). VERY FAIR drink prices (unlike place across the street Caverna!.. ok I do like Caverna's $5 shots, that's it though). Nice and funny bouncers. 2 drink min for cards, yay because that's usually what I'll get! Good music. If you go, avoid the crowd/mobfest upstairs and go downstairs, lots more breathing room. Ps. On that coat check question-- LMAO. I said "No," because although there's a "SIGN" for Coat Check, no one's actually.. checking it. So expect to see coats and purses thrown up in piles by shelves and seating areas.

Cami A.

Yo... if this is just your "general sleeziness, i really think the earth would be better off without you. Your not allowed to smoke or even stand outside, everyone inside has to keep moving, but the music is awwful anyways so who would want to dance, drinks are over priced. Everyone who works there hates their life/job/make me feel like I should call the suicide helpline for them. They CON touring bands promising 50% of the door and then when you show up get another weesle to explain it's actually pay to play - make "soomething" after 10 people pay $10 to see YOU and then make some lame excuse to kick you out riiight after your assigned time slot thus making that impossible. They kept flashing their lights on us while we were just TRYING TO LOAD UP GEAR AND GO TO THE NEXT CITY, N THEY WOULDN'T EVEN GIVE US ONE FREE DRINK !!! I hope the poor souls who works here can still save themselves.

Mary Jane C.

A hit-or-miss place, although it's been a miss the majority of the few times I've been here. Drinks are average and the music is a good Top 40s/popular mix. You have a mix of respectable drunk people having fun and some obnoxiously not. Expect a too-close-for-comfort environment packed into a sweaty, body-heated dance room. Ew.

Yoonie Y.

Fun for dancing! DJ was playing a good mix of hip hop and top 40. I haven't had issues with bouncers. Come drunk so you don't have to deal with bartenders.

Isidore P.

Fat baby is one of my favorite place for parties in the Lower East Side. First of all, the security guys are just funny and very nice. I talk to them for a while before to go into the club. I think they contribute to the good reputation of the club. They was drawing funny things to the hand of each client. For my part, they draw me a Scorpio. If you have the occasion to go to Fat Baby sometimes go meet them. Inside the bartenders are also amazing, They take care of each clients by asking them if they are okay, or if they need something frequently. There is also a nice place where it s possible to enjoy fashionable music until 4 am.

Cathy H.

Great music and cheapish drinks, but go early. We got there at about 11 and the line was only 2 people deep. The bouncer was really friendly and bubbly, making small talk. However, beware his marker. It is now Monday and I am still unable to fully get the hearts he drew on my hand off from Saturday night, despite much much scrubbing. That must have been one eally fresh, very permanent marker. Getting in at 11 was great because the line to the bar wasn't very long and the place hadn't filled yet so there was still room to move around and dance. I really liked the music here and it's very good for dancing. However, by 11:30 there were hordes of people getting let in and it started getting very crowded. One thing to note is if you're sitting on a stool by the bar at 11:30, you will be kicked off and rather rudely kicked off. A waiter came up to me, tapped me roughly and yelled something at me. Obviously I couldn't hear him over the music and he proceeded to basically yank the stool from under me. Really rude; common courtesy would have just been to yell it again louder since I couldn't hear him and I could have gotten off of it on my own free will. I, then, saw him do this with everyone else sitting on stools by the bar. After getting basically pushed off the chair, we tried to dance but it got way, way too crowded. Like fraternity party, takes 10 minutes to walk from one end of the room to other end of the room crowded. I also got a very young, college vibe from there so we left at around 12:30. All in all, I think it's a great place to come to early in the night before going somewhere else.

Christine L.

I had a positive experience (for the most part) at Fat Baby... but this is how I experienced it: - I came "early". I was here by 1030pm and the area in the back was 'closed' unless you had waitress service (which we were happy to do). She was super nice and brought us drinks all night.. even when it got super packed. - the DJ played the music I was hoping to hear: pump you up top 40 hip hop and dance music (not house). Why is it so hard to find places like this? I was excited because there was plenty of room to dance.... - until the flood gates opened around midnight and tons of people PACKED the back. It was a mixed crowd.. that skewed very bro-ish... and I know that I'm not in the right crowd when I find myself at times protectively covering my head because people who don't have rhythm are attempting to dance around me. Overall... I might try it again. no cover when I came in and no line. When I left around 130 there still was no line, but it was packed inside.

Mark B.

Stopped in for a drink with low expectations - they were met. Not much going on and the beer selection is weak. If you're looking for a dive bar then this is your place. I do not plan on returning here in the future.

Wolf P.

Always a great time when we go to Fat Baby. It's usually free 98% of the time. 2 floors of music and sometimes they have a band downstairs. They have some of the funniest bouncers lol, It's always a funny moment going in, but they do their job. DJ is always on point. ***This is a place for major turnup and getting plastered, drinks aren't expensive but good, bartenders are very attentive. Most importantly the guy/girl ratio is always right, no craziness, just a lot of millenials having fun.

Melissa D.

I left this place disappointed! Expect an very messy overcrowded bar, top 40 music on rotate and plenty of awkward grinding. I had a difficult time manoeuvring around the bar and finding space to dance, people spill drinks and you will most likely be nudged, pushed or rubbed from other people who are also dancing. I was in good company, so I could definitley tolerate my surroundings and made most of the night with my friends, the music wasn't that bad either plus the crowd was pretty friendly. The thing that really made my night a negative experience was an incident I had with a staff member. I was in line to use the toilet and when it came to my turn I was rudely cut off by a girl. I advised her that I was waiting in line and it was my turn to use the toilet, to my surprise I was confronted with an abrupt attitude and was told off for notifying her that it was my turn to use the bathroom. She further explained that she was the bar tender and I had no right to speak to her in that manner, which was polite? Furthermore she seemed highly intoxicated and struggled to speak coherently or stand straight, therefore I offered for her to use the toilet before me. When she finished, a by stander asked her if she was going to thank me for allowing her to go first, she replied with "no because she is an a***hole". I was confused as I allowed her to go before me and asked her what was wrong, then she came up to me and said "you're an a***hole", then stormed out of the bathroom. I thought she may have been just a drunk person that pretended she worked there but afterwards I saw her return back to the bar. I was so shocked and upset at how disrespectfully treated I was by a staff member especially considering I was doing a good gesture towards that person, no bad intentions at all. I notified the security guard, he was very apologetic and said he would attend to the issue.

Sydney L.

This place is incredibly disorganized and not worth the line to get in. I went on a Thursday night with some friends, spent around $20 on drinks, closed my tab and left, only to discover a few hours later they had given me the wrong credit card. Not only did they give me the wrong credit card, but they also charged my credit card $134. I have since returned TWICE to retrieve my card, only to be turned away. I've also called over a dozen times to no answer. The first time I went back was on Friday around 6PM, which is when they supposedly open according to google, to find them closed. I went back later that night, around 11:30PM, and the bouncers argued with me for several minuets before letting me enter to speak to the bartender about my missing card. Once I was inside, the bartender told me she "Couldn't deal with it." So now I am left with someone else's credit card, mine is still being held captive at Fat Baby. They really need to get their act together, this is unacceptable. Not to mention there are several discrepancies online about what days and times they are open. Their facebook, website, google and yelp all have different hours of operation. Get it together.

Johnny Y.

Good o LES. This place is a hit or miss. On some nights. You can roll with your crew and dominate the place and party like you own it. Other nights your like cattle that's waiting for the bartenders to feed you, your grass. Word of advise. Come on slower days. You won't regret it. If your looking for a spot that's quiet and you only have a small group. I definitely do not recommend it. Another star down due to parking will not be easy.

Windell C.

Frat baby this place reeks of every reason I do not like to go out on Saturday nights in the city. Let's start with the good great location, humorous bouncers and not too much hassle at the door. Not let's get to what really goes on. Brohfest on roids B&T heavy Overcapacity Drunk grind fest and ladies if you are looking to dance do not go here due to space constraints Dated music Tired scene Young and inexperienced is the vibe overall with a few passersby from the Rivington Hotel that were suckered into going. My friends wanted to go here after a rooftop party that was hosted nearby. I forewarned and pleaded to no avail. So, we visited for a short stay on the way to the exit my friend excuses herself, which is mistaken as a push. This "broh" then turns around and attempts to charge her (mind you she's only 5'2 give or take), so I had to shut that down pronto "Not on my watch". I would not recommend it unless you were the underage type with a solid fake ID.

Matt H.

This place is about as trashy as it gets, from the staff to the sweaty clientele. My girlfriend likes to dance, so we would occasionally pop in when we were in the area. Never again. The last time we went, our group had just ordered our first round and the bouncers were violently kicking some guy out, even though he was not resisting. In the process they slammed me into the bar. I was thrown to the ground and my drink spilled all over myself and I got a huge black bruise on my hip and a badly sprained ankle, which took more than two months to heal. I told the bouncers I wanted to speak with a supervisor and they actually snickered, then refused. They even refused to replace my drink. I mean, seriously? In pain and pissed off, I persisted, but they continued to refuse. When I became more demanding about having my drink replaced, they actually threw me, the victim out. I must have called the place more than 20 times at all hours of the day and night trying to reach someone, but no one ever answered the phone. Unbelievable.

Snow W.

played a show here in a touring band, after doing lots of great paying shows throughout the country. the show was extremely busted, the people at the club were all dicks to us, there were no drink tickets or pay, everyone was extremely rude and they would not even X the hands of our 20 year old guitarist and therefore one of the bands couldn't play. we had a really bad experience with "fat baby" -- and of course we couldn't even clarify things with the promoter because they weren't available on email and didn't show up to represent us at the gig. not to mention zero promotion, no information that would of helped us make an event and promote it ourselves until the day of the show, and booking us at a total racket of a club that doesn't respect artists. in 22 shows on the road all across the country on this tour we never experienced a club that treated us this shitty. so disrespectful of a club to not even give drink tickets to a touring band who paid tolls to enter new york city and need gas money to continue on a DIY tour. the bouncers, sound guy, door guy, and bartenders were all very rude, in contrast to every other place we played throughout the country who are always trying to support touring bands. total opposite vibe here. very disappointed. DONT PLAY HERE DONT GIVE THEM YOUR MONEY

Ameer S.

awesome spot. great music with an even cooler basement floor

Brianna G.

I wish I could give no stars. I came here with a gf and my Roomie. My Roomie is the the sweetest gentlemen ever. The doormen are so rude and disgusting here. We're at the door, showing the doorman our ID's. My roommate shows his first. I'm second and my gf is last. The doorman tells my Roomie to go inside. He responds he's waiting for his friends. The doorman then starts getting rude and telling him he needs to go in. My Roomie repeats himself. The doorman then says he can't go in all in a matter of a min all because he was waiting for us. My gf ended up walking inside so I had to go in and get her. For just being in there the short time that I was, the place is not all that great for the doormen to act the way the did. I would never recommend this place to anyone.

Darya S.

I always have so much fun at Fat Baby! The line isn't so bad, and it's one of the few places whose music I love! Sure it's crowded but isn't every popular club? I went for my birthday once and I went and danced on the small stage they have with my friends. This gay guy pushed me onto the couch and gave me a strip tease! My first gay strip tease! I couldn't stop giggling. My friends and I just piled up our coats on the couch and no one told us to check them.... so don't worry so much about that. The drinks are great and aren't crazy expensive. 9-12, pretty standard. The crowd is pretty young - college into the 20's. It's a fun crowd. It is 2 dance floors, one up and one down. Go if you're in the mood to dance, or need a place to celebrate your bday!

Marianne D.

Music is hoppin here and will get your booty shakin'. That being said, let it be the scene for freshlings from NYU or New School. It gets quite rowdy and would be highly surprise if the average age of patrons go much further north of 22. Shout out to the sweet bouncers, kind souls who'll draw hearts & arrows on your arms to mark entrance.

Sylwia D.

If you're looking for a place to dance to good music and drink inexpensive drinks without a cover this is a promising option. I went to Fat Baby over the weekend. My friend reserved the upstairs VIP bottle service and we loved it! The downstairs was PACKED and the amount of people let it made it impossible to maneuver around. I don't think I would've went back to this place if we had been downstairs. The DJ and bouncers have potential to make or break your evening, but at Fat Baby they do a great job ensuring your are shaking your romp and get back into the building if you need to go outside for a breath of air. One bouncer even held my drinks and helped me to walk them over to our table. Talk about accommodating!

Stephanie Q.

"Lose your soul but don't lose your phone"- bouncer at Fat Baby. This place is fun! There are a few floors here. The downstairs is more of a chill place, with dancing at the back, which is near the coat check. The upstairs is more of a dancefloor with tables at the side. I noticed there were way more guys than girls. When we got tired of dancing, we sat down at a booth. Random guys came to talk to us. I got bored of talking to them so I left.

Matt M.

I have been having a string of bad luck with bouncers lately, totally unwarranted - see my review of Gaslight Lounge in the Meatpacking District. Which brings me to Fat Baby. My friend and fellow Yelper Gopi V. told me "dreams come here to die" - I wouldn't know because I never got in. :-( Last Friday the crew was chilling next door at Verlaine, an awesome place, one of my favorites, if not my favorite LES spot. We met some ladies there from Spain, who told us they were going to Fat Baby to dance. Some refused to go, but I'll do near anything for a pretty face. After a short stop to La Caverna I waited on line outside Fat Baby and presented my ID when the time came. The bouncer told me "no hats inside" so I took off my black baseball cap and stuck it in my jacket. The bouncer then tells me I cannot even bring the hat inside, and tells me to PAY someone at the deli across the street to hold it. REALLY? is it that serious? I had just come out of La Caverna, where I was allowed to remove my hat without an issue. I used to work doors in college and have never in my life heard anyone ask a prospective patron to do this. I guess I'll never know if dreams really do come here to die, ....

E R.

I would give this place 5 stars if it was a little bit more trendy/pretty /clean. It's fun though. Fun dancing. I hit up the late happy next door and then swing over here. Sometimes there is a long line.

suzanne t.

Can't speak to Fat Baby on a regular night as I went to see the immersive play "Play/Date" with Fat Baby as the backdrop. The experience was unique as we got to move throughout the intimate venue, with drinks in hand, and watched varying vignettes about love and its mishaps play out. Cool concept, great execution, and just plain fun. Thumbs up for the "after party" with the throwback tunes.

Daphne B.

Went here after hitting up some dive bars because we heard it was great for dancing. The drinks are insanely priced. There is no room for dancing even though there's several floors for dancing. You have to squeeze through to get anywhere. The music was just repeating today's hits mixed with some techno beats so.... kind of boring after a while to be honest.

Leslie D.

We just came to dance... and dance we did. Fat Baby is a fun dancing bar/lounge/whatever on the LES for the under 30 crowd to mingle with. If you're on the prowl, there is a fine selection of men and women to sneak glances at. Expect a bouncer and especially a line if you come after 10 pm on a Friday night. Once inside, you may have to swim through a crowd of worked up humans to actually find a spot to park your body. The DJ was very hit or miss with his song selection but my girl posse still had a great time jumping up and down to everything he played... except for Call Me Maybe. I can't stand that _________ song anymore!

Peter W.

Terrible. Never ever coming back. Had the most rude bouncers. Rude bartenders. Even the crowd was rude! What a mess! Came with a couple of friends to destress and although they played some good songs, the whole "lounge" and bar was grimy, messy, and not at all enjoyable. The number one worst experience I have ever had in a club. Do not come here.

Jo H.

Love Fat Baby for what it is - not what you want it to be. If you want to dance to a variety of music that will make your sweet little drunken heart the bounciest little bunny on the dance floor, than you'll love this place. Is it crowded and dark and is there a line and are the drinks over priced and will you maybe have to do gymnastics in the bathroom in order to avoid touching the seat? Sure. But then again you shouldn't be in the lower east side. Will you accept these things and leave satisfied - sweaty, glutes sore, having made you way to the stage, possibly after/before finding a dance floor makeout friend? The choice is yours.

Sumito A.

Get to the Chase: Pros: 1) 2 dance floors, 1 upstairs and 1 downstairs 2) Cool dive-y meets club decor 3) Decent tasting drinks Cons: 1) Nobody goes downstairs because there is a MANDATORY coat check.. oh oh don't u dare get caught laying your coat down on a couch...a bouncer will come by and notify you that $5 is required to put your jacket away 2) HUGE HUGE MASSIVE FIGHT broke out...the lads got arrested and had a bloody face that spattered all on the dance floor...eck 3) Sloppy ugly drunk girls claiming their territory like national geographic's safari documentary 4) Definitely not an attractive crowd...should have taken a hint by the name...Fat Baby indeed

Shani M.

I agree with the reviewer who says to love this place for what it is, and not what you want it to be. And just that, I like it for being a place where you can get a simple (somehow terrible) vodka soda and dance to dreadful top 40 rap and pop and be swooned over by drunk and sweaty early-20 somethings. Awww so very cute. I have to be in the mood for this place. It's too bad I am never in the mood for all of the above.

Chi Z.

I never wrote reviews on yelp but the first one goes to Fat Baby - WORST period PLACE period EVER period. Got there at 11 and the bartender was being a giant d*ck the whole night. We were just asking what do they have on tap and he was like "it's all here" with an annoyed look on his face, like we were some tourists. Then he said we can only close our cards with 3 beers and more and we were like "well ok then we are just gonna get two and pay cash", he did that annoyed look again and said, "you're just gonna have two beers for the whole night?" This guy was being outrageously rude and he came to me for his tip after. Geez. How dare you ask me for tips after this unacceptable service?!! I refused, and he came back with his torch light searching for drugs in our beer bottles - without even stating what he was about to do or explain why he did this. This guy needs to be fired IMMEDIATELY!!!!!!!!

Alan B.

One of the most crowded/popular spots in the lower-east side, enter through the main door where the main bouncer always has a wise-crack or quip to say. On the upper level you have a bar area with some seats, then a small dance floor which is always crowded and a smallish upper level VIP area. Down below is a bar with a dance floor and small stage. A dark decour gives it a very loungey vibe, the crowd is a mix of bridge and tunnel/ drunk locales/ and other well-meaning revelers. Always a fun time after a few brews, drink prices aren't cheap but not unreasonable either. Come with a group and dance on the lower level.

Will C.

She bad and she know it, some yelpers save 'oes, I'm not that heroic. Could you be my escort 'cause just like them two door Fords... Dang, they don't make 'em like you no more. Cold world, real cold World, Them boys cool, me I'm on fire. Know what's on my mind, tryna see what's on yours tonight. Tonight, tonight, Move slow, cause you wanna live fast. Up late so you'll probably skip class. Life is a test so before the night pass get right Get right... ...and stop being so crowded. Always fun running into Yelpers and coworkers at the bar or downstairs on the dancefloor.

Jo S.

Worst management ever. Played a gig here last week. Wasn't told there would be cover. The "doorman" proceeded to harass my audience for the cover, and got nasty when people questioned it. Went up to the guy in charge and tried to clarify what had happened, told him I wasn't told there would be a cover, that I thought it was a free show. He refused to pay me saying "if it was a free show then why am I paying you?" My attempts to apologise (in an effort to keep civil) were immediately cut off by this 5 year old turning around and ignoring me. Avoid. At all costs.

omid a.

you know that bar thats super crowded, people are spilling drinks everywhere, every drink is overpriced, there's no room to walk, and the music is exactly top 40......its called fat baby. you'll have a lot more fun going just about anywhere else in the LES and probably pay a lot less for drinks too. $10 shots of fireball?!?!!? you must be crazy!

Joe M.

I remember coming here years ago and remember my experience much better here. We probably came at the wrong time (9ish on a Friday) but it was completely empty. The bartender mentioned that the downstairs area was packed, so my buddy and I went down to check, 6 people downstairs, all of whom made us feel as if we walked into their bedroom unannounced (weirdos!). We had a pretty large group, so the emptiness didn't matter, but my friend ordered us all a shot of Macallen and a couple of guys who drink Macallen regularly noticed that it tasted different. However, they let it go, and ordred a different shot - Johnny Walker Black....this time, as I have had Johnny Walker Black just an hour before, I noticed that it wasn't the same. I'm not accusing anyone of anything, but something didn't seem right. Although our shots were pretty cheap, there was still something shady going on. At least, the bartender was somewhat cool about the whole situation and did not argue with us....just tried to laugh it off.

Teresa L.

This used to be my favorite place to go when I wanted a low-key night where I could dance my butt off. The music on weekends is usually a mix of hip hop and top 40. Unfortunately the people are becoming progressively worse at dancing, which makes my dance experience less fun in turn. I've hosted a birthday party here with over 30+ guests. I got table service to accommodate my party. Call in advance to reserve the table, and you can order bottles through the night. If you do get bottle service, try to get one of the tables upstairs otherwise you're going to be bumping into people as they try to make their way downstairs. I love the bouncers at the door. They're so friendly and draw the cutest things on your hands.

Vineet S.

We wanted to try a new place before heading to our regular place in LES. My friend suggested this place, so we decided to give it a try. We walked in close to midnight on Thursday evening, the bouncer was cool and with a smile he let us in. I did not expect this place to be so huge.It is a multi level bar/lounge which serves as a rock and roll venue and has an inspired lounge setting. Upstairs is a heart bar which is followed by a bi level lounge area. Downstairs have bands playing, though I didn't see one playing when we walked in. As compared to other bars in the vicinity this place was kind of dead with only few people here. The DJ though was playing some really nice music. Now to the reason why I gave this place two stars - The bartender looked somebody right from the movie set Pirates of the Caribbean with long hair and strange attire. I asked him for drinks and I was very loud and clear, even though he kept on making strange faces for two minutes that he did not understand my order. Finally he makes his way back to fetch our drinks and in a very fashionable way he pours the drinks. As soon as we were enjoying the drinks, the guy sitting next to us(in his late 40's or 50's) took the tip back which he had kept on the bar for bartender. That bartender saw that and he got little annoyed. In the beginning he was little disturbed and wasn't that hyper. But a moment after that he got very angry and took the drinks out of the hand of that man and threw his drinks away.He started abusing him like anything, the man though maintained his temper. Than all of a sudden that crazy bartender started saying get the F**K out of this bar. While all this drama was happening no one from the bar management came up to control it. This bartender then comes out of the bar and pushes and throws that poor guy out. All this drama left me with a very bitter feeling about this place. We finished our drinks and left for our usual spot couple of blocks away. Advice to management of this place, keep that crazy bartender out of this bar otherwise be prepared to have some bad affects of it on your business.

Leslie J.

The bouncer was cool. He drew a heart on my hand and my girlfriends' hands too, and managed to sneak a heart on one of my guy friends too, ha! No cover. The drunk bartender sucked though. You were lucky to stay sober in between waiting for refills. Out of our group of friends, she either made the drinks really strong or really weak. She also took shots with us without asking and tried to slip it on our tab like we willingly bought them for her. Our friend asked for an itemized receipt, and got a list of drinks and prices on a piece of scrap paper. Can you say trashy and classless? I would have rated this place a 1, but I added on an extra star for the DJ and the music which kept us there. Fat Baby is Miss Dive-y who wants to be a Luscious Lounge..with awful bottle service and bad bartending.

Alejandro G.

Jam packed, limited dance floor room and the downstairs part reminds me of a college frat party.

Ari A.

Using words to express my feeling for this bar is challenging. I think a video description where I shrug my shoulders and say meh and throw in a few other expressions would do more justice then what's below. The Layout: Awkward. Upstairs you have typical bar setting, crowded, tight, etc. Down a half flight you have Dance Zone, with little to no space to move, let alone dance. Then you have the indoor balcony reserved for private parties Impressions: This place is meant to be a dancing venue, or so it would seem from the clientele, but there is NO area to do this. Bouncers: Feisty, but me like. Two thumbs up. Recommendation: Skip it, go down the street and find somewhere else to dance the night away.

Elyssa J.

Came here with a few people on a Saturday. It is full of young attractive people all looking to have a fun time. This place isn't super sleazy but it's defiantly not high end and it made me feel like a super model as I overdressed a bit. My drinks were super strong and I had to ask them to make them less so. They played the typical top 40 music and a few techno songs for the people that "think" they know house music lol. Good place to go with groups and maybe find someone to take home ;)

Jennifer C.

The place is pretty small so gets crowded pretty quickly. There was a line but the wait wasnt too bad. Drinks are easy to get and the music is great to dance too. Also the crowd is pretty friendly :)

Harry L.

Divey but fun! They play top 40s here. The DJ is a bit hard to access since he is on a ledge on the first floor. The dj on the lower floor is a bit easier to access. Drinks here are standard price for new york city...$12-$15 for a mixed drink... The crowd varies. There are a good amount of people in their young twenties and then you have some slightly older people around as well. Overall it's a good scene if you are out just to have fun. The guys bathroom is kind of cramped and often times stinks...the stink isnt too surprising but the layout of the bathroom is

Olivia R.

I thoroughly enjoyed this bar. Came here with a few friends to do some dancing and it was a great time! No cover and the line wasnt bad at all on a Thursday night. There was plenty of room to dance and the music was really good - just a nice mix of Top 40 hits aka songs drunk girls love to sing-a-long to. The line for drinks was ridiculous but that is to be expect in NYC. Lots of college kiddies and frat boys and hoes and bros and joe shmoes and .. okay you get the gist. Typical dive-y dance bar crowd and vibe. Also, I love the name.

Anthony T.

Decent spot I have nothing bad to say about this place. The bouncers were mad cool at the door and I had to check my bag in coat check which wasn't bad but he held my ID until I showed him my coat check ticket. But oh well. I got a few coronas and tried to listen and chill with the music but the DJ had his wires loose a bit and the music went off a few times to some people's disappointment but what can you do? It got very tight at times and was hard to move when everyone is pushing you and you are trying not to get pissed at them. It's usually how it is at that spot I would go back again

Marie L.

It's 8pm on the night after my visit to Fat Baby and I'm still feeling the effects of their Happy Hour that goes until 10pm. It was a great, low key spot to grab some drinks after work. We were the only people in the place for an hour or two. Staff was friendly. About 10pm, it starts getting super clubby with loud music and scantily clad humans. We didn't have a desire to find out what was going on downstairs, but we think it was live music and a cover. The main floor had a DJ after 9 or 10pm. No food. Bartender said we could bring in food, but then bouncer wouldn't let us in the door with it. Everyone was super friendly about it, the bouncer even brought us a stool so we could eat our pizza comfortably. Overall, I would probably return if I were in the neighborhood, but only in the early evening.

Michelle W.

I've been here twice - once on New Year's and once for my friend's birthday. The bouncers are nice - but make sure you're at least business casual. One of the guys we were with wasn't allowed in because he was wearing a baseball jersey - no bueno. On New Year's, the bartenders are pretty generous with the alcohol. And the prices for the drinks are not bad at all. And... there's a HIDDEN BACK ROOM! I didn't see it the first time around, but the second time, my friends wanted to dance and she took me downstairs. FUN! I wish there was a bigger bar downstairs - it took forever to get our drinks. But if you want to go and dance the night away, this place is fun. Just make sure you like to dance - definitely not a place to just chill. So have fun!

Andre N.

I like fat baby. I like no cover. I like the Bouncer he is cool ..he drew a flower on my hand ..i thought he only did that to girls. Well he is hilarious and likes what he does so i added a 3rd star because of him.but that was a weekend. Usually music is on point, people dancing good convo..... First time there on a Weekday it was a Thursday night. NOW the bartender not sure of his name. but he look like a character from Pirates of Caribbean. Seriously this guy is dances even when no one is really there HARD. me an a fellow yelper walked in and we were deciding drinks. He gaves us the Valley Girl "aahhh dahh" face with a crazy shoulder shrug look. We said two Guinness's he kept saying "What?". Finally we put to fingers up and flashed back and forth at his face. He quickly turned around and created the Guinness. Literally it was like Cirque Du Soleil. Next, the patron next to us i guess realized he didn't want to Tip captain Jack Sparrow that much. He actually took his tip back from the bar. Quickly the bartender sprung into action dancing the whole way. Kind of like Michael's bad video. then he began yelling he 'doesn't eat with out tips" then said "you think this is funny" ..he takes the guys beer that he served him while drinking more yelling " ohh you want to take my tips? how about i take your drinks" Guy kept smiling ..he stop smiling when the Pirate came around the bar Yelling GET THE EF OUT ..GET OUT. Literally pushed him ..BTW the patron was an older gentlemen. I see why he took the tip back. dude is NUTZ ...like really ...he is............ me an my friend -deer in headlights looks all around the bar. The manger comes out and said to the Pirate Bartender that you cannot do that. He was mumbling something not sure if was doing] some sort of incantation. umm we Quickly drank our drinks and walked over to Happy Ending.....

Alice V.

This was a weird place. I expected it to be SO much bigger. My friend at the time knew people that worked there, so he got us access upstairs which was very intimate and really fun to have our own space. Jammed with the DJ, things are going good. Drinks are ridiculously overpriced. People that go here are not all that great. Everyone was just standing around and not even looking like they were having fun. Maybe it was a bad night? We ordered tequilla, and it tasted really cheap. So I don't know what happen Fat Baby, you are not my type of place. But thanks for entertaining my friends outside of NY that was so intrigued that there's a lounge called Fat Baby. Other than that, pfft. Not returning.

Amer N.

3 drink minimum for cards, always too crowded to walk or dance or sit or do ANYTHING. Total buzz kill. Skip!

Justin C.

This place is overrated. The only time I ever hit this spot up is with high school buds because they love coming here after a night out at some other spot. The bouncer clearly hates his life and thinks it's cool if he sh*ts on you and your ID before he lets you in. My man, did your mother not love you when you were a kid? Other than that, the music is meh. The DJ gets better as the night goes on, but the first three hours is literally just Z100 kind of sh*t. If I wanted to listen to that, I could have just bumped that ish in my car on my way to work.

Eric G.

I had an absolute blast when I went to Fat Baby for my friend's Birthday, but I think it's only because she got bottle service and we had the upstairs to ourselves. Otherwise, drinks were super expensive and the downstairs was packed like a can of sardines. If you're looking to have a party here, I'd recommend getting bottle service in order to have the upstairs to yourself with your friends. The DJ was awesome and we turned the upstairs into a little dance party by the end of the night (not sure if it would even be possible to dance in the downstairs area). Also, plan on wearing dark colors because you're gonna get spilled on. Too many people in a small vicinity. Getting to the bathroom is nearly impossible.

Cece P.

GROSS

Roberto A.

Eh.

Marlene L.

This place was okay. I came here on a Friday night, there was a long line to get in, one of the longest I have seen on the lower east side so I thought it was going to be fun. Finally, we get in and it's soooo ridiculously crowded. There was like no space to dance or do anything. It was highly overrated and the music was terrible. It was the same both upstairs and downstairs. Probably will never come back again. Thanks, but no thanks.

Sean C.

I've only been to fat baby twice and both times it was way before this place begins to fill up at 10 or so. I'm pretty sure I would not like it when it is filled up anyway. The second time I was in here I couldn't even get a drink from one of 4 bartenders when there were no more than 5 other patrons at the main bar. After a few minute of being spurned by the bartenders my friends and I moved on and have never been back.

Lucy H.

*Sigh* Oh, Fat Baby. So crowded, so creepy, yet so fun. I think this place can be a lot of fun as long as you accept it for what it is - a very cramped, slightly obnoxious place to dance with your friends and just have a good time. I usually end up at Fat Baby after partying elsewhere, so I can't say what it's like before maybe 2 a.m. But I've had a lot of fun here with friends - I like the variety of music the DJ plays and I like that there are multiple bars and areas to dance. The drinks are a bit pricey for the area and usually pretty weak; I avoid buying drinks here. Do note that this place seems to be frequented mostly by people in their early 20's, and sometimes the men can get a little too touchy feely. But overall, it's not a bad place to end up when you've already been drinking and don't mind how packed it is. There's no cover, but there usually is a line late night, though I've never had to wait too long. I'm probably getting too old for Fat Baby, but when I just want to dance and cut loose, there are definitely worse places to end up.

Joe S.

Not impressed. Bouncers are nasty, which just wasn't surprising. This is often marketed as a club, but it's really a small bar. The music ok, and there's an area reserved for dancing, but the space is so small. There is also always a line here, even though this place is not worth the hype. I'll probably

Yan C.

I got to Fat Baby early-ish on a Friday night for a show on the lower level. I would have given this place a better review but the whole experience was ruined by the bouncers who totally harassed me and my friend when we went out for a smoke then went back in to return to the show... And then again when we were leaving the establishment. It's the classic case of giving someone a little authority and they take that as a license to abuse other people. Needless to say, I will never return.

Amanda C.

love this place. great music!

Killian A.

Came here Saturday for my birthday @12am and left at 1:30. The crowd sucked and music was bad. It was non-diverse, seemed that diversity was not welcomed by the women. The place was packed, so packed I couldn't even dance. The guy ratio was ridiculous. It seemed like for every 1 female there were 4 guys. The girls were dry, they only danced with their girlfriends or gay friends. And no one was drunk or really breaking it down on the dance floor. Girls were not cute, stiff and stuck up. The guys were pretentious, but cool... It seemed the guys were of higher caliber than the women and could do alot better than the hens there. I don't know why they stuck around. . . This place reminds me of a frat house, without the hook ups. It seemed that my 3 friend and I were the only creepers there lols.

SK K.

"Two Minutes and two seconds is all it takes to get in!" That's what the security guy at Fat Baby told me when I asked him how soon would it take from the back of the line. He did though add, 'You still need to go to the back of the line Sir!". I told him that I would "time him" and if he goes over, The first drink would be on him. The line actually moved pretty quickly and I was in within two minutes. Once inside it is a dark and crazy atmosphere. There is an area around the bar which is pretty small, then there is a downstairs, kind of like 8 steps below ground level and then there is an upstairs. Club mostly plays hip hop music with the most interesting crowd being the one in the downstairs section. It was like they had gone crazy with the strangest of moves, shaking of heads at 20 nods per second or just bumping into each other. Service is good and the bouncers pleasant, and seem to be enjoying what they are doing.

Cat C.

I had so much fun here. The croud was whatever but the music was cool. I loved the fact that they were playing West Coast hip-hop and East Coast too. The drinks were extremely strong!! Yes, its hot and sweaty but thats because everyone is getting their groove on.. Duh! Ohh and get this.. The bouncer that checks your ID and marks your hand for entry doesnt just draw an x on your hand or use a lame stamp... He actually does a quick cool little doodle on your hand. I had a heart ballon, my friend had a cat that kind of resembled a gargoyle and my other friend got a rose drawn on her hand. I thought that was a nice touch. Hey and its cute inside too.

Jonathan N.

I'd give Fat Baby 2.5 stars if I could. This isn't really my kind of place, but I still had a good time. Loading up on Jack & Cokes before arrival certainly helped. Here are my gripes: 1) There's a line. 2) It was too effing crowded. 3) Took forever to get a drink. 4) There are a lot of stairs that can be tough to navigate after loading up on Jack & Cokes. 5) There was a midget girl (not a real one, just a very short female) who accused me of touching her hiney. I assure you I had no interest in touching her hiney. 6) Have I mentioned it was too effing crowded? But, even through all of the above, I had a good time hanging out here with my girl and some friends. I drank a lot, I danced a little, and hopefully I won've have a fat baby in the future. Though I've been told I was a fat baby myself.

Jenny S.

although Fat Baby is 2 stories, ITS STILL A TINY BAR! we took advantage of the good music & danced upstairs, although ppl kept bumping into us..RUDE one big tiff is that it was SUPER STUFFY inside... i mean if you expect ppl to dance, turn up the AC!

Jeff B.

I've been downstairs for a show and upstairs for dance music and figure that three stars is about right for the average. The upstairs offers the worst kind of douchebaggery as well as some laughs on your typical fist bumping Friday and Saturday nights, while the basement is a nice little performing space. I don't know if it was a fluke, but the Friday or Saturday I hung out upstairs it seemed to skew Asian, so that's something to know if meeting groups of drunken Asian women in party dresses is among your interests.

Michelle C.

Cute little place if you're lookin to dance/chill. The only bad thing is that the drinks are very expensive. They also have a coat check for $3.

Sara S.

I was always intrigued by the sign outside and wondered what this place was. The dark entrance led me to initially assume that it was a strip club or gay bar. I avoided this place due to the bad yelp reviews but just got too curious. I had to check it out. My first attempt was a fail - very very empty at 8pm on a Friday - we didn't actually step inside. I finally made it inside after santacon. The group I went to meet had a nice spot by the entrance and the bar. Maybe it was the low expectations I had for Fat Baby, maybe it was the alcohol or maybe it was the good company... but I had a lot of fun. I didn't even know there were two floors. I don't think I ever made it past the first 3 feet of the bar as all I needed was right there. It wasn't crazy packed during my visit - Saturday @ 11:30 - 1:30 am? I'll check it out again and decide how I feel about this place.

Quasona C.

I came here on a Saturday night and the was no line and no cover! My kind of night! I stayed at the front bar drinking gin and tonic, dancing to some dance tunes for about 30 minutes. I ventured my way downstairs and it was an absolute madhouse. I normally shy away from crowded lounges and club like places but I have to say Fat Baby had the right kind of crowd Saturday.

Claris V.

May not be the classiest establishment, but I have always had an awesome time coming here with friends. Multiple stories, a lot of room to dance, more than one bar. Don't come here sober though..

Aly H.

They ran out of Boston larger, blue moon AND Guinness! The bouncer was rude and didn't believe my ID was really me because I had a slightly different hair cut and color in the picture. I think the closest thing to this place would be a frat house basement party. It was loud, disgusting and dirty. The floors were sticky and let's not forget the 16 year old girls dancing like they belonged at a strip club. I went in knowing it was divey but came out thinking that divey was an understatement. It truly seems like the kind of place you would go to get roofied. Got hit on by these two sleazy guys who then stood behind my friend waiting for her to turn around even though he had already been rejected.

Alexander D.

I love Fat Baby! The music, great dancing and the beautiful bartenders! Every time I come with my friends we dance the night away, and everyone always has such an amazing time, we always meet cool, interesting people, and leave exhausted and happy. The VIP area, the downstairs shows, there is plenty of great options to make you and your friends have a great time you will remember and come back for more!

Christina M.

This place is is cool. Young crowd looking for a good time. There is an upstairs and a downstairs, which both has seating. The upstairs has a bar near the door and the downstairs has a little raised stage and a bench attached to the wall. However, as soon as you get passed the curtain, it is pitch black so hold on to whoever you are there with, it is easy to get lost and separated from your group. I went on a hot night in summer, so it was obviously hot inside even with the AC because it was so crowded. There is a big fan downstairs, but everyone likes to crowd around it to stay cool, so you will sweat if it is the summer time. I didn't get drinks here, I was only interested in dancing. The music was good, but the songs were changed too quickly. Overall, not a bad experieince. Def a place to go when you don't know anywhere better to go.

Christopher M.

Came here for a show downstairs. When I walked in the place was EMPTY. Eventually it picked up and then I knew I had to leave. Ok, first off, the good: Cheap drinks. Pleasant (enough) staff. CrappyFun atmosphere (check out the bathrooms downstairs. total crappyfun) Now the bad: Wall to wall tools. I know bars can't always control who likes them, but. . . The music. Upstairs the music was very conducive to tools being tools AND Bottle service. Yes. I think bottle service is a bad thing. Why? Well, who spends over 200 on a bottle of Jack Daniels? People who want to look "rich" and "elite" at the club by sitting around "popping bottles" Which clubs offer bottle service? Simple, the ones who want to attract assholes who are into spending TONS of money on cheap liquor to look cool and "pop bottles" If it wasn't for the aforementioned cheap drinks and nice staff (which is an asset, by the way) I'd have left much sooner and given it one star.

Diana S.

Every time I've been to Fat Baby I've had a good time! It's usually pretty packed early on in the night so I recommend going there in the middle of the night or to end your night. I generally like downstairs better as people actually dance down there and it feels like you're blocked off from the rest of the world. Literally, because you won't have service downstairs. The music is hit or miss, sometimes it's house but then sometimes they play hip hop songs I've never heard of. But, by the end of the night you're pretty drunk so anything goes! The bouncers are really nice too. Been there multiple times where they let me and my girls cut the line! Tip: Go to Verlaine first next door for some lychee martinis. Yum.

Kenny C.

Haven't ever really had any problems with this place, so it's interesting to read other people's experiences. Music is downstairs, there are bars on both floors. I love the lighting on the first floor; really gives it a nice ambiance. Beer selection ins't great, but they do serve Lagunitas. Music area is similar in size to Arlene's Grocery, if not a bit smaller. There's seating all around and you can get right up next to the stage.

Ming T.

Must have been a good ass night if I remember coming here but I can't remember leaving....

Priyanka P.

Well I like it. Nothing for the drinks (there's nothing special), but if you love to dance, this place is a DREAM for you! Some great space, the latest music (mostly hip hop, pop, radio songs) and lots of dancing. I wouldn't say this place is WOW, but it certainly has the space to be wow. And since I enjoy dancing, the alcohol didn't even matter as much. I've had a good time I've gone there. Stars are essentially off for the drinks.

Wanderer X.

The bouncers here don't let people in if they assume you already had some drinks with their imaginary psychic breathalyzer tests. But you're allowed to get fall down drunk inside the club as long as management is 100% sure you're paying them for all the alcohol. I don't get it.

Ashley L.

I think coming here on a holiday weekend definitely made my experience here better - not super crowded or stuffy. The bouncer at the door was super friendly as with our waitress and the guy regulating the mezzanine area. I had a huge party of 20 friends or so for a mini reunion. I contacted someone from Fat Baby via email a day or two before hand to make a reservation for the mezzanine space/bottle service. Pros + fast responses via email + great bottle service prices + 1 bottle minimum per table, 20 people max. per table (never heard of! amazing) + it was a quieter night than usual and my party and I had the entire mezzanine to ourselves for most the night because it was bottle service up there only Cons - when I got to the door, the doorman said there was no guest list or reservations for the night but I was told via email my guests could give me name and skip the line - I had to show the emails to the very friendly bouncer in order to get my party in, easy but still slightly annoyed the person I contacted via email didn't let any of the staff know - Once I got in I had to find a waitress to set up my bottles because she said she didn't no of any reservations for the night, again I showed her the emails and she let my party up in the mezzanine area FYI - money for the bottles are needed up front, which I personally liked better. No worries to have to get a check at the end of the night while half drunk and half your party has left.

Eugene K.

After waiting in line we entered Fat Baby to see what all the hype was about. We had to leave about 2 minutes later, exasperated. We had to fight crowds every step of the way, being squeezed, stepped on, and pushed aside by large bouncers with flashlights and drunk girls swinging their arms all over the place - imagine a spaghetti monster doing the breast stroke. Apparently that dance style is gaining in popularity. My friend and I concluded that the crowd here was more interested in being seen than in actually having a good time. In a city like New York, why wait in line for 30 minutes for a place where you'll be squeezed in like a sardine? Oh well. One star it is.

Izzie W.

.....hey if your drunk....your drunk....and if you so happen to drink too much at local 138 and they are having a rock and roll night and not hiphop reggea....you take your drunk arse to this craphole and dance the night away :::Shrug::: dont judge me lol

John K.

A divey lounge is the best way to describe it, I think. Fat Baby has a good mix of areas. First, when you come in, there's the main bar area. 2nd, there's a lounge area where you can go up some stairs (in the same room) and lounge up there or go down a few steps and sit on one of the couches in a lounge area(where people also dance). 3rd, you go to the back and downstairs, and there's another bar, with a dance area including a stage. The last spot and their bathrooms are really what really gives this place that dive feel, the downstairs really smells and the bathroom could really use a scrub, but still, this is one of the better places to come with your boys, and just chill'. Average price for drinks you'll pay for in the area.

Dick C.

THIS PLACE IS A FUCKING DUMP. There are much better places to go in the LES. DON'T GO HERE. We paid $190 for bottle service last night, only to have a terrible experience with this horribly mismanaged club We left the table section for a breather, but when we came back, the female bouncer at the foot of the stairs wouldn't let my boyfriend back in, despite the fact that he had a stamp on his hand. She refused to look at his stamp, and kept insisting that he wasn't allowed upstairs. When he tried to walk past her outstretched hand, she alleged that he had "touched" her and needed to leave. When he pointed out that he had not laid a finger on her, she conceded that he could stay in the club, but wasn't allowed upstairs where we were all seated. A couple of minutes later, she beckoned for a bouncer to throw him out of the venue. I have never come across such egregious, unreasonable service in New York, especially to patrons who have paid for bottle service. Not to mention the crowd was unattractive, it was overly packed, and everyone who worked there was rude. Rest assured I will never be back.

Lawrence S.

Oh boy, talk about tacky! This is the kind of bar you walk out of feeling ashamed and partially responsible for the eradication of whatever element of "cool" might still have been in the Lower East Side. The crowd was lifted from a Saturday night in Cancun during spring break season. Overpriced drinks, underwhelming Top 40 DJ selection, and the gender ratio must have been to 2:1. It is, however, an aesthetically pleasing three-level space. Oh well. Next!

Lyzeth S.

So I would give this place 2 1/2 stars if I could. The low down: - reminded me of being back in college - prepare to sweat a lot. I did dance the whole night so that could have contributed but I have been to other places and not felt so hot. - drink prices. No clue I didn't buy myself any. - music is top 40s which is fine and hey I did dance all night. However I am Latina and we dance for just about any reason. Hahahaha. - the crowd is middle of the road so don't expect 8 or 9s here. - would I go back? Probably not. It's been awhile since I was in college. However I guess if you're under 25 you'll have a blast. - there is an upstairs and downstairs both equally as hot temperature wise.

Kel H.

What's it like inside? Like a fat baby's belly It's hot and crowded

Anna L.

Not sure why people wrote such bad reviews :T . I do agree that it is kinda confusing where to walk to when you first go in. There is an upstairs and a downstairs and apparently my party was downstairs. I had to ask twice of where to go - _ - and the guy directed me to the back stairs. It was easy to get drinks @ the downstairs bars. After grabbing drinks, we soon found the birthday girl in the back area and she was having a blast. Everyone was dancing like crazy! I know Fireworks isn't the best song according to music aficionados but man I still had fun dancing to it hahah. It was a fun spot to stop by and dance a little. We then trekked to happy ending and reminisced of this place :( * One star off because the line into this bar was unnecessarily long. It moved quickly though.

Mel K.

My boyfriend and I went to Fat Baby to get out of the rain because it had no cover. The music is okay, but it was really crowded and the bartenders weren't great. I don't think I'd come here again unless I need to get out of the rain again.

Honn C.

I don't know why there are so many negative reviews. Anyways, I like the place. It's kinda crowded. It's not as crowded in the basement where people actually dance. You can also order drinks in the basement. People on the main floor are more like those Europeans standing around like an owl. Maybe it's just too crowded sometimes. In any case, I enjoyed my time there.

Adam G.

I have been to Fat Baby several times and had mixed experiences. The first time i went it was fairly crowed allot of fun and the DJ was SWEET, I don't know who it was but by far one of the better DJ's I've herd at bars in ny. Most of the other times I have had fun like the first time. However on a more recent visit i went on a Thursday (I think) to find it kind of dead, which for a place of its size is not a good thing. I have also had several friends play shows there in the basement who have told me that it is a bad venue to play at. The place is 3 stories, a sort of basement lounge/ dancefloor/ concert room, the main floor with the bar, and then a balcony area with tables and seating. The place has a sort of rough around the edges, rockstar feel to it . I haven't been a while but if it is still as fun as when I first went this is definitely a place worth checking out.

Barbara H.

I've never had a bad time here but I attribute it more to the the deejay than anything else. I ran into him at a party at Retox and the music was just as fun so now I guess I'm a groupie if DJ Brendon James. He spins beyond what you hear at most bars. Old school gems, obscure newer tunes in addition to my beloved JT and Madge. He just knows how to mix it up well. People are always dancin' and ain't that always fun? In any case, it's a good space with average drinks and a diverse crowd. Worth checking out if you're in the area.

David L.

Fat Baby is a guilty pleasure. I have never gone to the LES with intentions of going to Fat Baby, but it is a convenient place to go to once a few drinks have been consumed and the restless leg syndrome has kicked in. They have the cure with dance floors both upstairs and downstairs. The best thing about this place is that you wont get hassled nor any real attitude at the door or bar.

mia w.

meh, this place used to be good. they had 50's nights and 90's nights and it was packed with happy dancing city folk and jersey trash alike. now it kinda sucks, the bouncers are assholes and the music is whack.

Anita C.

Ok. Not the greatest music the night I went. Interesting crowd.

Allison G.

I liked the scene here... lots of space to spread out (three levels!), and a small-ish space to hear live music (downstairs). It was definitely laid back and cool. Drinks were reasonably priced, and there is a lot of available seating.

Patricia C.

Fat Baby's a good place to meet new, random people. I've done that on several occassions. It has a strange mix of a kind of afterwork crowd and slightly cooler crowd. It's a big place, though there never seems to be anywhere to sit, or even stand for that matter. The basement is good for live performances and dancing (except when it floods or the ceiling leaks...). The main floor is more just a bar, though dancing sometimes occurs. Drinks are cheap and strong, so works for me.

Cher S.

There is a line but if you dont mind waiting getting in isnt a problem. The guy at the door is cool. The music isnt bad. I just didnt dig the crowd. I got that stuck up-snotty feeling that I try to avoid. I think if I was drunk and not paying attention to the people around me it would have been fine. No need to go back

Dana F.

I threw my birthday party here on a Saturday night. The communication leading up to my reservation for tables was fine, I had no problem with that. I purchased the bottles (reasonably priced, I decided to go all-out for the big night and buy 4) and the staff was very good about keeping enough ice, mixers, etc. out for everyone. (Just make sure that you bring a credit card other than Amex, they won't accept it.) My party had access to the upper deck, which was a lot of fun and also an opportunity to be removed from some of the sketchy guys there (who were attempting to pick up my friends and I as I was paying for the bottles at the beginning of the evening). The DJ was a disappointment for me though. I remember Fat Baby in its "glory days," when Piano's and Darkroom were the other LES hotspots. Instead, my DJ played "American Boy" at least 3 times over the course of the evening (not an exaggeration). When my friends and I requested songs that we actually wanted to listen to (namely, Digitalism, Justice, Crookers, etc.) all he had was one Justice track. Although I had bought the 4 bottles and my guests were also buying their own drinks as well, I still had to share the upper deck with another party. The place has also been infiltrated by the frat guys. I had fun, don't get me wrong, but it wasn't everything I had hoped for.

Bailey K.

my favorite place on the LES after 1am on saturday nights.

Jubers J.

If you recently graduated from college, or want to meet people who recently graduated (you perv!), check this place out. There is usually a long line and you'll have to wait a bit to get in, but once inside, expect a super-crowded place crawling with kids from the greek-scene.

mark m.

Fat Baby is probably one of the biggest pieces of shit in the area. If your in a band please do not play. The booking people have no idea what they are doing. They book any bands so you will play with crap bands. The venue itself draws abosutely nobody on friday nights until the shit dance party starts. Typical rude bouncers who think they landed some great job. Drinks are pricey. Save your money and go see a band at one of the many neighboring venues. Hangman booking is a joke. I can go all day.

alex w.

A packed bar when I attended on a recent Friday night, although like a thirtysomething guy, mostly in the middle of the bar. Once you made it through the throng, you had the choice of an upper level looking down on the mass, or exiting for the basement-level bar below. Very loud music, finely-dressed people, average age 25-30. I liked the fact that there was a nice female-to-male ratio, which made it easy to meet people and start conversations. However, it was still five dollars for a Budweiser, which puts it at a certain price range. Has that slinky/loungy feel. Met people ranging from Graphic Designers to Marketing people, to a doctor or two. The owner, Rob, was chatty outside the bar, as was the friendly bouncer. The scene outside was chaos, typical of the night scene these days, but lively and productive. People like to dance there, which was cool.

Jelena S.

ew dude... if you feel like going to the city to hang out with a bunch of long island kids, then this is the place for you! the music was your standard lame old crap (think crappy michael jackson remixes). it was so obnoxiously overpacked with inebriated young guys in suits dancing very very VERY badly. the only things i liked about the place was the bouncer outside busting everyone's balls and the wall paper on the first level.

Jessica A.

A shining light on the LES. Enter the main floor through a velvet curtain to a shiny bar with pumping music from above. People are dancing in the back- the top floor is a bunch of booths and the djs. Downstairs is a venue for a band- saw my friend's punk band there once. Totally a different vibe than upstairs. All in all, lots of fun. Eclectic music played. Always different. A place where you should "know" people. Go either before or after the dives that surround it.

Corey M.

Went to a party at Fat Baby last night, and for the third time in a row I've been there a bunch of belongings were stolen. Purses, cell phones, wallets, laptops, you name it. After confronting them about it, it was clear the management could care less. Plus they never have enough bartenders, and the ones that ARE working mix horrible drinks. Avoid it like the plague.

this is a very cool placecame here for an event. there are 3 floors, the main one is a pretty descent size, theres a cool vibe about the place. not a lot of people know about it and its pretty low key. good place to go on a friday night after a hard days work.

Phil A.

Oh, Fat Baby. i don't see what's not to love about this place. The doorman has always been personable and friendly to us, the DJs are fantastic, and the space itself is always very fun. The drinks aren't all that cheap but their selection is decent, and they have Stone Ale on tap which is always a plus. The DJs play a great mix of house/electro with rap and some old rock, and the basement and upper level are always wasted dance parties. Don't come here looking for a classy night as there are creepers everywhere, but if you go with the right group of friends you'll have a ridiculous time.

Ben C.

the long line attracted me. it must be good right? especially since there were tons of chicks on line too. buuut as soon as you get inside, the place is a disappointment. it's dark here..not sexy dark but cave-dark. the bouncers and bartenders are rude the music and lights are a mess, no thanks fat baby!

Olga R.

this place confuses me. sometimes they play really great music and sometimes it just kind of sucks. however, on good nights there are people going apeshit crazy and it's wonderful. when i am sufficiently drunk, this is the place to be.

ang w.

My friend is the coat-check girl so I was able to surpass bouncer-drama which I have heard can be pretty annoying. However, anyone whose ever complained they didn't get in has nothing to fear- coming to Fat Baby is a miserable, wretched experience for people that enjoy their personal space left unviolated and listening to music at an appropriate decibel level. While I was there with several friends I managed to score a a booth-type seat on the first level. My friends and I had to scream to hear each other, our drinks were either so potent we couldn't drink them or watered down to the max, the music was so awfully cliched and so loud it actually pained my ears. The crowd was downright filthy-- guys with popped collars who'd had too much to drink and thought breathing heavily in my face was a good way to pick me up (I'm taken, but still no chance in hell). Downstairs it was worse.. If you feel like having a guy grind with you a la ninth grade school dance and try to feel your thigh..whilst you are walking away... than this is the place for you. Fat Baby is dreadful for any respectable woman.

miz m.

Fat Baby is a beautiful 3-level bar/music venue. Up top is the DJ booth with cosy banquets and tables. The main level is where the bar is, again with a lovely banquet area. Downstairs is the tiny performance space, clean bathrooms, and bar. Granted, not the best sound/lighting ever, but once the band you've come to see has played you can retreat to the lovely upper floors. These are the same people who brought you the Dark Room...but perhaps this place has a fewer amount of coke fiends.

Berry P.

this place sucks!!! do not waste your time going here the bouncers are sooo rude and disrespectful!!!! me and my friends waited on line for 10 minutes while a big duffy bouncer kept yelling and pointing at ppl asking them to move up and stay in line as if we where kids mind you everyone was literally two inches away from each other which in NYC invading someones space can be an issue specially with strangers! anyway after moving inch by inch my girl friend got frustrated and told the bouncer there is no space for her to move up closer, the bouncer had the nastiest attitude ever and told her to get of the line that she is not welcome, me and my friends was totally shocked at his negative response specially after we sat on this line following all his dumb ass rules! after going back and forth asking him to plz just let her in and that the situation is not that serious the bouncer just kept blocking us and all from continuing on the line it was ridiculous and embarrassing and when we tried to looks for a manger the guard at the door told us he was the manager and that he shall follow the bouncer request not to let us in smh he did not even care to hear the situation. sooooo with that being said get ready to stand on a line and told to move up a thousand times inches away from strangers and make sure not to speak or ur outta there!! as others where leaving the place they complain about expensive drinks and overly crowded so at the end it was not meant to be and we still had a blast at marquee! fuck you fat ass bouncer!!

Mike T.

This place is BOPPIN'! Having heard my good friends Milee & Sandra rave about this place forever, I finally went sometime last year and had an AMAZING time. You walk in and it seems like a normal bar and then at the back there's a loungey/dancey floor area with an upstairs balcny area that my friends and I tend to overtake. This is one of the few places we go where we can actually dance, so we love to tear it up! The music is always amazing, and wether is DJ is a favorite (Brandon James) or another random, they're always open to suggestions and will often play requests (so long as you're quasi hip!) One night we even turned it from a techno party into a hip hop dance off! The drinks are average priced for the area, but the fun part of this place is when you go downstairs in the back to go to the bathrooms and you see a velvet curtain, behind which is a whole other dance bar! Be prepared to sweat it out until the early hours of the morning. Always a good time ;) I love my Fat Baby!

Roger T.

Cool place with 2 bars, one upstairs and one downstairs...crowd was very "Marina"....I thought I was home! It's the company your with that makes for good times and we were with good company....other than that it was AIGHT! Oh and it takes forever to get the ink from the stamp off your hands!! WTF?!

Ron C.

Fat Baby gets a 2.5/5- It's right in the middle and can really do some improvement. The pros and cons seem to cancel each other out. The beer selection is sucks, but the well drinks are strong. The place is spacious, but it does allow a lot of people to come in and have fun. The place is relaxing before 11pm, once that time hits it gets really packed. We were there around 10 and we were able to get a corner booth and actually be able to hear each other. What I do like is that they use the space efficiently with an upstairs that isn't closed off and you can still see up. There is only ONE bathroom and it smells really bad... Will I be back?

Lili K.

This place was alright. I wouldn't really call it a dive bar though, but more of a mini lounge. The dance floor opened up around 11pm (though it's tiny, don't know why they would take awhile to open up), and there was pretty good hip hop music blaring about. Mini chandeliers are strung on top, and there is a small, narrow upstairs area-which is perfect for people just wanting to watch the people move downstairs (creepy?). Bathrooms are downstairs (so the place is like a mini 3-story lounge). Drinks aren't discounted at all (why it's not a divey place) since they're all around $8. I didn't get anything since I just came back from an awesome yelp event and didn't need to drink anymore-but my friends complained about the cheap vodka in their cocktails. Not that diverse of a crowd, and the bouncer marked an "A" on our hands with a red sharpie (yet it's free cover, line was longer when we left an hour later). I wonder if the "A" served as a symbol of adultery for the night out, or if he was just calling us "A" customers. Either way, this venue gets an average "C" from me.

Jamel O.

The lines to get into this place are crazy sometimes.... -1 The people on the line are hit or miss and sometimes, there are some fat babies -1 But they will play hip hop +1 Its way too crowded in there -1 The bouncers are always nice to me +1 Sometimes its a sausage fest -1 A cut above other 3 star places +1/2 not a bad place to visit...

Vanessa S.

I was told to come here because it has a dance floor, which I had failed to see at all, and it had a jazz band underground. The bouncer were really nice, and MUCH younger then they appear to be be. The place had a foul smell too, which made me just run out, right after I got in. Its a really small place, and the decoration was really nice, but not coming back.

Pat P.

It has plenty of space - surprisingly so - especially if you're coming in off the street. There is a main level where there's a bar and some space to stand/dance. There are also tables in a lofted area upstairs. The downstairs basement has a stage and a DJ spinning for the dance floor. All in all, it's a decent experience and can probably be a good temporary stop during a long night in this part of town. You don't need to order cocktails from here, as the staff is often too busy to put much thought into the mixed drinks, but who really does cocktails at dance clubs anyway? Just order the solid drinks or a beer. Check it out if you're in the area.

Sammy B.

This place has come a long way. I used to love it just for the music they played and the friendly bouncer (there's only one friendly one while the other barks at you) but now they have their AC/ventilation on point, and I am in love! It gets insanely crowded especially between the dance floor and the bar. I hate that. There's a good mix of people of different races, attractive and unattractive, tall and short. I don't know, it's diverse all around!

Danielle C.

My friends and I came here on a Saturday night. Before 10pm, it was pretty dead inside, but when we came back after 10pm, it was packed like sardines. There was a small upstairs area but it seemed to be blocked off, except for certain people...? There's a bar upstairs, some seating across from it, and the narrow space in between can also serve as part of the dance floor. However, I wouldn't recommend dancing in this narrow space when it gets super crowded because people are constantly moving through this space trying to get/leave the other dance area. Downstairs there is a decent sized dance floor, another bar area (always crowded with people clamoring for drinks), and a stage. The coat check is actually behind the stage, which doesn't make sense because getting to/from the coat check from the front door takes FOREVER when the place is packed. Grr. And yes they do charge for coat check, I believe it was around $3/item. They played a ton of recent hits - Rihanna, anyone? Black Eyed Peas, etc. Music was really loud, but tearing up the dance floor was still a lot of fun. I didn't buy the drinks here, but there is a three drink minimum if you want to use your credit card. Really?! As far as bathrooms go, there were two stalls for the ladies, but it felt really gross inside. Someone had spilled beer on the floor in one of the stalls. I guess this is to be expected. I kind of wished that the guards outside did better crowd control because it got to a point where it took like 10 minutes to move 3 feet (obviously I'm making those numbers up since I didn't time it, but you know what I mean)!

Cynthia L.

Sometimes it just depends on your company. I came here with a bunch of friends to celebrate a friend's birthday. We arrived pretty early and we had the place to ourselves. There's a bar and floor downstairs, bar and floor with couches on the main level and a balcony on top. It got pretty crowded quickly with everything doing their own thang. There were people out for bachelorette parties, crazy people, frat people etc. I had an awesome hanging with my buds and swaying to the music. btw, it is not dive-ish at all.

Mensa M.

Holy crap this place gets crowded on a Saturday! And for WHAT? It's not all that great. For whatev reason, my friend wasn't given the upper-level balcony for her going-away celebration, so all 30 of us were packed on the left of the main floor past the bar. Barely ANY space to dance. Edit: NONE. No space to walk either. For the first time ever, I was on the near precipice of claustrophobia. We eventually moved downstairs and had much more freedom (Not nearly as much as needed but still.) Music was so-so. People even more so. Long as my friend had a blast that's all that counts. ----------------------- And if I find my pink button-down sweater.

Em G.

I may still be a spring chicken but this place made me say "I'm too old for this shit" after thirty minutes. Will give it another go when I'm completely smashed.

Vanessa K.

My first time at Fat Baby was amazing! [Celebrated my bday here a very long time ago] Lets break it down: - Located in the heart of the Lower East Side (LES) FB sits on the corner of Rivington and Delancey. Across the street you have a Bodega thats open 24/7 and around the Corner you have $1.00 Pizza's. AMAZING WHEN LEAVING THE CLUB AT 4 AM. As soon as you get to the block, you see the line around the corner. FRET NOT, the line moves extremely quick and when you get to the big bouncers up front... You are met with some very well mannered gentlemen. Very professional and extremely helpful and knowledgable of the area. when you walk in you are met with a very high energy crowd, which is a positive because it gives you a sense of the fun level in the venue. The bartenders are EXTREMELY helpful... the drinks are extremely cheap and they are NOT WATERED DOWN! Also a plus!!! THE RESIDENT DJ: @DJSCHOOLBOY on instagram; is one of the best DJ's in the LES and around NYC from what i hear. He's extremely cool very talented and PLAYS REALLY GOOD MUSIC! I love how he blends and mixes music. BUT, fair warning... HE DOES NOT TAKE REQUESTS! So, if you think you are going up to the DJ booth to request a bday song, guess what... YOU WILL BE MET BY HIS ENTOURAGE (Family members/cousins and friends). They are really cool guys that will stop you and ask you if you are trying to request a song. They will respectfully take your request and tell you that they will let him know. Shout out to the DJ's cousin, Tall spanish kid with Glasses (well built) really cool and respectful guy that also bought me a birthday drink. Over all, everyone is really chill and cool. The staff is so dope. Since my first time at fat baby for my bday, I've been coming here for the past year. The vibe is always GOOD TIMES! Better Late post than never.

Benji _.

NOT MY SCENE. As a musician, I would not want to play here. If you must play in the city on a weekend, go to Cakeshop or keep your band in Brooklyn where people appreciate live music and can get cheap drinks, without having to brave the sea of humanity that is the LES. I do not go to dance clubs, and prefer not to go to Manhattan on the weekend if i can help it, but went here to see some friends' bands on a Saturday. The live sound is actually pretty good. The band sounded good and the crowd was into it. Sound guy did a good job. Decent beers (Lagunitas, Brooklyn, Blue Moon) on tap. Bar has 3-drink minimum for credit cards, you may have to wait a little while for the bartender to appear. I do commend the club for having live music in the basement. I understand having loud dancey music (ugh), after all it is a dance-ish club, but you should not have the exact same house music blaring downstairs between sets in the band room! A rock show should have some kind of rock music between the acts. Wait till the bands stop playing before blasting the bad pop music. The sidewalk outside the club is a sh*tshow. Crowded with the kind of people i try to avoid. This is what you get when you're foolhardy enough to play the LES on a saturday night. The bouncers were pretty rude to friends' band as we tried to load our instruments out through the basement. Hoping i never have to come back here. Never again will i take Cakeshop shows for granted.

Joe C.

Went here for my birthday on a Saturday Night Here is the deal: This is a Dive mess of a club. It's fun though. Dress Code: Sneakers are fine, No Hats, don't have to do a button down, just look nice and you are good. The bouncers are not jerks. Some people dress up, some don't. Floor Plan: The main bar is not a wide area and It was PACKED when we got there, we could NOT move. Keep walking toward the back and you step down three or four steps onto the dance floor that opened up closer to 12am. This dance floor is right on top of the table service area, it gets packed so table service in this areas is NOT worth it after 12am. You can also head upstairs for table service, or downstairs to the second bar. Bottle Service: You can do bottle service if you want, I would NOT do it on the mail level, unless you want unknown people dancing right on top of you. if you want to do bottle service and you want your own area, go upstairs (overlooking the main bar - next to the DJ) or don't do it at all. I would NOT do table service downstairs either. 10 people to a bottle. Bottle is about $300 with tax and tip i believe. Bottle options are Very Small. Cheap Vodka or Expensive Vodka. That's it. Vibe: Everyone that comes to this place is looking to have fun. This is the best part of the East Village Vibe, (although it is no where near what it was 10 years ago) People are laid back and looking to have a good time in the east village. It's not pretentious and there aren't kids with money they never had before running around like idiots. Seems like a place you want to go if you want to meet people outside of your group. Everyone has that twinkle in there eye haha. What my group did: My group did NOT do bottle service because we just hung out downstairs at the bar which was a little less crowded and we danced and had a lot of fun - it's not a strict place, so there was empty tables that my friends could sit at and drink there drinks if they needed to take a rest from dancing or drinking. Music: HipHop and some dance. Mostly HipHop

Taylor P.

Great place to start the night with your friends. not the chicest, but music is on-point and you can hang at the bar, sit in a booth, or dance. good spot for whatever you might be in the mood for

Kaulana V.

Bouncer stuffing his face with a sandwich got mayonaise on my ID. Watching him finish his last bite, he straight up rolled his sandwich wrapper into a ball and threw it onto the street. What a dump!

Mysti R.

I was here for about 20 minutes. My friends wanted to see what it's all about and we hated it. There was no space to even stand around. People kept knocking my drink over. At that point I was ready to pour my drink all over the next person who knocked into me. I was very angry. It was not a place I will ever go to again.

Xi L.

Can't go upstairs unless you get bottle service, can't sit at a regular table with drinks from the bar (all of this after 10pm), aka all of these random rules that come into place when people start filling in EVEN though after this time nobody I see is actually getting bottle service or even going upstairs. Just wasting space here guys...Drinks range from 9-15$, 15$ for those that come in a big glass. Its decent and service is relatively friendly except for the random imposition of those rules.. Music is alright, some top 10's, edm, alternative.

Alyssa K.

This place reminds me of my old college stomping grounds, i.e. a good old fashioned dive bar. In true Lower East Fashion, it's teeny tiny and cramped to the max. On a Saturday night there were far too many people crammed in there so I sure hope there were no firemen around to bust them. The way the staircases tend to be (steep and twisting) can invite a lot of drunk falls when heels and liquor are involved-as it did with 2 girls in front of me. Bar service was pretty quick for us as girls who could wiggle up to the bar easily. I think some other people were trying to close out tabs and were having a little more trouble instead of people who were actively ordering drinks. Where this place loses stars for me is the bouncers. I was meeting a group of girlfriends here after taking the train across town in the snow. As an out of towner I don't get time in the city much and was headed out of town the next morning. I called said girlfriend to have her come let me in but the doorman was adamant on making me wait 20 minutes in the freezing snow when I was meeting 10 people inside. Not cool, man. He made it up to me by not charging me anything at the door. I think my experience may have been a tad different had I come here when it wasn't freezing. I'll come back if I'm in LES again and in the mood to reminisce at a good dive bar.

Devin G.

Loveeee this place! Every time I come to the LES I always stop by. The drinks are strong and the music is what keeps me coming back. I'm obsessed with the djs playlist. It's kind of divey but packs out on the weekends. Always a good time.

Liz C.

*** Crowded, Nice bouncers, Top 40's Music *** This place is always crowded after 11 pm. The bouncers are great and so sweet. The bartenders are also really nice and you can get a drink pretty easy. The crowd is a huge range, but you're guaranteed to have a good time dancing if you're out with a group of friends. There is no cover for females.

Drea D.

YES if you're looking for divey dancing to solid pop/rock hits but not planning on drinking a lot there. Only went once, but had a great time dancing and only had 2 drinks. Drinks were pricey but no cover to get in (was sometime after 10pm). Top floor super crowded, bottom better and cooler. LGBTQ friendly rainbow flag a bonus.

Diemm N.

This place feels like a fraternity / sorority meets after-after hours. So wasted you can't even walk straight, throwing up all over the place. LIVIDLY GROSS.! R-A-C-H-E-T. Borderline drunk people are vs its time for you to go take a nap on the sidewalk honey, better yet sleep on the sidewalk. God I was scared for myself and my shoes.

Lisa T.

Typical club with overpriced drinks. Place gets way too crowded though. No where to stand. So crowded people just stand on the dancefloor area. There are better places to go to in the city than here.

Talia F.

I went here this past Saturday to celebrate a friend's bday. It was my first time so I wasn't sure what to expect, although my girlfriend, who has been here before a good while back, said it should be fun. Unfortunately, it wasn't so much. The bartenders were fine, but the amount of people they let in was INSANE. We got there at 1030 and it was fine. Enough room to dance and stand around and chill. By midnight, once they let the downstairs room open up, it became an awful, hazardous, and sardine-packed bar both upstairs and down. Why someone would want to literally feel like they're in a hot subway car when all you want to do is dance and drink is beyond me. Girls were literally trying to dance on the stage with they're arms and heads pushed up against the ceiling like it was cool and fun. I didn't get it. We left a short while after to a bar nearby and had an awesome time there instead. Not going back here again. I only give this place 2 stars for the bartenders and decent music.

Veronica S.

I stumbled in here drunk one night with my boyfriend, because we wanted to check out the stage for music venues (since he may have been playing an upcoming show). It's really expensive (naturally, it's a club) and is tremendously crowded. There are definitely better clubs out there. This bar is trying too hard and not succeeding.

Natalie M.

Definitely a fan. The night we went, they had two awesome DJs playing upstairs and downstairs. Coat check was also inexpensive and there were places to sit if needed to. It seemed like a mix crowd, pretty diverse --a few young, a few older. The music was great to listen and dance to. I had a great time here! I would check this place out again.

Lela R.

This place is as fun as its name!! If you want to get down, and want a place that pumps out good vibes, I'd suggest coming here with your dancing shoes ready. Literally. Ladies, don't bother coming here in heels. Fat Baby is the only place with a DJ that continues to play great hits after hit. Yes, the DJ played 'Back that azz up' circa 1999, and I nearly lost my mind and control over my body. Yes, it's a bit hot in here but thats from all the bodies moving from the hot tracks being played. And there are two floors you can get down on plus a stage. If you need to cool down, stand in front of the huge fans for a bit, buy a drink from the friendly bartenders and keep on moving! Fair warning, because this place is usually packed, beware of your phones, wallets, etc. The bouncers will give the ladies a quick reminder about their purses. Anyways, I found my new favorite place in the LES. Y'all might catch me there getting down on stage.

Lily Z.

The only highlights of my time at Fat Baby are that the security guys are funny and nice. Plus, the drinks were cheaper than the next bars we went to. But as soon as we walked in, it was hot, people making out everywhere and sleazy guys trying to touch me. It's like teenagers at prom but without the pretense of trying to look nice.