Cellar Dog — Restaurant in New York

(i know the owner is gonna get big mad and bully me in the replies for this one lol)

my two friends and i came here after getting dinner just to listen to jazz and vibe. i guess this place is close to where a lot of NYU students are because the bouncer thought that my and my one friend’s IDs were fake. he started doing that thing that bouncers do where they ask you what’s on your ID to see if you’ll screw it up. he wasn’t very nice about it, it’s like bro was itching and scratching to not let us in. dude absolutely destroyed the mood.

unfortunately, the bouncer’s tone started making my friend really nervous. he hadn’t ever had his ID questioned before and he hadn’t yet updated it (he had just moved), so when asked for his address, he didn’t give the one that was on the license. the bouncer said it was wrong, then kept rolling his eyes, laughing at him, and began repeating “don’t be scared, don’t be scared” to my friend who was... clearly scared. he then asked my friend for a secondary form of identification which, like... what? the only thing he had on him was his old student ID, which expired like two years ago lol. this finally got the bouncer off of him, thankfully.

post-lambasting my friend, the bouncer started asking me the same questions, but my ID is up to date so i answered all of his questions without a hitch. he rolled his eyes and then asked me for another ID, as well. maybe i’m the odd one out here, but who carries a secondary form of ID on them? i also have an enhanced license, which i’m pretty sure is a federal crime to fake, as it is basically a passport. i ended up just showing him my driver’s insurance card, that’s the closest thing i had. at that point, he FINALLY let us in.

after all that struggle, the place kinda... sucked. was not even worth the $5 cover. the bartender was rude and the bar barely had any alcohol (at 10 PM on a thursday night with a bunch of college students inside?). it was dark and dingy and NOT in a quirky way. i don’t need a place to be fancy or anything, this was just gross. another friend and i got their “pride” drink which was just pineapple juice and soju. that’s it. the drink was not mixed well, to say the least.

the only good part of this place was that they had a phenomenal jazz band playing... but with all the hassling, next time i will go anywhere else. new york city has so much more to offer —...

Hello,

I would normally start with “I hope you are doing well,” but, frankly, I do not. The experience some of my friends had at Cellar Dog was nothing short of horrendous. I rarely ever write reviews but their experience was so terrible, I feel obligated to write one. Let me explain:

Many of my friends from Fordham University came from different states but reside in NYC. As such, their IDs may be from different states, but they are 21+ (as seen by a vertical ID and the fact that they correctly scan). Believe it or not, having an out-of-state ID does not immediately mean that It is fake (unless of course, you are the moronic workers at Cellar Dog).

They’ve never had any problems with this, but unfortunately for them, Cellar Dog decided to make a problem out of nothing. One of my friends is 22, with an out-of-state ID. While all of my other friends were allowed into the bar (many of who had out-of-state IDs), she was the only one who was denied entry.

The date of birth?: Accurate. Over 21?: Of course Did the ID scan?: Surely, any reasonable worker would make sure to scan the ID if they thought it was fake (Of course, the Cellar Dog worker did not)

So, the worker at Cellar Dog not only insulted my friend by saying her ID was fake, they refused to take any meaningful steps to prove it was fake.

Here’s a direct quote from one of your workers: “I don’t like your ID.” Oh, wow. Yes, Cellar Dog, that is how an ID works. Who cares if the person is 21 - if I don’t like the ID, I won’t let you in. Truly brilliant analysis - hat’s off.

Now, I hesitate to make any sweeping assumptions, but the denied individual was a member of the LGBTQ+ community. Again, I am not here to make any inferences without proof, but I’ll leave it to the audience to do with that what they will.

Their treatment of my friends was gross, and quite frankly, I’m glad that they didn’t get let in. I’m sure the food and drinks are just as disgusting as the people who work there.

Bravo, Cellar Dog. It takes an impeccable place to provide such awful business. I will happily accept an apology on their behalf but even that is not nearly enough. I will encourage everyone I know to never step foot...

July 2025 - Great space! Check hours but no cover before 6p. $10 afterwards.

Live jazz starting at 7p with one band and then a late night band. Check schedule. The 2 bands I've heard are legit! No need to go to Smalls, this will do just fine. One grand piano from Steinway & Sons, and one fancy cool organ. The sound system sounds great. It can get loud, so keep that in mind. One ~55 TV showing sports, no sound. But maybe if you asked when there wasn't jazz playing?? Not sure. One poster of John Coltrane Perfect AC Games get charged by the hour, including pool/billiards ping pong tables, table shuffle board, fooz ball, and board games like chess, checkers, dominoes, scrabble and others. Pool, Ping Pong and Shuffle board are $8 per hour Sun - Th and $9 per hour Fri and Sat. Draft beers range from $6-$14 No kitchen means you can bring your own food! One stand up video game with different classic games, including Galaga 1, 2 and 3 (didn't know?), Centipede, Pac Man and more. 50 cents per game. 2 quarters. self serve water fountain Young kids and teens are welcome with parents Lots of college kids, but clearly everyone is welcome. Super casual space. Shorts a ok.

This is a great place.

This uses to be The Eight Ball and then Fat Cat. Then around Covid it turned...