The Bowery Electric — Restaurant in New York

I debated even writing this review, but I had a weird experience here when I went to support a friend's band and now feel compelled to note it:

First, the door guy scanned my 100% legitimate, state-issued Vermont ID and proclaimed it fake and told me to leave. After a minute of back-and-forth where I insisted my ID was real, and upon realizing I was making no headway, I asked for a refund of the tix I pre-purchased. A manager came over and tried to explain that "[my] Vermont ID isn't worth losing [their] liquor license over," which is a totally legitimate concern on their end. I do not fault them for this take, they're just doing their job. Still, after inquiring about how to get a refund for my tix, and asking if there was any other form of verification I could provide (i.e. a CC with my name on it, a picture of my lease, etc), the manager relented and said that if I had some other federal- or state-issued proof of ID I could enter. After a minute of searching, I discovered an old expired ID in my wallet that I keep for posterity, which he accepted in addition to my current ID and allowed me in. Thank goodness I had it on me, though I can't help but wonder if he only gave in to me because I asked for specifics (including his name) in the refund process. Regardless, I generally don't like callous assumptions about myself, in this case that my ID MUST HAVE BEEN fake because it didn't scan the way they expected. Again, these gentlemen were only doing their jobs, so I don't fault them for carrying on as they're expected to. Still, their customer service acumen in this regard left something to be desired.

The strangeness didn't end there. I looked past the incident at the door and opened a tab downstairs. I ordered the same pair of drinks twice, and when my partner went to close my tab at the end of the night, the bartender said he did not have my card. She summoned me, and when I came up to try and close my tab again, he insisted that he did not have my card. I gave him my name and a description of my cards (he had my ID too); skeptical though he was, the bartender did some digging and found it set apart (for some reason) from the cards of the other patrons with open tabs. I get that mistakes can be easy to make, but so strong was his conviction in telling me that he did not have my card - when he absolutely did - that it struck me as somewhat patronizing. I was not drunk, nor was I slurring my speech, nor was I acting aggressive at any point during the night, so this was also not an affront borne of spite towards my behavior in their venue. Again, mistakes can be easy to make, but the bartender - who up until now had been perfectly pleasant in interaction - only gave me my card back with a muttering of "my bad." I recognize that he was likely ignorant of what had occurred upstairs with the door guy and the manager, but with all of the evening's infractions taken together, a shot on the house would've been a nice gesture of good will and maybe secured my continued patronage. I get it, the service industry can suck, but are these common occurrences at this establishment? This was my first time here and ultimately left somewhat of a negative impression on me.

Alas, I will likely not default to the Bowery Electric for future evenings, despite how good of a venue it is (nice stage, good sound, great space, solid drinks, clean bathrooms). I certainly can't speak for anyone else's potential experience here, but I urge any attendees with newly-issued state IDs to bring a second form of ID with them, inconvenient though that may be. Hopefully the Bowery Electric update their scanners soon, or stay apprised of changes in the appearance of various domestic...

Count your change, shaddy Bartender. Last night (Sat.) I went to The Bowery Electric for an event. The event space downstairs wasn’t ready yet. The man who greeted me at the door was polite & friendly. He stamped my wrist & said grab a drink at the bar, it’s Happy Hour. At the bar I ordered “Whiskey-ginger”. When the bartender brought me my drink & I asked how much, he said “$11, $12 with tax”. Puzzled, I asked “Is that Happy Hour price?”. The bartender looked at me and said “Yes.” And stood & waited as I went into my purse to get out more money. I paid & tipped and took my drink. Something just didn’t seem right to me. I went to the front door, looked outside and the sandwich board advertising Happy Hour for The Bowery Electric, clearly says well drinks $8. I went back to the bartender and told him that the sign out front said Happy Hour mix drinks are $8 and you charged me $12. He looks at me and says, “I gave you Jameson”. And I said, “I did not ask for Jameson. It’s happy hour and I ordered just whiskey-ginger”. “Okay”. The bartender turns around and hands me $3. I say, “Happy Hour is $8”. He says, “$8 plus tax, $9. You have a good night”.

Lets unpack all of this. It is Happy Hour time at the bar, you Know that is what people are ordering, that is why bars have Happy Hour prices. When I asked regarding the $12, is that Happy Hour, he said Yes and did not say anything regarding Jameson. When I returned, quoting the price listed on the sign outside, only then did he say, “I gave you Jameson”. He gave me, he did not say this is what I ordered, he gave me something I did not ask for. Next, tax on $11 & $8, both, is $1. Last, no apology just a snarky “You have a good night.”

The Bowery Electric. Cool looking bar, nice space downstairs for events. Front door guy, friendly & inviting. The Bartender, CAN NOT...

Came here to see my friend’s show. Was very excited about supporting her. Unfortunately, at the fault of the venue—missed it.

If you’re a musician thinking of booking this venue, either don’t, or make sure you tell your friends directly where they should be going for your set (there are two floors).

Upon arrival, the person greeted my friend and I, asked us which show we were there to see, and directed us downstairs. An hour and a half later, we thought we were waiting for our friend’s set still, the greeter came down in a panic, and told us that our friend had already played upstairs. Without giving us a chance to respond, he claimed he had directed us to the upstairs room, and blamed us for going to the wrong place. It’s clear to us that what happened is he made a mistake, realized it, and freaked out. But to handle it by angrily blaming us is bizarre / uncalled for, and made an unpleasant experience worse.

This was my first time at the venue so I would not have walked downstairs of my own accord. I did not even realize there was a downstairs until he pointed it out.

To top things off, when we exited the venue shortly after, he cheerfully said, “Have a good night!”

When watching the sets downstairs, I was already planning on recommending the venue to other musician friends because I thought everything seemed smooth. Definitely won’t be recommending it now.

I wanted to tell his manager but didn’t see management around, so came here to warn ahead of booking this venue: Either don’t do it, or make sure you tell your friends directly where they should be going for your set! Def one of the worse/weirdest customer service experiences. We’re upset that we missed the chance to support our friend, and instead of offering anything for their mistake, like free drinks or food, they blamed us / acted like it wasn’t a big...