The Grisly Pear - Greenwich Village — Restaurant in New York

Edit: after fighting the charge, the var went out of their way to not refund the returned drinks. Bringing this down to 1 star. We regret ever giving this establishment money. Too many dive bars and comedy clubs to waste any time or money on a place that treats patrons like that.

Original review: Solid dive bar atmosphere and great amateur comedy with one really bad bartender that is the sole reason for two stars. The comedy had some hits and misses, but all of it was enjoyable and worth way more than a $10 ticket. If you want to see earnest performances by amateur standup comedians, you'd be hard pressed to find a better spot. The kind of place where the comedians themselves were selling the tickets themselves on the corner. I love it. (Shouts to David Caggiano! You were great that night!)

That being said. The bartender was so bad, unsure if we'll be back. Ordered some old fashions. He serves multiple groups who ordered after us. Nbd. It's a bar, it happens. Finally get them, but they come with soda. I've never in my life seen an old fashion with soda, but come to find out that's just how they do them there. We take a sip and it's pretty awful. We just ask if they can be made the normal way without soda. He treats this as if we're nuts. I say just get us two bourbons neat, a beer and a wine, because the show is about to start and it's a two drink minimum. He brings us the drink. My wife and I both say thank you multiple times and sorry for the bother. He's being rude, but we're ignoring it. I hand him my card, he runs it, and as I'm quickly signing, I realize it's way too much. I asked him why it's so much and he says it's for the two old fashions. When asked why we were charged for them. Then he insults me and ignores me. We just go to the show because it's not worth missing it for that guy. As we leave, I wished him well and hope he has a better night.

I've worked in nightlife for 20 years. I have seen some awful bartender behavior, and that's up there with the worst of them. A straight up guarantee to turn patrons away. Just remake the drink, or make new ones. Don't insult your customers because they made you feel bad for not knowing the normal way to make an old fashioned. Definitely don't charge their card for a higher amount hoping they just won't notice. When they do notice and bring it up, just offer the refund for the two unused drinks. Or maybe just don't be a bartender.

We're disputing the charge (just the two drinks) through our credit card. Happy to pay...

Stopped in for a nightcap with my husband, mom & brother (who were visiting) after seeing a nearby comedy show. While they were deciding what they wanted from the bar, I went to the restroom.

By the time I got back, the group was debating leaving because it was a bit rowdier than expected, and I agreed, pointing out to my husband that the bouncer was aggressively watching me, and I was uncomfortable.

The rest of my group exited the bar, but before I could follow, the bouncer physically moved in front of the doorway and told me he wouldn’t let me leave until I buy a drink. As I was explaining to him that we had a change in plans and I’d like to leave because I was uncomfortable, my husband walked up to ask what was going on, the bouncer yelled “I’m working here” and shoved him into the street... all this in front of my visiting mom and brother.

If he even been halfway decent about it, I would have happily told our group actually let’s stick around for a drink. It looked like a cool spot, was just a little crazier than we were going for at that time of the night. No chance after that.

FYI - After reading a few reviews, overly aggressive bouncers seem to be a reoccurring issue. One yelp user said the bouncer followed them down the street/beat up their boyfriend just a week before our visit. Thank god all we got was physical intimidation...

The comedians were good, some even great, but it is a shame we couldn't hear literally 30 minutes out of the 90 minutes show because the waitress has the worst problem solving skills I've ever seen in an adult. She was either having a really bad day or just doesn't have basic social skills and couldn't leave us enjoying the show before discussing. She ended up distracting a bunch of people around us, making the entire situation as awkward as possible and creating a bad experience out of what could be a great evening.

When we bought tickets, nobody told us there was a minimum purchase of 2 items per person. They do not sell food, and I don't drink alcohol. I didn't want to order anything to drink. I proposed tipping instead of ordering drinks that would go to waste, but the waitress said it was absolutely mandatory to purchase 2 drinks per person, and she would not leave our side until we ordered so. After missing out 2 of the 6 comedians she finally proposed that I ordered bottles of water, what ended up being much less money for them, proving my point that we could have that sorted out AFTER the show I payed to see, and ruining the experience.

If you are not aiming to drink, avoid this club. The lack of snacks, food, good personnel, and silence during the show resulted in this solid...