Great music on a number of jazz styles are all available at Birdland. There are several venues in this one location, including the theater, the jazz club, and more. Recommend you check their website listings to see what's on, or they post a sheet outside next to the front door if you are walking by. The format is a reservation fee ($20 for bar stool seating, $30 for table and chair seating is common) and a requirement for minimum $20 food and/or beverage spend during your performance. It's not difficult to get to $20, the salads and starters are between $10-20, and drinks are $5-12 or more. Menu contains a good list of starters if you prefer smaller munchies, or full dinner mains if you prefer a meal. The bar is staffed by skilled bartenders and maintains a good selection to make cocktails to small batch shipping whiskey. I have brought guests here to enjoy dinner and a show, but staying nearby, my favorite way to enjoy Birdland is to get a seat at the bar for the 530 pm - 7 pm show, and enjoy the entertainment while I catch my dinner. On Wednesdays at this time the resident band (for 22 years!) plays New Orleans style jazz from the Louis Armstrong period. For vegetarians I can recommend the spinach salad with apples, walnuts, and toasted goat cheese. They also have a vegetarian burger option.

With more than 50 years in business (at least by name), Birdland is a classic jazz den in the city's theater district. I came to see Stacey Kent amd enjoyed delicious cocktails and good music. As usual at jazz clubs, the crowds are middle-aged in average. The club has a minimum drink policy in place, and would usually hold 2 or 3 shows per night. Will definitely visit again.

Amazing!! I saw this place on Instagram and I thought it would be a cool date night event for my girlfriend and I. This would be our first dinner and show date. They’ve exceeded my expectations with stellar service, hospitality, professionalism, and food quality. Everyone was so helpful and the food was well worth your money. Definitely planning my next visit soon!

We had a fantastic time at this jazz club! The live music was absolutely amazing, and the atmosphere was electric. The talented musicians created an unforgettable experience, and the staff was friendly and attentive. Whether you're a jazz enthusiast or just looking for a fun night out, this club is a must-visit.

Spent Christmas evening with Birdland Jazz and the remarkable talent of Champian and her trio-now quartet! A truly remarkable experience and amazing way to celebrate Christmas. The music, the amazing musicians, Champian’s voice-Classic, brilliant, amazing. The service was bleh-I got stuck with a horrible server-she was overwhelmed and not very good at her job-the table beside me had the best server-she was so polite and happy to be there-very much contrast to my server. The show was moved from 8:30 to 9:30 then it didnt start until 9:50-a little disappointing and drawn out-but the show was worth the wait.

Part One: After a lovely brisk day at Bryant Park, my cousin and I decided to defrost our frozen toes and button nose at Birdland Jazz Club. Please note, my cousin and I are live music venue enthusiasts. As Afro-Latinas, music runs through our veins and we can appreciate great music. With that said, we have visited many live music venues: Groove, Blue Note, BB King Blues Club, Terraza 7, the Shrine, just to name a very few. We were excited to experience a “top notch” venue while enjoying drinks, food, and classic jazz. Initially, we were seated downstairs. The music, serene and the musicians had a well-balanced sense of humor. We ordered the meatballs and prosciutto to start. The meatballs were divine, and as main course, I ordered the southern fried chicken and my cousin the Cajun jambalaya. My only bone to pick about the food was that the chicken was not seasoned. Southern fried chicken…? C’mon, where were the salt and pepper? But regardless, very tasty meals. In addition, I ordered two cocktails and so did my cousin. When the performance finished and were told an Afro-Latin Jazz band would be playing upstairs, we jumped with the excitement at the opportunity to be seated upstairs and not only understood, but gladly accepted the expectation of the additional $20 per person minimum charge. We were ecstatic and were seated promptly upstairs. The music? One of the best Afro-Latin Jazz performance I have seen and appreciated the historical side notes of the band leader (?).

Our experience there was wonderful. The band was everything we could have hoped for in a 16 piece big band. The guest singer was awesome as well. We were there for the early seating last Friday, Sept. 8 and the band performing was the "Birdland Big Band." Our food was also very good. Had the Penne, Risotto with some added Shrimp and drinks. Staff was very attentive. One problem we did have was taken care after a few phone calls and couple of days. Our orders and credit cards were switched with another patron's. Very dark in there and we were being hurried to pay because staff was getting ready for the next show. It all got resolved in the end.

Two Elements Here. #1 The Music and the show here were excellent. The Gil Evans Project was phenomenal, entertaining, and just flat our an amazing time. We could not have asked for a better jazz experience, and highly recommend. #2: The food and drinks were okay at best. We came with the mindset of having a full dinner here. While the food was fine, it was a bit underwhelming, especially for NYC. If you can, I would recommend doing a full dinner elsewhere, and then coming here and enjoying something small, if anything. The drink menu was okay, and the cocktails looked pretty solid. We did a bottle of wine, and honestly it was not great (which is partially on us) but the selection of red was pretty limited. We had an amazing time, but would just change up our approach with doing dinner first, and then coming for the show and light drinks.

My wife and I attended Saturday, October 2, 2021 5-6:30 PM for Eric Comstock with Sean Smith on Bass and special guest vocalist Barbara Fasano. We thoroughly enjoyed the music. This trio was fun, entertaining and delightful. The ambience at the Birdland Jazz club was quite romantic. Our food and drink selections were reasonable and very delicious. The bar and wait staff were prompt and attentive. This was the perfect pre-theatre venue that we needed. A funny sidenote, my wife had broken her shoe upon arrival. So after the show I had to return to our hotel to retrieve another pair of shoes for her. By the time I got back she had made new friends of the entertainers and the bar staff who asked me “where is your cape?” I guess because they had referred to me as a Superhero for flying to the hotel and back so fast. It just goes to show how wonderfully friendly and welcoming the people at the Birdland Jazz Club are! We will be back, this time with better shoes!

Part Two: However, as easily impressed we were with the music and food, we were immediately turned off and disappointed by the service we received upstairs. In one word - disgusted. We were purposely ignored by our waiter and after an hour and a half of performance, our cups of water weren’t filled not even once. As the only Afro Latinas sitting in our section (and maybe the only ones there despite a handful who were seated with white guests), we were deliberately ignored and denied service while the waiter catered to White guests seated beside us. The table right next to us got their water filled 3 times when the waiter had to walk past our table to serve them. Not to mention, the manager personally came to our table minutes after the band started to shush us, while other guest were talking and being disruptive. When the performance ended we spoke to the waiter and asked to speak to her manager because the service was disheartening. She apologized and noted the manager gave her instruction not to serve us. We were dumbfounded and asked to speak to her immediately. The manager’s lame excuse for poor service, or lack-there-of, was because she was under the impression we weren’t going to purchase anything because we had ordered downstairs. I expressed to her my confusion with her excuse when the policy is $20 minimum per person at the table. I also emphasized that despite her thought whether we were purchasing or not, she is in the business of service and at minimum we should have at least had our cups filled with water. That is good customer service. But this is where it be your own people that immediately stereotype you. Because we are Afro-Latinas, we were extremely casually dressed (I wore a T-shirt, jeans, and sneakers) it was assumed by the manager that we were going to be disruptive (that’s why she made sure to personally shush us in the beginning) and that we were not going to pay our table. Every table around us received service, but we were treated like uninvited guests. I let her know that I knew her lack of service to our table was due to her prejudice and biased thoughts of us because we were not White. She assumed we didn’t have money to pay for the table and therefore assumed we didn’t deserve minimal service. I expressed my disappointment in her in being a Black woman like us, to treat us indifferent and less-than the White patrons. She was dishonestly apologetic and offered us free tickets to another event and free drinks. All of a sudden, everything was free. We let her know we didn’t want anything free. We didn’t come to freeload and we have sufficient money to pay for any event, drinks, or food. What we deserved as humans were to be treated with dignity and equitably. Would I recommend Birdland? Would I return? I don’t know. The music was great, the service downstairs was as it should be, but upstairs….what a turn off. Please train your waiters on inclusive hospitality and equitable customer service. No customer in your establishment should ever walk out feeling embarrassed and treated like poop.

Intimate and cozy jazz club right off Times Square. Great sound systems for the performances. Spacious bar area with good selection of beverages and food options. All tables and seats have good views of the stage. Many nostalgic photos of past stars and acts adorn the walls. A pleasant Gift shop. Their "quiet policy" during performances is enforced.

Just. Incredible. Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra was one of the most together bands I’ve heard. We came to two sets and each was different.

Awesome live jazz club near Times Square with an expansive food menu! Tables are stadium style with each row a bit higher than the one below it. More spacious and less crammed than Blue Note and other downtown clubs. Show lasted only an hour - wish it had been a bit longer for a price of $40 ticket and $20 minimum.

By far our favorite jazz venue in NYC. Both rooms (Jazz Club upstairs and Theater downstairs) are beautifully designed for good sight lines to the stage, with fantastic sound and lighting systems. Food quality is excellent and reasonably priced. Birdland is a world class live music venue that also serves excellent food, as opposed to a restaurant with live music.

Go for the music. Food was better than I expected after reading some reviews. Service was fantastic up to the point of my bill. Review carefully, which isn't easy in dark lit room. I ended up paying for drinks and deserts for some other table😞. With that said, the service and everything else was great. You have to buy tickets to get in, and purchase dinner. The dinner alone is reflected on my report. I'll go again.

Music was superb. Literally felt like I went back to sinatras era. Really awesome place if you want to get away from your boring life and detach. Thin crust pizza was the highlight of the menu.

Great performance of The Hot Sardines with Elizabeth Bougerol at Birdland. Mostly 1920's jazz songs that sounded new again, some original songs, great tap dancer. We truly enjoyed it. Food and drinks -fried calamari were tasty. I personally did not like their Mojitos, too much lime, and too little rum 😆. Better off with the wine or beer. However we came for the music and we left very happy!

Wow!! This place knows how to put on a jazz performance! I had the lovely opportunity to hear the Catherine Russel Band and they were amazing. Such a special and intimate night at this lovely establishment. Cannot wait to return!

An absolute must-go spot, no matter if you're local or in town only for the weekend! It was a great pleasure watching Houston Person's performance, what a legend!! Service is top notch, very friendly, very calm and accommodating. Prices are maybe a bit higher but nowadays everything is slightly overpriced. Location is also very convenient, only a few blocks from Times Square and if by subway you've 42nd Port Authority station and basically every train stops there. I wouldn't recommend driving, especially not weekends but no matter how you decide to get to the Birdland Jazz Club, just get there, it's totally worth!! 🌟🌟🌟🤙🏼🍻🎙️

An amazing jazz club, it does live up to the legend. It's been multiple time we went there, it is always a treat and what a spectacle. All the artists are over the top, it is really more than just a show. Afterward, the drink served are also great and well done by the bartender. The food it just OK, nothing amazing, you won't come back for that but at least it does the job and it is not overly priced considering the location. Amazing guys, keep up !

We love the place! Nice Jazz atmosphere and music as expected. Reasonable price 5 star service. If you looking for a Jazz night time in NYC or a romantic place for a Jazz lovers this is definitely a must.

Great jazz, good service, and nice atmosphere but you need to make sure your order is done right. We had to send a drink order and side order back to get what we requested. The band was incredible, though!

cannot miss out on this gem if you are a jazz lover. love the performance schedule here. great customer service, reasonable price too

We went to a show there on a Saturday evening. We sat at the bar instead of a table which was nice. Wish the bar seats had backs but regardless the seats were great to view the band from the side. The beer and wine selection is small but okay, we got the hummus appetizer which was pretty good. I would definitely suggest going and checking out a show it is worth it.

Big band jazz sound. $40 ticket price seams a little steep, but I guess they got a lot of people to feed out of it. Band sounded great , would love to go back next time I’m in the city

Amazing jazz club with an intimate atmosphere and great service. Came here to watch Ravi Coltrane quartet and had a nice time. Food was subpar and expensive but the show, sound system and service made up for it.

Great place to enjoy entertainment we went on open mic night, which felt like more talking with artists advertising their relevant shows and upcoming appearances. But overall a lovely evening. My wife had a bottle of Prosecco $55 and I had bottle of Corona all night, my wife did order a warm goats cheese salad, that was very under par and certainly wasn’t worth $21

Wonderful performance, delicious food, and blissful drinks. The entire atmosphere is absolutely stunning. There’s nothing more to say, just go and feel the music!

Birdland is the iconic NYC jazz experience. The music itself is some of the finest jazz in the city. The lighting and atmosphere in the room have a delightfully romantic quality, especially when the lights go down and the flickering candlelight takes over. All the food I've been served was of excellent quality, and the service is fast, polite, and very well organized. Expect entrees in the $20-$30 range, which was less than I expected from the $$$ rating on Google's listing (though you're also paying for your concert ticket, which will bump up the price per person). All in all, one of my favorite places in NYC for a night out.

Brought my mom here to celebrate her birthday. We truly enjoyed every second of the music here but unfortunately the food was absolutely awful. We sent back the “gumbo” (tasted more like chicken tortilla soup) just to get the driest burger we’ve ever had. I ordered a salmon Caesar salad and surprise surprise, also dry & overcooked with hardly any dressing. The drinks we ordered were delicious aside from the very sour Birdland margarita (pictured) but our server was nice & attentive. Highly recommend going for just music and drinks. Don’t order any food from here unless you want to be disappointed or simply don’t like flavor.

Amazing! Dom was PHENOMENAL as always and the staff here is so kind and helpful! Food was pretty good too. Not top notch like I expected for a club like this, wasn't that hot when it came out but I enjoyed it nevertheless

A fabulous, famous, and stunning venue for great music and great food and excellent cocktails. You'll never have a bad show here. The service is also top notch.

Nice menu and excellent service. Sunday night, second show, front and center for the Afro Latin Jazz Octet was epic. The only disappointment was the abscence of band leader Arturo O"Ferrel. We all were gifted a free c.d. after the show. The opportunity to see world class players in this legendary club is as good as it gets.

Love this place! Great music and service. Very reasonable for what you receive. Don't be put off by cover, food or drink will take care of the minimum. Have been to multiple shows, all great.

Food is ok. The show is amazing! Very comfortable place.

Really fun venue! Every seat is good. I love how intimate it is. One of my best friends (Phil Orr) was performing with Jason Kravitts, and I was able to get a seat just about right next to him. Jason gave a phenomenal show!!

The music and the talent they get is phenomenally. But the experience at Birdland just doesn’t match the the quality on stage. Cocktails are not at the standard of the rest of the city and the current cocktail scene and it should be. World class jazz deserves world class drinks. Didn’t eat the food but it looked passable at best. Fine before the show and buy a few drinks during your show. Seating is a bit packed too. Show up early to get an ideal seat.

Went to see The Django Reinhardt festival. Ken Peplowski was there. We Had good seats paid extra definitely worth it. The Drinks Food and Service were top notch. It was worth every penny if you like Jazz-Birdland is the club in NYC

Came for an early performance by The Birdland Big Band. Very talented group. The club had good sight lines and we ordered the fruit and cheese plate which had generous amounts of cheese and was fairly priced.

Atmospheric institution! Nice people. Authentic Americas🇺🇸

What more has to be said? BIRDLAND! One of the few surviving jazz joints in the City!

What an evening! Came here to watch a jazz quartet and enjoy some cocktails. I cannot recommend this place enough. The quality of musicianship, service, and cocktails are all exceptional. Some things to note: yes, you have to prove your vaccination status at the door, so make sure you have this to hand. And yes, there's a $20 per person per set minimum tab, so you will have to at least buy some food or drink when you're there. Don't fret though, it's delicious and well worth it.

We knew we wanted to hit Birdland while in NYC, but we happened to walk past and saw it was Frank Vignola's guitar night, an awesome surprise! Great food, drinks, and service all night. 🍻🎶

We had a good experience at Birdland, watching Ron Carter’s gold striker trio. The performance was good albeit a little bit short in duration. The food was great and so was the service. Arrive early so you get good seats close to the performers - we came at around 19:55 (doors opened at 19:30) and we did not get good seats.

10/20/2023 This is a classic place to listen to great jazz in NYC. Food is just an additional to enjoy great performance always. Wines are very simple, but let you enjoy the soul of this place. Congratulations to the musicians, and this is always a fantastic recommendation to visit. BTW. Amazing good price.

This year Valentines Day was probably one of the most amazing nights of my life thanks to my fiance and Birdland. I am such a jazz lover and have been trying to find a place where talent and ombience meet perfection 🥰. The show and the food was incredible. I cannot wait to return. I had the cheese plate to start followed by their rigatoni and meatballs. Highly recommend.

There were no bad seats in the house. Saw Ravi Coltrane Quartet and they were fantastic. Lighting was on point. Only complaint is the requirement for $20 spent per seat. We came from dinner to the show so we weren’t hungry, we did order wine but it was a stretch to get our entire table to order $20 worth of food or drink from the menu.

Had an amazing experience at this jazz bar! The bartender was so sweet and I loved the vibes of this jazz bar. Great performances too!! We didn’t eat that much since we ate dinner before the show although the spinach & artichoke dip was pretty standard; nothing to complain about. Definitely visiting for the vibes and music more than the food. A great date spot, the workers also seem to be very into the music which is nice as well! Will definitely be coming back!!! 🥰🥰💗💗💗

We went 2 nights in a row and had a fantastic time each night! Jim's Cast Party was amazing! Such incredible singers! We came back the next night for Ron Carter's Big Band and they were so great! The food was good and the musicians were phenomenal!

Amazing time here!! The show was great! We saw Wendy Moten. She was outstanding! Everything was great... the service, the food, drinks and seating. There really isn't a bad seat in the house. I'll definitely be back for shows here.

Took my mom here for her 60th birthday and she loved it. We were in the birdland theater. Of note, there's the jazz club upstairs in the theater downstairs each with different food menus and alternating performances. For the theater we definitely recommend the gumbo. Great vibes and great music. Be sure to check out who is playing because there's a vast assortment of musicians with all different styles. They've got something for everyone!

This is such a lovely place. Friendly staff, amazing music, great ambiance, delicious food, this was more than I have asked for! Me and my husband enjoyed the experience so much. A little heads up: you should present your covid vaccine cards.

Our last evening in New York found us booking in for a dinner and a show at the legendary Birdland Jazz Club and what a superb experience this proved to be. There is an upstairs and downstairs to the Birdland and you only have access to one or the other pending which show you have chosen to see unless, you want to pay again to get to see the other show as well. Our evening was spent in the downstairs theatre where dinner, drinks and a superb show was put on by Frank Vignola and his band. The five musicians were super tight and incredibly good making this a fantastic way to end our week in the Big Apple. The Birdland has an amazing history which you can read all about on its website with people such as Frank Sinatra, Marylyn Monroe, Sammy Davis Jnr to name a few visiting over the years. Great staff and a great venue. Entrance fees apply but if you have Playbill broadway tickets you can get a discount to enter. Tables are set in cabaret style and have a minimum $20 spend per person on food/drinks. If you find yourself in New York and are a lover of Jazz or, just want an evening with a difference then Birdland is a must. A few photos attached that don’t do the venue justice.

01/01/24: Amazing show by Greg Ruvolo big band (1h30), very professional & passionate musicians. Top-notch jazz club & atmosphere. Great cocktails (we have tried Cosmo & French 75) & desserts (peach cobbler & warm chocolate cake with vanilla ice cream). I have enjoyed each moment and had a wonderful time with my family. I came 15min before the doors’ opening (perfect timing) > I was able to choose any seat at the bar and the first ones are really close to the stage. Usually the show is 1 hour but this big band was generous enough to give us 30 additional minutes. It was a great way to start this new year! 🎶🎷✨👌🏼

Wow. Just wow. My friends and I were excited to come here after our show and arrived at 9:45pm (we did not have tickets). My group was told that we had to wait outside for the current show to end at 10pm, and then we could come back after waiting in line for the people that did purchase tickets because the night had not been sold out yet. My friends and I waited until 10:24pm— we were talking and laughing while waiting in line this entire time… it’s manhattan. Winter. 20 degrees outside. We wee told we were screaming—- (we were excitedly talking and trying to stay warm from waiting for over 45 minutes). Then we were told by Christine the “manager” that they were sold out, and no more tickets were available. My group was obviously displeased after waiting so long a time, and we appropriately expressed our disappointment and displeasure saying that we should have been told there were no more tickets—- (sooner than almost an hour after waiting outside the door in the cold). We came back after seeing the couple behind us let inside and asked for “Christine” who told us at first they had reservations— and then she said that she didn’t let us in because she had the power to and had felt “abused” from our previous conversation. We were not disrespectful— we were appropriately upset about our treatment. Very disappointed in this service and experience. We went to the Russian vodka room instead and had a much better time— the service was friendly and pleasant.