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Ratings and reviews

RATINGS
Food
Service
Value
Atmosphere

Details

PRICE RANGE
$20 - $25
CUISINES
American
Special Diets
Vegetarian Friendly, Gluten Free Options
View all details
meals, features

Location and contact

Upper West Side
0.3 miles from Cathedral Church of Saint John the Divine
Reviews (561)
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Reviewed October 16, 2023

I will not be coming back. This club’s new business model is that you MUST order an entree (minimum $30) on top of the ticket you already bought ($55 in my case). Well, they do use some discretion. They will “allow” you to get 2...appetizers to yourself. Based on the bad attitude of my waiter I’m guessing I’m not the first person to be surprised at this new policy. The couple next to me flew in from Texas and asked me where else they should go where they won’t get ripped off like this. So yeah this place is definitely losing customers. For the record, I would HAPPILY pay DOUBLE what I paid to listen to live jazz and eat GOOD food. “Good” is the key word here. Nobody wants to be forced to pay for overpriced mediocre food when they just came to listen to jazz and maybe get dessert or a cocktail.More

Date of visit: October 2023
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Reviewed October 10, 2023

Lovely food. A beautiful Steinway B piano (and stunning pianist Lex Korten on Oct.8, 2023) Make sure if you are a party of 4 or 6 that you can get 2 or 3 tables together in the 3 main long lines of tables, No good...option for party of 3 or 5. No refunds for persons who cannot make the show, for any reason, only a future credit. Even with ear plugs I found the amplification disheartening for such an intimate space, and we were as far from the stage as we could get.More

Date of visit: October 2023
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Reviewed August 31, 2023

I live in the area and have seen scores of shows here over the decades. The great things is that Smoke only gets better and better. A recent renovation opened the space nicely and created a separate room for the bar and bathrooms (huge improvement)....The food is good and the service phenomenal. My only wish is that they add more sophisticated non-alcoholic beverage options to the menu. Phony Negroni anyone?More

Date of visit: August 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed July 8, 2023

Great music and a lovely room. But I will not go back again. They donot know how to be gracious and accommodating. I took two friends for the evening show with dinner and they seated us at a table for 2 . There were 3...of us. Another chair was added. The table was very small and when they bought our food there was absolutely no room for the large plates. I spoke to the manager and told her it’s impossible to eat there. Right next to us there was a table for 4 people and another behind us. So she reluctantly gave us a larger table. The table for 4 remained empty. We were the only non white patrons there and I began to wonder if we were white , would she have done the same thing. One can only wonder!More

Date of visit: July 2023
Helpful?3  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed June 23, 2023 via mobile

A wonderful jazz venue. Service from door to table is friendly and efficient. The food is very good with a great selection. The music has a range from very good to exceptional. The overall experience keeps me coming back for more…

Date of visit: June 2023
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Reviewed June 1, 2023

To attend the early (7 pm) jazz show here (which was a memorable set by the Nicholas Payton Quartet) they want you to have dinner, first. My wife and I were happy to find out that the food was excellent -- we each got the...special Mushroom Ragout , Gluten-Free ($29) and the Lemon Ginger Trifle ($12), and loved both dishes. I didn't love the $22 charge for a Rye Manhattan Up, or the $20 for a neat Glenlivet single malt. So dinner for two was just over $160 (including a cheesy "Non-Cash Adjustment"!) + a $30 tip. This is in addition to the music charge, of course, so the one- hour set + dinner was well over $200. Too many nearby good restaurants to do the early set again.More

Date of visit: May 2023
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed April 3, 2023

We had an amazing night at NYC's Smoke Jazz Club. It was the first time we'd been to the club but we will be sure to visit there during our next NYC trip. Given we booked tickets online to see the 7pm show with the...Nicole Glover Quintet we had to order dinner (part of the deal being at the club during 5-8pm time slot). Service by all staff was great and really friendly the main course was alright (salmon with lentils), nothing amazing but still okay. However, the Tiramisu for dessert was lovely. The show was fantastic, and I loved the venue, it was really great. We sat right beside the stage where the drummer was positioned and it was simply great. Definitely recommend this club, even for a later performance without dinner I'd recommend going along.More

Date of visit: March 2023
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Reviewed April 1, 2023

Was in NYC ( from upstate NY) to accompany my significant other for major health care services. Decided to treat myself & catch some jazz- solo. Bought my tickets on line(easy) I was greeted and reservations easily confirmed. Saw : George Cables - piano Craig...Handy - tenor saxophone Essiet Essiet - bass Jerome Jennings - drums 🎶🎶What a set 🎶🎶 The setting is intimate. Service was good. Shared my table with a young man from Boulder, CO. We were both WOWED‼️ Grabbing a cab to get back to the east side seemed relatively safe & fairly fast Find your music preference& BE bold & GO …If not now, when?!More

Date of visit: March 2023
Helpful?
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed February 6, 2023

Saw Bill Charlap for early Sunday dinner show, and he was great! Unfortunately we had a 1st day on the job server who nobody except the customers tried to help. I get the staffing problems but it is tiring after this long. We sent one...of our mains back to be cooked more and it returned looking the same. The next table were regulars and still got their cocktails after their mains. The short ribs were underwhelming but others seemed to do well with the chicken. Hot beverages/coffee were unavailable that night? Reserving your seat is nice and I think the future but that night we just sat in the wrong section. Overall, I would still recommend a visit as it is a fun night. We. want to support this style of Jazz Venue, and will try again next trip in the spring.More

Date of visit: January 2023
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This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed January 2, 2023

Smoke Jazz Club just re-opened after the re-modelling done in style! Now back in business with more comfort and great food! Top American artists performing every night, cozy atmosphere!

Date of visit: December 2022
Helpful?2  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed November 14, 2022 via mobile

The newly refurbished and expanded Smoke Jazz Club was smokin’ last night with The Nicholas Payton quintet. The interior is cozy and sexy. Service was excellent. Sound quality is great (and they no longer have that strange artificial fragrance that they used to). Check it...out!More

Date of visit: November 2022
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed November 4, 2022 via mobile

My wife and I came to Smoke to see the illustrious jazz artist Charles McPerson along with his band, a quintet consisting of Mr. McPherson on alto sax, David Wong on bass, Billy Drummond on drums, Jeb Patton on piano and Terell Stafford on trumpet,...in other words an all star straight ahead jazz quintet. It’s clear from this experience that Mr. McPherson, at the age of about 83, retains his legendary status as the leading progenitor of Charlie Parker. He has not lost his chops in the least and was at the top of his game on this evening. It was a first rate musical experience. We arrived around 5:30 for the 7:00 pm dinner set and were fortunately upgraded to better seats as this event was sold out. We settled in with glasses of delicious red Bordeaux wine, an excellent selection by the staff from the Haut Medoc region. Our very tasty meals consisted of a vegetable stew Provençale and a cheeseburger with fries and pickled onions. The food was excellent as was the music - a one hour set of about five amazing tunes. Service was warm and attentive. Overall an outstanding jazz club experience!! Acoustics here have improved significantly since their renovations and expansion. We would definitely return when featuring such first class, legendary talent.More

Date of visit: November 2022
Helpful?4  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed September 16, 2022

We went there in a party of 6 and all of us just loved it. A great band (Steve Turre) played . Great piano, amazing drums , trompet, bass and Steve was wonderful too. There was a good selection of food, but nothing was super...appealing. But the jazz show de was superb and would highly recommend it !More

Date of visit: September 2022
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed October 31, 2020 via mobile

Cozy jazz venue with outdoor seating in enclosed greenhouses. The service, the food and the music we’re all amazing! Just a wonderful evening!

Date of visit: October 2020
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
Reviewed October 13, 2020

Best food on upper west side! Perfectly cooked chicken and pork chops. So happy Smoke is open again. Check out the greenhouses

Date of visit: October 2020
Helpful?1  
This review is the subjective opinion of a Tripadvisor member and not of Tripadvisor LLC. Tripadvisor performs checks on reviews as part of our industry-leading trust & safety standards. Read our transparency report to learn more.
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Questions & Answers
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Trail36392790970
May 29, 2023|
Answer
Response from Roeland B | Reviewed this property |
Hello, I really got no idea, you should contact the Smoke Jazz Club. I have no connection with Smoke, I'm just a regular visitor. Surely one of my favorite jazz clubs in NYC!
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Hannah R
May 2, 2019|
AnswerShow all 5 answers
Response from 306SamM | Reviewed this property |
Yes. All NYC restaurants are
1
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danele85
October 3, 2016|
AnswerShow all 3 answers
Response from Kim B | Reviewed this property |
I apologize I'm so late in responding. Hopefully you made your trip in October and had a great time. When I was there, I made reservations for 4 and it was during the time of a show (only a 1 hour set). The show surcharge... More
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SMOKE JAZZ CLUB, New York City - Upper Manhattan (Uptown) - Restaurant Reviews, Photos & Phone Number - Tripadvisor

Frequently Asked Questions about Smoke Jazz Club

Smoke Jazz Club is rated accordingly in the following categories by Tripadvisor travelers:
  • Food: 4
  • Service: 4.5
  • Value: 4
  • Atmosphere: 4.5