B B King Blues Club and Grill

This place is the worst. when i came here I had to wait on line for like an hour and a half with a bunch of people that looked like they were from the hood or something. The only reason i showed up here was because my friend was promoting here a couple of nights (i told him he better not again). I almost got into a fight wit like three dudes over a spot in line. By the time I entered the sorry excuse for an establishment, i felt like i was at the precinct. they made us empty our pockets they confiscated cigarette lighters, pens and other personal items patted each person down for like two minutes while fondling private parts. after the harrassment from that i got to the clerk desk and she told me the price was like 40 dollars when it was supposed to be free before midnight. some stupid lady tells me that i have to tell the bouncer outside that which makes no sense because the bouncers arent the ones charging. so i paid the stupid 40 then throughout the night i had several hoodrat looking females approach me and my friends beging for drinks. then people started fighting one dude choked the hell out of some female and the bouncers started beating random people that they thought were involved up. NYPD cops were posted outside the club ready for action. it was crazy. the club was horrible the people were ghetto as a mayonaise sandwich . if you want to go to a party to deal with rude staff, ghetto patrons, and get frisked and wit on a long line and see fights then this is the spot for you more

I didnt like not being able to get a waiter to take a food order on 10/2/10, it was late, I was hungry. I asked a waiter, they said someone would be right over, my girl asked a bus person, they said someone would be right over. I was hungry and sad. more

I got kicked out because some taper got his panties in a bunch when I was talking IN BETWEEN SONGS. He bullied me and pushed me and then they lied and claimed I groped the girlfriend. This after I got my phone smacked out of my hand by some roadie. Then the bouncer named John who is a very imposing 400 pounder doesn't listen to my side of things or my witnesses and Jonathan Lumly-Sapanski , the manager is equally insensitive and unjust. By this time I WANT to leave but not be kicked out in front of friends and all. This place is for old folk and bands on their way down. It is wide and shallow and if you stand to dance you are the hated minority. Also, the food is bad and its all overpriced. more

How this guy isn't playing Madison Square Garden is beyond me, but at the same time it definitely doesn't bother me. It's nice to see such a rockin' performance in a smaller venue. Man this guy can play!! and so can his band. They have to pack you in pretty tight in this place but how else are they gonna get a lot of people in a small club...it's still quite comfortable and the view of the stage has always been great from the tables I've had. The food seems to have gotten better here over the years. Really good burgers and that sort of thing. Hopefully KWS comes back soon but I'm sure I'll be getting to another performance at BBs soon - there seems to be a very worthwhile show there all the time. Thank you Kenny & thank you BB'S! Pros: Great Food, AMAZING MUSIC Cons: Somewhat expensive, but it's Manhattan. What isn't? more

AND WORD TO THE WISE, THIS PLACE IS OPEN BUT FROM WHERE I WAS STANDING THEY SHOULD BE CLOSED! I WOULD JUST LIKE TO EXPRESS EXACTLY HOW I FELT ABOUT THIS "CLUB" FROM 11PM - WHATEVER TIME IT IS THAT IT CLOSES. I WAS VERY DISAPPOINTED IN THE SERVICE OF THE "BOUNCERS/DOORMEN". A GROUP OF FRIENDS AND I WENT TO CELEBRATE A BIRTHDAY THERE AND WE WERE EXCITED AT THE FACT THAT IF YOU ARE THERE BEFORE 12AM ITS FREE. APPARENTLY, THAT WAS A LIE, BECAUSE WE ARRIVED AT THE VENUE AROUND 11PM AND WE WAITED TILL ABOUT 12:10AM FOR THE GENTLEMEN TO TELL US THAT IT WAS $30 FOR MALES AND $20 FOR FEMALES. WE ALSO CALLED EARLIER TO GET THE DRESS CODE AND THE WOMAN THAT PICKED UP SAID THAT FEMALES COULD WEAR JEANS BUT MUST WEAR HEELS, WHEN MOST OF THE FEMALES THAT WERE ON LINE, WORE FLATS AND RAIN BOOTS TO GET IN. THE GUYS ATTIRE WERE EVEN MORE DISGUSTING, THEY WORE SNEAKERS AND HOODED SWEAT SHIRTS, BEANIES AND DU-RAGS, AND THEN THE BOUNCER TOLD US THAT IT WAS "YANKEES NIGHT" SO WE COULD OF CAME COMFORTABLE, AND WE WAITED ON LINE FOR SO LONG THAT ONCE WE GOT TO THE FRONT THE BOUNCER TOLD MY HUSBAND THAT HE MUST GO TO THE BACK BECAUSE HE JUMPED THE LINE, DIDNT EXPLAIN TO US THAT THERE WAS A LINE FOR MALES AND FEMALES. AFTER THAT WHOLE CHAOS THE PRICE WAS DROPPED DOWN TO $10 A PERSON FOR MY HUSBAND AND I TO FIND OUT THAT THERE MUST HAVE BEEN A PROM GOING ON BECAUSE THE FEMALES THAT WERE THERE DIDNT LOOK A WINK OVER 20 YEARS OLD, DRESSED UP IN PROM DRESSES AND TIARAS. MY HUSBAND THEN PROCEEDED TO GO OUTSIDE TO THE CAR TO PICK UP MY FLATS SO I CAN GET COMFORTABLE AND THE BOUNCER TOLD HIM HE MUST NOT PASS THAT GATE UNLESS HE IS TO WAIT ON LINE AND PAY AGAIN. ONCE HE CAME BACK WE ALL DECIDED TO LEAVE ONLY AFTER NOT EVEN 20 MINUTES. I MUST SAY FOR A TOP OF THE LINE VENUE IN THE HEART OF NEW YORK CITY WHERE MOST TOURISTS GO, YOU WOULD THINK TO HAVE GREAT MUSIC AND A WONDERFUL ATMOSPHERE, WHEN ALL WE SAW, AND WE WEREN'T THE ONLY ONES, LITTLE GIRLS AND BOYS DANCING TO THEIR FAVORITE EDITED HIP HOP SONGS. I WAS VERY SURPRISED AND MY NIGHT WAS RUINED. I KNOW OF BETTER PLACES THEN THAT, THAT HAVE NO COVER FEES AND ITS ALL ABOUT GROWN FOLKS. IM SORRY BUT B.B. KINGS IS NO LONGER ON MY LIST OF GREAT TOURIST ATTRACTIONS IN NEW YORK CITY. AND I AM SURE THAT B.B. KING HIMSELF WOULDNT LIKE TO HEAR ABOUT THIS. Pros: decor Cons: everything else more

Saw Chuck Berry perform at BB kings in Times Square a few weeks back, was amazing to see him still going at it considering his rather old age for this business. It's great to see such a performer with an illustrious career as Chuck B. play at a smaller more comfortable venue than most of the venues I visit. Though the ticket prices were somewhat high, I was expecting them to be much higher for such a big name. ...Food prices pretty average for Manhattan - Times Square is a place I rarely visit, but I'll make an exception every once in a while to see a great show. Keep on bringin in the big names bbs, and I'll keep bringing myself to your shows! Pros: Finally! a smaller venue in NYC with big acts Cons: Times Square tends to drive me nuts more

Live performances have always been my thing. Been living in Manhattan my whole life and have started to see a bit of a downturn in the quality of production at live shows. The acts themselves have also been dwindling as of late, but there are still a handful of well all-around clubs that keep me happy...BB King's is one of them! I try to get there as often as I can - most recent show I saw was Rockin the Paradise, Styx tribute band in August. They were amazing and it was perfect for the club. They really know how to get a band to shine at this place - good job production! I didn't make it in time to get a table but I managed to get some pretty good nachos at the bar, i'd say try getting their as early as you can for a show so you get a table. Pros: Great live production! Cool & very unique environment Cons: Showed up late and missed the first few songs.. more

A great way to spend a Sunday afternoon. The show was wonderful and food was great. Would have been nice if alcoholic beverages were included, but what in NY does? A great contrast to the hectic city streets. Pros: Great show and food Cons: located in crowded area (Time square) more

just attended my third beatles brunch at the bb king grill and was once again more than satified...these guys are seriously awesomme!! couldn't ask for a better beatles cover band and i bet there isn't one anywhere in the world..and better yet these guys are at the bb king club every week!!! Pros: THESE GUYS ARE AWESOME Cons: TIMES SQUARE :( more

Luckily, I knew some people who worked in the venue, so I managed to get a booth reserved for me and two of my friends. The show was really entertaining, and the food was good. Since the show included an all you can eat buffet, it allowed my group to decide what we wanted to eat, however i do wish that there was more of a selection. I really liked the chicken fingers, but i do wish that they had a larger selection of beverages included in the buffet. However, our server was very nice and she gave us different recommendations for drinks, so that was great :P I had lots of fun at Strawberry Fields, and it's really amusing to watch some not so young looking guys dress up and pretend to be the Beatles. Granted, they were members of Beatlemania, so it was lots of fun :) Pros: Family Friendly, Entertaining, Good Food, and yummy cookies Cons: Buffet did not offer alot of variety. more

I went to B.B King's Lucille's for drinks with some coworkers. Our drinks were pretty good, but a bit overpriced. (it's times square, so we didn't complain too much) Surprisingly there's free music every night. however, we weren't really interested because we were sharing nachos and wings. :P the nachos were good, and really big, so we were glad we only ordered 2 (there were 9 of us). the wings were ok, not the best i've had, but pretty good. the room was really cold though... Pros: yummy drinks, and good nachos Cons: cold room, and had to walk up stairs for small bathroom more

Toots & the Maytals at the B.B King Club was a concert I will never forget. I have seen this group before and they were excellent, but they shined even brighter at B.B.'s. Our table (and basically all of the other tables) were positioned so we could see the group very well - which to me is just as important as being able to hear them well. The food was excellent - the service was not the best I've ever had but when I'm eating great food and watching an amazing live performance of one of the greatest reggae groups ever, the attitude of my waitress is the least of my concerns. p.s. amazing burgers!!! Pros: Great food & great music! Cons: Servers not too friendly more

I checked out Lucille's a few weeks ago and I will most definitely be going back as soon as I can! They have good deals for dinner and you get to check out a live band for free! It was a little cold in there - but what NYC Club isn't freezing? They also had some pretty good beers on tap..Definitely check this place out if you can! Pros: Free music and real good food Cons: A little on the cold side more

I go to metal shows all the time and usually the venues are small and pretty grimy..I completely did not expect BB king's to be so CLEAN and LARGE. it was kinda weird watching Dethklok here, but as soon as i heard the sound in this place, i was blown away!! okay, and since it was my first time here, i had no clue what to expect but all the staff people were super friendly (not jerks like at hole-in-the-wall bars) and helpful (i asked a million questions..) i will definitely come to shows (most likely more metal shows :D ) again oh, and i got some food from the restaurant they have here, and it was amazing!! i was soo full afterwards :) my friend liked the food too, even though he's kinda skeptical of venue food.. Pros: great sound, fantastic band, gooood foood Cons: did not expect to watch a good metal show here more

I've been to shows at BB King Blues Club a number of times over the past couple of years, though my latest experience certainly sticks out as probably the best of them all. I attended the Parliament/George Clinton show about a month ago and was thoroughly impressed by all aspects of the show. My friends and I arrived to the venue early and dined in Lucille's before the start of the show. The wait staff was very friendly, setting a great vibe to kick off the night. Our orders were taken promptly and we received our food in about 10-15 minutes, which we were very pleased by. I had the cheeseburger and fries, which was quite appetizing to say the least....my friends got a salmon dish, a steak sandwich and pasta/shrimp, all of which looked pretty damn good. Excellent service at Lucille's! After eating we went into the main space to hang out and get ready for the forthcoming onslaught of funk. The people working the door were extremely friendly, greeting us with a smile and letting us pass through without any problem. There was a special on Magic Hat beer that night, which was absolutely perfect for the event. At most places you get stuck paying significantly more than you'd prefer for beer, however this drink special was very easy on our wallets. This was the first time that two of my friends had been to a show at BB King's and they were all very impressed by club's nicely furnished interior. We had an awesome time just hanging out and drinking beers, and before we knew it P Funk had taken the stage. The stage was lined with about 10 mesa boogie half stack amplifiers, and jeez was the sound awesome! P Funk tore through funk anthem after funk anthem, the entire crowd getting really into the music. The acoustics of the venue made for awesome sound quality, allowing me to discern everything that was going on on the stage. George Clinton was a man possessed that evening....even though he's old, he doesn't seem to have lost even the slightest step. I'm sure that he may have put on a more "youthful" performance back in the day, however I can't imagine that he had a whole lot more fire in his eyes back then than he does today. And I just can't emphasize how great the sound was for the show....the guitar solos were blazing and fully audible, the group backing vocals stuck out perfectly, and the bass was just hammering our faces the entire time. All in all I would definitely recommend BB Kings to anybody who wants to have a unique concert experience. Everything from the venue's layout to the staff to the acoustics was pretty awesome for this show. My only gripe was that George Clinton didn't play for 7 hours straight like he would have back in the day... (I've been to a number of other great shows over the past copule of years including Enslaved, Suffocation, Immolation, Summer Slaughter Tour, as well as this P Funk Show. As you can see, this venue is great for all styles for music!) Pros: awesome music, great food Cons: nothing off the top of my head more

It was only 2 other couples in the restaurant--took 45 minutes to get our food. Generous portion - Service was very, very, very slow - the waitress was indifferent- not friendly. We had to ask the server for ketsup, salt, pepper she was not a happy camper. We order a coke and received an 8oz glass half filled with ice for $3.00 - no refills. Would not have left a tip but it was added in the bill. Pros: generous portion of food Cons: Service Poor more

I went with a friend to catch a show last night. The waitress came over and asked for our drink orders. We decided to order food and drinks. 2 hamburgers, 2 waters, a beer, and a coke. We waited a little bit but finally received a beer and a coke. No waters. I finished my coke and my friend finally contacted the waitress and asked for a water for him and a coke for me. He received a water and I didn't receive my coke. By this point, I was a little frustrated. I didn't want to cause any problems so I figured I would just go up to the bar and ask for a coke. I went up to the bar and asked for a coke and instantly the bartender had an attitude, "Don't you have a table?" to which I replied "Yes" ..."Why don't you order a coke from your waitress?"... "I did..she didn't get it...that's why I'm over here". Why do I have to explain myself to this bartender? She should be doing her job and getting me a drink. She finally got me a drink with an attitude. A terrible attitude. Filled it up fast and slammed it down on the bar. I foolishly gave her a dollar tip and she didn't even acknowledge me or the tip. In retrospect, I should have contacted management. She is the bartender with an accent (Russian maybe?). When the waitress found out about the Coke she was apologetic and took care of us without a problem for the rest of the night. So 4 stars for her (1 star deducted for forgetting the drinks). The bartender however gets no stars and shouldn't even have a job. Talk about poor customer service. Pros: Excellent burgers Cons: Rude bartender more

Awful experience. I had the horrible idea of eating dinner at Lucille's before seeing a show at BB's, and I regret it. The food was terrible, some of the worst I've ever had in NYC (and I've lived here my whole life). I give it some leeway for being a TImes Square tourist trap, but this was still well below normal expectations. The worst part of the restaurant is how you have to pay 2X what the food would cost anywhere else, for terrible food. Live Blues music was good. The concert I came to see was good but the experience was completely ruined by the aggressive and violent security staff. One security member in particular, a short black man with long dreads, was pushing his way through the audience looking for smokers and literally shoved me and my girlfriend in the back on 3 separate occasions on his search. At one point he found someone smoking right next to us and in his effort to stop them, he violently slapped my girlfriend across the wrist while reaching out to confiscate the cigarette from the person next to her. The staff has absolutely no respect for the patrons. Perhaps they've realized anyone stupid enough to spend their money here doesn't know better or won't complain about the treatment? It's a crowded place, the music sounded fine, but because I was hassled and shoved at least 3 times by this juiced up bouncer I couldn't enjoy any of it. I wanted to register a complaint but know that the manager would only look out for his minions, and I had a feeling the cops outside wouldn't have done anything about it either, so the least I can do is warn everyone else not to waste a dollar at this establishment. You WILL regret it. Pros: Good music Cons: The food, the drinks, the prices, the bouncers, the waiters, the bartenders, creepy guys copping feels in the crowd more

We had high hopes for this place - the menu looked good and the place has a great jazzey feel to it. We went for dinner thinking we'd have some good southern soul food/BBQ. The split pea soup was very good but the macaroni and cheese (touted as being made with three gourmet cheeses and baked with grilled chicken) came out heaping in a bowl of a large gooey mess that tasted like Velvetta with chopped up grilled chicken on top. Kraft M&C in the box is 1000% times better than this. BBQ'd chicken was noted as coming with "fried potatoes". It was baked chicken with BBQ sauce poured on it and french fries. The manager was kind enough to take off the M&C (I didn't have but two bits before I pushed it away) but even if it was good, $14 for M&C is a tad bit too high even for Manhattan!! Pass on this place! Pros: Good for jazz/blues music Cons: Very loud even without music playing. Don't expect to be able to talk to your companions. more

Beatle Brunch is good, not great. Pete Best was incredible in this venue. Better food (call Sylvia's, Sofrito). Great music! Pros: Music ( Why we pay) Cons: Food more