I would have never known about this place unless my friend invited me and my husband to hear her uncle and cousin play one night. Â It was a great evening of live music and drinks! Â Drinks are pretty cheap and they are obviously able to draw good bands to provide great live music every night. Â My only complaint with my particular experience there was that our waitress spilled an entire glass of Coke on my husband (that's not the actual complaint). Â Oh well, things happen. Â She was very apologetic about it and - even though my husband was not making a big deal about it - she offered to buy him his next beer. Â Â When she brought us our bill she told us she had comped one of our beers and we were quite delighted. Â Except that either she miscounted how many beers we had or she lied (that's the actual complaint). Â Despite that, we had a great time!
Review Source:Great place to see local up-and-coming bands. Â North Shore Troubadour's album debut was rockin. Â Great acoustics and selection of ales. Â Waitresses were helpful and busy. Â Considering the beer/dancing/loud atmosphere, the restrooms were very clean. Â Only $5 cover for a great time.
Review Source:If I lived in New Haven, I would come here for probably every show that they put on. Even though I live in the Hartford area, I will still try to make this my newest dive bar/music venue. In my opinion, this place is so great mainly because it's small and intimate (allows you to get up real close to the bands)!
I had heard a lot about Cafe Nine for a while...as a Manic Productions goer during high school, I had seen their name around but four years as Storrs made me lazy to venture to New Haven.
I am SO GLAD I finally went last week! I saw Dignan Porch, this incredible British hazy dream garage rock pop band (think a mix between Born Ruffians and Real Estate) and oh my god did I have a blast. I freaking love dive bars and especially dive bars that play good music (my fave used to be The Pit in Collinsville...more formally known as The Fireplace) and serve good beer! Cheers to the doorwoman as well!
Please check out Dignan Porch, I would not be surprised if they are the next Modest Mouse. Cafe Nine, you're the best!
This place is bizarre in all the right ways. It was right by my apartment when I lived in Ninth Square, and any time I would drop in there would be a different surreal event. Steam-punk circus? Check. Acoustic heavy metal competition? Check. Old hippies performing beat poetry? Check. Any time you need to be entertained, pop your head in here and you won't be sorry.
Review Source:It had completely skipped my mind to write a review regarding Cafe Nine. Â The four of us visited this little gem of a night club or concert venue sometime ago. Â Guess who was appearing? Nona Hendryx, that's who! Â It was a good show, Nona!
The venue was tight, clean and the service was on point! Would I return for another event or concert appearance? Â Yes, I would. Â The staff is personable, courteous and attentive. Â
Give it a shot because its a colorful environment which attracts a varying diverse crowd of people. Â Enjoy the popcorn!
What a fantastic live music venue! I came here for the first time last night to see You Scream I Scream and Girl in a Coma - the music & crowd were fun and high energy, the divey bar (and the bathroom!) were both clean, and - as just important - drinks were absurdly cheap and well made.
My gin & tonics were $4 each - and Nick's draft beers rang up around $3 (usually local places try to charge a lot more for a damn Narragansett!). The space was conducive to mingling, since they have quite a few high top tables and stools that don't take up much room.
Glad to finally make it here, and happy to know that they feature live music every night and book lots of talented local acts. Wish I lived closer, but definitely don't mind making a trip down here!
A typical dive bar.. but with live music, standup comedy or other performances, from beatnik poetry to leper striptease, on any given night of the week. Â This intimate venue is an amazing place to see one of your favorite bands play, so if anyone that you hold dear to your heart passes through here, don't dare miss it. Â Drinks are quite affordable and environment is everything one could desire out of a dive, if not more. Â Salty popcorn, distributed as compliments of the house, primes the palette and enhances each following beverage. Â Despite it being a poor decision to bring your car in the first place, local parking is typically available without the Odyssey and twelve Labors required to find it elsewhere in Elm City.
Review Source:Awesome live music venue. Really small and intimate, and with pretty reasonable cover charge.
The bar is pretty normal and divey, which is nice enough. Usually we've been here on Sundays, so I never really drink much. They do have the free popcorn, which is pretty great.
We were there last night and I noticed that they've put in a lot more high tables than they used to have, making for optimal show enjoyment.
A small capacity bar that books decent bands in southern CT? How can't you be a fan if you love rock, indie, punk or Americana music?
The people complaining about bands sucking should go somewhere else the same size & let us know how much better the quality is.
This place books some great live acts... The Figgs, Reducers, Chuck Prophet, Sarah Borges, The Sadies, Girl In A Coma, etc. Beer on tap selections are good to excellent. Staff is friendly, etc.
The only reason I can't give this 5 stars is the damn chairs & tables. I know some people want to sit, but how much can they be enjoying themselves when others are surrounding them whenever it gets crowded. I probably should give it 5 stars anyways...
3.5 Stars, I tend to round up
Yup, definitely a dive bar. Could not see well enough to find my ID in my damn wallet, almost punched my significant other with his comments about me losing my ID when I just couldn't see the damn thing!
On another note this place has good beers on tap (no commercial watered-down crap) and what seems to be a okay selection of liquor for drinks. The table we had was pretty wobbly but at least we had a table.
No cover to see a stand up-act and two bands. Which is a huge plus because cover fees = less beer for me. The bathroom was disgusting and smelled like someone peed all over the walls but that is to be expected at this sort of establishment.
They serve chili if you really need something to munch on (they should serve some chips too if they do that!). Overall a great experience and sure we'll be back.
Not much parking, there is a lot behind it that is supposed to be one of those monthly fee lots but doesn't seem to be a problem to park there later at night.
I really like Cafe Nine. It has that dive bar feel while still maintaining the qualities of a great live music venue.
One of my favorite things about local music venues is going back and seeing completely different acts on stage. I've seen upbeat pop, electronic dance music with puppets, a burlesque show, and good old-fashioned rock and roll on that small stage in the corner of Cafe Nine, and I've always had a great time. Space is a little tight - there's seating at the bar, a line of small high tables, and standing room. I often end up standing, but it's not too bad, and I've never found it uncomfortable - not too hot, not too cold, not too crowded. My boyfriend and I were back about a week or so ago and had to step back a little because we realized all over again how cool a place Cafe Nine is.
I've never ordered any mixed drinks - just beers. The tap list isn't bad, but if I'm at Cafe Nine, with its dive bar feel, I'm all about the $3 cans of Schaefers and Narragansetts. All-around great place to spend an evening, especially if you like the music/show that's going on.
This is a true dive bar. Â Some might think that is a bad thing to say about a bar, but in this case it's a term of endearment. Â Cafe Nine happens to be the last bastion of cool/underground/indie bars left in New Haven to see a show. Â New Haven has turned into a pathetic shell of what it used to be in terms of live music. Â Cafe Nine is one of the last places that keeps New Haven from falling into the abyss of boredom.
Review Source:Now, this is a place I miss. Â With a bit of perspective, this place is genius. Â For a variety of reasons, I have a strong association between Cafe Nine and FUN.
Of course, it has nothing to do with drink quality - just get a Jack & Coke or a cheap beer and enjoy. Â If the music act isn't good, they're at least amusing in some way - case in point, the guy who does reggae on Monday nights. Â I won't do spoilers, but of course, reggae is a total mismatch for Cafe Nine, and his catch phrase is hilarious. Â I've seen a bunch of other cool shows there, from Burlesque to surf rock. Â The other patrons are always friendly too.
Cafe Nine is the rare place these days that manages to pull off a hip, modern and fresh vibe without being hipster. Â That's much appreciated. Â
The bathroom is, of course, appropriately roughshod and barely holding together.
Food: n/a, basically
Ambiance: 21/25 stars
Service: 25/25 stars
Bathroom: 16/25 stars
Probability of going back: 100%
This place is basically a cultural mecca in New Haven. The only consistently well-booked indie rock, punk, and folk venue in the area. People that whine about how it smells, or the shadiness of the venue just don't get it. If not for Cafe Nine, there would be almost no live music scene in New Haven outside of Yale. (and Sundazed @ BAR)
Review Source:Cafe Nine is the kind of bar that makes me wish that train stations still had bars. Â Watch a few old Schaefer ads on Youtube and see if you catch my drift. Â Then you'll understand why something isn't a dive just because all the kids inside are obsessed with the word. Â Dive. Â Dive. Â Get it? Â Dive.
I spent a lot of money on Budweiser that was warm enough I couldn't even peel the labels off (nervous tic). Â Good thing I wasn't driving or I would have headed straight to the state liquor board to apply for a license to open a bar at Union Street Stn. Â Maybe knock that gross Sbarro out.
Maybe instead of paying money for atmospheric geegaws, bars like this can start hanging the sports page over the urinals and paying older men to come in wearing trench coats and fedoras. Â If you're going to pay for a contrived atmosphere, it might as well be a worthwhile one.
I'm not sure what to base my rating on. Â I've performed here a few times in front of crowds both big (or as big as you can fit in such a tiny place) and small. Â Folks are always friendly and as one of the few venues left that still do live music in New Haven, it gets points just for that. Â Now with the stage being right next to the front door, it's a bit awkward, but then again so is downtown New Haven.
Monday night is reggae night and for happy hour Freddie B cooks up free jerk/curry tofu and coconut rice to go with your beer special and reggae music. Â I've seen some cool shows here seen some lame shows here, either way it has it's crowd and the staff and owner are good folks. It's a bummer they don't have a food menu anymore because some of that stuff was really tasty.
Overall it's small, dark, and kinda grimy, but at times that's part of the allure. Or, maybe I'm just psyched for free tofu tonight.
I must say Christian's review is just about spot on, but I feel the things he didn't like about the place is what draws the crowd in. Â Any dive bar afficianado knows that with out the "sketchy losers and former inmates" a dive bar is just a shitty little room with booze and mismatch stools and chairs. Â These features are a must have for dives. Â As a matter of fact I think Cafe Nine could use a few more surly old drunks. He is also right about the bar being too high, but it must have been intended for standing until people complained there are no stools. Â I guess you cant please everyone. Â Lastly, it is a good place to see music, but don't expect the Stones any time soon. Â Good local bands and some from away bring a decent crowd of people in, mostly hipsters, but I wouldn't expect to see a fight at this place so hipsters are alright in my book. Â All in all, a cool little place.
Review Source:Not New Haven's finest if you're up for a dive experience. Thing this place has lots of: sketchy losers and former inmates. Â It has less of: actual light so I can see where I'm walking. Â It smells like ass, sweat and the bar is too high when sitting down, I felt like I was an impatient midget. Â The bands are mediocre if not downright horrendous. Â Good luck with your CD release local band no one will ever listen to again!
Review Source:
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