Saw my friend play here. It definitely gets crowded. The old bartender lady stole my smuggled drink. They had a girl playing acoustic in the front, while the back was playing some other rock music. The clash of music was annoying. Had to pay a cover. I don't really see the need for that when the bands aren't getting any money and we're buying drinks. I did buy drinks before I had my smuggled one. Cash only.. that's annoying.
Review Source:Almost anything and everything happens at Nietzsche's. Â Do you want to listen to a talented band on a given night? Do you want to see the up and coming local comics performing stand up? Do you want to relax with a beer, chat with a friend while listening to an acoustic session? Craving a burlesque show? Well you're in luck, because on any given night, at least one of these events is occurring at Nietzsche's.
My cousin is in a local band (The Albright's) and they have played here many, many times over the years, which is what originally brought me in here. Â At first I was a skeptic of the place. Â There are no 'frills and thrills' when it comes to Nietzsche's. Â It's the epitome of a grungy, dive, hipster bar located in prime Allentown. Â For a newbie, the exterior deems an unapproachable vibe. Â Had my cousin and other family members/friends not been inside on my initial trip (5 or so years ago), I would have probably ran in the opposite direction. Â It may be a little dark, it may be a little scary, and you may have no clue what you're going to get inside, but do it - show your ID, pay a cover, and get inside! There is real, local, talent beyond that grungy door.
What keeps me coming back from time to time is my favorite event that happens at Nietzsche's: Â Tuesday Night Comedy. Â For a small fee ($5) you can see 10-15 different comedy acts on stage for about 5 minutes each. Â Some are brand new and can use a little more experience, but some are good, REALLY good. Â As in I go back to see them because they are so funny. Â The headliner of the night is always a hit. Â If you arrive early enough, you can grab a seat on the upper balcony area. Â It's something different and something you rarely find throughout Buffalo.
On my latest trip this past Tuesday, I was able to catch 3 of the aforementioned entertainment acts. Â It started with comedy at 8-8:30pm and then when that ended, Joe Donahue had an acoustic set up front near the bar. Â I thought the entertainment was over, until the bartender made a last call and cleared the bar off. Â Then before my eyes, half naked women were walking on top of the bar for a burlesque show (The Strip teasers). Â Who knew you could catch this entertainment outside of a strip club? I left shortly after so I'm not sure if there was anymore entertainment after that. Â Needless to say, there is something at Nietzsche's for everyone.
FYI:
-CASH ONLY
-Takes a little while to get a drink
-Bathrooms - ick!
-Remember to not go in with high expectations and you won't be disappointed. Â This is not Vera folks; if you're here it is for the entertainment within those walls, forget everything else.
And lastly, my 4 stars are a reflection of what this place delivers entertainment wise - so don't jump down my throat for giving a place of this caliber 4 stars!!
Nietzsche's is a classic Buffalo bar, with great live music on two stages and a decent beer selection (cash only). The crowd is as eclectic as the decor in this turn-of-the-century building with decades of graffiti, band stickers, and found objects covering every inch of the walls and up across the entire 15-foot ceiling. There's live music almost every night, featuring a mix of local, regional, and national bands--mostly in the Americana/jam/world genres but punctuated with some good, solid rock, punk, and blues.
Review Source:Was here the other night as my friend knew some people doing a show here. It's a divey hippie bar. As a bar its only OK. As a venue for music its not a bad setup at all though. Definitely worth checking out some bands at. Some complaints about bartenders not being the most attentive can be helped by just sticking to the decent beer list on tap.
Review Source:Lot of the time there's a cover you have to pay because there's usually some type of live music or readings that are going on. I went to see my friend Mark's stand-up comedy here and it was a fun time. I've been here during Halloween as well and was dressed up for it too by the way! Mardi Gras gets pretty busy here as well as most bars on Allen though. This place is pretty dark, the night could go either way for you depending on who you are with, and how long you are willing to wait for drinks at times...I remember walking out of here with the person I was with because I waited over 15 minutes to get a drink, and they still didn't acknowledge me.
PS: Cash only folks, keep that in mind....not like it's 2012 or anything though, right? :)
A well-worn and well-loved local venue, with decent sound and sightlines, and a few good beers. It fills the void between free dives and ticketed concerts, with plentiful live & local entertainment on tap for a cover fee, usually under $10. I'm pretty sure everyone's gone to see a friend's band here, and to stand around while everyone you know comes through the door.
Just a few pro tips:
- Cash only.
- If you care about seeing the band, go early so you can snag one of the raised tables on either side of the stage.
Other than that, it's a pretty user-friendly place. I've never had a bad time here, though I have lamented paying the cover fee when I just wanted to go in and have a beer.
"Meh" is a great rating for this place. I know most born'n'bred types love this place and I may just be missing the nostalgia and I know it is THE hip place for music and hanging out, but the few times I've been I was very unimpressed.
The service was not exceptional (some of the bartenders were just okay, others were downright rude), the drinks are weak and overpriced, the place overall is divey in a "trying too hard to stay authentic" sort of way (i.e. they think being artsy means not cleaning or updating anything, to the point that parts of the place are disgusting for no reason) whilst at the same time charging ridiculous cover for events (for this area anyway). All of these things can be avoided simply by going to any of the gay/mixed bars on the other end of Allen where drinks are cheap and strong, bartenders are usually pretty nice and the hipster vibe is at a minimum. I admit they get an interesting mix of music, but if the atmosphere sucks I'm not going to enjoy the concert anyway.
They also let WAY more people than they should in for big events, especially with a stage area that bottle necks pretty badly back into the bar area. Have fun getting out if someone drops a cigarette in the wrong place.
Everytime I go here I hear really good music. Â The only problem is the bar tenders are border line confrontational and the drinks cost way more than I feel they should. Â Also, if you know the band you want to see is going on later.. come later because the cost at the door usually decreases as the night goes along. Â Never show up early because the shows always go later than scheduled and they are scheduled late to begin with. Â Avoid unless you have to. Â Its no Mohawk place...
Review Source:Nietzsche's wins for its non-pretentious atmosphere. I feel like this is how Allentown is meant to be. Local musicians, poets, artists and eccentrics. I've been to many shows here over the years and it's never obnoxious. Just a good crowd having a good time. The decor is kinda scary with the lights on and it's rumored to be haunted, but it's all part of the charm.
Review Source:Nietzsche's is a bit of a local legend. Â This bar has had many bands who have gone onto big things pass through its doors and continues to be a popular venue for live music. Â
Nietzsche's has been one of my favorite bars on Allen, or really within Buffalo in total, for a few reasons.
1) Cousin - the man works well with blocks of wood and is a true original on our bar scene. Last time I went down I didn't see him - is he okay?
2) Beer prices - not bad.
3) Nietzsche's, along with maybe Mohawk, are two places in Buffalo that local musicians hold near and dear to their hearts... I for one can't ignore the places the musicians like best.
4) Quirkiness - this bar, with the sum of its parts, is just simply unique in a way that makes it beloved by many people.
A word about the bartenders. Â They can be annoying and shitty which is why Nietzsche's is not a 5-star in my book. Â One of them in particular is probably the worst bartender in Buffalo and a tool (a word I hate but it's the only one that's appropriate) - I actually saw this guy tell a customer to go ask another bartender for a drink while he was hitting on a girl at the bar. Â Haha - seriously? Â I couldn't help but laugh at that schmuck. Â Even at a place like Zeitgeist in San Fran, a bar that has bartenders who would eat up and shit out guys like this and has FAR better beer, there's no such stupidity.
The bartenders in general are aloof and not "Buffalo" friendly... so if you're looking for a friend you would definitely be in the wrong place. Â This is an aspect of Nietzsche's that only bothers me so often but if you haven't been to Nietzsche's before, I think you should probably know that their bartenders are not like what you would find at a typical Buffalo neighborhood bar.
The favorite old standby, Nietzsche's (pronounced Nee-chee's) offers live music every night and for their New Years Eve Extravaganza had four bands and an acoustic entertainer, Andrew Reimers during intermission.
We missed Vessel but a $5 cover provided noisemakers and confetti and the rest of the night's entertainment.
Also not serving Killian's I tried a suggested draft of Bass and after asking my friend to try it we agreed it was definitely flat.
So you know you are in a good place on New Years Eve when the waitress tells you her name is Hope. Â She suggested a bottle of Howl and, although absolutely interesting, full of flavor and body, I know future visits will be preceeded with a couple calls to the local venues to see if they have my Killian's. :-)
The Queen City Station Band rocked us right to New Years with loud energetic rock. Â The countdown to New Years was loud and shortly after the Incredibles came on stage. Â With the crowd bopping balloons back and forth and finally people moving and jumping up and down the entire band and patrons joined together to sing Harvey Danger's Flagpole, leaving the troubles of last year far behind with the waitress Hope leading us into the year 2010.
Buffalo is surprising. Â The wings are fantastic. Â The hockey is decent. Â And Nietzsche's is one of the best bohemian-esque bars that I have found here or in any other city for that matter. Â But what would you expect for a bar named after a German philosopher?
This is a gathering place for drinkers, poets, musicians, and comedians alike.  An old wooden bar greets you as enter.  The décor is eclectic and fun, with art and found-art (read "stuff") found on the walls.  There are promotional stickers from bands all over the place and the washrooms are adorned with graffiti tags so numerous you could kill an evening reading them, and wondering for some how on God's green was someone able to write something all the way up there?
There is a stage across from the bar in the front where solo and acoustic acts as well as poetry reads carry on. Â At the back, a very elevated stage for larger bands and Tuesday night stand-up comedy exists. Â The layout of the back room is interesting for both the performer and audience alike. Â The crowd below the stage is quite far below the performer, and those in the balcony area that flanks either side of the stage are eye-level with the performer. Â Certainly splits the attention. Â As for the staff, the run of taps, and the cost? Â Fantastic. Â I dig, man.
yes saxon you will raise some eyebrows by criticisizing this buffalo landmark but you are not entirely wrong. Â it's just a romantic love for the quirkiness of this place, and the great bands that have risen from this low brow establishment. Â if i hear one more person say how they used to see ani difranco play here "all the time" or some dude say he partied with the goo's when they still drank...oy.
Review Source:
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