What Is the Most Overrated Bar on Broadway?
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- 4 sources cited
There is no measured answer, because “overrated” is the gap between what a bar promises and what a particular visitor came for, and no survey tracks that gap bar by bar. What you can do is avoid the gap yourself: decide whether you came for traditional country music, a big themed night out, or a view, and choose the bar that is built for it. A bar that disappoints someone looking for old-school honky-tonk music can be exactly right for a group that wants several floors, a rooftop, and current hits.
Two Kinds of Bars on the Same Street
| Traditional honky-tonks | Artist-branded venues | |
|---|---|---|
| Examples | Tootsie's Orchid Lounge at 422 Broadway, in business since 1960; Robert's Western World at 416 Broadway | bars named after country stars; Rolling Stone counted seven male country acts that had opened bars in the Lower Broadway district from 2016 to its September 2018 report |
| What they offer | Robert's describes itself as the home of traditional country music | Rolling Stone describes Luke Bryan's 32 Bridge as having six levels and eight bars, with a band covering current country songs |
| Good fit for | music history, traditional country, a smaller room | groups, rooftops, a themed night out |
Sources: National Trust for Historic Preservation; Robert’s FAQ; Rolling Stone, September 2018.
The line between the two is not clean. Alan Jackson’s bar at 421 Broadway carries a star’s name, and according to Notes on Nashville, Jackson’s one stipulation was that it play traditional country on floors 1 and 2.
How to Avoid Feeling Let Down
- Read the bar’s own description before you go: what it calls its music, how many floors it has, and whether there is a rooftop.
- Check who is on stage. Some bars post band schedules; Robert’s has one on its site.
- Go at the hour that fits. Music and crowds change across the day; see whether Broadway is worth visiting for timing.
- Leave if it is not your room. Bars sit next to each other, and Robert’s says it never charges an entry fee.
Which bars to start with, by what you want, is in the best honky-tonks on Broadway.