Simyone Lounge "SL"

Last time I was at SL was a surprisingly quiet night. It definitely wasn't packed, and didn't even really fill up all the way even at the height of the night (usually there are more people there, in my experience, but it's never over packed). Even so, it wasn't easy to get in and there were people waiting outside who didn't make it in at all. We weren't looking for a super packed atmosphere, so the entire group I was with and I had a great time. A head promoter at a table nearby turned out to know some people we knew, so we spent some time with him, and he definitely was on good terms with the staff and management. The DJ that night was playing a surprisingly "trappy" set, which we were very much into and had a fun time with. I've never had a bad experience here, though usually it's nothing special.

I was with two girls on a Saturday and we heard interesting things about this place while at a restaurant down the street so we decided to go check it out. We got there around midnight and there wasn't a line. Just two very aggressive bouncers. One little short guy was very loud and had no problem throwing down insults to people trying to get in, guys and girls both. The other was a huge doorman you could tell was the muscle in case things got a little intense with the hot or not game at the front door. If you want to get into this place you need to either be on a list or rich enough to buy a table. From what I could gather, qualifications of entry are a mix of dressed to impress and having a fat wallet. There are plenty of incredibly beautiful people here so don't count on being able to get through because of your looks. They wouldn't let my friends and I in at first, but we mingled with some guys smoking outside for a few minutes and they invited us to come down and sit with them at their table. SL is pretty small, definitely that loungey- intimate feel and on the right night I could tell would be a lot of fun. With that said, the crowd was surprisingly trashy. For every well dressed guy you had another dude in an old wrinkled polo. Plenty of young beautiful women, but I met one girl who was bragging about being under aged while handing out pills in the women's bathroom. Then later in the night, two girls literally broke out in a physical fight. The most shocking was how the staff waited so long to respond to the altercation. They let both of the girls stay with one of them running around yelling at the top of her lungs that she was attacked and needed to use a phone to call the police because her's was broken and she was at the lounge by herself. Maybe on another night it would have been fun but between the rude and abrasive staff ,and the obvious disregard for patron safety, I doubt I will go back or recommend this place to others.

We went to SL hoping to celebrate our friend's birthday and left completely ecstatic and satisfied. An friend who joined us is a former Hollywood movie producer. He had heard great anecdotes about SL and was excited, as were we to have fun. The place is downstairs and nicely small (not too small) to feel exclusive and relatively intimate. The DJ was better than your typical cookie-cutter meatpacking district club DJ. He played well rounded hip-hop to start, and then transitioned to more upbeat EDM, mostly house music (you won't hear any trance at this place). The music was pretty good and the service was good as well, which lead to a great night. Later on, we noticed that the famous east coast rapper, Nas, had a table near us. He wished my friend a happy birthday which made her night ineffable. Overall the night was great. The line was long outside, and like many meatpacking clubs the bouncers were exploiting their 'power.' I recommend coming if you're willing to drop some cash. It may very well be worth it.

Straightforward gets the job done. Very cozy setup - typical basement type club. Lights are swanky and women/skull poster is a good touch. Very good service at a table - big fan of the staff here. Doormen are not idiots or assholes. Matt especially is an absolute sweetheart and I've never seen him lose his cool in any situations. Most people at SL are respectful and not too drunk and obnoxious. DJ Chachi kills it on the nights he's there, but most of the other DJ's there are pretty good as well. Bathroom attendant guy is a boss, make sure to tip him well. Proximity to Abe's and Arthur's is a plus. Good place to go in and wait by the bar or order some food.

I might just be getting old but the DJ's sporting "Bottle service killed NY" stickers on their laptops are starting to get to me. Whereas bottle service is as common in the city as grey goose, SL is one of the few bottle service lounges where it's still worth it to drop the $$ on a high end atmosphere. The crowd always consists of a good looking bunch and people always seem to be dancing, smiling and having an overall good time. The doorman Stephan has a personal vendetta against one of my best friends but aside from that, this is my favorite place to go for a models and bottles type night out.