BAM Café

Cute little spot on the mezzanine level of the BAM Howard Gilman Opera House. The place fills up during intermissions. It would probably make sense for them to set up a clearly marked area to line up for beverages/​snacks. The place is split between the bar and a seating area (which consists of tables/​chairs, food court style). Some lounge sofas/​small tables are scattered around the perimeter, which makes up for the food court style set up of the other tables and chairs.
A glass of red or white wine is typically $ 10.

This place was super cute. The environment was very welcoming and modern for a coffee shop. I had a chocolate and fried dough balls with ice cream and pecans. The friend dough balls were delicious! They were crispy and soft in the inside. The guy at the counter was helpful and willing to answer questions. Loved this place!

This is definitely about to be my new spot! Didn’t know much about it until my friend mentioned a free show. It’s super close to the subway– Barclays center. BAM is a great location for those wanting to delve into arts and music just as much as those that believe these things are their lives! The show was actually free and EXCELLENT! The free shows are Friday and Saturday evenings probably ending btw 2200 – 2230. Nice timing. Coffee and hot water are also served – $ 3 per hot beverage. I was even able to snag a seat which was nice. Eclectic crowd

Delicious, friendly and convenient to performance at BAM. Limited entrée menu but allows the chef to take time to prepare each dish well. At our table was the short ribs soft and succulent, pork tenderloin, and spaetzl with squash and brussel sprouts. Service was friendly and dining leisurely.

I have visited the café a few times, but it’s been a while since I’ve been there. I just remember eating the most delicious crab cakes here (not sure if they still serve it). They often have free events in their beautiful, newly renovated space (you can rent the space for private events like weddings, etc.) featuring cool musical acts and other arts like dancing.

Came here on a Friday night hoping that it would be the BAM Live Music Happy Hour. Unfortunately that didn’t start for a couple of hours, so my friends and I decided to sit down and have some drinks and small plates. My friends shared a bottle of red wine, which that said was subpar, and I had the Maple Lemon Sparkler, which was very refreshing and not too sweet. I had the Pork Belly Rolls which were delicious, I wish there had been more of them. My friend also ordered the Potato Croquettes, but they never came.
Our waitress was nice, but the space filled up while we were dining and the service got slower and slower. It seems like a nice place for a drink at the bar, but I think I’ll hold off on coming back for table service.

Fantastic spot for live music, drinks, and dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings. Located on the second floor of BAM, it’s a beautiful space with unique lighting features (and you can see the cool spiral lights that adorn the outside of BAM from the inside!). If possible, go early to beat the crowds (music usually starts around 8 or 9 so arriving before then can usually get you a seat). There’s a large bar area and an extensive amount of tables/​chairs. Service is top notch. Happy hour is from 6 to 8 and offers $ 5 beers and $ 6 cocktails. For food, it’s a lot of small plates. We very much enjoyed the burger, chicken sandwich, and fries but the menu changes seasonally so it’s worth a second visit to see what’s on the menu!

Great free live music Saturday nights. Gets crowded around showtime so be sure to show up 30 minutes before if you want to sit. The security does a good job keeping fire lanes clear so if there looks like a good empty spot to stand… You’ll probably get asked to move.

This place really feels like it belongs in Brooklyn and in its own world. It’s is absolutely stunning and filled with old art, beautiful paintings and more. Here you can see some cool, new age eclectic style operas, plays that push the boundaries of creativity and most importantly you can catch some good indie films. I love their upstairs café and full bar. They even serve food that isn’t bad. It’s a bit expensive, but you are at a theatre. I signed my husband and I up one year for their season package which allowed us to see 4 plays and 2 operas. Some were better than others, but the theatre is gorgeous and the stages were always very well done. Also the acting varies depending on the play but still very good.
Can’t wait to be able to go back.

Went on a Fri night for free peformsnce that started at 9. We got there at 8:40 and there was standing room only. Nice crowd. Looked like the majority come after week. Ambiance is really nice. Only had a glass of wine for $ 9. Would return. Oh parking was hard to get I guess because the Barclay’s center isn’t too far away.

This may be one of my new favorite places in all of New York. The space is beautiful and large, and you can’t beat free live music. Their house DJ is also great, with fun mixes that are relevant to the type of performer they have each night.
Drinks are reasonably priced for the city, but definitely stick with beer or wine. The cocktails and mixed drinks are pathetically weak.
Definitely come a bit early to get a seat at one of the tables. Performances start promptly at 9, and they tend to wind down by quarter to 10.

DJ IDLEMIND is the BEST!!! He is the reason for the five stars. BEST BEST BEST!!! Seriously, it’s almost sinful that you can catch him spinning for FREE on any given Friday night at the BAM café. Makes me proud to be a member of BAM.
The café is spacious, modern, cool and is always filled with a diverse, fun crowd. It is the kind of place that restores my love for Brooklyn (when everything else seems to be changing into an unfamiliar place). Some of the acts are a little strange, but always talented and entertaining enough. Other acts are simply top-​notch, and again, shockingly free. It’s a great place to go after or before a movie, on a date, or with tourists who want to see a little slice of Brooklyn.
The menu is limited — bar menu — but everything is delicious. Specialty drinks are also very tasty. Great service. My only tip: get there early if you want a seat.

Love this place! Beautiful venue, they have great new talents and established singers performing and its freee! Great spot to come by after or before dinner

Love this place, the venue is beautiful! BAM Café is located on the second floor of the Peter Jay Sharp Building and is opened Friday and Saturday nights (6pm-​11pm). Last night (Friday 9pm).
We went for the live music and enjoyed the DJ who got the vibe going before. The performance was awesome and we left having an amazing night with great service and loving the entire vibe.

This venue is beautiful! They host a variety of events including films, performances, comedy sketches, and FREE live music.
BAM Café is located on the second floor of the Peter Jay Sharp Building and is opened Friday and Saturday nights (6pm-​11pm). Last night (Friday 9pm), White Prism performed some of their catchy, breathy synth-​pop songs. The audience were all nodding to the beat, some even stood up to shake their shoulders! I can’t believe this was a free performance!
At 8pm, around the time we arrived, the tables were about half occupied. By 9pm, they were all filled. So my recommendation? Come early, take a seat, have a drink, and enjoy the ambiance :)

The quality level of musical talent that performs here for free is so high that tonight’s show that was the worst I’ve seen there was just good instead of great. Whoever books the talent there is to be commended.
They have made changes recently to where menu items seem more expensive and smaller portions than they were in past years (or maybe I’m remembering wrong?) and they put the kibosh on putting tables together, which my group of friends used to do all the time. But because you could in theory go and pay nothing at all, it’s still a good deal.
The ambiance of the space is nice, and the vibe you get from the performers, the audience, and the bar staff is always friendly.
I recommend getting there no later than 8 if you want to get a seat. How quickly the space gets filled up with people varies depending on how well known the act is, but know that sooner or later the whole place does fill up, especially at 9 o’clock when the show is about to begin.

This a beautiful venue for some drinks and live music. I went there on a friday night with some friends and had a good time. There’s no cover, the crowd is cultured and the music is diverse. The cocktails weren’t even that pricey. Definitely will be going back again.

Oh BAM Café with your weird seating policies and your great free lineups!
I like this place, but it’s so sad you have to get here so early to see someone for free. I wouldn’t mind spending money to see a good performance and no one minds standing, but sometimes it’s a little disheartening to travel there and find out you won’t be getting in.
When and if you do get in, you have to stand in weird spots. It’s usually a good time, and I wish they would just do a fun afterparty, since there’s always a great dj there, but alas, they don’t.
Fun if you’re in the neighborhood and can get upstairs to catch the show before they turn off the escalator!

Can’t believe I’ve never written about BAMCafe!
This has been a great spot for a long time now, especially the free events they have on many a Friday and/​or Saturday night, but even for the pay ones as well. Beautiful during the day ornight, it gets packed for the free night concerts so get there early if you want a seat facing the stage. Even if you’re not though, the tunes carry through to the back couches where you can chill with a friend or three or with that special someone. This is also a great first date spot. The drinks aren’t cheap, but, they are strong — which I like!
Come check it out, but don’t steal my seat!

I would not go out of the way to go to Bam Café and I would only recommend it to those who are at the Brooklyn Academy of Music for a musical adventure. If this wine bar/​restaurant was a separate entity outside of the theater, I’m not sure if it will receive as much as hype as it does.
The space is beautiful. The über high ceilings and masquerade-​like décor with the animal plush dolls hanging from the ceilings creates a very unique and magical ambiance for its patrons. I was not at the café for any special occasion, just for an hour or so before a show I got free tickets to through my company.
It’s on the second level of the theater and can seat many many people. I can see it being a perfect venue for parties and many different types of events.
We started off with wine. The wine is cheap, relatively speaking. A glass of wine was within a small range of $ 6 to $ 12.
Each table is given a mason jar of home-​made pita bread and hummus. The hummus is great, and pairs very well with the «seemingly» bottomless pita bread. (I think I asked for refills, three times.)
We continued with the chicken teriyaki skewers, which was very salty. I would not recommend it at all. The teriyaki marinade was barely noticeable.
Then we continued to another small plate of their spiced curry lentil dip, which was my favorite for the evening. It says «spiced curry» but it’s not spicy at all. It has a very thick consistency because the lentil beans aren’t reduced down to a smoothie, and it has enough zing to have with the pita bread.
We then finished off our pre-​show wine with the cheese plate. The cheese plate did not have any jams or honeys, just a few pieces of fruits.
Again, I would not drive out just to eat at BAM Café, but it’s definitely a looker if you are in the area.