The Wooly

Hosted my 31^st birthday party and had an awesome time!
Pros:
* Somewhat hidden speakeasy located right by the Chambers ACE stop. The venue is well decorated with eclectic and fun furniture that makes you feel like you’re in someone’s quirky home.
* Excellent service. Booking the venue was easy, I emailed
and filled out a form on
. David got back to me quickly and was friendly and affable over the phone. The bar staff and coat check lady Stephanie were attentive, sweet, and professional.
* If you want to reserve the entire space for yourself, the minimum spend is $ 7K and you can order party platters for guests (heard the food was delicious). Because I wasn’t confident about meeting that minimum, I shared the venue with other smaller parties and there was no minimum required. However, by sharing the space you cannot order party platters. If your guests do not show, you would pay a contractual deposit (usually $ 10 a head).
* David did a great job in not overpacking the place. I think there were 2 other much smaller parties, so it felt like we had The Wooly all to ourselves. My party of about 50 was comfortable, weren’t shoulder to shoulder, and we had plenty of space to move around.
* They have a DJ playing all night. The tracks were mostly trendy mainstream hits. I’m glad the music wasn’t blaring because none of us had to scream to carry a conversation.
Tip:
* Reservations are only made via signed agreements. So make sure to sign and return the deposit form as soon as you can in order to secure a time slot. They are super popular and review many daily booking requests.
* Finding The Wooly: It is a somewhat unmarked door, but there is an address sign and should be a security standing just outside or inside the glass door.
Highly recommend for private or semi-​private events!

The Wooly is a well done event space with a solid atmosphere and ambiance that makes me wish this wasn’t a private event space. It’s a little hidden if you don’t know where you’re headed, but I suspect if you’re coming here it’s for a planned event where you’ll get directions.
Staff are friendly and the bar is well stocked and staffed.
Of course your mileage will vary depending on the event being held here, but the venue really lends itself to pretty much anything.

I so want this to be a fabulous coffee bar– unfortunately it is not. The baristas are lovely but don’t know what to do with steamed milk.

I was at The Wooly because a conference I attended hosted a party there. It was dubbed a speakeasy, which is fair as there is no signage — I wouldn’t have known it was there, unless the they had given me the address.
The ambiance is great, the service was friendly, and the food was surprisingly awesome. I was most surprised at how delicious the food was. Usually hors d’oeuvres are just ok, but the ones they were passing around were so good. There were juicy sliders, fried chicken strips on sticks, fries… a lot of different options and done well. Seriously, I want some more of those sliders.
I also liked the layout of the venue. When you walk in there’s a room with a bar, but then you see there are more rooms. The space allows for exploration as well as places to sit or stand and just mingle. The architecture and layout reminded me of both a French bistro and an old aristocrat’s library.
Anyways, if you’re looking for a place to host a cool party, this place would definitely fit the bill!

Nice place and atmosphere :)

I had an awesome time here last night, for Snarkitecture’s, «Print All Over Me,» art showcase event. This was my third or fourth time here and each time so far has been a blast. The people here last night were really interesting, with some having super wigged out styles of dress, not to mention that there was also an open tequila bar for an hour and a half, although I was only able to catch the final 40 minutes. To top it all off, I got to meet Snarkitecture’s own Daniel Arshem, which was way beyond cool, since I’ve been interested in his work since his prior showcase when he partnered with Pharrell and threw an event at Milk Gallery, last year.

Im trying to think of some positives here. It’s open late. Its pretty far downtown and I live down that way… the music is sometimes good. There is typically no problem getting in.
The vibe inside is outrageously «cool guy». So if you’re into that… or you just live that far downtown like I do you’ll enjoy yourself. No guarantees though.

Great DJ, fun crowd, decent drinks, cool décor!

Definitely a good experience at The Wooly. I attended a private party last week for a vendor. Never knew the place was there — right across from my former Manhattan apartment — so I think it’s usually rented out. The hidden space reminded me of my beloved Silver Lining in the same neighborhood, that closed last year. The décor is cozy living room with dim lighting. The bartenders were cool and made this great jalapeño tequila cocktail that I loved, perhaps a little too much.

Can’ t remember the last time I went out in FiDi, but if any thing can drag me there it is a free open bar. I HIGHLY recommend this spot for any private parties, birthdays, etc. The staff was incredibly courteous, the open bar included craft beer and top shelf liquor, and the place was DONE UP.
The venue is really interesting, may even qualify as a speak easy? Table service is on these elevated platforms decorated with antique chairs and coffee tables. i loved one of the house cocktails the bartender recommended, champagne and gin with some kind of fruit juice? Hope to get another open bar invite here sometime in the future!

Came here for a business-​related party this week and was very impressed with the space. Cute fun space with large antique couches and neat décor. The bartenders and cocktails were great: another visitor at the party was also impressed with the mixology and he’s touring the top 10 bars in the world (only halfway there).
(Ditto the review about having to look carefully for the sign on the door.)

WOw, what a night and a discovery! This place is great.
It’s an event hosting venue and I have been there for a magazine launch this week. The place was packed!
Décor is a must see and there’s a stage at the back, in the «living room».
I did not put 5 stars has me and my friends still have our ears ringing from the noise. IT’s LOUD!

We came here for a friend’s birthday and were happily surprised. They played really great music and the room in the back has a big space for dancing. The décor is really cool and well curated — antique couches, a big long bar to get drinks: speakeasy, 1920s golden era vibe. The drinks were also delicious– I recommend the mule and the green gimlet. This is a great place to come on a random night or to host a birthday party at.

Living on the upper east side, I rarely find myself in Tribeca on the weekends — it’s a HIKE, but I found myself here for a friend’s bday recently and was pleasantly surprised. The Wooly isn’t marked aside from the bouncer at the door. There are two «rooms» — a bar in the front and an area with tables, couches and dancing in the back, with sort of a speakeasy feel. The music was great — everything from 80s to top 40. I was also surprised that drink prices weren’t outrageously through the roof. Probably wouldn’t go back unless I had a reason to (due to distance), but overall good experience!

This place could be really cool. The interior is really unique and the lighting is pretty cool. The drinks were also reasonably price for the amount of alcohol you get in them. However, there are a number of major flaws that made my experience here pretty terrible.
First, the sound system in this place is one of the worst I have ever heard in any entertainment venue. I generally do not have a hard time hearing in bars, clubs, loud places, etc. but I honestly couldn’t hear anything anyone said my entire time here. The music was not just too loud, the acoustics were pretty in this low-​ceilinged venue and the speakers were misplaces and substandard. They should invest in a better sound system if they want to get repeat business.
Second, the bar and entrance area is way too small and gets incredibly crowded very quickly. There is only one bar — located about 10 feet past where the entrance is — and as soon as people started flowing into the party I was at there it was nearly impossible to not only get a drink but also to leave. There is a huge back room, too. It would be very easy to put some other drink station in there and separate the flow.
It seems like this place just didn’t put the money into the right type of things when they opened the establishment. It has potential if a few major things are changed but not worth going to right now.

What a fun space! There are two large rooms: the room in the back is more for dancing and the one in the front has a long bar so everyone can get drinks. Came here for a friend’s party and had a great time: music was great, drinks were amazing — I especially recommend the green gimlet! Definitely not what I expected for the Financial District, but loved it!

Nightlife review
The Financial District is not normally my #1 choice for a night out in Manhattan. Still, I made it out here last weekend, and came away pleasantly surprised. The location is right at the border of Tribeca /​Financial District, and it’s pretty easy to get to via subway or car (I found a parking spot right in front at around 12:30 am).
The first room is dark and sleek, pretty nice lounge atmosphere with plenty of couches and a bar. The well-​dressed, professional crowd (i.e. not a frat scene) was enjoying the beats coming from the next room over.
Farther in to the left was the DJ room and main dance area. A little small, and they had a small stage where ladies (and, guys too — comeon dudes, no one wants to see you dance on a stage!) were shaking their stuff.
Upstairs was the main room — much larger bar with a bunch of seating for dinner /​special events. Coat check was also located up here, which is important since my coat almost got stolen the last time I went out in the LES.
Overall — this place was roomy enough to meet up with a group, had great music, and had none of the usual BS stuff you might expect from a downtown lounge (no cover, no long lines, etc.).
The downside is that even though we left relatively early (around 2ish), the place had already begun to clear out by then. The dance floor was a lot more lively when we got there (12ish) than when we left. Similarly, the bar area upstairs was very thinned out. Certainly not a place you’d want to show up late to, but a fun place to start the night with friends.

Had my wedding «reception» here with ~60 friends (late 20s/​early 30s) and it was awesome. Loved. Eric was great to work with — Very laid back, but def. pays attention to the details, creating such a cool experience that had the whole crew raving. We had the entire space to ourselves for 4 hours with open bar, DJ (who was awesome too), doorman, and yummy heavy passed apps. Service from the bartenders was also great. Even let me name a drink. Highly recommend for a private event.

Had the pleasure of having The Wooly for a friend’s birthday. Note that due to some scaffolding, the sign for Barclay St may not be easily visible. Similarly, the venue itself is rather hard to find. A shabby black glass door with haphazardly-​scribbled, barely-​discernible figures vaguely reminiscent of the numerical address ‘11’ marks the spot. Once inside, the speakeasy vibe hits right away — dimly lit chandeliers, vintage lamps, old-​school couches, and a real sense of old New York.
On this given Saturday night, the front area (where the bar is) was easy to navigate. The back area was filled with a variety of music all very dance approp. There was plenty of space for various forms of self expression, though the vibe was never too raucous to take a seat on a couch and chat it up. Drinks around a cool New York-​friendly $ 14.
The bathrooms are also quite large… if that’s your thing.

Attended private birthday party over the weekend. If you don’t know where you are going you might get lost. Place is def not obvious. Small space. Beautiful décor. There is the bar area up front and in back left is the larger «dance floor» with a cool disco ball and chandelier. With the comfy couches, lamps, cupcakes out in the open, it felt like partying in someone’s fancy living room.
Bar was expensive. $ 20 min if you are paying by card. They had interesting cocktails such as the Dark n Wooly (gingerish/​brow sugar rum cocktail) $ 12. This place fills up super fast. When I came in by 11pm, place was pretty navigatable. Fast forward to 1am, it was packed…20mn wait at the bar to get my 2^nd drink. And this was with 2 bartenders!
Good part is the dance floor was awesome. If you are able to get in, you will get a great workout here. DJ did an amazing job. Reason #1 I would consider going back.
4 stars for the décor and dance atmosphere. Gotta be here already w/​friends though
3 stars for the bar. Need more bartenders.