Thirty One West

We knew this as the Union Square Music Hall, so had to check this was the right entry to review. Went to see Marc Broussard there on a family staycation thing. Baby K's first indoor concert. Great place for a show.Coming in was confusing. The entry is in the center and up the stairs. But we had to check in first and get our hands stamped, in the door just to the right. Friendly and helpful staff the whole time, at check-in, the door, bar, etc. Go up the stairs and there is a little landing with bathrooms and a sort of recovery room thing- didn't go in there, but looked like a place to escape the crowd and noise. Straight in the double doors is the show venue, a cool old theater. Great sound, nice lighting. Bar is up another set of stairs, with a small balcony with tables. Accessibility might be an issue; I saw no elevator though there could be one. Two sets of steep stairs were hard on an old guy with bad knees, especially coming down from the bar with drinks. Pizza and burgers, etc., at the bar, nice to have handy. Fast friendly service.Downstairs, the bar to the left of the entry looks quite nice, and they had the show on a TV. Crowd wasn't massive so you could wander up and down and enjoy all areas. Definitely would come back for another show.

The place is a very cool, old 3 story venue in downtown Newark, apparently recently renovated. We drove over for the Ben Nichols of Lucero solo show. We did have drink/bar issues in that the third floor bar was limited and the main floor bar was busy with only one gal tending. My husband could not get the beer he wanted as they were out so he settled for another. He ordered my Riesling but they had to go fetch a warm bottle from the basement. The sound was pretty good, although since we were standing under the speakers, it was difficult for me to hear his between song chats with the audience.I would return. I love old places with character and this suits my enjoyment of small Indy shows.

Someone(s) had the idea to revive this old building, and in the process, be a part of reviving downtown Newark. Kudos to that person, or people. It's a great venue to see bands, and I see how it could be a great place for weddings and other large functions. With a bar downstairs and a smaller bar on the third floor, it makes getting something to drink very accessible (as the main room is on the second floor). Smart idea. And Thirty One West could have gone with just a bare-bones bar and still made money. But they turned it up and brought local beers and spirits on in addition to all the regular drinks. Some interesting cocktails as well. I will say that the layout was a bit odd, as we walked in to the bar thinking that was where we needed to go to see the music acts, when we could have gone through a different door. It wasn't bad, but not the most efficient. Maybe a sign for the bar and a sign for those coming to the main event? Or, perhaps I just overlooked that. Speaking of, the bar area downstairs has it's own thing going on. Looks like most nights they are open if you wanted a cool area to hang out. They don't just support the main space upstairs. That is a smart idea. This is a well appointed, well run establishment. We will be back.

I've been here a few times. Nice place and good to enjoy when you feel like having some fun with friends.

Cool old building with great sound and lots of concert options. We went to a more chill solo show. I've attended a wedding here too that was really nice. High ceilings and lots of old details made it a pretty venue.

I come here for the music- the house band does an amazing job playing their tribute shows! I really love the old opera house feel and the sound is great. I've been coming here since the place opened, and I have noticed some changes. The no longer use glass cups, only plastic, and the drinks are much smaller than they used to be. Seems like a way to cut corners. In addition, they seem completely understaffed. One bartender at each bar during a busy Saturday night show. Needless to say we waited a long while for our drinks.

I Will be back with my man and son soonI have to go do my time soon.jeff I love u more than I ever have loved youWait for me my king.

Great venue bringing in fun acts from all over! Cute bar downstairs to order drinks like blood orange margaritas and craft beers! The sound is always good and Newark is the cutest small town ever!

Love seeing this gorgeous space renovated and back in use. It seemed like there were no hiccups on opening night, buying tickets from the box office was easy and the sound in the ballroom is incredible. There's a bar in the balcony with domestics and the bar downstairs has craft beer and cocktails that you can get in a plastic cup to take up to the ballroom. Can't wait to see the other shows this week!

Definitely a cool gay bar! Finally a good place for the twenty-something LGBT crowd in Newark. Cheap drinks too! I'll be back with my Cub!!!