New York Live Music Bar sits in the middle of Patong on Bangla Road, a late night room built around a stage and a house band. It runs live sets seven nights a week across rock, pop and soul, opening in the evening and pushing well past midnight.
Who would love it: visitors who want live bands and a loud night in the heart of the Patong strip. Who would find it less their speed: anyone after a quiet cocktail, since the room is built for volume and the music runs late.
The bar sits at street level on Bangla Road, the pedestrian nightlife strip that fills after dark. The stage faces the floor with a long bar down the side, so the band drives the room from open to close.
Doors open around 7pm and the bar runs to about 3am, with the house band covering a wide set list rather than a single genre. Phanganist lists it among the Patong live music rooms worth a stop, and the band switches between rock anthems and pop through the night.
The drinks are built for a night out rather than a cocktail programme, with beer towers, spirits and mixers at mid range Patong prices. The room works best with a group and a table near the stage.
The energy climbs as the night runs on, peaking after midnight when the strip is at its fullest. The crowd is mostly visitors and a steady regular set, and the floor fills on weekends.
The best time to go is later in the evening once the band has warmed up and the strip is moving. The official site and Facebook page carry the current set times and any guest acts.
Patong sits on the west coast a short ride from the Kata and Karon beaches, with Bangla Road closed to traffic after dark for the night crowd. The bar is easy to find on the main run, with the stage visible from the street.
For a first night in Patong it is a simple anchor for a live music stop between the clubs and the beer bars. Expect a loud room, a late finish and a cover free door on most nights.
The room runs every night of the week, which sets it apart from venues that go dark midweek, and the house band keeps the set list moving so no two nights play the same. That consistency is why it holds a spot on the Patong music lists.
Getting there is simple, since Bangla Road closes to traffic after dark and the bar sits on the main pedestrian run. Most hotels in Patong are a short walk, and taxis drop at either end of the strip.
The bar also pulls a returning crowd who come for the band rather than the strip, which gives the floor a steadier feel than the beer bars around it. Reviewers note the musicians take requests across the night, so the set bends toward whatever the room wants to hear.
New York Live Music Bar suits a group night, a bar crawl stop, or a late session with a live band. For more of the strip see our guide to live music bars in Phuket, the blues room at Rockin Angels Blues Cafe, the neon institution at Tiger Bar, and more rooms around Patong.
Few rooms on Bangla Road run live bands every night at this scale, which is what keeps it on the Patong shortlists. The night works best with a group and a later arrival once the band is going.