This section lists comedy clubs or shows that I'm fond of that don't run seven nights a week. They often exist for a few months and then stop, so if you try to go to one and find that it's defunct, please let me know and I'll update the list.
Ambush Comedy (Williamsburg)
This long-running Wednesday night show used to be at a Two Boots Pizza location and somehow included a free beer in their zero cost ticket. In October 2023 they moved to EBBS Brewing, barely a hundred yards away and around the start of 2025 they relocated to Flophouse's venue. They were making noises about wanting to be closer to the Bedford Street subway stop on the L line and as of Feb 25, they are now at Stefano's Tattoo Studio (just off Bedford). On my most recent visit, it was BYO AND they would happily give you a free can of something tasteless.
I saw a lot of good people at the Two Boots location and they usually had at least one well known name per show at EBBS (it was Judah Friedlander on our Mar 2024 visit - see blog post for details).
Josh Johnson is one of the producers and he usually turns up to try out some stuff - I have a lot of time for him. They have a mailing list that you can sign up to which lists the acts appearing each week, usually on the Monday. Doors are 8pm and the show is 8:30pm apparently.
Last visited Mar 2025.
Hot Soup
Produced by comics Gary Vider, Matt Ruby and Mark Normand (all of whom are worth seeing on their own) this show ran every Tuesday in the back room of The Irish Exit pub up until Feb 2019 when they announced that it was ending (as the bar had closed).
After a brief hiatus they restarted in the basement of a busy midtown pub called Printers Alley, only to cease again in June 2019 and resume at the Fat Black Pussycat. This represents a bit of a departure for them as a) They're charging a cover b) They've always operated in bars before c) The show (at least initially) has moved from its 8:30pm slot to a fractionally less friendly 10:30pm timing.
The Irish Exit gigs were always well-programmed and had a good hit rate for famous names showing up unannounced - I saw Maria Bamford there in July 16 and Judah Friedlander in December 16. I guess with a cover charge available to better pay acts, plus the proximity to the Cellar and the VU, they may be able to offer a stronger line-up. They claim it's the longest running independently-produced comedy show in NYC.
They have another weekly Hot Soup show running, though it's rebranded as "GOOD EGGS". On Wednesdays at 8pm they are at the NY Comedy Club on 4th St (use the code SCRAMBLED for $5 ticks but there's still a two drink minimum which really does mount up). As of Sep 24 they also added a Good Eggs show at the NY Comedy Club on the Upper West Side on Mondays at 7:30pm.
Let's See, What Else at Lucky Jacks
Formerly a free show in the basement of Poco Restaurant, the latest incarnation of this long-running night (nine years apparently) is now $10 (plus tax) and runs on Tuesdays at Lucky Jacks (which has housed an assortment of comedy over the years). It's hosted by Courtney Maginnis and Tom Delgado.
The show is well-regarded by comics and the first night I was there (at Poco) Ronny Chieng opened. In August 2023 Mark Normand and Maddie Wiener were listed on the same bill.
I've not been for a long while but will leave the entry here in the meantime.
Secret Sauce at the Beauty Bar
Sunday night at the Beauty Bar used to be a free show called, imaginatively, Comedy at the Beauty Bar. At some point in early 2023 it changed to the current version. I went to the old show several times and it had a pretty good hit rate. The new incarnation isn't radically different. On our last visit we saw five comics, of which two were decent, for precisely zero dollars.
The Beauty Bar is a weird bar/beauty salon hybrid near Manhattan's Union Square (two blocks from Stand NYC). Drinks are sourced from the front bar and are admirably cheap.
Last visited Jul 2024.
Comedians You Should Know at The Gutter (Williamsburg)
This is a fantastic room. It's in the back of an old-fashioned bowling alley in Williamsburg, Brooklyn. There's a full bar at the front (with views of the lanes) and then you enter via a corridor in front of the restrooms. There's also a functioning bar at the back of the performance space. There's a nice, high stage and the whole thing is very atmospheric. Tickets are around $7 in advance. Shows I've attended have featured Roy Wood Jr, Monroe Martin and the excellent Adrienne Iapalucci but I've also seen Judah Friedlander, Sean Donnelly and Daniel Simonsen listed. If you join their mailing list they will sometimes offer free tickets on the day of the show if they're quiet, but the advance price is hardly breaking the bank.
From July 2021 they have expanded the night. They now also run two shows on a Saturday evening (8pm and 10:30pm) called Headliners You Should Know which they claim are "Killers only, longer sets".
On our most recent visit the show started 15 minutes late and the host (David Drake - who is there pretty often) was unremarkable. If you had turned up 35 minutes after the start time you would have missed nothing - though you may have a limited choice of seat.
Last visited October 2022.
Kweendom at Pete's Candy Store (Williamsburg)
A free, once a month LGBTQ show (3rd Friday last time I checked) in the intimate setting of the back room of a pub. Hosted by the charming Bobby Hankinson this had a surprisingly strong line-up when I first attended and quite a weak one the second time. A collection is taken at the end for charity. Most draft beer is $8 and they have four wines at $10 but everything is discounted to $5 during happy hour which runs till 7pm. They proudly advertise that Time Out described them as "extremely gay".
Last visited June 2023
I visited this a long time ago when it was a once a week show in the back of an East Village vegan restaurant. It now appears to have scaled up to a six nights a week proposition so could feasibly merit a place in the Clubs section. On an extremely brief recent visit I noted that they had three rubbish beers, all priced at $9 and decided against staying for the show (open-mic). I'll leave the entry in here for the meantime. It looked like a decent performance space, what little I saw of it.
This modest basement venue is in Manhattan's trendy East Village. It's starkly decorated but is a reasonable enough space for comedy. Early bird tickets are $12.71 with General Admission optimistically priced at double that. Its USP is that it's BYO which should prevent the cost of your evening spiralling. It's comedian-owned and they run shows Thu-Sat. In October 2023 they opened a second, larger room a couple of hundred yards away. This space is slightly better-equipped and I'd sooner visit this one.
They don't tend to publish lineups in advance, which always makes me a little nervous. On our first visit we had a fabulous time. On our second not so much. That's what happens when you're not in control of who you are seeing.
In October 2024 they claimed a) to be offering a free Miller Lite with every ticket b) to have lowered the roof to improve the comedy environment. I don't know if the Miller is a permanent feature and they didn't say if it was their original room or the new one that had the roof alteration.
See the Oddities page for details of more BYOB-friendly shows.
Last visited Jan 2024
Flop House Comedy (Williamsburg)
This is a new comedy club that opened in Williamsburg in December 2023. It's a modestly-sized room, maybe 50 seats, and is another comedian-owned venture. They currently appear to be operating at the weekends only, plus maybe one weeknight, but the ticket prices are modest. Early Bird tickets are $7 and the full price ones go from $12 to $17.
On our only visit so far we had quite a rough time. The two billed acts we were keen to see both failed to appear and it wasn't obvious who had replaced them in terms of quality.
Last visited Jan 2024
Paperweight Comedy (Williamsburg)
This odd little show takes place every Monday in a small building called McCarren Park House in the middle of (you've guessed it) McCarren Park in Williamsburg. If we're splitting hairs it's actually nearer to the Greenpoint side.
There's no cover but there is a one drink minimum which I don't remember being too expensive. I've only been once but the standard of comics was surprisingly high.
If you fancy trying something different I would recommend this.
Last visited Mar 2024
Frankenstein's Baby at Union Hall
Starting in Sep 2024, this bi-weekly show is on on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of the month. I've not yet been but it has some of the same people behind it as Butterboy and before that Night Train, both at Littlefield. Josh Gondelman, who I have a lot of time for, is one of the hosts. Tickets are $10 (before tax) in advance and $15 on the door. Union Hall has a very good happy hour up to 7pm.
Punch Up at The Second City
Second City, the Chicago comedy institution, opened an NYC outpost in 2024 in custom-built premises in Williamsburg. Most of their shows are improv but in November 2024 they started running Punch Up, a conventional bill show, at 8pm on Wednesdays. Tickets are $15, the lineups look decent and are published in advance. I've not yet been so can't vouch for drink minimums/prices.
This comedian-operated location opened in September 2024. They started with shows on just Thu/Fri/Sat but seem to have expanded to almost every night of the week. The entrance is a little make-shift but the performance space is nice enough. It's currently BYOB, which is refreshing, but they have a small fridge with cans for sale if you turn up without doing the necessary prep. They also have a food truck each week (details on their website). Try using the code FRIENDS - you might get something off the ticket price - but it's pretty cheap without any discount.
On my only visit I had a reasonable time but there were no names on the bill. I've noticed one or two established comics (Josh Gondelman) starting to be listed.
Last visited Oct 2024