Comments (0) Best Non-Touristy Jazz Club Remaining in Midtown - 2010
Iguana Restaurant & Lounge
240 W. 54th St.
New York, NY
212-765-5454
It's a long road from Swing Street, the legendary stretch of jazz clubs that once occupied 52nd Street in Midtown; now, live jazz venues are scattered mostly around Harlem, the West Village, and the outer boroughs. But holding its own, proudly, is Iguana Restaurant & Lounge, a perfectly satisfying Mexican restaurant upstairs and, inexplicably, a great concert cavern downstairs. Small, of-the-moment jazz ensembles drop by regularly on weeknights, and lately the venue has seen some larger collaborative events, such as the Jazz for Peace benefit for AIDSfreeAFRICA. Of course, on the weekends, the basement becomes a raucous bridge-and-tunnel dance bash, but ignore that part—no one said this place had to make sense, but we do hope they keep on keepin' on with Midtown jazz. 240 West 54th Street, 212-765-5454, iguananyc.com
