Bulgarian dancing, merriment, and shots shots shots!

Mehanata
Lower East Side
113 Ludlow Street (b/w Rivington and Delancey Streets)
New York, NY 10002
212-625-0981
www.mehanata.com

One thing is for sure about this Bulgarian bar: you'll never be bored. There are so many facets to this bar/tavern/club that even your most A.D.D. friend will constantly be amused. (Not to mention there's pretty shiney L.E.D. lights on the ceiling of the lower level!) Start out in the upstairs tavern where most nights you can enjoy a live Bulgarian band while dancing, enjoying light food and...smoking hookah? Slightly mismatched but fun none the less. Downstairs turns into a total dance club, but keeps the same Euro vibe. Expect one popular song for every five European folk/techno dance songs, and then expect to inevitably get swept into the circle dances whether you know the steps or not. Other fun distractions include a stripper pole open to any and all patrons and Mehanata's main attraction: the Ice Cage. $20 per person grants you and your friends admission into a porta-john sized booth lined with shelves of vodka. You have two minutes to consume up to five shots, including many top-shelf options. Even better than the drunkenness is that to enter the cage you must play dress-up in an authentic Russian military uniform and hat...stylish. Expect good and raucous times at Mehanata, but also expect a pretty dense crowd and not much range of movement. Drinks are moderately priced and Mehanata does charge a cover if not with an organized party, but in this case it's all about the atmosphere and engrossing yourself in the culture.
Rating: 4 stars