Chippewa's Newest Bar on the Block
The latest club on Chippewa will open its doors in time for one of the biggest party nights of the year. Suitably named for Mardi Gras, Bayou will break onto the scene on Fat Tuesday, February 5th. Patrons may remember this site as the former McMonkeez and even more recently, Club Vodka, but after gutting the interior and changing its décor, Bayou will be showing a fresh face to the Chip Strip.
With two levels, multiple bars, raised benches and a cage for dancing, Bayou promises to become an immediate innovative nightlife staple for the city. Adding to this, Manager Sean Coughlin said, "Bayou will have the sleekness of an upscale lounge with the atmosphere and energy of a Buffalo party bar."
There will be a live deejay spinning mash-ups and top 40 hits nightly, and the club will also be playing music videos and movie clips on all of the flat screen televisions that panel the lower level of the club. Aquariums and Las Vegas style lighting will line the walls and a "Shark Zone" with plasmas and the PS3 game "Rock Band" sponsored exclusively by Shark Energy Drink will make for a unique club setting in Downtown Buffalo.
"I'm really excited about Bayou and what it will do for downtown nightlife in Buffalo," Coughlin said .
The following weekend (Friday the 8th and Saturday the 9th) will be the Grand Opening Weekend, with plenty of glamour, surprises, and no cover for the ladies. With burlesque dancers, spotlights, and a red carpet, Chippewa’s newest venture certainly seems to be one of the most anticipated.
716.854.5444
www.bayoubuffalo.com.
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Comment Options
Martin
Sorry, The Chip Strip scares the hell outa me.
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Perry
Any bar that has a cage for dancing, rates high in my book! I make it down to Chippewa a few times a year, it's always a good time.
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Willy_Will
yeah ps3 definitly says "upscale lounge"
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honda88
Club Vodka was open two months ago and it was a dump. The addition of a PS3 should really turn it around.
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mercury
Rather than have a string of vacant bars along Chippewa, it is good to see such a quick opening
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Ike
There's a Bayou club in albany...is this owned by the same people?
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bison716
Sounds crazy! Welcome club Bayou!
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Downtownjunkie
I wish the city could get rid of that damn porn shop next door.
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zen
Apparently the Preservation Board won't allow the porn shop to close as it is a vestige of chip's past glory days.
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wizardofza
in other words, nothing upscale nor classy about it.
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jdfan
Sorry, what's wrong with the porn shop? I wish Breezy's would come back.
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ToughintheStreets
Then what is your idea of an upscale, classy bar?
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SLEEPL8
I am setting the over/under on how long this place will stay open at 13 months. What do ya'll say...over or under?
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flyguy
I'm happy to see the McMonkees space get occupied once again. For awhile there I thought the demise of the Chippewa Strip was upon us and the closed and for sale signs would be going up all over the place and we would lose one of Buffalo's streets people are proud to talk about when referring to Buffalo nightlife. I honestly hope the Buffalo PD do a good job keeping the Chippewa Strip peaceful and get troublemakers well out of that area before the strip loses its positive reputation.
On another note how does that porn shop impact you and your life? Its been there on Chippewa for many years and from what I have seen hasnt been much of a trouble at all, its just there. Its a bar and party district. Its kinda suited for that location to be honest and its really not an imposing in your face type of thing if such places turn your stomach. Its an adult oriented area for wining, dining, partying. It is not a family friendly sort of area and frankly I am happy about that because not everyplace needs to be or should be a happy family place filled with jungle gyms and playsets. The human life has many phases and there are many many different personalitie in it and not everyone thinks alike. Entertainment should be catered to from birth to death not be solely focused on the children or family phase. I still operate under the thinking that if you dont like it dont go. I for one have no issue with that lpace, its another tax paying business in the city with someones local money invested in it. Buffalo should be thankful for all the locally owned and regional businesses it has because it is not like that everywhere in this Country at all, not even close. Feel fortunate your community isnt totally overrun with corporate chains and that your local hotel or restaurant looks exactly like the one 20 miles away or 200 miles away. Like the concept of a porn shop or not its another business filling up space and obviously serving a market or it wouldnt be there. Obviously everyone doesnt wish it wasnt there because its been in business for many years.
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mbhxam
Chippewa is safe as can be. It's the people who go to the bars down the street that cause those problems and the problems are far enough from Chippewa where they don't seem to mix...of course there is the occasional exception to the rule, but contrary to how the media may report it, the Chippewa entertainment district is safe as can be...save for the stupid meat head college kid fights and the occasional fat hugging woman pick-pocket who for some reason made news around the world...
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JAM
While I can't say that Chippewa is the "classiest" street in Buffalo, I think it serves a purpose. Overall, I'd say the scene has changed for the better over the last few years. Places like Brinks and Bada Bing are an improvement over House of Quinn and defunct comedy clubs. It would be nice to see a few more restaurants open that cater to the theatre/nightlife crowd, but realistically that area has become pretty saturated. As long as the night clubs that appeal to the ghetto remain out of the picture, it's a fun place to go with a group of people on the weekend. Now, it would be great to see the emphasis on having it a busy strip every night of the week. Bayou sounds different, which is good. Hopefully it will be a shot in the arm for Chippewa and something with a little change of flavor.
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wizardofza
I agree completely with flyguy. There's a definite need for places that support adult-oriented activities. I wouldn't mind of more porn or lingerie shops were to open in the Chip area, it'd probably make that part of downtown more of a destination. A condom shack would be nice.
The prudish, "family values" types have more than what they're looking for in places like Tonawanda and East Amherst.
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mbhxam
How about a great strip club on the Chip Strip? That would bring some new action down there.
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joey
When I was in high school (TECH)....the place to go was DEWEY'S DINER, LET'S BRING THAT BACK..AND HELL..MAY AS WELL BRING BACK THE PROSTITUTES WHO USED TO PROPOSITION US WHEN SCHOOL LET OUT! Now I'M all for preservation!!
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RisingDamp666
I hear you, joey, but sadly, Buffalo is increasingly out of the 'clean girl circuit'. The best ones hit all the big metros plus, of course, Vegas. Even Niagara Falls Ont. is losing out. Blame Vladimir Putin: his hardline economic policies are keeping the good ones closer to home. But if any of the Elmwood hipster types would like to ply their trade, Daddy wants to talk.
ps.there's still some Korean action but T.O. is a long drive for a little "Kung Pau".
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redbaron
Gimme a break, Vodka lasted how long? three months? Anyways. . before they settled on "Bayou" they had signs in the window calling it "Marty's Graw" oh how original. . they'll open for Mardi Gras maybe last til' the summer and then close. Sorry doesn't look like it will last very long. Fads come and go but the real key to keeping a bar open for a long time is a relaxed atmosphere where you can feel comfortable having a couple of beers w/ your friends, shoot a game of pool or darts and not having blasting music or some annoying intoxicated person to be bothered with.
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ToughintheStreets
Vodka's closing had nothing to do with the type of bar it was. There were other issues. I myself enjoy a "comfortable bar" where you can "shoot a game of pool or darts." But not everyone thinks like me. There are many people who enjoy that type of setting. Places like Blue Mirage and Level seem to be doing ok. No? And I don't care what kind of bar your at, there WILL be annoying drunk people. The key to having a successful entertainment district like Chippewa is diverse bars with diverse crowds so that there's something for eveyone. And yes that street definitely needs another restaurant. Don't be surprised if one pops up there soon...
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yeah_boy
... blue mirage is going under (main n goodell).. so that isn't doing "ok"
level is run well and will be around for years (or will be reinvented and continue to do well as another club)
vodka was a bunch of rochestor boys who didn't know a thing about buffalo and went belly up because they couldn't pay their bills
the chip strip is dying.. it'll be 2 or 3 major players sticking around in the next couple years with a few other "niche" places remaining open to fill a void, like chocolate bar
bayou?.. ps3 = sleek upscale lounge? .. not sure about that
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simcoe
Damn, everyone knows you need a Wii to create that upscale bar image. mbhxam-"Chippewa is safe as can be. It's the people who go to the bars down the street that cause those problems" Really. No f-ing kidding, the street isn't sucking people down into some netherworld. Children and buckets of alcohol don't mix. Also, the city isn't going to let a strip club open dwntwn. One wanted to open above the Century Grill (bleeeech) and there was no way it was going to fly.
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simcoe
Forgot to add that Bflo needs an oversight committee to examine the names for bars. Club Vodka...Bayou... ugh. Buckin' Buffalo Saloon is actually sounding kind of creative.
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ToughintheStreets
I stand corrected on Mirage (like I said, not the type of bar I frequent) I'm not so sure the strip is dying just yet though. The business and property owners in the district are aware of its challeges and are working on improving it. They can't afford a fate similar to The Flats in Cleveland.
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NewAgeRightsMovement
This Club aswell as many other Clubs on the strip have proven themselves to enforce an anti african american Dress and Culture poilicy. Ironic this club is called the Bayou. I was not allowed into this Club wearing a pair of Dress shoes, staightleg pants and a button down dressshirt because i did not fall into the thier dress policy of men in tight cloths and flaired jeans. Whites were admited into the club wearing tathered and ripped jeans and baggy and hanging below their waste beacuse they "mainted the image the club would like to present. Well if the Anti-African american image or the Classic exclusive all white image was one that they want evey one to percive them as then good job another expamle of EuroBiased stereotypes have been fufilled. This club Should be Fined and Closed As well as many others on the Chippewa strip for the Anti-Black Cultre policies in effect. One of the worst places on the Strip Sub zero is better anyway They dont promote Rasicim
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