Gets impressively good reviews..great if you like all kinds of Asian art, emphasis seems to be on Buddhist and Hindu works (says one person)
Rubin Museum Of Art
150 W 17th St
(between 7th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas)
New York, NY 10011
Neighborhood: Chelsea
(212) 620-5000
(between 7th Ave & Avenue Of The Americas)
New York, NY 10011
Neighborhood: Chelsea
(212) 620-5000
- Nearest Transit Station:
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18 St. (1, 2)14 St. (F, M)6 Ave. (L)
- Hours:
- Mon, Thu 11 am - 5 pmWed 11 am - 7 pmFri 11 am - 10 pmSat-Sun 11 am - 6 pm
- Good for Kids:
- Yes
124 reviews for Rubin Museum Of Art
Review Highlights What's this?
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"Pretty cool museum dedicated to Himalayan art." In 55 reviews -
"Friday nights at the Rubin are a very classy affair." In 18 reviews -
"I love the long spiral staircase that passes through the six-floors." In 13 reviews
Rating Distribution | Trend
124 reviews in English
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Review from Johnny T.
Flushing, NYA beautiful museum, a trendy bar with some nice folks over behind the counter, and wonderful collections of Himalayan art and statues. It's free on Friday nights - starting at 6pm I believe - so it was great for a lot of my friends visiting or just open to check out the museum especially since one of my friends was studying East Asian culture. Everyone enjoyed it, and here's to another 5 stars. -
Review from Ilene E.
I came here on a Sunday for my religion class assignment.
SFC students get in for free and regular students have to paid $5.
There is a cafe/bookstore on the left of the museum's First Floor.
As you go up the spiral staircase - there are 6 floors, I was immediately placed in a state of mellow and non-NYC like.
My favorite is the shrine temple, you have to really relax to enjoy this hidden area.
Glad I spent a hour here. -
Review from L. William W.
Springfield Gardens, Queens, NYThe actual museum wasn't my cup of tea. It's essentially Hindu and Buddhist art. I was bored after 45 minutes. However, on Friday evenings, it's free. They also have live music and booze on the 1st floor. The place was inundated with attractive women. I even saw two interracial couples.
Long story short, this is a boring museum, but a cheap idea for a date. -
Review from Kristen Q.
Torrance, CAQuite an enjoyable unique experience for a museum. On Fridays from 6-9pm, you can experience enjoying a night at the bar and ordering appetizers, woohoo! What a great time after a work night to go and unwind and enjoy art work.
They have lychee martinis, wine, and other delicious appetizers and interesting Buddhist/Himalayan art. Go check it out and gather your friends!-
Mingling business area -
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Review from Andrea S.
Union City, NJOf course, the art is sublime...
The space, with it's 6 floors of spiral staircase, is just as impressive...
An airy, classy, interesting bar area...
A happy hour change of pace...
Now if they could only extend happy hour from 6 -10 PM, I'd be there every week! -
Review from Danielle B.
Ronkonkoma, NYLovely museum. I believe there are 5 or 6 different floors. You must stop by the Tibetan sanctuary, it is a sight to see. I also enjoyed the prayer beads exhibit. I genuinely learned a lot here, and they have some interactive areas where you can learn more about the art & its symbolism through touch-screen computers. -
Review from Jamie C.
New York, NYSo glad that I came across this gem! After going countless times to Met and Moma, I was just over it. But, after hearing about Rubin's happy hour, i couldn't help but be curious. In terms of the happy hour, the drinks were reasonably priced, but my biggest gripe was that it is only from 6-7pm. It was not that crowded when I wentt, but I can see how it could get crazy. They also restrict drinks to the lounge area. So expect to spend some time in lounge before heading to the actual museum.
First off, the museum is the perfect size for an leisurely evening or afternoon of culture. The worst thing is when you have to sink a full day into a museum and still feel like you haven't accomplished everything. We made it through the entire museum in about 2 hours. We were going at a non-leisurely pace, but not rushing either.
They have everything from paintings to tapestries and sculptures. I love the fact they explain the culture significance of many of the symbols and mythology found in the Himalayan region. I felt like I was getting a sociology, history, and art lesson all in one. Some of the pieces were genuinely stunning and others were a little disturbing but in a good way.
I'll definitely be back. -
Review from Ju L.
Free Fridays: The bar is crazy busy and has a surprisingly diverse (age, race, clothing choice...) crowd. Bartender was slow and out of a few things, but super sweet and undercharged us significantly (to be fair, both our drinks had little to no alcohol). The Irish coffee was, putting it nicely, meh. Follow your intuition to get beer or wine.
We were here for their Cabaret Fridays - free film screenings in the downstairs theater if you get a drink at the bar. (They say $7 bar minimum, but all you need to do is have drink in hand when you get tickets at Will Call.) I REALLY wanted to see the film this particular night, but by the time we had flagged down the bartender, gotten our drinks, and made our way to the will call table, we were told tickets had just sold out. Arggghhhhh. We ended up just sitting upstairs in the cafe/bar area sipping our mediocre drinks. There are a ton of people hanging around the lounge-y area who seem to have little to nothing to do with the film event or the museum at all. I wouldn't go so far as to say that it was "clubby" (no questionable clothing choices here; some people were still in winter coats). But it was strange for a museum. By 10pm it was clearing out.
Every single person we dealt with (except for a surly security guard afterward) who was at all associated with the museum was extremely friendly and in a good mood, which is impressive and awesome. -
Review from Jess L.
There are so many interesting and well-curated museums in NYC, and this is definitely one for that list!
Very educational exhibits and a vast selection of art.
I love the space, too, with its winding staircase and simple lighting throughout
This is the type of museum where I could keep coming back and would learn something new each time and not be bored. The collection is really fabulous, and the display was very thought out. -
Review from George D.
The Rubin is more than a museum, so a good amount of other museums should take a page from the Rubin's playbook. The layout is great. The museum isn't huge. It has a mini-Guggen spiral style to it. I usually start at the top and work my way down. The permanent installments are always fun to revisit, and bring people to visit for the first time. Perfect for a date. You can see the entire collection in a visit without those torture devices on her feet getting the best of her.
And then there are the events surrounding the art: music, film, drinking, socializing. They've managed to take art that is older than most, and make it the centerpiece of a vibrant social atmosphere. Brilliant. -
Review from Cathy H.
Some of my girl friends and I came here for happy hour on Friday night. Admission to the gallery is free from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. every Friday and the museum's cafe turns into K2 Lounge. There is usually a DJ playing and there is no cover charge for K2 Lounge. From 6-7 pm is happy hour with a 2 for 1 special on certain drinks. Take note that it is only certain drinks, as some of my friends ordered a cocktail or martini thinking they would get 2 for 1 but cocktails and martinis are not included in the happy hour special. The happy hour special only goes for beer, wine and well cocktails.
The DJ on our night was DJ KindB and he was pretty good. The one thing that I didn't like was that there was not enough seating. The 2 for 1 drink deal required you to get both drinks at once so I got a bottle of Guiness and a bottle of Sam Adams. My friends and I got there at 6:15 and by then, all of the tables were taken or were set aside for reservations. Carrying two beers at once with no seating made my hands go numb from holding onto the beers at all time. Adding to that, I had to juggle my winter coat and bag as well. Some people tried to put their drinks on the side of the displays but they either got yelled at by the guard or one of the glasses got knocked over right by us. Next time I come, I would either make reservations to ensure a table or put my bag down at a table before getting a drink to save it.
After happy hour, the girls and I walked around the museum and saw some very interesting exhibits. Make sure to check your coat in the front so that you don't have to carry it around the entire place. Overall, it was a great experience that made for a lovely Friday night. -
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Review from Kevin L.
New York, NYThis multi-story museum resides subtly in Chelsea and can be missed if you're not specifically looking for it. Once inside there is a dichotomy between the modern world and the ancient world. What I mean by this is the juxtapose of the modern bar where you can score a drink and have a seat among the neon illumination. If sipping on overpriced drinks is not your forte, then head upstairs to the top floor and work your way down floor by floor, indulging in a plethora of Asian art. You'll find paintings, tapestries, sculptures and other ancient relics focused on Himalayan, Tibetan, Chinese and Indian cultures.
Easily you could lose yourself for a couple of hours. Not a bad option, if you happen to be in the area, for something to do before or after dinner. Try to go on Fridays between 6-10pm for free admission. -
Review from Dione D.
I came here on a Friday night with the Texpats Meetup group. We started in the lounge with happy hour drinks -- who knew a museum was the place to be on a Friday after work?
The drinks are BOGO, which sounds awesome but sucks if you get a beer. They bring both drinks at once, so by the time you get to the second one, it's not as cold. I got around this by alternating rounds with a friend.
To eat, I had the fish buns, which were delicious. White fish, a bit of sauce, and a tasty, soft, sticky bun.
After about an hour in the K2 lounge, we had a docent-led tour of the museum. It's focused on Himalayan art, and most of that centers around Buddhism. I learned a LOT on the tour and had some great things to think about afterward (like Karma!). The tour lasted about an hour, and we were free to stay and check out the rest of the museum after.
I look forward to coming back, having a drink, and taking in more of the culture this museum has to offer! -
Review from Sara C.
Really nice. Beautiful art and artifacts. I have also heard they have some kind of nightlife event, which I am definitely curious about--it's hard to imagine that would be any fun, but I love to be proven wrong.
Four stars because, although it's got great pieces, things most people haven't seen, it's strangely non-mindblowing. Maybe it's the layout.
Overall, a great little excursion. -
Review from C M.
Concord, CAI don't give 5 stars, but would give this lovely gem of a museum 4.5 if they let us.
It's well worth going out of your way to see.
Wished I had more time to spend because I adored this space. A huge group of school kids was there too, but docents & teachers made sure they stayed quiet and respectful so that even in the shrine exhibit area, I was able to enjoy the meditative and reflective ambiance of the museum. And they asked very good questions too.
Everyone here has talked about the things I loved - the layout, the collection centered on Himalayan art and artifacts, the special exhibit I saw, the cafe area, and the size of the place.
Had no idea it became a "crazy busy" bar scene with Cabaret Fridays and films but if I lived in the NYC area, I'd be back for it all! -
Review from Naomi C.
Trust me, go to the K2 Friday night.
The galleries are free from 6-10, delicious drinks in the lounge (try the watermelon mojito), a free movie at 9:30, an eclectic mix of individuals. It's a great place to host a group event or meet new people. The Rubin is my favorite spot for a low-energy, low-cost, classy and cultural Friday night -
Review from Puja P.
This is a snazzy space, and I would say I felt classy drinkin' drinks in a museum, but I felt easily 5 years younger than everyone else (this might not be true...my whole adolescent life I was mistaken for being older and now that I'm 24 people keep trying to sell me animal hats - I am neither 17, nor a hipster, nor is my use of the word "nor" for show), and I was drinking the equivalent of juice, "spiked" with tea. Decorations hover around purple and yellow/gold, royal colors at their best. The candles on the table are not real :(
Went here to see a showing of Chinatown, but we missed the last tickets by a margin of 5 minutes, so instead grabbed a table and sipped our drinks. I wish I knew the bartender's name so I could credit him directly for being so nice to us, ...well, after judging, haha. Ju L. ordered our drinks, hers was warm and involved coffee (I'm blanking on the name), and I wanted their pomegranate-inspired mocktail. "You're getting a MOCKtail?" he said, eyeing her warily. "I'M getting a mocktail," I butt in. This did not make it better.
Then, it turned out they had just run out of the pomegranate juice? grenadine? syrup?, so he said he'd have to make something up for me. Each drink was listed at $7+, even all the non-alcoholic beverages, but when he presented us with our glasses, asked for $6 total. We had to ask again, just to be sure. The drink was not at all pomegrante-y, but it had a nice blend of flavors over the tea. It was a bit much for me, as a regular Shirley Temple gal, but that's no reason to discredit a capable mixologist.
I can't speak to the rest of the bartenders, but they looked to be taking good care of their customers as well, and the waitstaff for table service was just the right level of involved (we wanted to be left alone, and were clearly left alone). It's pretty crowded around the small bar, more than I expected it would be. I'm disappointed we missed the film, because I would have loved to see it, as well as the theater in the basement, so next time I'll be earlier. -
Review from Linda S.
I came here last week for my second visit to one of the K2 Friday night events.
The drinks were great (the Dark and Stormy), happy hour was nice (half off well drinks and wine), chicken mousse ($14? $16?) was yummy, as was the octopus salad ($16), but the highlight of the night was the special, incredible tour that we had afterwards in the upstairs gallery.
FIND NITIN RON, the volunteer docent, and make sure you take your tour with him!! I've never met someone better suited to be a guide, or a teacher. He will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!!! No exaggeration.Listed in: The Yelp 100 Challenge
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