damnlines.comdamnlines.comThe Carlyle's 1947 piano bar under Ludwig Bemelmans's Madeline murals, where walk-ins queue nightly for live jazz.
Bemelmans is inside The Carlyle at 35 East 76th Street. Resy's 2025 access guide counts 52 seats plus 17 bar stools, and most of the room is walk-in only. The room does not turn over quickly: regulars linger over multiple drinks. Resy notes hotel guests and the few Resy reservations get seated first, so the walk-in line absorbs everyone else.
Resy's guide puts peak walk-in waits at 1.5 to 2 hours around the live-music start times, and quotes the bar's own team saying the longest wait they clocked was 2.5 hours in December, averaging about an hour in February. The Infatuation's review warns of "an hour-long line to get in"; in a separate Infatuation piece, a writer who arrived at 4:50 p.m. on a Thursday reported the line "didn't move for almost an hour" and ended up with only a standing-room spot. Wikipedia notes the bar has needed a security team to manage crowds since late 2021.
The most-repeated advice, from Resy's interview with the general manager, is to arrive about 1.5 hours before the music starts (roughly 3 p.m. on a weekday) for the shortest wait, and that Sunday nights run quieter. Reservations drop three months out on Resy, fill instantly on weekends, and carry a $150-per-person minimum; Resy says its Notify waitlist has topped a thousand names. Resy also floats a side door: book dinner at Dowling's in the same hotel, then join the Bemelmans nightcap waitlist.
No camera here yet — but these lines are on camera right now:
The Halal Guys · 24 min walkclosedCaffè Panna · 59 min walkclosedBánh Anh Em · 65 min walkclosedResy's 2025 guide reports peak walk-in waits of 1.5 to 2 hours around the live-music sets, and quotes the bar's team citing a longest wait of 2.5 hours in December and an average of about an hour in February. We don't have a live camera here, so treat these as reported figures, not a current count.
Yes, but very few. Resy says reservations drop three months in advance and fill instantly on weekends, with a $150-per-person minimum. Most of the room is held for walk-ins, and hotel guests are seated first.
Resy's general manager recommends arriving about 1.5 hours before the music starts (roughly 3 p.m. on a weekday) and notes Sunday nights are quieter. Waits build as the 5:30 p.m. and later evening sets approach.
Per Resy, there's a $10 cover for the 5:30 p.m. solo pianist and higher covers (roughly $15-$35 per person) for the later trio sets, plus a $150-per-person minimum on reservations. One Infatuation writer reported a $192 bill for three drinks that included three $20 covers.
Most of the bar is walk-in, but expect a line. The Infatuation cautions against casually walking in; one of its writers waited nearly an hour at 4:50 p.m. on a Thursday and still got only a standing-room spot. Hotel guests and Resy reservations are seated first.