The Comedy Cellar is a comedy club in Manhattan, where many top New York comedians perform. It was founded in 1982 by then standup comedian, and current television writer/producer Bill Grundfest. It is located in the heart of Greenwich Village on 117 Macdougal Street between West 3rd Street and Minetta Lane. The upstairs portion is a restaurant called The Olive Tree Cafe. They share the same menu, kitchen, and staff.
The Comedy Cellar, like The Comedy Store, uses a showcase format, as opposed to a headline format like most clubs. A show will consist of between five and seven comics performing sets of roughly 20 minutes each.
Regular performers there include Colin Quinn, Opie and Anthony co-host Jim Norton, Mitch Fatel, SNL star Darrell Hammond, Dave Attell, Louis C.K.[1], Nick DiPaolo, Artie Lange, Rich Vos, and radio host Marc Maron. Also, some rising stars in comedy frequently perform, including Dov Davidoff, Robert Kelly, Sherrod Small, Keith Robinson, Gregg Rogell, and Ben Bailey.
Each week consists of two shows a night on Sunday through Thursday, three shows each Friday, and four shows on Saturday. The Cellar is located under and connected to the Olive Tree Cafe, where many of the comedians hang out after performing.
The New York Post regularly rates the Cellar as the best comedy club in New York.[2] Musician John Mayer can also be seen dabbling in stand-up here occasionally.[3]
Much of Jerry Seinfeld's 2002 documentary Comedian was filmed at the club, and it also can be seen in a 2006 Pepsi commercial starring SNL star Jimmy Fallon.
The beginning sequence of Louis CK's television show on FX Network, Louie, shows Louis CK walking into the Comedy Cellar. Many scenes in the show are filmed in and around the Comedy Cellar and Olive Tree Cafe.