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This venue is closed.

When Rain Lounge was first going up, neighborhood observers speculated nervously that it was to be a Starbucks, which they clearly didn’t welcome. But seeing what it became instead, they might have actually preferred that harbinger of gentrification. A more-than-slightly cheesy Bedford St. anomaly, Rain Lounge seems to aim for a sophisticated Shangri-la aesthetic with its white slip-covered couches and hanging beads. In reality, though, it comes off more like a pothead’s dumpy college dorm, complete with ink drawings on the walls of nearly nude women and steady reggae tunes, interrupted only by old, bohemian hip-hoppy hits from bands like A Tribe Called Quest. (Thursday night’s Latin Soul party emphasizes just that.) Redemption, however, can be found in the drinks, which include innovative house specials like the Harlem Hooch (Remy Martin, grand marnier, grenadine, lemon juice, and soda; $10), as well as the spacious outdoor patio in back, where you can smoke—and relish the relative lack of schmaltz. — Sean Kennedy