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 to which it is connected, and where many of the comedians hang out after performing. The businesses 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 Todd Barry, Colin Quinn, Jim Norton, Mitch Fatel, SNL star Darrell Hammond, Rich Vos, Dave Attell, Louis C.K.,Nick DiPaolo, Artie Lange, Dave Chappelle, and podcast host Marc Maron. Also, some rising stars in comedy frequently perform, including Dov Davidoff, Robert Kelly, Harrison Greenbaum, Sherrod Small, Amy Schumer, Keith Robinson, Gregg Rogell, Nikki Glaser, and Ben Bailey.