Apothéke is a cocktail bar located in Chinatown. The bar is known for its mixology-inspired cocktails made with fresh ingredients and creative presentation. The bar has a vintage pharmacy-inspired décor with antique furniture, apothecary jars, and various scientific instruments. The cocktail menu is divided into categories such as Stimulants, Painkillers, and Aphrodisiacs, each containing unique drinks with inventive names. The bar also offers a "Doctor's Orders" menu where customers can describe their symptoms, and the bartender will make a custom "prescriptions" tailored to their needs. The bar has been recognized as one of the best cocktail bars in the world and has won numerous awards for its mixology.
With its exquisite, aristocratic, and mesmerizing blend of traditional and contemporary aesthetics, including one with a giant chandelier and vintage artwork, this location will transport you to a whole different era. The Back Room, one of the speakeasies in the Lower East Side's suburbs, is a lovely option for a romantic date. The old, wooden, dimly lit space includes bouncy bar stools and comfortable, inviting lounge spaces for large parties. Prohibition-era-style cocktails are served in teacups, and classic beers in paper bags. The Back Room is a great place in NYC to enjoy the experience of drinking in a speakeasy.
An intellectual's Pravda, this second story dive is decorated with communist propaganda that is downright creepy if pondered too long. KGB is also the epicenter of the new writers' scene, hosting popular readings and frequented by some up and coming novelists. It is certainly pretentious, but worth a trip for the thrill of knowing you might be sitting beside the next Ernest Hemingway. Check their schedule for readings and events. Cash only. The KGB Bar is also the location for The Kraine Theater located on the ground floor. This theater is managed by the Horse Trade Theater Group.
PDT, which stands for Please Don't Tell, is a "secret" bar on St. Mark's Place. A call from a phone booth in Crif Dogs (the adjacent restaurant) is the only way to get in. Once accepted, a secret door opens up in the phone booth, leading to PDT. It's not much of a secret anymore though, because the club is hugely popular. Once inside, you'll find a crowded bar area steeped in darkness. The inventive cocktail selection is superb and a major draw. If you're hungry you can also order from the Crif Dogs food menu, which gets delivered to the club via a small pass. The friendly staff will give you great recommendations and ensure that you get the best deal.
Inside an old hairdresser's shop, this theme bar draws its inspiration from a 1950s beauty salon. The bar is decorated with hair dryers you can sit under, vintage beauty salon chairs and glamor magazine covers to look at. There is even an in-house manicurist available! Groove to funky DJ music and let your hair down at Beauty Bar. It can get enormously crowded on the weekends, but it is worth a stop for the decor.
Set up by a few native New Yorkers, Otto's Shrunken Head is a lone bar on a quiet stretch of 14th Street. This long narrow space which qualifies as a Tiki Bar has an eclectic decor complete with dim lanterns, zebra-print bar stools, Hawaiian-inspired wallpaper, and red leather banquettes. Expect some good music from the '80s and early '90s, spanning everything from ballads and rock to industrial. The bartenders mix up some real sweet tiki drinks, which are a specialty here, although most locals prefer chilled beers. Served in mugs with unique inscriptions, the drinks are innovative and well concocted, and will appeal to those who like to experiment.
Touted as offering one of the best cocktail menus around, The Raines Law Room is a haven for mixed drink connoisseurs. The drinks list is replete with flavors that will suit any preference, from bitter to sweet and crisp to spicy. Relax on velvet couches beneath classic murals that give the lounge a distinctly 1920s appeal, drink by candlelight in the garden, or enjoy the privacy of a banquet-style parlor. Whether you want a signature cocktail or prefer to order from the carefully curated selection of beer, wine, and champagne, The Raines Law Room will leave you at once satisfied and wanting more.
Themed around a trailer park and garnering acclaim for its upbeat and trendy persona, this bar is a colorful Hawaiian Tiki bar with general kitsch. The bright neon pigments that are splattered across the walls declare the cheerful ambiance that this place is famous for. As one steps through the fluorescent green doors, one is greeted by a tropical party atmosphere with freely flowing martini, chillis and hamburgers. With posters of pop stars gracing the walls and foot-tapping music belting out from the dozens of speakers, the mood is just right to create a fun-filled night.
Visitors can experience the mysteries of being aboard a sunken boat while also enjoying fresh seafood onboard the Frying Pan. The Frying Pan was a former lightship, but eventually fell into disrepair and sunk due to a broken engine. It was bought by its current owners and repaired in the 1980s and now serves as a popular bar and grill. However, the ship still retains its sunken look in the lower levels in order to acknowledge the Frying Pan's long history.
For those who crave for a little IPA with their Donkey Kong, Barcade just might be the place. The lovingly-designed space combines hand-crafted pub furnishings with several classic arcade games. Draft and craft brews are the specialty of the house featuring East Coast heavy hitters like Peekskill and West Coast humdingers like Lagunitas, but there is also a full bar. So whether you like a shot of Jim Beam before a round of Centipede or a goblet of Belgian-style strong ale to accompany a rousing Ms Pac-Man tournament, Barcade can probably accommodate you.
Jimmy's Corner is a favored sports bar at Times Square, and a shrine for all boxing lovers. Jimmy Glen, the owner, a former professional boxer himself, has decorated the bar with images and posters of popular tournaments, and you can also find some unique memorabilia adorning the walls. Try the drinks, which are equally intriguing. The house special, Jimmy's Hurricane, is a unique combination of vodka, spiced rum and amaretto. The music and the crowd gel well at Jimmy's Corner. You are always welcome for drinks and entertainment served with love here.
Hofbrau Bierhaus is a German beer hall serving a rotation of German beers on tap in hefty full liter glasses. The waitresses wear typical Bavarian barmaid garb for the full-on Munich effect. The service is chipper and they even serve a boot of beer. The food selection includes all things starchy, meaty and Deutsche, like different wursts and schnitzels. However, the main reason to go is for the easy beer-drinking vibe rooted in the German-ness of the place. You can even join the Stein Club, here you can store your stein at the bar.