Hidden Date Spots For Drinks

NYC is filled with all types of bars ranging from ultra dive to super luxurious. To live here, it’s always good to know where the hidden spots are so that you feel like you really own the town. The speakeasy and hidden bar/lounge craze has been going on for years and is still going strong with new establishments popping up on a regular basis.

Whether you’re trying to impress someone or just looking for something different, these spots can provide a nice change of pace from the typical wine bar or hotel lounge. Many of these places have been around for awhile, but sometimes you just need reminding.

PDT (Alphabet City)
Bar / Speakeasy, Specialty Cocktails
113 St Marks Pl (btwn Ave A & 1st Ave), North side of street; 212.614.0386
Notes: Short for “Please Don’t Tell,” hidden speakeasy with great specialty cocktails, beer and wine, located behind a vintage phone booth inside Crif Dogs hot dogs, ability to order greasy food from next door’s menu, bar seating, a few small tables and some booths available in the small space, drinks are pricey but quality, reservations are required and can only be made on the day of starting at 3pm (call as close to 3pm as possible), co-owner and bartender Jim Meehan was recently awarded American Bartender of the Year by Tales of the Cocktail, an internationally acclaimed festival of cocktails, cuisine and culture.
How to find it: Walk into Crif Dogs, on the left wall you’ll see a phone booth, open it and press some of the buttons, the host/ess will open the door and ask about your reservation, don’t expect to get seating without one.

Angel’s Share (East Village)
Bar/Lounge, Specialty Cocktails
8 Stuyvesant St, 2nd Floor (btwn E 9th St & 3rd Ave), South side of street; 212.777.5415
Notes: Small, hidden, sophisticated cocktail parlor on the second floor of a bustling restaurant, strict rules but great cocktails, very intimate setting for couples and small groups, feels like you’ve left the city, dim-lit and great service, bar seating, a few small tables and booths, drinks are pricey but you’re paying for the experience.
How to find it: This hidden spot is located on the second floor of a busy and noisy Japanese restaurant situated on the diagonal Stuyvesant St that intersects East 9th St near 3rd Ave. Look for the address, walk up the stairs to the second floor and through the restaurant to the unmarked door for Angel’s Share.
Policies: No groups larger than four people, no standing and no shouting (all very strict)

Raines Law Room (Chelsea)
Bar / Speakeasy, Specialty Cocktails
48 W 17th St (btwn 5th Ave & 6th Ave), South side of street; No Phone
Notes: A great date spot, however no reservations and not guaranteed to get immediate seating (may have to give your number and go somewhere else while you wait, have a backup like Flatiron Lounge and/or show up earlier on in the night), may be a little risky for a first date, but if you can secure a table when you arrive, it’s a good place, individual booths where you have to ring for your server, two person seating arrangements and a 20 person garden when the weather is nice.
How to find it: Located directly to the right of the Chelsea Inn, look for black awning, go down stairs and ring the bell. Go during the week and try to get there before 9pm to have a chance at a table.

Apothéke (Chinatown)
Lounge, Specialty Cocktails
9 Doyers St (btwn Bowery & Pell St), South side of street; 212.406.0400
Notes: Clandestine spot located on a small winding street in Chinatown with the former nickname “Blood Alley” (used to be an infamous gang warfare zone back in the late 19th and early 20th centuries), dark and seductive décor, apothecary-focused theme with a drink menu to cure whatever ails you, bartenders dressed in lab coats offer suggestions based on how you’re feeling at the time, pricey cocktails, go during the week for a date, Thursday nights and weekends can get crowded with long lines at the door.
How to find it: Located on the inner cusp of a small winding street, look for an unmarked door at the address with a host/bouncer (usually) standing outside.

Kashkaval (Hell’s Kitchen)
Wine Bar / Specialty Foods Market, Wine / Cheese
856 Ninth Ave (btwn 55th St & 56th St), East side of street; 212.581.8282
Prices: Various Items: Less than $10 – Mid $10’s
Notes: Small wine bar hidden in the back of a cheese and specialty foods shop, expect to wait on line inside store to get seating, recently becoming more popular than just with the locals, limited bar and table seating, order a few tapas, one of the cheese fondues or a cheese and/or meat plate, limited but good selection of wines mostly from California and South America.

Decibel (East Village)
Sake Bar / Speakeasy, Japanese
240 E 9th St (btwn 2nd Ave & 3rd Ave), South side of street; 212.979.2733
Notes: For the more adventurous type, hidden subterranean sake bar / speakeasy, hip with a bunch of tables packed in tightly, extensive sake menu with small plates, order something chilled from the Junmai category, ask wait staff for suggestions or do research on sake beforehand.
How to find it: Near 2nd Ave, look for a plaque with Japanese writing above the first flight of stairs next to the old Max Brenner’s location (space on the southwest corner of 2nd Ave & 9th St) and walk down. Open the door, wait behind the rope, tell the host the number in your party and you will be seated in the back room when a table is available.

Little Branch (West Village)
Bar / Lounge / Speakeasy, Specialty Cocktails
20 Seventh Ave S (at Leroy St), Southwest corner; 212.929.4360
Cash Only, Open Daily 7pm-3am
Notes: One of Sasha Petraske’s popular drink havens, cool subterranean spot for specialty cocktails, drinks can be expensive, but are worth it, try to grab a booth or sit at the bar, live jazz Sun-Wed around 10:30pm.
How to find it: Look for brown door jutting out on southwest corner with doorman standing in front (usually). Small lines tend to form semi-regularly on popular nights.

The Back Room (Lower East Side)
Bar / Lounge / Speakeasy, Specialty Cocktails
102 Norfolk St (btwn Delancey St & Rivington St), East side of street; 212.228.5098
Notes: Cool, hidden speakeasy with Victorian décor, specialty cocktails served in teacups and beer in brown bags portraying a Prohibition era experience, tin ceilings, large mirrors and fireplace, ornate furniture, try to find a couple of seats in the main seating area or at the bar, go during the week since it gets more crowded on weekends.
How to find it: Look for “Lower East Side Toy Co” sign on gate (might be closed or open, just north of 102 sign) and walk directly through, keep walking through the alley, then up the stairs and you’ll find the door entrance.
Policies: 25 or older on weekends

Sakagura (Midtown East)
Restaurant / Sake Bar, Japanese / Tapas
211 E 43rd St, Basement/B1 (btwn 2nd Ave & 3rd Ave), North side of street; 212.953.SAKE (7253)
Prices: Small Plates: Less than $10 – Mid $10’s
Notes: Large subterranean space located in the basement of a non-descript office building, mecca of sake in nyc with 200+ varieties, well organized menu with tasting flights available, food pairings and sake-based specialty cocktails, cool authentic décor and long list of Japanese small plates, ask the helpful staff for recommendations, sit at the bar or one of the small high tables nearby for drinks or grab a booth or table in the main dining area for lunch/dinner, feels like you’ve left the city (and the country), holds monthly sake flight specials and regular tasting events.
How to find it: Enter the office building at 211 E 43rd St and take the elevator down to the basement level, follow the winding hallway until you find Sakagura, steps leading down to the basement are available as well.

Shalel Lounge (Upper West Side)
Bar / Lounge, Moroccan
65 W 70th St (btwn Central Park W & Columbus Ave), North side of street; 212.873.2300
Notes: Subterranean, Morrocan-themed den for drinks and intimate conversation, decent selection of beer and wine, various seating throughout but try to secure one of the alcoves if you want some privacy, a bit musty but unique spot on UWS if you’re in the neighborhood.
How to find it: Located just east of Amber on 70th St, look for a candle-lit stairway leading down to the lounge.

Auction House (Upper East Side)
Bar / Lounge
300 E 89th St (btwn 1st Ave & 2nd Ave), South side of street; 212.427.4458
Notes: One of the few good date spots in the east 80’s/90’s, cool classy place to get some drinks, UES version of a speakeasy, old world décor with ornate mirrors, nude paintings, antique chairs and couches, mellow music, spacious enough to not usually get overcrowded.
How to find it: No explicit signage, look for the American flag in the window.
Policies: 25 or older on weekends, no wearing of any fur and a smart casual dress code (no hats, flip flops)

The Bar Next Door at La Lanterna Vittorio (Greenwich Village)
Bar / Lounge, Jazz
129 MacDougal St, Basement (btwn W 3rd St & W 4th St), West side of street; 212.529.5945
Notes: Small jazz lounge in the basement of La Lanterna Vittorio, features live jazz sets every night of the week, cozy and intimate space with a small bar, tables for two and banquettes lining the wall, full menu available from the restaurant upstairs, order a dessert and/or some wine and enjoy the music,
How to find it: Walk down the stairs in front of La Lanterna to the basement level room, but if there is no access, ask the host/ess inside how to get down there through the restaurant.

Image Source: Vidiot

FM:What are your favorite hidden date spots?

This entry was posted on Tuesday, March 2nd, 2010 at 2:50 pm and is filed under FreshSpots and tagged with different, drinks, hidden, secret, unique. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.