PDT is a genre classic that debuted in 2007 before New York City's most recent revival of speakeasy-style bars and is ironically famous throughout the world for its secret location down a few stairs, inside a hotdog shop, and through a phone booth. All the bells and whistles are a reminder of a time when this city really committed to a bit, despite the fact that many newly minted drinkers may have never actually used a phone booth, as owner Jeff Bell noted in a recent phone call.

Inside, a group of bartenders under the direction of industry legend Jim Meehan serve thoughtful concoctions like the fizzy Sixth Street, a complex blend of house-made ginger beer, kafir-lime cordial, and potent curry powder spiked with guava. The staff is happy to talk you through any libation on the menu, or suggest one of the PDT-exclusive haute dogs brought in from next door. It's also cozy and comfortable as a rich guy’s hunting lodge inside, and the drinks best in class, so prepare to wait for entry. Most nights, it seems like a job for Superman.

Timings:

• Mon 5:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)
• Tue 5:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)
• Wed 5:00 PM - 12:00 AM (Next day)
• Thu 5:00 PM - 3:00 AM (Next day)
• Fri 5:00 PM - 3:00 AM (Next day)
• Sat 5:00 PM - 3:00 AM (Next day)
• Sun 5:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)

Google rating: 4.3/5.0

Website: http://www.pdtnyc.com/

Phone: (212) 614-0386

Location: 113 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10009

Occupying the former Milk and Honey space (which opened on New Years Eve in 1999), there’s now a whole generation of drinkers who could be forgiven for thinking Attaboy has been here forever. The tucked-away Chinatown haunt, inherited by acclaimed M&H alums Sam Ross and Michael McIlroy, keeps the same bespoke protocol as its forebear: Suspender-clad drinks slingers at the brushed-steel bar mix spontaneous riffs to accommodate each patron's preferred level of alcohol.

Attaboy is tailored to drinkers who know what they like but aren't afraid to stray from it, which speaks to the attentive, astute staff. When cocktail masters like Ross and McIlroy are attending to your needs, drinkers won't be alarmed when seemingly straightforward pineapple-rum sips are spiked with dark, unexpected swirls of bitter Campari. Then they’ll be too busy trying to gulp every last drop.

The railroad-slim space is as intimate as ever, but a lengthened bar encourages a more laid-back, hang-at-the-bar type of feel. Ross and McIlroy scrapped many of the intimidating M&H statutes—the reservations-only door policy, the much-ballyhooed rules of conduct (no hats, no flirting)—in favor of accessible add-ons like a credit card machine, cans of cheap domestic beers and a slight price drop.

Timings:

• Mon to Sun: 6:00 PM - 4:00 AM (Next day)

Google rating: 4.5/5.0

Website: http://attaboy.us

Phone: N/A

Location: 134 Eldridge St New York, NY 10002

The late Sasha Petraske left his mark on every aspect of NYC cocktail culture, but speakeasies in particular. His most well-known ventures include Dutch Kills, winner of the Time Out New York Best of the City award, Little Branch, and Attaboy ancestor Milk and Honey. Little Branch first opened in 2005 beyond a barely perceptible, unremarkable (aside from the line that frequently forms outside!) doorway and down a staircase, and it still has excellent traditional and custom drinks today.

The drinks at this swanky, low-ceilinged Village rathskeller are nearly perfect, as befits cocktail inventor Sasha Petraske's liquid legacy. If you want something off the menu, just give the courteous, well-groomed bartenders a base liquor and a hint about how you're feeling, and they can make you something special right away. A request for rye led to the creation of a perfect Italian-inspired Manhattan with maraschino liqueur, Carpano Antica vermouth, and amaro. Customized drinks—no need for a passphrase or a handshake.

Timings:

• Mon Closed
• Tue 6:00 PM - 12:00 AM (Next day)
• Wed 6:00 PM - 12:00 AM (Next day)
• Thu 6:00 PM - 1:00 AM (Next day)
• Fri 7:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)
• Sat 7:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)
• Sun Closed

Google rating: 4.5/5.0

Website: None
Phone: (212) 929-4360
Location: 22 7th Ave S New York, NY 10014

Saint Tuesday is the best of all those self-described speakeasies that have opened in recent months. It's genuinely a little challenging to find on your first visit to this location because it's one of the city's newest, semi-secret locations. It is down a few more industrial flights, past a buzzer, and up a stairway on Cortlandt Alley near White Street.

On the inside, the cramped basement area perfectly captures the mood other recent additions to the genre are trying to establish. A trip to Saint Tuesday is made even more auspicious by the stony distressed walls, small but not too small round tables, and live music played every night.

Downstairs, it feels like a private lair with the pulse-quickening promise of intrigue. It's also nearly impossible to get inside, as with any proper hideout, but the recent introduction of reservations at least makes planning a little bit simpler.

You should bring a second or third date to this bar so you can unwind in a plush booth and possibly engage in some passionate kissing while enjoying Charlie Roman's recreation of Django Reinhardt on a selmar guitar. All of the drinks cost $19, but you should particularly sample the Elderflower Liqueur, Pisco, and fresh grapefruit and lime juice-based Frantic Atlantic.

Timings:

• Mon to Sun 6:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)

Google rating: 4.3/5.0

Website: http://sainttuesday.com
Phone: N/A
Location: 24 Cortlandt Aly New York, NY 10013

There may be more than just coffee in this tiny storefront, as indicated by the red light glowing inside the Bathtub Gin. Although the bar's namesake copper bathtub is prominently displayed in the middle of the room and the word "Gin" may conjure images of moonshine from the Prohibition era, the owners wisely chose to focus their cocktail menu on concoctions from earlier decades, while the hearty bar food is a modern-fusion affair. Weekends are more boisterous, but weeknights are a great time to relax with a few cocktails on one of the speakeasy's plush, damask banquettes. So, seven days a week, late-night tub vegging is encouraged.

Fresh talent on the New York cocktail scene, mixologist Sean Muldoon of Belfast, Ireland's celebrated Merchant Hotel bar, created the drinks menu. Pick from his creations, such as the Jazz Age and the West Side (gin, sherry, St. Germain, cucumber, and basil) (rum, pampelmousse rose, cherry liqueur, grapefruit). Find comfort food small plates to eat, like sliders of pork belly or fried oysters. This is definitely one of the best speakeasy-inspired bars in NYC.

Timings:

• Mon Closed
• Tue 5:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)
• Wed 5:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)
• Thu 5:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)
• Fri 5:00 PM - 4:00 AM (Next day)
  
• Sat 5:00 PM - 4:00 AM (Next day)
• Sun Closed
  

Google rating: 4.3/5.0

Website: https://www.bathtubginnyc.com/
Phone: (646) 559-1671
Location: 132 9th Ave New York, NY 10011

La Noxe, one of the best speakeasy-inspired bars in NYC, is literally underground, like many other locations. Similar to fewer, with the exception of Nothing Really Matters, it has an advantage due to its surprising location right off the 1 train in the 28th Street subway station. It better captures that slightly secretive quality other venues in this category aspire to because it has more of an element of surprise than most of its competitors. Bring your date here for the quickest exit and boudoir decor.

The host welcomes you and leads you down a winding path to a red-lit, classy bar that is the size of a typical Manhattan studio apartment after you get lost trying to figure out where to enter (guests enter on street level but exit into the 28th Street subway station). This is where the waitlist makes sense because only about 15 people can be inside at a time. It feels very “V.I.P.”

Although the cocktails in La Noxe are pricey ($17), customers are also paying for the atmosphere and sense of exclusivity. Additionally, the bar serves tapas like ceviche, arepas, and a variety of dips, all of which are priced at $10. Part of the experience is that it can be a little disorienting to open the door and walk out into a brightly lit, busy subway station after enjoying upscale drinks and music in a dimly lit room.

Timings:

• Mon 6:00 PM - 1:00 AM (Next day)
• Tue 6:00 PM - 1:00 AM (Next day)
• Wed 6:00 PM - 1:00 AM (Next day)
  
• Thu 5:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)
• Fri 5:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)
  
• Sat 5:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)
• Sun Closed

Google rating: 4.2/5.0

Website: https://lanoxenyc.com/
Phone: (917) 477-3103
Location: 315 7th Ave New York, NY 10001

Employees Only, another one of the early entrants to NYC's most recent speakeasy boom, was constructed in 2004 by professionals in the field. It has been able to endure and even increase in popularity for almost two decades thanks to the lovely illuminated Art Deco lines and fantastic cocktails inside.

In one exciting scene from the movie Employees Only, a group of devoted patrons and influential people vie for the attention of the bartenders in chef coats. Employees Only is one of the more inclusive craft cocktail bars in the city, offering enough nerd-baiting drinks to appease connoisseurs without alienating the general public.

The floral Provencal, a silky blend of gin infused with lavender, vermouth steeped with herbs of Provence, and Cointreau, is a drink that is perfect for sipping. A Hi-Octane Fix, made with aged rum and scotch, Cocchi di Torino vermouth, Grand Marnier, and bitters, is available for more experienced drinkers. Delicious bar fare is prepared by Chef Julia Jaksic; if you hang around until closing, they'll give you a free bowl of chicken soup before sending you on your way.

Timings:

• Mon to Sun Mon 6:00 PM - 4:00 AM (Next day)

Google rating: 4.4/5.0

Website: https://employeesonlynyc.com/
Phone: (212) 242-3021
Location: 510 Hudson St New York, NY 10014

Debira and Ageheim incorporated the space into a bar called Le Boudoir that is both literally and figuratively underground. Visitors to Chez Moi can access the bar through a fake bookshelf in the restaurant. Once below, they are greeted with a gilded world including rococo-style furniture, a Marie Antoinette bust that doubles as a drinks tap, an antique-style wooden toilet, and a doorknob from Versailles itself.

While the service (20 minutes to get a drink) is far from the royal treatment, Le Boudoir makes up for those faux pas with historical thrills, channeling its audacious queen with silver-plated chalices, neoclassical paintings and even a doorknob lifted from Marie’s actual bedroom.

Cocktails made by Franky Marshall (the Dead Rabbit) tend to be over the top, but what else would you expect? The Dauphin, a shot of absinthe and chili liqueur with an almond- and coconut-milk base, is an example of a drink that is excessively rich. It is a liquid dessert that is wedged inside a bowl of ice that has pebbled cubes that have a nasty habit of flying everywhere. It is served chilled. The Jardin Royale, which softens blanco tequila, La Quintinye extra dry vermouth, and pamplemousse liqueur with lavender soda, offers a welcome respite.

The lavish parlor feels genuine thanks to its lavish red-velvet banquettes, gilded mirrors, and castle-like sconces. The 55-seat bar's success as a speakeasy is due to the fact that you actually feel like you're hiding. The entrance to the intimate lounge is disguised by a bookshelf that is a replica of one from the late queen’s library.

Timings:

• Mon Closed
• Tue Closed
  
• Wed Closed
• Thu Closed
• Fri 7:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)
  
• Sat 7:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)
• Sun Closed

Google rating: 4.5/5.0

Website: http://www.boudoirbk.com
Phone: +1 347-227-8337
Location: 135 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201

You’re never going to believe this, but another new speakeasy concept has opened in NYC. Behind a shoe repair shop facade on the Upper East Side is Keys & Heels. Even though having a hybrid business would be practical, it is a fake, just like the working-class cosplay that dominates the Keys & Heels Instagram page. While some recent attempts in this genre barely go beyond asking you to think of them as speakeasy-lite, this one actually commits to the bit.

Between the disguised entrance that harks back to this bar category’s last resurgence when every new spot seemed to be hidden behind a florist, an ice cream store, or deep from within your very own future grave, and the whole darn character they’ve created for social, the bar has positioned itself as a kind of multimedia, immersive experience careening toward theme.

Seasonal COVID variants delayed the opening of the location from its original December target date. Instead, it hosted a few exclusive events before recently becoming open to the public. According to a representative, it aspires to resemble "an intimate living room-type lounge serving up warm weather citrus cocktails and Italian bites."

The Manhattan High Tea, which adds Earl Grey-infused syrup to the other expected ingredients, a negroni, and a spritz are among the ten drinks on the menu. There are also a few options that are zero-proof, beer, and wine. There is a bottle service option. The "lounge bites" include marinated olives, house-made focaccia, pulled pork and mozzarella paninis, and pigs in a blanket. Snacks run from $6-$20, cocktails are $18-$22 and bottle service runs up to $350 for spirits. Tonics and juices are included with the latter.

Timings:

• Mon to Sun 8:00 AM - 3:59 AM ( Next Day)

Google rating: 4.3/5.0

Website: http://www.keysandheelsnyc.com
Phone: (917) 557-0217
Location: 1488 2nd Ave New York, NY 10075

The Garret is a speakeasy in the sense that it’s hard to locate. To get there, you walk into the Five Guys at 7th and Bleecker, then find a hidden staircase in the back. Upstairs, there’s a casual cocktail bar with a few skylights and some windows looking out on the street. It isn’t as stuffy or expensive as some other cocktail bars, but it does get busy, and they play top-40 just a little too loud. Adding to this speakeasy’s mysterious nature, the inside of the bathroom door features an art installation of doorknobs; make sure you choose the right one when exiting.

Guests are encouraged to grab a burger and fries on their way up to the cool and quirky speakeasy-esque lounge. After spending an evening at the cozy, it's a great place for a date, a place to kill time before a nearby dinner reservation, or even for a business meeting.

Timings:

• Mon to Wed 5:00 PM - 1:00 AM (Next day)
  
• Thu to Fri 5:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)
• Sat 1:00 PM - 2:00 AM (Next day)
• Sun 2:00 PM - 12:00 AM (Next day)
  

Google rating: 4.2/5.0
Website: https://thegarretbars.com/

Phone: +1 917-398-2354

Location: 296 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10014