A sweet newly opened cocktail den. Yes, yet another speakeasy-ish place. But, this one has a grand baby piano for live ragtime music. It’s a widely know fact that bars with pianos are more fun. Disclaimer: this place is in Greenpoint, not Manhattan. I guess the name Brooklyn Inn was already taken. (BTW neither are Inns) Cocktails are just $9 bucks, but just as fancy as what you find in the pricer and snottier zip codes and with a lower douchebag ratio. On a busy B&T weekends, trust me, this is a better Manhattan to be Inn.
Mon. – Thurs. 4 pm to 2:30 am, Fri.- Sat. 4pm to 4 am, Sun. opens 11:30 for brunch
632 Manhattan Ave. Greenpoint, Brooklyn, NY 11222, 718-383-0885
On weekend nights Manhattan can be pretty treacherous. So if you want a plush view and some house music, why not trying crossing the bridge in the opposite direction of traffic? The Ravel is just across the Queensboro Bridge and it has one of the best views of the city. Situated on the 6th floor of the Bestwesterny wannabe designer hotel the Ravel. Now, when you get here don’t let the line put you off. If there is one, it is basically because of the 6 persons capacity elevator that is also pretty slow. But once you get up top you’ll see that the vide is pretty easy going. Also beware that they have a silly and very particular dress code: No shirts with printed logos, faded clothing, work boots or sneakers, baseball hats or oversized clothing. Hey, they are trying to run an “upscale establishment” here, if only the clubs in the MeatPa would follow.
This technically isn’t a rooftop bar. But the approx. 6th floor view of the Great White Way is still pretty cool (aka the stretch of Broadway in Times Square, once you see the lights from afar, you’ll understand why they call it that). And what the Novotel hotel lacks in character, barman/server/host Kresc makes up for with a friendly and chatty disposition. (He still won’t tell me the story behind is name though) Always in a good mood, Kresc also makes some really yummy fruity cocktails. Most of which are his proud inventions. There is also an indoors area for the colder months.
A small cozy place that holds more than 900 bottles of brandy, including a 1914 Pierre Ferrand cognac that will set you back more than $200 for just one glass. (Shush, it is not polite to shout “jobless recovery” in this library) If that’s too pricey for you, you can settle for one of their 100+ $16 cocktails that are mostly made with, well… you know what. The place seems like a cigar lounge minus the smoke, stench and leniency. They play traditional jazz and on Mondays it’s played live via a piano player. They take their collection very seriously and to prove it, they offer the unapprised some private and pricey tasting classes.
This 138-year-old Boerum Hill tavern has a impressive hand-carved wooden bar that was transplanted piece by piece from Germany in the 1870s. The crowd is almost as eclectic as the jukebox (expect anything from hip hop to obscure folk). There is a pool table in the back room. If you want some food, you can order from their thick stack of takeout menus and wash it down with a wide array of fancy brews. Those who have read Jonathan Lethem’s Motherless Brooklyn, will probably find this bar strangely familiar, after all he does live down the block.
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A delightful little place. They went for the cottage house look and pulled it off beautifully. The ambiance is nice and relaxed, after all the wine bar is situated in (yuppie, but not as stuffy as Park Slope and with nicer moms) Carroll Gardens, a block away from the bustling Smith St. The yummy small plates go quite well with the very decent wine list. A glass of wine starts at $6.50
Gene’s opened in Greenwich Village in 1919 and, other than moving next door in the 1930’s, not much has changed since then. It is rumored that Gene´s was a speakeasy (most places that were opened before or during prohibition were) Danny the manger makes an effort to know his clientele, which is mostly local and long time patrons. You can enjoy good prix fixe dinner daily from 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. for $29.95. You can also just sit at the bar and stop time for a while.
This place is busy 7 nights a week. And that’s no surprise, because there is always something going on, whether it be their Monday nite spelling bee (who knew hipsters could spell) or because there is some new folky Williamsburg starving trust fund talent playing the streetcar-like backroom. The bar was formerly a local luncheonette as well as, yes you guessed it, a candy store. In the summer the back patio gets filled to the rim with people wearing think-rimed fake glasses.
The name pretty much sums it up: it is a beach-like bar, which you can get to by the water taxi on 35 st., it’s right next to the Hunters Point ferry stop. There are picnic tables and lots of sand overlooking the East River (great views of midtown) During the day you can do whatever you do at the beach (tan, play volleyball, burn, drink beer, and check out guys/gals, consider lipo and drink more beer). After 8 pm there is a $10 to $15 cover and the place turns into wannabe Ibiza rave. A nice option in a hot summer’s day, when you are just too lazy or snobbish to go to Rockaway or Brighton beach.
In 1929 Jack Kriendler and Charlie Berns purchased a house on West 52nd Street and opened the ’21’ Club. Soon afterward it becomes the epicenter of New York’s social life. So much so, that in 1930 Daily Mirror gossip columnist Walter Winchell (the inspiration for the “Sweet Smell of Success” character J.J. Hunsecker) is banned from ‘21’. As retribution, he runs a column noting that ‘21’ had never been raided by Prohibition agents. The next day, ’21’ is raided. Soon thereafter, Jack and Charlie hire architect Frank Buchanan to install a complex system to hide and destroy liquor in case of future raids, including the infamous ‘21’ Wine Cellar. 52nd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues is nicknamed “Swing Street” and is home to over 30 speakeasies. December 5, 1933: Prohibition is repealed. 1944: Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall celebrate their first date at Table 30. They first work together in “To Have and Have Not”, written by another ’21’ regular, Ernest Hemingway (who was caught doing the nasty with gangster Legs Diamond’s girlfriend in the ’21’ kitchen in 1931). Notable writers frequenting ’21’ at the time include Dorothy Parker, Robert Benchley and Lillian Hellman. ’21’ becomes THE place to be seen. Hollywood and ’21’ fully engage in a mutualistic relationship, feeding off each other (literally). Scenes for the classic films “All About Eve” and “The Sweet Smell of Success” are filmed in the bar room and countless other films mention ’21’. In fact more movies mention ’21’ than any other restaurant en NYC. Every President since FDR has been a guest of ’21’ with one exception: George W. Bush (I’m liking this place more and more). In contrast, JFK dined at ’21’ on the eve of his inauguration. In 1980 ’21’ spawns the power lunch. Forbes says “more deals are done at ’21’ than on the stock market floor.” Part of the movie “Wall Street” is filmed in the restaurant.
i heart nyc bars 