After dinner, I decided to finally make my way over to Hard to Explain, the bar I discovered by…read moreaccident on maps while looking for a completely different venue. You just couldn't ignore a place with this kind of name. Door (and window) was shut, so upon walking in, it was dimly lit and a little too warm but it cooled off some once we settled in. Seating by the window was taken by a couple, but the bar had some empty seating. It took a moment for the lone bartender to greet us, then she went back to talking to a guy in the middle of the bar. When I was finally able to get her attention again, I went with the Carlifree, which is hibiscus tea, mint, yuzu juice, and club soda. I don't think I ever had anything yuzu-based before in my life, but it works here. The hibiscus visually dominates in a pretty shade of red, while the mint is the alternative refresher. I probably drank this a little too quickly, but I enjoyed what I had. Restroom in the very back is similar to being on an airplane. Even I felt it was a tight fit, and I'm small. Service could have been a little more attentive, especially for one person behind the bar, but she was friendly when you had her attention. Drink selection seemed decent by the crowds they seem to get, and I'm glad they offer zero-proof options. Unique find here that I'm happy I was able to try.

This speakeasy has a very cozy, intimate atmosphere with Japanese-inspired decor. Agree with the…read moreother reviewers about the extended hours. One of the only speakeasies that's open during the day so it is a great place to spend time if the weather is not agreeable - which can happen frequently in a city like NYC. The bartender was sweet, menu was limited. We got a drink each before heading out to other nearby bars on a night of bar hopping. I would recommend getting the Empress X which is what I got. I love it is located in East Village because there are so many cool thrift stores, bars and restaurants in close proximity.

Opened in 2013 in GV by two friends who met at NYU. The cocktails are fantastic, honestly some of…read morethe best crafted cocktails I've had. The food was so good too and paired well with our drinks. We sat at the bar but there are couches to sit at as well that's a really beautiful vibe.

So cozy and vibey on a rainy sunday night. My husband and I wondered in here for drinks before our…read moreanniversary dinner. The drinks were exceptional. It was clear Paulo (the bartender) put a lot of care into each drink he made.

I had been wondering about this bar for some time. I had kept passing it and it looks super cute…read moreand teeny weenie and brick interior just nestled on a side street of lower Chelsea. I'm going to quickly get to the downside because there are a lot of minuses with this bar. The beer is grossly over-priced. Ridiculously over-priced and most of everything on tap or in can is nothing special. Other Half IPAs aren't made of liquid gold. They honestly taste like plastic bags. There is no reason that they should be price marked at $12-14 a pop. But then on the other hand you have an interesting sounding cocktail menu with most drinks no more than $14-15. How are the cocktails the same price as the beer?! Where did I wake up today? They also charge you for charging your phone on a little dinky machine that was plopped next to me on the bar and they apparently charge $5 for playing trivia? None of these things make sense to me in my brain. I can do all of the above for free at any other place. Moving on to the pluses, I intended to only stay for 1 drink (I went the cocktail route obviously because I'm not about to pay double the price for a beer) but we surprisingly were caught up in a feel good moment and stayed for 3 rounds. The ambiance is nice. It feels homey. Like in the sense that I'm in an ultra expensive little nook in Brooklyn that perhaps used to be a little bookshop vibe but then you're paying Manhattan prices. We ordered for the most part Old Fashioneds and the last drink I switched things up and tried their RoseBud: Vodka and house-made rosewater lemonade. The mix was unique. It was sweet and salty and a little floral but not too overwhelming. Delightful cocktails. Happy hour I think is $2 off of drinks but it ends early at 6pm. I didn't explore the food menu but it seems medium priced of burgers, sandwiches, fries, etc. Worth a spot checking out but I wouldn't be a regular. Key word is laid back and cozy.

We were looking for a quiet bar in Chelsea, and decided to try the gadfly. What a great find! The…read morecocktails were delicious and creative, and the ambience was perfect. We ordered at the bar and were served quickly and although it was a little bit busy, it was still quite enough for a conversation, which is what we were looking for. Great place and if we lived here, we would be here frequently.

Sometimes, when surrounded by the commercial trappings of this world (and accompanied by some dear…read morefriends who, very fairly and understandably, wish to experience and embrace them), one needs a refuge. A place where you can escape (hide?) and enjoy a beverage or two in peace, and prepare for what the day will bring next. This is such a place. Even on a day when the streets were packed, stumbled across this little gem with some friends while our other friends were shopping. Couldn't have asked for a better find. Very chill, quality drinks, friendly bartenders who welcomed us in and made sure we didn't want for refreshment...good stuff!

This is such a great find in the city! It has such a lovely atmosphere and feels very tucked away…read more The cocktails were tasty and well below the average NYC cocktail. The service was quick even with how busy a Friday night was.

This is a whiskey bar (obvious from the large selection of bottles behind the bar) but the wine…read morelist was decent too. I really liked my glass of rosé. The ambiance is dark and romantic. Definitely one of my favorite spots in the city.

This happened last night at approximately 1:00-1:30 AM, and unfortunately it was the third…read moreexperience I've had recently that has left me questioning how certain NYC nightlife venues decide who is welcome and who isn't. I went to Soho Grand with two friends--one Hispanic and one white. I've actually been to Soho Grand several times before, both with and without a promoter, and had never previously had an issue getting in. From what I remember, there was also a different bouncer working the door on those occasions. I understand this is NYC nightlife. I know entry isn't guaranteed and that venues can be selective. What bothered me wasn't simply that we weren't immediately let in--it was the interaction and the difference in how we were treated compared with the group standing next to us. We were at the front of the line when one of the two bouncers asked me, "Who do you know here?" I answered honestly that I didn't really know anyone. He paused and didn't say anything further to us. There was another group of women next to us, and he asked one of them the exact same question: "Who do you know here?" She didn't actually answer the question and instead said, "We're just 8 Israeli girls." The two bouncers then went inside, came back out, approached their group, asked to see their IDs/passports, and proceeded to let all eight of them in. After watching this, I said, "We're only three girls." The bouncer looked me directly in the eyes and completely ignored me. From my perspective, the other bouncer did not seem to have an issue with us, but this particular bouncer clearly did not engage with us after I said I didn't know anyone there. The contrast was uncomfortable: we were a group of three at the front of the line, while a group of eight was allowed in after being asked the same question we were. I also found the specific response, "We're just 8 Israeli girls," noteworthy because it wasn't actually an answer to the question of who they knew there. I obviously cannot say whether their nationality had anything to do with the decision to let them in, but given the sequence of events, the interaction stood out to me. At that point, both of my friends felt uncomfortable enough that they left the line because they didn't even want to spend their money somewhere that had made us feel this unwelcome. Maybe we eventually would have been let in--we'll never know because we chose to leave based on the discrepancy. But I felt that the interaction was worth sharing, especially because my previous experiences at Soho Grand had been completely different. I'm sharing exactly what happened so others can draw their own conclusions.

Excellent food, delicious libations, great service. An all around winner…read more We met a friend here for happy hour drinks and a snack and it did not disappoint. The food was all amazing. I personally had the watermelon salad and it was a deliciously unique pairing of watermelon, feta, balsamic, olives and pepperoncinis. I would never have thought to combine all those flavors. But I have been crazy that salty/sweet flavor profile ever since. My cocktail was also delicious. And the server was very patient with us, as it took a while for us to settle in and look over the menu. If I'm ever in New York again, I would definitely come back!

Update: the owner got back to us and let us know that the server involved in this incident no…read morelonger works there. I appreciate that they took the complaint seriously and handled the follow-up thoughtfully and professionally. ---- Wanted to like this place, but unfortunately one server managed to turn the entire night into an unnecessarily hostile experience. For context: we were a group of Asian girls just trying to have a chill night out. We were never rude, never yelling, never trying to get out of paying for anything. In fact, we DID pay for the cocktail we didn't enjoy - the one that was personally recommended to us as "their favorite on the menu." What caught us off guard was that the instant reaction to hearing we didn't like it was: "You still have to pay for it." Nobody even suggested otherwise. Things just kept getting weirder from there. We were told to "stand in a corner" while waiting for a table. One of the glasses at our table was visibly dusty and took around 20 minutes to replace. At the end of the night, we spent ~15 minutes trying to flag someone down so we could pay and get our receipt for reimbursement. Since nobody was coming by, we stood near the entrance waiting for a server to come out, only to immediately get hit with: "Are you leaving without paying?" When we asked for the receipt, we were told "did you press the button?" on the POS machine... except there literally was no button. At this point the music was extremely loud, so yes, we had to speak up to communicate. Somehow this was interpreted as aggression from our side. What really crossed the line was when the server started cursing at us and telling us to "back the f*** off" while we were asking for their name / a manager because we would like to be treated fairly. We were not in their personal space, not touching anyone, not causing a scene. Another server actually stepped in and tried to de-escalate the situation, which was very much appreciated. I fully understand table service is stressful, especially at busy bars. But this went way beyond normal stress or attitude. It genuinely made us feel unsafe and uncomfortable, and honestly left a worse taste than the cocktail itself. Also, if this truly was the only server working with no manager around (as we were told, despite visibly seeing other staff working), then that's a serious operational issue. No customer should be put in a situation where there's nobody available to professionally handle conflict resolution. The place itself is okay. But this experience alone was enough that I wouldn't feel comfortable recommending it to anyone unless they have a humiliation kink.

Walked in on a Wednesday night around 8pm and my friend and I were seated almost immediately. We…read morewere pleasantly surprised by the new Aegean menu, which featured drinks inspired by countries by the Mediterranean Sea. It was my first time there but I was expecting the menu I saw online, not this new one. We tried 2 drinks: one inspired by Turkish figs and one inspired by lemons and the "Miracle Berry", which inverts your palate and turns sour into sweet! I really enjoyed both drinks. The figs one came with a sweet fig granola bite and the lemon one really did taste sweet after eating the "Miracle Berry"! I'd definitely come back to try their many other drinks.

Wanted one more drink to end the night so stopped in late on a weeknight…read more The drinks were really quite good. I liked how they organized the menu by country/geography to facilitate an understanding of the flavor profiles. I got two of the date & fig-flavored smoked whisky drinks and it was a well made, balanced, and very good. Not cheap at some $25 or something, but middle of Manhattan with some creative ingredients means I guess it is what it is. Servers seemed a bit annoyed to have to deal with us shortly before close as I think they were hoping to usher people out and close down maybe a little early. One the one hand I get it, on the other hand you've got two paying customers on a slow night.

Great ambiance and yummy cocktails. I expected there to be more of a curated wine list, but the…read moreLambrusco was very good. I'd be interested to hear what other type of music plays there on a day they don't have a featured DJ that only does 1 style, but the DJ was good and we had fun. Small bites for food, so I'm glad we ate before going. The service was very good and staff was friendly. Only 1 bathroom is so brave!

A true speakeasy, with a maximum capacity of 30 people…read more Cool, Spanish vibe, with a variety of cocktails, wines and liquors, as well as modern tapas bites. I enjoyed the Hard Facts cocktail with mezcal instead of tequila, which was delicious and then a dirty gin martini. For a place with Spanish influence, I wish there were more unique olive or other selections for the martinis. I enjoyed my martini. My boyfriend didn't like his two drinks, a bourbon cocktail and a beer. Seating inside is intimate with unique chairs, tables and couches and great red mood lighting. Cute vinyls, books and photos add to the vibe. Only one bathroom and there is a small self-serve coat room. Drinks were expensive for what you get and I wish I had seen more of the dancing/music aspect of this spot. Cool to check out, but won't be a regular here.