It's hard for me NOT to give this place 5 stars. The allure is obvious for any social New Yorker. A hidden bar in the subway? A 900 (NOW 2000) person waiting list? .
I've been following the concept of a subway bar for a while. It's not a new concept -- See Tim Hunter and Barry Glick's dream of turning the 18th IRT platform onto a bar called, "Six"
This was in 2002. I'm guessing you've never heard of it.
Well, somehow Jey Perie and John Van Lieshout did the impossible. La Noxe is located in an active subway. It's an off shoot steps away from the main platform. I believe, it was carved out of a prior shop that the occasional subway station still have. Loads are sitting vacant, while others still have cobblers or sandwich shops.
I think we can agree, a bar is much cooler.
I booked a reservation in March and received an email in mid May. I've been told if you need a rezzo ASAP you can try calling or DMing but this place is the hottest new bar in NYC. Plan ahead.
The entrance is hard to miss, the email is very clear. The gold sign is bright. We ran the doorbell and after a few minutes John lead us in. The staircase down reminded me of being backstage at the Met Opera. A little shabby but we ARE inside the subway. Once you pass the curtain, you're transported to a chic lounge . Very very vaporwave. Jey said he got a lot of the inspiration from Barcelona. You can tell. It's like chilling in your richwell traveled friend's basement. There is no lying, the place makes you feel cool.
There were 2 other couples there that looked in love & excited. It was a nice vibe. John gave us the middle seat, which was not the best. The music (which was great!) was too loud. The chairs are comfy but too big, so you have to sit on the edge of your seat and lean over the stone slabbed table to hear your partner.
He gladly let us move to another seat which again, was kind of awkward lmao. The seats are beautiful but not entirely comfortable. Again, we were sitting on the edge of our butts but at least we could hear each other.
We ordered:
Tangier's Sunset
Secret Garden
Forbidden Love
Tuscan Leather
French Connection
Not super crazy in the ingredients department. (I do appreciate a bar that uses Carpano Antica)
All of the cocktails were fine. Only one stood out - The French Connection. It's so hard to get a great espresso martini. This was the only one that made my eyes light up. A far second, Secret Garden. That kale/mezcal/lemon combo is quite nice.
So not the mind blowing cocktails, but far from the worst.
While we waited for our food order, the octopus & ceviche. We had more time to look around. The place was pretty empty. The place is tiny. Like dive bar status. But they have packed seats everywhere they could. There's even a two chairs a foot from the bathroom.
The only decor complaint we had was the daft curtain that separates the kitchen and the bar. It's really hideous and takes you out of the cool feel. It's see through and there gaps in it so you can peek through to the brightly lit kitchen. Have you ever seen people using bed sheets as curtains? It feels exactly like that.
Our octopus came and Jesus, it was incredibly good. Extremely fresh & light.
The ceviche was interesting. The presentation is fun. It comes in small pull tab can. (Think Chicken of the Sea) Once again very good, but oddly came with corn nuts.
We were chatting when John came over & noticed we were slow on eating. I said it was interesting, & he started a conversation to feel me out. I was surprised but pleased. I was eager to hear about the fathers of La Noxe. John listened and answered questions for a good 10 minutes.
A quote that really stuck out to me, "Yeah, it's unique experience. It's cool. We're underground it could have just been that. But we wanted more."
La Noxe, could have been just that but it is more. You can see that it's not just a cookie cutter bar. It could serving crap & it would still do extremely well. But there's love behind this, and it oozes out of the place and John.
Let's get back to the ceviche. We were told the corn nuts were a Venezuelan thing. (Later upon research they're more Peruvian/Ecuadorian but whatever.) We accepted our ignorance & were prepared to eat around them when John compt'd it!
It was incredibly unnecessary & kind.
He also explained that the curtain was a fire safety thing, but y'all come on. This isn't Section 8 -- find yourself a better look.
I'm mixed. I am an aesthetics whore. La Noxe is gorgeous, cozy & chic. But the cocktails are just 'aight. The food was fresh. And the service was phenomenal.
I have no choice but to rate this place 5 stars because the passion. This place could just be a gimmick but you can tell but you can tell Jey & John give a shit. Which is rare in the NYC cocktail scene. It reminds me of what PDT felt like in its heyday. Before it became a shell of itself.
Will La Noxe be the start of a new wave of modern speakeasies?
I sure hope so. read more