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Hidden Hot Spots in New York
From the archives: July 07, 2010
Everyone knows that no self-respecting establishment would ever have a straightforward, easy-to-find street entrance. Or so it seems, as these speakeasy-style restaurants and bars hide themselves like opium dens, hoping that only the coolest, most plugged-in New Yorkers will find them. Well, we know where the best ones are, and now so do you. (Photo: The intentionally hard-to-find Cienfuegos in the East Village)
On this page: Secret Bars in New York, Hidden Restaurants in New York.
Report AbuseSecret Bars in New York
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Angel's Share
Read Reviews8 Stuyvesant St, New York, NY 10003 (map)
Cocktail aficionados pass through a Japanese restaurant to get to this hidden mixing mecca in the East Village--and happily wait for the privilege.
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Back Room
Read Reviews
102 Norfolk St, New York, NY 10002 (map)
The very definition of a hidden hot spot, this gilded speakeasy's entrance is through a gate marked "Lower East Side Toy Company," but you may find some playthings there nonetheless.
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Marlow & Sons
Read Reviews81 Broadway, Brooklyn, NY 11211 (map)
Keep walking past the shelves of this specialty food shop, and you'll stumble upon Brooklyn's coziest wine and oyster bar, thoughtfully hidden from the teeming masses.
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Milk and Honey
Read Reviews
134 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002 (map)
You'll have to dig up the phone number, search out the doorway and adhere to strict house rules to get at Sasha Petraske's super-secret cocktail lounge.
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Cienfuegos
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95 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009 (map)
Don't be fooled by the fake Avenue A address--the entrance to this rum-centric cocktail bar is in the back of the Cuban sandwich shop, Carteles, on Sixth Street.
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The Blind Barber
Read Reviews339 E 10th St, New York, NY 10009 (map)
At the back of a tidy East Village barbershop, a sliding door reveals large, parquet-floored speakeasy with Victorian couches and booths where DJs spin for the in-the-know.
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SL
Read Reviews
409 W 14th St, New York, NY 10014 (map)
How do you hide a 2,200-square-foot club in the Meatpacking District? Beneath the star-studded restaurant, Abe & Arthur's, of the same owners. Bring that Amex black card.
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The SubMercer
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147 1/2 Mercer St, New York, NY 10012 (map)
Stumble upon the door bearing 147 ½ with an attitude that says you own the joint, take the freight elevator down, make two lefts, then a right and you'll find this underground den of cool.
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Raines Law Room
Read Reviews
48 W 17th St, New York, NY 10011 (map)
In true speakeasy style, this Flatiron lounge is accessed by way of a doorbell at the bottom of an unmarked staircase. Once seated, you'll use another buzzer at your table to summon the bartender.
Hidden Restaurants in New York
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The Burger Joint
Read Reviews
118 W 57th St, New York, NY 10019 (map)
Just about everyone in midtown has searched out this unassuming burger joint--and they can't help but find their way back.
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La Esquina Taqueria
Read Reviews
106 Kenmare St, New York, NY 10012 (map)
This basement taqueria is one of of the most talked-about secret restaurant/bars in the city, though finding it doesn't necessarily mean you'll get in.
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Freemans
Read Reviews
Freeman Alley, New York, NY 10002 (map)
The beautiful, the hip and the well-informed know the way to this hunter-chic eatery is at the end of a dead-end alley of the same name.
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Sakagura
Read Reviews
211 E 43rd St, New York, NY 10017 (map)
A small gold sign leads through the lobby to this hidden treasure of sake and sashimi in midtown.
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202
Read Reviews
75 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011 (map)
Hidden away in a boutique in Chelsea Market, this secret spot makes a lamb burger that's one of the best in the city and serves brunch all day.
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Zenkichi
Read Reviews
77 North 6th Street, Brooklyn, NY 11211 (map)
There's no sign on the wood-paneled exterior of this romantic Japanese restaurant--look for the hostess at the red rope.