No photo of this bar survives from the 2008 site.

Whiskey Blue (W Hotel)

541 Lexington Ave. · at 49th St.
Midtown East, Manhattan

In 2026

Closed

Last licensed here under this name: 2016–18.

Checked October 15, 2026.

Show on the map Directions See the 2008 page

Overview

By Chris Lukic

Bar as Rube Goldberg device - manager hires bartenders with big boobs, attracting traders with big wallets, which in turn brings in Upper East Side girls with big aspirations.

History

The hotel changed its name; the bar just closed

Whiskey Blue was the bar in the W New York, at 541 Lexington Avenue¹. The hotel was later renamed the Maxwell². A report on the Maxwell's closing, in April 2020, listed the bar as permanently closed³.

Sources

Researched October 2026.

What's nearby

Oasis Bar (W Hotel) under 0.1 mi Closed
Nikki Midtown under 0.1 mi Closed; now Empire Steak House
St. Bart's Dance Hall under 0.1 mi Licensed here under a company name; may be the same bar
LQ (Radisson Hotel) 0.1 mi Closed; now The Stayton Room
Bull and Bear Pub 0.1 mi Closed; now Waldorf Astoria New York
Barclay Bar and Grill (Intercontinental) 0.1 mi Closed; now The Parlour
Sir Harry's Bar (Waldorf Astoria) 0.1 mi Closed; now Waldorf Astoria New York
Snafu 0.1 mi Still pouring
Bliss Bar and Lounge 0.2 mi Closed
Curtain Bar 0.2 mi A different business is licensed at this address