Overview
New York on Tap listed this bar without a review.
History
Free-poured, in a hurry, with soup at the end
At Employees Only the idea was excellent craft drinks, yes, but free-poured, doled out with haste and in high volume1. Dushan, Henry, Igor, Jay and Billy set out in 2004 to create a local bar that elevated the craft of the cocktail2, and it came into the world on November 15 that year, though Repeal Day, December 5, marked its official grand opening1.
The chicken soup served at the end of the night struck one admirer as one of the most genius marketing moves ever seen in a bar1. In 2015 Employees Only took the number four spot on Drinks International's World's 50 Best Bars list3.
The original New York location turned twenty in December 20241, and an oral history for the occasion called it a window into how things were back in 2004, because not much had changed since1. It's still at 510 Hudson Street, taking reservations4.
Sources
Researched October 2026.