La Caverna

122 Rivington St.
Lower East Side, Manhattan

In 2026

Still pouring

Checked October 15, 2026.

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Overview

The reasonable Italian fare at this bat cave, is overshadowed by an enormously popular late night dancing scene where the sonic stylings of Justin Timberlake seem to be always on heavy rotation.

History

The cave learned Tex-Mex

Three Italian artists spent more than a year building La Caverna's rock formations before it opened on Rivington Street around the end of 2003¹. The Village Voice found the effect exotic and slightly over the top, in a Vegas kind of way¹.

We gave it credit for reasonable Italian food, but the real draw was the late-night dancing, with Justin Timberlake seemingly always on heavy rotation.

More than two decades on it is family-run and still a cave, with stalagmite-inspired decor around a large round bar in the middle of the room^{2, 3, 4}. The kitchen has moved on to Tex-Mex and margaritas, and on Fridays and Saturdays the cave stays open until four in the morning^{2, 3}.

Sources

Researched October 2026.

What's nearby

The Magician under 0.1 mi Still pouring
Welcome to the Johnsons under 0.1 mi Still pouring
Essex under 0.1 mi Moved to 124 Rivington Street
Schiller's Liquor Bar under 0.1 mi Closed; now Shake Shack
Mason Dixon under 0.1 mi Closed
Fat Baby under 0.1 mi Closed; now Restocked
Rewind under 0.1 mi A different business is licensed at this address: Mazaar Bar And Lounge
Whiskey Ward under 0.1 mi Closed; now Sadie's Ward
Verlaine under 0.1 mi Still pouring
105 Riv (Hotel Rivington) 0.1 mi Closed; now Tigre