Speakeasy
30 bars that New York on Tap listed under “Speakeasy” around 2008, with what's licensed at each address in 2026.
Manhattan
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124 MacDougal St. · Greenwich Village
Still pouring
Head downstairs to the unmarked black door and ring the little white buzzer to gain entry to a this cozy beer lovers bar in the former Bourgeois Pig West space. There's a unique selection of bottle beers (weighted heavily with Belgian Ales) and a small but thoughtful wine selection.
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8 Stuyvesant St. · East Village
Moved to 45 Grove Street
Visitors who uncover this gem tucked away behind a curtain on the second floor of a Japanese restaurant, are rewarded with a chill atmosphere, exactingly prepared cocktails, and a big window overlooking the square below.
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9 Doyer St. · Chinatown
Still pouring
A sleepy Chinatown alley far from the beaten nightlife trail is home to this dimly lit and richly appointed bar as apothecary.
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BacaroPick
136 Division St. · Hells Kitchen
Still pouring
Situated in the most unlikely of areas, this cavernous, candlelit wine bar and restaurant is at time raucous, at times intimate, but always warm and charming.
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The Back RoomPick
102 Norfolk St. · Lower East Side
Still pouring
Celebrity owned speakeasy themed bar hidden behind a Toy Store façade.
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Blue OwlPick
196 2nd Ave · East Village
Closed
Spot the blue owl and head downstairs to this warmly lit semi-secret basement/cavern. You'll find expensive, but expertly crafted cocktails, and a crowd more uptown than East Village.
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141 E. 45th St. · Midtown East
No license found in 2026
Sushi and Sapporo at one of the few Japanese spots in the city where Westerners are in the minority.
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ClandestinoPick
35 Canal St. · Chinatown
Still pouring
Low key, quiet and cozy, a perfect spot for a tête à tête.
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Death & CoPick
433 E 6th St · East Village
Still pouring
Anyone with a love for classic mixology will find themselves moved by the spirits in this tomb-like temple to tippling.
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DecibelPick
240 E. 9th St. · East Village
Still pouring
Subterranean sake bar sure to impress your friends.
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49 Essex St. · Chinatown
Closed
An intimate cocktail temple from the owner of Milk & Honey. It shares the same sophistication and meticulous attention to detail without the pretenses or reservations only policy.
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La EsquinaPick
106 Kenmare St. · NoLita
Still pouring
It's hard not to feel like a secret agent as you lead your friends into the unasssuming taqueria on the corner of Kenmare and Cleveland, through the dingy grey employees only door in the back, down through the kitchen and into the catacomb like space that is La Esquina.
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LabelPick
174 Rivington St. · Lower East Side
A different business is licensed at this address: Joey Roses
A music focused DJ bar hidden behind the façade of a take-out empanadas joint. The space is far from ideal (too long and narrow) but the top notch sound system does well with it.
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Milk and HoneyPick
134 Eldridge St. · Chinatown
Closed; now Attaboy
Exquisitely crafted cocktails which lost much of their luster as the prices climbed from $8 to $11 and have no settled at $15. You'll need reservations to get in the door
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NuBluPick
62 Ave. C · East Village
Still pouring
A seriously good time is to be had for those who can find this bar hidden away on Ave C - just look for the blue light and don't bother getting there before 11pm.
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45 E. 18th St. · Grammercy
Still pouring
Since 1892 this former speakeasy just north of Union Square has been pitching pints to punters of all stripes. Nightly a crowd spanning generations and socioenomics fills the booths and saddles up to the 50 foot mahogany bar.
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PDTPick
113 St. Marks Pl · East Village
Still pouring
Short for Please Don't Tell, the bar is accessed by heading down the stairs into Crif Dogs then into a phone booth. Press the intercom button and cross your fingers that they let you in because for all the nonsense it's actually a pretty decent bar.
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SakaguraPick
211 E. 43rd St. · Midtown East
Still pouring
Through the lobby and follow the small gold sign down, to find the largest sake selection in NYC.
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Secret LoungePick
525 W. 29th St. · Chelsea
A different business is licensed at this address: Kahlo
Hidden behind the tiny sign on an otherwise unmarked door this sultry lounge is imbued with a palpable sexuality thanks to victorian chandeliers, red velvet, votive candles, and a very sexy mixed (mostly gay) crowd.
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Smith & MillsPick
71 N. Moore St. · TriBeCa
Still pouring
There's little indication from the outside of the hidden treat that lies within. This cozy restaurant and bar has soft lighting, dirty silver mirrors, pressed tin tables, and a bathroom built from an old elevator that is practically a work of art.
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222 W. 23rd St. · Chelsea
Closed; now Teruko
Small, dark lounge under the Chelsea Hotel with an often celebrity populated VIP room.
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Uncle Ming'sPick
225 Ave. B · East Village
Closed; now 11 Tigers
Hidden away on the 2nd floor, Uncle Ming's feels like a house party with bathroom lines to match.
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95 Spring St. · SoHo/Little Italy
Closed; now Nike SoHo
This dismal lounge above the tourist trap Café Bari was promoted as a secret celeb hangout, with a hush-hush inside scoops planted at Gawker and the NY Post. Have pity on the poor saps who made the trek here from Jersey.
Brooklyn
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335 Smith St. · Carroll Gardens
Still pouring
Behind its incospicous Smith Street façade lies a former Italian social club turned hip bar. Sticking close to its roots it retains a feel of old world decadence.
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45 Waverly Ave. · Clinton Hill
No license found in 2026
A not exceptionally cool, but pretty well hidden Clinton Hill gay bar with DJ and dancing.
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81 Washington St. · DUMBO
Closed; now Westville Dumbo
Hidden sake bar in the cellar of the restaurant Rice.
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MotoPick
394 Broadway · Williamsburg South Side
Closed
A rusted bicycle hanging from a wall serves as the only sign for this hidden bar and café. There are few (perhaps no) more attractive and unique interior spaces in the burrough - an idealized Parisian Café crammed into the narrow corner of a warehouse.
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451 Graham Avenue · Greenpoint
Still pouring
Considering Williamsburg’s place atop the trendy hood hierarchy, the faux-speakeasy trend arrived surprisingly late in L train land. Nevertheless, it has at last, and East Williamsburg’s The Richardson is an impressive interpretation.
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432 Franklin Ave. · Clinton Hill
Still pouring
This gritty former after-hours bar in a townhouse basement still resides behind a locked gate. Just catch someone's eye and hope for the best.
Already closed by 2009
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American SpiritsPickClosed by 2009
1744 2nd Ave. · Upper East Side
A different business is licensed at this address: The Office
Hidden neighborhood bar attracts a young crowd to its competive pool table, and raucous karaoke nights.
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Chumley'sClosed by 2009
86 Bedford St. · West Village
Closed; now The Eighty Six
A well hidden former prohibition speakeasy where the drinks are still all microbrews. After a chimney collapse there are now only two walls standing. There's no ceiling. No floors. Although there are plans to rebuild by Fall 2008.
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Double HappinessPickClosed by 2009
173 Mott St. · NoLita
Closed; now Shoo Shoo Nolita
Leading your friends down the secluded staircase and into this delicious candle lit basement lair will doubtless impress.
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M & R BarClosed by 2009
356 Bowery · NoHo
Closed; now Yawning Cobra
A dimly lit wine and whiskey bar in the space that was formerly the popular gay speakeasy The Slide.
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ShalelClosed by 2009
65 1/2 W. 70th St. · Upper West Side
Still pouring
It's can be easy to miss this sexy lounge.
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SiberiaPickClosed by 2009
356 W. 40th St. · Hells Kitchen
Moved to Turnstyle Underground Market, Columbus Circle
An "in crowd" dive, that somehow manages to fend off pretense with strong measures of eccentricity and grime to form an oaisis of downtown cool in the 40s.
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Single Room OccupancyPickClosed by 2009
360 W. 53rd St. · Hells Kitchen
No license found in 2026
One of the better bars in midtown stays that way by remaining totally undercover. It's marked only by a dim green light. Go down the stairs and ring the buzzer.