At empire room it has an unintentioned 90ts feel
Named after a Tom Petty song, Cabin Down Bellow is the indie version of a speakeasy. You used to enter through the recently closed Pizza Shop, and now you go through the ally around the corner on 7th st. The bar is small and the amount of people who go gaga over this gimmick is big, so demand to get in is high. Be prepared to be told or asked who’s private party you’re there for. Once you make it in, you find a lot of rock scene snobs and the models who date them. Don’t expect mixologists, but rather your average everyday drinks. There is hardly any music, people are mostly chatting and looking around trying to figure out who’s private party they’re at.
10 Ave. A, nr. 7th St. 10009
At duplex and the piano is playing walking in memphis
Barbes is named after a northern parisian neighborhood famous for its large North African population, discount stores as well as the record stores which helped launch the Rai music explosion of the mid 80’s (a combination of popular music and traditional Bedouin desert music). Not surprisingly Barbes was opened by two French musicians and long-time Brooklyn residents as their way to give Park Slope a chill performance space/bar. There is a good selection of Single Malt Scotch, but better yet you can catch live jazz most nights of the week for free. (Check out their Calendar) So now NYC has the Statue of Liberty and some free jazz, who says the French never did anything for us?
Hours: Sun-Thu, 5pm-2am; Fri-Sat, 5pm-4am
376 9th St., at Sixth Ave. Brooklyn, NY 11215 tel. 347-422-0248
This is hands down the best Irish pub in NYC with one of the city’s best fireplaces. Molly’s was first established as a bar in 1895. During Prohibition (1920-1933) it operated as a “grocery store”, thus the name Shebeen, which means illegal drinking establishment (and Molly Malone’s, after a popular Irish folk song). In the mid 1930s, following the repeal of Prohibition, it again began to serve alcohol openly and the building’s three upper floors became a rooming house for transient workers. Believe me, this one of the best bars to escape the cold with friendly bartenders and a good mixed mellow crowd. Aside from the obligatory Guinness you can also get good ole traditional Irish fare like Shepard’s Pie and Corn Beef & Cabbage. Not only is Molly’s the best Irish pub in town, it’s one of the NYC’s best bars, plus it opens at 11 am!
Hours: Daily, 11am-4am
287 Third Ave., nr. 22nd St., NY 10010, tel. 212-889-3361
It seems that all the hot bars are now in hotels or call themselves hotels or inns (see earlier posts). Maybe it’s a good thing to have beds in such proximity to drunkenness (or maybe not, insert your most awful one-night stand story here). Well, now we can add the Ace bar/hotel to the list, which was previously an SRO (a homeless housing program) in the old Breslin hotel and now home to the hot restaurant with the same name (more on that to come). Beers are tad pricey at $7-8. But the rooms are pretty inexpensive (for NYC) starting at $170. So finally, a hip hotel hip middle class people can afford -a noble cause no doubt, almost as noble as housing for the homeless. As for the bar, rather being the typical trendy uptight hotel bar trying really hard to seem laid-back, this one is the real thing, the crowd and staff are actually relaxed. Plus, there is free wifi for “guests”, a nice alternative to Starfucks.
Hours: daily: 12 am to 4 am
20 W 29th St, nr, Broadway, NY 10001 tel. (212) 679-2222
Williamsburg’s long overdue first gay bar. I know, with hipsters sometimes it’s hard to tell. And this joint certainly is nothing like Chelsea’s gay scene, but rather uberly mixed. The perfect place to bring hetero gay-shy friends. Regardless of your sexual or social preferences, you can have a fun time here. And what’s not to love, there’s a friendly dancefloor, 2 fireplaces and even video bowling. For the warmer months there is a good-sized backyard with free barbecues on summer Sundays.
Happy Hour: Daily, 3pm-8pm; two-for-one well drinks and domestic beer
Cash Only
559 Lorimer St., btwn Metropolitan & Devoe, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211 tel. 718.599.4444
