Latest Hotel Bars in NYC You Should Visit Yesterday!

The Lobby Bar has opened its doors at the ground level of the legendary Hotel Chelsea! Not every day do you walk into a landmark so rich in cultural history, having housed some of the most famous artists, musicians and creative individuals of the last century. From Mark Twain and Stanley Kubrick to Madonna, Iggy Pop, Robert Matherltop, Janis Joplin, and Leonard Cohen, to name a few.

After a few decades of push-and-pull renovations, Owners Sean MacPherson, Ira Drukier and Richard Born from The Bowery, The Marlton, The Ludlow, The Jane and The Maritime revived Hotel Chelsea, updating the interiors while preserving the hotel’s original bohemian soul and some old-school European glamour. Operations are led by Sunday Hospitality and partner Charles Seich, with culinary direction by Chef Jaime Young, which opened its Spanish-inspired restaurant El Quijote earlier this year. Beverage Director Brian Evans, as well as classic libations inspired by iconic bars from around the world, including Dukes Martini from Dukes Hotel in London and the Singapore Sling created by Ngiam Tong Boon at Raffles Hotel in Singapore. The bar menu is modeled after a classic European-style lobby bar. It offers dishes such as Trout Roe Beignets, Charcuterie, Crudités, Caviar with potato chips and beer cream, Dirty Martini Oysters with gin and manzanilla olive ice, and Uni Toast with hazelnut toffee and black truffle.

Bar Blondeau

Step up to the 6th floor at Brooklyn’s The Wythe Hotel and visit Bar Blondeau, the nouveau French-style cocktail opened last summer by the minds behind Acme, Chez Ma Tante and The Wythe’s main floor restaurant Le Crocodile. Blondeau’s cocktail program is armed with a repertoire of classic cocktails, frozen and non-alcoholic drinks, and a carefully selected worldwide wine list, including wines by the glass, bottle, and large format. Sip on a glass of exquisite skin contact wine or martini while watching the sunset falling behind the city skyline. The color pallets glow in contrast to the oak walls, amber lights, and green velvet banquettes. It’s a popular summer spot where everyone in Williamsburg wishes to see and to-be-seen.

Read our full review here.

Bar Chrystie at PUBLIC

You know “New York sexy” when you see it. Bar Chrystie is universally elegant and sophisticated, so it’s a no-brainer that this is one of NYC’s hottest places to drink and be TÊTE-À-TÊTE with nightlifers and those with a taste for la bonheur. This is yet another masterpiece designed by Ian Schrager, located at the provocative PUBLIC hotel on the Lower East Side. The interiors are adorned with propped at odd angles chandeliers, smoothly lit banquettes, plush velvety seating, and dark, elegant woods. The atmosphere is all luxury.

The menu is created by Chef John Fraser and Chef Diego Munoz of Popular, the Peruvian restaurant downstairs. The cocktail menu is by the hands of mixologist Rob Krueger. Favorites are The Autumn Rose, a Negroni with Dorothy Parker, rose petal gin and apricot eau de vie; Uncle Rusty, a Rusty Nail with Jamaican rum and a caramelized laurel leaf; or a classic martini, The Big Olive, with extra virgin olive oil-washed vermouth.

Read our full review here.

Harry’s Bar At Park Lane

An elegant bar inspired by iconic New York City culture and imagined for today, where you can get a taste of Manhattan’s high life. Across from Central Park, Harry’s, located on the second floor at Park Lane Hotel, pushes a martini-forward menu, highlighting worldly ingredients and natural botanicals. The selection of curated spirits is rare and approachable, such as port cask aged-bourbon, coffee-infused blended Scotch, locally-distilled rye, and reinvented contemporary classics such as the ZB Cosmopolitan and an Uptown Manhattan.

Harry’s rare champagne features are paired with exotic caviar, classic dry age beef cheeseburgers, tall shrimp towers and lobster spaghetti. The space is intimate, with dark-neutral tones and natural materials. Walls are adorned with New York City icons’ portraits, and the music plays on a record player, serenading guests while they dine and escape into that classic New York magic!

Lobby at Ace Brooklyn

You may know Ace hotels for their hip, design-focused interiors, which deliver this latest addition to the Ace portfolio. Located in south Brooklyn, the Lobby Bar at Ace Brooklyn attracts Boorklyinites and foreigners alike, especially those seeking a relaxed working space with free wifi, a generous amount of outlets, and quiet areas for taking zoom calls. The bar displayed soft earth tones, wooden finishes, intimate and communal tables, and features vintage costume seating and couches where you can network or mingle until the evening when it goes from the working space to the DJ lounge. It’s a cool spot that brings the neighborhood together, where you can mingle, people watch, bring your dog, and live your best lobby life. The bar menu features small bites from delicious oysters to warm biscuits, charred shishitos, to BK sliders. There’s a hand-picked selection of New York beers for drinks and a light selection of cocktails and wines, making it easy to pick and choose.

The Rosevale Cocktail Room at CIVILIAN

A new spotlight shines light over Hell’s Kitchen’s theater district, the CIVILIAN Hotel. A bold new hotel concept by Jason Pomeranc, the founder of the SIXTY Collective, the international hospitality company behind Sixty Hotels. This is the perfect place to stop by for cocktails before heading to your favorite Broadway show or needing a hideout while running errands around Times Square.

Going up their spiral staircase makes you feel like a merging of a scene where David Lynch meets Alfred Hitchcock. The overall vibe is “Backstage VIP.” The elegant interiors of the communal areas and cocktail room pay homage to a classic theater with dramatic theater curtains, marquee-inspired lighting, mini stage set figurines, and a private collection of original props from Broadway’s favorite shows. The bar is also connected to a secret garden lounge where you indulge in some fresh air as you sip on your favorite classic cocktails. But wait, there’s more coming up on the 27th floor! The Rosevale Cocktail Room at Civilian is currently in its soft opening phase, serving a limited selection of cocktails and hosting a DJ Party with DJ Dexter Love every Thursday night! The bar will officially open in July 2022 as the first NYC venue by Carver Road Hospitality (Carver Steak in Vegas), so come back later this summer and check out the scene.

Panorama Room at Graduate

Many NYers have lived in the city for many years and still never lay foot over Roosevelt Island, so here’s your excuse! Hop on the island tram for only $4 and ride over to its only hotel, Graduate, from the vision of architecture and design studio Stonehill Taylor and architecture and design firm Snøhetta. The Panorama Room bar, located on the 18th floor, features impressive 360-degree views of Manhattan, Queens, Brooklyn, the Bronx skylines, the Ed Koch Queensboro Bridge, and beyond. We promise these will be views from the East River you’ve never seen before. The interiors are a retro-futuristic mix, with color-changing neon lights, sexy velvet booths and puffs, and floor-to-ceiling windows that let in as much natural light as possible. The cocktail list is eclectic, including the “Dynamic Duos” Omakase Strawberry & Wine Pairing (Braida Brachetto d’Acqui (Sustainable) or Chartreuse (Champagne Boilermaker) Pierre Moncuit Grand Cru Extra Brut Les Grand Blancs. There is an excellent selection of French and Italian wines by the glass and Skin contact by the bottle. The Food menu includes a raw bar, crudos, tartine, and caviar nachos.

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