The Best Speakeasies in Manhattan
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The best speakeasies in Manhattan, according to the experts: Difford's Guide has weighed in, and their honors are what rank this list. Bathtub Gin comes out on top.
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Rank 1. Bathtub Gin
Speakeasy
A red light above an unmarked door in a Chelsea coffee shop is the only signal that there's a cocktail bar behind it. Once through, the room opens into flocked wallpaper, fringed lampshades, and an antique copper bathtub sitting squarely in the middle of things, which everyone photographs and then pretends they weren't going to. The seven-seat copper bar is the calmer alternative. Dressed-up but not stiff, and a long way from the espresso machine out front.
The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: 4 stars · Difford's Guide
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Rank 1. The Back Room Bar
Speakeasy
The entrance reads "Lower East Side Toy Company" on an iron gate, which is not a toy company. Beyond it, a semi-subterranean passage runs between buildings toward an unmarked door with a brass peephole, and yes, the rats are part of the atmosphere. One of the few surviving Prohibition-era speakeasies in the city, this bar on the Lower East Side commits hard to the bit, and the whole approach feels like a dare before you've ordered anything.
The awards
- Difford's Guide Difford's Guide: 4 stars · Difford's Guide