Speakeasies Make Their Not-So-Secret Return to NYC

Secrecy: 🤐

This bar has more signage than some airports.

Getting in: Walk into the marginally subterranean room adjoining the Eastern European restaurant Tzarevna (CHECK OUT THE SECRET BAR INSIDE, a sidewalk chalkboard helpfully urges) and follow a series of pink paper planes to the back.

Once you’re inside: Skylit ceilings and a somewhat inexplicable astronaut mural make for a thoroughly pleasant space where you might sip an Avion de Papel — a mix of mezcal, yellow Chartreuse, Aperol, and lime juice — that runs $16.

Secrecy: 🤐🤐🤐

The storefront is a convincing facsimile of a locksmith-and-shoe-repair shop, but there’s a bouncer. You may be disappointed if you actually wanted to have some boots resoled.

Getting in:  “You can’t just walk in,” the iPad-toting doorman scolded … before ushering us inside.

Once you’re inside: You will find a very packed, very loud Art Deco–inspired lounge.

Secrecy: 🤐🤐

A camouflaged door leads from the daytime coffee shop in front to the bar. WE ARE OPEN, reads a sign outside.

Getting in: Just as the sign promised, the door was open when we showed up.

Once you’re inside: A festive and vaguely tropical spot to nurse a spicy paloma. Why not enjoy it on the fairy-lit patio out back?

Secrecy: 🤐🤐

You should reserve a table on Resy. There is also a password, but that password is easily found on the website. (It is, we are sorry to report, “Daddy’s home.”)

Getting in: Ring the doorbell, then recite the password to the voice on the other side of the door, which will cost you some degree of dignity. Then press a button marked with a dildo and push past a faux bookcase of porn tapes.

Once you’re inside: The experience is a reasonable re-creation of hanging out in a basement in the suburban Midwest, and the staff is notably hospitable.

Secrecy: 🤐

While the bar is inside a provisions shop called Pine & Polk, the owners posed for a handful of widely read stories announcing PS’s opening.

Getting in: You’ll need a host to push back a hidden door, which is a rack of small-batch chocolate bars, to gain entry to the main attraction. The process is entirely frictionless.

Once you’re inside: It’s slick, spacious, and trendy. (Yes, you can order a caviar bump at the marble bar.) Make sure to grab a bottle of Instagrammable olive oil at the provisions shop on your way back out.

Secrecy: 🤐

This is essentially the lobby bar for the Arlo Soho hotel, nestled behind a velvet curtain.

Getting in: The most taxing part of the trip is the four-minute walk from the Canal Street 1 train. Breeze in and look for the neon sign.

Once you’re inside: This darker-than-usual hotel bar is a fine spot to sip strong cocktails inspired by mid-century American cuisine like ambrosia salad and pineapple upside-down cake.

Secrecy: 🤐🤐🤐

Look for an easy-to-miss green neon martini glass on the sign outside.

Getting in: The bar is tucked inside a café. Find your way to the back room. A mumbled “Are you open?” on our end was all it took to confirm that, yes, it was.

Once you’re inside: Sink into the lush blue velvet chairs and order soju cocktails such as the vanilla-accented Reconstruction Cappuccino, a drink that requires a “long sip,” as our bartender cryptically explained.

Secrecy: 🤐🤐

The door on the street is unmarked but massive. A little neon-lit window ensures you won’t miss it.

Getting in: Walk into the small streetside storefront, admire the actual cacti, then check in with the host, who will grant you entry through a separate door.

Once you’re inside: There are laid-back CDMX vibes and six types of margarita on the menu at this moody and sprawling upscale cantina. Order a build-your-own barbacoa-taco platter while you’re there, if you’d like.