This bar and restaurant is a stylish and fun alternative to other downtown spots. Lined with ‘50s-style diner booths and a pressed tin ceiling above, BBar also has a walled-in outdoor area that is perfect for summertime drinks. It’s the home of the longest running and most glamorous NYC weekly Gay party, Beige.

If you think that BEast is just another new under-a-restaurant bar, you’ll be surprised.  Enter through the door next to restaurant Broadway East, walk down what feels like a never-ending brick-lined hallway and you will find yourself in the Lower East Side’s hippest hidden bar. Be sure to sample the organic wines and delicious cocktails including the special margarita – zing!

For those in the know, Mondays are the nights when guest deejays such as Carlos D of Interpol and actor James Ransone (a.k.a. PJ) have been known to appear behind the turntables spinning classic and glam rock to their celebrity friends like Jack Osbourne and skater Jason Odell. On other nights you will find a mixed crowd of NYU students and young professionals with creative backgrounds in fashion and art, sipping on reasonable priced cocktails and munching on slightlier pricier food.

The Box is the combined brain child of Richard Kimmel, Randy Weiner, Serge Becker (La Esquina, 205, Joe’s Pub), and Simon Hammerstein, whose famed grandfather Oscar built the Hammerstein Ballroom. The idea behind the space is to revisit the legendary vaudeville element that made this area of NYC special a century ago. This intimate restaurant and theater has two bars and a stage reminiscent of the old burlesque halls. The crowd is an upscale mix of celebs, trendsetters, and hipster music types, all seeking a bit more than a night in NYC’s standard deejay club scene.

Bungalow 8 has a reputation for having one of the toughest door policies in the city. Predominantly populated by a Fendi and Calypso-clad crowd, the focus at Bungalow is on amenities including on-site concierge services for transportation arrangement. Bungalow 8 is pretentious, over-the-top, and, at times, just what the doctor ordered.

New York might have made the classic hotel bar famous, but it’s Tribeca Grand’s Church Lounge that revolutionized it. Dead center in the hotel’s open triangular atrium, the Church Lounge offers an intimate aside for the day and evening and turns into a key destination at night. The classic American menu offers everything from light appetizers to three-course meals, designed exclusively by the Tribeca Grand chefs. And drink-wise, the Church lounge offers a wealth of signature house cocktails—something for every sincere drinker—including the Tartini, the Grand Margarita, and the Perfect Ten along with specialty martinis created specially for the bar. On Friday and Saturday nights there are resident djs spinning a mixture of rock, soul, electronic and nu disco.

Cielo is New York City’s destination spot for house music. The main room has tables and a bar situated around a sunken dance floor, and the sounds range from deep house, club or classics to electronic and techno. The deejays are predominantly big names in the international dance music world including Francois K, Louis Vega, Ben Watt, Frankie Knuckles, and Roger Sanchez.

By far the best sake bar in the city, Decibel’s small basement location is designed with dark wood, red paper lanterns, and graffiti-covered walls. Combined with a buzzer at the outdoor entrance, the space has a true speakeasy feel. The sake list is extensive, and the menu is divided into categories based on the brewing process, ranging from mild to very dry. In addition to the sake, the menu offers Japanese light fare including katsuo, khada, saba miso, steamed shumai, edamame, sauteed seaweed, and noodles. While Decibel is a favorite among locals, less experienced new comers may be surprised by the rather uncordial service. But give it a shot—this bar will prove to be a memorable NYC experience.

This small undercover club sits hidden below the ground on 8th Street. With no sign in sight, it’s a spot for diehard regulars who come for the amazing sound system and resident deejays. The deejay booth at Love is absolutely the most elaborate in NYC—so intense that it conjures up feelings of being behind a space ship console. Home to house and dance music nights, the subterranean club is prone to stay open long into after hours.

A local favorite, Lower East Side dive bar Max Fish guarantees a four dollar beer and a chance that you’ll see someone you know. With contemporary art lining the colorful walls of this brightly lit bar, Max Fish attracts everyone from artists and musicians to skaters and fashionistas—all there to listen to a great jukebox and mingle near the surrounding pool table.

This little underground room below the street has a warm, private aura that makes you forget about the busy surrounding Nolita streets above. The exposed wood beans, rustic tables, and candle-lit surroundings give the place a mysterious charm. The scene is a mix of hipster and family types, all of whom we doubt just stumbled upon the place. Peasant Wine Bar is a calculated destination, and the patrons come a knockin’. The service is good, and you can order from a selection of wines, cheeses, appetizers, and entrees.

A Moroccan-themed hideaway for rockers, models and downtowners alike, Sway opened in 1998 under the ownership of Nur Khan, the former owner of Wax nightclub. Inside the intimate, oblong space are colorful Moroccan lamps, decorative North African ceramic tiles, and large plush-upholstered banquettes. The scene is best experienced late, as in post-1am.