With Pina Coladas, Mai Tais, and Daquiris dominating the menu and an interior that screams “TIKI,” Painkiller is the urbanite’s dream escape. Located in the LES, the windowless lair is covered in bamboo, bright lights, and bathing Polynesian beauties; and the drinks are stiff, sweet, fresh, and refreshing. The bar’s signature drink and namesake is derived from a rum cocktail invented in the British Virgin Islands, and it definitely does its duty. Painkiller also serves up the tiki version of punch—the Scorpion—a drink to be shared by 4 – 6 people that the restaurant pegs as being “Great for when you want to kill the pain with friends.” Aloha!

Dubliners Mark and Simon Gibson, brothers who named the bar for their grandparents, encourage guests to squeeze in at a table of strangers to share a drink and a conversation. People are drawn to this West Village pub by the social atmosphere and energetic vibe found only in a place with communal tables, but it’s the phenomenal locally-sourced food that keeps them here late into the evening. The menu was created by Momofuku and The Rusty Knot’s Joaquin Baca, whose love for bacon is amply reflected in the Wilfie & Nell menu.

Smith & Mills is the passion project of Matt Abramcyk and Akiva Elstein, squeezed into the tiny space of a former TriBeCa carriage house with only two banquettes and eight stools. The classic drinks are shaken, not stirred, and the food is reminiscent of old factory-worker lunch carts, served on antique flatware by men in blue workman’s jackets and women in factory dresses. Walls are adorned with turn-of-the-century ship plans and pulleys, and to complete the vintage working-class aesthetic, the bathroom is an old industrial elevator.

Terroir Tribeca, a newly-opened wine bar at 24 Harrison Street, is proving to be just as charming as its East Village predecessor. The space, operated by Paul Grieco and Marco Canora, in addition to an extensive wine list, serves Finger Lakes Riesling on tap, a trend started recently in San Francisco that has yet to hit the Big Apple. In addition to wine, Terroir Tribeca also serves unconventional yet delicious pairing dishes such as Bone Marrow Bruschetta, Duck Prosciutto Sandwiches, and Veal and Ricotta Meatballs. With almost three times as many seats as its little sister, the TriBeCa outpost, designed by architect Richard H. Lewis (Pulino’s, Minetta Tavern), will be able to seat a great any more wine devotees.

Three years after opening, PDT (stands for “Please Don’t Tell”) isn’t much of a secret anymore, but the cocktail lounge still draws a crowd with its Prohibition-era intrigue and skillfully-crafted cocktail menu that is nothing short of a work of art—not to mention that you can order some of the city’s best hot dogs along with your drink, as a nod to the hot dog joint that houses the 1940s vinatge telephone booth entrance to this underground speakeasy.

Image courtesy of Noah Kalina.

With an upstairs bar, a downstairs cavern, an in-house art gallery, and a smoking section, this East Village nightspot is a never-ending come-as-you-are dance party filled with artists, rock stars, photographers, DJs, and the like, rocking out to a live band or hits from the 80s and 90s that you forgot you loved but still remember all the words to.

Noah Tepperberg’s latest venture is identifiable only by a guard carrying a list outside an unmarked door in West Chelsea. True to Tepperberg’s vision of a gastropub/ultralounge, Avenue is a lounge space with moving lights, some dancing, plenty of bar food, and a toned-down enough atmosphere where patrons don’t need to strain their ears to hold a conversation.

Drop by Welcome to the Johnsons and you’ll find locals and hipsters kicking back in a 1970s basement rec room—complete with wood paneling, plastic couches, a pool table, and the classic Ms. PacMan game. Throw in a jukebox stocked with great music and $2 PBRs straight out of the vintage fridge, and you can definitely count on coming back.

Hidden behind the inconsicuous wooden door of Death & Co is a dimly-lit cocktail lounge where you’ll find original and inventive drinks carefully crafted by some of the city’s top mixologists. Named for the Prohibition-era belief that to drink is to live a life shadowed by death, Death & Co exudes an ambience that calls to mind speakeasy days of yore when cocktails were considered an art.

Anotheroom is a TriBeCa-area offshoot of Craig Weiss’ line of beer and wine bars that include The Room in SoHo and The Otheroom in the West Village. The dimly-lit space serves as the perfect place for a glass of boutique wine or handcrafted beer, or any one of the selections on the handpicked menu. Raw steel décor by local artisans and rotating exhibits by unrepresented artists add to an aesthetic that will impress any and all who slip in for a quiet rendezvous.

The owners of Union Pool and the man behind the cocktails at Diner and Pencil Factory have brought an elegant cocktail spot to the Williamsburg neighborhood. Located on a pretty stretch of Berry Street, Hotel Delmano is at first strikingly pretty, with an antique marble bar, leather banquettes, and cloud-painted ceiling. The cocktails more than match the interior with choices such as the Brooklyn Beauty, St. Helens, and Cuban Winter.  Small bar snacks are available (such as cheese and meat boards) and recommended to cushion the blow of the one-too-many delicious cocktails you are likely to enjoy.

Located on a hidden street in Chinatown, Apotheke is a specialty cocktail bar that tips its hat to the absinthe dens of 19th Century Paris, with a dash of old-fashioned apothecary thrown in. Order a range of whimsical cocktails from the lab-coat wearing bartenders, who will proceed to craft your beverage with the meticulousness of a chemist in the lab. Prices are steep, but the ‘prescriptions’ are well worth it.

This quirky Williamsburg joint is a general store slash coffee shop in the front, and a bar/restaurant in the back. The menu is short and simple with an array of daily specials and a cozy Mediterranean flair with a selection of fresh oysters and an assortment of local cheeses and meats. Simple dishes such as the brick oven chicken are bursting with flavor and fresh local ingredients.  The seasonal fresh market salads are creative and delicious with ingredients such as hazelnuts, fennel and citrus, and the caramel-chocolate tart topped with sea salt is to die for. The ambiance is a cozy neighborhood vibe with an always-interesting music selection picked by the laid-back staff. Marlow & Sons is most certainly a neighborhood favorite, but also a reason for those who live in Manhattan to venture over the bridge.

Tucked beneath the oh-so-hip Australian restaurant Kingswood is its new after-hours hotspot, Baddies.  Contrived as a separate entity to its upstairs neighbor, the venue fills with primarily late-twenties European, Australian, and New Zealand patrons after the dinner hour is over, who provide a raucous late night dance party that harkens to the now-defunct Beatrice Inn.  A talented rotation of DJs keeps the space filled every weekend, as do the bartenders, who aren’t afraid to join in on the party themselves.  The décor is pretty raw; concrete floors, glass shelves, and leather banquettes add to the “underground” feel of the cavernous space.

To seekers of delicious avant-garde cocktails made with the freshest ingredients: Little Branch is the locale for you.  Located along bustling Seventh Ave. in the West Village, this specialty cocktail haunt – the third of its kind by mixologist Sasha Petraske – is old school in style and new wave in taste.  The bartenders sport suspenders, maintain a well-behaved atmosphere, and let you order as you please.  All you have to do is sit back, tell them your spirit, give them a sense of your palate, and they will do all the work.  With jazz nights Thursdays through Sundays, weekends are the liveliest, but the spot is open all week for those craving after-work libations as well.

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.

Freemans is like an escape to the countryside—to a place where the local hipsters gather around antique wooden tables to drink wine and dine on wild boar and whole roasted trout underneath assorted taxidermy including moose and elk heads. Located on a discreet alleyway off the Bowery, this hush-hush eatery has quickly become the place du jour for downtown scene-makers with its affordable menu, hunting lodge décor, and laid back staff.

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.

More than just food and cocktails, the comfortable and glamorous Grand Bar & Lounge has become known as “SoHo’s Living Room”—and not only New York locals are welcome to the family. Sit amid the downtown darlings in the ultra-plush setting. The classic American cuisine, extensive cocktail list, and exclusive music selection set a sexy ambiance whether you are about to head out on the town or want the town to come to you. The Grand Bar’s club room is intoxicatingly intimate, with amber-hued lighting, copper table tops, and weathered mirrors. In the airy Grand Lounge, oversized windows set a second-floor scene overlooking the seductive lights and actions of SoHo’s West Broadway.

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.