The best speakeasies in NYC in 2026 are Please Don't Tell (PDT), entered through a phone booth in Crif Dogs, Attaboy for bespoke cocktails with no menu, Employees Only for a lively West Village bar, and Bathtub Gin behind a Chelsea coffee shop. The Back Room and Chumley's are actual Prohibition-era survivors.
The original hidden bar, entered through a phone booth in a hot-dog shop.
Step into the phone booth inside Crif Dogs, pick up the receiver and you're let into PDT, a small, dim cocktail bar that helped launch the modern speakeasy craze.
Good to know: Reservations open the same day; call or book online early.
113 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10009
No menu — the bartenders build a drink around what you like.
Attaboy occupies the former Milk & Honey space behind an unmarked door on Eldridge Street. Tell the bartender what flavors you like and they'll make something for you.
Good to know: Ring the buzzer by the unmarked door; there may be a short wait outside.
134 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002
A lively, late-night cocktail bar behind a psychic's storefront.
Employees Only hides behind a neon 'Psychic' sign on Hudson Street and serves classic and house cocktails until late, with a full restaurant menu.
Good to know: It's open until the early hours — a good last stop.
510 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014
A Prohibition-themed gin bar hidden behind a coffee shop.
Walk through the door at the back of the Stone Street Coffee storefront and you'll find Bathtub Gin, a 1920s-style bar built around a copper bathtub and gin cocktails.
Good to know: Weekend nights get very busy; book a table if you're a group.
132 9th Ave, New York, NY 10011
A genuine Prohibition-era speakeasy that still serves cocktails in teacups.
Entered through an alley gate marked 'Lower East Side Toy Company', The Back Room operated during Prohibition and still serves its drinks in teacups.
Good to know: Look for the hidden bookcase door to a second, private room.
102 Norfolk St, New York, NY 10002
A plush, seated-only cocktail lounge where you ring for service.
Behind an unmarked door on West 17th Street, Raines Law Room is a quiet, velvet-and-leather lounge where you pull a chain to call your server.
Good to know: Reserve for a table; there is a second location in the William hotel on East 39th Street.
48 W 17th St, New York, NY 10011
A storied Prohibition bar, now a refined restaurant and bar.
Chumley's was a 1920s speakeasy and literary haunt; its unmarked Bedford Street door still has no sign, and inside it's now a handsome bar and restaurant lined with author portraits.
Good to know: The phrase '86'd' is said to come from bouncers sending patrons out its 86 Bedford Street door.
86 Bedford St, New York, NY 10014
PDT and Raines Law Room take reservations and are worth booking. Attaboy and most others are walk-in only — arrive early in the evening to avoid a long wait.
Yes. The Back Room on the Lower East Side and Chumley's in the West Village both operated as speakeasies during Prohibition.