BETHPAGE BEST OF THE CITY 2021 WINNERS GUIDE BESTOFTHECITY.COM 9
BEST BREWERY
MCSORLEY’S OLD ALE HOUSE
15 E 7th St (212) 473-9148
www.mcsorleysoldalehouse.nyc
Grab a pint or two of your favorite brew at
McSorley’s Old Ale House. Established in 1854,
the watering hole is New York City’s oldest,
continuously operated saloon. Legends like
Abraham Lincoln, John Lennon and Woody
Guthrie have shared a drink and even inspired
political movements within McSorley’s storied
doors. In 1970, women were finally allowed
access as the world continued to shift in a
modern direction. In its 165-year history,
McSorley’s has served one beverage to thirsty
customers — ale. Fidelio Brewery is credited
with creating the ale house’s famous beverage
but was eventually pushed out of the beermaking
business during Prohibition. Today,
McSorley’s famous ale is available at the saloon
and also for purchase in both kegs and bottles.
BEST CIGAR SHOP
MULBERRY STREET CIGAR CO.
140 Mulberry St (212) 941-7400
www.mulberrystcigars.com
Other cigar shops can’t hold a candle to
Mulberry Street Cigars. All of the products at
the Little Italy hand-rolled cigar shop are made
fresh daily and wrapped by the best rollers
and are sure to please even the snobbiest of
cigar smokers. The shop’s selection includes
Connecticut shade mild and sweet/mild,
Maduro medium and Menza Menz medium.
The shop hosts rolling demonstrations every
day of the week and during special events like
the festival of San Genaro, an annual tradition
in Little Italy that takes place in September. The
store is open seven days a week, so come on
in, pick your cigar and take a puff to end a long
week!
BEST COCKTAIL
142 SULLIVAN
142 Sullivan St (212) 477-2404
www.142sullivan.com
Known as a fun spot with great specialty
cocktails, 142 Sullivan is a cozy watering hole
featuring cool vinyl records, eclectic art, and an
overall warm, inviting after-work vibe. Regulars
call it one of the best bars in SOHO serving some
of the tastiest cocktails in the city. Featured
creations include Love on the Rocks, made
with a wine-based vodka, cappalletti and cava.
For international flair, there’s Putin’s potion,
made with a wine-based vodka and ginger beer.
But you can always stick with a signature old
fashion, which combines a wine-based whiskey,
cappalletti and muttled sugar cube. Visit 142
Sullivan for a quick, after-work drink with
friends or just to relax.
BEST COMEDY CLUB
GOTHAM COMEDY CLUB
208 W 23rd St, Frnt 1 (212) 367-9000
www.gothamcomedyclub.com
We could all use a good laugh these days. The
upscale Gotham Comedy Club has been one
of the city’s most popular comedy clubs since
opening its doors in 1996, with an opening night
lineup of comics including Dave Chappelle
and Sarah Silverman. Since then, the club has
launched the careers of some of the top comedy
stars in the world, including Jim Gaffigan and
Amy Schumer. Jerry Seinfeld is known to have
an affinity for the club and has also performed
here over the years. Films and TV shows have
been filmed here also. Whether you’re looking
for the perfect place for a date or an evening out
with your friends, Gotham Comedy Club fits
the bill, as does its bill of fare and huge liquor
selection.
BEST SPORTS BAR
BLONDIES SPORTS
212 W 79th St (212) 362-3311
www.blondiessportsny.com
Few places facilitate camaraderie like a great
sports bar, where friends and loved ones come
together to watch their favorite teams play, have
drinks and indulge in comfort food. Whether it’s
for a weekday baseball game, the NBA playoffs,
Superbowl Sunday or a tennis tournament, New
Yorkers know that Blondies Sports is the place
to head to. Big screen TVs line the bar here as
barmaids fill patrons’ glasses with classic drafts.
When it comes to eats, Blondies is well known
for its herb-battered crispy chicken tenders as
well as entrees like Pasta a la Louie and Blondies
Mac n’ Cheese. And of course, you can’t leave
without trying some of Blondie’s signature
wings, served in any quantity from a ten piece
plate to a hundred piece party platter!
BEST FIRST
DATE VENUE
SHAKE RATTLE & ROLL
DUELING PIANOS
259 W 42nd St (917) 921-4128
www.ShakeRattleRollPianos.com
First dates can be painfully awkward, can’t
they? And if you’ve been in the dating scene
for a while, it can get repetitive. If you are
trying to make a great first impression, want
to guarantee a night you and your date will
remember and take some of the pressure off by
going to a place where drinks, laughs and songs
flow, why not check out Shake, Rattle and Roll
Dueling Pianos? Two pianists play songs that are
requested from the audience, allowing for the
back-and-forth banter and singing that promises
an easy going night of fun. Know the words?
Even better, don’t know the words? No matter,
everyone sings along at Shakes, Rattle and Roll
Dueling pianos. It’s the perfect launch pad for
date #2.
BEST HAPPY HOUR
DISTRICT SOCIAL
252 W 37th St (212) 994-9599
www.districtsocialnyc.com
Located in the center of NYC’s garment
district, District Social’s menu is carefully
crafted by top city chef Harrison Mosher along
with a craft beer, wine and cocktail program
packed with surprises. Happy Hour is from
4-7PM, Mon-Fri and features specially priced
house wines, well drinks, hibiscus margaritas
and cucumber gimlets in addition to draft
beers like Stella Artois and Shocktop. In case
you need some grub with your drinks, check
out District Social’s dinner menu spotlighting
an array of tasty dishes from chorizo
croquettes and pork belly flatbreads to spinach
salads, roasted chicken and branzino. Stop by
District Social at 252 W. 37th St. for happy
hour and a bite.
BEST HOTEL BAR
MR. PURPLE
180 Orchard St (212) 237-1790
www.mrpurplenyc.com
The Lower East Side rooftop bar captures the
vibrant and artistic spirit of the neighborhood
while providing patrons with a variety of
tasty drinks and bites. Guests can enjoy a full
brunch menu or munch on pan-fried chicken
dumplings, warm pretzel bites and valrhona
chocolate while sipping a long list of smallbatched
spirits, locally brewed beers, cocktails
and wines. The aesthetic of Mr. Purple’s wooden
structures, metal, concrete and free-hanging
lights create an artistic-loft ambiance with
the city’s skyline as its backdrop. The bar and
restaurant is run by the Gerber Group, a leader
in the hospitality industry, which is the owneroperator
of 15 cocktail bars in New York City,
Chicago, Washington D.C., Santiago, Chile and
Atlanta.
BEST IRISH BAR
THE DEAD RABBIT
GROCERY AND GROG
30 Water St (646) 422-7906
www.deadrabbitnyc.com
The Dead Rabbit is a standout Irish bar that
has all the popular foods and drinks you expect
to find at an Irish pub. However, along with
an extensive beer selection that, of course,
includes Guinness on draft, the drink menu
also spotlights original specialty mixed drinks,
while the food menu is more offbeat than what
you find at typical Irish pubs. There are several
different styles of Irish whiskey featured in
original cocktails called Paddy Drinks. As for
the food menu, there is a reliable burger (the
Dead Rabbit Burger), shepherd’s pie (made with
lamb), and Irish lamb stew. Weekly food specials
include braised rabbit on Thursdays and an allday
Irish breakfast on Saturdays. So call to make
reservations for a memorable meal today!
BEST KARAOKE BAR
KARAOKE DUET 48
304 East 48th St (212) 753-0030
www.karaokeduet.com
Are you ready to rock? Anyone can have their
special moment in the spotlight at Karaoke
Duet 48! The karaoke bar offers private rooms
with sizes that range from an intimate room
for two or three guests, to an extravagant
party room that can hold up to forty guests.
Reservations are recommended, especially on
weekends because the rooms fill up so quickly.
Whether a spontaneous night out activity
or a birthday or bachelor party, karaoke is a
surefire way to bring some musical pizzazz
to any gathering. With an impressive song
selection updated monthly and a wide array of
beverages, a night at Karaoke Duet 48 is a night
that will not be forgotten.
BEST LGBTQ BAR
CUBBYHOLE
281 West 12th St (212) 243-9041
www.cubbyholebar.com
One of only two lesbian bars left standing in
New York City, Cubbyhole in the West Village
is more than a bar: it’s an institution. It’s a
place where the LGBTQ community feels safe,
honored, loved and celebrated. When the bar
shuttered for long stretches in 2020 due to the
CIVID-19 pandemic, patrons held on to the
hope and the knowledge that one Spring day it
would reopen and welcome bar-goers into its
open arms once again. Cubbyhole is now in full
swing, taking into account all CDC guidelines
and COVID restrictions and serving up frozen
cocktails like margaritas and frose to those who
enjoy. With an outdoor space for tables and
room inside, Cubbyhole is ready for its fans to
come back home!
BEST MARGARITA
DOS CAMINOS
1567 Broadway (212) 918-1330
www.doscaminos.com
Dos Caminos brings the bright, energetic
spirit of Mexico to Manhattan with its fiestaflavored
fare and their tequila concoctions that
earned it the coveted Best Margarita in New
York City award. This distinction is due to its
expertly crafted cocktails that infuse Mexican
authenticity into every margarita. Bright, fresh
with only the finest ingredients, a Dos Caminos
margarita is the nectar of the gods or at least the
Southern border. With more than a hundred
different types of tequila in hand, Dos Caminos
can create everything from a perfect classic
margarita to specialty flavored drinks such as
the prickly pear cactus frozen margarita, grilled
grapefruit margarita, and the cult favorite
tropical storm margarita made with Don Julio
blanco tequila, pineapple juice, fresh lime,
habanero-agave syrup, and an ancho-chili salt
rim.
/BESTOFTHECITY.COM
/www.mulberrystcigars.com
/www.142sullivan.com
/www.gothamcomedyclub.com
/www.blondiessportsny.com
/www.ShakeRattleRollPianos.com
/www.districtsocialnyc.com
/www.mrpurplenyc.com
/www.deadrabbitnyc.com
/www.karaokeduet.com
/www.cubbyholebar.com
/www.doscaminos.com
/www.mcsorleysoldalehouse.nyc
/www.mcsorleysoldalehouse.nyc
/www.mulberrystcigars.com
/www.142sullivan.com
/www.gothamcomedyclub.com
/www.blondiessportsny.com
/www.ShakeRattleRollPianos.com
/www.districtsocialnyc.com
/www.mrpurplenyc.com
/www.deadrabbitnyc.com
/www.karaokeduet.com
/www.cubbyholebar.com
/www.doscaminos.com
