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Employees Only

Employees Only

Speakeasy and Cocktail Bar$$$$
West Village, New York
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9.0/10
2,200
ratings
  • Stars
  • Stars
    The folks at Food Network and Food & Wine like this place. Would you agree?
    • Food Network
    • Food & Wine
  • Tips
    New York Habitat
    "Try the West Side or the Ginger Smash with the Bone Marrow Poppers."(37 Tips)
    Kathryn Y.
    "Don't miss the bone marrow poppers or the bacon-wrapped lamb chops."(16 Tips)
    Q Events
    "Love the steak tartar and presentation is impressive."(37 Tips)
    Javier G.
    "Great cocktails, try the Amelia"(11 Tips)
Tips and Reviews icon500 Tips and reviews
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  • Kathy L.heart icon on user image
    Kathy LiuJanuary 8, 2016
    Really good cocktails! If you're not sure, ask the bartenders- they know exactly what you should be drinking.
  • Lori-Jo S.heart icon on user image
    Lori-Jo SAugust 21, 2014
    Went on a mini NYC-speakeasy tour on my last trip, and having visited Bathtub Gin, Dead Rabbit and Manderley Bar, the Amelía cocktail here was my clear winner!
  • Maiveheart icon on user image
    MaiveMarch 24, 2016
    Amazing cocktails, great place to try new cocktails and the mixologists know how to craft a drink you will really enjoy!
  • Nicholas B.
    Nicholas BeckJuly 17, 2013
    Go right when it opens at 6 p.m., sit at the bar, and let the very talented and personable bartenders lead you in the right direction. Try to get there before "douchebag parade" arrives.
  • Elena R.heart icon on user image
    Elena RApril 20, 2016
    While i was there almost all the visitors started singing a song from Jersey Boys, that was something! One of the best bars ever!
  • OkCupid Daters' Choice
    Employees Only was voted the Best Boozy Date Spot by OkCupid users in the first-ever Daters' Choice Awards! Tap Read more for additional date spot categories in New York City. #daterschoice Read more
  • Sanja D.heart icon on user image
    Sanja DelcevOctober 25, 2014
    Place with great music but sometimes it can get too loud. Cocktails are great! Grab a few while you wait for a table because it might be a long wait.
  • Santi A.heart icon on user image
    Santi AmayaJune 21, 2015
    Great cocktails. Try the ginger smash. Make a reservation so you can get a table, otherwise you'll be standing in a very crowded space.
  • Elina M.
    Elina MayrDecember 18, 2020
    Quality varies, but drinks are always top. Fantastic drinks, good service, cool atmosphere.
  • Emilio V.heart icon on user image
    Emilio VitoloJanuary 3, 2015
    Great place to listen to music and grab a nice bite to eat .. Love the Marinated Skirt Steak .. Best I've had late ....late night 👍👍
  • Allisamyheart icon on user image
    AllisamyNovember 6, 2012
    GREAT spot, GREAT atmosphere & music, somewhat a secret spot. This is the real New York! They made a tourist like me feel at home... Though nowhere home is this amazing.
  • Neil C.heart icon on user image
    Neil CaronMarch 11, 2016
    Best cocktail decor and vibe in the city. Food is pricey but really good. Grab the lamb chops and steak tartar.
  • Carlos R.heart icon on user image
    Carlos RussoDecember 12, 2014
    Great place for after work/dinner cocktails. Love the Billionaire Cocktail or the Quiet Storm. You really can't go wrong here.
  • Serious Eats
    Serious EatsApril 19, 2013
    Billionaire Cocktail: bourbon shaken with lemon, absinthe bitters, and the Employees Only grenadine, with notes of clove and cardamom.
  • Carole L.
    Carole LoomisMay 26, 2015
    Amazing staff, service, music, food and cocktails. Ribeye is perfect. Arugula and Fennel salad. Well-crafted Manhattan.
  • Jen S.
    Jen ShinJuly 10, 2016
    waited in line for a while, but worth it once you get inside. all of the cocktails are shaken to perfection. does get extremely crowded tho.
  • Kelly A.heart icon on user image
    Kelly AMarch 10, 2018
    Doorman very kind, great vibe. Came for the drinks, decent cocktails and friendly bar staff. I’ll be back!!
  • ConnecTheWorld
    ConnecTheWorldJuly 28, 2014
    Finding a secret spot like this will raise 100 points the coolnes of your trip, expecially if it is in NYC. To read the other best Hidden Bars in NYC, click on the link Read more
  • @HungryEditor B.
    @HungryEditor Ben SetiawanSeptember 15, 2015
    Perennially crowded, so it's best for small groups. Drinks are top notch as is the food.
  • Christina T.
    Christina ThomasApril 8, 2015
    The drinks are fantastic and the food delicious! The place has a cool vibe to it
  • Jessica K.
    Jessica KimSeptember 12, 2013
    The mixologists are legit - the Lazy Lover (cachaça and jalapeño chartreuse!) is the best cocktail my boyfriend and I both have ever had. Yum!
  • The New York Palace
    The New York PalaceMarch 26, 2012
    Our staff’s favorite after work hot spot, located in the Meatpacking District. Have a drink and for late night nibble, we like the mixed green salad & the steak tartar with crostini.
  • omogenis
    omogenisOctober 1, 2012
    To me,one of the best bars in the city of New York.Igor,Henry and all the guys are great.No tips are needed here.Just order the base on your cocktail.
  • William O.
    William OrellanaApril 4, 2012
    Love this place and the drinks r amazing!!! Food awesome!!( the only negative and Disappoint is the bartender with long hair and tattoos is a douche bag!! And always drunk with a nose problem!!)
  • Sam C.
    Sam CAugust 17, 2013
    Cool space, good cocktails and music, a little crowded even on a Fri in August, but if you want to schmooze, this seems like a good place. Bouncers are a little uppity
  • Audrey L.heart icon on user image
    Audrey LoMay 27, 2013
    Was there for a friend's 30th. It was a rare treat, considering the price. However, the food and drinks were amazing. Need a special occasion place to go? Try this place!
  • Compass
    CompassApril 25, 2014
    The swanky bar pays homage to the allure and mystery of prohibition speakeasies. Expert mixologists create whimsical cocktails for even the most novice of drinkers.
  • Piril S.
    Piril SekerApril 11, 2013
    Great place for chillin and maybe if you're on your lucky day you might able to bump into some awesome people! Delicious coctails, good management!
  • Julie S.
    Julie SosciaJanuary 27, 2019
    Very popular speakeasy. For less crowds, avoid the weekends. Try the steak tartar and make friends with the bartenders for secret menu cocktails.
  • Mike O.heart icon on user image
    Mike O'SullivanSeptember 2, 2014
    One of the few places you can get Spaten, a great refreshing lager, in New York.
  • Winnie W.
    Winnie W.November 24, 2014
    Their bone marrow poppers are great! Cocktails are yummy too. Had the amelia and mata hari. Ginger smash was popular too.
  • Dave C.heart icon on user image
    Dave CutlipNovember 19, 2016
    Amazing Steak Tar Tar was made at the table the food was nothing less than spectacular we even got our cards read on the way out if you don't go your missing out !!!
  • David 🎉 L.
    David 🎉 LasterMay 18, 2012
    A large selection of cocktails with high-quality ingredients although often dissonant flavors. Great scene on weekdays and the food is worth trying too (3 of 4 petals via Fondu) Read more
  • Tim C.
    Tim CrookMarch 31, 2014
    Old-school speakeasy type bar/restaurant. On the weekends it can get packed, but its definitely an awesome spot.
  • Veena R.
    Veena RAugust 30, 2011
    Been here 5+ times
    1920s,30s prohibition spirit. Best 2011 cocktail bar. New Hip place, you can't see the name out. Another usual hangout for us. Try Psychic on Thu. Tells some past events that will give you goosebumps.
  • W M.heart icon on user image
    W MApril 7, 2014
    Been here 5+ times
    best bar for birthdays to claim to prime barside real estate, and order a round of original cocktails mixed by rascally, white-jacketed gents.
  • Faidon K.heart icon on user image
    Faidon KitantzisJanuary 5, 2018
    Nice cocktails and tasty food. Both meat and fish! And all these can be enjoyed by nice music!
  • Megan M.heart icon on user image
    Megan MastersAugust 9, 2017
    I used to visit this bar in 2008. Almost 10 years later, it's kept it's cool.
  • Josh S.
    Josh SaletnikAugust 16, 2014
    Fancy drinks that are actually worth the prices and taste spot on. And they make an effort to keep the space from being too crowded.
  • Food Network
    Food NetworkAugust 8, 2011
    Rocco DiSpirito, on Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate, raves about the Bacon Wrapped Lamb Chops at Employees Only in New York, NY. Find more tips at FN Local. Read more
  • Craig V.heart icon on user image
    Craig VillamorNovember 27, 2018
    The perfect size and vibe for a bar. Lively but not a sh*t show.
  • Andrea Z.heart icon on user image
    Andrea ZilioJuly 24, 2015
    6pm on a Friday: already enforcing a no-shorts dress code... I've been to plenty, plenty of other cocktail bars in the city and no other enforces it this early!
  • Nazli O.heart icon on user image
    Nazli OguzFebruary 12, 2017
    Amazing cocktails, for food definitely try tuna tartar as a starter, rib eye for main!
  • Mikael F.heart icon on user image
    Mikael FMay 17, 2018
    Been here 10+ times
    Ramma loves the Tartar, Smeken loves the drinks, The Bulgarian Promoter delivers on music, Allan pays the drinks
  • N A.heart icon on user image
    N AvedisOctober 2, 2018
    Absolutely loved the place! Duck confit was great! Drinks were amazing! Will go back again.
  • Lou A.heart icon on user image
    Lou AllenMay 10, 2016
    This place is simply awesome. Great atmosphere and open late for a cocktail after dinner at the Spotted Pig.
  • Jose F.
    Jose FuentesFebruary 2, 2018
    Been here 5+ times
    A NYC cocktail institution. Worth the stop. Come early.
  • GourmetLive
    GourmetLiveOctober 11, 2011
    Food blogger Laura Sullivan recommends Employees Only, in the West Village. It recently won the coveted 2011 Best Cocktail Bar in the World honor at the Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards.
  • Cooper S.heart icon on user image
    Cooper SmithDecember 13, 2014
    If this guy is working the door, don't bother with the usual "I know the bartender" or "I'm on the list" - he's not buying it. Head to the back of the line.
  • Smashing Drinks
    Smashing DrinksApril 25, 2012
    Employees Only is a fantastic cocktail bar. You came to the right place. Try a Ginger Smash or a Billionaire Cocktail. You won't regret it... Enjoy!
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