Underground Manhattan: A city rediscovers its basements
New Yorkers have taken to burrowing, said Katie Chang in The New York Times. Granted, the city I live in has always had scattered basement bars. But underground hangouts are suddenly proliferating, in a trend that “speaks to our growing desire to hide away (for a few hours, at least) during these highly emotive times.” The upside is that the folks who run these places tend to get creative when they think about subterranean escapes. These days, “downstairs is where the fun is really at.”
On the lower floor of this bi-level bar-restaurant, every detail—from the pink fireplace to the wood-veneer pool table—“evokes the nostalgia of hanging out in someone’s finished basement—in the ’70s.” The drinks, though, are “very of the moment”: orange wines, mezcal cocktails, and more. 107 Eldridge St., (212) 257-4072
Reservations are required at this boisterous 16-seat izakaya that sommelier Ariel “Air” Arce has tucked beneath her Air’s Champagne Parlor. DJs spin requests throughout a seven-course tasting menu, while head bartender Ashtin Berry whips up her nigori-based cosmos. 127 MacDougal St., (212) 420-4777
The hushed basement bar at the new Life Hotel occupies a space believed to have once been a Prohibition-era speakeasy for Life magazine staffers. The setting is “all burnished leather and dark oak paneling,” but you’ll get a laugh if you order the Black Chicken. A riff on a Manhattan, it’s served 1920s-style: cloaked in a brown paper bag. 19 W. 31st St., (212) 615-9910