I always tend to equate Verlaine with the 2010's, but my friend and I decided to go back for old…read moretimes sake. Lychee martinis for the win! Food is ok bar food. It's hard to grab a table, but you're lucky if you do. Service is good. It is kinda dark inside, so it can be hard to read menus, etc. With the menus, it's all QR codes. At our table, all the codes were scratched and didn't work - we used the menus from the website. Also, they add a 20% tip to the bill automatically. I've seen this for big parties, but there were only three of us. So, it felt odd it was automatically added. Thank goodness my friend caught it. It can get kinda loud at night -but it's quieter earlier in the evening.

I went for their famous lychee martinis during Happy Hour. Look them up! It definitely gets…read morecrowded, so I'd recommend grabbing a seat at the bar if you're going solo or just want to mingle. The lychee martinis were a little on the pineapple-sweet side for me, but they definitely had a fair amount of alcohol in them. The more I sipped, the more I could taste the alcohol. They weren't my personal favorite, but I could tell the ladies around me were LOVING them! These three lovely ladies sitting next to me were ordering round after round of lychee martinis and also got the wings, which looked SO good. I'm not really a wing person, but when I go back, I'm definitely going to try them because they looked delicious. I also wanted something quick to eat just to hold me over, so I ordered the coconut rice with peanut sauce. I noticed they brought chopsticks. I'm not sure if they also provide forks or spoons. Personally, I only like to eat sushi with chopsticks. Overall, this seems like a cute spot for a little date, a solo date, or just to sit at the bar and mingle. I'd definitely go back to eat and try another drink. One last thing and this is purely my personal preference, if you have long hair and you're working as a server or bartender, I think it should be slicked back into a ponytail or secured neatly rather than worn in a messy bun with loose hair. It's not just about the look, no one wants to find a strand of hair in their food or drink. The bartender who had the messy bun was actually FAST and very efficient, so this isn't a knock on his service at all. Just get some gel or whatever works and make sure the hair is secured and not hanging loose. Other than that, I'll definitely be back! Oh, and the African bouncer?

This is a fun spot with a great vibe, and the ambiance is easily the highlight of the experience…read more The cocktails were well made, but I found the menu a little limited. I would've liked to see a few more citrus-forward options that aren't bitter. My favorite was the Ichigo Fizz, and I'd definitely order that again. We also tried the cucumbers, which were good but nothing that really stood out. The biggest disappointment was the service. Our bartender wasn't particularly friendly, and it took away from the overall experience. I'd come back, especially if I could get a table and try more of the food, but I left feeling like the service didn't quite live up to the atmosphere.

Katana Kitten is so satisfying. Just a few minutes from the subway, we walked in around 5:45 on a…read moreFriday worried we might find a wait, but to our pleasant surprise, they sat us at the bar immediately with no issues. I hate having to leave your name and wait with no clue if you'll be able to eat there or should get food somewhere else, so that alone might have ruined the experience. I would stop here first but have a backup plan, and if you can get seated quick, this place is 10/10 on food and 10/10 on drinks. The decor is stellar as well. Lot of movie posters for American movie classics but in Japanese. Very fun. Even Ahnold made the walls. For food, we shared the nori fries and popcorn chicken. We made the fries deluxe, which more than doubles the price, but you get it topped with a curry sauce, bacon, and fried egg. These fries are a meal unto themselves. So delicious and filling. Really amazing. Fries elevated to a surprising degree. The chicken is solid, too. They serve it in a fun movie theater style popcorn dish. The food was way more filling than we expected, so those two dishes were enough for two of us to share and leave full and happy. The drink list is quite large and unique. My standout is the hinoki martini. It's a gin/vodka martini with a little sake and sherry added to balance it, and it is perfectly balanced. The flavors are spot on, and they serve it in a playful box of ice with sides of olive and onion for you to choose your own garnish. This is one of the best martinis I have ever had. Worth the visit alone. I had to sample another, so I went with the sour cherry crush. It is a slightly sweet, slightly tart whiskey based drink. Very refreshing. I can't decide if I enjoyed the food or drinks more. For a place that is on the list of best bars in the world, you never know what you're going to get. And this spot is so chill and welcoming. All the staff we encountered were attentive and nice.

Opera House is a beautiful bar under the restaurant Chinese Tuxedo in Chinatown…read more I LOVE the vibes, the interior is inspired by Chinese theater, with each drink inspired by an iconic Chinese opera. The complimentary bar snacks (fried chickpeas, fried lotus roots, redskin peanuts) are so good and they give so much?! The drinks and menu are so pretty. I also liked the spicy cucumber dish - I would love to come back when I am more hungry so I can try the dim sum too. The staff are incredibly attentive, I love the vibes and highly recommend.

The vibes are great here. We were led downstairs into this intimate space meant to resemble a…read moreChinese opera house. We were able to get a table for 2 without any wait on a Saturday night around 9pm. Their drink menu has a select number of cocktails, all with asian opera related names. We got the havoc in heaven and unfortunately didn't like it too much. It was pretty acidic and hard for me to taste any notes of lychee, coconut, jasmine, or sesame. I found the lemongrass flavor to be a bit too dominant, which is not in my preferred taste palette. They did provide free peanuts, chickpeas, and lotus root which was a nice touch!

One of my fav happy hour spot in nyc! They have two locations, east and west village! I like to go…read moreto west village! Weekend happy hour options as well!

Friendly service and great great selection of raw bar standouts like Mussels and Oysters. Got the…read moreAma platter including shrimp, oysters and salmon. Also had the delicious butter mussels

I met up with a friend here while I was in New York and I will say this is a cool little place in…read moreChinatown. The door is kind of like a secret door down stairs, which makes the entrance unique. The prices of the drinks are actually pretty decent as well and it gives a cool vibe and they also have a game room in the back. It is a little more intimate due to the lighting in the music that they play so it's a nice speakeasy to have a conversation. I will definitely visit here again while in New York.

I visited Basement in Chinatown with friends who were visiting from Texas. We had already stopped…read moreat Chinese Tuxedo and Apothéke, and they wanted to end the night with a speakeasy surprise. They found Basement and it ended up being a really fun pick. The atmosphere is lively and laid-back. There were tables available, the music was a good mix across genres, and the overall vibe felt social and easygoing. They have games like darts and beer pong, which makes it a great spot to actually hang out instead of just stand with a drink in your hand. Our waitress was super cool and attentive. The drinks were well crafted and enjoyable, and it felt like one of those places where you could stay for an hour or end up staying way longer without realizing. Basement is a solid go-to if you are bar hopping in Chinatown and want a spot that is casual, fun and not too serious. Definitely worth checking out, especially with a group.

Visited this sake bar to grab a drink and catch up with friends on a Saturday night and boy was it…read morebusy. We had to wait to be seated but once we were brought to the back we were impressed by the atmosphere (and the volume). It was dimly lit, intimate, a little grungy, and VERY loud. The waitress was attentive given the amount of people in the place. The drinks were affordable, and I'd definitely return, just beware if you want to have a conversation you may leave hoarse.

Super dope interior vibe and ambiance. The sake bottle I got with my friend was pretty good. Would…read moredefinitely come back here when I'm on the east side.

Dark moody vibes in this cozy LES cocktail bar, Bar Goto is a solid spot for Japanese inspired…read moredrinks and bar snacks for a solo, date, or small group outing. I had the Bar Goto martini which was super smooth and the Guava & Akajiso which was light and refreshing. My group shared the nori chips and pickles (pickled bok choy), which were delicious!

Solid spot with good drinks, worth a repeat visit. It can get busy fast, so worth keeping in mind…read moredepending on when you go.

My sister and I came on a Sunday evening after watching a show. We made reservations ahead of time…read morewhich is highly recommended especially if you don't arrive at opening. They have a happy hour during their opening hour for limited wine and cocktail options. The restaurant has sit down tables on the left and bar table seating on the right and some special private rooms in the back. We opted for the bar table because we like high stools and were planning on just getting drinks. Upon seating, we were provided the happy hour and regular menu and were asked if we wanted sparkling, still, or tap water. After reviewing the menus, we decided to try one of the specialty cocktails instead of something on the happy hour menu since they were more unique. However, we could not decide which to get as there was a huge variety! Luckily, the bar tender came to help! We told him what kind of cocktails and flavors we normally liked and he provided his recommendations and explanations on each type of drinks. I got the Bee-Bop which is one of their top drinks that won an award. It consists of brown butter washed barr hill, lemon, grapefruit, honey caramel tuile, and egg white. It's a very unique flavor and considered one of the lighter cocktails. My sister got the Princess Mononoke which consists of siete misterios, derrumbez, ancho pepper kabosu, agave, yuzu kosho, and shichimi rim. It spicy and reminds me of a margarita. Of course, after getting our drinks we realized we actually need some snacks. The bar tender highly recommended the Radagon Chips. It came pretty quickly and it was devoured even quicker. We had to another another one. It's basically sliced lotus root sprinkled with the house curry salt. My sister and I were a bit hungry so we decided to try one of their larger bites. I was stuck between the carpacio and croquette and my sister chose the croquette. The Kani Cream Croquette comes with 2 pieces and is absolutely delicious. It's filled with snow crab, mushroom cream and a tartar sauce dipping. Absolutely melts in your mouth. Then, the bartender recommended another bite which is the Wagyu Toast. It's Tokachi beef with house made tonkatsu sauce, shiso, parmigiano-reggiano, and milk bread. It comes with 2 pieces and it's sooo good. Will definitely be back to try more light bites and drinks. And amazing service!! FYI - There are two unisex restrooms in the back for customers.

Came to celebrate my birthday and we were easily able to make a reservation for about 8 people on a…read moreweeknight. It's very cute inside and perfect for a date night. There are lots of fun cocktails that were presented very well. The food is pretty solid (think Japanese food with a fun twist) although definitely on the pricier side. The servers were very attentive and everything came out relatively quickly.