After reading the reviews my friends and I braced ourselves for what was to come. However from the second we arrived our experience was the complete opposite of all of the negative reviews!! We made a reservation and came early (like as soon as they opened) with the expectation that we would have difficulty getting in or our dining time would be cut short (as other reviews mentioned) Beautiful speakeasy fun exciting strong af drinks. Don't let the reviews ruin your judgement. read more

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This place was spectacular. We were bar crawling and just looking for another bar. Then, we came to this "ice cream shop", which offered a great ice cream. While waiting for this speakeasy bar in a line, we just finished ice cream. After waiting for roughly 30 mins, we were able to get into the bar part. The feeling of getting into this dungeon-like bar was so nice! We ordered drinks. The menu was funny too - the drinks were rated based on three parameters like complexity. The drink was oolong tea-based, and it went well with black sesame ice cream. We saw birthday celebration drink, which was using little bit of fire, and this was cool! Really hard to explain all the good vibes that we experienced. Just go and see! :) we got luck with walk-in, but it's probably better to make reservations if possible. read more

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Wow. This is quite possibly one of the coolest spots in the UES, if not THE coolest. I got there at 5:15 so not long after opening, which allowed me the unique experience of taking in the atmosphere with no one else around. I won't spoil too much, but I recommend sitting at the bar and asking bartender ~extraordinaire~ Linda for her reccomendation based on your preferred tastes. This was literally a 10/10 experience. Pro tip: Try the house shot! It's made special everyday read more

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Ok, let's start with the fact that I'm approaching drunkenness, way too early in the night, thank you, UES, but this my fault. Having said all that, I got broken up via text shortly after leaving UES and those drinks very much left me in a decently fine mood which is a testament to the vibe of this place and the potency of these drinks. The bartender was beyond nice as was the host and they were incredibly attentive to all my questions which were many at the time. I have to say the Old Silk Stocking which has two types of tequila in it and squid ink was one of the finest drinks I have had in quite a while in complexity and creativity. I highly recommend it. read more

UES. - 1040 5th Avenue - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New York, New York

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Being a Upper East Sider and having heard about this place and passed it many times, i decided to give this place a whirl and kill any curiosity whatsoever surrounding this place. Let me start by saying that this place is in the midst of searching for an identity and trying to aspire for a wannabe vibe. In reality they have neither. I really don't understand this whole speakeasy thing in NYC lately. Why this fascination for sitting in a dark dungeon and sipping drinks that you don't even know what it contains ? But I digress. Back to this place UES NYC. The guy at the front ice cream shop took over 10 minutes to make an ice cream for the patron ahead of me. I am like seriously dude ? He then walks to me and asks me some dumb questions like what is the name of the place I am going to - when they have a huge sign outside with a QR code of the name of the place. LOL. I am like I am going to the speakeasy dude. What's with this fake mysterious BS. LOL. He checks ID and lets me in. The place is a little tiny cramped place with 6 tables and a bar with no bar stools. WTF. Inside the place the bartender who looked like a total zombie took forever to make me a drink. Mind you there is only one other person at the bar and most of the other people sitting down already had their drinks. So it's like he isn't super busy. I asked for a sugar free mocktail since I don't drink alcohol. Anyway he makes me a drink that's actually not bad. Saving grace. I then ordered a "chicken nuggets". After 25 minutes (yes literally that long) he brings out a paper basket (literally looking and tasting like McDonald's nuggets) with 5 nuggets. Price $10 ! Haha. I wolf down my nuggets. Finish my drink and hightailed out of there. Didn't want to spend a dime more at this awful awful place. Never returning. Don't waste your time or money here. Seriously. If I could give this place a negative 10 stars - I would. Avoid this place like the Calcutta plague ! read more

Cute little speakeasy! Overall for a first time experience here I enjoyed it, however this isn't a place I need to visit again. You have to "find the switch" in order to enter. We didn't have reservations and told it was only standing at the bar which we were okay with. When you enter the back area it is superrrrrrrr tiny inside, few tables and limited standing room at the bar. But again we were only there for the experience and a drink so we were okay with it. The drinks are pricey but for the experience I didn't mind. However, the cocktail menu is a BOOK! I eventually got tired of reading and just told my sister to order me whatever she is getting. Would I go back? No need to, but looking for something cute to do before or after your main event for the night I would give it a try. The bartender was funny and offered great service as well. **only took video of the place no pictures, does Yelp not let you post videos anymore?? Maybe it's just my phone** read more

cute speakeasy!! drinks are pretty pretty strong though, so be warned haha; the whole place is very aesthetically pleasing, even the bathrooms. prices are what you expect at a new york bar. read more

lol its funny to read the reviews of a place after you've gone (and without first checking the reviews...good thing I didn't have sneakers on, lol.) In any case, I went here with a friend coming from another bar. The lady at the front at the ice cream portion was very nice. I didn't see any attitude. This being the first speakeasy I've ever been to, I didn't know what to ask for, but supposedly its called the storage room. The lady then made me hunt for the switch to get in. I got it on the first try. I won't tell you where it is as to not spoil the hunt. As soon as you walk back, there is a coat check. It was pretty crowded in the back, and we headed straight to the bar. It was also crowded there, but we didn't wait that long to see a menu and order our drinks. Drinks are all around the $15+ range, but are relatively unique. The maitre'd was trying to help us squeeze into a table with others, but that didn't materialize. Luckily we got a table for 2 after a bunch of people left. I got the El Lado Este Superior and my friend got the Carnegie Steel. The Steel was rather sweet. The Superior was okay. It had an interesting perhaps coconut butter slathered on the ice cube when it got down to near the end. I'm assuming its table service, but we rarely saw any waitresses walking around, so its all good. We left after one round of drinks as it was past midnight already. read more

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super cute speakeasy hidden in an ice cream parlor. a min of $ 50 must be spent for 45 mins definitely an experience you must try. hidden behind a wall of ice cream is a sexy upscale bar playing nothing but the oldies which I loved. Each drink is themed and rated by strength, wow factor and popularity. I settled on girls gossip on the east with salted caramel ice cream in a pretzel cone and my partner settled on a glass of moscato with a side of mango sorbet. the drink presentation was beautiful and tasted amazing. the mango sorbet paired with the moscato was 10/ 10. the service was amazing our server never made us feel rushed and constantly checked in on us during our visit.. will definitely be back. side note do make reservations!!!!! will save you so much time read more

UES. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New York, New York

I've been hearing about UES for sometime now, and I was actually surprised that this place has been here for five years and survived during the COVID-19 pandemic. When you walk in, there's a small ice cream shop with a secret passage to get to the speakeasy. Upon walking in the place seems huge, bigger than expected. The menu consisted of drinks with common New York City names, and themes in relation to Sex in the city and others. I ordered two drinks one of them being the old silkstocking, which I thought was beautifully crafted. It was delicious, and then the second drink I ordered. I forgot the name of it, but it came in a tea cup with a lollipop as the garnish. The old silk stocking was definitely my favorite drink,overall the whole vibe of this place I really enjoyed it and I will find myself coming back here on numerous occasions. It was low-key the service was great and then to end the night they did put on a movie. read more

UES. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New York, New York

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Really fun bar with unique cocktails. My friend invited me here and I had no idea what to expect. The extensive cocktail menu is definitely a little pricey, but worth it for the fun drinks you get! The staff was very friendly and attentive too! I would love to come back and try more of their drinks. Overall, a great experience and fun speakeasy in nyc read more

UES. - Cocktail - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New York, New York

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Fun, fun, fun place for ice cream and a hidden speakeasy. We didn't have reservations but still got in on a Friday night, though it was early. The ice cream service is friendly as they are also the ones to help you get into the speakeasy if you know the password. Once inside the back room, the vibe is chill. Loud 80s music (who doesn't love the 80s?!) and a long cocktail list (it'll take time to scroll through all the pages). Service was a little slow, which was odd as there were 3 bartenders, 1 runner (served water the second you were seated), 1 host and 1 service person. The service person took all the orders at the tables (probably 10 tables) so there's a wait. not sure why the others couldn't come out and help spread the work load. Stayed for a drink, found dinner and then came back for ice cream. The ice cream is ok .. it's a mix between an ice milk and ice cream ... not fully creamy and rich but had more body / substance than an ice milk. The people are nice and service is friendly. read more

UES. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New York, New York

Uniquely cool ice cream shop and speakeasy. Amazing addition to the UES. The ice cream shop is light, fun and whimsical, a complete contrast to the dimly lit speakeasy lounge behind the secret ice cream door. I have wanted to check out UES for some time, but saw long lines out the door whenever we passed which was a deterrent. Finally, we were able to see the "storage room" / lounge New Years Eve. Fun, festive, and well decorated but being later on a holiday night, it was also loud and not the typical vibe, so we decided to come back another time to try the creative drinks which I'm eager to taste. Definitely a fantastic addition upper east side. read more

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Great place for a date night. They don't have many food options, but the drinks are pretty unique and tasty. We went on Valentines Day so it was pretty busy but the service was great besides having to wait a little longer to be seated for our reservation. Would love to go again on a less busy night. read more

We made a reservation for two at 9:00 PM and arrived late, but they still seated us but let us know we only had an hour. I don't think they really check though because we stayed a bit past that. The idea of the speakeasy is cute and fun, but it's pretty obvious since there's a line out the door lmao. The inside is dimly lit and had really great decor; the bar was beautiful!! The seating is pretty cramped, probably only about 20 people in here at any given moment. The two people tables are super tiny and the people next to us accidentally knocked a glass over... you can't really keep anything more on the table than the drink you get. Their menu is HUGE, so there is definitely something for everyone. I ordered the Girl Gossip on the East and the 2nd Avenue Subway. Both were really delicious and easy to drink. My friend got the Old Silk Stocking and the Community Board 8. Loved the drinks that came with sorbet/ice cream! Overall a cool experience but probably wouldn't come back unless a friend really wanted to check it out. Expensive drinks and really loud so hard to chat. read more

Terrible experience. We had a reservation and were told to come back in 2 hrs because they place was "full" so we came back two hours later and still had to wait 15 more mins inside while others walked right in and were sat. Once we finally were sat we were out at the worst table in a dark corner. The drinks are over priced and very small the inside has maybe 10-15 tables and it's really disappointing for the price. The worst speakeasy I've been to in Manhattan read more

The speakeasy service sucks. My friend and I waited for almost 30 mins to be let in even though the bar wasn't full. And we waited another 30 inside and the waiter never took our drink order. We just left without any service. Avoid. read more

Sooo Guysss, I found this place on tik tok and immediately fell in love. My favorite part i love most is how you walk in and think is just a regular ice cream shop but NOPE!!! They have a secret door that leads you into a cocktail speakeasy. Now I'm a little bummed out because i went on a Monday and that secret door unfortunately doesn't open up on Monday's and Tuesday's. Also, they suggest to make a reservation before going because it be on high demand. But, you can definitely get an ice cream and sit outside to enjoy it with their beautiful little island set. The flavor i had was black raspberry and i forgot the other one but it was just delicious let me tell ya, also extremely affordable. We had the chocolate chip cone with two exotic flavors and upon the generous staff he decided to give us the idea to put it on a cup upside down ( which of course we thought was a great idea ) for only $10.06. I definitely would give this place a 10+ star and would recommend this spot to all my DESSERT LOVERS. read more

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This place is nothing special really. It's a bar disguised as an ice cream shop but the disguise is not even that great because their ice cream flavors are incredibly limited and are just your basic flavors. I did not go to the bar because I was here before that opened but I got to see inside. It's funky lit with a decent amount of space and the atmosphere is perfect for taking Instagram pictures but that's all. Regular ole cocktail bar that just happens to have regular ole ice cream. Oh and the ice cream was damn expensive! read more

Closed shop???? Wrong hours??? Need an update open Tuesday- Sunday. Not very happy for a 30 minute trip to find out they just closed on Mondays. read more

UES. - Door locked when it says open - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New York, New York

Fun place! Good ice cream too. This Speakeasy is disguised as an ice cream place. You have to make reservations ahead of time. read more

UES. - Enterance - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New York, New York

Wow... what a disappointment. Got a reservation for 6 people. Waited forever to sit down. Once we were sat we wait another 10 for a server to come Server was nice to begin with and then got progressively worse. My friend did not like the drink and asked for a different one which he also did not like. We all agreed it tasted like an emergency pack for when you're sick. To which the server replied " maybe you should order something basic, like a vodka cranberry" . Rude It wasn't until I stood to use the restroom did I see that the tables were mostly empty but the bar was packed with at least 8 to 10 little blonde girls flirting with the bartender Allow me to point out the obvious, my party was made up entirely of people of color. When we asked for our check he handed it to us without looking at us and I saw that the two drinks that were not consumed were still on the bill. I went directly to the manager (I know, full Karen moment) and explained the whole thing. They rectified it. If you go here, avoid the server Michael read more

Fun fun! Go get ice cream and then go down below through the secret door and enjoy some of the best authentic cocktails around! Lovingly made in real glass or crystal containers. Details are wonderful! Staff is great. All pretty darn cool. Wonderful warm atmosphere. Details in all the decor! Music is varied. You will hear Elvis Presley to more modern songs. A wonderful vibe! read more

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This speakeasy is located INSIDE an ice cream shop! If you want in, make sure you ask to "volunteer for the storage room."' I think it's a really cool concept but their drinks were a hit-or-miss. I really enjoyed my boyfriend's The Next Stop is Hunter College because it just tasted like a boozy chocolate milkshake. My Spring in the 10128 was also really good but too simple to be priced at $17. Best part was that they also serve ice cream inside the speakeasy. So if you're torn between ice cream and cocktails, just go through the secret door and get both inside! read more

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What you need to know: Ambiance is great. Drinks are expensive and mediocre but for the experience sure I don't mind spending money. SERVICE IS HORRIBLE! Go to Thyme Bar instead Better drinks and better ambiance. They have a drink that hangs from the ceiling. read more

Extremely cramped inside such that it feels quite claustrophobic inside. However, the ice cream is delicious and the outdoor seating is nice if you can get a spot. The staff member who served us was also very friendly. They have a number of classics (cookies and cream, mint chip) but also more unique flavors, like the lemon poppy which I enjoyed in a wafer cone. They are generous with their scoops and it almost makes up for the stressful shop space. read more

No sneakers allowed! I had heard this rule, so I made sure I was following the dress code before popping over to UES. There's an ice cream parlor in the front, and a secret door behind the pints of ice cream on the wall. Inside is a low lit, flamboyant atmosphere with tasteful, fun music playing, seating and a bar. The cocktails are very fun and equally as flamboyant as the venue. Follow the dress code and check out UES.! read more

UES. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New York, New York

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Want to have a true speakeasy experience? Look no further, this place will give you that and more! Their drinks are delicious and strong, so you get what you pay for. Yes, drinks are pricey, but what isn't in NYC? And if you don't drink, that's not a problem, they let you order ice cream from their ice cream shop in the front. What I love the most about the place and as a speakeasy aficionado, is how private still is. It's not a crowded as most of the other speakeasies in the city. This is a must! IG Worthy: 5 out of 5 Price: 5 out of 5 Drink Menu: 5 out of 5 Service: 5 out of 5 Ice cream: 5 out of 5 read more

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This place sucks. It took us 25 mins just to get inside and we had reservations. The inside is bright and has no character at all. Drinks were super sweet. Just say no. read more

Had the worst experience of my entire life at this place. Staff was incredibly rude and didn't communicate at all. Staff wanted us to read their minds when it came to the simple task of letting us into the speak easy section. Don't bring your family friends or even children here to have ice cream, save yourself the trouble. Most importantly save yourself the time and headache. read more

I really was looking forward to trying this place and wanted to love it but was disappointed with my experience here. We had a 10:15 reservation on a Saturday night. We got there at 10:15, the security at the door was very rude, threw us off but we brushed it off. We get inside and the person who checked our coats who I think was the manager, was very nice mentioned it's busy and tables are still seated once tables were up we would get seated so we got drinks at the bar. It's 11pm and people who arrived after us were getting seated. We ask the bartender about it and finally get seated shortly after. Once we arrive to our table we didn't get asked for drinks by the server at all. The manager came by to ask if we needed anything after being seated for maybe 20 minutes or more but at that time we were ready to go. read more

Saw this place on TikTok and it's definitely worth the hype but also not anything crazy amazing in terms of cocktail quality. It's more about the experience. I definitely recommend the cocktail with the lavender ice cream it was so good! Cheap decor, nice staff, but a little packed. We had to wait for our table and then was pushed out before 90 minutes of being seated. They counted the 90 minutes from when our reservation started, not when we were seated. Ended up being moved to the bar where you have to stand so we just closed out our check and headed somewhere else for more drinks. read more

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I would say make a reservation, even then you'll probably still have to wait. Wait wasn't too long. Drinks were very mid, can't see myself going back for anything there. Read the menu carefully or you'll get burned. Those little stools were horrible. Overall mid. Would go back if I was in a small town read more

UES. - 2 drink minimum, not bad but just an idea - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New York, New York

Fantastic ice cream shop, with a speakeasy in the back. Its best to do a reservation for the speakeasy since it busy all the time! Service and staff were great. Menu is very diverse with spirits and ice cream pairings. Worth checking out if you are in the area! read more

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Unpopular opinion...I like this place. The ice cream part is tiny but the flavors are yummy and the staff is always nice. The line can go slow during busy times but I don't really mind. The speakeasy bar is cute. All of the drinks are fun and come with some kind of funky little trinket. I love that the menus look like Zagat guides and are named after UES things. I've had generally good service here, but it can be slow and inattentive at times. I come here for the fun drinks and can generally overlook an inattentive server as long as I get my drink in a timely matter. Last time I came here, they were burning incense that smelled kinda nasty, I hope they stop doing that. As for the dress code, meh. They're trying to go for a certain vibe and I respect it. I have never been denied entry and haven't had to try too hard to dress nice. I showed up in high heeled boots and my bf showed up in dress shoes. We were let in without an issue. Put on some nice shoes and suck it up! Again, I like this place and look forward to coming here every couple of weeks. It's a nice addition to a neighborhood that sometimes lacks in originality. read more

If I had to describe my experience in one word...I think 'bizarre' fits the bill! I called before hand to make sure I was OK with dress code - was told shorts, boat shoes were okay and preferably a collared shirt. I show up in said outfit, and am told by the nice girl at the front that the boat shoes don't work because they have laces. Uhhh ok. Somebody else walks in and hears the same thing and starts complaining - the ice cream manager at the front snarkily tells him that Frank Sinatra wouldn't have worn shoes with laces so he shouldn't (I'm guessing Frank Sinatra also didn't hang out at pretend speakeasies). Anyways they have "house shoes" for patrons who didn't fit dress code (LOL) and because I wanted to check the place out I accepted a pair. Nice gesture I suppose but I am not sure I looked any more fashionably acceptable. Anyways we get in and the back room is nice. We wait some time to sit. They may have been short on staff on this particular night. We hear two tables next to us complaining about the slow service, one vocalizes her complaints to the man working in the suit. Things just seem off. There's some pandora type of station on playing a combo of 50s and 80s music. It takes about 20 min from entrance to order our $18 cocktails. The drinks are delicious though. We try to get our check and have to ask three times for it. Oh and while we're waiting for the check, I notice three gentlemen enter in t-shirts, and one wearing red sneakers. Where the heck are his house shoes of shame??!! Pros are the drinks were good, and the back room, though dimly lit is very nice with clearly plenty of attention to detail. That said, I checked it out once and probably won't be back. I feel like the point of a speakeasy is that you feel like the hassle to get in was worth it, like you were kind of lucky to get in and be part of the vibe. I didn't feel that way at all, it was just an awkward experience that left us with some funny stories for friends. There is another new place called 2nd Floor on 1st & 75th that offers a vastly superior "speakeasy" style experience on all fronts, so if you want those prohibition era vibes and feel like spending $15+ a cocktail I recommend you go there instead. Welcome addition to the neighborhood? Nah. read more

UES. - House shoes of shame - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New York, New York

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I LOVE this place. We made a reservation about 2 hours beforehand on a Saturday afternoon, got to meet the manager and basically all the bartenders were serving us. It was my husband's birthday so they surprised us with a free sparkler ice cream! The vibe is really classy, has a dark romantic ambiance, and very quiet jazz music. read more

UES. - Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt Near Me - New York, New York

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The concept behind this place - an ice cream shop with a hidden speakeasy seems light, fun, and something I had been looking forward to trying. Unfortunately, the experience did not fit as the place seems to take itself very seriously. The dress code is strictly enforced, and while ballet flats are allowed, many other types of slip-ons are not. I was told I could go home to change my shoes or take the "house shoes." I opted for the house shoes , which were about size 10 black heels (I'm a size 7). As I stumbled to my booth in oversized heels I had to wonder if house shoes really looked any better than the shoes that fit me and I could walk in. The interior is extremely dark and a bit stuffy. On a summer night, it is definitely not the place you'd like to be (this may be a better option in winter). Incense is being burned throughout the restaurant and the smell is a little overwhelming. The menu is quite extensive and cocktails creative. However, the slightly pretentious, stuffy atmosphere, unpleasant surroundings (especially on a summer night) and overall experience is not worth the trip. I didn't get to try the ice cream at the front, but would come back for that! read more

I wasn't able to take part in the speakeasy portion of this establishment, but I have always loved the fun colors and fabulous flavors of ice cream served in the front and this was the first ice cream shop I ever stopped at in New York City, so I highly recommend it read more

UES is a lot of things. It's a love letter to the Upper East Side. It's a cute as **** ice cream speakeasy. And it has some radical cocktails that don't take themselves too seriously. A lot of people obviously have a problem with the dress code, so much so that I was worried my outfit (a black jumper with wedge heels) wouldn't quite cut it. But it was fine. I did see people inside sporting t-shirts, so the enforcement of the dress code may be a little haphazard. Every employee we encountered was super warm and welcoming, from the folks at the front to the guy who led us back to the speakeasy area. It was a little chaotic once we got back there, though, and we weren't properly informed about how the seating works. Apparently there's a queue: You can just hang out at the (cramped) bar area until they're ready to seat you somewhere. But we didn't know that, and had been meticulously plotting out how to snag a seat when we were eventually seated at a tiny table. The people who seemed most comfortable were the big groups seated in the more spacious booths. It was really, really loud inside, so not at all a good spot for an intimate date or anything. The people beside us were screaming, probably because they had to in order to hear each other, so we in turn had to scream. I felt a little self-conscious. We thought that the drinks were very ambitious. I mean, I had a drink with squid ink in it. If that's not ambition, then what is? But the execution was also uneven. My first drink, which I'm still trying to wrap my head around, was inspired by the silk road. It contained the following ingredients: Tequila, mezcal, squid ink, cacao butter, lime leaves, agave, italicus, mango chutney, black sea salt, and activated charcoal powder. The cacao butter was melted on to the block of ice in the drink, and the mango chutney was like a piece of dried mango. Did it work? Sort of. For most of the drink, I enjoyed uniqueness of the combo of salt, sweet, and a balsamic vinegar vibe that must be attributed to the squid ink. The last few sips were way too salty, though, and the cacao butter and mango were just sort of confusing and distracting. The tequila/mezcal flavors were also lost amongst the chaos of the drink, which is a pity. My second and final drink of the night was the A Carnegie Steel, a tribute to Andrew Carnegie. The cocktail is made of scotch, eucalyptus honey (I think... there's nowhere to revisit the ingredients of this drink online) and... lemon, maybe? There's also a dog cookie on top and a little flag that says "eat me". Did Andrew Carnegie have a particular affinity for dogs? Anyway, the drink had little tiny ice shards all throughout, and I think that is probably unnecessary, because the first few sips were totally watery. Obviously the ice had already started to melt. As I sipped on, the drink got better: All in all, it was a nice peaty scotch with a floral sweetener. The presentation of a lot of the drinks is really fun and 'grammable. A lot of stuff was lit on fire. One of the drinks comes with a Metrocard. My boyfriend's first drink (1040 5th Ave) came with a piece of rye bread on the top with some sort of cherry topping that was supposed to enhance the flavor of the (rye) drink. He didn't really like that one: Said it was unbalanced. I did order a tub of blueberry lavender honey ice cream on the way out, and thought it was really good. You could really taste the freshness of the blueberries. read more