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Home > Nightlife & Music > Employees Only

Employees Only

Critic's Pick Critics' Pick

510 Hudson St., New York, NY 10014
nr. Christopher St.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-242-3021 Send to Phone

  • Reader Rating:

    5.6 out of 10

    5 Reviews | Write a Review

  • Scene: Brunch, Fireplace, Hot Spot, Outdoor Area, Private Party Space, Romantic, Singles Scene, Swank
Photo by Kate Attardo

Official Website

employeesonlynyc.com

Hours

Daily, 6pm-4am

Nearby Subway Stops

1 at Christopher St.-Sheridan Sq.; A, B, C, D, E, F, V at W. 4th St.-Washington Sq.

Payment Methods

American Express, Discover, MasterCard, Visa

Profile

The name of this railroad cocktail bar plays on the notion that the staff has more fun, and the clientele gets off on an insider's feel without the labor. Deco details of terraced lighting around the pressed-tin ceiling and overhead luggage racks in the elevated dining room are of a piece with the dapper service and drinks. Bartenders with anachronistic parted hair and handlebar mustaches, suited in white chef's jackets, prepare Golden Age renditions of the Negroni, Manhattan, and Americano, and shake and muddle fresh ingredients for the throat-tickling Ginger Smash, fragrant strawberry Fraise Sauvage, and the Hemingway Daiquiri, which has a smoothness that’s often missing from grapefruit-tinged cocktails. An abundance of single malts, tequilas, and even ryes gleam from the bar shelves, but a few bottled beers are available for diehards. Seating is scarce on the weekends, when a polished crowd with flickers of downtown style fills the room, and a pat eighties soundtrack throws the general conceit to the wind. Guests seeking a bit of escape can chance a tarot card reading in the small foyer.

Extra

Dishes like roasted organic chicken and sautéed oysters are served until midnight in the often-booked dining room, which is furnished with a wraparound banquette. There is also a special late-night menu, served from midnight to 4am. In winter the fireplace is lit and the back garden enclosed.

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5.6 "Mixed Reviews"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10
Write Your Own Review

My new favorite

darlingc from 10012 | Posted on 6/17/09

Overall Reader Rating: 10 (Highly Recommended)

Surprised by the other reviews, but it's clearly not for everyone. And why should it be? This is NYC, the customer is not always right and not everyone should get in easily. A speakeasy created for & by the service industry...Read More

mediocre drinks, unbearable crowd

LZA from 07302 | Posted on 3/9/09

Overall Reader Rating: 6 (Mixed Reviews)

Went late on a Friday night so I guess any complaints about the rude crowd are my own fault. But most places going for a sophisticated atmosphere and that level of professionalism will limit the number of people inside, so I...Read More

Read All 5 Reviews >>

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