China 1   (Photo: Shanna Ravindra )

The Beatrice Inn
285 W. 12th St., nr. 4th St.; 212-243-4626
Getting in is tricky, but once you pull it off, your chances of busting a move with a downtown celebrity increase exponentially. A surprisingly mainstream music mix gets the hipsters dancing instead of posing.

Black Betty
366 Metropolitan Ave., at Havemeyer St.; 718-599-0243
D.J.'s spin a knowing mix of funk, soul, and rock, while a sultry Moroccan theme and stiff drinks bring the would-be wallflowers out onto the floor.

China 1
50 Ave. B, nr. 4th St.; 212-375-0665
Downstairs from the restaurant, a mix of buttoned-up East Village weekend transplants, some seriously sloshed birthday-party revelers, and make-out-prone couples dance to the tunes of house D.J.'s LaRush and TravisTy, who spin eighties new-wave chestnuts and party rap in equal measure.

Le Royale
21 Seventh Ave. S., nr. Leroy St.; 212-463-0700
D.J. co-owners David Baxley (of the late CentroFly) and Terry Casey have taken over this cozy boîte, formerly home to Luke & Leroy—birthplace of MisShapes and Rated X. Live music is scheduled several nights a week, and Robot Rock, once at nearby Movida, rules on Fridays.

Royal Oak
594 Union Ave., at Richardson St., Williamsburg, Brooklyn; 718-388-3884
The large back room hosts a scruffy Williamsburg set unabashedly getting down to mid-nineties nostalgia jams from Mariah Carey and Ginuwine (and, okay, the occasional white-label French house remix).