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Top 5 Classic New York Bars


P.J. Clarke's  

Bill’s Gay Nineties
57 E. 54th St., nr. Madison Ave.; 212-355-0243.
A former speakeasy provides buttoned-down thirtysomethings with a miniature time warp.

Café Carlyle
35 E. 76th St., at Madison Ave.; 212-744-1600.
This classy cabaret is quintessential old New York in terms of atmospherics, music, and even clientele.

Campbell Apartment
Grand Central Terminal, 15 Vanderbilt Ave., nr. 43rd St.; 212-953-0409.
Situated over Grand Central Terminal, this upscale lounge is actually the restored private office of twenties tycoon John W. Campbell.

McSorley’s Old Ale House
15 E. 7th St., nr. Second Ave.; 212-473-9148.
The undisputed champion of NYC drinking institutions for the frat boy in all of us.

P.J. Clarke’s
915 Third Ave., at 55th St.; 212-317-1616.
The ghost-ridden 1884 saloon has recently modernized, but the details—the jukebox, the chalkboard menus, and the ashes of an especially loyal customer—remain the same.

More Classic New York Bars >


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