Up & Up

You’re in NYU territory for the wealth of entertainment, but you don’t want to deal with the NYU crowd for your preshow drink. The Up & Up’s got you. This downstairs cocktail den from Matt Piacentini of the well-loved but now-closed Avenue A gastropub the Beagle is warmly lit but not too dim, and also has history: It was formerly the famed Gaslight Café in the ’60s, a hangout of luminaries like Allen Ginsberg and Bob Dylan. Today it has vintage wallpaper and cozy booths and a short but comprehensive menu including an “Insanely Good” section with superior versions of everyday cocktails like a gin-and-tonic. Or go the bottled-cocktail route with options like the Teague Old Flaskoned.