205 Club
205 Chrystie St., at Stanton; 212-477-6688
Creative director Aaron Bondaroff evokes a Warholesque spirit with D.J.’s like Kid America and Jamal Ali and crowds made up of Japanese hipsters, skateboarders, and transgressive artists like Dan Colen, Ryan McGinley, and Neck Face.
The Beatrice Inn
285 W. 12th St., nr. 4th St.; 212-243-4626
Paul Sevigny’s quasi-private club is a celebrity haven with great classic cocktails, but the real draw is the back room, lined by mirrors and banquettes, where a surprisingly mainstream soundtrack gets the hipsters dancing instead of posing.
GoldBar
389 Broome St., nr. Mulberry St.; 212-274-1568
The bar takes its name to heart: Gold skulls are embedded in the walls, gold chains separate the spaces, and golden “love bracelets” line drinks tables. One of the most unique rooms in the city.
Rose Bar
2 Lexington Ave., at 21st St.; 212-920-3300
Ian Schrager’s Gramercy Park Hotel is a study in exclusivity, and Rose Bar is its shiny nightlife epicenter. Fashionistas converge around art from Warhol, Basquiat, and Julian Schnabel (who helped design the place).
Socialista
505 West St., nr. Jane St.; 212-929-4303
The wood-shuttered windows and Cuban jams feel airlifted from an idealized forties Havana. After 10 p.m., the grandfather clock is permanently stuck at party time as girls in pearls and satin dance near the antique bar.