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Top 5 Classic New York Bars


P.J. Clarke's  
(Photo: Shanna Ravindra)

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.

Chumley’s
Currently closed for renovations.
86 Bedford St., at Barrow St.; 212-675-4449.
It’s not hard to imagine Hemingway and Fitzgerald bickering in a back corner over a few too many whiskeys.

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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