Hidden Hot Spots Written by Eve Hyman Photographed by Kashish Das Shreshta

A friend told me to meet him for drinks at a restaurant in Soho.  When I got to the place it was a taco stand.  "Okay, I'm overdressed – and where's the bar?" I thought.  I didn't see him so I called and he told me he was there and that he'd be right out.  He came out of a door marked Employees Only.  I was confused but he was thrilled.  He led me down a flight of stairs, past the coat check, through the kitchen, and into one of Manhattan's hottest restaurants and bars - the subversive eatery known as "La Esquina."

La Esquina

Spots in Manhattan that are secret and hidden are the latest craze and make for an extra nightlife challenge.  Knowing about a hidden establishment makes the consumer feel special.   These places go just beyond the velvet rope.  They leave you with the impression that having the secret info makes you feel like a guest - rather than a mere patron.

Employees Only

Employees Only is another example.  Located in Greenwich Village, this bar and bistro is popular enough to warrant a migration of the Meatpacking District crowd.  It's both popular and hard to find.  EO is hidden behind a neon sign that reads "psychic."  As you move past the bouncer through the doorway, you encounter velvet drapes and a woman at a table who offers to read your tarot cards. Through the curtains behind her is a beautiful, crowded bar tended by Serbian bartenders with fancy mustaches and white pharmacists' coats.  They have conquered the science of the finely mixed cocktail and five of them co-own the bar.

The Back Room

The Back Room is another hidden gem.  It's partly owned by Tim Robbins and it's located in the back courtyard of an apartment building on the LES.  There's a false bookshelf that hides the VIP room where Scarlett Johansson and Josh Hartnett were holding court the night I was there. The downside of the speak-easy motif is the fact that martinis are served in thick coffee cups with ice cubes.  Beers come in brown bags (a better alternative).  The experience with the martini reminded me of drinking from a tiny toilet bowl.  The décor, however, is elegant - 1920's hotel lounge with a fireplace and parlor wallpaper.

La Esquina impressed me the most.  The overall feel of the decor is Spanish Armada-meets-Tijuana-prison-in-Hollywood. But getting past the "employees only" door of the taqueria to the second "La Esquina" hidden underground is no easy task.  I ran into Questlove on the way to the bathroom and Jimmy Fallon and Drew Barrymore each had a table while legions of models lingered in the bar.  This den of the chic is protected - if you ask about the restaurant that's hidden, you're met with miffed expressions and little information.  The only way to get
in is to know someone - or to act as if you do.  Dining upstairs on tacos and Mexican soda is the consolation prize.

Getting past psychics, tacos, and lobby intercom systems is all the rage for the slaves of NYC's nightlife.  Next stop - the epitome of hip dance club hidden behind the neighborhood laundromat.  (But that spot is in Brooklyn where club goers do their laundry while they party.)   Multi-task partying is so NYC.  La Esquina's taqueria is no mere front - it does good business.  Next time you're feeling reflective you could opt for the tarot card reading and a cocktail at Employees Only. Introduce someone to a hidden bar and impress them with your New York cool.

La Esquina - 203 Lafayette St., NY, NY 10012.  646-613-8880
La Esquina (Taqueria) - 106 Kenmare St, New York, 10012.  646-613-7100
Employees Only - 510 Hudson St. NY, NY 10014.  212-242-3021
The Back Room - 102 Norfolk St NY, NY 10002.   212-228-5098