These new bars, lounges, and nightclubs in New York have indoor, outdoor, private, and semiprivate spaces that can accommodate groups small and large for events, meetings, product launches, holiday parties, presentations, and other types of entertaining.
1. Revamped and reopened in April, the Paramount Bar is the storied Paramount Hotel's lounge and bar. Designed by Susan Jacques with an eye to the site's heyday, the space is furnished with plush banquettes upholstered in velvet, dramatic crystal chandeliers, and a mirror-paneled bar beneath Murano glass fixtures. Classic cocktails are served alongside new concoctions, and the space can be rented for events as large as 75 people, with food supplied by the hotel's other in-house drinking spot, the Library Bar.
2. Once home to nightclubs Limelight and Avalon, the former Church of the Holy Communion now houses shops—in a venue currently known as the Limelight Marketplace, which will relaunch as a department store called Limelight in September—as well as eating and drinking establishments. Among these is a venture from chef Todd English, a casual 99-seat restaurant and lounge called CrossBar. The spot is furnished with wooden pew seating, wrought-iron lighting fixtures, and herringbone oak floors and serves English's interpretation of classic American fare alongside an extensive list of bourbons, Scotch, and whiskey.
3. Inside Vikram Chatwal's fancy new Dream Downtown hotel are several spaces operated by the collective from Tao and Strategic Group—Marc Packer, Rich Wolf, Jason Strauss, and Noah Tepperberg—including a lounge in the property's penthouse. Much like the Top of the Standard, the venue on the 12th floor, known as the Penthouse at Dream (or PH-D), offers views of the surrounding neighborhood through floor-to-ceiling glass walls. There's also a dance floor, DJ booth, sound equipment, and an expansive 1,500-square-foot terrace.
4. The latest Aloft property from Starwood Hotels & Resorts is in downtown Brooklyn and has a contemporary design from the Rockwell Group. In addition to the brand's signature wxyz bar in the spacious lobby, the boutique hotel offers a terrace on the mezzanine that is available for events and holds as many as 60 people. In a few weeks, the Aloft New York Brooklyn will offer a rooftop space.
5. For those in Queens, the recently opened Z New York hotel has a rooftop lounge open year-round. Perched on the 12th floor, the site measures 5,000 square feet and serves cocktails in a space decorated simply, with metal tables and bright pink chairs. The hotel, which sits near the popular catering facility and restaurant Water's Edge, will also offer a restaurant lounge and a beer garden in the coming months.
6. Immortalized by Barry Manilow's song, the Copacabana has seen a number of different locations, and in July the nightclub reopened at a new address in Times Square. Taking over the space recently occupied by the China Club, the venue offers 25,000 square feet across four floors of space and a full-service restaurant, known as the Copacabana Supper Club, with a pan-Latin menu from chef Alex Garcia.
7. At the crossroads of Greenwich Village, NoHo, and the East Village, the cozy Bahr Ché is a convenient but easy-to-miss hideaway—the spot sits at the foot of the Gwathmey Siegel-designed glass tower at Astor Place, but its entrance is on Cooper Square. With a selection of gourmet tidbits from Murray's Cheese, D'Artagnan, Bouchon Bakery, and Black Hound New York, the late-night spot is suited for small business gatherings or private events. The entire space holds as many as 70 people for receptions or 40 seated.
8. Tucked away in TriBeCa is the second outpost of Katherine Weatherup's bar, Weather Up. Small but artfully decorated, the 50-seat boîte has leather booths, vaulted ceilings, and white tile walls mixed with exposed brick. In addition to specialty cocktails, Weather Up serves a menu of bites, including caviar and oysters.
9. The West 14th Street spot once occupied by Neil's is now home to the Darby, a restaurant-lounge from Richie Akiva and Scott Sartiano, which pays tribute to the original supper club through a design by Steve Lewis and Marc Dizon. The site, which seats 100, has a clubby look, with crimson mohair banquettes, antique moldings, and nickel-plated weblike structure covering the ceiling. Chef Alex Guarnaschelli heads the kitchen, serving her take on Continental fare and classic American dishes.
10. Expected to open this month is a new boutique property from Hyatt Hotels and Hersha Group known as Hyatt 48 Lex. The 116-room hotel in Midtown East will have a lounge space—dubbed the Lexicon Lounge—as well as a 100-seat American brasserie-style restaurant known as the Lexington Brass Bar & Grill from the EMM Group.