For small, less formal gatherings or to unwind with a group after a long day of meetings, check out these four new drinking spots.
1. Tzigan
Set in the multistory meatpacking district space once home to Merkato 55, Villa Pacri is an Italian villa-style spot home to a café, restaurant, private event space, and a subterranean lounge. That last space is Tzigan, an intimate section decorated in bright gold, silver, and copper tones with the capacity for 150 people. Fabio Trabocchi, the chef at Fiamma who earned three stars from The New York Times, is the consulting corporate chef, creating an array of Italian dishes for Villa Pacri’s different spaces.
2. Toro
Also set in a basement space is Toro, the lounge beneath the Smyth Tribeca's in-house restaurant Plein Sud. Designed to pay tribute to the Southern France resort of Arles, once home to Vincent van Gogh, the space is littered with weathered wood paneling, terra-cotta tiles, black leather, and bright red fabric. Toro is available for buyout for as many as 30 people seated or 130 for receptions.
3. S.N.A.P.
For the sports enthusiast, there's new West Village lounge S.N.A.P., which stands for "sports, nightlife, and pastime." The 2,200-square-foot space designed by Steve Lewis offers an aesthetic that combines hand-carved wooden accents and leather upholstery with high-definition video screens, a fully equipped DJ booth, and a 20-foot-long LED ticker built into the bar's countertop. S.N.A.P. holds as many as 100 for seated functions or 250 standing.
4. Lavo
Nightlife veterans Marc Packer, Rich Wolf, Noah Tepperberg, and Jason Strauss are behind Lavo, New York's outpost of the popular Las Vegas lounge and dining concept. Designed by ICrave to channel a 19th-century Italian bistro, with antique mirrors, reclaimed subway tiles, and bricks salvaged from old factories, the 180-seat Midtown restaurant is a cozy spot for executive chef Ralph Scamardella's hearty grub. Below, the nightclub is more sultry in aesthetic, with leather accents, metal railings, and wooden panels.
