NYC is in its quirky bar era — here are 5 to check out with turtle races, horror-fueled dolls, ‘Moby-Dick' chic and more

New York Post

18-07-2025

New York's nightlife always has flair — but these five boozy, buzzy haunts are taking cool, quirky and strange to new heights.
From a Bedford-Stuy dive where turtles race for glory to a Melville-inspired whaling tavern in Fidi where the cocktails are as literary as they are lethal — the city's bar scene is definitely in its weird-girl era.
Whether you're craving horror-movie kitsch with a side of vegan haggis or want to shake your own martini under a ceiling full of hot air balloons, these watering holes are pouring personality by the pint.
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Here are five oddball bars shaking up the scene and proving that in NYC, normal's just not on tap.
Where every hour is the witching hour
14 Flying Fox Tavern is a horror-lover's fever dream — part haunted house, part comfort-food joint, and fully decked out in blood-red lights, creepy memorabilia and gothic flair.
Stefano Giovannini
Ridgewood Queen's Flying Fox Tavern is part haunted house, part comfort-food haven — and 100% unforgettable.
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Decked out in gothic chandeliers, spooky memorabilia, and enough red lighting to make Dracula blush, this horror-themed hideaway at 6-78 Woodward Ave. has been a fever dream for fright fans since it opened in 2022.
In 2020, Bradbury noticed there weren't any horror-themed bars left in NYC, leaving a void for classic fright lovers.
14 Owner Tracy Bradbury, an avid horror film fan, encourages guests to 'be strange, not a stranger.'
Stefano Giovannini
'We wanted to provide a space for us creatures of the night to nerd out over movies and music but also get really good food and drinks,' co-owner Tracy Bradbury, who runs the spot alongside co-owner and chef Chad Johnson, told The Post.
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Guests enter under a neon bat sign and can sit on coffin-shaped picnic tables in the backyard. Inside, it's all gothic chandeliers, eerie ephemera, and monster movie memorabilia.
14 'We wanted to add to Ridgewood's inclusivity and charm and welcome families, neighborhood newcomers as well as a broader audience with an interest in the classic horror and goth genres,' Bradbury told The Post.
Stefano Giovannini
But it's not all screams and skeletons — the menu leans surprisingly wholesome, with vegan stuffed French toast, an 8-oz Pat LaFrieda burger on a brioche bun, inventive plant-based haggis, and famous vampire-themed cocktails like their 'Christopher Lee' spicy margarita, which is a tribute to the actor's smoldering 1958 take on Dracula.
'We can't tell you how many times we've overheard couples on a first date go through all of the cocktails and discuss their favorite vampires,' Bradbury added.
Where cocktails meet the high seas — and Herman Melville
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14 Quick Eternity, the storm-battered new Seaport bar, is making a splash. It's turning heads while it does.
Stefano Giovannini
This storm-weathered watering hole in the Seaport is making serious waves. Quick Eternity opened in May at 22 Peck Slip. It channels the salty spirit of an old Cape Cod tavern — minus the whale guts.
With cocktails named after 'Moby-Dick' quotes, tin alehorns in place of glasses, and windows that look like they've seen a century of sea spray, the vibe is pure literary seafaring fantasy.
Owner Bryan Schneider told The Post that the inspiration for the bar came to him when he got to the third chapter of Herman Melville's 1851 classic called 'The Spouter Inn,' which describes 'an eccentric whaling tavern.'
14 With 'Moby-Dick' cocktails, tin alehorns instead of glasses, and sea-sprayed windows straight out of a sailor's fever dream, this spot's got full-blown nautical nonsense down to a science.
Stefano Giovannini
To bring the vision to life, he enlisted NYC artist Azikiwe Mohammed for the custom mural and brought in his wife, Rachel — a bookseller — to curate the upstairs book nook stocked with vintage Moby-Dick editions.
'It seems at least once a night we have customers visiting us from all over because of their love of 'Moby-Dick' and Herman Melville,' Schneider told us.
'So far, we've gotten a great response from the neighborhood.'
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14 The 'Howling Infinite' cocktail packs a punch — a fiery mix of Tequila Ocho, Pimm's, Ancho Reyes chili liqueur and lime, served over crushed ice with a Thai chili kicker.
Stefano Giovannini
Add in crab fritters, smoked mussels pintxos, and glossy wooden floors slick enough to make Captain Ahab slip — and you've got a perfect pre-dinner port of call or a killer after-work haunt.
Top menu picks include the namesake 'Quick Eternity' cocktail — made with Navy-strength gin, passionfruit, Lillet, lemon and absinthe — and the Lobster Pups: skewered tails dipped in corn-dog batter and fried crisp.
Where groundbreaking journalism, globetrotting glam and gin collide
14 Miss Nellie's is shaking up Hell's Kitchen — a globe-trotting, plot-twisting speakeasy where every cocktail tells a story.
Stefano Giovannini
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Step into Miss Nellie's — a Hell's Kitchen's whimsical new hideaway where cocktails come with a twist — and a plotline.
Inspired by globetrotting investigative reporter Nellie Bly, this theatrical bar located at 321 W 44th St. is part speakeasy, part tribute to trailblazing women.
'Miss Nellie's isn't just a bar — it's a narrative,' said general manager Marisa Braat of the establishment that opened in October 2024.
14 Inspired by fearless reporter Nellie Bly, this theatrical hideaway is part bar, part ode to badass women.
Stefano Giovannini
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'Every element, from the décor to the cocktails, is part of a story that celebrates adventure, reinvention, and bold femininity.'
The Theater District crowd is here for it. 'Locals have embraced us as a cozy escape in the heart of Hell's Kitchen, and visitors often tell us they feel like they've stumbled upon a hidden gem,' Braat told The Post.
Expect suitcase-shaken martinis, smoked Manhattans served in hollowed-out books, and fun cocktails like the 'Fogg & Fancies' that Broadway cast members enjoy sipping on post-show.
14 Bartender Francesco Dionese serves up the bar's beloved Fogg & Fancies cocktail, composed of teeling whiskey, averna amaro, sweet vermouth, maraschino and smoked applewood.
Stefano Giovannini
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'On the food side, our spicy chicken bites and smoked French dip have developed something of a cult following. Guests love that we take comfort food classics and elevate them with unexpected twists,' Braat added.
It's a place where dinner is a performance, martinis are participatory, and every drink has a backstory. Nellie would've approved.
Where the drinks are cold, the turtles are bold — and the races are real
14 On the first Sunday of every month, the claws come out as crowd faves Ja Rule and Vita — two shell-on speed demons — race for glory in a packed turtle throwdown.
@turtlesallthewaydownbk/Instagram
At this Bed-Stuy, Brooklyn, dive, slow and steady wins the crowd.
Turtles All the Way Down opened in 2017 and is a dimly lit neighborhood bar with a not-so-secret weapon: monthly turtle races.
On the first Sunday of each month, beloved turtles named Ja Rule and Vita — two hard-shelled speedsters — face off in a fan-favorite showdown that packs the place at 236 Malcolm X Blvd.
'We came up with the idea of the turtle races as a fun thing for us,' Brendan Rodriguez, the bar's events and media manager, bartender and DJ, told The Post.
'We had a turtle tank built in and just did it once a month for the regulars and bar staff — like our little bar pets. Over time, they blew up on social media.'
Ja Rule and Vita are cared for by professionals, with regular tank cleanings, flash photography prohibited and one trusted handler who gently preps them for race day.
Frozen coffee cocktails, cold beers and a lineup of cheap, simple eats (think cheese sandwiches and hot dogs) keep the party going between races.
14 Since 2017, Turtles All the Way Down has kept locals buzzing with strong drinks, low lights, and its secret sauce: high-stakes turtle races that draw a crowd.
@turtlesallthewaydownbk/Instagram
Race days come with $10–11 beer-and-shot specials, DJ sets from DJ Lean (Rodriguez), and rotating food pop-ups serving everything from wings to tamales — all air-fried and food-handler certified.
There's shuffleboard in the back, DJs on Wednesdays and Fridays and a crowd that comes as much for the vibe as for the reptilian drama.
Where every hour is golden hour on deck
14 Anchored just steps from the Hudson Yards Vessel, Sailor's Choice lets you sip cocktails dockside-style — with server Jesse Sullivan serving drinks beside a vintage Hinckley boat parked in the middle of the breezy, nautical-themed patio.
Stefano Giovannini
Sailor's Choice is the kind of port you won't mind getting shipwrecked in.
Located at 350 11th Ave, steps away from the Hudson Yards Vessel, you can sip beer while admiring a vintage Hinckley boat in the center of the outdoor layout, while enjoying the nautical theme.
The centerpiece of Sailor's Choice — owned by brothers Miles and Alex Pincus — is a tricked-out retro fishing boat turned full-blown bar, docked on a sun-drenched deck dotted with lemon-striped umbrellas.
'I've been into boats since I was 10 years old,' Alex Pincus told The Post, so it's only fitting that he and his brother opened this sea-inspired bar.
14 The crown jewel of Sailor's Choice — the latest splash from brothers Miles and Alex Pincus — is a souped-up vintage fishing boat turned boozy centerpiece, anchored on a sunny deck lined with lemon-striped umbrellas.
Stefano Giovannini
It's part gentleman's yacht, part Maine lobster boat — and all vibes. The duo pitched a 'boat bar on land' as a playful counterpoint to Hudson Yards' slick surroundings — and surprisingly, they bit.
An additional bar, nestled inside a revamped Airstream trailer, just a few feet away from the Hinckley vessel, serves up spritzes and laid-back cocktails perfect for sipping in the sun.
This dockside spot dishes out lobster BLTs, crisp fish and chips, oysters by the dozen and more. 'The lobster BLT is a real go-to. Everybody loves that,' Alex Pincus told The Post.
14 Just steps from the Hinckley vessel, a tricked-out Airstream trailer moonlights as a second bar, slinging spritzes and easy-drinking cocktails made for sunny-day lounging.
Stefano Giovannini
Expect coastal faves with polish, and a crab dip Pincus calls a 'sleeper hit.'
Drinks, on the other hand, lean breezy and boozy, from martinis to watermelon-vodka spritzes.