Burning Waters Cantina

Burning Waters Cantina is right below a tattoo shop there’s no sign so if you aren’t looking closely you might miss it, very true to the speakeasy culture.
Once inside I was hit by the design and thoroughness of the place. It’s definitely has the spanish influence you would expect from a cantina. The design of the space makes it look as if your inside of a boulder with decanters decorating the wall as soon as you walk in. When you get to the bar there’s a wall of liquor and case full of fresh fruit and herbs.
Every drink is delicious with fresh ingredients and imported liquor… you can’t go wrong. If you enjoy fruity drinks go for Who Killed Kenny; if you want something light and refreshing, Columbian Power is where it’s at; if you want something real strong I’d recommend the Black Angus. If you don’t know what you’re in the mood for just have a chat with the bartender, Jorge, and he can fix you something special, the man is very talented. I’ve never been disappointed with a drink here, everything is delicious so you really can’t go wrong. They serve beer too, mostly bottled but they have a few on tap, they are all imports so if you’re looking bud light go across the street.
The place is open Monday — Saturday and opens at 5pm closing times vary by day but Friday and Saturday they’re open until 4am. If you’re coming later in the evening come dresses business casual (sorry no baseball caps!) there’s a slight dress code but it’s nothing too crazy. Cocktails are about $ 13 but totally worth it.

I love. this. place. Never overly crowded, Drinks are really tasty, staff is always nice (and ready to give recommendations to indecisive folk like myself) and the atmosphere is great!
Super hard to find if you don’t already know where it is, wish I could selfishly keep it a secret!

One thing I will always say is that BWC has some of the best bartenders in Manhattan — calm under pressure, great at what they do, and don’t act like they’re God’s gift to mankind because they make good drinks (speakeasy goers will know what I’m talking about here).
HOWEVER, the last couple of times I’ve been here I’ve just been SO disappointed. First of all, the place has gotten pretty popular, which is great, but the crowd is very, very B&T. Not classy at all. And secondly, the management is trying to make this place into a club-​like atmosphere by letting in such a crowd and playing THUMPING rap music, which is a mistake. The very reason I fell in love with this place was because of its quirkiness, great crowd, and lovely jazz music. Now, it just feels very cliché.
I’ll still come by for the drinks, but for now, I highly recommend against going during the weekend.

My boyfriend and I came across this place on a recent Saturday night when we were looking for a bar to try after dinner. We didn’t realize at first that it was a speakeasy, so we were standing outside the address for a few minutes wondering where the entrance was. Then we checked on Unilocal and saw that it was a little hidden.
We walked in to discover that we had the entire place to ourselves. It’s a pretty space, and they were playing great 80s music, so we were content. I ordered a gin drink that I can’t remember the name of, but it had cucumber and rose petals in it along with sparkling wine. It was great. I also had a Tom Collins, which was very solid. My boyfriend had the Who Killed Kenny (bourbon based), which he loved, and the Oaxaca Nights, which he didn’t care for as much (too smoky).
It gradually got more crowded as the night went on, and a DJ came in around 10:30 or so, which meant it got a lot louder. A friend met us there close to midnight, and there were still plenty of places to sit, however.
This place seems like a real hidden gem. I would definitely make a return trip.

We went with my boyfriend to know this new speakesy in the neighborhood and I really enjoyed the atmosphere. We went on a weekday and it was empty so it was perfect to have a date night.
Thought it´s hard to find if you don´t know where you are going, I think that´s the idea of an speakeasy place. The attention was ok and the drinks were delicious. They make magic over there!

My fave bar in NYC. Good drinks, good bartender, good vibe, good prices ($ 14ish). Came on a Wednesday night 6PM and there were only 2 other people here. Its super dark, has a cool backlit bar, and every one of our drinks was great. My NYC friend told me that on the weekends this place is a zoo, I never would have guessed bc this place about as easy to find as Platform ⁹³⁄₄ (Harry Potter fans). I want to be selfish and keep this bar to myself, but I’d be doing the non-​New-​Yorker Unilocal community a disservice.
This bar is the t*ts. lucky NYU college kids.

I like the fact that place is still hard to find even with Google maps. I like the fact that as i waited for the doors to be open, that people were still confused as where this place exactly was. I was debating on giving an exact step by step location guide but decided again it. After all, as Esteban (owner and head mixologist) told me «the more you try to keep it a secret, the more people want to find it «. Touché.
This place is what speakeasy wet dreams are made of. A feeling of secludedness topped off with a delicious stiff handcrafted cocktail. As i sat at the bar and took a gander, the place gave me the art deco vibe with the music and lightning to match. Perfect for pre /​post drink or even a secret rendezvous.
I’ve been on my Widow Jane bourbon kick ever since Whitehall and was disappointed when i found out that they didn’t have it. Esteban recommended Michter’s single barrel for my Old Fashion. Delicious.
Great personality which can only be described as upbeat and high octane, Esteban runs this rodeo with great vigor. Almost reminds me of Heisenberg.
I’m definitely coming back. Move over Angel Share.

Awesome little cocktail bar in the West Village. Right now, Burning Waters is perfect. Not too many people know about it. You can have the place to yourself with some relative exclusivity. And at $ 13 a pop, the drinks are pure dynamite.
Burning Waters Cantina takes the cocktail bar schtick and paints it with a south-​american brush. All of (or at least the majority of) the drinks have ingredients found south of the border. Add the Rodrigo Sanchez-​laced soundtrack and you feel like you’re in some super subterranean sur-​americano cocktail den.
Burning Waters is also perfectly situated among a strip of the West Village’s most notorious binge-​bars like «Off the Wagon» and «Three Sheets Saloon», which have admirable qualities in themselves but don’t offer the diversity and originality that Burning Waters does. Manage to score yourself a rezzo at Minetta Tavern (across the street) shortly after your trip here, and you’ll have one hell of a night lined up.

This place is the perfect place to just get drinks and chill with people. Came here at a friday night; It’s not overly crowded and the music is at just the right volume to be able to talk and be heard. The place is kinda hard to find, but there is a guy standing outside that will point you in the right direction. I had gotten the oaxaca night. It was super strong, so it took me a long time to drink. But at least you know you’re not getting some water down drink.
Asked for recommendations, they are super helpful and friendly

My «foodie”/“cocktail lounge aficionado» friend introduced me to this spot. Very cool spot. A little tough to find as it’s down some stairs on the typically fratty stretch of bars on MacDougal.
Try the Pisco drink, it was delicious. Bartenders know what they are doing here, apparently some of them used to work at the fabled Pegu Club on Houston.

One of the most Excellent cocktail lounges I’ve been to in NYC. Real attention to detail on making these delicious drinks. Great location and with no sign on the door it allows it to keep that true speakeasy feel. Came around 9pm on Saturday night and was able to immediately get two stools at the bar. Here you get an up close and personal look at the bartenders and watch them work. The owner/​bartender is Columbian with most, if not all, the staff being from Central and South America makes this place a Latin American cocktail den. Several tables along the side good for parties of 4 – 6.
Will 100% be back!

GO HERE!!!
One of the best bars I have been to in Manhattan! Actually it is one of the best bars I have been to anywhere. The décor and design is beautiful and well thought out, down to the last detail (there are even outlets under the bar to charge your phone). The drinks were creative and delicious. On Monday when I went in I had the pleasure of meeting the owner, Esteban. He was so friendly, creative, knowledgeable, and gracious. It is so rare to find someone that is so passionate about their profession! I recommend the rum drink made with coconut milk!

Amazing spot.
My friend & I had trouble finding it, but we eventually found. There are 2 black doors near 116 MacDougal. The one with the tripadvisor sticker is not it.
Amazing spot. Chill tunes (think Adele, Corinne Bailey Rae, Lauryn Hill, Duffy, Motown galore, etc).
Atmosphere is cozy. Bartenders were super attentive & friendly.
All cocktails consumed were amazing & had just enough potency.
The place doesn’t belong on MacDougal street. Just sayin.

Really pleased to find this place in an otherwise crappy area of town — perfect to wait for your burger slot at Minetta.
Nice open space with EXCELLENT welcoming service. Great selection. Drinks on the menu were sort of off to me, but off-​menu was promptly presented as an option. We gave liquors and flavors — they were tasty, although the boy’s was a girl’s drink, and he asked for smoky mezcal … a little off the mark but to be fair we didn’t say anything.
Setting was cool but then this girl started singing and there were bright lights and loud broken speakers and filming? That didn’t fit, but it ended after 2 songs, pretty sure that doesn’t always happen …
Will totally try this place again.

What a great, yet undiscovered speakeasy! It lies behind an unlabeled black door. It’s dark and quiet, with plenty of seating and is conducive for conversation. There were a wide range of drinks, mostly based in fresh fruit — the drinks generally have a South American flair. I got a refreshing blackberry purée/​juice cocktail, and it was served in a pretty crystal glass with crushed ice. It was certainly quite strong too.
I wasn’t a fan of the very mediocre music being played here — I think the music could have added a whole lot more character to the bar but they were playing Michael Jackson and some other random assorted 90s pop.

A five-​star speakeasy experience! My wife and I have visited a number of the speakeasies and interesting mixology bars in the city, and Burning Waters Cantina stands out.
The ambiance is very nice – dark, romantic and stylish. The bartenders are friendly, helpful and extremely skilled. The Pisco Sour is truly standout – they have their own recipe that gives it the perfect balance between sweet and sour. My wife didn’t order from the menu but instead told the bartender what she was in the mood for, and her drink was amazing and well-​balanced as well.
This is a place worth visiting repeatedly.

The place is awesome! It’s truly has a speakeasy feel, it tucked away behind a black door on MacDougal with no indication of what’s behind. The drinks are on point and the staff is really friendly. I came here on a Monday after work, the crowd was chill and the music was good too. You could easily have a conversion with the person next to you and enjoy the music.
I will definitely be back, keep up the great work guys!

Very kind & talented bartenders! Had a taste of a few friends’ drinks, as well as my own. Very strong and delicious.
Great place for a group of friends, or a date where you want to get up and dance or be around other people. Good music, but it’s loud enough to dance to so don’t expect an intimate setting. Seats at the bar are comfortable and spacious. Great music selections. Can’t wait to go back!

The super cool, speakeasy-​ish space is an unexpected and fun surprise… .
The cocktails are superb and fairly priced considering how creative and personalized they are…
I love Pisco and Aguardiente so finding a spot that utilizes two of my favorites as base for amazing cocktails is a dream come true!
Love it!

Finally what this street needs — a real, classy mixology type cocktail bar. I had started coming to 116 a few years ago because the bartenders made a mean Manhattan, but they didn’t focus enough on keeping it classy, and hence, in moved the Off The Wagon Crowd.
Burning Waters Cantina is completely different (evidently new owners), and feels much more like a speakeasy. The layout is more or less unchanged from before. Jorge is a skilled and passionate mixologist, and will come up with clever variations of drinks, or just make something up that sounds good based on a simple request like «I like dry Manhattans… get creative.» And OMG one of the drinks that has raspberries and blackberries was so good — you’d never know there was alcohol. Ridiculous. See pictures.
This is a superb date spot, and since it’s still relatively unknown (there were like 15ppl max…) it’ll be as if you have a bartender all to yourself.