Nitecap

Place was pretty busy for a Friday at 6pm. We told the server we were just going to get 1 quick drink each and she seated us quickly. Bartender does take a while to make the drinks. Since we had to leave soon for dinner reservations, we prepaid our bill before the drinks were made. I had ordered the quick step, which I thought was just ok. My friends also thought their drinks were just ok. Service is good here. We were given waters right away and our server knew we had to leave soon because I saw her grab our drinks as soon as their were made. Would normally give this place a 3, but with the service, it gets bumped to 3.5 in my book.

3.5−4 stars. Way too crowded. So little room and so many people that it’s really hard to enjoy this place on a weekend despite its extensive menu of creative drinks and fun, intimate vibe. At first I was very impressed that the bouncer kindly let us in after only a 5 minute wait on a Saturday at around 11 am, but when I descended the steps into the tiny basement area jam packed with people in every corner, I realized that perhaps it would have been better had we not been admitted so easily.
I tried the Class Act and the Fixer Upper. Both drinks were pretty ordinary as far as cocktails went. I thought that the Class Act was certainly vey refreshing, but not unique enough that I haven’t tasted that blend of fruity with a bit of bitters somewhere else. The Fixer Upper was very gingery and tasted a bit medicinal.
Service was very friendly-​despite people swamping the bar the bartender was quick to recognize who still needed a drink. I’m sure the experience here is probably much more chill on a weekday but there are definitely better cocktail bars around in the city!

This place was much louder than expected on a Friday night, but the recessed space with a small bar and only a bit of seating grew on us, once we could finally hear each other.

Came here on a Friday and for sure thought there’d be…
1: either a unreasonably ling wait or.
2: jam packed with no room to wiggle and too noisy to have conversation
But pleasantly surprised that neither was the case. The reviews speak for themselves, great drinks great speakeasy among many to choose from in the LES/​East Village area.
Getting there around 10PM (prime speak easy time) on a date for 2, there was VIRTUALLY no wait, 15min max and luckily it was a warm January night. The bouncer outside was also quite friendly.
Inside, you walk down one flight of stairs and enter a dimly lit romantic and seductive venue, bustling with other prohibition patrons, music on a friday night was on the louder side but quite enough that you could easily have a private conversation just with the people around you.
Surprisingly, at max venue capacity, it wasn’t that packed. Nitecap does a great job controlled the number people inside at any one time. There’s standing room around the bar, but also a generous seating area as well. We asked for a seat for two, and the waitress got us seated almost right away… must have gotten lucky that night.
My only regret was leaving early (2AM) to speakeasy hop… poor choice because little did I know it was pouring out and we were left without an umbrella… and the other speakeasy (name not to be mentioned here) closed on the earlier side.
OVERALL: great for a small group I’d say up to 4, perfect for a date for 2.

My favorite cocktail bar… if you’re lucky enough to get a seat! It’s tiny and underground, but both of these things add to its appeal for me I think. HUGE menu of amazing creative drinks; there will be one you love.

Brought in the new year here. The drinks are very tasty, speakeasy like and the bartenders obviously know what they’re doing. We left shortly after 12am because the music wasn’t that upbeat to stick around for the a new year celebration, but I definitely want to return on a default night and try some other drinks.
I’m really into my icey drinks, but they need to retire from my life. The amount of actual drink is probably 15−20% of the glass and the rest is ice. I also tried a wheat beer cocktail which was sure one of a kind. Strangest taste ever, but it looked appealing and I got through it!

This place is a great intimate bar for 3 – 4 friends.
Despite the name of the bar, we started off at this bar on Halloween night. I have had the best drink I ever had here. For a speakeasy, this bar has a HUGE selection of drinks on their menu, 20−30+! Which is amazing. The bartenders are very knowledgeable and will recommend and make you drinks based on what you like, and if they don’t have it on the menu, they can make it for you. Highly, highly recommend this bar. I had a great time too, my friends and I sat at the bar the entire time so we chatted with the bartenders, and also a couple sitting at the bar as well. It was a great vibe, great people, and Halloween was pretty interesting! The drink that I loved was from their spring-​summer 2015 menu — Thigh Highs. Great. Will be coming back!

The whisky and other drinks are awesome. All different drinks surprised ppl. I ordered the Key Lime fizz. My fried Ed ordered mermaid and whisky. Those are awesome !

My recent experience at Nitecap was great! It can be easy to miss but look for the name on a brick wall next to Schapiro’s, There were four groups ahead of us in line on a Friday night but we only waited about 15 minutes. We were then brought downstairs to the basement which was dimly lit and cozy.
The drinks here were amazing! We ordered the Instant Replay, Fixer Upper, Class Act and the Disappearing Act. I absolutely loved the Fixer Upper and Disappearing Act which were both unique and wonderfully delicious.
Nitecap is sure to be a fun, vibrant stop but is also a great place to hang out for a few hours. The drinks and service here are great; Nitecap is well worth a visit.

Thanks Unilocal for leading me to this amazing-​downstairs-​hard to find gem of a bar. We had just finished a killer meal and drinks at Beauty and Essex, and was in the mood for a nice chill place to have a few cocktails. You can easily miss nitecap, look for the stairs– and they also might have a small sign on the sidewalk.
Walked in, and loved it right away. Dimly lit, small, intimate place. About 6 bar stools and maybe 4 or 5 small tables. It was pretty busy, and we were there on a Sunday. The cocktail menu is really legit– pretty much almost anything you can dream up is on there. They have your classics. and many that you have never tried. The bartender (crap, wish I had his name) was really awesome! He chatted with us quite a bit and it was a lot of fun watching him make these ultra complicated drinks. Service was spot on… just know these drinks are creations, and take a little time.
The weekends probably get super packed, and its a small place. But well worth the visit!

after loosely solidifying barhopping as the plan for the night, despite the name, I met up with a couple of friends at Nitecap to start things off. i’d been before on a random weeknight around 9pm and it was packed– no tables or seats at the bar. Nitecap is super small and intimate so standing or trying to scrunch yourself into an area that is not directly at the bar or at one of the tables is just awkward.
this time, we got there around 7 and snagged one of the last tables (yes!!!) and there were a few spots clear at the bar– an hour later it was packed.
Nitecap is one of the best places in the city to get a really well crafted, $ 14-​$ 16 cocktail. The options are abundant and they’re super unique: never even seen anything like most of the cocktails they offer. all the drinks have really kitschy names that are a bit forgettable but the one cocktail that is impossible to forget (and highly recommended) is See No Evil — it’s milky, comforting concoction that packs a punch. They light a stick of cinnamon that makes it smell (and taste) incredible and everyone will stare at you in jealousy while you drink from the coolest ceramic monkey cup that looks like that emoji ().
The crowd has been different each time I’ve visited– once it was packed with beautiful model/​socialite-​types and once with an older crowd.
they play great tunes. highly suggest this spot for an intimidate date (after dinner drinks on the 3^rd, type of thing) or an intimate catch up with 3 – 4 friends.

I went to Nitecap around 9pm on a Friday with 2 of my girlfriends. I absolutely loved it! It was dark, cozy, and very intimate — great for a date or for drinks with a small group of friends. The guy at the door was super friendly and called us all by name after look at our IDs. He showed us to the hostess where we put in our names to sit. We grabbed a drink at the bar, and then were able to sit down at a table. The staff was very warm, welcoming, and personable.
DRINKS:
–Old Fashioned: Very good here!
–Speed Dial: Loved this — it was a peppery tasting vodka with lemon juice. YUM!

We were next door getting drinks and decided to come here. Other than Dutch Kills, I think the bartender really knew his shit and every drink he made for us was spot on and had an interesting element. I like the space and since it was early no one was really there.

I am giving Nitecap 5 stars for my experience there on a Tuesday night with a girlfriend. It’s a totally different vibe on a Friday: id was checked at the door, really loud music was playing, and the place was packed. There were no tables or seats left, and there really isn’t space for people to stand. My friends and I felt like we were in the way and had to keep moving aside to let people pass. Ordering a drink and then trying to stand and talk in the middle section would have been a nightmare, so we left. They really shouldn’t let that many people in when it’s busy.
Anyway, my experience there on a Tuesday was AMAZING! Oldies were playing and there were only maybe two or three other tables seated, and no one else at the small bar. It was the perfect place to sit and talk, and the bartender was really nice! The drinks were delicious and strong! I’m wary of cocktails because you never really know how they’ll turn out, but mine was so good. I can’t remember what our drinks were called, and I can’t find them on the online menu (they change out their menu every season), but they were definitely worth the $ 14 we each paid for them.
I also loved the design of the menu and the creative way they served different drinks. This is the perfect spot for an early weeknight hang, but I wouldn’t go back on a weekend. It’s also a great date spot. Very romantic, dark, and intimate, especially if you sit in a booth. There are tiny tables and candlelight!

LMFAO!!! This olace gave me one of the funniest weirdest nights ever! A friend and aincame here after going to verlaine down the street. This place is very nice and classy. There were no seats at the bar so they let us sit at a large table that was reserved until the party actually came. While i ordered a scotch drink abd my pal ordered a whiskey drink which was «deadly». I didnt mind the price because of the atmosphere and the really strong and delicious drinks. We also ordered fries which were really good as well.
This is where it gets interesting. As we were leaving we were approached by a young lady who persisted we join her party and we did. These were the drunkest patrons ever! We took shots of jameson and had some pretty good laughs such as the fake compton guy! By the way everyone met each other that night they didnt even know each other and i forgot all of thier names lol but thanks for making my night!

Delicious drinks, wonderful service.
Cozy spot on a Monday night (or any night), though weekends get busy.
Our server, Nick, made excellent drink recommendations and bartender’s choice concoctions for us.
Always love the music, chill vibe and darkness (literally speaking) of this place. A good spot for a strong, delicious cocktail in a dimly lit, relaxed setting. Cocktails are about $ 15 each.

Went here on a Monday night for happy hour cocktails, and it was pretty much empty. Waitress was very helpful when I asked for recommendations. Music was good for the atmosphere, loud and upbeat enough to ease lulls in conversation, low enough to not be irritating. I didn’t really recognize the songs but that could just be me.
My drink was something with Blonde in the title I think, they sold me with the hints of cocoa nibs. Sweet and not strong (which is pretty much was what I need because I’ve got a low tolerance/​alcohol allergy) but my friends’ were strong and equally flavorful. Would come here again, $ 10 cocktails aren’t bad at all.

A cute tiny British inspired speakeasy bar. Friends & I were barhopping in the Lower east side on a Sunday night. We ended up Unilocaling a few plaves and ran into this sweet spot. There was one bartender and a waiter. The menus were cute in regards to helping you choose a drink depending upon the mood you were in or even the time of day. Pleasantly surprised.

4.5 stars. I reeealllly want to give it 5 but I just can’t. The first cocktail I ordered was only okay, and above all else, cocktail bars should — wait for it — serve kick-​ass cocktails. I’m going to give Nitecap the benefit of the doubt, though. It boasts one of the most creative and extensive menus I’ve ever seen, and that can’t be ignored. Plus, this place is just all kinds of cool.
Came here late Saturday night for, yes, a nightcap. Wouldn’t have had it any other way. This place has been on my list for a while… because every speakeasy in New York City is on my list. I’ve only just started making it down to the LES (I live on the UWS), and this basement gem is a nice little escape from what can be overwhelming chaos at ground level. Given that this place is known as a speakeasy, making it oxymoronic, I was surprised to see a fairly big sign out front. So not so secret. Probably the least concealed speakeasy of the ones I’ve visited. But I assure you, everything else about this place screams speakeasy. And I’m incredibly glad that it does.
Nitecap may be small in size, but that’s certainly not the case as far as personality and energy go. Though we came here around 12:30/1, the place was still fairly full (it’s not hard to reach capacity here). I’ll echo what others have said — this place is intimate, and definitely a good date spot. The booths are cozy and some are such that you can adjust how close you are to your company. While this place is intimate, I should say that it’s not necessarily «sexy». It’s not swanky in the way that Death & Co is. It’s clear that Death & Co has influenced the menu at Nitecap, though. The menus aren’t necessarily similar, but the drinks are equally complex and unique here.
On that note, our drinks were good but not great. We actually split our final drink of the evening, which was a Saturday night special (Bulldog gin, lemon lime cordial, watermelon, saltl), which was better than what we had each initially ordered. But my intentions were good. I was ordering a nightcap at Nitecap, so what else was I to do other than order a cocktail from the «Nitecaps» section of the menu? It seemed like the obvious choice. I went with the «Smooth Sailing»: Tanqueray 10 Gin, Vanilla-​infused Perry’s Tot Gin, Lillet Blanc, Honey, Orange Bitters. Like I said, good but not great. I really must come back here, because almost every drink on the menu looked mouth-​watering to me. I sincerely hope to push this baby up a star after my next visit. This place has raisin-​infused rye. Come on.

I love this place!!! My friends and I had a wonderful dinner in the area and we were looking for a place to go for a drink or two.
It is located in a basement but the ambience is very intimate with music. I had the Jalapeño infused cocktail. sooo delicious. Have a seat at the bar and enjoy the friendly bartenders make various craft cocktails.