Employees Only
Employees Only opened on Hudson Street in 2004, put up by five people who already worked the trade. It won World's Best Cocktail Bar at the 2011 Spirited Awards, the drinks trade's own prizes. Its bar team took the American title there in 2015. The kitchen stays open as late as the bar.
Why go
You come in past a fortune teller's lair. The room behind it runs art deco, with overhead luggage racks, backlit paintings and a bar that curves.3
The house drinks are a twist on the Manhattan, the Ginger Smash, which changes with the season, and the Amelia.3
The kitchen is New American with Eastern European edges: steak tartare cut by hand, bone marrow served as poppers, skate paprikás. You can eat it at a table or at the counter, and a cocktail averaged $17 in September 2026.2
Order this / avoid
- Order: the Ginger Smash, and ask what it is running on this season.
- Order: the skate paprikás if you have not eaten.
- Avoid: expecting a quiet corner. The playlists are loud and that is the design.
What locals & experts say
- 50 Best, on its own venue page:
this joint boasts killer playlists and the friendliest of staff who are equally happy to chat drinks or join in for shots.
2 - Tales of the Cocktail Spirited Awards: World's Best Drinks Selection in 2011, and Best American High Volume Cocktail Bar in 2015.1
- 50 Best: No.95 on The World's 50 Best Bars in 2025, and No.45 on North America's 50 Best Bars in 2026.2
Good to know
- Getting in: the bar takes reservations for dinner. Walk-ins go to the bar.
- The door: 510 Hudson Street, in the West Village.
Verdict
should-visit — Order like it is a restaurant and the cocktails will look after themselves.