Patent Pending

On our lists of the best speakeasies and cocktail bars in New York.

Nikola Tesla once lived and ran experiments in the building that now holds Patent Pending, a history the bar leans into with cocktails named for scientific concepts, such as Wireless Waves and Wonder of Physics. By day the space runs as a coffee shop; at 5 p.m. it turns into a dim, candlelit bar with walk-in seating on a first-come basis. Reservations are only for groups of four to six, so early arrival matters once the room fills.