Monkey Thief

On our list of the best cocktail bars in New York.

Built around its founder's years living and traveling in Asia, this Hell's Kitchen cocktail bar serves shareable small plates meant to go with the drinks rather than stand alone as a meal. Utensils and napkins arrive in coconut milk cans, and the fried chicken, coated in cumin and Sichuan peppercorn, comes in two sizes for splitting. Neon light and pendant lamps woven from natural fiber set the room somewhere between a pre-theater stop and a late, unpretentious hang.