Smith & Mills

On our lists of the best cozy restaurants and special-occasion restaurants in New York.

Employees Only's owners converted a Tribeca carriage house into this bar in the mid-2000s, and it still carries no sign outside, just doors that swing open on mild nights. Inside, the century-old building keeps its molded plaster walls and reclaimed wood, and one of the building's original elevator cabins has been turned into the bathroom. The kitchen serves a short menu built around steamed mussels, Hungarian meatballs and a rotating oyster list, alongside cocktails and a small wine list. The dining room holds about 25 people at a time, most of them within arm's reach of each other.