The Library

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

Scribbles cover nearly every inch of wall space at this Avenue A dive, and a back room holds a couple of tables tucked beneath shelves of books, with black-and-white films looping on a projector nearby. The jukebox runs alt-rock and punk, the beer list stretches from Guinness down to Piels, and a Moscow mule covers the cocktail side of things. It doubles as a pre- or post-show stop for the crowd heading to Mercury Lounge down the block. Tables can be booked online, though most people just walk up to the bar.