Banzarbar in New York
Site: https://www.banzarbar.com/
- Monday:Closed
- Tuesday:Closed
- Wednesday:6PM–12AM
- Thursday:6PM–12AM
- Friday:6PM–12AM
- Saturday:6PM–12AM
- Sunday:Closed
Truly an amazing and intimate experience in this off the beaten track bar. They offer a rotating tasting menu (last seating is 10:30) where you have the opportunity to try food and low ABV drink pairings. A seafood forward menu and an excellent bar selection. Highly recommend!
The experience heading into Banzabar is one of the coolest parts. You’ll walk down the alley to Freemen’s, head up the stairs, hang out on a couch for a bit, then get escorted into this nautical-themed room that smells Smokey and nice.We did the 5-course pairing. Some cocktails were a homerun (the st Germain) and some weren’t so good (the sherry), but the actual food pairings were great. $95 was a great price for five cocktails and five bites.
Vibe: Intimate space beautifully tucked away within a restaurant within an alley. A special experience.Value: The most inventive cocktails and knowledgable staff in the city. Truly know their menu and the intentionality behind each drink. Its the place I hope people dont discover.Shackleton’s Urn - Absolutely delicious. Wonderful combination of fruits for the sweetness. Perfect amount of heat as well from the chili.The Heart & The Hind - Not as multi dimensional as I would have hoped. Most of the flavors were muddled together in a way it didn’t lay enough respect to each.Divine Lantern. Really interesting use of Baiju. Delightful balance of everything. Thought the sift/grit of the sesame was the tiniest bit unpleasantSumarr & Vetr - Banana and sarsaparilla was fascinating.Road to Kerala - Got the mezcal, rye, and Thai chili notes. Chili added a nice bite to the end. Well made but didn’t get a lot of the other flavors, not even the chartreuse.Moonraker Sail - Plum flavor was brought forward very well. Clean and crisp.Arctic Willow - Well done not making the whiskey too dominant. Pleasantly, almond was the star. Hibiscus was nice and subtle towards the end.Ulu Edge - Mint lavender garnish went well w/ the cocktail. Tea was the most prominent. Other flavors blended well together, almost too well though because it was difficult to distinguish.Tempura Squash Blossoms - Have never had them fried before. Was most interesting from a texture stand point. Flavor was lackluster. Sauce was delicious but overpowered when dipped.*As always, remember everyone has off days, check your bias, and consider other palates.
This lovely gem is an amazing and intimate spot. I went there for a date night and was superbly pleased. The cocktail pairing menu was absolutely amazing. The effort and thought was very visible. In addition, my boyfriend and I shared the Kraken and it definitely was not done justice by its description. The ambiance alone makes a trip worth while. We will definitely be back soon!
One of the best places Ive been to. It is a hidden gem! The cocktails are excellent and the whole experience here is incredible! It is a cozy place hidden inside Freemans. We got a few skewers as well which were very tasty. I would highly recommend this place to anyone who is looking for a good atmosphere with brilliant cocktails.
The two star is to offset the average this place currently enjoys. The ambiance is great and the staff is incredibly attentive and welcoming. However, the drinks were incredibly disappointing. The fact is they charge $20 a drink, Death & Co, PDT and Attaboy are all superior and some with prices below mark by several dollars. I’m not trying to price shame. But if you’re going to operate at that price point you need to deliver a complex and palatable drink. It cannot be average. Or worse, bad. Which the drink from the summer menu with blueberry “bitters” was. It is a damn shame because it’s a great vibe.
One of these speakeasy bars that remind you why New York is the worldwide capital of cocktails. The drinks are delicious, original, crafty but not pretentious, presented in beautiful glassware. They offer a cocktail tasting menu for the adventurous. The menu is limited but sufficient. You can also order custom drinks. Small and casual chic setting with a nice U-shape bar that takes most of the space. The skilled, elegant, and friendly staff guides you through the menu and the whole experience. Food is great, even if we couldnt try their already famous kraken as they had run out of it!
This Speakeasy is hidden in Freemans Alley. It is a small and intimate place with specialty (expensive) cocktails and bartenders who are very knowledgeable about alcohol. Before we even ordered they brought us an amuse-bouche. Just know what kind of Alcohol you like before you go. Their menu is a little eccentric and it is not made for everyone.
Dont expect to eat food there. Micro portions along side complex cocktails. The cocktail pairing just gets a overwhelming after the third one. Our server just failed to notice our displeasure and as we stared to not finish a course or even our drinks she just keep going hoping we would just leave. After I told her I didnt like a drink or the food all I got was a weak Im sorry. She said come back for the entree dishes next time, but since service was not in line with prices I will not be going back. Spent $235 and then went out to eat dinner elsewhere.
Came here on a Friday with some friends. We had an issue because we were a group of 5 and the bar doesnt take more than groups of 4 so we had to wait until someone left before we could go up. This was pretty frustrating. However, after we went up, the service was good and the drinks were delicious as well!
Total reviews rating 4.8
61 Reviews for Banzarbar 2023:
Review №1
2022-05-25Banzarbar is a hidden gem nestled in the upstairs of Freeman’s. The space is small and intimate. The service is warm and friendly. The bar program is creative and unique. They had a limited menu during our visit so we only had oysters and the tempura green beans. Both were fresh and flavorful. I will absolutely return. Loved the entire experience.
Review №2
2022-08-02Definitely a cocktail experience place. This place is a vibe. Hidden atop Freeman’s, which is already hidden in Freeman’s alley. Space is intimate and limited. 10 bar seats, 1 table of 4 and 3 tables of 2. Reservations are required, although I was able to get one same day on Friday night. Walk in might be possible depending on the day and if you come early. I recommend requesting to sit at the bar. You get to interact with the bartender and they can help navigate you through the complex menu.On to the cocktails - they are definitely different and creative. There are wild flaming ones and then twists on common cocktails. The tastes are complex and unique. My first one was a bit strange. It was a spin on an old fashioned with a shochu/bourbon blend. The bourbon was quite woody and the cocktail gave off a weird aroma. My second cocktail was a spin on a G&T, very floral and 🌲. I enjoyed this a lot. The bartender also poured us a complimentary vermouth to start, which was nice. They are pricey, ranging from $20-26 per cocktail. I believe all recipes were created in house by the bartenders.
Review №3
2022-01-20Very unexpectedly high-quality food at a speakeasy cocktail bar inside of Freemans restaurant. They have an extensive cocktail menu and excellent customer service. Love the pear cider they gave to start the evening! Ordered duck confit dumplings with ginger broth and salmon crudo with watermelon radish and they both tasted great! For cocktails, I had Arctic Willow (whiskey-based) and From Prussia with Love (dry vermouth-based). Both tasted very unique, complex yet balanced.
Review №4
2022-08-17Hidden upstairs at The Freeman is Banzarbar. Let all of your wildest imaginations come to light. Kidding of courseA very small, intimate space, but one that really sets the bar high. Their menu is based off periods of history. For my first drink, I decided to go with The High Alps (look it up if you want to know more about their cocktail menu inspiration) and order the Mont Blanc. Tequila is the base, but the anise and lemon really popped out. For my second drink, I decided to order From Prussia with Love. The Old Tom Gin paired with the various floral and vegetative flavors made this a very refreshing drink. For my last drink, I decided to go with the Polynesian Triangle and ordered their staple, the Shackletons Urn. Being a gin guy myself, I truly enjoyed the London Dry and Old Toms Gin that were the base. The green chili and peach was a nice touch that added some differing contrast to what is a very, very exceptional drink. I really, really enjoyed itMy experience at Banzarbar was excellent! Nothing disappointed me. Cocktails were very impressive, ambiance intimate, and service was exceptional! Will definitely be back!
Review №5
2022-04-10This place is in such a cool location at the of a beautiful graffiti/mural alley. Delicious cocktails, great staff, beautiful ambience, and the food that we got (artichoke dip was incredible, brownie was great) was memorable. Highly suggest visiting this place!!
Review №6
2021-12-05It was great!The drinks were cool!The place is a bit difficult to find, it’s in the end of the Freeman alley street, and at the second floor of Freeman restaurant.I also also ordered the ube ice cream!
Review №7
2021-10-05Great cocktails. Friendly and prompt service. Terrific setting. Overall a must go to and a fun spot to surprise friends or a date when they think you are just going to freemans. Also their whiskey selection is top notch if you are just looking for something neat or on the rocks.
Review №8
2021-10-05Talk about earning street cred for knowing about this hidden gem; and I don’t even live in NYC. With limited seating, reservations are a must. The drinks aren’t your typical, same run-of-the-mill drinks you get served at your local bar. These are originally made, and served in a way that made me question the way my signature drink’s been made for the past 12 years. The vibe is dark and smooth, intimate but not stuffy. Perfect for a date.
Review №9
2021-12-12Excellent little speakeasy upstairs from Freemans. The staff were all great - friendly and knowledgeable - the space is cozy and stylish, the cocktail menu is creative, and theyve got a couple good whiskey picks as well. I had a house single barrel pick from Russels Reserve that was spot on, and my wife had an interesting salted lemon cocktail built on a tequila base.We didnt order any food on this trip, but the curated menu looked well-chosen, too. Definitely worth a visit.
Review №10
2021-07-19The crowd was way too loud for this place to feel like a classy speakeasy.The drinks are quite expensive but Id be ok with that if it actually tasted good. The Shackleton urn is really gimmicky and is probably the most popular because it comes with a little flame (that doesnt actually contribute to the taste of the cocktail itself)