With Bastille Day coming up, you don’t have to go through security to fulfill your Euro nightlife fantasy. Right here in the city, get bombed like the French and those other accented ones. Here are the best outposts this side of the Atlantic.
Pravda
281 Lafayette St. (Prince & Houston Sts.)
NoLita 212.334.5015
Eastern Europe is on display at
Pravda, NoLita’s Cold War-inspired lounge. Don’t worry though, you’ll feel hot in this trendy, plush lounge. The Russian vodka flows like water so make sure to chow down on the fabulous caviar to soak it all up.
Django
480 Lexington Ave. (46th & 47th Sts.)
Midtown 212.871.6600
European swank reigns free at this midtown lounge with colorful cocktails and luscious French-Mediterranean culinary delights swooning an upscale crowd. You can pretend you’re on the Riveria and enjoy the alfresco experience or go inside and drop into the plush seats with a signature Flirtini.
Barna @
Hotel Giraffe
365 Park Ave. S. (@ 26th St.)
Murray Hill 212.532.8300
There are surely no bottom dwellers at
Barna, Hotel Giraffe’s flashy bottom floor lounge. The white couches, mosaic bar, lends to the sleek, modern design, and the stylishly sexy European (or Euro-esque) hotel guests are eye candy. Spanish wine, signature sangria cocktails, and tasty tapas shore up a finished basement like you’ve never seen before.
Nevada Smith's
74 3rd Ave. (11th & 12th Sts.)
East Village 212.982.2591
Sure the name makes us think of Steve McQueen, but when you enter this Euro-alpha-male sports pub and you’ll find lots of pints, soccer, and jolly drunkenness. Brits, Irishmen, and NYU students cram in for the big matches, rooting on countries and clubs you may have never heard of. But, after a few, you too will go crazy after hearing “Goal!”
Alchemy
56 5th Ave. (Bergen St. & St. Marks Pl.)
Park Slope 718.636.4385
Alchemy, the science, combines chemistry, astrology, medicine, and a bunch of other stuff. This
Alchemy brings the old-world feel of London to Brooklyn with the meds being brews, leaving the chemistry up to you. Maybe “What’s your sign?” will work here. This gastropub designed with a vintage touch and subdued confidence, serves fines drafts, wine in stem-less goblets, and rabbit pie. Hop-a-long.
~Glen Nigel Straub
