Best Clubs & Lounges in New York

1Oak boasts a tight door policy so it’s best to know someone who’s there…or look like you do. Drinks are insanely overpriced but the owners spend big on the DJs and there are stripper poles at the back of the club where drunk girls (and guys) have been known to put on a little show sometimes. Chace Crawford, Jay Z and Diddy are known to frequent this spots for its cool ambiance and great music…as are model-friendly superstars like Leonardo DiCaprio.

Settled beneath fellow-owned French eatery Casanis, Chloe is one of the newest additions to the LES nightlife scene. Although this cozy  basement-studio-apartment-esque place offers an intimate place to chill, you'd better not get too comfy in the plush red booths unless you've made reservations and bought a bottle. If you get kicked out of your seat, you and the rest of the "non-reservationists," as you'll be known here, can still dance to a decent mix of 80s and 90s music played by the house DJ. And you won't go broke for a night out: There's no cover charge. The vibe, good music, and appealing decor—think antique tables scattered with tea-light candles—make Chloe the ideal spot to end an evening.

GoldBar is anything but your average NYC club. It boasts the coolest décor of any nightspot on the scene, complete with gold skulls adorning the walls and thick gold chain curtains. And while the drinks are pricey, the interesting combinations they come up with, as well as a killer Mojito, make it well worthwhile. Also noteworthy is the small space, so it feels more intimate than lots of other spots, and the notoriously good music (especially on Sunday nights when doo-wop and hip-hop reign supreme).

Guests must call ahead to receive the unlisted address and make a reservation…oh, and everyone is buzzed in through a door complete with a video surveillance system. The tiny space is charming and features only a candlelit lounge, four-seat bar and a few reservation-only booths. Quite possibly the coolest part (for the ladies, at least) is one of the house rules: Men cannot chat up women, but women can chat up men, which we think is a huge stride towards eliminating one of the most irritating parts of nightlife. The drinks are expensive but totally worth it, as they are delicious and are Milk & Honey's true claim to fame. Special ingredients include Lavender, Blood Oranges, and, yep, you guessed it, Honey.

While the crowd at the club upstairs is your standard Chelsea club crew, Stans—the Thursday night event downstairs— is a different story. The drinks are kind of pricey for the crowd they typically draw (barely legal NY/LA-folk) but the music is good and the company is great: Cool kids without the hipster riff raff. 

For one who is tired of the traditional club fare that this city only ever seems to offer, this place is a wonderland. The space itself is the coolest of any club I've ever seen; An old theater with original banquettes and stage in tact....but turned into a night club complete with DJ and bottle service. But the best part? The incredibly strange and risqué shows that pop up at regular intervals on the stage, performed in the "style" of old Burlesque clubs and narrated by a man who gels his platinum blonde locks into horns on the crown of his head.