One Of The World's Most Famous Hidden Bars Awaits Behind A Hot Dog Shop

Several decades after the end of Prohibition, enabled by the pesky amendment that aimed to eradicate alcohol but really just pushed it underground, speakeasies all over the country were thriving. Or, rather, thanks to the 1933 repeal that let hooch flow (legally) once again, speakeasy-style bars in the U.S. were thriving, especially in New York City. Angel's Share opened up a narrow staircase that led through a heavy wooden door in 1993. You had to have a secret telephone number to access Milk and Honey when it debuted in 1999, a quaint feature that became a nano-trend. Sadly, the former has relocated, the latter is closed, and plenty others from around the turn of the millennium have met similar fates. More, still, have come and gone in the intervening years, with varying levels of credibility. However, featured on our list of dining destinations to eat (or drink) at in New York City in a day is PDT, situated beyond Crif Dogs on St. Mark's place in the East Village, which remains a stalwart of the speakeasy genre today.

Paradoxically famed for its location, PDT stands for Please Don't Tell. Everybody did, though, and it's known the world over that this 2007-established bar is still in operation down a few stairs and through the functional hot dog shop. That would be plenty hidden for a lot of supposed speakeasies, but PTD takes it even further with a stop in an old fashioned phone booth before you even glimpse the taxidermy, exposed brick, slatted ceiling, beautiful backlit bar, and fancy cocktails inside.

Back in those halcyon late aughts, reservations at PDT were made by — get this — phone only. But pop-ins weren't unheard of. Some nights, you could put your name in and wait with a hot dog or two, posing for a few Superman snapshots on your stills-only smartphone before sliding into the dark, tiny bar for moderately niche "craft" cocktails. But it all only stayed even semi-secret for approximately the time it takes to ideate one bespoke tipple. By the time phones got video and social media documentation became compulsory, PDT became New York City's best known speakeasy-style attraction. It got so hot that you'd have had to scarf a hundred weiners like Nathan's Famous Hot Dog Eating Contest champion Joey Chestnut before it was your turn to enter.

And it's still hot, with aspiring influencers all over the internet still quaintly calling PDT a "speakeasy," even as they exchange their legal tender for goods and services. But the modern booking system is, depending on your perspective, a little more convenient to navigate. While you won't come up against the antiquated busy signals of yore, you might want to camp out on Resy exactly seven days in advance of your desired date to improve your luck. Unlike in ancient times, you can also just click to secure whatever reservation is available. Some have even been rumored to have gained entry right at PDT's 5 p.m. opening, particularly on weekdays. And most are advised to try the chihuahua; an original Crif Dog item with a bacon-wrapped frank, sour cream, and avocado. (Vegetarian options are also available.)