The Darby Downstairs Lounge / Speakeasy

Chelsea / Flatiron, New York –

Hidden below the swanky Darby restaurant, The Darby Downstairs is a stylish speakeasy where models and mixology collide – a tenuous union seeing as models usually break when they crash into stuff.

It’s not unusual to see collections of spindly twenty-somethings gathered outside the venue’s separate entrance, stomping out smokes beneath six-inch stilettos before descending into a gold-hued space where the walls and ceiling are dressed in fake honeycombs.

The regular early crowd tends to be groups of moneyed Wall Streeters who pop in to snack on items from the abridged upstairs menu and knock back a few $18 classic cocktails, but it doesn’t take long for the doorman to start getting über-choosey.

DJs stick to an eclectic mix of 60s funk and old rock with some contemporary hip-hop woven in, though the vintage beats are usually enough to convince the older suits and their younger dates to set down their Tin Lizzy’s and dance.

Nearly the entire back wall is taken up by the bar, where Nylon editors and A&R reps clamor for drinks, while expansive patterned-leather sofas provide lots of room for the after-party crowd to wind down with a few bottles.

Promising a mellow vibe, pretty patrons, and a hefty bar tab, The Darby Downstairs is a basement party that‘s downright elevating.