Lillie's

Chelsea / Flatiron, New York –

Named for the 19th-century actress, model, and socialite Lillie Langtry, Lillie’s is an Irish-Victorian bar popular with business people, creative types, and weekend pub crawlers.

Although rushed office types hurrying to the back tables for a quick lunch and free Wi-Fi probably won’t notice the rotary phone, tinted glass, and vintage portrait that make up the little shrine to Langtry, the venue’s history isn’t lost on the writers, musicians, and cultured young professionals who pack the place after work to sip drinks at the beautifully restored Victorian carved-wood bar shipped all the way from Belfast.

Gold-topped columns, a marble fireplace, and authentic Victoriana sprinkled throughout the high-ceilinged salon create a demure but luxurious backdrop for the chatty groups and couples gathered on velvet Chesterfield banquettes, though the vibe is anything but reserved.

Once the after-work crowd winds down, the place is taken over by a younger college-aged clientele engaged in the kind of energetic discussion and subtle flirting that Lillie Langtry – famed mistress to Edward, Prince of Wales – would approve of.

Despite its antique décor and historic namesake, Lillie’s is anything but stodgy, as evidenced by the permanently upbeat vibe and capacity weekend crowds.