Sunken Harbor Club

Sunken Harbor Club sits a staircase above the latest iteration of Gage and Tollner, a Downtown Brooklyn restaurant that originally opened in 1892. That restaurant remains an official New York City landmark and still very much looks like somewhere you'd eat steak with a 19th-century industrialist—but sister establishment Sunken Harbor is, for some reason, a tiki bar. Don't question it. The pirate ship theme doesn't really mesh with what's going on downstairs, but it sure feels nice drinking a single-malt old fashioned in a dark, wood-paneled room with ropes and buoys hanging from the ceiling. The cocktail program is very serious (in that the drinks are plentiful and well-engineered) and also not so serious (in that the beverage names lean heavily into the pirate theme). Try this place for a casual $20 drink the next time you want to hide somewhere dim and try a cocktail with housemade banana liqueur. Despite the name, this place isn't exclusive—although it is small and walk-in only. So come on the earlier side to guarantee yourself a seat.