The Nines is a piano bar with a coat check, velvet seats, and $26 cocktails. But don’t get the wrong impression. The carpet here is cheetah print, and the pianist might be playing a cover of “Buy U a Drank” when you stop by. In other words, this is a downtown piano bar—which means you won’t be forced to check your coat, and you’ll probably see a bunch of people enjoying an extravagant pregame before they head out to places with guest lists and promoters. The cocktails are well-executed, and the upscale bar food is, well, upscale bar food (tuna tartare, shrimp cocktail, etc.), but the ambiance is the real draw. Want to sit in a warmly lit room and exchange some light banter as you try to figure out if you’re listening to a soft jazz cover of “Shallow”? This is the place to do it.