You get the feeling that a lot of people stumbled upon this bar at some point and just kept coming back. Sure, you’ll see some tourists (because this place is in a Midtown hotel), but the Whitby doesn’t feel like a generic spot that exists primarily for guests with room keys. The massive space is filled with random things that look like they were collected from estate sales, and if you get hungry, you can get some bar snacks like beef sliders and za’atar chips or order from the adjoining restaurant’s full menu.

photo credit: Kenny Yang