The most haunted restaurants and bars in NYC

What is it? One of NYC’s oldest bars. It’s inside the landmark James Brown House (No, not the singer). The place’s age shows—in the best way.

Why we love it: Cheap(-ish) beers, late hours, live trad jazz, and a crowd that actually talks… mostly. It’s got a ton of soul plus a handy menu of pub food favorites. Plus, they give you crayons and a paper tablecloth, try out some psychography!

Who haunts it? Mickey, the bar’s pet poltergeist, is said to be a 19th- or early-20th-century sailor who just never shipped out. Stories range from harmless flirtations in which the object of his affection turns around only to find the handsome young man has disappeared to unexplained sips stolen from unattended pints.

Time Out tip: The kitchen runs late, but the burger is simple yet exactly what you want from a place like this. It can get crowded on the weekends and after work hours, when the neighborhood bros want something else to ruin for everyone. But if you arrive at the right time or stick it out, it’s an all-timer.

Address: 326 Spring St, New York, NY 10013

Opening hours: Daily noon–4am

Expect to pay: ~$5–$10/beer; ~$9–$15/wine glass; ~$15/cocktails;  ~$7–18/small plates; ~$16–$36/mains

What is it? Super old, Revolutionary War-era tavern with environs that sell the whole “old world New York” aesthetic because it is definitely that. It’s a little labyrinthine and bigger than you might expect, so a wrong turn can get you lost. The creaky wood, narrow rooms, and the documented tragedies here give it an eerie vibe in the right light.

Why we love it: A proper pour in a landmark that also functions as a history lesson; George Washington reportedly lodged here! There’s a museum upstairs, a whiskey bar downstairs. Live music nightly.

Who haunts it? It’s an old inn so, y’know, unfinished business hangs around. A 1790s murder-suicide tale and reports of apparitions in the barrooms appear on the haunting bingo card. The place also survived a 1975 FALN bombing that killed four and injured dozens.

Time Out tip: There’s a ton of seating, so if you don’t spot a place right when you walk in, go a little further. The place’s museum does seasonal Haunted History tours.

Address: 54 Pearl St, New York, NY 10004

Opening hours: There are a few different contiguously interconnected bars/rooms inside, and the hours may vary from room to room. Yes, that’s a little annoying but also kind of cool? In general: Mon–Fri 11:30am–11:30pm; Sat, Sun 11am–midnight

Expect to pay: Again: Other voices, other rooms. But a good idea is: ~$14–$20/beer & wine by the glass; ~$16–$22/cocktails; ~$16–$25/small plates; ~$24–$52/mains. 

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What is it? A second-floor East Village bar dressed in Soviet posters and deep-red paint, with music, readings, and downtown lifers at the rail. This place is a scene.

Why we love it: Cheapish drinks, literary calendar, live music, and zero influencer lighting. If you show up here thinking people will give a shit who you are, guess again.

Who haunts it? No named ghosties, just slightly-off vibes. That said, the building’s history is dubious: mob capo di capi Lucky Luciano had a casino and office here and who knows what horrors took place when someone, say, got caught cheating or couldn’t pay their debts or acted up? Violence makes a certain kind of energy linger. And disquieted souls tend to be stirred by bad poetry.

Time Out tip: Most readings start at 7pm; the adjacent Red Room goes late-night.

Address: 85 E 4th St, New York, NY 10003

Opening hours: Daily ~7pm–4am…

Expect to pay: ~$8–$12/~beer; ~$12–$14/~well cocktails.

What is it? A restored Gilded Age cocktail room tucked inside Grand Central, featuring cathedral ceilings and old-world vibes. It reads a little mausoleum-adjacent. And late-night it can feel like you’ve slipped into a Gozerian time pocket.

Why we love it: It’s Midtown–a nexus for commuters. But it’s a classy old-world glance to a time when design was less spare and utilitarian and minimalistic.

Who haunts it? There are stories about a presence in John W. Campbell’s old office. And some have reported odd cold spots in the lofted space. Is it a g-g-ghost or h-h-hvac? You decide.

Time Out tip: There’s always a pop during rush hour when people are heading home. Go late on a weekday for a spot on a couch or Friiday or Saturday for live piano.

Address: 15 Vanderbilt Ave, New York, NY 10017

Opening hours: Daily noon–midnight

Expect to pay: ~$21–$24/cocktail; ~$12/beer; ~$8–$30/small plates and a $90 caviar service.

What is it? An over 100-year-old West Village saloon with serious bohemia and literary history. The dim back rooms, old photos, and that Dylan Thomas story loom large.

Why we love it: It’s a West Village bar, so there’s plenty of revelry to get into here. It’s got a great location on the corner of Hudson Street (which is actually an avenue), and it's prime people-watching real estate.

Who haunts it? Lore says Dylan Thomas bounces between here and the Chelsea Hotel; regulars claim he favors a corner table. Some say if you leave a shot of whiskey unattended for even a moment, it’ll be gone when you look back. After all, the last thing the brilliant Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night poet said before collapsing into a coma from which he would never emerge was, “I've had eighteen straight whiskies—I think that's a record!” Poor guy.

Time Out Tip: Go off-peak afternoons for space; nights skew tourist-heavy.

Address: 567 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014

Opening Hours: Mon—Thu noon–2am; Fri 11am–3am; Sat 11am–3am; Sun 11am–midnight

Expect to Pay: ~$7–$10/beer; ~$18/cocktail; ~$15–$23/starter; ~$25–$36/main

What is it? Candlelit carriage-house institution. Prix fixe romance is on the menu, but guess what’s not? Conspicuous pricing. The creak of the staircase and inexplicably falling picture frames keep the room feeling sp-sp-spooooky.

Why we love it: It's white-tablecloth stuffy, indeed, and pricey, no doubt. But the food is delicious and the room is a kind of old-world pretty that you just can’t find much, if at all, elsewhere. If you’re planning a milestone, this is a nice place to do it.

Who haunts it? The building was Aaron Burr’s carriage house. Apparently, he and his daughter, Theodosia, are still occupants to this day. A parapsychologist once claimed up to 20 presences here, but it might’ve been rush hour commuter PATH (Paranormal Apparition Train Haunting) traffic.

Time Out tip: Book the three-course prix fixe over the longer tastings; better value, same room. A reservation is more or less a must.

Address: 17 Barrow St, New York, NY 10014 

Opening hours: Wed & Thu: 5pm–~10pm  Fri & Sat: 5pm–~10:30; Sun 5pm–~9:30pm Mon & Tues: Closed (Kitchen closes ~9, depending)

Expect to pay: ~$155/prix fixe, but goes higher with additions and wine pairing. ~$20–$24/cocktails. If you go here, go in without a budget ceiling, or that creeping sense of dread you feel will be emanating from your forthcoming bill.

What is it? The Algonquin Hotel’s dining room and its adjoining Blue Bar are where the greatest wits of the Roaring '20s once traded (metaphorical) daggers.

Why we love it: It’s definitely old-world New York—a long and storied fixture of the theater scene. Also, Hamlet, the legendary orange boy cat. We love him.

Who haunts it? Some say ghostly traces of the famed literary cadre (The Vicious Circle) abide, with Dorothy Parker most often cited as the central lingering presence. Visitors have spoken of inexplicable shapes and hushed voices. Some believe Parker’s spirit has quieted since her remains were reinterred in 2020, but what this article presupposes is… maybe it didn’t?

Time Out tip: Slide to Blue Bar before a show (why the hell else would you be in this neighborhood?) and have a martini. It feels right to drink one here. For a cool $10k you can get a martini with diamonds in it. Yes, seriously.

Address: 59 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036

Opening hours: Blue Bar’s all day dining goes from 3pm–10pm. The bar: Mon–Thu 3pm–11pm; Fri, Sat 3pm–midnight; Sun 2pm–10pm

Expect to pay: ~$10/beer; ~$21–$24/cocktails; ~$18/glass of wine; ~$17–$28/small plates; ~$20–$48/mains

What is it? 1868 proper Irish Hell’s Kitchen survivor overlooking the West Side Highway, all tin ceiling and charm. The upstairs rooms feel preserved in amber.

Why we love it: Pints by the river after a walk on the esplanade. Also, the room has a ton of character. Lovely bar, beautiful back-bar, gorgeous hardwood and tile mosaic floors–if you love a pub, this will ring the bell for you. Irish comfort food is also hard to argue with.

Who haunts it? Tales tell of a Confederate soldier who was stabbed in a fight downstairs and carried himself upstairs only to die in a bathtub. The ghost of movie star George Raft is said to linger here. If that weren’t enough, a spectral young Irish immigrant girl who died of cholera has been seen wandering the third floor. Some say her soul will remain, restless until she wins the Hell’s Kitchen housing lottery.

Time Out tip: Ask for an upstairs table if it’s open. It’s quieter.

Address: 626 11th Ave, New York, NY 10036

Opening hours: Daily noon–midnight

Expect to Pay: ~$8–$10/beer; ~$14–$15/cocktail; ~$15–$22/pub plates.

What is it? The restored lobby lounge of the Hotel Chelsea (commonly known as the Chelsea Hotel). Stained glass, heavy wood, and a placidity that belies decades of unruly genius upstairs.

Why we love it: I remember this place well, the Chelsea Hotel. It’s a great place to talk brave and sweet. Those are the reasons, this is New York. This place is famous, its heart is a legend.

Who haunts it? The hotel’s famous ghosts—poets, painters, visitors who never quite left—are the lore. There are a lot of them, including an orphan boy, Larry the Hipster, Nadia with the severed hand, and Mary, a beautiful young woman who’d been a passenger on the Titanic. She survived the harrowing ordeal while her beloved husband did not. Along with others pulled from the frigid Atlantic that night, she was triaged in the Chelsea. Unbearable grief drove her to hang herself on the fifth floor. It’s said she can now be spotted mooning over her reflection in the hotel’s many mirrors. I guess in this next century, vain ghosts will be seen posing for their selfie camera.

Time Out tip: Daytime is perfect for a quiet booth; evenings stretch to 2am. Larry the Hipster is said to be friendly—a guide happy to inform, so hang with him. Mary is testy and best avoided.

Address: 226 W 23rd St, New York, NY 10011

Opening hours: Daily 11am–2am

Expect to pay: ~$18–$24/cocktails; ~$16–$30/small plates.

What is it? A storied West Village townhouse playing host to a dining room cloaked in candlelight and ivy. The kind of unsettling encounter you’re likely to have is running into a celebrity pretending that they don’t love to act annoyed at feeling forced to pretend that they aren’t being noticed. Mysteries abound.

Why we love it: Its mix of old-New York allure and modern sensibilities. Low ceilings, velvet banquettes, and that incredible Edward Sorel mural. It feels like being let in on a secret.

Who haunts it? A male figure sporting 1920s formal wear has been seen–the so-called “Accidental Arsonist” who haunts Room 16. He’s been known to fiddle with the andirons and pokers.
Making his habit of lighting fires a boon to smokers. Other supernatural mischief reportedly includes footsteps, doors slamming–typical ghostly disquietudes. 

If you see him, you’d better be polite
Or else he might try again to set the building alight.
But he won’t succeed, that much is assured
So if you eat here, the spirits are best ignored
If you’re asking, no—I don’t know why I decided to rhyme.
If you’ve made it this far, sorry for wasting your time.

Address: 16 Bank St, West Village, Manhattan, NY 10014

Opening hours: Daily 5pm–11pm; Sat, Sun 11am–5pm

Expect to pay: ~$27–$35/small plates; ~$29–$265/mains