Jim Meehan opened PDT in 2007 behind a phone booth inside Crif Dogs on St Marks Place and accidentally invented the modern speakeasy revival. The entrance ritual — step into the booth, pick up the receiver, wait for the click — became the most imitated bar concept of the century. PDT endures not because of the gimmick but because the drinks have always been excellent: originals built with serious technique alongside classics handled with the precision of a bartender who wrote the book on them — literally, as Meehan's 'The PDT Cocktail Book' is a standard reference. The room is small, wood-panelled, warmed by taxidermy and candlelight, holding perhaps forty people in a space that feels like a private club.
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The Benton's Old Fashioned — bacon-fat-washed bourbon, maple syrup, bitters — is PDT's most famous original and a modern classic. The menu rotates seasonally; ask what the bartender is most excited about from the current list. A hot dog from Crif Dogs passed through the window is the pairing nobody expected and everybody orders.
Reservations are available on Resy and strongly recommended — the room is small and walk-ins depend on cancellations. Early evening on weeknights for a calmer experience. The phone booth entrance through Crif Dogs is part of the ritual; do not skip it even if you have a reservation.
113 St Marks Place, East Village (enter through Crif Dogs). Astor Place station (6) or First Avenue (L). Cocktails $18-22. Reservations on Resy are strongly recommended — the space holds roughly 40 people. The phone booth entrance is through the hot dog shop; step inside, pick up the receiver, and wait. Jim Meehan opened this in 2007 and it remains one of the most influential bars of the 21st century.