The best speakeasy NYC with live music is the one where the band is part of the room, not a bonus you discover after you’ve already paid $19 for a cocktail. Hidden doors are easy to find in this city. A hidden door with a working piano, a rotating jazz lineup or a Thursday soul night behind it is harder.
We narrowed it down to four basement, upstairs and behind-the-door bars where the music is a real reason to go. Reach for the best speakeasy NYC with live music when you want a date night that feels like a plot twist, and book ahead where you can (several of these are small, and a few are 21+ only).
Here are the 4 spots serving up the best speakeasy NYC with live music, whether you’re after old-school jazz, a Japanese-style listening bar, or a gold-walled lounge under a hotel.
Little Branch – 🏆 Bowery Beat Editor Top Choice
Address: 20 Seventh Ave S, New York, NY 10014
Phone: (212) 929-4360
Style: Prohibition-style cocktail cellar with live jazz
Vibe: Tiny, dark, and very much first come, first served
Price: $$$ (cocktails run in the high teens and up)
Little Branch is the bar people mean when they say speakeasy in the West Village. Look for an unmarked steel door at the corner of Leroy Street and Seventh Avenue South, then head down into a candlelit room that feels like it was built for a piano trio.
The jazz is not a guaranteed nightly thing, so treat it as a bonus on top of a very strong cocktail list rather than a promise. Get there early, because the room is small and the line doesn’t care about your plans.
If you only try one best speakeasy NYC with live music, make it this one, and expect to wait.
Polly’s at Tanner Smith’s
Address: 204 W 55th St, New York, NY 10019 (lower level)
Style: Vintage-inspired speakeasy with live jazz and burlesque
Vibe: Velvet, brass, and a surprising amount of Midtown
Price: $$$
Hours: Listed as Tue-Sat from 5pm until late (confirm before you go)
Website: pollysnyc.com
Midtown is not where you expect to find a good secret bar, which is exactly why this one gets the TikTok treatment. Polly’s sits below Tanner Smith’s and runs a rotating schedule of live jazz sessions, with burlesque shows added to the mix on some nights.
It’s 21+ after 4pm and you’ll need ID at the door. Bookings go through the Polly’s site, and it’s the easiest pick on this list for a pre-theater drink.
Wildcard
Address: 238 E 53rd St, 2nd Floor, New York, NY 10022
Style: Japanese-style speakeasy with a rotating live music calendar
Vibe: Cozy, nostalgic, and a little bit karaoke-adjacent
Price: $$
Reservations: Via Resy
Wildcard is the most specific bar on the list, in the best way. Past nights have included live J-pop and city pop, neo soul, bolero and vintage rock, and the bar has posted a weekly Thursday soul night.
That is a very different best speakeasy NYC with live music than a jazz trio, and a good one if your taste skews Tokyo-in-1985. Book on Resy, and check the calendar first, since the lineup changes and some months have been quiet.
Tomi Jazz is across the street if you want to make it a block-long Japanese music crawl.
Ten11 Lounge & Bar
Address: 19 W 31st St, New York, NY 10001 (beneath Zoi at The LIFE Hotel)
Style: Moody NoMad lounge with live jazz nights and DJs
Vibe: Glowing amber walls, Turkish marble, after-work energy
Price: $$$
Hours: Listed as daily 4pm-12am (confirm before you go)
Ten11 hides beneath Zoi Mediterranean and plays up the secret-stairs thing hard on social, with a waiter happy to point you to the staircase.
Listings mention a live jazz band on Tuesdays from 7pm to 10:30pm, with no minimum for bar and lounge seating, plus DJ and Afro nights later in the week. It’s the right call when you want a glam room and a reasonable seat without a line.
So, What Is the Best speakeasy NYC with live music?
The best speakeasy NYC with live music really depends on what you’re in the mood for.
If you want the classic, Little Branch has it.
If you want a Midtown surprise, Polly’s delivers.
If you want something no other bar has, go to Wildcard.
If you want a glam room with a Tuesday jazz band, Ten11 is the move.
There isn’t one single answer, and that’s kind of the point. Music schedules change constantly, so check each bar’s calendar before you commit. For more late-night plans, browse our Nightlife guides, pair this with our Lower East Side happy hour picks, or see the best Halloween bars in NYC this month.
