The Dead Rabbit, NY : The World’s Most Awarded Pub

If you walked past 30 Walter Street, New York throughout the 1830s, you’d have seen and smelt a dilapidated five-story townhouse, and you’d probably be witnessing the closing down of yet another failed business there.

People that weren’t prepared to give up on it however were The Dead Rabbit gang, who saw the potential of this Manhattan haunt and fought to own their poverty-stricken slum. Remembering the fighting spirit of their leader, boxer, businessman, politician and criminal John Morrissey, The Dead Rabbit opened in 2013 and has overcome a hurricane and a fire to expand and become known as ‘The World’s Most Awarded Pub’.

On the back of making The Cocktail Bar at The Merchant in Belfast the World’s Best Cocktail Bar in 2010, Sean Muldoon teamed up with Bar Manager Jack McGarry and regular customer Conor Allen to take on the most competitive drinking hub on the planet – New York.

Taking inspiration from the world-renowned craic and comfort of the Irish Pub, they set out to make an Irish Bar in New York... the world capital of Irish Bars. With the Dead Rabbits gang concept planned, focusing on authenticity, 19th century drinks and a hybrid of American innovation and Irish tradition, The Dead Rabbit Grocery & Grog finally opened in 2013, winning the Best New Cocktail Bar award. Two years later, it won the coveted World’s Best Cocktail Bar. In 2022, the new went separate ways, but The Dead Rabbit is as alluring as ever… but why?

Well, it boasts a trio of immersive experiences: The Taproom, The Parlor, and the Occasional Room. It's like having a pub for every mood swing, and that's a concept that's hard to beat.

In the Taproom, it's all about the craic. This is the place to revel in traditional Irish pub fare, top-notch cocktails, bottled punches, and, of course, the famous Irish Coffee. Every Sunday, a lively Irish seisiún awaits, making it the perfect end to the week. And whiskey lovers, brace yourselves for a back bar that's a treasure trove of choices.

Now, let's step into The Parlor, the cocktail cathedral of Downtown Manhattan that was once it’s best-kept secret. Here, 16 carefully curated cocktails reign supreme, crafted with house-made ingredients and innovative techniques. Martini, Gimlet, Whiskey Sour, Tiki, Old Fashioned… The Dead Rabbit stamp their signature all over them.

Last but not least, we ascend to The Occasional Room, where tavern traditions take hold as everything combines for a private hire space, accommodating up to 60 guests. Tailored food and drink packages await, making it ideal for swanky New York gatherings.

The Dead Rabbit stands as a testament to the spirit of Irish heritage, with a dash of New York flair, managing to stand out amongst the world’s greatest bars because it caters to whatever you want, from the best pint of Guinness in the city to the smoothest Julep cocktail, from a Sunday roast and Irish Breakfast to Guinness Braised Rib Sliders and Irish Points Oysters, it has everything. ‘Tradition, meet tomorrow’ is the perfect tagline.

30 Water Street, New York, NY, 10004
www.thedeadrabbit.com

Double Chicken Please: From Pop-Up to Best Bar

There’s nothing unusual about elegant cocktails and delicious food coming together, but there is with Double Chicken Please because of the lengths they’ve taken it to. First though, let’s turn back time to 2017 when this award-winning bar was a travelling pop-up…

More precisely, a bright yellow 1977 Volkswagen minibus, undertaking two tours of the states, notching up 10,000 miles and serving 1,200 cocktails. In the van? Faye Chen and GN Chen. They met in Taiwan working the hospitality scene, before making their own ways (Chan at NYC bar Angel’s Share, and Chen at Speak Low in Shanghai). Reconnecting when Chen arrived on American soil, they began to look for a place of their own… but with real estate at a premium in New York, they struggled.

So… they set off on a road trip, showing off their signature style – famous dishes reimagined in liquid form. Creations like Red Eyed Gravy, Beet Salad, and French Toast remain on the menu today at their Lower East Side bar. After a difficult mid-pandemic teething stage, Double Chicken Please opened with two distinct spaces; The Back Room and The Front Room.

The Front Room, a casual, industrial space offers quick-serve numbered cocktails, each listed on felt letter boards on a gallery wall: some familiar, like #1 with Aperol, passion fruit, sparkling wine, and soda, and some with more peculiar inclusions such as #9, with White Rum, Pineapple, Coconut and Curry. Signature chicken sandwiches created by highly skilled and experienced Mark Chou are also available, such as Mochi Donut with pickled pineapple, habanero, cilantro and strawberry. The menu continues like this, a whirlwind of the familiar and the unusual combined, embracing Asian flavours, cultural diversity, and experimentation.

Head to the Back Room, or The Coop, for a larger, more luxurious experience that retains the comforting warmth of every corner of Double Chicken Please. Here, drinkers can indulge in the bar’s heart and soul, with innovations like Mango Sticky Rice (rum, coconut, mango, cold-brew, coconut, sticky rice pu’er tea and wakame), Cold Pizza (tequila, Parmigiano Reggiano, burnt toast, tomato, basil, honey and egg white), and NY Beet Salad (gin, beet, pineapple, cranberry, mascarpone, yoghurt). Everywhere you look, Chan & Chen have reimagined culinary dishes with delicious cocktail outcomes.

In a city known for its bars, perhaps more than any other on Earth, Double Chicken Please has managed to stand out, earning a 6th place spot on the World’s 50 Best Bars list, earning the Highest New Entry Award for 2022. Despite the industrial décor, peculiar and often savoury flavour combos, food merged with drinks and two separate rooms, there is a universal warmth, and joy running through every part of Double Chicken Please. ‘The bar is designed to make people happy’ says Chan, and they’ve certainly done that.

115 Allen St, New York, NY 1000
www.doublechickenplease.com