The new rooftop bar at the James Hotel offers you the obligatory views of the Hudson River, but 18th floor location aside it’s also a stylish spot in its own right. The bar is on the small side but it’s elegantly decked out with comfy blue banquettes and an abundance of dark wood as well as an inviting fireplace…

There’s something of a dearth of decent nightspots in the Tribeca area, something Toro, the shiny new basement lounge at the Smyth Tribeca, may well rectify. The name means ‘bull’ in Spanish and the space is decorated with matadors’ capes and splashes of bright red upholstery…

There are few hotels so weighted with stories as New York’s Chelsea Hotel. To say its past was colourful would be a colossal understatement. The building’s new basement lounge, replacing the now defunct Star Lounge, doesn’t tie itself too closely to any of the infamous upstairs happenings (the bar and hotel are separate entities), instead opting for…

An eagerly awaited offshoot of a Las Vegas club, Lavo is targeted at Manhattan’s moneyed set. Offering Vegas-style service and glitz in uptown Manhattan, Lavo occupies the same space as the former Au Bar; as glamorous as anticipated it’s clearly out to attract a more mature crowd with money to spend…

The vault that now houses The Bunker, a subterranean nightspot beneath 9th Avenue, was only discovered by accident during a construction accident. The space, a former foundry, has since been transformed into a pulsating hipster hang out. It’s a large space (and looks pretty impressive when you first come down the stairs) but the designers have filled…

Hip boutique hotel chain Andaz has two properties in the city. The sleek Andaz Fifth Avenue and the glamorous Andaz Wall Street. The latter boasts a suitably stylish and contemporary lounge bar in Bar Seven Five. Drinks are served from moveable bar ‘pods’ creating something of a futuristic effect…

Abe and Arthur’s is yet another stylish addition to the Meatpacking District. It’s a sprawling and shiny yet somewhat stark (though not Starck) space, spread over three floors, and has clearly been designed to attract a moneyed, image-aware crowd. The bi-level dining room is all smoked glass and steel girders, 21st century industrial chic, but there’s…

Sasha Petraske is one of the most widely known names on the global bar scene. So when that name is attached to a project, you know it’s going to be worth further investigation. His latest baby is Mid Town’s newly refurbished Lambs Club in the Chatwal Hotel…

Cresting the wave of the tiki bar resurgence is the stylish Hurricane Club. Created by notable design team AvroKO, it’s a vast, glamorous venue with high ceilings and chandeliers glittering over a fountain of rum. This is a world away from the novelty cocktails and grass skirts of old school tiki joints; it’s luxurious, dramatic and playful – there’s…