Antik 356 Bowery (Great Jones & E. 4th Sts.)
East Village
212.388.1655
Antik:
Antik is the latest venue to open sans-discernible-sign-out-front in a neighborhood notoriously rife with wannabe hipsters. The lair-like space has velvet banquettes, detailed wallpaper, and unpretentious table service. The dearth of an actual bar feels acceptable, since service from the waitresses who appear from a curtained back area is reliable. Ask for one of their flavorful specialty cocktails, only slightly contrived in name, like the White Lotus (vodka, elderflower liqueur, sake, plum wine, and lime). Due to its small size, you'll want to call ahead for a reservation to avoid trouble at the door. Lounge-goers should appreciate this pleasantly understated alternative to obnoxiously upscale places spotting the downtown area already. If Antik is too crowded, downstairs is the even more understated British pub King's Cross.
Antik is horrible, the place is small, pretentious without being worth it, the staff is rude, the place is terribly decorated, the drinks or weak and overpriced, the music sucked. You could not pay me to go back
