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Speakeasies in NYC: The Doors That Stay Hidden

During Prohibition (1920–1933), New York City had an estimated 30,000 to 100,000 speakeasies — more than double the number of legal bars that had existed before the ban. The sheer density of hidden drinking establishments meant that secret entrances were built into barbershops, laundries, basements, and private homes across every neighborhood. When Prohibition ended, most of these spaces were converted back to their original purposes — but a surprising number survived, either as bars that kept their hidden entrances for atmosphere or as sealed-off rooms that were simply forgotten behind new walls.

Chumley's at 86 Bedford Street in the West Village has operated as a bar since 1922 and famously never had a sign — the expression "86'd," meaning to be thrown out, allegedly comes from its address (though etymologists debate this). Please Don't Tell (PDT) in the East Village requires you to enter through a phone booth inside Crif Dogs, a hot dog restaurant. Employees Only on Hudson Street is marked only by a psychic's neon palm sign. These modern speakeasies preserve the Prohibition-era tradition of concealment, but the real historical hidden bars — the ones that were built to evade federal agents — were far more ingenious, with trapdoors, escape tunnels, and rooms that could be sealed in seconds.

StoryHunt's speakeasy experiences send you hunting for hidden bars — both the historical sites and the modern descendants. Your phone delivers Prohibition-era clues that lead you to unmarked doorways, concealed staircases, and addresses where the hidden entrance is part of the adventure. You'll decode the signs that speakeasy operators used to mark their doors, investigate the tunnels that connected bars to escape routes, and discover how the culture of concealment shaped the way New York drinks to this day.