Spookiest Halloween bars in New York City to visit
Beetle House is a year-round eatery celebrating all things horror in Manhattan. Credit: Tim O’Grady
Halloween kicks off earlier and earlier each year, with costume parties, horror movies and festive treats. And for some, Halloween is a year-round celebration honoring all things that creep and crawl.
Long Islanders who get a thrill out of spooky season can head into New York City for a night of tricks and treats as bars and restaurants are already causing a fright with creative cocktails and dark decor.
Sink your fangs into a spooky spirit or a creepy bite at Beetle House in the East Village which takes inspiration from Tim Burton films and horror classics. "All of the freaks and weirdos call Beetle House their year-round home," says owner and concept creator Zach Neil. Inside, revelers will find skeletons, horror characters, burgers finished with a pair of Beetle House scissors and cocktails smoking from the top.
Neil describes Halloween as "our Super Bowl for 55 days," but adds the holiday never stops at this eatery.
From a new pop up bar to restaurants that will have you feeling like you're in a cult-classic horror film, here are haunted destinations worth the train ride.
BEETLE HOUSE
308 E. Sixth St., Manhattan
The gothic-style decor at this year-round bar and restaurant was inspired by the works of Bram Stoker, Edgar Allan Poe, Stephen King and Tim Burton. Entertainment ranges from live music to palm readers and psychics to sideshow performers like fire eaters, contortionists and sword swallowers.
Sip on the Big Fish Bowl or dare to try the Edward Burgerhands. Credit: Tim O’Grady
CREEPY COCKTAILS AND COMESTIBLES Look for such drinks as the "This is Halloween" (cinnamon liquor, sour apple liqueur, pumpkin liqueur, apple cider, ginger beer) and the "Beetle’s Juice" (tequila, muddled blackberry, cranberry juice, lime juice, simple syrup). Those with a haunted hunger can chomp on the "Edward Burger Hands" (served with scissor-shaped skewers) and the "Frites & Frights," which are loaded fries that come in a wide variety of zesty toppings.
MORE INFO 646-510-4786, beetlehousenyc.com
MADAME X
94 W. Houston St., Manhattan
More sexy than creepy, it’s a venue in Greenwich Village that goes for more of a red-bathed French bordello look; think more "Moulin Rouge" than monstrous. Patrons can look forward to cosplay and Halloween bashes this spooky season. The space has a backyard garden that opens to guests following the annual Village Halloween parade on Oct. 31.
CREEPY COCKTAILS Order a gin-lychee martini dubbed the "Eye Spy," a purple-hued mix that uses cherry-stuffed lychees to resemble bloody eyeballs.
MORE INFO 212-539-0808, madamex.com
BLACK LAGOON POP-UP AT SOMEDAY BAR
364 Atlantic Ave., Brooklyn
The Black Lagoon pop-up bar in Brooklyn features scary decor and creepy cocktails. Credit: Eugene Lee
The new immersive pop-up party which runs through Oct. 31, surrounds guests in gruesome decor that borrows personality from the metal and Goth music genres. Halloween fans can take photos with skeletons and coffins and sip on creepy cocktails all while an eerie soundtrack plays.
Patrons can take photos with creepy props and sip on haunted cocktails at Black Lagoon pop-up bar in Brooklyn. Credit: Kelsey Ramage / Eugene Lee
CREEPY COCKTAILS Slurp mixed beverages like "Nosferatu’s Rise" (coconut rye whiskey, cinnamon, sherry, Caribbean spice bitters), "Nightmare Fuel" (tequila, mango liqueur, matcha, lime, Thai spice bitters, absinthe) and "Hex Appeal" (gin, melon cordial, lemon, dry vermouth, seltzer).
MORE INFO blacklagoonpopup.com
PARADISE LOST
100 Second Ave., Manhattan
Paradise Lost serves up tropical drinks with a twist of horror. Credit: Noah Fecks
With decor that lies somewhere between a tiki bar and the underworld, the design takes its cues from horror films, comic books and punk rock culture. The tropical oasis has nods to poet John Milton's "Paradise Lost."
The East Village tiki bar serves cocktails in fun glasses perfect for a photo-op. Credit: Noah Fecks
CREEPY COCKTAILS Sip on the "Attack of the Banantulas" (blended rum, Mexican rum, banana, passion fruit, cinnamon, ginger, allium) and the "witches’ Sabbath" (Jamaican rum, blended rum, brandy, two kinds of gin, citrus, falernum liqueur). A recommended spooky dish is the "Deviled Egg Abyssal Roulette," which combines deviled eggs, smoked trout roe and kimchi powder, along with another egg dabbed with a hot sauce made with Pepper X, a chili pepper deemed the hottest pepper on the planet in 2023 by Guinness World Records.
MORE INFO 929-399-4666, paradiselost.nyc
