13 Bars With Private Rooms in NYC That Are Perfect for Big Groups, You Social Butterfly You
Hosting an event in New York can be...annoying. Whether it’s a birthday party or corporate event, wedding reception or baby shower, finding a place that’s big enough for your crew but private enough to actually have a conversation in can be tricky. To make things a little easier, we’ve compiled a list of the coolest bars in Manhattan with private rooms you can rent out that are good for big groups.
Route 66 Smokehouse
Neighborhood: Financial District
Standing Capacity: 200
Sick of the typical birthday party where you have to spend your whole night bridging various friend groups to make sure no one feels left out? The Game Room at Route 66 Smokehouse could be a welcome change of pace. With interactive games like shuffleboard, foosball, pinball, darts, and giant versions of Connect Four and Jenga, this New York bar is ideal for letting your friends mingle over friendly competition. Who knows? Maybe you’ll even have time for a quick game too. P.S. There’s a POPCORN MACHINE. Who doesn’t love a POPCORN MACHINE?!
Edie's at The Factory 380
Neighborhood: FlatironStanding Capacity: NA
What’s better than an Andy Warhol–themed bar? An Andy Warhol–themed bar hiding an Edie Sedgwick–themed speakeasy. This is one of the coolest private rooms you’ll find in New York, but we don’t want to ruin all the surprises...so grab your closest friends, head to Factory 380, and see if you can find the secret bar for yourself.
The Dead Rabbit
Neighborhood: Financial DistrictStanding Capacity: 60 • Seated Capacity: 35
The hospitality of an Irish dive combined with the high-scale taste of an upscale cocktail lounge, The Dead Rabbit is a gorgeous bar with unforgettable drinks and food. Book the Occasional Room for a fancy bday or very special corporate event to enjoy all the bar has to offer, all to yourself. But why take our word for it? Let its many awards speak for themselves.
Draught 55
Neighborhood: Midtown EastStanding Capacity: 150
The beautiful Atrium at Draught 55 is ideal for a fairy-tale wedding reception or epic birthday party. A full-service bar with six available draughts means your guests won’t have to leave the area to get their drink on. You can also set the mood with your own playlist over surround sound and entertain with three huge TVs. Or, if you wanna keep the mood intimate, enjoy the gas fireplace and lounge seating. Win-win.
Nebula
Neighborhood: Times Square
Standing Capacity: 50
While not exactly a bar, Nebula offers something that your typical neighborhood watering hole does not: a sleek, ultra-modern karaoke room that feels like you're about to get on either Elon or Jeff's rocketship. The club offers three private rooms on the lower level with their own dedicated restrooms - so you and 50 of your closest friends can belt out songs in luxury. You could buy out the entire venue and expand that party up to 700.
The Winslow
Neighborhood: Union Square
Standing Capacity: 35
The cozy Back Room at The Winslow British pub is good for groups and private events. Ensure your party has its own space to enjoy the delicious pub fare and low-key ambience. The best part? All your friends’ tabs count toward the minimum reservation spend, so make sure everyone drinks up!
The Delancey
Neighborhood: Lower East SideStanding Capacity: 200
Treat your employees to a one-of-a-kind corporate event at the airy and open Rooftop Garden at The Delancey. With a capacity of 200, it’s good for large groups or smaller ones of at least 10. The retractable roof means it’s open year-round, so enjoy the plants and sunshine anytime, even if it’s...not so sunshiney. Good, spacious city rooftops are few and far between, but this is one of our faves.
Jake's Dilemma
Neighborhood: Upper West SideStanding Capacity: 50
Want all the fun of a sports bar without all the hassle of shoving past a bunch of people to get drinks? Rent out the Living Room at Jake’s Dilemma, connected to the main bar but a little more private, to get a reprieve from the crowd while staying close enough to the action to enjoy the bar’s TVs and activities, like foosball and beer pong. A designated server will take care of your group, so just sit back and enjoy.
Taproom 307
Neighborhood: Kips Bay/Murray HillStanding Capacity: 180
A favorite of the trivia crowd, Taproom 307 is a fun, laid-back bar that allows you to celebrate with friends or co-workers. You can buyout the space for up to 180 guests but if you don’t have that many friends, take a semi-private section of the space.
3 Sheets Saloon
Neighborhood: West VillageStanding Capacity: 75
Head up to the second floor of 3 Sheets on 3rd Street for a party rental that’s sure to get you, as the name of the sports bar promises, three sheets to the wind. With room for 75, the second-floor Lido Deck is ideal for corporate events (networking drinks, anyone?) or a messy birthday party. Utilize the 10 HDTVs for important presentations...or, if it’s your 30th, a slideshow of your best-worst birthdays that came before.
Sid Gold's Request Room
Neighborhood: FlatironStanding Capacity: 150
We know you fancy, so rent out Sid Gold’s Request Room for a one-of-a-kind interactive experience (with fantastic cocktails to boot). Sid Gold’s serves Fifth Element futuristic chic alongside the hallmarks of any great piano bar: intimate seating and, well, a piano. (Duh.) The bar is open to up to 150 people for private events, so grab your friends, a Violet Siren or Hemingway Daiquiri cocktail, and get to requestin’! Their specialties? Rock, pop, and punk. Now that’s not somethin’ you hear on a piano every day...
Karaoke City
Neighborhood: NoMad/MidtownStanding Capacity: 100
Have you been dying to hear Randy from IT’s “Toxic”? Or do you wanna just belt out That Song From High School with your besties that’s, like, your guys’ song? As its name implies, Karaoke City is a huge New York karaoke bar with private rooms ideal for any of the above. Work talk at corporate events gets stale after a few minutes, even with booze, so leave the expense reports and Q3 projections back in the office and grab a mic instead! And don’t bar-hop for your birthday party and stumble into a karaoke bar at 2 a.m. (as you’ll inevitably do) when you can hunker down here all night long and have your whole crew with you. Party until someone puts on the TLC graduation song.
District Social
Neighborhood: Times SquareStanding Capacity: 75
Good for large groups, the Cellar at District Social will take you back to the days of yore with its impressive furnishings and exposed bedrock. It’s ideal for very private events, as the Cellar space has its own entrance to save you from interacting with anyone but your own crew. Rent out the space for your birthday party, engagement party, or other fancy event to wow your guests and party like it’s 1925. Gatsby theme, anyone?
Blue Haven
Neighborhood: NoHoStanding Capacity: 20
This above-average sports bar is a good place for groups for everything from a birthday party to movie screening to business outing. Its ceiling-high window comes with a view of Greenwich Village, and the 16(!!) huge TVs can be used for showing whatever your heart desires. Also, who doesn’t love a gastropub menu? Fill up with wings, nachos, and chicken fingers before downing a pitcher or three—and don’t you dare end the night without a round of deep-fried Twinkies.
The Flatiron Room
Neighborhood: FlatironStanding Capacity: 45
On the market for a no-hassle private rental? Allow the top-notch team at Flatiron Room to handle all the behind-the-scenes stuff for you and just enjoy the gorgeous bar for its unique interactive activities like whiskey tastings and mixology stations. Because who said you can’t learn a thing or two BEFORE getting drunk? The 3,500-square-foot venue is good for groups and has multiple projection screens, audio equipment, and mics for speeches, screenings, and everything in between. Bottoms up!