NYC Spotlight: The McKittrick Hotel

The McKittrick Hotel, home of “Sleep No More,” The Heath, Gallow Green and Manderley Bay, is hands down the most unique NYC venue I’ve been to so far. With all the slush, ice and snow raging outside, my friends and I stumbled upon the perfect spot to get away from the yuck: a delightfully cozy, rustic and toasty cabin setting, nestled in a forest of Christmas trees. Yes, Christmas trees. Welcome to The Lodge, the Winter transformation of the also fabulous rooftop bar, Gallow Green. As you walk through the Pine tree lined pathway to The Lodge, you already know you’re about to step into somewhere magical. The door literally looks like it’s an entrance into Narnia.

Once you step inside, you’re immediately immersed in an authentic, woodsy, winter wonderland-esk atmosphere. We warmed up with some delicious hot cinnamon cider and mulled wine and decided to sip our drinks on a sweet bunk bed, which was made perfectly complete with Scottish-y blankets and pillows. The Lodge is pretty spacious. In addition to the two bunk beds, there’s little kitchen area, an adorable fireplace, roomy sitting areas with comfy seats and plaid throws, a large wooden communal table, a bedroom where the bed is surrounded on all sides by old books, a desk area connected to the bedroom, which is sprawled with specimen drawings, notebooks and writings- and then of course, the fully stocked bar. Lots to explore!

Photo credit: The McKittrick Hotel

The cabin is so filled with details and unique touches- such as sheet music, old pictures, Scottish maps and letters tacked on to the walls, old books everywhere and worn-in ornate rugs covering the wood floors- creating a total feeling of being out of NYC. Coincidentally, the euphoria that is no longer feeling trapped in NYC, is one of my favs. YASSS.

After some time in the cabin, we pried ourselves off the comfy bunks and headed downstairs to The Heath, the restaurant at The McKittrick Hotel. Once again, we were immersed in a whole new setting: hello 1930’s speakeasy! The atmosphere was unlike any I had been in- the restaurant environment was smokey, super swanky and classically cool. The servers were theatrical and surprisingly friendly- some were completely decked out in gowns, while the bartenders wore slick suspenders- and the live jazz band playing was fantastic! They even mixed in some fresh salsa beats- definitely seasoned pros.

The whole place had a lively, vibrant and grand feel to it. The decor was on point. Did I mention there are completely functional old time train dining cars outside the restaurant? Because there are. We ordered a couple small English plates: the buffalo burrata and the mini pork pies. The buffalo burrata was light, refreshing, creamy- thanks mozzarella- a little tangy and I loved the chucks of beets mixed in with everything. Not to mention it looked beautiful!

The mini pork pies were savory and smokey. The contrast with the delicate, sweetness of the puff pastry was delicious… the only down side was there’s only 3 in the order and if I’m being totally honest with myself I could have had maybe 7. or 8. And obvs we ordered some top notch cocktails. Oh, and a random port, which I’m 99% sure was ordered to try to impress the waitress (wasn’t ordered by me!) Anyways, NOM NOM NOM.

Once we wrapped up, we headed down to the lower level of The McKittrick Hotel – Manderley Bar– with the full intention of continuing to the exit. But low and behold there’s another live performance going on! Rockin’ out was Carrie Manolakos and so we happily extended our enjoyable night out for a few more songs.

I totally recommend hitting up this spot your next night out! Come April, it will change to the super classy and beautiful rooftop venue, Gallow Green, once again.