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Opening Hours
Today: 3pm–12am
Tues:
3pm–12am
Wed:
3pm–12am
Thurs:
3pm–12am
Fri:
3pm–1am
Sat:
3pm–1am
Sun:
3pm–12am
Location
6 West 32nd Street
Cloud Social 1 Bars Rooftop Bars Chelsea Koreatown Tenderloin

“You can’t really get much closer than that,” Tom, our photographer said, when we were surprised by the enormous view of the Empire State building looming over us. We were on the roof of the Nyma hotel on one of the first warm days in the spring of 2015. Fun, bright orange outdoor seats, the same color as the cozy heat lamps, greeted us next to zebra striped tables topped with little grassy ornaments. Unlike many of the more luxurious rooftop bars, Cloud Social felt more like a good friend’s well-decorated garden patio, unintimidating and intimate. This is exactly how Frank and Maya, the couple who own the bar along with VU at the top of La Quinta, want guests to feel. Frank told us “We don’t want to be pretentious – you don’t need to pay at the door, and there is no dress code. You can come in your shorts!”

Rooftop bars are Frank’s passion. He started working with hotels when he opened a small bar on the second floor of the Hotel at Times Square. He explained, “Hotels like the way I operate.” He recognizes that when he rents space from a hotel, he must respect the guests. For example, it is essential that his staff be considerate to those on the top floor and control the noise level. Frank was sure to mention, however, that most of his patrons do not come from the hotel, but rather from the surrounding neighborhood. “We attract many young professionals, partly because we keep our prices reasonable.”

Maya is responsible for the décor. “Certain colors are soothing to the eye,” she said, when we mentioned how much we enjoyed the orange. She continued to explain that she wanted to create a zen feeling with her design. Both Maya and Frank are proud of the fact that the bar is open year-round, and that people take advantage of it. “Even when it’s cold, many people will come outside, take pictures, have a smoke, and then go back,” they told us.

The bartenders made us a couple of Cloud Social’s most popular cocktails: A paloma (Mexico’s best loved drink), made with raw sugar around the edges and “On the Roof,” which immediately transported me to the Caribbean with its flavors of Malibu and peach schnapps. Both drinks furthered the feeling of being at a friend’s classy pool party, and were delivered by very attentive, friendly staff. Frank explained that he puts a lot of emphasis on service. He believes it has been one of the main reasons why he has been successful. “A drink is a drink: you won’t remember a bad drink,” he said, “but you will always remember bad service.”

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Lost Gem
Toshi's Living Room and Penthouse 1 Bars Tenderloin Flatiron

Toshi's Living Room and Penthouse

Having spent years throwing parties and doing his best “most interesting man in the world” impression, Robert Chan, a.k.a. Toshi, seems to have settled down. After starting his career on Wall Street, Toshi became an actor (appearing most notably in The Departed), all the while hosting mega-parties that became famous citywide. Now, he has been trying his hand in the hotel business, running the Penthouse and Living Room in conjunction with the Flatiron Hotel for the past few years....and, by what we could discern, rather successfully.The living room downstairs serves as a funky music and performance venue, with live acts every night of the week. The couches are cyan, magenta and golden and might have been designed by a stylish Dr. Seuss. A circular tank houses all sorts of tropical fishes, including sharks, and juts up to the second floor mezzanine. There is a bar on each of these first two floors, with an experienced mixologist slinging all sorts of spirits until two in the morning.But it is upstairs, in the Penthouse, where there is a minimum spending limit so the vibe is a bit more exclusive (all hotel guests have access). Emphasis is placed on outdoor seating, with the Empire State Building providing a powerful backdrop. On any given night, alongside the live performances, Toshi's affable canine companion, Prince Ponzu, can be found frolicking with his owner.The entire operation reflects Toshi’s emphasis on hospitality. Guests can often find him mingling amongst their ranks, or fully engaged in friendly conversation with his performers. Once a first timer in the hospitality business, Toshi has made his mark by welcoming thousands of guests into his own party setting. He has clearly become a seasoned veteran.

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Besfren Cafe 1 Tea Shops Cafes Gluten Free Dessert Tenderloin Koreatown Chelsea

Besfren Cafe

Besfren’s official motto is “Hopping into a pastry fairy tale,” and that is exactly what it feels like to wander into this hip dessert café. Truffles, macarons, caneles, and delicate slices of cake are displayed in shining glass cases, while customers sip on tea and chat at low tables along the wall. But Besfren and its partner company, Korean Red Ginseng, also have an unofficial motto – “traditional with a modern twist” – that perfectly captures the café’s Korean-American roots.On my first visit to the café, I had the pleasure of speaking with Min Ree, who co-founded Besfren in 2012 with his friend, Paul Park. Though neither of them had any culinary experience – Min had studied accounting, while Paul was a student of fine arts – they were determined to bring traditional Korean rice cake desserts to an American audience. After more than a year of experimental baking, Min and Paul felt that they had perfected their catering menu and their signature dessert, the chaps pie.The next step, Min explained, was to contact event coordinators and catering companies. “We brought our desserts to the meetings,” he said with a smile, “and it went really well.” Soon, Besfren was catering for the likes of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, Vogue, the Grammys, and the United Nations. Most of the guests at these exclusive events had never tried anything like the chaps pie, an oven-baked, gluten-free rice cake, but Min said that “they could not get enough.” It quickly became apparent that Besfren had transformed the traditional Korean chapssaltteok, and now they needed to make it accessible to a larger New York audience.It did not take long for Besfren’s modern twist on Korean desserts to appeal to the managers of Café G, owned by Korean Red Ginseng. Hoping to expand their business and bring ginseng extract teas, powders and roots to a larger audience, they approached Besfren about a collaboration.Min and Paul agreed, and after a series of renovations, Besfren x Korean Red Ginseng opened in May of 2015. One side of the café is still devoted to red ginseng extracts and powders, whose health benefits include memory enhancement, increased energy, and anti-aging functions. But the main entrance opens onto the shining Besfren dessert counter, where customers can buy pastries, Toby’s Estate coffee, and fruity ginseng drinks. The floor-to-ceiling windows and simple interior design create a sense of space inside, and the café’s location on the corner of 32nd Street and Fifth Avenue makes it perfect for people-watching. The café is bustling at all hours of the day, but the smiling employees make sure to devote special care and attention to every customer who walks in.Sitting down with Min, the Manhattan Sideways team sipped on the fizzy Korean black raspberry chia cooler, the pink grapefruit yuza, a delicious balance of bitter and sweet, the ginger lemon tea, which was strong and spicy, and the refreshing ginseng latte. Before finishing our drinks, we were presented with a beautiful tray of desserts: The chewy, dense texture of the chaps pies delighted us, and while Nina was partial to the maple multigrain variety, Flannery said she would come back just for the black raspberry. Next, we dug into the triple cheesecake, which was made with cheese mousse, a layer of New York cheesecake, a graham cracker crust, and raw cream cheese on top. The hint of lemon in each delicious bite brought me back to my childhood, when I would sneak into the fridge and steal a taste of my mom’s cheesecake before her dinner parties. The honey earl grey cake was pleasantly light, especially after the rich cheesecake, and we all enjoyed the green tea jasmine roll cake, which was moist and flavorful. Even though we were stuffed, we each took a bite of a delicate canele, savoring the sweet, caramelized crust and the soft custard center.While we ate, I asked Min about the Besfren logo, which I had noticed scattered about the café, and even on his bolo tie. According to Korean legend, he explained, there is a rabbit who lives on the moon and pounds ingredients for rice cakes. Paul and Min decided to adapt that idea for Besfren, and their logo features two rabbit “best friends” who pound rice cakes together.With a constant flow of customers, particularly because of their close proximity to the nearby Empire State Building, there is always a buzz at the café. It seems that word has spread enough so that Min mentioned that they are scoping out locations for a second cafe in Manhattan. In the meantime Min, Paul, and their team of bakers are always developing new recipes to add to their fairytale menu of sweets.

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Up on 20 1 Bars Rooftop Bars Tenderloin Koreatown Chelsea

Up on 20

Where the Hyatt Herald Square has taken inspiration from the publishing and fashion worlds, its bar, called “Up on 20,” seems to take its inspiration from the sky and cityscape. With clean metallics, greys, and glass, the rooftop bar mirrors its surroundings and emphasizes the sleek beauty of Manhattan. I learned a lot from speaking with Gunnar Steden, the executive chef, and Jordan Cook, the food and beverage manager. Jordan explained that both the food and the décor tried to seem as natural and organic as possible. He spoke about the flowers and plants that would soon be brought up to the bar and about the food that was all locally sourced and made in house. Gunnar explained that most of his ingredients come from no farther than Long Island and Brooklyn, and even the hotel snacks and the morning coffee come from within a very small radius. Gunnar has a significant amount of experience working as a chef for Hyatt, as he has spent time in the empire's German, Australian, and DC hotels. He proudly spoke about the balance in cuisine that he has created, thanks in part to his worldliness. Despite his emphasis on local ingredients, he also caters to more mainstream and international tastes. He used drinks as an example: Whereas he has beer brewed just across the East River on Long Island, he also carries Blue Moon and Shocktop, and he has brought in Kolsch from his native Germany to satisfy European taste buds. Gunnar and Jordan both expressed pride in the menu, and were quick to say that if something does not work, or if available ingredients change, they will change the menu overnight. This is especially helpful in a hotel as new as the Hyatt Herald Square, which had opened only six months before our visit in the spring of 2015. The rooftop bar itself had only just had its soft-opening the day before we arrived. As we wandered to a smaller terrace at the back of the roof with a view of the Freedom Tower, Gunnar explained to me that Up on 20 is not supposed to be a night club or a hot spot. Then he used one of our favorite phrases: “We want to be a neighborhood gem – we want to be small place where you can go and enjoy a beer." Jordan added, "Our emphasis is on customer experience, not the bottom line.”