Thyme bar: Insta-worthy cocktail bar in New York City

New York City is a truly playground when we talk about nightlife. If you like to go out, this is the place to be, with endless possibilities. From dance clubs to rooftops, from restaurants to cocktail bars, there is always something to do – and a lot of these places provide great experiences. Last week, my husband and I checked Thyme Bar, a cocktail bar that explores mixology artistry, meaning you can not only expect delicious craft recipes but also a whole visual experience. I’m gonna share more about Thyme Bar on this post!

Thyme Bar is an underground hideaway, a cocktail speakeasy Lounge nestled beneath 23rd Street in a historic pre-war cellar. The place used to be a dessert bar in the past – I’ve written about it here – and now is a bar where the highlights are the beautiful and exquisite cocktails. Besides the presentation of the drinks, another interesting fact is that they use ingredients rarely seen, like orange shaved ice and used coffee grounds. Also, they do the process in a sustainable way, by reducing waste as much as possible and also reducing the amount of water used and ice. The space is very intimate, perfect for dates – they also seat people upstairs, at Patisserie Chanson. Keep in mind that they limit the parties – maximum 4 for downstairs, and 6 for upstairs.

The menu has 16 cocktails options, divided into two categories: Floriography and Le Jardin. The first selection includes cocktails with a presentation complexity – and the price range is around $25 to $30. Le Jardin includes options from $18 to $21. The food menu includes options like sliders, arancini, noodles, and fries, but keep in mind that this is a bar, not a restaurant, so don’t expect huge plates, they are more like appetizers/bites (prices from $10 – $20). With that being said, I must say: food doesn’t disappoint!

Since the cocktails are so special and different, I would highly recommend you try one of the “tasting menus”, the experiences. Thyme Bar offers two experiences:

• Emergence $75 on Friday – Saturday – 5 course Prix Fixe. 1 amuse-bouche, 1 Cocktail (Floriography), 1 Cocktail (Le Jardin), 1 food & 2 macarons;
• Euphoria $95 on Wednesday – Thursday – 6 course Prix Fixe. 1 amuse, 3 Cocktails, 1 food & 1 dessert.

Looking at the prices of the single cocktails, you quickly realize that the experiences are so worthy for the price! We got the Euphoria Experience and OMG, it was so good!

Amuse-bouche

Peach Silk Poppy Fizz

Eucalyptus Watercolor

Primrose & Rye

Chatpata Fizz

The Bloomist Cloche

Gynoecium Old Fashioned

The Euphoria Experience allows you to choose up to two cocktails from the Floriography collection and we got:

• Primrose & Rye – Chocolate Mint Infused Rye Whiskey, Cherry Wine, Smoked Corn Silk Maple Syrup, Lemon.
• Chatpata Fizz – Lime, Pandan, Mezcal, Chatpata Soda (Jasmine, wasabi, green tabasco, smoked salt)
• The Bloomist Cloche – Roasted Barley infused John Rondi Limited Edition Bourbon, St Germain Elderflower, Kaffir Lime, Amaro Montenegro – Garnish: Orange and Dark Chocolate Lollipop
• Gynoecium Old Fashioned -Peanut Butter Bourbon, Peychaud Bitter, Beal Syrup, Thyme & Rosemary Macron

We also got two cocktails from the Le Jardin collection:

• Peach Silk Poppy Fizz – Rosemary and Peach Greygoose essences, Martini Fiero, London Essence Soda, Rose Wine;
• Eucalyptus Watercolor – Eucalyptus Caravedo Pisco, Violet Cordial, Charcoal Burnt Coconut Milk, Pineapple Juice.

If you like strong, whisky-flavored cocktails, make sure to try The Bloomist Cloche and Gynoecium Old Fashioned (the peanut butter flavor is there, I assure you, and my husband really loved this one!). My favorites were the Primrose & Rye, which was bold, intense, sweet (but not too much), and also the Chatpata Fizz, cause I just love a drink with Mezcal! The Le Jardin cocktails were also good, especially the Eucalyptus Watercolor, it tastes like a modern Pina Colada. Besides the flavors, which, of course, are really important, we have to talk about the presentation! I’ve never seen cocktails so beautiful. And I know that a lot of people think that “Insta-Worthy” foods and drinks are just gorgeous but not good, but trust me, these cocktails are really delicious!

Also, as I mentioned previously, the food doesn’t disappoint! We got the pork sliders and the arancini, and OMG, so good! The sliders were so full of flavor! And the arancini were perfect as well. I could’ve really eaten more lol!

For dessert, we got the Coffe Zucotto and the Strawberry Champagne Signature Cake (not included in the experience). This cake was so good! It tastes like a cheesecake! The Coffe Zucotto was like a chocolate mousse and it was really good – not so sweet, which was perfect! It is good to remember that Thyme Bar is part of the Patisserie Chanson, and you know, you can’t go wrong with French desserts, right?

And that’s a wrap! Honestly, I think that $95 per person (plus tips) for 3 cocktails, food, and dessert was really worth it, especially for NYC, and considering that the presentation is a plus as well! Also, the staff is really friendly, the place is not that busy and it is super intimate. It is good to go with someone – if you don’t have a date, invite a friend! – and you all order different cocktails and can try more!

Don’t forget to make a reservation and pay attention to the days that they offer the experiences!

Address: 20 W 23rd St, Cellar.

Reminder:

I’m a curator on Seek, a new NYC-based app complete with recommendations and tips on where to eat, drink, and hang out. Their recommendations are brought by New Yorkers who have tried a huge amount of places in the city. Check out their website at seekrecs.com, as well as their app at Seek – NY City Recommendations to check out more of my recs – my profile is @lauraperuchi

Laura Peruchi

Content creator and journalist in New York City. Here, I share lifestyle, beauty, NYC tips, thoughts, and the struggles about living in the most amazing city in the world! I’m not gonna pretend to be another person: I’m a Brazilian immigrant and I think this is my soul, it is part of who I am. I hope you enjoy my content! Follow me on Instagram!