EXCLUSIVE SPOTS WHERE YOU CAN STILL SMOKE A CIGAR IN NYC

[El Presidente]

Good Article 

https://www.thrillist.com/lifestyle/new-york/best-cigar-bars-nyc

 

THE STYLISH, CLASSIC, CASUAL, EXCLUSIVE SPOTS WHERE YOU CAN STILL SMOKE A CIGAR IN NYC

By JOE MARINO Published On 03/19/2018

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COURTESY OF CLUB MACANUDO

Finding a place in New York to smoke a cigar has become tougher than stumbling upon an ax-throwing competition at a Brooklyn bar. Dare to light up a stogie in a New York park -- where smoking has been outlawed, anyway -- you’ll get nasty looks from sunbathers and stroller-moms in the park. Onerous city codes and prohibitively expensive ventilation systems make neighborhood lounges hard to come by. And just try smoking out the window at someone’s housewarming party.

 

Nah, in this town, in the 21st century, you’re going to need a dedicated place to smoke. In plenty of spots, you can drop $25 for a stick and a dash of ambiance. But as long as you’re engaging in this slow manner of financial suicide, you’ll want to spend it in the best possible spot.00:4

Finding the best of those shops means appreciating the history of cigar shops as places of spontaneous convocation, with their own sooty personality and charm. In the collective imagination of New York cigar smokers, the platonic ideal was OK Cigars, which cigar fans recall with an almost mythological, romantic affection.

“At OK, we were surrounded by artists,” says Ryan Rodriguez, who worked at OK for almost all of its 17 years on West Broadway. “The fact it was SoHo, and it was all artists and designers, we had the opportunity to sit down and talk to them. It was a window into their world -- and the one thing you had in common was a cigar.” The shop closed in 2014 to make way for Free People, “an American bohemian apparel and lifestyle retail company,” i.e., paradise was paved to put up a parking lot.

 

Today in New York, you’re likely to find a lounge experience in look and feel more akin to the Delta Sky Club at LaGuardia than the Salon de Paris -- while smoking next to someone more Jordan Belfort than Pablo Picasso. It wasn’t always so. “What you had then was a cafe society type of thing. You had friendship, meeting new people, conversation  -- that’s what I loved about New York City,” says Lee Ringelheim, owner of SoHo Cigar Bar.

 

It may not be the age of enlightenment, but if you know where to look, New York still provides refuge to cigar devotees of every stripe. Here are nine New York City spots where the culture still burns bright.

 

 

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FLICKR/JAZZ GUY

NAT SHERMAN

12 EAST 42ND STREET

Nat’s retail catalog dives deep, with a humidor full of select Davidoff facings, sticks by Foundation Cigars, and of course the Nat Sherman line. But the family-owned and -operated tobacconist was acquired by Altria early last year and has been subtly corporatized ever since. Guests are discouraged from smoking on the retail floor, and the bathroom access was abruptly restricted to members only -- a privilege that comes with a $3,000 annual price tag.

Membership also includes access to the lounge in the basement of the Nat Sherman town house, a humidified cigar locker, a smattering of club chairs and ottomans, Restoration Hardware nailhead sofas, and seating for about 70 smokers. But rather than paying strictly for access, membership acts as a product credit, allowing you to dig into your prepaid $3K for anything in the store. Blow it in one shot on that Elie Bleu humidor you’ve always wanted, or on one stick at a time over 12 months.

The Lounge has limited hours, but it’s perfect if you work around Grand Central and have a few hours to kill before the 6:53pm Metro-North to Darien.

DAVIDOFF OF GENEVA

515 MADISON AVENUE

Davidoff is successful as both a luxury premium cigar brand and lounge operator for two reasons: investment, and standardization. The Swiss-based multinational premium cigar maker has expanded its cigar portfolio through manufacturing and acquisition. Beautiful, meticulously crafted smoking rooms elevate the experience here.

Davidoff has retail lounges in Manhattan, with a fourth slated to open April 1 in Williamsburg. The Manhattan lounges’ vibe might be more reception area at an Upper East Side dentist than La Belle Époque. But they’ve developed successful, highly serviceable lounges with their consistency of design.  

Furniture and fixtures by Germany’s Walter Knoll and Poltrona Frau make for a tolerable time, even if Jim Cramer screams from a 60-inch plasma TV and a loud talker ashes all over his Kiton suit.

 

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SOHO CIGAR BAR

SOHO CIGAR BAR

32 WATTS STREET

As owner Lee Ringelheim likes to put it, it’s “a bar you can smoke in.” SoHo Cigars offers an impressive complement of whiskeys and cocktails -- starting with a $13 Monkey Shoulder whisky blend and topping out with a $300 30-year Macallan. Its cigar menu is equally varied. You’ll find house blends introduced three years ago, Padron’s 1936 anniversary series and Davidoff’s W Churchill Late Hour -- a $36 bourbon cask-aged Nicaraguan blend.

Paintings of Ol’ Blue Eyes and Jack Nicholson watch over the space and Dave Chappelle has been known to haunt the dimly lit smoky environs. Ample seating in the front is prime real estate for catching the NCAA playoffs or Yankees games. Plush leather booths in the back accommodate the eclectic nightly mix of locals, tourists, and curiosity seekers who don’t mind smelling like Castro’s beard. Most regulars pay a one-time $10 fee to bring their own cigars, but the dues are waived with an easy-to-reach $25 food or drink tab.  

THE GRAND HAVANA ROOM

666 FIFTH AVENUE #39

Getting Top Secret security clearance in the Trump administration may be easier than landing a membership to this bastion of libertine joy. The members-only club, situated in the penthouse of Jared Kushner’s 666 Fifth Avenue, is a mecca for cigar smokers. A cast of New York City scions and power brokers traipse through for sweeping Midtown views and the faint endorphin rush the likes of which only deep exclusivity can bring.

Management keeps fees and membership information under wraps; current and former GHR members say dues can top $20,000 a year and the board approval process rivals that of a selective Manhattan co-op board. With limited space and months-long waitlist, legend has it that a membership once sold for $150,000 on the secondary market.

Luckily, even hoi polloi can have friends in high places. So, if graced with an invitation, cancel your wedding, cancel grandma’s funeral, postpone that major surgery and go. Floor-to-ceiling windows, a formal dining room, and full-service kitchen turning out a menu worthy of any restaurant in the zip code; it’s 17,000 square feet of paradise for the smoker.

 

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COURTESY OF CASA DE MONTECRISTO

CIGAR INN

334 EAST 73RD STREET

Little sister to the East 53th Street Casa de Montecristo retail lounge, Cigar Inn is the better of the two formerly family-run businesses. Open till midnight on weekdays, this is your best, if not only option for a late-night cigar.

It isn’t a bar like SoHo or an experience like Havana Room. It’s a cigar shop where you can smoke, great if you don’t mind the almost comical lack of ventilation. This comfortably decked-out space boasts a respectable selection of cigars, and the recent addition of a large reclaimed wood conference table makes this a rare place where you can get some work done, hunkered with a laptop and a stick.

 

 

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CARNEGIE CLUB

THE CARNEGIE CLUB

156 WEST 56TH STREET

Part of the Hospitality Holdings portfolio (Empire Rooftop, Lexington’s, The World Bar) Carnegie does corporate better than other big operations. The joint still feels authentic, harking to a time when we didn’t know as much about smoking’s risks. Sinatra Saturdays with Steve Maglio and the Stan Rubin Orchestra drive home the aesthetic without veering into caricature.

Tufted sofas, club chairs like a mother’s embrace, and a leather-bound library give Carnegie a hazy Campbell Apartment vibe. Two floors of lounges and high ceilings make for better ventilation than some cozier competitors. They’ll waive their $10 cut fee with proof of purchase from Davidoffs so you can save some expense account dollars before that client dinner at Nobu Fifty Seven.

PALEY PARK

3 EAST 53RD STREET

Smoking in New York City parks, pedestrian plazas, beaches, golf courses, or just about anywhere seemingly conducive to lighting up was outlawed in 2011 under then Mayor Michael Bloomberg. So when the temperatures start creeping above 65, and you’re craving the warm caress of an afternoon outdoor smoke, give thanks to the work of the Paley family.

A family affinity for smoking dates back to the 1800s. Long before massive radio and television success, the Paley family business was tobacco. In 1967, CBS Television founder William S. Paley’s namesake foundation transformed the site of the former Stork Club into a model for publicly owned private spaces. Conveniently located down the block from Davidoff’s Madison Avenue flagship, Paley Park is replete with a 20-foot waterfall, tables, chairs, and stunning vertical landscaping. The park is a cigar smokers’ sanctuary. Anyone who might look askance will be surprised when, as you light the foot of your mid-afternoon smoke, a park employee brings you a clean ashtray

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COURTESY OF CLUB MACANUDO

CLUB MACANUDO

26 EAST 63RD STREET

Club Mac, as it’s referred to by its white collar regulars, is an elegant throwback for the smoker in search of comfort and service. Nestled on the ground floor of The Leonori -- a beautiful turn-of-the-century Beaux-Arts building on the Upper East Side -- the tony lounge boasts rich mahogany accents, a formal dining room, and brass plaques engraved with the names of members past and present (e.g. former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger; one-time kindergarten cop Rudolph Giuliani).

Their cigar menu is abundant, stocked with items from the General Cigar family of products. (Macanudos, CAO, Partagas, Punch). Order from the humidor and smoke in this white-glove service environment for as little as $15 (there is a $30 table minimum, so bring a friend or smoke two). Or bring your own and pay a $15 cutting fee and fulfill the table tax with items from the full bar or dinner menu.

Sure, Macanudo is peddling a kind of fauxclusivity, but this is where the everyman can experience a diluted version of Grand Havana’s mystique without the pricetag. Non-members can visit Macanudo’s bar and dining areas, where vaulted ceilings and a top-notch ventilation system leave the air virtually smoke-free.

HAVANA DREAMS

63-10 WOODHAVEN BOULEVARD, QUEENS

In the event, unlikely as it may be, you should find yourself in Rego Park, pop into Havana Dreams. Tidy and nondescript, it doesn’t look like much from the outside. But this is as close as you’ll come to the neighborhood cigar shop of yore. It’s a hangout in every sense.

While tobacco behemoths spend millions of dollars building out luxury retail lounge spaces, this mom-and-pop shop instead favors true community. The furniture may not be Le Corbusier -- but who cares? The place isn’t designed for Architectural Digest. It’s just a joint.

Twenty leatherette club chairs, two flat-screen TVs usually set to sports, a fridge filled with beer and wine, a comfortable backyard, and a video poker machine in the corner? Take that, Nat!

The humidor has a surprisingly well-curated selection of cigars you’d see in any of its more luxe retail counterparts -- and some you wouldn't. LFD Andalusian Bulls are proudly displayed near the door, and you can pick from a rich selection from the Padron 1926 series, The T by Caldwell, and the full Arturo Fuente Don Carlos line.

The guy at the video poker machine may not be much for conversation: If you’re looking for the age of enlightenment, keep prowling. But it is inviting and, most important, uncomplicated.

Joe Marino is a cigar smoker.

[ElJavi76]

My go-to spot is Carnegie Club in midtown. My wife works two blocks away. I get out of work early and can be there before 4. Take down 2 cigars and still meet her in time to go home on the same bus around 7:30-8:00. 

The other spot I've frequented lately is SoHo Cigar Bar. It's nothing like Carnegie but it's a place to smoke without all the pomp and circumstance of the other locations. Great rum selection though. They have Diplomatico Reserva behind the bar. Yummy.

I'll be exploring these other places soon. Thank you for this list Prez!

[SigmundChurchill]

I have enjoyed most of these places, and they are all great in their own way, but The Grand Havana Room is in a league of its own.  I am not a member, but I have been there as a guest a few times.  The views from the floor to ceiling windows are breathtaking, but only slightly less so than the waitresses, in their black, low cut evening gowns.

 

[HoyoFan]

I would add Hudson Bar & Books to the list. It’s one of my favorite places. It’s small and cozy and even has a few tables outside.

[gcman68]

Very appreciative to the Paley family as I have had more than a few nice days smoking in Paley Park while at the same time getting the evil eye from other people who think I am dong something wrong.  Cigars can be funny one day at Cigar Inn I happened to sit next to someone who was friends with a dear friend who had recently passed away rather abruptly. I had never met him but remembered my friend often mentioned him and somehow we realized we both knew the same person. We had a few laughs remembering our a fellow friend.  

[cybermadhatter]

All great spots.  I remember the cigar czar herfs at Havana Dreams, and one with lisa at club Mac. 

[fitzy]

Davidoff is just up the street from me and you're lucky to get a seat on a Friday afternoon. 

I always forget about that Paley park. I may smoke one there tomorrow after eating my lunch. 

 

I've never been to the SOHO Cigar Bar but I know the NY pipe club meets there for their monthly meetings. 

[BrightonCorgi]

Have only been to the Carnegie Club and a few times.  Very authentic décor and a fun time in general.  Make sure to sit at the bar unless you are with a group. 

[mi000ke]

16 hours ago, HoyoFan said:

I would add Hudson Bar & Books to the list. It’s one of my favorite places. It’s small and cozy and even has a few tables outside.

This is my go-to cigar bar when in NYC, mostly because I like to smoke outside and this is one of only two places (more below on that) in Manhattan where you can legally do that.  They have four small tables that seat a total of about 10 people in front of the store.  I was there a few weeks ago, arrived at their opening time, and they were still closed.  I waited about 10 minutes, then figured they must have some special dispensation to allow outdoor smoking, so I just sat down and smoked one of my own.  Eventually a gentleman showed up and sat down with me to wait.  Turns out he was Hudson Bar's attorney and said they often open at random times, regardless of what it says on the web site, and to just wait.  The owners eventually opened an hour late.  They are very nice folks, by the way.

Meanwhile, the man I met also turned out to be part owner of several restaurants in NYC.  And the only other place you can smoke outside in NYC is on the patio (but not inside) of his restaurant Brandy Library, 26 N. Moore St.   He invited me to go that evening, but I was not able to get there.  It looks like a great whiskey bar, though. 

Actually the third place I found to smoke outside was on the balcony of my daughter's apartment in Brooklyn, if you don't mind getting yelled at by the neighbors sitting on their next-door balcony about 3 feet away.

[hedgeybaby]

Toronto take note

[BrightonCorgi]

I've smoked cigars at an Italian restaurant on Author Ave in Bronx.  I forget the name of it though.  There was an old man smoking a cigar, so I asked the waiter, "can I smoke a cigar too?"  He said yes, so went to my car and grabbed a cigar.  My hunch is this place was in defiance of any law on smoking.

[Connoisseur Kim]

I will take to my list when I visit NYC but the best cigar shops are mainly located in Europe especially UK (J. J. Fox, Sautter cigars, etc) in my opinion since I prefer vintage and antique with tradition over newer things, these shops have some old stocks that I really want to try in some day (I am quite old school for my age...).

[Cigar Surgeon]

I've only had the pleasure of smoking at Club Macanudo, however the whisk(e)y list was extensive and impressive even to a whisky elitist like me.

The chairs were comfortable, the food was prepared quite well, and they had live entertainment while we smoked.

[torsion]

On ‎6‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 1:13 PM, LonesomeHabanoAficionado said:

I will take to my list when I visit NYC but the best cigar shops are mainly located in Europe especially UK (J. J. Fox, Sautter cigars, etc) in my opinion since I prefer vintage and antique with tradition over newer things, these shops have some old stocks that I really want to try in some day (I am quite old school for my age...).

Check out Nat Sherman's townhouse when you visit - they have that kind of old school styling you talk about. As for stock well it's a completely different market. CC in Europe vs NC in USA so won't find old stock per say.

[Connoisseur Kim]

8 hours ago, torsion said:

Check out Nat Sherman's townhouse when you visit - they have that kind of old school styling you talk about. As for stock well it's a completely different market. CC in Europe vs NC in USA so won't find old stock per say.

Hmm this seems to be a reason why I prefer European cigar shops over USA cigar shops as a CC Fan (not NC fan) XD.

[LPFerrante]

Hello All,

 

I'm an NYC based cigar smoker who wants to know if anyone would want to share a locker at Club Macanudo.Since I live about six blocks away from the Club, I keep all of my stick at home, so the fellow BOTL or SOTL  would have most of the locker to themselves. FYI, They are Cuban friendly if you ant to keep your sticks there. Let me know if you'd like more details. Thank you all and Happy Smoking!

[nedieudon]

Why didn't I see this article before! Just returned from New York yesterday. Before leaving, my wife and I searched for various attractions on Google. But then we decided to find 10 fun things to do in New York City because we wanted to have a great time. In five days we managed to visit almost everything from that list. Most impressed by the view from the top of the Rock Observatory. There I immediately turned into a photographer, my wife posed and got very beautiful photos on Instagram. Next time we will definitely visit something from your list.