5 Modern Speakeasies
By: Anthony Adragna
Published: April 21, 2011

People love secrets. Cloaking a restaurant or bar in secrecy or exclusivity seems like a great way to guarantee tons of business. Over the last few years, people have been flocking to bars that evoke an era long since forgotten: Prohibition. These establishments sometimes have secret passwords, are poorly marked and really cool. Foodista will let you in on the secret, but only if you don't tell. 1. PX (Alexandria, VA): The only sign that this establishment is open comes from a blue sign that is illuminated when the bar is open. If you're dressed appropriately (must be wearing cocktail attire), a hostess will show you into the small establishment. Cocktail master Todd Thrasher recently won the gold medal at a cocktail competition in New Zealand. Most of the juices and sodas are made in-house (728 King St, Alexandria, Virginia 22314) 2. PDT (New York City): The acronym stands for "Please Don't Tell" and this is considered by many as the bar that kick-started the trend of "speakeasies." To enter, go to Crif Dogs, an East Village hot dog stand and look for a vintage phone booth. Once inside, place a call to the operator and give them your name. If you've been lucky enough to get same day reservations, you'll be led downstairs and into the bar. The space is small and usually completely full, but the ambiance cannot be beat. Oh, the cocktails are good too. (113 St. Marks Pl, New York, NY 10009) 3. Varnish (Los Angeles, CA): Tucked into the former storage room in the back of Cole's, a legendary restaurant that dates back to 1908 and famously serves up French Dips, Varnish was one of the first speakeasy establishments in Los Angeles. Seating is first-come, first-served and customers will often times wait over an hour during the weekends for a spot at this bar. It might be worth it, though. The business was started by Sasha Petraske who founded Milk & Honey in New York City, one of the hardest bars to get into in the world (and also one of the first "speakeasies"). (118 E 6th St, Los Angeles, CA 90014) 4. Prohibited (Boston, MA): This secret underground drinking club lives in the basement of the Symphony 8 bar and restaurant. You'll need a daily password to gain entrance (which can be obtained by becoming a fan of Prohibited on Facebook) and should look for a bookcase just to the right of the entrance. Slide a latch in one of the middle shelves and slide the whole bookcase to the right. Walk down the stairs and you're in. (8 Westland Ave., Boston, MA 02115) 5. Knee High Stocking Company (Seattle, WA): Seattle has a surprising number of speakeasies. In order to get into Knee High, you'll need to text reservations to the hostess around 5 p.m. and wait for her confirmation. You have to re-text those same reservations if you're running late or risk losing your spot. Once you arrive to the address, ring the doorbell and wait for the hostess to seat you. Unlike a lot of luxury bars out there, Knee High boasts an impressive array of food choices as well. Though, do they lose points for being used on a Groupon earlier this year? (1356 E Olive Way, Seattle, WA 98122) Photo by Horia Varlan