Elsa

here lies beloved elsa
trend-​setter, trend-​maker, great-taker…of my money
provider of numerous unflattering Self Portraits
i’ll pour one out for you at Ramona.

Obituary review: I’ll miss Elsa. :(
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At Elsa I got an Invitation To A Beheading. My Invitation was fresh and welcoming, as an invitation befits. The drinks are as colorful as their names — this one was as fruity as expected, quickly bringing me to my happy place. Their cocktail concoctions are potent and done up in ways that won’t curdle your appetite.
If only they had a kitchen. And beds. Then you’d never need to leave.
They’ve got atmosphere: Elsa is good for groups, or romantic rendezvous-es[1]. It can get loud, so lean closer to your date. And use mints. And no matter why you’re here, service has got your back.
[1] Is that a word?

Over the last few years, Ive introduced so many people to Elsa’s and Im sad its going to move to a new location soon. (I hope it has the same charm and ambience as this place. It really makes me feel instantly comfortable and relaxed.) This hands down is my favorite cocktail bar in nyc.
This place is great for dates or just coming with a few friends to enjoy their delicious cocktails. Have too much fun and you might be looking at a crazy bill– it adds up fast but the cocktails are all so amazing. Dont know what you want– ask the bartenders. The bartenders are friendly enough, knowledgeable, and really fast. My go to is the two french sisters– vodka, st germaine, lemon, orange bitters, topped with champagne. Its everything I could want in a glass. So pretty, too.
Everyone I have brought here is always impressed – locals and out of towners alike. Then they spread the good word of Elsa’s Bar as well. Seriously— not sure where to take a date you wanna impress and further along the relationship (or whatever it is), bring them to Elsa’s and you guys can gaze at each other in the candlelit room and bump knees or whatever else! Wanna impress your friends? Bring them to Elsa’s and show off your cocktail knowledge and how you picked a cool, unassuming place that’s super chill and filled with trendy and chill people as well.

I was feeling very feminine and wanted to take my girly little self out to a nice place for some fancy cocktails. Suggested this to one of my friends, and it turned out to be a great experience. Good service, no complains; the space is very light.
The cocktails are absolutely delicious and there are loads of floral options. I love flowers in my drinks and food, so yay. The menu is creative and there is something to please everyone’s taste. Overall, a good place to impress your significant other ;)

I’ve only been to Elsa once — for a first date — but I loved it. It’s definitely the perfect date place. Candlelit (my favorite), spacy, but cozy enough to get close to your significant other. The cocktail waitress was incredibly kind and attentive. The cocktails were amazing.
Honestly, nothing wrong with this place. .. from what I could tell. I really want to make it a point to go back

Went to Elsa to meet a friend for a pre-​din drink. It’s a cute spot to grab a few drinks-​very shabby chic feeling.
My old-​fashioned hit the spot, and the service was efficient.

To sum it up:
*Nice little space on a quiet block of Alphabet City/​E. Village.
*6 p.m.-4 a.m. every day of the week, but has a brunchy/​afternoon type of vibe… maybe a speakeasy type of vibe later at night, only not gritty
*Full and lively but not choked or deafening, at least during primetime on any given weekday night
*Dressed up predominantly male bartenders shaking it up
*Cocktails at an average of $ 15 after tip, but they are strong, well constructed, and contain ingredients such as rose flavored tequila, crème de violette, orange flower water, and egg white (as is the case with «Perfume-​V»). Throws one back to the secret Milk & Honey bar’s LES location, which sadly shut down to make way for a new business and reopen itself in a bigger spot in Flatiron
*If you can’t or won’t pay this amount even for a good drink, you can always divert yourself by reading the menu, which features concoctions such as «Invitation to a Beheading,» and «An Arm Above the Last Wave»…or just deign to grab a bottle of Bud, which knows its place at $ 4
*Four different types of Absinthe, now that it’s (yawn) legal
*Some nibbles on the menu, but inflated ten times over considering you could pick up similar stuff (i.e. olives and pickles) at a local deli or bodega for a couple bucks
Elsa’s cheaper/​Brooklyn counterpart is probably Lavender Lake, but it’s bigger and more hipstery/​raucous than the sweet, easy, old timey, classy New Orleansy charm offered at Elsa… in exchange for a price. At least this 6-​year-​old, family owned and operated business makes good on its own declaration to provide a «softer, more feminine counterpart» to the gruffer man caves elsewhere in town. Worth every pretty penny, I say.

I really love this charming bar on the East Village. It’s extremely cute and elegant, with white benches and dim lighting (a bit too dim during the evenings, we had to make use of our cell phones to read the menu, but great ambience nonetheless.)
Although their drinks are on the pricey side (expect a range of $ 12 – 14 for cocktails), they’re well worth it. The drink menu was highly diverse and fun to read because of the catchy names as well as the interesting mixture of ingredients. I highly recommend the Perfume-​V which has elderflower. As another reviewer noted, it adds tart undertones while still remaining sweet. Just having one can be dangerously intoxicating (pun intended). Great music was playing too.
The service was attentive, sweet and super helpful. I do wish they would expand their food menu (I believe they only have three or four items that are bar food) since the seating suggests a restaurant rather than just a bar, but that’s for the future I suppose.
Highly recommended.

This is a lovely little place for drinks!
I came here with 5 of my friends on a Wednesday evening and the place was surprisingly popping to be a weekday. It ambiance is great, (small and intimate), the staff super friendly and the prices is just what you suspect on Manhattan.
The drink menu is extensive and from my friends verdict it had something for everyone. Totally a place worth revisiting.

This place was cozy and intimate for how crowded it was, we had a booth though so that probably helped. They have a spicy habanero cocktail, that was truly spicy. I’m not a spicy fan but my friend who is, loved it. I would recommend this place for a date as well, we didn’t eat but the cocktails were tasty and like I said the atmosphere was intimate.
It was also about 100 degrees inside but I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt with this all over the place spring weather.

I’m on a cocktail high these days. At $ 12 – 14 per drink, I know it’s a luxury to sip on these every weekend. Alas, how can you resist a perfectly balanced mix of flavor, eccentricity, and alcohol?
Such was my experience here. Luckily, we snagged an intimate, cozy booth by the bar but there was a lot of space in the back. But everyone tends to stand around the bar.
I’ll be pithy. We tried:
–Invitation to a Beheading (particularly for jasmine green tea lovers such as I)
–Jenkin’s cocktail
–The Handsome Grandson
My favorite are the first two, which I recommend. But all were top notch, and I would love to try them all.

I think this might just be my new favorite spot to get drinks at. And when I say drinks, I really mean mixdd drinks and not just something on the rocks since I do not like sweet cocktails. I got the Self Portrait to start and my friend got something fruity that I do not remember the name of. We were asked if we wanted to start a tab and thinking we probably will only get those drinks we said no but little did we know we had 3 more drinks ahead of us. I had my drink (Self Portrait) done with no agave and it was absolutely delicious. It was not very spicy but I really liked the almost floral-​leafy taste it had (probably the cilantro tequila) which went really well with the lemon and habanero. My friend’s drink was also delicious and not too sweet as well. The next one I got was not on the menu but I asked the bar tender to make me something very spicy, and he did! I absolutely loved whatever he made me. It was fun watching him make the drinks. It almost looked like he was dancing!
The only bad part about Elsa, is that it is very packed. However, the bar is first come first serve so we were lucky enough to come in as two people were leaving. Each drink is about 11 – 13 $ which is not too bad. Definitely worth coming here.

Exceedingly difficult (hence 4 stars this time around) to get into on weekends since my first experience here, but the drinks are so fantastic it is usually worth the wait. I usually put my name on the list and run over to the corner sports bar to kill time and stay warm at this time of year. If you’re looking for a quieter, less cramped atmosphere, however, i’d suggest going on a week night, or checking out their Brooklyn sister bar, Ramona. Much bigger space but perhaps not as experienced yet as Elsa.
I’ve had pretty much every drink on the menu over the past two years, and can easily blow through $ 90 in one night here. Usually this is an action i’d regret upon checking my credit card statement the next morning, but when it comes to Elsa, I am never remorseful. They have something for everyone, and no person i’ve taken here has been disappointed, from frilly cosmo lovers to high end scotch lovers. The high quality is evident in their attention to detail, even in the ice. The drinks are conceptually interesting and delicious. The Broken Mirror, for example, is a green, herbacious drink with an absinthe rinse. The ice is crushed as if shards from a broken mirror. It’s excellent. The Death of a Ladies Man is another one of my favorites. Anything with the leathery combination of Laphroaig 10 yr scotch and tobacco bitters has my heart.
On my last trip here, I discovered you can actually have an entire fountain brought to the table for your absinthe. I felt ultra fancy letting the ice cold droplets of water siphon through the sugar cube and drip perfectly through the slotted spoon into my glass, turning the absinthe a cloudy green.

Bar à cocktail
Comme d’hab très brouillant.
Déco et cadre très sympa et assez intimistes.
Très bon cocktails. Choix de bières évidemment plus limité (c’est un bar à cocktail).
Content d’y avoir été mais je n’y suis pas retourné pendant mes 6 mois à NYC.

This is a great cocktail bar. They let you sit at the tables even if you only want to drink. It has a great ambiance. It’s not too loud, but it’s usually full, and the staff is very nice and helpful.
I had the Two French Sisters, because I love drinks with elderflower liquor. It is tart and delicious.
The cheese platter was a bit small, but the bleu cheese in particular was great.

I had this place bookmarked forever and wanted to check it out after having dinner at Meskel (Ethiopian cuisine one block over). And holy bat mobile, this place knocked our tube socks off…
I guess I had no expectations, my only requirement was to imbibe in something that would pickle my stressed out cerebrum.
The sexy hottie that accompanied me here was also pleasantly surprised that this place was oh so cute and oh so Brooklyn. We were both grinning ear to ear that luck was on our side. I mean, the walls were all white and lighting was warm with wood benches throughout. The only complaints were that the seats could’ve used some soft cushions and that our cute waitress could’ve smile a bit more. Come on girl, work what you got!
Small draft beer selection at decent prices ($ 6 to $ 7) and tons of cocktails to keep those more liquor-​minded folks happy.
When I walked in the door, the day’s gloomy cloud still hung over me, but with good looking company, intelligent conversation and crafty beers on draft, my cloud lifted and once again, I was back to my old sunshine self.
Thank you Elsa for making my night last week! I’ll definitely be back again when I need you to impress my future dates…

Stopped in here late on a Friday night and was impressed with the drinks, the service, and the experience overall. The ambiance here is dark and sexy… Which still comes through even though it can get crowded… Definitely a great date spot. There was not a wait for a table even though it was busy. The bearded host and our waitress were both great, friendly, and checked on us regularly. And although it was crowded, our drinks came out very shortly after we ordered, so the bartenders must be superhuman or something because they were definitely slammed!
I had the SM Jenkins which was gin based and I picked it because it was one of the few drinks on the menu that did not sound like it would be sweet. The drink was very good, served in a mason jar, and the cucumber element was refreshing. He had the Death of a Ladies Man which was whiskey based, a little sweet, and had an interesting smokey element to it. I don’t like whiskey, but I did ask him for a second sip, which is pretty rare in my part.

Elsa is pretty much the only reason that you’ll find me in Alphabet City. It’s incredibly out of the way, far from the subway station, and getting here means you have to traverse East Village. Nonetheless, this place is quite an amazing bar, with great atmosphere, and equally great drinks. Elsa isn’t a large cocktail bar by any means. However, I’ve never had trouble getting a table, and maneuvering throughout this establishment.
Elsa’s atmosphere is pretty laid back. Sure it can get a little noisy at times, but it’s not to an unbearable level like at McSorley’s. When you walk in, you’re greeted with the bar on the right hand side. There are bar stools if you want to drink at the bar, but for those who want to sit down, there are tables galore. Even on a Friday night around midnight, the longest I’ve had to wait for a table was roughly around 20 minutes. Not too shabby at all. The lighting here is dim, which give it that slightly intimate feel. The noise level does throw it off a little bit, but it’s still a pretty laid place to sit down, have a conversation, and drink in the process. If you’re looking to get away from the typical East Village crowd, then you’ll catch a break at Elsa. Sure, everyone’s in the late-​20s and early 30-​s but you won’t be seeing guys throw back shots of Jameson or doing Irish car bombs.
Drink-​wise, I’ve always gone with either the Manhattan or Old Fashioned. These drinks are made to precision, and thankfully, are nice and strong. The prices are pretty normal for cocktails, and thank god this place takes credit cards. In the end, if you’re looking for a place to grab some nice drinks and actually not have to shout to have a conversation, then Elsa can be your spot. The staff is laid back, drinks are good, and the prices aren’t going to break your bank.

The drinks are best described as playful but serious… fresh but sophisticated … mature but young. In short, RIDICULOUSLY good (apotheke and employees only are dead to me now). I haven’t enjoyed a cocktail like this in maybe 2 years.
If you like your drinks subtley little sweet and fruity/​floral but with a dash of complexity (like bitters) then these definitely suit your palette. The flavors here all work together — like a celestial choir sweetly welcoming you to cocktail heaven. You won’t get slapped in your senses with each sip. Instead you’ll be psychologically toyed with to deconstruct the components and evaluate the overall hedonistic experience.
I got Invitation to a Beheading — which includes green tea syrup, elderflower, gin, and other delicious accoutrements (imagine how these components enhance each other… just picture it…). I also ordered some magical concoction with a rosemary Christmas tree in it. My bf ordered the Black Book… that has the most underhanded, sly jalapeño flavor amongst some other really intriguing flavor profiles (love le cardamom!).
On the other hand, the entire table i was with ordered the Barrel Aged Manhattan — which while potent enough to make me spontaneously combust, reeked of quality whiskey. I would have ordered one for myself, if it didn’t make me hallucinate.
Btw, love how these incredible drinks are all crafted by a single burley guy with a plaid shirt. He reminded me of Zach Galifiniakis except that he had the craftmanship of Salvadore Dali in cocktails. Décor is not amazing but comfortable and aesthetically pleasing. Mildly distinct with the black-​and-​white tiles and a french (?) villa style with the arches.
The one knock I would give is that the drinks are too light on the alcohol (except for the barrel-​aged manhattan). alas… i ask you… how dost one improveth perfection?

Very cute drinking establishment.
Think French country brunch.
Came here Friday night while waiting for the poetry slam at Nuyorican to start.
I ordered an old fashion cocktail and some nuts and the gf had a milk stout nitro.
The cocktail was quite strong but flavors could have been better balanced.
Milk stout nitro came in a bottle so it’s as good as always.
The nuts had been roasted in some sort of sugar-​chili concoction. It was quite addictive and I couldn’t stop eating them despite being already stuffed from dinner.
Although there are many places like this one in the city, it’s still a great neighborhood establishment. Great place for a date.

Classy bar filled with ambiance, Elsa can be a Thursday night hang out spot or that romantic after dinner get-​to-​know-​each-​other-​some-​more bar. The décor is super cute filled with chandelier and dim candles and the noise level is definitely on the controlled side, leaving you lots of space to get in your conversations.
As for drinks, I wouldn’t say it’s anything spectacular, but it does have a wide variety of interesting cocktails for both the boys and girls, even absinthe if you dare. The drinks are more on the upscale pricing as 5 drinks came out to be around 86 dollars, but you are buying more for the classy atmosphere and the candle ambiance more than the taste.
Overall, I had a relaxing night hanging out here, but I wouldn’t necessary go out of my way to meet here.