Mulberry Project

After walking up and down Mulberry Street at 2am, my colleague and I finally found the place. We were in town for a work conference and some French girls had told us that we should meet them at this secret spot in Soho. We entered the very darkly lit bar and found them quickly on the «dance floor» or the open area near the bar. Lots of fun, and the service was quick and easy for a packed place. Some of the group I was with true to smoke cigs on the back patio area and got kicked out– apparently when it’s closed for the season, it’s closed off. The guy who kindly escorted them out said that once the weather improves, they get the big fire pit going and it’s a good outdoors scene.

Cool place, has a great vibe and its definitely different. The food is good and not expensive at all. I had the build your own pasta tagliatelle with lamb ragu … I wouldnt really choose this place again for dinner but definitely for drinks. I did have a reservation at 10:30pm and the kitchen was closing so maybe thats why there wasnt a dinner vibe, it was more bar focused

Bar night the night before Halloween!
THE AMBIANCE:
When you arrive at Mulberry Project you notice that it is a bit hidden and there is a stairway leading you into the actual bar. We were carded by a rather rude little person. When we entered Mulberry Project we noticed that it was very dark. The bar is on your right, which stretches all the way across the room, wall to wall, and there is booth and table seating on your left. I noticed that there is an outdoors patio, which was decorated festively for Halloween but it was so cold that I said no way. We sat at a booth and had some drinks.
THE DRINKS/​MUSIC:
Mulberry Project offers your typical well drinks; nothing crafty. The music was loud and sounded nicely.
THE TIPS:
I would come here for a chill, dressed-​down night or for a drink after work if I worked nearby. But then again, look at the dollar signs — three (3) of them… Maybe it’s because I wasn’t paying for my drinks all night. I definitely wouldn’t think this place was that expensive because it is not upscale in any sense. I will take people’s word for it and recommend you check out the patio I guess.
Restrooms — there is a restroom on the left before hitting the outdoor patio stairs and a «secret» one in the front by the entrance stairs!

I don’t usually get hyped up or overly set expectations based on reviews, they just help decide whether to go try or not. With all the positive reviews for MP, I thought this is definitely a place to try. Went with one person on a Sunday evening around 12 am, no line, got right in, was pretty empty in there, which I prefer for a speakeasy, not too cramped, not too loud. The atmosphere is alright, but it’s playing some mix of current/​modern music, definitely not stuff from the 20s.
MP tries to be like Milk & Honey and the many other speakeasies that offer you something custom, just for you, whatever you want, whatever you feel like that day. Many speakeasies can do that, but they also have a specific menu that it does particularly well. MP plays up that «bespoke cocktail» and let’s you pick from a blackboard full of ingredients. Conversely, the menu that MP does have, is pretty entertaining/​creative, cocktails named after pornstar legends that can only be ordered by the jar or «jug».
First drink, I asked for anything with Bourbon. Waiter brings over the drinks, didn’t introduce it, didn’t say what’s in it — I don’t really have food allergies, so I didn’t bother asking him to do 100% of his job. Taste it, and it was the weirdest, most disappointing $ 15 speakeasy cocktail I’ve had in New York. For one thing, it somehow tasted watered down. And somehow, it tasted like corn — except corn wasn’t on the menu… and small thing, but the ice wasn’t just a giant cube (for Bourbon), it was just many pieces of normal ice.
Fine, odd shot, let’s try again, second drink, I ask for banana, and whatever the bartender thought would go well. Waiter doesn’t ask any questions regarding preferences, whether I want something refreshing, sweet, etc. — drinks come, and again, tastes like a cold, light cocktail, with a minor hint of banana. I don’t really need a super strong cocktail, but it really had no flavor, not just of alcohol, but no flavors that were particularly memorable.
I’ll go back a second time to make sure it wasn’t just a fluke bad day, but this place was pretty disappointing.

The drinks here are so delicious. The bartender was extremely friendly and attentive he asked us what types of drinks we liked and put up a specialty cocktail that described what we enjoyed. I didn’t feel rushed one bit even when it got busier. He always made sure each cocktail was made as careful as the first one. Great customer service followed by awesome drinks. can’t wait to come back.

NO, there isn’t a sign, just look for the stairs that go down from street level.
Make a reservation if you can.
In summer, sit out back in the hidden patio.
Always go for the Bespoke cocktail.

Great spot to hang out after work! Showed up around 8PM on a Thursday night and the place got filled up pretty quickly. After standing around for a bit we managed to score 3 seats at the bar. There were a few tables in the place, but unless you are with a big group, I would strongly suggest you try getting a bar stool. Lots of great ingredients here and a good amount of creativity. The food here is a nice touch as well. The buttermilk chicken sandwich and fries were awesome! You can also order food from next door as well if the bar snacks don’t do it for you.
Most of the cocktails (all of which are named after porn stars) on the menu were great! They didn’t want to make my fav drink of all time because it could get time consuming… which I understand.

Shits weak… went here because I heard the door was cool… I paid 100 bucks and left hungry and sober. def not a way to leave a bar in nyc. drinks were basic and they didn’t even have argula ‘hence the arugula salad on the menu smh .won’t be coming back here… my friend did like the doughnuts tho

Classy place. Nice vibe. Chill music. Attentive, professional, and kind bartenders. Went here early so as to avoid the huge crowd which is inevitable at such a proclaimed establishment (not that that is a bad thing in any way, just the opposite). I will definitely be back.

Stellar in the Cellar! Yes, as other reviews note, this place is basically in a basement. But who cares! The drinks were perfectly perfect as described, and if anyone wanted something else, no prob! The bartenders are pros in their work, hence, why it took a little while to get your beverage. But once rcvd, you knew why! Prices were fair, given the content and work involved. Place is just a wee bit small, but what basement is roomy? I’ll be back :)

The entrance is an unmarked door with red light shining above it. We came after dinner on a weeknight so it wasn’t too crowded. Cocktails are $ 15 each and you can pick from a menu or you can tell the bartender what you like and they’ll mix something up for you. Since we were a small group we opted for a pitcher. It was $ 80 but it was about 6 – 8 cups worth of drinks and it was very potent. We got a spicy drink and it had just enough heat to give a well rounded flavor to it without being painful.
It was a lot of fun catching up since the music wasn’t too loud, but they did turn it up later into the night. It was also a lot of fun watching the first dates at the tables around us. I guess this would be a nice place to bring a date.

I came here twice. Once on a Friday night around 10pm and once on a weekday around 6.30pm.
Friday 10pm was a little crowded but I managed to get ourselves a table. It was almost 1.5−2 years ago but I remember the drinks on the menu was amazing so I definitely want to come back again.
2^nd time was yesterday (yes yesterday)! I made a reservation here as I thought there might be food because my friend told me their food was pretty good. I guess because it’s winter and the kitchen is close. booo.
I didn’t know they name all their drinks after porn stars. Most of the drinks look like something that I would order so I went and go ahead to start of with the drink on their menu with tequila, orange, pomegranate, spicy, and some other liquor. It taste like margarita with a twist that I absolutely enjoyed it. My friend ordered «Tori black» which was rum, pinapple, mango, and something else I don’t remember. I tired and I really enjoyed.
On our second drink, we told the mixology what we feel like drinking and they just created for us. I wanted something with egg whites and my friend wanted something creamy. Her drink tasted like cotton candy which was delicious if you have a sweet tooth. The mixology made me a gin fizzed with pomegranate. I absolutely enjoy it.
I really love «speakeasy» in NYC. The reason why I took a star off is because their music was way too loud and I remember I had to shout when having a conversation. Is no longer «speakeasy» anymore.
I would totally return again. The drinks were equally as good as places like that has long like such as PDT, Angel Share, Rains Law Room (in my opinion)… except there’s no line. :)

Holy fucking disappointment, Batman. The reviews of this nondescript cocktail cellar were promising, so we gave it a go. But the second I heard the word «bespoke» thrown around, I knew it would be a shitty experience. Unless you’re talking high end suits, bespoke essentially means one thing: overpriced.
I gave the bartender/​waiter a few different options: something that tastes like a Pimm’s Cup, something with basil in it, or something with a masala chai flavour. He said he couldn’t do a chai infused drink, but he could do something creamy and wintery. It sounded promising and he seemed set on it, so I said okay.
The resulting drink was a monstrosity. It was one of the most vile things I’ve ever consumed at a bar, apart from mayyyyyyybe a cement mixer shooter when I was 18 (Baileys + lemon juice for the daring). I passed the cocktail around to our entire group and everyone cringed at the taste. Basically, it tasted like some rank combination of rancid coffee liquor, Pastis, stlae cigarette butts and throat losanges, with a heady froth for good measure. If a tailor were to make a bespoke suit that resembled this drink, it would be a plastic garbage bag with burn holes in it… made to order, of course.
There was apparently a sign somewhere in the bar that said you can return drinks if you don’t like them. Despite asking us if we were all new to the bar and explaining the premise, our waiter didn’t mention it once.
Oh well… lesson learned. My only hope is that this review helps you from making the same mistake.

The entrance was an unmarked red door. It felt like going at someone’s place or to a secret event.
The fruity cocktail with some fresh blackberries was sublime and intense in flavors. It was one of the best cocktails I have had in my life.
At the bar, the cool bartender was putting on fire some cocktails to entertain the crowd.
The small place was dimly lit and had a relaxing vibe.
Due to the the music level played by the DJ, you had to sit close to your counterpart to carry a conversation.
Some people were dancing.
The bathroom was clean.

Nice speak easy bar with amazing $ 15 cocktails. You can either give in your preferences for liquor to the bartender & they create a unique drink for you or pick from the menu. I like the vibe and interesting artwork they have displayed throughout the bar.
Definitelty will be back if I’m in the area.

Five star.
From the service to the drinks. Place is five star. Small and cozy. Rad music and staff. Jose and wolf are a great team. They bring a great vibe to this small little hidden gem in little Italy. It’s not Italian. Luckily. Love this jam. Will be back. Try the jalapeño margarita and the cantaloupe gin mixture they’ll cook up. Props to whomever hired these rad dudes.

So I have mixed feelings about Mulberry Project. On the one hand, it’s a really cool place. A cozy little speakeasy in one of my favorite cheesy neighborhoods, Little Italy. On the other hand, I was pretty disappointed by my drink when I visited and didn’t really want to take a chance on another one. I’ll have to give it another try sometime soon.
You have to know what you like to get a good cocktail here, and be specific! I wanted to be more adventurous than usual, so I had the bartender mix up a drink of her choice. Bad choice. I told her that I was a fan of gin, rum, and whiskey, and that I don’t like my drinks too sweet. She asked if I wanted a drink that was more refreshing or fruity. I figured that fruity might be too sweet for me, so I went with the other one. If I would have known that refreshing was synonymous with cucumber, I would have went with something else. Oh well, you can’t win them all. My drink had gin and muddled cucumber and not much else. It was heavy on the cucumber and light on the gin. It took me a while to finish, and in the end I was just forcing it down. We were there on a Friday night, and as it got later the place became packed. There wasn’t anywhere for us to sit, and I had already been standing in heels for more than an hour, so we decided to move on after our first drink. I’ll be back another time, and hopefully it will be better next time!

A pretty cool speakeasy. Cocktails are delicious but also not cheap at $ 15 dollars for one.
Bartender was nice but it took a while for the drinks to be ready.
Overall a cool place. They also have a backyard that we didn’t get to check out since it was a bit too cold to sit out

Sort of appalled at the 3.5 star rating. I guess I had been sort of biased against this place myself after hearing mixed reviews, but after actually visiting, I thoroughly enjoyed my time here. I think the key is to treat this as more of a lounge than a speakeasy or super high-​end cocktail bar. A party of 8 of us came during the thick of the Saturday night crowd, around midnight. and there was a decent crowd, but we were still able to find a table for all of us to put our coats and sit down. Tucked away down a very unassuming stairway on Mulberry Street, the Mulberry Project has a décor/​ambiance that’s slightly risqué, with a lot of morbid art hanging from the walls, as well as drinks named after porn stars. Yeah, I don’t particularly know what to make of it, but we decided to stay anyway.
A roaming waiter took our drink orders while we listened to the DJ spinning some chill house music. I ordered a bespoke cocktail (bartender’s choice), and got a drink with gin, muddled cucumbers, jalapenos, and coriander, which was pretty delicious. However, after receiving my drink, I realized that they had just given me one of the drinks on the menu (the Ron Jeremy). Kinda lazy on the part of the bartender, but the drink was pretty well-​made and I ended up ordering another, so I wasn’t going to complain.
Something I noticed was that once our group entered and sat down, the DJ started spinning some 2000s hip-​hop, along the lines of NERD, Fabolous, Busta Rhymes, etc., which got all of us out of our seats and into the middle section of the lounge, which formed sort of a mini-​dance floor. I don’t know if it was the alcohol talking, or the seamless song transitions, but the music in general was really effing great. A pretty good mix of reggaeton, hip hop, and (mainstream) rap, with a few upbeat rock songs for the white people. I was a little confused when he played Backstreet Boys, considering that’s more of a 3am song, than a 1am song. However, we just went with it. DJ really was on point. Great music really makes a difference, and in all, very conducive to dancing, so we ended up staying for a long time.
Service was decent, especially considering we were a pretty large party. The prices are pretty standard for higher-​end cocktails, at around $ 15. I can’t speak to the vibe on a weekday night, but I would definitely come back for some weekend dranks and dancin’.

Quiet on a Tuesday night but a nice intimate atmosphere. The drinks are really good but pricey. The outdoor area has heating lamps for colder months and large community tables.

Outdoor space in the backyard, in Manhattan? Yes there are a few venues which can say this, and Mulberry Project is one. The space in the middle looks like it was designed for a swim up bar in the back. My personal vision. :)
Obviously they also have spectacular mixologists behind the bar. Although I normally go for beers, when in Rome I’ll go for something else. Here I had an old fashioned. It’s a safe go-​to and easy to compare from one place to another. Theirs was very good, not too sweet, with just a hint of orange. Nice.

The kinks have been worked out, and MP is one of my favorite bars in NY. On my most recent visit, I had (and loved) a mezcal and apple drink that was autumn in a glass. The backyard is awesome – maybe heatlamps will come so they can stay open? Food is improved and good.
One minor suggestion is if the server could explain exactly what’s in each drink because I’m sure it’s interesting and thoughtful.

Service was a little slow, but the girls are so friendly that I forgive them.
We tried the Christy Mack pitcher for $ 70 and the Ron Jeremy for $ 70. A pitcher serves a little more than 8 glasses, so we felt the pitchers were so worth it. It was four of us. The Christy Mack was definitely the more preferred one for our group.
The place is downright sexy in the most New York City kind of way. The backyard is tucked between buildings like a neighborhood from the outer boroughs, and the décor of the place is completely hip and so well put together. They have a cool section in the middle by the main service bar that if there is no «RESERVED» sign on it we recommend you just posting up at. Use the space entirely and feel free to sit on the stone wall facing friends who are sitting on the benches.
We didn’t try any food. There are 2 bathrooms (WC) inside. One is near the main entrance and one near the bottom of the stairs going to the outside.
4.5 stars. The music turned up and was actually excellent. I’d much rather come to a place like this than any club in NYC, ESPECIALLY on a nice summery or spring night.

I like to think that every single speakeasy in the city is on my radar, but that would be foolish – and just wrong. I hadn’t heard of Mulberry Project before coming here Friday night, but what a great find! Even if you’re like me and don’t find yourself in SoHo often, this place is worth a visit.
Mulberry Project is hiding in plain sight. There’s no disguise or cleverly-​placed door you need to push on – you just need to look out for some grungy stairs in the midst of the chaos that is Little Italy. Once walking in, you completely forget what your surroundings were moments ago – this place is pretty small and isn’t decorated in any sort of extravagant way, but it’s got an awesome vibe going on. One thing that irks me about most speakeasies is that they’re typically not conducive to dancing and mingling. Despite the size of Mulberry Project, both of those things are possible there. I’m not sure if this a nightly thing, but on Friday there was a DJ who was pretty decent. The only other speakeasy I’ve been to with this feel is Bathtub Gin, but that place is usually overwhelmingly packed. There were a decent number of people at Mulberry Project, but it didn’t feel at all claustrophobic.
I came with someone who recommend that I not look at any sort of menu but rather tell the bartender a preferred liquor and flavors (herbaceous, floral, fruity, sweet, savory) and let the magic happen. They’re stocked with just about everything at the bar, most notably an impressive array of bitters. I’m not typically looking out for the bitters selection at a speakeasy, but I happened to be sitting right in front of them on this particular night – the only place I’ve found with this breadth is Amor y Amargo, though I’m sure there are others. In any case, my drink was delightful. Definitely worth ending the night here!
Lastly, I got a bit of dancing in, which I love. I’m not a club gal, so it’s hard for me to find bars with dancing that aren’t super trashy. People here were kind of intermittently bouncing around – not a full on dance party – but I didn’t feel too strange doing a little jig. I like that a previous reviewer mentioned that this place is «devoid of the pretense» that is kind of part and parcel of most speakeasies in the city – this place is relaxed and just plain fun.

Mulberry Project is one of my favorite speakeasys. Devoid of the bullshit pretense of most speakeasys, everyone working here from the bouncers to the mixologists is really nice and approachable. The space is dark with a few nooks and crannies in the front, and then an alleyway leading to another small room with a bar. It’s not a large place, but it’s definitely on the larger side for a speakeasy. More than anything this is what makes the place a great watering hole: they do the speakeasy concept, but they do it right.
Every cocktail I’ve had here has been on point. I’ve had old fashioneds and custom drinks from the bartenders mostly, the latter of which have always been interesting even when they weren’t perfect. Whether I’ve come with a girl or with a few friends, they’ve always enjoyed the drinks too. Sometimes they also have music in the main room while the back room stays quiet. Add that with the typical décor and atmosphere of a speakeasy, and you have a winner. I also find the alley slightly sexy if we’re being honest.

This is a truly hidden bar… look for the little stairwell under the cheesy purse store. Once you walk through the dimly lit bar, you’ll encounter a charming and spacious patio. So perfect for warm evenings!
At first I found the idea of ‘bespoke cocktails’ to be a bit pretentious, but my snarky ways were put in their place once I had a sip of my gin concoction. Delightful! It’s pricey — up to about $ 15 per drink — so I suggest requesting something strong to get your money’s worth.
I have yet to try the food, but I imagine it’s a great option if you’re in the area and don’t feel like a mediocre plate of calamari. It’s a hip little oasis in the midst of Little Italy’s over the top corniness!