Nightlife in Brooklyn

Silvery tendrils of smoke steeped with notes of mandarin, guava, and 16 other hookah flavors uncurl across La Boheme Lounge, where silverware jingles against plates of Italian-influenced dishes. Under the discerning eye of the owner—a professional music producer—DJs spin chill, ambient, lounge, and house music that serves as a rumbling sonic backdrop on two floors. Groups perch atop velvety, merlot-hued seats around low-topped black tables laden with espresso drinks and cocktails, or migrate to the private party room to admire the aquarium or rescue friends trapped by overly chatty fish.

Located just a jeté from Broadway, the Playwright Celtic Pub welcomes postshow audiences and general patrons for merrymaking across its three floors. Exposed brick ensconces the ground-level bar area, where high-definition TVs and an ultramodern sound system entertain eyes and ears. One floor up in the dining room, servers whisk upscale pub grub, inventive entrees and seasonal cocktails to tables. Crowning the convivial eatery is a third-floor party room, where revelers fire wine corks at Manhattan’s one-of-a-kind skyline from a private outdoor patio.

Flowing with live music, libations, and good-spirited sports, Tobacco Road eschews the pretentions of club-hopping nightlife in favor of a convivial neighborhood-bar experience. Voted Best Dive Bar by the Village Voice, Tobacco Road’s weekly schedule runs the gamut of entertainment with nightly events for sports fans, blues and show-tunes devotees, and rampaging bachelorettes. Friday and Saturday nights, dueling pianos reign with the famed Shake Rattle & Roll showcase, a raucous all-request sing-along where classic hits such as “Don’t Stop Believin’,” “Piano Man,” and Beethoven’s Symphony in C Major inspire revelrous toasts, games, and shot giveaways. A motley crew of bikini-clad barmaids and friendly clientele rounds out the colorful cast at the Midtown dive, which is located a leap-frog’s jump from the Port Authority.

Rihanna, Shania Twain, Mumford & Sons, and Elton John. That's not from the playlist of an indecisive radio DJ—it's from the song list at Radio Star Karaoke, which boasts more than 28,000 English and Spanish tunes. Visitors belt out melodies from nine private rooms, the biggest of which can fit up to 40 singers. Bolder singers exercise their pipes on the stage of the ultra-modern bar area, decked out with translucent plastic chairs illuminated by multicolored, club-style lighting. Dots of laser light flit across the entire space, framing wrap-around couches and flat-screen TVs. In the front hallway, a museum of vintage microphones and RCA Victor radios is on display to inspire singers. Fueling the festivities, which on some nights can last until 4 a.m., is a menu of spirited beverages and sharable appetizers that have all been stolen from Prince’s kitchen.

Selected by Nightclub & Bar magazine as the Nightclub of the Year in 2011 and designated a city landmark in 2008, Webster Hall's four floors hold more than 125 years of history, from the Grand Ballroom to the Balcony Lounge. The building’s iconic framework has hosted such major acts as Prince and Mick Jagger, and served as a speakeasy, a lecture hall, and a mentor to troubled teenage buildings since its construction in 1886.

Originally established in the years after World War I, McGarry’s Pub & Restaurant still evokes the charm of a bygone era. From the moment guests step through the cheery red façade and belly up to the gleaming wood bar, they are transported to a simpler time when cars couldn’t shift gears or text automatically. An equally easygoing atmosphere permeates the beer garden, where wrought-iron tables beckon beneath umbrellas. Indoors and out, a hearty menu of classic Irish pub fare sates patrons’ appetites, offering plates such as shepherd’s pie, fish 'n' chips, and burgers. Brunch is served on the weekends, and beer, wine, and cocktails can be poured whenever someone suggests a toast to their festive surroundings.