Nightlife in New York City

Peri Wine Bar curates a varied stock of quality vintages, serving them by the glass and bottle, alongside a menu of light fare. Rows of obsidian and amber bottles perch on hardwood shelves hanging from the rustic brick walls, their fragrant contents sourced from wineries across the world. Beneath hanging chandeliers, patrons divvy up gourmet pizzas, salads, and appetizers, emerging from a kitchen that remains open until the last, bleary-eyed call of the night. The bar hosts live music, DJs, jazz, and dancing during the course of the week, and the in-house WiFi pipes in with pairing recommendations and aerates chardonnays with essence of funny-cat videos.

Like any good basement, Cellar 58 is full of secrets. Hidden in the back of the East Village eatery is a wine-tasting room—recently described as "elegant" by New York magazine—that shelters more than 150 varietals hailing from such overlooked countries as Greece and Bulgaria. Two-dozen wines can be poured by the glass, including several culled from the vineyards of Italy, France, and similarly eminent regions.

There also lurks a surprising treasure in the front dining room. Marble-topped tables play host to entrees and small plates prepared by chef Fabio Bano, who comes to Cellar 58 from the ultra-private Soho House. Using cooking methods that he learned and perfected in Italy, Bano handcrafts pastas and inventive desserts, which, like top-secret memos, melt satisfyingly upon entering the mouth.

From way off Broadway to slightly off-Broadway comes the Chicago-born phenomenon Flanagan’s Wake. One of the longest-running shows in Chicago theater history makes the jump to NYC by way of the intimate Sweet Caroline’s theatre. For $20, you'll get one ticket to the show, a $50 value. Your Groupon can be used at any performance you want, but not for stealing hats backstage. Choose between: Mondays, Thursdays, Fridays, and Saturdays at 7:30 p.m.; or the Sunday matinee at 4:30 p.m. The runtime is approximately 90 minutes with no intermission, so regulate your liquid intake accordingly.Follow @Groupon_Says on Twitter.

Mention the Cryan family to South Orange locals and they'll probably tell you stories. They'll talk about the sons who've worked as chiefs of the local police and fire departments, the father who emigrated from Ireland in the '40s, and the lively parties held at Cryan's Beef & Ale House. Captained by the youngest son, Jimmy, the 30-year-old local landmark is the last of the 30 pubs and eateries the family owned throughout Jersey.

An Irish flag waves outside the cheerful Celtic storefront, beckoning passersby in for some beer and Irish pub classics. Inside, a St. Patrick statue smiles down on rows of cushy green booths, where diners wrap their hands around corned beef sandwiches and hearty Angus beef burgers. Among regular patrons are students from the nearby Seton Hall University and a woman named Carol, who has eaten there every night since 1982. Throughout the week, the restaurant plays host to lively events, from spirited DJ college nights to traditional Irish music shows.

Oak Ale House is an eatery divided in half—one side is a sports bar, and the other is an old-fashioned Italian restaurant. Paintings of Italy hang in the latter section, where families crowd long tables piled high with plates of pasta, pizza, and burgers. The menu unfolds to reveal a mélange of American-Italian staples such as penne in a creamy vodka sauce, and rib-eye steaks that sizzle out the national anthem as they’re cooked. Back in the kitchen, ovens bake thick and thin pizzas to a bubbly golden brown, and grills heat up eight types of hamburgers to sate hamburgervores.

Beyond the guarded border dividing the two establishments lies a sports bar, where frothy brews pour from kegs and live music beckons toes to start tapping. The bar also houses seven flat-screen TVs, billiards, darts, and karaoke on select nights.

Hanging baskets line Marty O'Brien's Social Club's front patio, contributing to a quiet sidewalk ambiance that contrasts with the pub’s convivial laid-back lounge. Regardless of where diners sit, they can expect tables brimming with plates of seafood, grilled chicken, and beef. Nearly every corner of the restaurant exudes an air of comforting americana, from the rugged blue-brick façade to its name, which invokes Frank Sinatra's father's boxing moniker and the pen name gracing Teddy Roosevelt’s fan fiction. As servers roll out entrees, guests toast to each other’s health with glasses of beer or wine and share appetizers of chicken skewers and mussels.