Nightlife in South Orange

Crimson hues edged in accents of neon orange and ice blue pervade the interior of Lava Lounge. Amid the low lights and bleeding colors, guests lounge on long benches and pull from long hookah hoses. Their exhalations send out swirls of smoke in flavors such as white peach, watermelon, or dominican mango. Between puffs, parties can sip bubbly Blue Moons and Stellas or make a night of it with bottle service. Bartenders also mix long island iced teas, cosmopolitans, and other cocktails behind a bar whose fuchsia lights transition into sky blue.

Tall grasses line the walls behind Lava Lounge's black couches, giving some of the smoking area a more pastoral feel. Patrons can also melt into one of Lava Lounge’s auto-massage chairs, pulling from a hookah while the chair kneads away muscle strains caused by relaxing too hard.

“This is no Carrie Bradshaw bar,” The Rundown NYC firmly states about Bishops & Barons—a swanky cocktail joint created by the owners of Employees Only and The Gates in summer 2012. Despite fashion-forward accents of peacock feathers, zebra stripes, and delicate chandeliers, a vintage speakeasy vibe predominates, thanks to a gold pressed-tin ceiling, paisley-patterned wallpaper, and dark wood furnishings. Named for two historic Brooklyn street gangs, Bishops & Barons harkens back to prohibition's heyday with delicate cocktails dreamed up by mixologist Dushan Zaric and a flat-screen TV that only plays speeches made by Calvin Coolidge. The unique drinks blend together potent liquors including absinthe and tequila, with unusual ingredients, such as brown sugar, rosebuds, and fig puree. Bartenders also sling draft, craft, and bottled brews include Sixpoint Crisp Pilsner and Abita Light as well as seven types of white and eight types of red wine. Back in the kitchen, chefs put a twist on traditional dishes, from corn on the cobb slathered in garlic, lemon, and scarmozza, to St. Louis–style ribs crowned with honey barbeque and peanuts. The petite menu also showcases East Coast Blue Point oysters, quail, and wagyu flank steak.

At Levity Live Comedy Club, renowned comedians such as Kevin Nealon and Susie Essman have graced the same stage as up-and-coming comics including Elliot Chang and Sam Morril. In addition to its live shows and a variety of pub grub and drinks, the club also offers classes through Manhattan Comedy School. Eight-week sessions help fledgling comedians with everything from developing a persona to lightening up a goldfish’s funeral.

Founded by Queens native and Late Late Show vet Steve Hofstetter, Laughing Devil Comedy Club lobbed its inaugural laugh at the end of 2011 to the printed acclaim of the New York Post, Queens Courier, and Queens Tribune. Within an intimate, 70-seat venue, bartenders draw from a top-shelf drink menu to forge potions such as The Andy Kaufman's blend of St. Germain, Patron tequila, and pineapple, or to pour drafts of Chimay Triple, brewed in the traditional manner by Belgian prop comics.

Greenwich Village Comedy Club owner Al Martin has spent a quarter-century bringing talent such as Chris Rock, Wanda Sykes, and Jim Gaffigan to his pair of Big Apple clubs: New York Comedy Club and Broadway Comedy Club. His newest space, Greenwich Village Comedy Club, brings a mix of big-name headliners and sharp young comics on the verge of fame to the rich cultural mix of a block he described in an interview with Backstage as “the Bourbon Street of Manhattan.” The club pairs its calendar of comedians with a menu of nachos, sliders, and desserts.

Located in Times Square, the fourth incarnation of world-famous nightclub The Copacabana celebrates more than 70 years of star-studded revelry with south-of-the-border cuisine, toe-tapping dance fests and a glamorous nightclub atmosphere. The prix-fixe menu whisks appetites away on a three-plate tour guided by experienced Head Chef Alex Garcia. Diners can munch on manchego-cheese and rock-shrimp appetizers in time with the live beats of the Copacabana All-Stars band before wine escorts entrees of steak, slow-roasted pork, and snapper to tables. To cap off meals, traditional desserts, such as flans and tortas, send satisfied sighs ricocheting off the dining room's palm-tree-shaped columns and marble busts of Barry Manilow.

After dinner, guests step out onto the dance floor to sway, dip, and spin to DJ-provided tunes at 9 p.m. in the Supper Club and 9:30 p.m. in the nightclub. A live band takes over the Supper Club at 11 p.m. Tucked-away couches and atmospheric low lighting help guests relive the exploits of The Copacabana's famous past guests, from Frank Sinatra's raucous nights out with the Rat Pack to Martin and Lewis' stirring renditions of Waiting for Godot.