Slowly Shirley
“Loose Lips Sink Ships was a fun gin based drink that went down smooth, while the Martinez (while gin based) had a more bitter finish, likely due to the combination with amaretto & absinthe.”
“Super elegant speakeasy vibe- entrance is to the right of The Happiest Hour and down the stairs.”
“Then I tried the Village Bicycle, which was an excellent blend of ginger, gin and lychee.”
Slowly Shirley
Takes Reservations: Yes
Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
Bike Parking: Yes
Good for Groups: Yes
Price range.
$$ Price range $11-30
8 reviews
Rate and write a review Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.
What a find! Slowly Shirley is a beautiful downstairs bar with innovative and expertly crafted cocktails. The entrance is only accessible via the doorman, and once you get downstairs you feel like you've entered an elite but casual lounge. It's dimly lit with a more adult crowd looking to sit down and enjoy quality drinks while catching up with friends or a date.
The cocktails selection was interesting with some drinks designed around a specific spirit. I had a few drinks:
In the Greenhouse – Bulleit rye infused with dill an celery bitters, which was like a light Manhattan that somehow tasted refreshing
Pavo Salvaje – rye with jalapeño tequila and mole bitters, which was almost a savory rye with a kick of heat in aftertaste
Village Bicycle- vodka, vermouth, kaffir lime, lychee, ginger, lemon–my favorite of the evening! Each sip was delightful and you can really taste the fresh ginger
Not to mention that each drink was gorgeously presented. It's not cheap as our drinks ranged $16 to $21 each, but if you're looking for a good cocktail with lovely service, Slowly Shirley will deliver.
I LOVE going to speakeasy. Not sure if it's because of the mysterious atmosphere and the exciting feeling of going to the unknown. Or, am I just an old soul that wants to drink in a quiet area.
It's a confusing entrance because it's connected to another bar? But once you finish roaming around and realize whereever you is not Slowly Shirley, eventually you'll find a tiny corner with stairs to the basement.
They make you wait 10-20 minutes, even if there's available tables.
Once you entered downstairs, they seat you and girll, this place will bring you back to the 1940s.
Drinks are good, they take their time making it. Service is attentive. Definitely would love to return back!
I'm a fan! Didn't know what to expect when I walked down the flight of stairs but I was pleasantly surprised to suddenly be faced with an elegant yet homey lounge-type area. There's a bar all the way opposite the entrance and plenty of bench-type seating with small chairs. Overall a very laid back, not in your face vibe. I can definitely see how this place is called "Slowly" Shirley.
The cocktails were very refreshing and had complicated mixologies. I liked all of the ones I tried. I started with the Plum Tucker, which was a delicious mix of plum sake and gin anchored with some Irish Whiskey. Then I tried the Village Bicycle, which was an excellent blend of ginger, gin and lychee. I also tried the two drinks my boyfriend ordered, which was one called the Ingrid-something (forgot the last part of the name), a mix of gin and absinthe and other slightly bitter flavors and the Fu Tang Cobbler, which was a refreshing blend of gin, cucumber, peach-among other ingredients. Although each drink was delicious, I thought the variety among them was a tad bit lacking.
Service was somewhat slow, but fit the theme I suppose. This is an excellent place to chill and drink some quality alcohol, especially because it's low key enough that you don't really have to wait in line!
The inside of this place is how I picture the lounge of a dirigible. The lines, lighting, and menu all kinda capture what I will now posit should be called the dirigible days. Anyways, it's pretty easy to get a table in here and though the random hoops some speakeasies make you jump through are kinda fun, it's also nice to not have to figure out what the password is once in awhile.
Nice but far from special. Look for the street number above the door – sign is barely visible. Walk down one flight and turn left into the lounge. The ground floor space is a different bar. The lounge place is nice enough with a small bar on the left. Lots of tables. Cocktails menu is extensive but a bit too "complicated" for my taste. Even the classic drinks were tweaked, choosing between two versions of a Manhattan – one version had an habanero touch and the second was with ginger syrup. I could see offering one version with extra "heat" but not two.
Most cocktails were priced at $16 which is fair – they are using some top end spirits. Bartender was nice enough. I don't recall the background music.
Quiet at 6:00 on a Friday. The upstairs bar was packed. I don't plan on the second visit.
Five stars simply because there isn't a ridiculous line like the bar next door. Skip the line, come straight to this door, walk downstairs and have a imaginative cocktail in a more intimate setting!
Another review that is dated a few months back when this was still a relatively new speakeasy. The entrance is separate from the restaurant The Happiest Hour. However, you still have to enter the restaurant and make your way towards the right and go down the stairs. There will be a bouncer to check your IDs after 5pm specifically for the cocktail lounge downstairs.
The space downstairs is so sexy. It is really dark lighting but I can definitely imagine this place for date night.
I tried two cocktails. The Monkey Man tasted like a stronger version of a non-frozen pina colada. The other one was a cucumber based cocktail which I forgot the name of. However, it was also delish even for one who isn't a totally fan of cucumbers.
The price is on par with other speakeasy places.
FAN.
If someone told me that I could go to a New York speakeasy at 7pm on a Friday night with a party of 7 and without a reservation, I would probably respond with, "Um, are you already drunk?!"
And yet, there we were, doing what I thought was the impossible. After an initial scare from the line out The Happiest Hour's door at street level, I realized that Slowly Shirley was actually wide open and there for the taking. My guy and I were the first to arrive so we were seated at the bar and were quickly served some delicious cocktails and a bowl of chips. When the third person in our party arrived, we were seated in one of the cushy banquet tables. As our party slowly filtered in, we enjoyed many servings of yummy burgers and fries (one order was good enough for me while my giant Dutchman needed two double cheeseburgers to sate his appetite). My first cocktail, the Five Finger Punch, was entertaining but a little to sweet for my taste. I perused their impressively selective menu, which had entire sections devoted to Manhattans and Old Fashioneds! My idea of cocktail heaven … I moved on to the Jerry Thomas (Reverse), which I really enjoyed.
So if I really loved everything, why just four stars? Well, once we were seated at the banquet, it was like an olympic sport to flag down a waiter and order. With such an extensive and inventive menu, I would have loved to try so many more cocktails but the waiters were so hard to catch that we just asked for another round just to be sure we got anything at all. We were there for quite some time and only had 3 rounds of drinks; we would have had 1-2 more rounds if the waiters were more attentive. The most attentive staff were the bussers, who diligently refilled our water glasses but could not take our orders. That was nice for us (though we would have rather had alcohol refills) but kept us sufficiently sober that we decided to just call it a night. Adding one more waiter for service on the weekends would bring this spot up to 5 stars. It's such a waste that the only thing standing between eager imbibers and beautiful cocktails are the waiters themselves.