Lumos Bar

Stopped here shortly after a date for a nice finishing drink. The space is pretty small with just enough space for a bar and some bar stools. When we came apparently there was a burlesque show about to start in the back room. We opted out so we found a spot at the bar.

They have a nice selection of baijiu cocktails which I have never seen before. However, im not a huge fan of baijiu so I ended up going with one of the "West" drinks.

I got the "Get Lucky" or something lucky which was pretty good though I think I could taste some of the baijiu from these glasses being used for baijiu cocktails so often.

My boyfriend, in an effort to get a manly drink, for the Hennessy v cognac, the Saffron Sidecar, but it ended up being a pretty girly drink that looked exactly like mine. Still, he liked it though.

Nice spot to casually finish off a date!

I purchased a Groupon ($27 for $54 value) for 2 baijiu cocktails and 2 tapas, and finally found time to use it today! I ordered the Asian Pear cocktail and my friend got the Red Monkey cocktail. Both were superb, but I really, really enjoyed mine. It tasted like a drinkable, adult version of the juicy pear jelly bellies, and I could have probably drank a whole liter of it...if my liver and my brain could tolerate that much alcohol. We asked to try a bit of the HKB baijiu on it's own and the bartender was nice enough to pour us two tiny shots. WOO it was strong, but definitely a very unique flavor. Per the description online, it has notes of green apple and red fruits, and that tart, fruity flavor definitely comes through well. With your Yelp check-in you do get a complimentary shot, so I highly recommend you try it out!!

For the tapas, we ordered the sticky rice and the crab cake sliders. The crab cake sliders came in a pair, served with some sweet potato fries. I really loved the crab cake, which was well seasoned and consisted of REAL crab. It was flaky and delicious! :9 The sticky rice was also very good. I ordered it only because I was craving homemade sticky rice (my mom makes it real good!) and Lumos' take on it really hit the spot. It was a little heavier on the sesame oil than I would have liked, but overall it was well done and not too oily - like some restaurants tend to make it. It also paired well with the pickled vegetables that were served with it. I didn't really taste any of the Chinese sausage that was supposed to be in the dish (per the menu) and is usually my favorite part of sticky rice, but oh well.

I took off a star because really, their drinks are quite pricey for how much alcohol you actually get. All of the cocktails are at least $15, which is standard at higher end bars, but here - in a little basement bar - it seemed a little extravagant. However, it was a great deal with the Groupon. If a friend of mine purchases another, I'd be happy to accompany them back here!

A pretty creative bar with Baijiu as base liquor! Intimate and speakeasy ambiance, and drinks are tasty!! Baijiu is a Chinese alcohol made from grain, generally between 40 and 60% alcohol by volume (ABV). It is similar to Japanese shochu and Korean soju, but has significant higher alcohol content. It is called to Vodka in strength and mouth-feel. But don't get confused by the previous sentence, baijiu's taste is very unique that descriptions like fruity, earthy, smoky... don't really apply to it. It has a unique strong aroma. The high alcohol content doesn't really burn my throat, instead it feels smooth with mild warmth in my chest.

All good things about baijiu being said, Lumos offers some really tasty baijiu based cocktails, like fruity flavors (pear, lychee etc), and other exciting choices. Worth a visit for the most biggest-selling spirit in the world!

Good service, cool ambience, but we quickly discovered that Baijiu is just not our thing! The bartender told us the story behind Baijiu and walked us through the ritual shot prior to the drink. He recommended a couple of drinks (a Lychee Baijiu Martini & The Goji). If Baijiu is your thing, you'll love this place!

Boobies and baijiu!

Read about this place in The New Yorker*...more so about baijiu than Lumos, but I was astonished that as an avid drinker, I had yet to try or even hear about "the most imbibed liquor in the world." I made a point to visit the Chinese speakeasy while in NYC recently to remedy such an atrocity.

The article mentioned nothing about burlesque and I'm not entirely sure if it's just a Saturday night thing, but we definitely got more than the Chinese spirit on this visit. We paid a cover ($15-25 each, I can't quite recall) to sit in the room with the entertainment instead of at the bar. Why?!? Pure shits and giggles.

Once sat, a lovely lady came over to explain the menu (baijiu cocktails...one of the only bars stateside -outside of China?- that offers the spirit in such a creative way instead of straight up). None of us really knew what to expect, so we each picked one that had a flavor profile that suited our tastes. The glassware the cocktails came in were mismatched in a cute vintage way, however the cocktails were hit or miss. Hit for me (maybe because I knew what I was getting myself into)...miss for my friends. Definitely something I highly encourage you to experience yourself, though!

The performances were super intimate but not at all raunchy. Professional ladies seductively undressing and leaving you with titty tassels galore! They encourage photos and have a grand time strutting their stuff. There were a good 4-5 "acts" and then they switch out the room for the next session (you can then move to the bar). They even did a raffle in between some performances and since the room only fits 20 max, your chances of winning were impressive (I did and took home some other Chinese spirit they serve).

A little something different to spice up your NY night!


*citing my source, but also boasting about my choice of reading material

Came here with friends on a Friday night since the concept seems unique and reviews are pretty good. We called ahead for reservations since we had about 8 people and the staff was very accommodating.

Once we arrived, I was surprised by how hot and humid the back room was. It didn't feel like there was any ventilation or air conditioning running. With that said, I decided that we would be way better off sitting by the main bar area, which is much closer to the entrance (and breathable fresh air).

The drinks were honestly just so so. Since baiju has really high alcohol %, that taste still comes through pretty strongly despite their best effort to balance it out.

We also ordered a couple of small plates to share. Those weren't really that memorable either.

So for me, the concept is noble, but execution falls short... Plus points for service though.

Summary: Traditional Chinese Baijiu-based cocktails are great for entertaining guests and dates, but their food could use improvement.

Got three cocktails:
-Almond: meh. Bitter and unpleasant aftertaste. Has star anise in it, which I like the aroma but not a fan of the drink.
-Lychee: pretty good. Love lychee. Fruity and smooth.
-Pear: the best of the three I tried. Fruity and refreshing.

Got the sticky rice side dish, which was rather disappointing. Some sour but unappetizing pickles on small portion of mushy sticky rice...$12...Not worth it.

Service was fast and friendly.

Price: $16/drink including tax/tip. They have a food menu consisting of $12and up small dishes. Only tried the sticky rice as above.

May return for a date or when I have guests to entertain, but not worth my money for everyday experience.

Lumos Bar - Baijiu Bar.
This is the first cocktail bar in Manhattan that serves cocktails made with Bai Jiu, a type of Chinese liquor that is extremely strong and pungent.
There is a bar where you can sit, as well as a small backroom where they have performances (jazz bands, burlesque etc). They charge you a cover to watch a performance.
The bar is pretty cool, you can see different bottles of baijiu set up at the back. When I went, there were even a few special cocktails made for celebrating the year of the monkey. The drinks are $15. I opted for a cocktail that had a lot of fruit and was sweet. Despite the fruit and sugar in my drink, the overpowering smell and taste of the baijiu was still hard to stomach.
Even though baijiu isn't my choice of poison, and will never be my choice of poison, I encourage you to come and try. Maybe you will like it.

I have always thought that Baijiu is not for the faint of heart and that it was too "aromatic" for American palates. It turns out that with the correct amount of sugary mixture, anything can taste quite good.

The cocktails we ordered include sesame, which really is a must-try, and Asian Pear, which was also quite impressive, if quite tiny for the $15 price. This proves my long held theory that Baijiu is really an expensive acquired taste.

Food items included crab sandwiches, eggplant, and mini burgers, all of which included sweet potato fries.

I'm a fan, but if it weren't for my friend's Groupon, I wouldn't be able to afford to come here.

Nice little hidden gem. I loved the Baiju cocktails. I had Red Monkey, Cilantro martini and the pear one.

Both Red Monkey and Cilantro were tart, yet refreshing. Also make sure you check out the burlesque show on Saturdays!