The Grain

This is a cute little place. Came in here to listen to some jazz over an old fashioned with my friend. The ambiance and the place itself was really nice. Very dark, though. Could find the way out of the basement at one point (LOL)...We went to the basement for the jazz.

Our little drinks were very expensive, which was expected. The drink was pretty good, though. Nothing amazing, but I enjoyed it.

Decent experience.

There was a long wait... but once inside it was loud, sticky, and I just didn't get it. It's not a bad use of what would otherwise be a storage area, but why anyone would want to be in this space I have no idea... Drinks are decent but expensive like most bars in Manhattan.

I really like the restaurant upstairs but we won't be coming back here any time soon (or ever)...

4.5 stars

I love this speakeasy! The Grain is hidden under a Korean restaurant and serves delicious cocktails, whiskey flights, and Barn Joo's full restaurant menu. I enjoyed their white cosmo, which was very easy to drink without being too sweet, and their Bulgogi tacos.

The ambience is very intimate and relaxing, perfect for dates and small groups. They do not allow parties over 6 into The Grain. I loved how they had LIVE JAZZ from 8pm-11pm (or at least they did when we went on a Saturday night). To get into The Grain, you first confirm your reservation with the hostess in Barn Joo and she will direct you to the telephone on the wall. The hostess downstairs will open the hidden door from inside.

Note: the bathroom line can get long since there are only 2 toilets.

A very pleasant surprise, considering this was an impromptu trip after getting dinner at Barn Joo. Located downstairs through a very secretive doorway at Barn Joo, The Grain requires you to check in with the host/hostesses up front before they'll let you into the speakeasy. It's definitely low-key, but fairly easy to find, given that there's a chalkboard sign outside advertising The Grain.

The downstairs was far from crowded, maybe because it was a Wednesday night, but nonetheless, it was pretty awesome that there was room to sit for large groups and small ones, and it was still fairly active throughout the night. We ordered the sidecar, the hanky panky, and one of the whiskey flights. Unbeknownst to us, the whiskey flights were actually 2oz pours, which really caught us off guard. But the hanky panky was really the crown jewel of the night. Using a lot of barrel-aged spirits, the hanky panky had the taste of an old fashioned, with a hint of dryness from the Beefeater gin, but really just went down smoothly. Holy cow, it was good.

Service was pretty lax, but it was fine, because we got time to enjoy the live jazz, which goes on from 8pm-11pm, and we didn't order food, so it wasn't like we were hungry. One thing you should realize is that Barn Joo's full menu is available downstairs at the Grain, so even if you would like to try BJ's food AND the cocktails of the grain, you can easily do so. It should also be known that they do place an emphasis on spirits that are distilled/brewed locally, so it's nice to know that there's a bit of social responsibility involved in their business.

In all, The Grain has instantly become one of my favorite speakeasies, mostly because the quality of the drinks is great, and it lacks the pretentiousness and crazy wait times of some of the other speakeasies in Manhattan. I'll definitely be back for date night, to try all their different offerings. Make sure to go on a night when there's live jazz, so you can soak in all that romantic ambiance.

"Clear alcohols are for rich women on diets".

What. A. Find. How does the Grain not have more reviews?? While I can't speak for the jazz here, I'm guessing it wouldn't change my feelings about this place. Given my love for the Flatiron Room, I'm a fan of having some jazz with my whiskey every so often. Ron Swanson/Duke Silver is my spirit animal. While I'm sure bar at Barn Joo is decent, this hidden underground lounge is the way to go if you find yourself wanting a drink before (and/or after) dinner.

Came here on a Thursday evening with a friend to grab a drink before our dinner at Barn Joo. Like previous reviewers have mentioned, this isn't a true speakeasy (What even IS a true speakeasy anymore? Nothing is secret anymore...sigh). There's a sign for The Grain outside as well as an advertisement for live jazz. That said, it certainly feels like a speakeasy. To get in, you need to pick up an old-school phone hanging next to a faux bookcase and let the folks downstairs know how many people are in your party. The bookcase/wall will then open to a staircase, which will lead you into this lovely establishment.

I was between 4 and 5 stars on The Grain, but the ambiance here pushes it over the edge for me. It's classy but not snobby - cool/trendy yet still down to earth. That is a really really difficult balance to strike, and The Grain does it effortlessly (well, that's probably false...it's very clear that a lot of effort went into making this place the oasis that it is). Hovering over the good number of tables that line the wall here is a glowing wall of whiskey. In my limited experience, this seems to be a staple of whiskey bars. I say glowing because the lighting in the Grain is fairly low, so the warmly-lit shelves of whiskey beautifully offset the general vibe of the space. If it isn't clear yet, I can't praise this place enough for its ambiance. Just perfect. My friend and I were in full agreement about this.

Because we had reservations at Barn Joo, we only stuck with drinks here. They've got a decent cocktail list - nothing that unique/adventurous, but a lot of good classics with a handful of Grain originals (the latter being mostly whiskey-based). Given that it's finally fall, I was 100% in the mood for whiskey. I ended up ordering - after some back-and-forth with one of the awesome bartenders - a High West Double Rye. Wow, that's some good stuff. Before drinking my first sip of fall whiskey - conveniently accompanied by a dropper with cold spring water (pictured) - the other bartender asked me if I knew the story about what I was about to drink. He told me about the specific distillery, what it means to be drinking this particular double rye (I hadn't tried a double rye - a young, vibrant rye mixed with a richer aged rye), etc. I always appreciate a bit of education when I'm trying new whiskeys, so this was a lovely touch to the whole experience.

"Never half-ass two things. Whole-ass one thing."

Apparently this place is so secretive that I forgot to review it.

Been to Barn Joo a couple times and didn't know about The Grain. It was only after I yelped the place and realized the address was the same. There is a chalkboard sign outside Barn Joo advertising The Grain, but it's easy to miss if you aren't looking for it. You check in with the hostess, who leads you to a secret door in the wall and you descend the stairs to the speakeasy below. The concealment and secrecy provides a nice effect.

Downstairs is surprisingly quiet and loungey, with a much more intimate vibe than the upstairs chaos of Barn Joo. We seated ourselves at the bar for a pre-dinner drink. The drink menu is expanded from upstairs, and the ones we had were just as good as what we had before at Barn Joo. They also appear to play live music as well, though there wasn't any at the time we were there. Definitely a nice spot for a date.

Came across this hidden gem by accident while trying to have a celebration dinner at barn joo. As I walked n they told me it would be a 15 min wait for a seat or I could enjoy a bar down stairs with the same dinner menu and live music! It couldn't get better than this.

What to eat?
Uni bimbimbop so worth my $21
-have you felt that when you get bimbimbop, that there is too much rice and not enough meat and veggies, well, no worries here! And don't be fooled with the small looking plate... It was actually quite filling
-at first I was expecting a small amount of uni, but then a bunch of other fish eggs came along with it!
-Yum x 10000
-I was a little hesitant to get this dish because I had a bad experience with uni at another restaurant in the past.... But this mixture if Uni and caviar felt like heaven in my mouth!
- I absolutely loved the egg they had emersed in sauce
-120% recommend this dish

Truffle fries
- great truffle taste and seasoning
-downfall is its a small amount and if you love fries as much as I do, you may want to get your own and not share!
-another down fall in my opinion is the type of fries they use... they are in between the size of burger king and steak fries... I usually like mine as thin a s McDs but it'd all preference so if you dont mind the size go for it.
-on the plus side.... You get Chipotle sauce !

Setting:
Absolutely love the ambiance and feel of this place. It's very classy and not grimmy. But on one is there to judge, I came in with my work out clothes.

Live music - I went when there was a live jazz band on a Wednesday night. They were super good and kept an up tone tune throughout the night.

Overall: my new place to kick it at and enjoy a chill setting with amazing music!!!

Man was I shocked when I was told that we are going to grab more drinks at a speakeasy inside barn joo. I was unexpected. I got the i95 drink. It smells so good and tasted so strong. I can tell that they made the drink with details. We also ordered food here. The food portion is small and pricey. I didn't think the food tasted that good but a lot of people at my table enjoyed the truffle bulgolgi. Definitely come here for the drinks.

The Grain isn't exactly a speakeasy (as they have a sandwich board out front advertising live jazz hours from 8-11) and there's a sign near the hidden door telling you to check in with the Barn Joo host/hostess before heading down yourself. But hey, if you have to go through a false wall to find the bar, then I consider it a speakeasy.

Once you're downstairs, there's a small music performance area, a surprisingly large number of tables, and a bar with a handful of seats.

Like most speakeasies, they serve cocktails (a lot of the standards, plus a few signature ones). The Sazerac I had was pretty decent. A bit pricey (especially compared to happy hour upstairs at Barn Joo), but on par with Manhattan cocktail bar prices. They also have a ton of whiskeys available.

Didn't try any of the food, but I've eaten at Barn Joo before, and their bar food is decent, so I imagine it's about the same down in the basement.

Bathrooms are single occupancy. Just look for the sign that points you to the "Fart Zone".

For all my whiskey lovers! Must try spot! The drinks are a bit pricey but so worth the experience. I loved the hospitality and the front cover of the menu gave me a nice laugh! It's a speakeasy, not speakLOUDLY. tehehe