Advertising

New York Magazine

Skip to content, or skip to search.

Skip to content, or skip to search.

Home > Nightlife & Music > The Magician

The Magician

Critic's Pick Critics' Pick

118 Rivington St., New York, NY 10002
nr. Essex St.  See Map | Subway Directions Hopstop Popup
212-673-7851 Send to Phone

Hours

Daily, 5pm-4am

Happy Hour

Daily, 5pm-8pm; $3.00 bottles and $3 cocktails
Sun, midnight-4am; $3.00 bottles and $3 cocktails

Nearby Subway Stops

F, V at Lower East Side-Second Ave.; J, M, Z at Essex St.

Payment Methods

Cash Only

Profile

Perhaps it's the popular conviction that magicians (read: David Blaine) are aesthetically unappealing that keeps this pleasant tavern empty on week nights—particularly strange given its location smack in the middle of the Lower East Side entertainment zone.  But on weekends, you're gonna have to use a little magic to get a seat on one of the heavy, old-fashioned wooden office chairs. Birthday, goodbye, and bachelor parties usually command the airy, brightly-lit (for a bar) back room lined with a bench and clusters of massive, round tables. The décor is roughly L.A. noir: venetian blinds in the front windows and Raymond Chandler-appropriate overhead office lamps. Keeping it from being some irritating set piece is the jukebox, stacked with eighties sad-teen music like the Cure and the Smiths.

9.3 "Highly Recommended"
Average Reader Rating
on a Scale of 10
Write Your Own Review

Always smells like bleach

leti from 11211 | Posted on 1/29/08

Overall Reader Rating: 9 (Highly Recommended)

pretty nice place but it always smells like cleaning products.

The only reason to go to this bar...

Kush718 from 11377 | Posted on 12/31/07

Overall Reader Rating: 10 (Highly Recommended)

The highlight of the evening was the doorman named Jacob. This guy is god's gift to doormen. Doormen across the country should take a page from this kid's book. He has a smile that could cure cancer, and the...Read More

Read All 3 Reviews >>

Advertisement
Check out the most luxurious meals in town from Adam Platt's "Where to Eat" guide or pull up a takeout menu and order lunch.

Now in Nightlife

comedy nights

Subterranean Stand-up

The city's best indie-comedy showcases.

And More...

Bar Spotlight

magnet theater

Magnet Theater

On Thursday nights at this comedy venue, $7 gets you no less than four shows, pizza is free, and beer is a buck.

Guides & Lists

nightlifeBest of NY: Nightlife

From a great first-date bar to the hands-down best martini in New York City.

More Guides & Lists