A toast to celebrity

National Underground
Owned and operated by the brothers DeGraw (Gavin and Joey), this two-level bar opened last December, with live music every night. You’ll most likely find an acoustic set upstairs and your friend's garage band in the basement, where the din is hopefully more contained.

The Back Room
Co-owned by Tim Robbins, the Back Room is a speakeasy disguised as the “Lower East Side Toy Company” (sneaky, Tim!). You'll walk down dark corridors and up and down sets of stairs before you arrive at the door to a Victorian-themed room. Drinks are sometimes served in teacups or brown bags—to enhance the kitsch (oh, and to fool the cops).

Bungalow 8
Though Amy Sacco rose to fame primarily through her nightlife exploits, she's since parlayed her celebrity connections into her own 15 minutes in front of the camera with two (two!) movie roles (in Kettle of Fish and The Doorman, for those scoring at home). Her Bungalow 8, decorated as a California nightmare with potted palm trees, still draws its share of visiting Hollywood types and other glamorous folk.

The Half-King
The Perfect Storm author Sebastian Junger owns this low-key pub, which nurtures a new crop of potential hunky authors with a weekly Monday reading series. Beer is the drink of choice for the literati and collegiate crowd that regularly fill this space.

The Cutting Room
This Flatiron lounge is owned by quintessential New York figure Chris Noth (of Law & Order and Mr. Big fame, in case you somehow missed him). The space is divided in two, with a high-ceilinged front lounge and bar and a back music venue that hosts live performances. Noth is a weekend regular, mingling with the relatively young and always attractive crowd.

40/40
Jay-Z's upscale sports bar caters to its celebrity clientele, especially athletes and anyone else capable of flashing plenty of bling. The two-level space is decked out with sports memorabilia and flat-screen TVs to make a visiting baller feel at home.

Snitch
Velvet Revolver’s Scott Weiland and Duff McKagan own this rock-themed bar along with Fuel’s Brett Scallions, welcoming an older music-loving crowd that wishes the '80s hard-rock era had never ended.

Tribeca Grill
Owned by cinema and New York icon Robert De Niro, this establishment is actually well reviewed as a restaurant, as well as housing a lively and spacious bar.