PDT Features Handcrafted Cocktails Hidden Inside A Hotdog Shop

By Emily Abrams
Updated 08/14/2018
Eat /

The Scoop

• Inside Crif Dogs on St. Marks Place, a funky deep-fried Jersey-style hot dog institution, is PDT (Please Don’t Tell) — enter through the old-fashioned telephone booth inside Crif Dogs (dial one and wait for approval) for a sleek speakeasy experience, where you can order greasy drunk food while sipping on classy cocktails
• Open till 2am on weekdays and 4am on weekends, you can order food from Crif’s Kitchen next door, and have burgers and hot dogs passed through a secret wall. Expect eclectic decor with taxidermy accents, leather booths, and mood lighting, and feel like a VIP for the night
• Bar master Jim Meehan (Gramercy Tavern and Pegu Club) heads the cocktail program, with original concoctions like the Benton’s Old Fashioned (bacon-infused bourbon, Grade A maple syrup, and angostura bitters), and the Paddington (silver dry rum, Lillet Blanc, lemon and grapefruit juice, orange marmalade, and absinthe). At $13 each, PDT’s drinks are worth every penny

Insider Tip

Your best bet for getting into PDT (it’s no easy feat) is to call around 3pm the day of, when the line is open, and make a group reservation (parties of two or more). The cocktail den does accept walk-ins of three or fewer, on occasion.