Please Don't Tell
PDT, also known as Please Don't Tell, is a speakeasy-style cocktail bar in the East Village of Manhattan, New York City. The bar is often cited as the first speakeasy-style bar and thus originator of the modern speakeasy trend,[1][2] and has influenced the American bar industry in numerous ways,[3] including beginning a sea change in New York City's cocktail culture.[2] In 2010, GQ rated it one of the top ten bars in the United States.[4]
| Please Don't Tell | |
|---|---|
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| Restaurant information | |
| Established | May 24, 2007 |
| Owner(s) | Jeff Bell |
| Previous owner(s) | Brian Shebairo |
| Street address | 113 St. Mark's Place, New York City |
| Coordinates | 40.727112°N 73.983766°W |
| Website | www |
Attributes
The speakeasy bar is located in a hidden space alongside the hot dog shop Crif Dogs.[1] Inside the shop is a wooden phone booth, which patrons use to be let into the bar; the back wall of the phone booth serves as the main door into PDT.[3] The unmarked, complex way of entering that PDT employs is considered the ideal element of a speakeasy-style bar.[5]
Inside, the bar has a small amount of space, for no more than four dozen people. The space has bar stools as well as a few booths and tables. The bar's menu includes craft cocktails and snacks, including gourmet hot dogs, tater tots, and french fries.[3]
History
The bar was founded by Jim Meehan, Brian Shebairo, and Chris Antista in 2007. The three began work in March; the bar opened three months later, on May 24, 2007.[3] The bar's origin was partly due to the space – the next-door hot dog shop had a liquor license, and the bar owners found a legal way to make the liquor license extend into the bar, with the entrance from within the hot dog shop. There is a separate door to PDT, but if it was in use, the liquor license would not have been valid.[6]
In 2014, Jim Meehan, who was overseeing the bar's operations, moved to Portland, Oregon, to raise his family. Meehan's responsibilities then passed onto Jeff Bell.[7]
In 2019, Bell, by then the bar's general manager, purchased the bar and Crif Dogs from the then-owner, Shebairo. Meehan was forced out of his position and taken off the payroll at that time; it was explained that he was living in Portland, Oregon for years by that time.[1] Bell, who started at PDT around 2010 as a barback, attributed the decision to force out Meehan from Brian Shebairo, and amid rising rent and labor costs.[7]
The bar became influential, including its co-founder Jim Meehan. Meehan was named best American bartender in 2009 at industry conference Tales of the Cocktail, and PDT earned the first-ever James Beard Award for outstanding bar program in 2012. Meehan went on to write the PDT Cocktail Book, containing some of the bar's recipes,[3] along with the PDT Cocktails app. Both are frequently-used tools in many high-end bars.[7]
A second location, PDT Hong Kong, is located in the landmark Mandarin Oriental hotel. The bar is also hidden behind a phone booth, and as of 2019 includes managing partners Jeff Bell, Brian Shebairo, and Jim Meehan.[7]
References
- Pershan, Caleb (22 November 2019). "Seminal Cocktail Speakeasy PDT Ousts Revered Founder Jim Meehan". Eater New York.
- Schrodt, Paul; Yang, Lorelei (14 September 2018). "Where to Find NYC's Top Speakeasy-Style Bars". Eater New York.
- Rothbaum, Noah (28 August 2017). "10 Years of Cocktails & Intrigue at PDT". The Daily Beast.
- Sintumuang, Kevin (22 September 2010). "The 25 Best Cocktail Bars in America". GQ.
- Sutherland-Namako, Amber (15 March 2022). "Speakeasy-themed bars are booming in NYC once again". TimeOut New York.
- "American classic: A story of NYC's cocktail revival". Australian Bartender. 22 May 2016.
- Nierenberg, Amelia (2019-11-21). "Jim Meehan Has Left PDT, the Influential Bar He Helped Found". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-12-24.
