NYC Speakeasy-Spaziergang

Alex was fantastic. Very informative and engaging. The small size of the group ensured we had his attention and made new friends by the end of the evening. The bars on the tour were fab especially the first one (no names - take the tour), recommend the Shark cocktail on this place.

Alex was our guide for the West NYC tour. There was some discrepancy on clothing reqd. Viator had advised that no jeans or sneakers allowed. On arrival, Alex was wearing jeans. He said that he would get this fixed, but this trip must have been running for some time?? The only non jeans I had were shorts (as had 2 other blokes), but it would appear that shorts are something that shouldn't really be worn. It didn't detract TBH, as no-one said anything but I suggest you ignore Viator's policy and contact Alex (it's his company running the tours) to figure out exactly what is supposed to be worn. Alex was exceptionally knowledgeable, but he really had a tough time trying to impart all his info to us, there was just so much to tell. He made a good job of tying together what appeared to be unrelated material and made it interesting, and was able to stop mid flow and answer questions without losing his train of thought. We visited 5 bars - 3 bars to drink, and whilst we were keen to learn what the speakeasy's were about, there wasn't much time to talk to anyone else on the tour, as his talks commenced as soon as the last person had their drink in place. It should be noted that due to the early timing, there were no queues to be jumped, and no preferential treatment was given at the bar (e.g other members of public came in and got their drinks in the middle of our round). We did however, shake hands with bouncers/managers at some bars. There is a lot of walking... As there was 11 of us, it took way too long to get drinks ordered - most of the bars had only one member of staff making up cocktails, and complex ones at that. I guess it's difficult to predict what people want as the "best cocktail", but I think this process could be a bit more streamlined. e.g choice of two drinks at next bar and phone them in? The speakeasy's are not original (most of them were pulled down), but most of those visited were in a novel place e.g. go through pizza jt or through no access door in the Chelsea market. Definitely wouldn't find them without insider knowledge. The drinks themselves were pretty steep, around $18 a pop for the ones we ordered, so call it $40 after tips, but you could have ordered e.g beer if money was tight. I guess we were unimpressed with the cocktails - none of them were particularly palatable and after spending $120 for the two of us (excluding the tour fee), I was still pretty sober. All told, glad we went, but wouldn't hurry back.

Fantastic tour, loved every minute Sam our tour guide was brilliant. Would definitely go again the next time we are in NYC.

The West Village tour was a lot of fun. I liked the bar selections. Many I had heard of but never visited. Even as locals, this was a good way to learn more about the city. I’d definitely like to do another tour in a different neighborhood. That said, one thing did sort of irk me about the experience. There were only two couples on the tour when we went to the first bar (others joined later.) The tour guide offered to pay for the other couple’s first round and handed his credit card to the bartender when they ordered. Even though my husband and I were standing directly next to the other couple and the guide, he never offered to pay for ours. I’m not sure why any of this happened, but I found it rather rude. I came on the tour with the expectation of paying for my own drinks. But if you’re paying for the other couple, at the very least offer an explanation if you’re not going to give us the same treatment.

One of the highlights of our NYC trip!! Alex was a fantastic guide. We really enjoyed the history side of the tour as well as enjoying a few cocktails. Everyone I have told about this now wants to go to New York to do the tour. We would definitely do another one of these tours, money well spent. If you are looking to do something fun and a bit different, then this is the tour for you. Great fun!!!

We had a great time and really enjoyed our guide! He took us places we never could have found on our own so it was a wonderful experience!

Great way to get more info on the Prohibition causes and consecuences... while getting into nice, hidden places. Alexs is super friendly and easy going. Will definitely do other areas of NYC (I took the East Village).

Alex is a great guide, he’s well known in the area and very knowledgeable. We visited some well hidden bars and had some awesome cocktails.

Felt a bit rushed and that we were more shuffled from place to place in an effort to get it over and done with, Might be better if on a weekday night.