There are cocktail lounges, there are nightclubs, and then there is Laissez Faire NYC, a downtown hideaway that seems determined to make you question which one you actually walked into.
Located at 10 Theatre Alley inside The Beekman Hotel, Laissez Faire is a high-end cocktail lounge with a distinctly late-night personality. The space combines the historic bones of the former Temple Court building, dating to 1883, with plush finishes, dramatic lighting and a sound system designed for considerably more than background music.
Translation: come for the martini, stay because suddenly there’s a DJ.
The evening starts relatively civilized, with cocktails, martini service and food before the energy shifts later at night. Laissez Faire’s main lounge features a gold-foil DJ booth and a four-point Danley Sound Labs system, with international DJs providing the soundtrack as the night develops.
And Wednesdays have their own personality.
Live jazz takes over every Wednesday, giving the Financial District a midweek dose of old-school New York cool. The venue describes the night as a combination of improvisation, atmosphere and downtown energy—a rather appropriate match for a neighborhood that changes personality once the office crowd disappears.
The space itself is part of the attraction. Tucked beneath The Beekman, Laissez Faire retains an intimate, almost hidden quality, while its design mixes the building’s industrial history with luxurious details. There is also a converted boiler-room VIP space, essentially creating a club within the club.
For anyone searching for Laissez Faire NYC, Financial District nightlife, cocktail lounges in NYC, NYC jazz bars or late-night bars in Manhattan, this is an address worth knowing.
Current posted hours run late, with Thursday through Saturday extending to 4 a.m.
Because at Laissez Faire, “one quick drink” isn’t a plan.
It’s a dangerously optimistic prediction.
