PKNY

I am pretty disappointed this place is closed because of building renovations. I went to PKNY for my birthday last year, and my visit was nothing but the best. Let me start by saying their exotic punch bowl drinks were amazing. The waiters and bartenders were very accommodating and not to mention they allow you to bring food from outside. Too bad its closed, I can go for one of their drinks served inside of a pineapple. YUMM!

Good drinks, I’m a Florida boy now living in NY so being that this place whole vibe is being a tropical tiki bar, they had me hooked from the start.
New York City, drinks served inside of a real pineapple shell… UMMM YES PLEASE AND NOW!!!
We went on a Sunday late afternoon and they played reggae and old school Motown soul music, good strong drinks served inside a pineapple while singing along with the Jackson 5 and Bob Marley #WINNING

Apparently they were closing the place down by the end of the month due to renovations but overhearing the conversation, didn’t seem like they know is going to happen with PKNY. Since they were closing down, my boyfriend and I thought to come here before they’re decide to official close the place. Pretty empty for a Friday night at 10pm. Only one person working the entire PKNY. No air circulation. Service was extremely poor. We sat there and weren’t being approach at all. Decide to leave after a good 10 – 15 minutes.
Should’ve probably known that they didn’t care about service since they were going to close down soon. I guess even the last few patrons they get didn’t matter to them. Not what I expect from a place that was raved about their great atmosphere and great drinks. «Your last service should be your best service.»

CLOSING in the end of july due to building renovations! so get in while you can
«speakeasy bar» that you really wouldn’t notice from the outside UNLESS you were LOOKING for it. & not exactly in a neighborhood where i’d be bar hopping…
drinks = typical speakeasy prices $$$
–piña colada: served in a hollowed out frozen pineapple, this was refreshing but WEAK & hard to drink w/​the bottom core in the way!
–zombie drink: SUPER SUPER STRONG. maybe we should’ve mixed our two drinks
it’s hard to get seating in the back b/​c once people sit down, they’re unlikely to leave. PLUS not much standing room since the bar is very narrow SO this bar is only enjoyable if you’ve got a seat at the bar or in the back!
guy working the door is awesome though!!! gave us some spicy rum shots which made up for my weak piña colada!

My friend brought me to this hidden Tiki bar at the edge of Chinatown. I can’t believe I’ve walked pass this place so many times and never noticed it.
If you’re looking to get wrecked, get the Zombie. Made with 3 – 4 different types of alcohol and blended with juice, it is one yummy drink. I remember walking into this bar. Everything afterwards is a bit hazy.

Never drink on an empty stomach and a broken heart… But if you decide to anyway, stay away from the scorpion bowl at PKNY. 4 stars for the happy hour!
My friend and I decided that Mondays suck and that we need to take advantage of PKNY’s Monday all-​day happy hour ($ 9 drinks and $ 39 scorpion bowl), so we ended up here promptly after escaping work yesterday.
There’s no sign to indicate we were at the right place. If I hadn’t seen my friend waiting in front of the half-​opened doors leading down to the basement, I would’ve walked right by the place. Immediately next to the entrance is a small bar area with 5 – 6 seats and past that, a separate area with lots of 4-​people and 2-​people booths in total darkness. It’s a dive, so I’m somewhat thankful for the extreme darkness because I would’ve spent a lot of time OCD-​ing every little speck of dirt and stain otherwise. Can’t speak to what crowd you would normally encounter here, as the place was basically empty on a Monday evening (7pm).
We opted for the painkiller and the rum buck. The painkiller was good, but mostly ice (isn’t it supposed to have Bacardi 151?) and my rum buck was purr-​ty, ginger-​y and perfectly sweet; it tasted like it had no alcohol… But of course, there was alcohol! Next, we decided to get the happy hour scorpion bowl, which the menu suggests would be sufficient for 4 people. I thought the bowl was pretty small and definitely not enough to for 4 people. These drinks sure have a way of sneaking up on you; I was done after the two drinks.

I LOVE PKNY. It’s in a random place that I’m not super comfortable walking to kind of late at night but the drinks are so tasty, like you need two and you’re done for the night (or at least I am), which means that while they are expensive, you aren’t spending that much because you (or maybe just me) can’t drink that much.
The drinks are inventive, the tiki theme is awesome and it’s just a laid back environment. It does get a little hot in the back of the bar where the booths are.
They used to have bundaberg rum from Australia but it was only like one bottle so I guess they ran out.
I love this place, it’s so much fun and they are so nice.
Oh on my last trip my friend found out that there was a death in the family after our drinks were made and PKNY didn’t charge us for our drinks that we were about to get and were super accomodating.

Let me preface this by saying that someone has told me this place is worth a visit for happy hour… Um, I didn’t go for Happy Hour but it was a happy Saturday!
420! Whoo Hoo. Party all day all night.
This place is boring. Buzz kill for sure.
Was funny seeing grown ass men sipping little pineapples. Like dude nothing says «I don’t want to meet women» more than sipping a blended frozen drink out of a long fluorescent straw.
Getting a table for 3 was out of the question. Put my name on the list… Stood at bar instead. Lucky me because bartender was adorable to glance out… Hey hot stuff! Make me my piña colada… & take off your shirt! Oh, it’s not that kind of bar.
«My straw is broken» I tell him. I wasn’t flirting it really was. They do this on purpose? I don’t get it.
He smiles. «Really?» Grabs my straw and drinks from it. Ummmmm
He shakes his head and laughs, «I don’t even know your name and I just drank from your straw.»
I laugh and shrug. I’m not sure if I was suppose to say my name but I was more interested in pretending I was on a tropical island… Didn’t work. Music here sucks. Drinks were ALRIGHT. Too expensive for my taste.
I finished a friends drink after she claimed it was «too strong.» Girl, please. Gimme dat ish!
Sasha gotta buzz. Sasha gotta go before this place kills her buzz!
Ciao cutie! Off to Happy Ending!

Such a HIDDEN GEM!!! It’s definitely a night out with my ladies!!! BEWARE. DRINKS ARE STRONG!!! DUH???
Started with the most famous PAINKILLER & PINA COLADA! I wished they did not ran out of pineapple shell. The piña colada we had was served in nicer cup instead of pineapple shell.
Definitely get the painkiller. there is a reason why they call it PKNY– PainKiller in NEW YORK! (I am just making it up). You will feel like you are no longer in NYC anymore. You are being transported to somewhere in mexico or somewhere next to the beach with cool piña colada & painkiller. Yes. It’s definitely a PAINKILLER after a long week? right? I am surprised that the bouncer told me it’s crowded on a Friday night compare to a Saturday night. I was there saturday night and we waited only 5 minutes.
I also got the Lei lani volcano. I wanna get it because it has guava in it. I don’t think I really enjoy this drink. It’s way too strong for me. I guess they fill half of the glass with alcohol and just a little mixer. (it’s good for most people. I guess it’s just not my taste). I had better guava & vodka drinks at other TIKI BAR.
My ladies friend had another blue hawaii and some scorpio drinks. with the fire on top. It’s kinda cool. I gotta get home by myself so I dare not get a 3^rd drinks. 2 is enough! lol.
Check off another bookmark!

This place is majestic. My friend Greg from way back in high school was in town this weekend and he had wanted to go to this place for possibly years. It’s on a grimy street just on the borders between Chinatown and the LE side and doesn’t have a marked door with the name of the place. So, you need to jot down the address in your phone or mind before heading over. There are color-​full swatches on the door though so you know when you get there. When you walk in, you go down a staircase into a tunnel of a tropical paradise. It’s kitschy and wonderfully tiki themed. I think I also ended up stumbling into here once years ago with my sister after cheap drinks and attempting to walk over the bklyn bridge but we decided to not get anything at that moment.
Our bartender was pretty fantastic because he kept us talking and my friend was really into making his own rum-​based drinks from home so he was intrigued by the entire menu and the guy’s knowledge on mixing drinks. So, on that note he decided to mix up his own drinks not on the menu for us. Kind of awesome. While we were waiting he also gave us free shots of super high quality rum. My first drink was the traditional Painkiller off of their menu. It was sweet and coconut flavored. I think he intentionally made my drinks a little weak because I’m a girl and I was with a dude. But it was tasty at least. Next time I come back I want the strong stuff though. My pal ended up getting this amazing bowl sized cocktail with a flaming alcohol soaked sugar cube in the middle. It was beautiful and intense. They also have a happy hour deal where a few of their cocktails are marked down from $ 12 – 15 to $ 9. It’s a pricey place but I feel you get what you pay for with tiki themed drinks because usually at least 3 shots of booze go into these things. A special occasion kind of place and a charm.

Blink and you’ll miss this place. Unique drink spot with a Hawaiian tiki bar theme.
My friend and I hopped in right when it was opening. We were the only ones there so we chatted with the bartenders who were super friendly and gave us lots of recommendations based on our preferences (which we needed as the menu was vast and intimidating). You can tell the bartenders put a lot of thought and effort into the drinks.
I had the signature PK drink and the Hemmingway. Not your typical spirit cocktails. Although they are sweet, they will surely make it a happy hour.

Back in December, on a cold Wednesday night, a small group of friends & colleagues ventured to the LES for a pizza making class (@ Pizza a Casa). Our hosts for the night weren’t quite ready for us but recommended we grab a drink at «the tiki bar» down the block.
Once at the end of the block we found nothing that even resembled a tiki bar… that was until one of the braver members of our group took a guess and opened a dark door. Beyond the door and through the heavy curtain we found a tropical world awaiting us.
Immediately inside the establishment is a long bar taking up about 75% of the room. Ladies who might be a bit on the short side– prepare yourselves… the stools situated at the bar are HIGH and a couple of us petite people had to heave ourselves up.
Once we were all situated we were greeted by an adorable bartender (from the isle of St. Lucia) who took a couple minutes to explain to us the fabulousness that was PKNY/​TikiBar and then took our drink order. With a menu like the one at PKNY you could easily spend your entire night trying to decide which drink to have (there are 12 pages of drinks– frozen concoctions, an entire page dedicated to the Mai tai, and the «get up”/“get down» pages just to name a few), so we opted to have the bartender choose for us. He created several drinks off the menu (and a few that are not) and every single one was made to order and finished off with pineapple slices– perfect!
While we sat and sipped our drinks we continued to browse the pages of the vast menu and learn from our bartender about the different types of rum made & served right there at PKNY.
Overall it was an amazing visit. We were told that on Friday/​Saturday nights folks will wait up to an hour to get in and get a table. Glad we visited midweek… while the crowd may not have been there the drinks definitely were… and sometimes that’s all you really need.

PKNY is a tiki bar that is creative in theory but lacking that je né sais quoi.
The place is kind of hidden. We passed by it without even knowing. It’s literally a dungeon. It’s in the basement of a building and is dark and FREEZING in there.
My friend and I had the Gilt City deal for four cocktails. Ideally, we would have wanted to try the Scorpion Bowl but there was no way we could have finished one.
They have pretty interesting drink names like ‘the Dead Bastard’. Their menu is huge. Probably more than 100 options which is what makes it difficult. Who has time to sit through the whole list before deciding what they want?
Of course, you can always ask the bartender to customize a drink for you. They do seem pretty knowledgeable in that area so I’ll give them props for that.
I ordered the Florodora (gin, fresh lime juice, raspberry syrup, house-​made ginger syrup, and soda) and the Dama De La Noche Crusta (cognac, curacao, fresh juices of pineapple and lime, orange flower water, angostura bitters). They really didn’t taste any different than cocktails I’ve had at other places. I did like the ginger though. Neither of the drinks were that strong. But then again, it was a weeknight and I didn’t exactly want to be on the floor either.
Bottom line, even with the deal, it was still kinda pricey for a not-​so-​great cocktail. Doubt I’d be coming back.

As you are walking to the place it can be a lil tricky to find only because the entrance seems like it’s hidden? Once u walk in & u are not sure if u r walking into a secret boom boom room or a bar, LOL.
As you make your way in the place it is small low key if you show up early like we did u may think u are not even in the correct place since it was not very crowded but don’t let that fool u… it is good to show up early as we noticed it gets crowded very quickly.
Cute bar up front, fun paintings on the wall & nice island music playing really makes u feel like u are not in New York.
Once seated we started with some drinks (1) The Panhoehoe scorpion bowl, ahhh looks better than it taste nice taste but needs more alcohol for sure & way too much ice on that thing.
(2) The Natatorium, amazing great drink in a nice tall glass nice strong with the alcohol, next up (3) Shark’s Tooth, this one comes with an extra shot .the shot alone is nice, the drink itself is good but lacks the alcohol .we took the shot instead of putting it in the drink ?? it is probably meant to be put in the drink, haha oh well it worked out either way
(4) & finally Quuens Park Swizzle… delicious, good strong drink.
We came here on a Gilt city deal & certainly glad we did I am not sure how I would have known about the place since it seems so hidden.
The offer mentioned it came w pretzels, we didn’t get any since they had run out but the waitress gave us shots instead, not sure on the name since it was something they do in house but really good, yellow in color had a strong taste & a hint of ginger cinnamon taste if i recall.
The best drinks seem to be any that are under the «strong» sections, they are a bit pricey but certainly worth it if u stick with the strong drinks.
Don’t come on an empty stomach because after 2 good drinks u are gonna wanna eat something & they don’t have food.
The service is pretty slow, which seems to be because there is only one person running everything seems unfair to that one person & of course the clients since u r left waiting longer than u may want.
Nice fun different place to visit, we certainly enjoyed ourselves & plan on definately returning.

Quality Specialty Drinks! There are only 2 reasons I like Speakeasy Bars…
1.I’m always curious to find the secret entrance.
2.They usually have pretty amazing drinks.
PKNY did not dissapoint. It’s a Hawaiian themed Tiki Bar. It’s not as pretentious as other bars, no doorman (bartender checked our IDs) and not fancy. You just walk in through the first door then a creepy second door. The bartender Valentino was chatty with our group and kept us entertained.
The drink menu is very extensive, probably over 50 specialty drinks. They had Saturday happy hour ($ 9 specialty drinks). This might seem a little high for «happy hour» but keep in mind that speakeasy bars usually charge over $ 14 per drink. The drinks here are all a work of art. The bartender took a few minutes to prepare each drink due to its very detailed and precise recipe (which are included in menu).
I ordered the «Rum Buck» which was strong and delish! In addition, we ordered the $ 39 (usually $ 55) bowl drink which is good for 6 – 8 people. It is VERY strong, we were def tipsy! The place was not very crowded nor loud, but we were early. I hear it gets packed later in the night.
COOL PLACE :)

PKNY-​Painkiller NY. I’d beg to differ.
Deciding on having a date night out with my bf, his sister and his brother-​inlaw, we wanted to grab a quick drink before our reservations. That did not happen however. We went straight to dinner and decided to get drinks after. After having a heavy Italian dinner at «Carmines» we were all really full, but went to get drinks anyway. I had found PKNY a few weeks before and suggested that we go there for some good tiki drinks.
We pulled up to the area and if it weren’t for the handful of people out front we would have never found it. It is literally like a dungeon! No sign, no nothing. Just an address. I was frightened to go downstairs. Who knows what I was going to see lol. I walked into this dark, very narrow room. It was packed and loud! One side was the bar the other side was the wall lol. As you walked further in, it opened up a little into a room with booths, but they were all occupied. Luckily we found seats at the bar and sat there.
Very large menu, I did not know what to order. I tried to find the fruitiest thing on the menu. I order some type of Hawaiian drink that had coconut and a million other things in it. It came in a cute little tiki mug that had a «Hawaiian man» on the front. My bf ordered the simple «piña colada». His was soo much better then mine.
My drink had a funky taste to it. Like aloe and cucumber and coconut. Very weird. I decided I couldn’t drink it and order something different. I asked the bartender to make me something tropical in a pineapple lol. And that he did! I saw him mix another million things together and served it in my pineapple. It was way better than the last. Like coconut and vanilla. It still had an interesting taste to it that I couldn’t figure out. It was heavy and gritty but I believe that was from the coconut flakes.
Okay, I had enough. We left and I cannot explain the horrible stomach ache I had when got home lol. The worst in history. I’m not blaming it on PKNY, but just maybe the heavy food mixed with their heavy drinks didn’t work out for me. The venue is not my scene. The crowd is very diverse. It’s also really small.
They’re drinks are okay but not for me. They are reasonably priced as well.

I’m shocked that I remember any of this, but somehow, I do. After having dinner and about 3 or 4 Manhattans nearby, a group of my buddies and I (4 total) stumbled into this place. We’d all heard about it, but none had ever been. We were there on a Thursday, sometime between 10 and midnight. Wasn’t that crowded, but wasn’t empty, either. We grabbed a booth in the back and got straight to work.
«Yes, we definitely want a Scorpion Bowl. That seems like a great idea.» We all agreed. The behemoth beverage, loaded with god-​knows-​what (most notably rum and fruit juices, among others), came with 4 very long straws and a flaming shot of 151-​proof rum in the middle. That should have been our cue that we were in trouble. Instead, moments later (minutes? hours?), my friend and I thought it would be wise to slurp up some of the flaming shot with our straws. It wasn’t.
It took us a while to get through that drink, and after a significant passage of time that included banter with and heckling of some of the other patrons, as well as the servers, we all agreed again that it would be a great idea to get another round. My wiser friends opted for lighter fare like piña coladas, while I really took the bull by the horns and ordered the «Satan Cocktail.» WTF was I thinking? I wasn’t! I was on painkillers!** You wanna know what’s in the «Satan Cocktail?» Bourbon, vermouth, bitters and absinthe. Ordinarily, that would be delicious. At that point of the night for me, being however many drinks deep, I had no business meddling with one of those, though.
The only other thing I remember about that night is the insanely acute hangover I had the entire next day. If/​when I go back, I’ll be more careful, and so should you.
** If you didn’t get the reference, this place used to be called «Painkiller.»

mmmmm. I went here Saturday night for the first time. I came here because all week I’d been craving a drink out of a pineapple.
Well, they were out of pineapples. Grrr.
But I stayed for a piña colada, which came highly recommended by my first server. And it was heavenly. Sweet, but not syrupy. Blended, but not icy. I had to work really hard to pace myself and not accidentally chug it.
Deductions were taken for space (small, narrow, and super cramped, which led to a wait at the door but the bouncer was very nice), price (little steep for my drink, but I think the other more specialty drinks may be worth it) and service (for some reason all the workers got «cut» at like 11:30 or midnight, leaving only one girl to serve the entire bar).
Overall I had a good time, and I’ll definitely be back for that pineapple.

Came here last Friday for a UYE organised by awesome Leslie D.
This place has a very strange entrance, I first thought there was Graffiti on the wall. We followed some other people into the bar who were also very curious about the entrance. The place has a décor mimicking a Hawaiian shack. They have a long bar in the begining and seating is available in the back. They have a very dim light in the background and all the servers are dressed as if they are straight out of a Hawaiian beach resort.
They got a pretty exhaustive menu and they have so many options. I was so confused after having a look at the menu. After seeing fellow Unilocalers sipping out of a big bowl we decided to order the same drink. That was a scorpion bowl and since it was during the happy hour we got it for happy hour price. Trust me that bowl looked like as if it would have less alcohol and more fruit juices but damm that bowl had so much alcohol. After couple of sips one definitely gets a buzz. So it is totally worth the money.
The servers were very attentive even though it was a very busy night and the whole place was packed.
Shouts out to all the new Unilocalers I met starting with the new CM ruggy j, vicky c, ming. Thanks guys for taking the party to bob’s bar, we got to do this again.
Kudos to Leslie D for organizing such a nice UYE.

Only nearly 2 years after tiki fever hit the drinks scene, I finally go to a tiki bar, the formerly named Painkiller. Through the hard to miss door, with «Tiki Bar» painted graffit-​style in bamboo font, and down some steps is a divey, dark, and somewhat claustrophobic space, first a bar, then some booths, then a larger room in the back. Décor = kitsch, but pretty effectively so: bamboo poles are the ubiquitous element, along with thatching and grass-​matting, splashed with red accents and graffiti, and randomly decorated with glass ball fishing floats, tiki masks, surfboard, chests, and shells.
Stunningly long menu, quirky names, funny descriptions. Hardly know where to begin. They have scorpion bowls, zombie punches, and drinks so strong, they limit to one per customer. They have frozen drinks, including daiquiris, and although I’ve given up on these lately to entertain a more refined drinking palate, their descriptions tempt. I decided to take something from the Painkiller’s choice section.
Drinks arrive looking no less than what I’d expect, big and boldly flourished with herbs, citrus wheels, fruit chunks, pipe cleaner animals, and piled high with pebbled ice or a single giant cube. My jet pilot, an almost subdued-​looking choice, was a potent mix of three rums, citrus juices, bitters, with added flavors of herbs and spices. Surprisingly well-​made, not what I expected, or perhaps I just had uncertain expectations of a tiki bar. The minty, fruity, and very green Missionary’s Downfall, possibly the most show-​stopping in presentation, was a universal hit that hid its alcohol content very well. Sampled a good mai tai also.
Overall, I was impressed with the quality of the drinks, and if a low-​key, divey atmosphere is where you feel like having excellent tiki style drinks, PKNY delivers.