Though hidden on the second floor of a Japanese restaurant, Angel’s Share is far from being a “secret”. Well known to many Manhattanites and vistors alike, what keeps everyone coming back to this gem of a bar is its perceived exclusivity, its air of secrecy, its elegance, coziness and little bits of intrigue and romance all mixed in. It’s these elements that make Angel’s Share all the more special.

It’s a great place to hang out with a small group of friends to enjoy a couple of cocktails and the view of the street from a wall of windows, while a mural of angelic figures stare at you from above the bar. It’s even a greater place to take that special someone you truly want to impress. It’ll seal the deal, so to speak.

Going with someone that speaks Japanese is also a major plus as the servers and bartenders (at least the ones that were there that night) speak very little English.

This is the view from the street. There’s no signage on the building to indicate the existence of a bar upstairs.

First, find this awning. It sits between the Around the Clock coffee shop and a Japanese grocery store.

Go through the glass doors and up the stairs. Once you’re at the top of the stairs, you will find yourself in a Japanese restaurant that serves izakaya (Japanese bar food).

Look to your left and you should see this door.

Read the rules that are posted on the wall next to the door as they are highly enforced.

(No more than 4 people. No standing. No screaming. No shouting.)

Above the bar you will find this cool, though somewhat disturbing, mural of angels

(with horns…I told you that it was somewhat disturbing…).

(Forgive the “night vision goggles” picture, but we were asked to turn off the flash on our cameras…)

One of the drinks that I ordered was my usual chilled Southern Comfort with lime juice. Talk about lost in translation… This is what I got. This was a shot of lime juice (freshly squeezed – not the sweetened kind that you find in a bottle) and no Southern Comfort.

With the help of our Japanese speaking dinner guest that introduced us to this wonderful bar, I was able to get this instead – a shot of lime juice with a splash of Southern Comfort. I was expecting my drink in a lowball glass, but got a shot instead… Close… but not quite. I gave up the fight, enjoyed my shot of lime juice with a hint of SoCo and anticipated the arrival of my specialty cocktail.

These are the cocktails that we ordered from their specialty drinks section. All were special in their own right. Can’t say that I can choose which one I liked better over the others as they were all quite delectable …

Stardust

Grey Goose Poir, Limoncello, Fresh lime juice, grapefruit juice and a dash of Blue Curacao.

Don’t you just love that wonderful electric blue color! And look at their attention to detail. They cut out a star from a piece of fruit and added it on as garnish. Cute! Truly a cocktail to enjoy leisurely.

Groovy

Shiso infused vodka, yuzu juice, honey and muddled shiso.

A Japanese mojito, so to speak. The shiso flavor was intense and noted througout the entire drink. This went down like juice, which is a good and a bad thing. Good because it meant that I didn’t realize that there was vodka in it (vodka and I don’t get along at times) and bad because i really wanted to savor this drink and make it last longer because it was that good. They should serve this in a pitcher with long straws, to share…

Scenes in the City

Absolut Citron vodka, homemade lychee liqueur and grapefruit juice, garnished with lychee.

This one tasted so much like juice that you have to restrain yourself from drinking it in one gulp – or else this would have been gone in seconds. They should also serve this drink in a pitcher with one straw – no sharing…

Angel’s Share was probably one of the many highlights of my entire trip. It was such an unexpected surprise. And definitely a place that I will surely stop by to visit on my next trip to New York City.

Cheers…. and

Happy Spooning and Forking….

*****

Angel’s Share

(Inside Village Yokocho)

8 Styvesant St., 2nd Floor

(at 9th Street)

New York, New York 10003

Phone: (212) 777-5415