Raines Law Room at The William — Restaurant in New York

This joint is "at the William." However, keep in mind that you have to go through "The Shakespeare." Is that a bad joke??? It certainly sounds like it is, but it's not. This place ain't no joke either.

Now that I've had the chance to mull over and contemplate my visit here, four days short of a fortnight ago... I've come to this conclusion: this is one of the better speakeasies I have been to during my tenure here in New York. Point of fact, this may be one of the most speakeasiest places in the city that I've been to. What do I mean by that???

First off, the standard "secret entrance" is in place (for you hardcore purists); it comes in the form of going up a flight of stairs after entering The Shakespeare, with the stairs leading up to the entrance of The William to a heavily curtained nook that is the Law Room. Note: as a barrister in the state of New York, I am touched at the romanticism afforded to my profession (law), although they're wayyy off, if I do say so.

Secondly, the place wasn't very heavily attended. This was made even more noticeable due to the real estate (or lack thereof) dedicated to housing the Law Room's patrons. Keep in mind, my drinking companion for that evening and myself decided to do our drinking on a Monday... arguably the least popular day to go out for a cocktail (which makes it the perfect day to go out for a genuine "speakeasy experience"). Though I could hope and dream that this place is as exclusive and (seemingly) esoteric as it was for us on this night, I'd be a fool to think that me +1 would be seated at the snap of a finger on a Friday or Saturday sans reservations. Nevertheless, the lack of people just added to the allure of this place (on this particular night).

Third, I'll have to mention the environs + ambiance. Let me just say, that this place has the cache going on for it. Dim lighting... check; signature "erotic" wallpaper... check; impressionist/contemporary/miscellaneous art... check; leather bound armchairs... check; call button to summon service to your table... check. If that doesn't create a certain feeling in you, as a patron, that you are a super important and possibly well-monied romantic... then you probably eat gold flakes on top of foie gras daily and use diamonds as toothpicks (you snobby snob).

Lastly, the drinks are pretty spot on. Sure, the Martinez I ordered tasted a bit like "medicine" (as described by my company for the night), but it was a stiff drink to be sure. And the addition of a build your own Old Fashioned, an option not seen in the original Raines Law Room in Chelsea, is a big win. Prices and tastes are comparable to any other quality speakeasy you may have been to at some point.

Overall, don't come here. Don't take up the space so it will be easier for me to get a seat here. If you do come, don't tell your friends... better yet, tell them that this place is awful, so I can get seated here easier. "Keep it secret......

Drinks are great, decor is lovely. However, the service we experienced today was extremely hostile and unprofessional and made our group feel very uncomfortable.

Despite spending more than $700 as a group, and the bar being practically empty for the duration of the evening, we were met with significant rudeness for no apparent reason from staff. On moving to the Main bar area, We were rudely told we were not allowed to stand at the bar to order drinks and were aggressively told to sit down by waiting staff - they were impatient and aggressive and made a point of continuing to harass our group until we all sat down. They then proceeded to get angry that we had pulled over additional chairs for guests that had just arrived, even though there was nobody sitting in them and nobody else in the bar at the time. I then asked for water on multiple occasions and watched as the bar tender deliberately ignored my request- saying to his colleague that he wasn’t going to serve any water since it was 2:07 (even though he continued to make drinks for other people at the time). I ended up going to the bar to ask once again for a glass of water.

I am frankly shocked by the attitude of the staff displayed this evening. I have been to this bar before and enjoyed my time- hence booking for my friends this evening. unfortunately this experience was extremely negative on this occasion and I...

Outstanding place to grab drinks in this area of Manhattan! We walked in without reservations on Friday night and had a 30 minute wait for a table for 3. We sat in the library room which has a wonderful ambiance. There is a fireplace in the room and the ceilings are high. It is very intimate. We sat on a couch which was very comfortable as well. The standout part of this place is the service. Shout out to our waiter, Austin, who was one of the best waiters I've ever had! He had a broad knowledge of cocktails and when we described to him what we were looking for, he suggested a couple of cocktails that were on previous menus that turned out to be just what we were looking for. He checked in the perfect number of times and never let our water glasses go empty even though it was a busy night. All the cocktails were unique and well-balanced. The fries were also very tasty- so much so that we ordered them twice! We loved this place so much, we came back the following Saturday night and were seated in the "booths" in the room with the actual bar. The seats again were comfortable and blocked off from the neighboring seats by a black curtain. Highly recommend this place to anyone looking for a comfortable lounge to sip some delicious cocktails! We will definitely be coming back on our...