In May 2025, subway passengers stepped off of the 2 and 3 lines at Brooklyn’s Grand Army Plaza station and into the late Triassic Period. Rex’s Dino Store looks much like any other newspaper kiosk, except that the proprietor here is a giant toilet-paper-mâché Tyrannosaurus rex. Look closer to see copies of such publications as Dinopolitan, Jurassic Park Slope Courier, and Lifestyles of the Rich and Amphibious on the stands. There are even treats like Buttertalons, Trilo-Bites, and Meteroritos.
Akiva Leffert and Sarah Cassidy’s pun-laden prehistoric art pop-up is far from the only unexpected find in this vast network of tunnels beneath New York City. The largest and one of the oldest subway systems in North America, the MTA is home to secretive spots, including speakeasies, a fine dining restaurant, dive bars, and a community radio station.
There are public works of art by the likes of Nick Cave, Yoko Ono, Roy Lichtenstein, and Yayoi Kusama. There are architectural gems, such as the Romanesque decommissioned old City Hall, with its Guastavino vaulted ceilings and brass chandeliers, where Zohran Mamdani was sworn in as mayor. Those Showtime! dancers on the L train may well do double-duty on Broadway. And since the audition process is fiercely competitive, there’s a real chance that those buskers at Union Square are going places—Carnegie Hall, for instance.
Not everyone notices all this beauty sequestered away within rat-infested holes in the ground. But on your journey into New York’s underworld, take time to stop for a killer martini, a game of Pac-Man, and other small pleasures that lurk in the depths.
Nōksu
At the bottom of the stairwell in the 34th Street–Herald Square station lies Manhattan’s most curiously located Michelin-starred restaurant. Every evening, diners at Nōksu, perch at the 15 seats lining the black marble counter across from the open kitchen for elaborate tasting menus underneath the pavement of Koreatown. Previously helmed by chef Dae Kim, the kitchen is now in the hands of Aaron Chang, a veteran of Crown Shy and Atera, who draws on both his Korean heritage and New Nordic traditions for inspiration. Dishes rotate with the seasons, but might include a light sujebi with anchovy broth, abalone, and zucchini, or a blush-rare beef tenderloin with burdock and black garlic. The vibe is decidedly haute, with plates tweezed into MoMA-ready displays, but the pumping ‘80s-heavy soundtrack helps pull it down to Earth.
See No Evil Pizza
Beneath Midtown’s soul-sucking chains lies this punk-hearted little pizzeria. Adrien Gallo, who presides over a small subterranean empire at the 50th Street 1 train stop that includes Nothing Really Matters and Tiny Dancer Coffee, wasn’t content to sling mediocre slices to tourists. The dough at See No Evil Pizza, engineered by Eleven Madison Park alum Ed Carew, ferments for three days, and the soft-serve is loaded up with olive oil and flaky salt. The pizza here transcends genres, with thinner, crispier crust than a classic Neopolitan number and puffier cornicione (crust) than a New York slice. Order a Bank Robber, with prosciutto, figs, and burrata, or the crowd-pleasing Hell Pie, with pepperoni, hot soppressata, smoked mozz, and Calabrian chiles.
Nothing Really Matters
If you’re looking to impress a date post-Broadway, there’s no greater power move than a nightcap at this speakeasy right before the turnstile. If it’s hard to picture the MTA setting the mood, fear not—once inside Nothing Really Matters, the darkened interior is all sultry charm. In addition to a half-dozen types of martinis, you’ll find drinks named for New York neighborhoods: The Jackson Heights is a mix of mezcal and tequila with citrus and spiced syrup, while the Hell’s Kitchen is an Old Fashioned riff with bourbon, Islay Scotch, maple, and house bitters. In the spirit of the brilliantly high-low food menu, pair your Hot Cheetos with caviar.
La Noxe
Descend to La Noxe in the depths below the city.
Courtesy of La Noxe (L); Photo by Little Vignettes Photo/Shutterstock (R)
Bar-hop your way down the 1 train from Nothing Really Matters to this stylish watering hole at the 28th Street station in Chelsea. To enter La Noxe, you’ll have to go above ground, but only long enough to ring the buzzer. Once you do, a hostess will escort you down the stairs into a snug room decked out in velvet and bathed in red lighting. Owner Jey Perie, who was previously the creative director at the Kinfolk design space and eatery in Williamsburg, stumbled across the odd real estate listing in 2019 by chance and was smitten. The resulting bar is one part classic ‘70s New York lounge and one part Tokyo, his former stomping grounds. Reservations are available, but walk-ins are welcomed, particularly later in the evening when the tempo kicks up a notch.
Soundbooth at 81st
In 2024, the non-profit Art on the Ave NYC converted a vacant subway storefront on the Upper West Side into performance space for buskers. Local musicians can sign up at Soundbooth at 81st to show off their stuff in the nook covered in colorful murals by street artist Manny Alejandro. When you hop out of the B or C trains en route to the Museum of Natural History, take a beat to see a free show. If you’re lucky, you might catch an open mic or dueling bands battling it out for supremacy.
Voyager Espresso
While train stations are often the domain of Starbucks and Dunkin’, New York’s subway-goers have some superior sources for caffeine at their disposal. Situated in the bowels of the Fulton Street station tunnels, Voyager Espresso is a sleek third-wave café that feels like an oasis in the FiDi chaos. It’s all about the details here: the pastries by Bien Cuit bakery and the chai from specialty Australian exporter Prana. Since it’s open weekdays only from 7:30 a.m. to 3 p.m., it caters heavily to the commuter crowd. Even the busiest of bankers may find themselves lingering over the perfectly poured espresso drinks, served on little marble slabs in proper cups.
Siberia Bar
Above ground at Columbus Circle, you’ll find Thomas Keller’s storied Per Se; almost right below, you’ll find a bevy of surprisingly good (and vastly more affordable) eats at the Turnstyle Underground Market. Among them are Brazilian brigadeiros, Argentine empanadas, and Chinese dumplings. But the star is undeniably Siberia Bar, a dive that Anthony Bourdain once called his favorite bar on Earth. Tracy Westmoreland’s phoenix-like establishment has long been the stuff of New York’s nocturnal mythology. First opened in 1996 in a former video store, it shuttered and was reborn in a basement, then closed for two decades, only to resurface once again in 2025 at its present subway locale. Even in this no man’s land, it stays open until 4 a.m. six nights a week, with stiff pours and old-school rock on the juke box. Bring cash and let Westmoreland tell you a tale if he feels so inclined—he’s seen it all.
