ESPACE
Having an event at Espace—an exclusive, private-affair-only venue— is like renting out Alaska for your next party. It’s easy to get lost in this 10,000-square-foot space outfitted with billowing white curtains, Venetian plaster walls, a black-and-white Rorschach-ish carpet, and sexy chaise lounges, all put together by nightlife impresario Seth Greenberg. Espace is roomy enough for 1,000 partygoers, and you can do everything from stomping your stilettos while listening to the BML Blackbird sound system in the 6,500-square-foot ballroom to dining on executive chef Jason Munger’s signature New American menu. 635 West 42nd Street, 212-967-7003.—AMY ZAVATTO
SOUTHSIDE
Aussies have a reputation for having a good time, and Down Under native James Willis and his New York-savvy business partner, Anthony Martignetti, bring just that to their brand-new hot spot Southside. Awash in chic design, pumping with energy, and free of pretensions, this laid-back lounge is anything but the snooty, velvet-roped norm. During a surfing trip to Costa Rica, the longtime friends realized their shared vision of making nightclubs actually enjoyable. “There’s a huge emphasis on having fun and providing people with a place where they can let loose—not just on the weekends but every night of the week,” says Willis. We’re down. 1 Cleveland Place, 212-680-5601; nycsouthside.com.—SUSAN WAITS
POP BURGER
When its Uptown branch opened at the end of last year, PB went from being a cheeseburger to a Whopper. Three times the size of the original Chelsea outpost, it encompasses three floors and 6,000 square feet of winking Warholian-decked space, complete with a line of those famous art-imitates-life Campbell’s soup cans and a 75-foot backlit, aluminum, laser-etched mural of fast-food phrases from Warhol protégé Ronnie Cutrone. And, yes, there are those yummy, chubby, cheese-laden patties. But the luxe second floor is where it’s at, with its in-the-raw oak wall and floors, mirrored tables (so eighties!), red-felt banquettes, DJ booth, and plenty of room to kick back or kick up. It ain’t your mama’s packet-o-ketchup joint. 14 East 58th Street, 212-991-6644.—AMY ZAVATTO
NAIMA
We like the cross-continental way this 2,500-square-foot former garage got its name—Naima is a southern Italian vino, which was itself named after the title of a Coltrane song. And Naima’s found a niche as the ultimate preamble to Chelsea’s exploding arts scene and later-night mainevent spots like Marquee, Bungalow 8, Cain, and Mansion. And, of course, you’ll need a good pre-game meal to keep up with all that perusing and socializing later on. Here, it comes with glass, stone, and washed-brick industrial-chic that lets you feel just as comfortable having a laid-back dinner at the low-lit bar as in the concrete-floored dining room where a DJ spins nightly. The southern Italian-skewed menu has faves like eggplant polpetti and rice balls to start, and rich, rustic beef and béchamel-filled cannelloni for your primi (served till midnight on weekdays and 1:30 A.M. on weekends). 513 West 27th Street, 212-967-4392.—AMY ZAVATTO
