New York Gothic restaurants & nightlife! HP Lovecraft bar, Defcon Pyramid Club, Hanamizuki cafe.
Meow — time for an updated guide to Goth New York! NYC is known as Gotham City for a reason: there’s a wealth of alternative clubs, bars and fashion to be found here.
This year, I rang in New Year’s Eve in the Lower East Side. My friends and I taste-tested the new Lovecraft Bar, dedicated to the horror author and his Old Gods. We then danced to Industrial / Synth / EDM at Defcon, a weekly party at Pyramid Club.
Read on for our spooky reviews — and for more tips, check out my NYC Goth travel guides from over the years!
Yukiro and I were excited to visit the recently-opened Lovecraft Bar NYC. The theme restaurant / lounge honors H.P. Lovecraft and his dark, cosmic literary works.
(Address: 50 Ave B, Lower East Side, New York, NY)
The spacious bar has two floors, including a performance space in the basement. The decor pays homage to the Lovecraftian universe; all of the artwork and materials are elegantly curated. (I’m wearing this exact Disturbia top with the Lovecraft gate symbol on it. It also comes in this grey version.)
If you’ve read Lovecraft’s stories, such as his Necronomicon collection, you’ll recognize his occult symbols on this mural. Pyramids, tentacles and fear: our favorite combination!
Upstairs, there is a fully stocked bar. The tattooed bartender prepared the favorite drink of the Goths — absinthe — and lit it on fire.
The New York Lovecraft bar is haunted by his evil deities, particulary Cthulhu. Part octopus, man and dragon, he lies in wait at the bottom of this fish tank. “Iä! Iä! Cthulhu fhtagn!”
HP Lovecraft has a cult following, and my friends and I love his works. If you haven’t read his books before, I recommend starting with “Necronomicon: The Best Weird Tales.”
The Lovecraft bar has an extensive food and drink menu. We had a hard time choosing from the craft cocktails, with delectable names like Tesla’s Blood, Mythos Margarita, Dagon’s Bite (named after the sea deity in one of his early tales).
The bartender also makes his own infused spirits, with unusual ingredients like carrots and chai. The pumpkin spice was tangy perfection.
At theme restaurants, the food is often an afterthought. Thankfully, this is not the case at Lovecraft NY.
The very first dish was possibly our favorite: a martini glass of watermelon, avocado and tuna ceviche.
In honor of the octopus god Cthulhu, we ordered this fresh salad with tentacles.
Lovecraft introduced this malevolent being in one of his most famous stories, 1928’s “The Call of Cthulhu” (found in the Necronomicon collection). The Elder God is hibernating in an underwater city, causing ripples of subconscious anxiety in our minds.
His worshippers chant: “Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn.” (“In his house at R’lyeh, dead Cthulhu waits dreaming.”)
Chef Shapan Karmaker brought us a wide selection of stand-out dishes, including crab cakes with homemade sauces, and other Western-fusion creations. The chef has cooked at restaurants of different genres for over a decade, and brings his expertise to the Lovecraftian menu.
(In honor of the occasion, I’m wearing a Lovecraft Disturbia top with his symbols; it also comes in a grey version. Shop more occult fashion below.)
The Lovecraft‘s dark interior design, drinks and cuisine are an impeccable tribute to the author. We encourage you to visit Manhattan’s Lower East Side, and dine in a space full of mystical wonder and terror.
(Photography by Joey Wong.)
In the same neighborhood, you’ll find one of the best alternative venues in the city. The Pyramid Club is a New York institution. It opened in 1979 and was a center of Goth, drag and LGBT gatherings in the 1980s.
I first went Goth clubbing at Pyramid while at university in NYC. Today, the dark dance parties are still going strong. (Address: 101 Avenue A #1, NYC)
Every Saturday, Defcon rages in the basement of the Pyramid. DJ Mike Stalagmike (above) and his crew serve up an epic playlist of electronic body music, Industrial, New Beat, synth, electro, dark disco. Instead of flipping through the usual “Goth club” favorites, the DJs go for more obscure tracks and let them play out.
As you know, I’ve been to a hell of a lot of Gothic parties worldwide (chronicled here). If you’re in it for the music — Defcon delivers. We couldn’t have picked a better place for our New Year’s Eve “final countdown.”
The dance floor is also a perfect balance of underground and welcoming. The DJs are friendly and came up to introduce themselves, and all the club-goers were spooky types (you won’t see tourists here). Eccentricity is welcomed, and yet everyone is respectful of your personal space.
Defcon goes down every Saturday at Pyramid Club. Kudos to the organizers for maintaining one of most authentic Goth parties in NYC (check out their Facebook for event announcements and more).
New York is also one of the best US cities to experience J-pop culture. My friends and I had dinner at Hanamizuki, an adorable Japanese cafe that recently hosted a Sailor Moon pop-up event.
(Address: 143 West 29th Street, between 6th and 7th Aves, New York, NY)
My pink haired pal Jenny Zych is an illustrator influenced by Japanese aesthetics. We’re flipping through Strange Paradise, a zine dedicated to Asian horror films that she contributes to.
Jenny delighted me with this creepy-cute portrait of me and Basil Farrow! (Also pictured are illustrations of my cat by Lili Chin and Naomi Rubin).
Jenny’s shirt and choker were to die for. (More eerie fashion below):
Hanamizuki’s mission is to serve simple yet scrumptious Japanese favorites, made with the healthiest ingredients. New Yorkers can live a stressful lifestyle, and the cafe aims to be a Zen-like environment where they can chill out and feel good.
The airy Midtown location is filled with plants and natural materials. On the wood shelves, I browsed organic teas and cute gifts.
Hanamizuki’s signature dish is onigiri, or rice balls. Here, these snacks are anything but basic.
The cafe serves dozens of varieties, including vegetarian options stuffed with ingredients like seaweed, yukari (dried red shiso leaf) and several types of pickles. I also couldn’t resist getting seconds of the unagi (eel) and ume (plum) o-musubi.
We tried several varieties of miso soup, made with fresh and clean ingredients. Hanamizuki isn’t afraid to innovate with fusion rice balls, such as Hawaiian teriyaki-spam, semi dried tomato and chili wrapped in nori-seaweed.
A photo is worth a thousand words — you can tell guess how much we loved this octopus and veggies bowl.
Simple flavors, with offbeat execution. Everything we tried tasted like it was made with love.
Happiness is a round of desserts to share. Organic cookies, chiffon cake and mousses made us smile.
With it cool design and homestyle menu, Hanamizuki is a New York gem. I had the loveliest dinner here with friends, and we couldn’t resist getting more rice balls to take home with us.
Yukiro and I hope your 2016 is going devilishly so far! We’re thankful we got to reunite with friends in one of the world’s greatest cities.
If you’re planning a trip to New York, I hope you find my NYC alternative travel guides helpful. These include tips for where to buy clothing (St Marks, vintage), eat, party and sleep.
Are you a Lovecraft fan? Have you heard of Pyramid Club, or the Sailor Moon theme cafe that Hanamizuki hosted?
SHARE & COMMENT
Travel bloggers at Istanbul World Tourism Forum! W Hotel, Ciragan Palace brunch, cats & dogs of Turkey.
Sometimes, I feel like I’m in the Twilight Zone. For years, I wanted to visit Istanbul, but the opportunity never arose.
Then, I got an unbelievable email: I was one of about 20 international travel bloggers invited to the World Tourism Forum in Turkey! Needless to say, I replied yes and packed my bags.
I dreaded the 13 hour flight from LA… until Turkish Airlines generously put me in business class. On the plane, I ate like a queen and slept like a baby. Then a driver picked me up, and deposited me at the intergalactic entrance of the W Hotel Istanbul.
The trip kept on getting better, as the W Hotel — known for its modern, nightclub vibe — upgraded me to a fantastic suite. The stylish W Insider concierge even left me a welcome bottle of champagne and snacks on a turntable.
(I’m wearing a kimono-style coat by Alice’s Pig, a vintage-inspired brand from London. I also own this blue zig zag coat from their collection.)
The W Hotel was well-located in the city center of Besiktas, surrounded by hip art galleries and the designer boutiques of Nisantasi.
On my first walk, I was pleased to find healthy-looking cats everywhere, even lounging on motorcycles.
Why are there so many stray dogs and cats in the streets of Istanbul? I’ll get back to this at the end of this post, so read on…
Day one. I filled up on stringy Turkish cheese (dil peyniri) and circular bread with sesame seeds (simit) at the W Hotel breakfast.
The World Tourism Forum provided shuttle buses to the ICC (Istanbul Congress Center). For several days, tourism industry leaders would be meeting inside this gigantic venue.
The World Tourism Forum takes place four times a year, in different global cities. Business executives, politicians and influencers gather to present and discuss topics related to travel. (Let’s just say that I was the only one there with purple hair!)
In the main auditorium, I heard the President of Turkey and other leaders speak frankly about combating terrorism and maintaining trust in the tourism sector.
I was glad that the presenters recognized the importance of experimenting with new concepts (such as community-centered hotels) and technologies (virtual reality).
Such fun to meet up with both local and international travel bloggers at the Forum. Thumbs up to Blogger Casting, the digital marketing agency that made these arrangements. They took care of every detail, and even put together a “blogger night” cocktail party mixer for us.
There were more than 100 speakers, panels and exhibits throughout the two-day event. I went to presentations on intriguing topics, such as the enormous growth of Uber, and how movie locations can drive tourism spending.
(Outfit of the Day: I’m wearing a dark purple velvet dress by Alice’s Pig, and designer tights.)
One of the halls had hundreds of exhibition booths. I visited the representatives of Turkish Airlines, and told them how much I loved my flight with them. As they say on Seinfeld, “Once you’ve flown first class, you can’t go back to coach!”
I reminisced about the “candlelight” dinner prepared fresh by chefs, followed by a push-cart of desserts and all the wellness tea I could drink. There’s free WiFi, and the staff turns your seat into a full-sized bed. After Turkish Airlines’ luxury, it’ll be hard to fly economy again…
Some of the stalls had interactive displays. At this archery station, I did my best Hunger Games impression. (And I did hit the target!)
Time for the Blogger Panel, which had a spectacular turnout and lively participants.
We discussed the business of travel blogging, working with tourism boards and PR, and all the unseen details that go into this seemingly glamorous job.
Later, everyone let loose at the World Tourism Forum gala, held at Ciragan Palace Kempinski hotel.
The grandiose staircase looked like it was made for the Queen of the Damned!
The hotel was once a 19th century Ottoman palace, on the shores of the Bosphorus.
We had dinner with guests in ballgowns and tuxedos, and watched the World Tourism Forum awards ceremony.
Crystal chandeliers and gilded ceilings. Doesn’t this look like a scene from the Grand Budapest Hotel?
(All photos by Joey Wong, who accompanied me to these events.)
W-fingers for the World Tourism Forum! Thank you for bringing me to Istanbul; it was an honor to be chosen to take part in this global meeting.
On another day, we tried the epic Sunday brunch at Ciragan Palace Kempinski. I headed straight to the fresh juice bar — after all, the Turkish word for breakfast (kahvalti) means “before coffee.”
I did a little dance when I stepped into Laledan Restaurant. Imagine rows upon rows of international food — Turkish mezzes, fresh sushi, saffron curry — made from the highest quality ingredients.
(My black bat-wings dress is from Kill Star, who also makes a Gothic Egyptian fringed vest.)
At stations throughout the restaurant, the chefs will whip up eggs, pasta, risotto and other favorites exactly the way you like.
I’m the type of diner who likes to take a bite of everything. I sampled everything from borek (Turkish baked filo pastry) to salmon caviar in a martini glass, to waffles.
Willy Wonka’s factory comes to life in the Chocolate Room: a royal dome piled with desserts of every variety!
The pastry chefs served up plates of sweets: Turkish delight, cake pops, macaroons, chocolates…
… and beautifully decorated mini-cakes, with flavors like mango and Earl Grey.
Now I’m sure you can understand why I literally leaped in the air! I’ve had a lot of impressive hotel brunches, but Ciragan Palace takes the cake.
It seems I’m not the only one eating up a storm in Istanbul… I saw quite a few plump cats, roaming the streets.
There are a lot of feral cats and dogs in the city, yet they generally look well-fed and friendly. What makes this such a cat paradise (or Cat-stantinople)?
Istanbul’s diverse residents have historically been kind to street animals. Among Muslims, the Prophet Muhammad is known as a feline-fancier — and a popular saying says “If you kill a cat, you need to build a mosque to be forgiven by God.”
Animal welfare groups help keep these furry friends healthy and manage populations. Many stray dogs have tagged ears, signifying they were part of a trap-neuter-release program.
Istanbul’s laws help protect free-roaming animals, and volunteers are doing a great job. Still, there are always dogs and cats in need. Perhaps on my next trip to Istanbul, I can help out at one of these rescue organizations.
I leave you with this view of a glowing mosque at night, taken from the top of Galata Tower.
There’s still so much to share from Constantinople! Next, I’ll show you how Walks of Turkey took us all around the historical Sultanahmet district, on a custom tour.
LA CARMINA
