So & So’s is a hidden piano bar that pays homage to Broadway

A martini glass and piano, sprayed in red graffiti on a blue door, mark the discreet entrance to So & So’s, a stylish piano bar and supper club in Hell’s Kitchen. Designed by GOODRICH, this glamorous speakeasy evokes the spirit of Broadway.

So & So’s is located just off 52nd Street and 8th Avenue in the Romer Hell’s Kitchen hotel and transforms the 1960s building’s former back-of-house space into a secretive venue with a blue, upright piano at its heart.

Practice principal Matthew Goodrich drew inspiration from classic New York nightlife, particularly Broadway and the Theatre District, to design the opulent interiors. Patrons can sink into plush red banquettes and blue leather booths with a martini in hand or perch at the bar on tall blue seats. The walls, meanwhile, are dressed in red ripping, camo-patterned upholstery that loosely nods to theatre curtains, while recurrent arches add to the space’s theatrical allure.

Upright pianos are staples across Manhattan’s rehearsal studios, offering informality and intimacy. The instrument takes centre stage here, illuminated by marquee lights on a raised platform. Weekly performances span various genres, including jazz trios, drag acts, and industry performers. Earlier this summer, Noah Cyrus and Darren Criss graced the stage, with NYC drag performer Marti Gould Cummings and theatre actor Solea Pfeiffer slated to perform in the coming weeks.

Phil Collins, the Director of Beverages at TableOne Hospitality (and once a backing dancer for Rihanna), curated a Broadway-inspired cocktail menu. Try the ‘Bodega Cat’, featuring tequila, Montenegro, coconut milk, espresso, vanilla, and cinnamon, or the ‘Piano Man’, a mix of mezcal, Cynar, Fernet, cacao bitters, and a spritz of saline. These inventive cocktails are paired with a playful selection of shared snacks, including a ‘Chalice of Cheetos’, dry-aged beef sliders, and Wagyu steak with fries.

So & So’s is the latest addition to Midtown’s vibrant nightlife scene, joining the likes of David Lynch’s theatrical club, Silencio, and The Stranger, both located nearby along 57th Street.