Gate 54/Saint-Ex

A boisterous thirtysomething crowd fills both floors of this popular watering hole: the ground-floor bistro has seats for dinner or an alt-sceney drink, while the dance club underground throbs with everything from retro-soul to electronica. Both are inspired by a quirky airplane theme (“Saint-Ex” refers to French writer and pilot Antoine de Saint-Exupéry), with aeronautical oddments throughout. The crowd is varied and nonexclusive, but if you wear Buddy Holly glasses or dye your hair red, you'll fit right in.