Hidden Tiger

Not enough great things can be said about this bar. The DJs and music 12/10, lots of 2000s era hip hop/rnb, Latin music, and whatever else that literally gets you dancing all night. Vibes are impeccable - everyone is always in such a good mood, from staff to patrons— so friendly, spicy, and so much fun! Food and drinks 10/10 - their skewers were reportedly delicious (I was too busy dancing and forgot to eat), their whiskeys are fantastic, and they even serve sake!!! Service - 15/10 - Cliff, the owner, is so genuine, chill, KIND, and just all around good vibes!!! We hosted our engagement party here bc we loved this spot so much and we, and all of our guests, had A BLAST. So grateful to have such a great establishment in the neighborhood.

This is a small spot with a live DJ and a tiny area for dancing. The music is incredibly loud—if you’re hoping to have a conversation, forget it; you’ll be yelling just to be heard. It’s fine for a quick drink and a dance, but that’s about it. We stayed for an hour and left with physical ear pain. I’m genuinely concerned about the decibel level and my hearing after that.This is a small spot with a live DJ and a tiny area for dancing. The music is incredibly loud—if you’re hoping to have a conversation, forget it; you’ll be yelling just to be heard. It’s fine for a quick drink and a dance, but that’s about it. We stayed for an hour and left with physical ear pain. I’m genuinely concerned about the decibel level and my hearing after that.

Now the secert behind Cafe joah is the amazing Speakeasy know as hidden tiger. Literally one of my favorite spots to visit when down in NYC LES, quick fun fact how I learned about hidden tiger was the legendary Keith Shocklee of Public Enemy ans Bomb squad took RDF and myself there to meet his producer Studdah man and we just feel in love with the vibez, the music and the food OMG the wings are a must have and the bao buns and to start it off right have the mango mochi before the wings cause as RDF says we big kids here, plus who don't like dessert before food. Most nights there is a live dj and on the weekend you never know who you will see there just chilling and enjoying the iconic vibez that Fat Buddha has paved for hidden tiger to keep alive.

Ordered the Macho Libre and The Fat Buddha drinks as well as a side of their Tteokbokki rice cakes with brown butter. The Macho Libre was a spicy pomegranate margarita with a tajin rim; it was a pleasant drink with pomegranate notes and the fun spice from that tajin around the glass. The Fat Buddha was their signature lychee martini, like a sweet milkis drink with lychee flavor. The tteokbokki rice cakes were a sufficient amount as a light appetizer. The brown butter tastes great on top of this, giving it a sweet buttery flavor. Staff are friendly, patronage was medium traffic on a weekday. It’s not particularly a speakeasy, just merely tucked through another door behind another storefront.

This place had good food, drinks, and service, but was deafeningly loud. The DJ had no tact. If you hope to hear at least 50% of your date’s conversation, go somewhere else. It would have been a nice evening if the DJ had taken the volume down several notches to an appropriate level for dinner. I shouldn’t have to scream when I am 2 feet across from someone and struggle to hear them respond.

I was searching for someplace different, and I read the description of Hidden Tiger, it seemed very interesting and fun...major disappointment. You walk thru an ice cream or cookie shop. Into the restaurant. Right away, the waiter listed about 9 cocktails they did not have. My date ordered a margarita. It came with the posted picture, brown lime. I asked the service nicely not to serve my date with a brown lime again. He did it twice more. The chicken wings were unseasoned before frying, and the sauce that was included was missing from quite a few pieces. The filling of the bao was decent, and the roll itself was served cold. The duck spring rolls were okay. As it got later, it started to draw a crowd. The music turned up so loud at one point, we couldn't hear each other. I was really disappointed. What a waste of money, but more importantly, a waste of time.

It's definitely not Fat Buddha anymore. I was asked by the bouncer to put my coat back on because a customer claimed to be upset by my solid black tank top. Weird explanation - either ignore customers who are scandalized by a tank top or just explain that you are dress coding me. Never thought I'd see the day where I get dress coded in the East Village, on Ave A no less. I've walked into some fancy cocktail joints in this neighborhood in Homer Simpson pajamas and chanclas. Bartender was wearing a Tshirt and the other a hoodie. I'm supposed to be dressed more formal than them? Lame. Then the bouncer, seemingly trying to buy a tip, awkwardly offers to buy drinks, but only gives my wife a shot, rather than both of us. Menu is decent. Cocktail menu could be a lil more daring, but is good 'nuff.

Rina was amazing, even though the place was packed and she was by herself she managed to serve us in a timely fashion and her hospitality was unmatched. Truly a 10/10

Old memories, new memories, whiskey everywhere. This speakeasy is hidden behind a cafe, and is worth a visit. The vibe is top notch, the music slaps, and there's plenty of alcohol behind the bar to keep your liver busy. "Live fat" is their motto and I can get behind that.

Went here early on a Saturday night, so it wasn't too packed, but started to fill up in some time. I tried the Fat Buddha that I liked a lot. It was smooth and fruity and the foam was really something else. I also tried the soy buns and liked those too. I was very interested in trying their ask-the-mixologist for a specific drink and tried requesting one with some flavors I wanted, but I didn't have a great experience with our server. First he didn't understand what I wanted, when I tried again and specified exactly what I wanted, he forgot to tell the bartender and just didn't place my order for like 15-20 minutes. I had to follow up to remind him but ultimately ended up cancelling the drink to leave. The host was really sweet, but I didn't like our server. He was not super friendly and the fact that he forgot to order my drink wasn't appreciated. I'll still rate this well because I really liked the vibe of the place and the one drink I had.

Came here on a Saturday night and was overall disappointed. The menu says "let us know if you hear mainstream pop music". The listed vibes is hip hop. The entire time we were there we heard ONLY mainstream pop music. The DJ played Justin Timberlake and that one song that goes tonight we are young. Very odd considering the various hip hop references in their cocktails. Also, I tried the premo, infamous and the fat Buddha and the fat Buddha was the only good drink. Infamous was.... Really not good. Premo was kinda bland, no real flavor that made you feel anything. Honestly I don't usually bother with reviews but the music was unforgivable. Service was okay? Bartender were nice but I didn't get to see an itemized bill before paying, and I almost double paid for 2 drinks except my friend remembered and reminded them that those 2 were supposed to be on his tab and not both of ours. Wasn't even that busy/crowded

My friend and I came here on a whim the other night as the original place we wanted to go to was closed. You enter the speakeasy through Cafe Joah and it's super cute with a disco ball cat, great music and nice comfortable plus seating alongside a decently sized bar. They had a great drink menu and a smaller but excellent food menu (along with several vegan/vegetarian dishes) which was lovely. For drinks we ordered the fat Buddha and the macho libre and both were excellent. For food, we ordered the soy bao buns, which we really enjoyed and had great flavor. We also ordered the kimchi rice ball, which was large enough to share and the shishito peppers. The service was very good as it wasn't too crowded. I would definitely come back here again if in the area!

Came here for work holiday gathering so my review is based on that. This place is hidden but once you passed the initial door, its a new world. The front entrance looks like a bland cafe of some sort, but there was no there to direct me through. It was a nice bar area with several tables. For our event, the place was packed. Very dark, Asian-related decorations. Had the Macho Libre drink and it was really good. Had wings, vegetables, rice for the event and everything was good.

I think this place has yet to be fully discovered as we went in on a Saturday night at 6pm and it was rather empty. I think they've done a great job curating and ambiance and many of the drinks on the menu are enticing. They have a solid espresso martini, a little on the creamy/ sweeter side. The lychee drink was both fun and scrumptious. They have couch space, small tables and bar seating. Will be back for a cocktail!

Fun cocktails and yummy appetizers it's a fun place to catch up with friends OR for a date the chicken wings were delicious

Actually one of the coolest speakeasy spots in the city. From the moment I stepped inside, the music was a vibe. The service was accommodating and friendly, which is always appreciated. The drinks were flowing just right, got an espresso martini and can't wait to go back and try more.

I was with a large group and we were looking for a place to have drinks before our dinner reservation. We looked for speakeasies on Yelp and it turns out The Hidden Tiger is sort of one. The front entrance is a coffee shop, which has a back door that leads to the Hidden Tiger. The back door was wide open, so it took away from the secretive speakeasy effect. But I understand because it's actually a regular restaurant too. The vibe in here is cool and unique. It has a dark, mysterious, tiger and lucky cat theme throughout. It's the perfect ambiance for date night. It appeared they also allow groups to reserve the space for parties, because there was an engagement party setting up. Since my group was only here for drinks, we sat at the bar area. There's a couch in the back corner that we occupied too. Many of us ordered The Fat Buddha, which is their lychee martini. Look no further and just order this one!! The drink was topped with a cloud like foam. It kept spilling down the sides and my hands were getting sticky, but it was all worth it and they have a bathroom where you can wash your hands. That martini went down so smoothly and I was inspired to try making it at home. There were some fizzy drinks on one of the pages which had a gochujang flavored drink. They weren't serving the fizzy drinks at the time but I would have loved to try that one. This place has some history to it. Don't quote me but I think it used to be a club. Anyways, I would come back here to have more drinks and to try the food!

Obsessed with the hip-hop vibes of this speakeasy! We sat at the bar and ordered drinks. Lucky for me it was happy hour and I got an $8 lychee martini. Our bartender was adorable and gave us suggestions on what to order. We listened to music and vibed. Unfortunately we had another engagement after that but we would have def. Stayed longer and hung out! A very cool speakeasy I would come back for sure.

I was on the hunt for a speakeasy to check out while visiting NYC. There's quite a lot to choose from, but this one really piqued my interest. I booked a reservation for 6:30pm on a Friday night on RESY, more so to sit and eat. I have recently started wanting less to be in crowded & loud places. I opted for an earlier time based on another person's review, as to avoid the crowd. I hail from the two up two down, so I didn't want to risk not experiencing this place. One it's a speakeasy! I like the "secrecy" of them. Something about hidden doors and secret passages that excite me! Two, it offers NA drinks. Three, I read good things about the music. It did not disappoint! Old school Hip Hop & 80's/90s mashups were banging! If I'm ever back in NY, I'd come back just for the mad beats! But on all accounts, the food, drinks, music & atmosphere were fantastically wonderful! M- our server was helpful in assisting with some food & beverage choices. It's not an extensive menu and the food items are more tapas style/appetizers. I went for the SEOUL SOUR, it was insanely good! It's rare for me to have successful tasting mocktails that are refreshing and not overly sweet. My sisters and I shared the large size of Fat wings, Yobo style. It was surprisingly really good, as were the bulgogi bao buns. Hidden Tiger has a laid back atmosphere with a nice interior design. Make sure to put this place on your list!

A self-proclaimed "owner" of this establishment was one of the rudest, most arrogant people I have encountered in the service/hospitality industry. My friends and I tried to attend an event at this venue recently, and without even looking at IDs or even talking to us, she decided she didn't like us and would not let us into the venue, or event - they were other people and hosts of the event who called her out for this behaviour and advocated for us. We were forced to give up on our plans for basically no real reason. Absolutely ridiculous from someone whose income depends on their costumers. I'm sure the Hidden Tiger is great, however unfortunately due to the incompetent and rude behaviour of their workers, I don't know.

Overall rating: 4.998 Omg I'm obsessed with this place. I never heard of it before and so happy my date introduced me to it. First, true speakeasy Second, the bao buns are sooo good. Like I'm surprised, good. We went in the early hours after work, so it was pretty empty. But that didn't change the vibe at all. The bartender was so nice. We just had one round of drinks. The old fashioned was stronngggg. I really liked my cocktail. Very tasteful. Also the seats were so comfortable! Will definitely be coming back soon, highly recommend.

This is one of my favorite hidden gems in NYC! Hidden Tiger, formerly (Fat Buddha) is the newest hot spot in the LES. Their food is amazingly delicious and packed with flavor that pops! The servers and Bartenders are on point and attentive. Great service. The venue itself makes you feel like you're in another world. Very nice, dimly lit, low ceilings, great hidden lounge feel. And the music! The music is always on point. Not really a spot for Top 40 Pop music per se but more on a Hip Hop, R&B, Disco, Funk, Soul, Classic NYC type vibe. So if you're looking for a cool spot to check, grab a bite or grab some great libations while listening to some good jams, this is your spot! Shout to Lord Kimchi!

The drinks were good but the service is not great. They have one waitress who serves everyone, and it's not great. I felt bad for the waitress. The place was crowded and she had to take care of everyone. Let's just say that it took us over 30 min to order each drink and get it!

A secret entrance reveals the Hidden Tiger Speakeasy via a cute little cafe (Cafe Joah)! Funny thing is it was even difficult finding the cafe at night especially if you're not familiar with the area. However, after literally running around the block, we found this place! Great food and wonderful mocktails, just be prepared to shell out $14 per drink! It is NYC with NYC prices!! What the heck! Might as well live a little!! The food was surprisingly tasty and delicious!! Well worth stepping in and checking out! The staff was very friendly and accommodating and the interior beautifully appointed with many cat's waving and smiling as you enter this cute little establishment!! Highly recommend!

Drinks were great, really appreciated the mix of NA and alcoholic drinks so that friends of mine who don't drink could enjoy some mocktails. The service was attentive and we liked the ambiance and theme of the place. My party got there around opening at 6 and because of that it was just us for a while, but it definitely started to fill in after 7/7:30 and was full by the time we left. Everybody seemed to have a good time and it was nice to order a few plates of wings and bao buns for anyone that was a little hungry. I hope this place continues to have success!

Great DJ spinning old school hip hop and delicious cocktails. Friendly service. Definitely has Fat Buddha vibes. They do keep the door open so the speakeasy vibe is non-existent. However don't let that stop the fun. As Arnold says "I'll be back!"

They really need to upgrade their liquor selection especially for the ridiculous prices that they charge. I've been there on 2 occasions and the same 2 occasions they didn't have what I drink which is Cabernet Sauvignon so I've settled for the alternative, Pinot noir. During both of those instances, I have been compelled to quickly rush to the restroom or outdoors in order to physically expel the contents of my stomach due to the wine they provided. This has NEVER happened to me! Totalky disappointed and unaccrptable

So glad I came to this speakeasy! Such an amazing energy. Spacious,great service and definitely try out the menu. The wings were on point. Highly recommend coming here to make some memories and enjoy this gem.

I WOULD GO TO THE END OF THE WORLD FOR THOSE HONEY GINGER GARLIC WINGS!!!!! Luckily, the East Village is way closer I lived around the corner from Fat Buddha for years and spent SO. MUCH. TIME there, so I was (like so many other people) TOTALLY DEVASTATED when it had to shut down due to a fire upstairs. I had friends in other countries who were wailing in dismay!! We all knew that wasn't the end though. It couldn't be. My brain refused to even consider the possibility of a life without those wings. So I waited. And wished. And hoped. And prayed to anyone and anything that I thought might hear me. And then it happened. Hidden Tiger rose from the ashes like a phoenix (and by "ashes" I mean the blood, sweat, and tears of the owner, Cliff). And it is SPECTACULAR. I had my birthday party here two months ago and I honestly couldn't have imagined a better setting... with all the youthful swagger of Fat Buddha, but with a heaping dose of elegant sophistication. Our baby grew up! Tables were reserved for us, the food was amazing, the cocktails were flowing, and the music was at the perfect level so we could all enjoy it, but still hear each other talk. It definitely turns into a party later on but during lounge times, it's still super chill. Best of both worlds AND swoonworthy date spot. You can't help but be happy in there. Every detail is curated for maximum joy. The interior could/SHOULD absolutely be in a magazine. The wallpaper is incredible and the banquette seating is GORGEOUS. You'll be drooling over the visuals as much as the food. And who doesn't love walking in through a secret door! Fat Buddha will forever live on in my heart but Hidden Tiger is the glow up that doesn't stop giving!!!