Hudson Bar and Books

Before the ban, before the boom, before "cigar bar" was a category — there was this candlelit room on Hudson Street.

Raju Mirchandani opened it in 1990 as the first dedicated cigar bar in New York, and thirty-six years later it's the oldest one still burning. The concept traveled — the Bar and Books family now reaches Prague and Warsaw — but the original is the West Village room: bookshelves, brass, tartan, and the kind of English-colonial hush that makes an hour disappear.

The Room

Candlelit and genuinely small — this is the coziest sit in New York smoke. It works best as a two-armchair evening: one good cigar, one good companion, no agenda. Regulars call it a library that drinks; the description survives scrutiny.

The Bar

Full liquor under the grandfathered license, with a whisky list that leans Scotch and cocktails made without theater. Nothing here is rushed, including the pour.

The History

The 2003 ban froze New York's cigar bars in amber, and Hudson had thirteen years of seniority before the amber even set. Sitting here is the closest the city gets to time travel — the room smokes exactly as it did when the Village outside was a different place entirely. Hours shift; call before a special trip.

Why We Picked It

Because the first one still being one of the best ones is rare in any category, and unheard of in this city. Every cigar bar in New York owes this room a nod; ours is No. 3 with deep respect.