Speakeasy Drinks and Prohibition History Tour NYC
Recommended by 92% of travelers
Badge of Excellence
New York City, USA
- 3 hours (approx.)
- Mobile ticket
- Offered in: English
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Overview
While Prohibition made alcohol illegal in 1920s New York, the city still retained an illicit bar scene. This Prohibition-themed walking tour visits some of Midtown Manhattan's self-styled “speakeasies” and historic watering holes to enjoy drinks (own expense). Savor each bar's atmosphere alongside stories of bootleggers and the Gilded Age from your licensed guide.
- Get a taste of Prohibition-era New York on a guided walking tour
- Visit three of New York's classic, historical bars and speakeasies
- Choose to purchase your own cocktails and drinks at each venue
- Pick from several start times to suit your sightseeing schedule
What's Included
- Experience three speakeasies ranging from modern to historic
- Free admission and preferred entry at all venues
- Rich storytelling of the Prohibition Era and Gilded Age in New York City
- Licensed local guide expert in NYC history and culture
- Drinks and Food are available for purchase. Credit card and processing fees at most venues.
- Gratuity
Meeting and Pickup
Meeting point
- 825 8th Ave, New York, NY 10019, USA
Meet on 8th Avenue between 49th Street and 50th Street outside the office building entrance of One Worldwide Plaza (825 Eighth Avenue). There is a bike rack in front of the building and a large American flag hanging in front. Carnegie Diner is visible on the opposite side of 8th Avenue.
End point
- Times SquareManhattan, NY 10036, USA
Itinerary
Studio 54 (Pass By)
Times Square / Theater District (Pass By)
Hell's Kitchen (Pass By)
Theater District (Pass By)
Midtown West (Pass By)
Additional Info
- Confirmation will be received at time of booking
- Not wheelchair accessible
- Near public transportation
- Not recommended for travelers with back problems
- Not recommended for pregnant travelers
- No heart problems or other serious medical conditions
- Travelers should have a moderate physical fitness level
- Minimum age is 21 years with valid photo identification (Passport for non-U.S. citizens)
- Dress code is upscale casual. No sportswear or ripped clothing permitted.
- This tour/activity will have a maximum of 18 travelers
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Cancellation Policy
You can cancel up to 24 hours in advance of the experience for a full refund.
Traveler Photos
Reviews
4.7
based on 210 reviews
Sherri_E, Apr 2026
The tour guide was fabulous and knowledgeable. However, there are many hidden costs in this tour. The price of admission is inexpensive, the price for the rest of the evening, including credit card fees was not explained well. In addition, the tour says you are provided with a VIP area while in each speakeasy, that was not the case in one out of the three we attended. We were stuck in an walkway with terrible service. Again, our tour guide, Bella, was lovely and informative. The issues we had were outside her control - in my opinion.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
We actually do not advertise a "VIP area while in each speakeasy" as most speakeasies do not have a VIP area. We provide reserved seating at most venues, but clearly there was a service issue at one of the venues on your itinerary. As for credit card fees or "non-cash charges", they have been implemented at many speakeasies, bars and restaurants in New York City.
Joanna_B, Apr 2026
Not as advertised. We were told
that for our tour fee we would gain access to VIP seating. We did not
even get a table-we were asked
to stand in a “please do not stand” area with staff trying to get by. Their system of paying for drinks/food includes tons of undisclosed fees. Incredibly disappointing.
Response from Host, Apr 2026
Actually we do not advertise or promise "VIP seating" on the tour. We generally have a reserved table, as we did at two of the three venues on this specific tour, but sometimes we request a reserved area instead of seating for the expedience of service. As for fees, credit card fees and auto-gratuity is the protocol at many bars/restaurants in NYC.
Vasilios_N, Apr 2026
This was a super fascinating dive into the history of speakeasies and actual hidden speakeasies (yes they still exist!) in Manhattan, with delectable drinks to boot too! Highly recommend to anybody in the NYC area!
Rosemarie_P, Apr 2026
We had a great time! It was such a unique and interesting tour with hidden locations you wouldn’t find on your own. I highly recommend! Shoutout to Ryan for making the tour so fun!
Reanne_R, Mar 2026
ryan was awesome!! he was super funny and shared so many cool stories. i learned so much and got to experience some really cool speakeasies that my husband and i would have never known about. we had a blast!
Savannah_P, Jan 2026
We had the BEST experience with Ryan as our host and tour guide through several Speak Easies in Time Square area. The bars were amazing. His knowledge of the history and the cocktails was top notch. We were fully entertained during our entire tour. Highly recommend!
Sarah_M, Dec 2025
We walked around the Times Square area and went into three, unique to each other, speakeasy’s. We had great service (and cocktails) at each venue and learned a lot about the history of speakeasy’s in NYC.
Christopher_F, Dec 2025
Really interesting speakeasy choices! Our guide Ariel was funny and informative. I wondered if three hours was too long but it was not.
Virginia_S, Nov 2025
This was a cool tour giving you some history of Prohibition and Speakeasy times in NYC. Some of the stories were not well known and so interesting!! The stops we made to three area speakeasy were cool, eclectic and each unique to their own style. From an 80s sexual freedom theme to a dark and moody broafway theme and a feative live music place...all were amazing!! Our guide Ryan made it even better with his wit, humor and impeccable craft in story telling and keeping the theme tied in at each stop! If you find yourself wanting to do something different in NYC and see where many locals hit...this is it!
Sharon_L, Nov 2025
Great tour, Julian was good fun and knowledgeable. Good fun and the cocktails and the speakeasy’s were fab
Response from Host, Nov 2025
Fantastic! We are glad you enjoyed the Experience. Please join one of our other night tours on your next visit to NYC.
Clelie_A, Sep 2025
Julian was a great tour guide- humorous and informative. Good size group. Wonderful choices for the bars!
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Fantastic! Each tour we try to strike the balance between great storytelling and having enjoyable interaction with other guests from around the world.
James_J, Aug 2025
So much fun! The guide gave great history and recommendations. He was patient and adjusted to conditions on the fly. This was a great tour and an amazing way to end the evening. Highly recommend.
MichaelE_G, Aug 2025
Ryan was a wonderful tour guide. Seeing history through the Prohibition period and the personalities that dominated the era was very interesting.
Rodney_H, Aug 2025
D was an excellent and very knowledgeable tour guide. The history shared about prohibition was fascinating. It was the best speakeasy tour we’ve ever experienced. Thank you D!
Isabelle_M, Jul 2025
The tour is not bad, but I felt like not much was mentioned in terms of history. At the first and last locations, the music was quite loud so we don't get much in terms of history so really it's not much of a tour. The bars were pretty cool, but you should be aware that they are cocktail bars. The first bar was cool and very much felt like a Speakeasy. The other two, not at all. They are well advertised and it felt more like we were going to a trendy bar than anything. At each bar, we paid our bill to the guide directly (all included: taxes and tips). I thought this was a tad strange because I do like being able to have th choice to give what I want to give in terms of tips. That aside, it was an ok tour. I would personally not recommend it, but if you're really into trendy cocktail bars, this is for you.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
We are sorry you were disappointed with the Tour. At times, the venues can get loud so it is unfortunate you may have missed some of the storytelling. As for gratuity, that is automatically applied to groups in NYC.
aprilhaldeman, Jul 2025
Emma was an amazing host! Great history and great drinks! I would recommend this experience to anyone in NYC.
Karen_J, Jun 2025
Very good with communication and very flexible when needing to reschedule! Walt was our guide and we loved his personality and all his knowledge! Each bar was unique and I definitely wouldn’t have visited them if not for this tour! Definitely a must do and we will book again when in NYC!
Margit_S, Jun 2025
Three bars and history of speakeasy’s. Ariel was great but seemed somewhat annoyed like she didn’t enjoy her job.
Response from Host, Oct 2025
Hard to understand this lackluster review as you noted the Host was great. By the way, anyone can get annoyed once in a while trying to live and survive in New York City.
Greg_S, Jun 2025
A great night out to start a NYC weekend. Katherine was a great knowledgeable guide and the rest of the people in our group were great. I visit NYC fairly often but these places were hidden gems I never would have found out about. Not your standard tour.
Aaron_B, Jun 2025
Kathryn was awesome! Great places to hit and really unique drinks. This was worth a Friday night trip!
Brittni_M, Jun 2025
Such a great time! Should be taken into consideration, drinks are not included and will run you around $20/drink at each stop. Ryan was a blast!!
bryon_h, May 2025
Ariel was great and wonderful guide. The tour was alot of fun and worth the effort. The drinks in the last stop were awful but the food was good.
Kristianne_E, May 2025
Good tour, poor description. Let me start with Ryan. He was absolutely fabulous. He was friendly, full of knowledge, funny, and engaging. His stories about prohibition had us all listening,and the excitement with which they were told made us all want to keep learning. From the start of the tour, explaining what to expect, to closing it out, he was top notch. So, 5 stars for Ryan.
Now - for the part that wasn't so great. Based on the description on Viator, which is what we booked through, we thought we would be going to speakeasy bars. The first one we went to was exactly what we were expecting...unobvious door, password to get in, and creative cocktails (at $20 a pop but that's NYC).
The second was a regular restaurant...on 49th Street and clearly labeled. This is a place anybody and everyone would walk into without hesitation. Sort of felt like walking into a mainstream restaurant and didn't need a walking tour to discover it (Lillies). Finally, the last one we went into quite literally was a new bar. It did have an art deco theme, but with a bougie feel, not a speakeasy vibe at all, and again. Seemingly a place a that's findable.
I think a change in venues would be appropriate, and if nothing else a chance in the description. From the booking website (Viator) it said visit Three of New York's classic, historical bars speakeasies.
Overall while the price of the tour was low, one drink plus a tip at each establishment lead to $150+ for 3 drinks each (each drink $20+ x 2 people) plus tip made thisuch pricier than it deserved to be.
I would have paid the $36 each for Ryan to tell the stories and walked the streets and skipped the bougie bar and the Victorian tea place...both of which had virtually nothing to do with actual prohibition and speakeasys.
Again 5 stars Ryan. 1 star everything else, brining this to a sad 2 stars and a "I should have spent my money elsewhere" kind of night.
Sophia_T, May 2025
Ariel was a great tour guide!
Would recommend going with a group or whoever you’re traveling with.
3 bars, 3 drinks - expensive drinks & tax/tip included in the drink price.
Kim_B, May 2025
Such a unique tour! Walter led us around midtown and shared some history with us along with some great drinks.
Jonathan_S, Apr 2025
Had a great time the group we were with. Ariel, our tour guide, was very knowledgeable and knows some great spots that are hidden. The drinks were strong too, which was a plus. Highly recommend. Although the last locations seem more like a bar and not a speakeasy, but the drinks were still good.
Kathryn_C, Apr 2025
Katherine was an amazing tour guide! She provided the perfect blend of fun and history while sharing her perspective as a native New Yorker. She was incredibly flexible and engaging. We loved every location and the personalized recommendations.
Jeff_H, Apr 2025
Kathren was a great tour guide. She was not only informative she was also fun to hang with. It was worth every penny.
Clare_M, Apr 2025
Not a huge amount of walking for a 3hr tour, great variety of venues and great local tour guide Walter. Highly recommend!
Lisa_W, Apr 2025
Great time! Went to some amazing hole in the wall places and tour guide was amazing!! Had the best time!
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