Milk & Honey whetted the city’s appetite for cocktail dens with a speakeasy vibe, and PDT upped the underground ante with its phone-booth-in-a-hot-dog-shop shtick. The latest collection of “hidden” bars takes the concept to a new level—and chances are, a flight of stairs will be involved.

Back Room is perhaps the most hidden and least pretentious of the current crop of no-name, low-profile cocktail dens. Past a sign that reads “Lower East Side Toy Company,” down a dark alleyway and up a flight of stairs you’ll find a cozy nook (actually the former Lansky Lounge space) with an elegant mirrored bar, chandeliers and velvet paisley. Drinks are served in teacups, beers change hands in paper bags, and there’s a VIP room in the back.

Raines Law Room in the Flatiron District gets high marks for its grown-up, elegant atmosphere without attitude—you’ll feel like you’re in a well-heeled friend’s private kitchen from a bygone era. Dark velvet and memorable cocktails make this a great date spot. Reservations are accepted but on quiet nights you can walk right in.

Barramundi is a familiar fixture on the LES bar scene, but this second-floor bolthole is a new addition. Enter 2nd Floor on Clinton through the aforementioned bar, head to the back, and ring the bell next to the door marked “private.” You’ll be greeted by the bar’s owner and led upstairs to a quiet space for the prerequisite velvet, cocktails and conversation.

Cabin Down Below is a low-key alternative to the doorbell/reservations/fancy cocktails circuit. Tucked away beneath East Village nightspot Niagara, the only way to enter the subterranean chill-out room used to be through the pizza joint next door, but now an unmarked portal on East 7th street leads downstairs to a tiled cave with a fireplace and plenty of room to get comfortable. Note: This spot has been known to draw a hipster-celebrity crowd for post-club nightcapping, so the door can be hit-or-miss depending on who’s holding court.