The Up & Up is in the basement of 116 MacDougal Street in Greenwich Village, in a room that was the Gaslight Cafe from 1958 to 1971. Bob Dylan played early sets there. Allen Ginsberg read poetry. The room has been in regular use since before the current bar opened, and the fact that it's underground with low ceilings and close walls means it's carried the right atmosphere for decades without needing to manufacture it.

Matthew Piacentini opened The Up & Up in the space in 2014. The cocktail menu runs to eight house drinks plus rotating bottled and tapped options, and the food side covers bar snacks, preserves, and pates. The drinks are technically precise without being overthought.

The Infatuation and Timeout both cover it consistently, and it carries a strong Google rating across a substantial number of reviews. In a neighborhood with a lot of bars, The Up & Up is the one that keeps coming up.