Behind phone booths, bodega doors and tarot shops, these hidden bars prove that in New York City, the best nights start with a little secrecy.

Arnold Mathijssen, a physicist at the University of Pennsylvania, is partial to pour-over coffee, which involves manually pouring hot water over ground beans and filtering it into a pot or mug below.

Hot Burekas Buba, 193 Bleecker St., nr. MacDougal St. This shop counts Benny Blanco and B.J. Novak among its fans, but what ...