The Whitby Bar
1F · The Whitby Hotel · Midtown Manhattan (MoMA)
The hotel's main bar and afternoon tea room, designed by Kit Kemp with the same bold confidence that runs through every floor above it. In a neighborhood where hotel bars tend to feel like obligatory pit stops, this one gives you an actual reason to linger.
Atmosphere
Jewel-toned banquettes, layered patterns, and walls packed with commissioned art reward the kind of attention you don't usually pay a bar. The energy is warm and unhurried — the kind of place where afternoon tea slides into cocktail hour without anyone feeling the need to acknowledge the shift.
The Hidden Side
Come for the afternoon tea, which Firmdale has made into a genuine production: finger sandwiches, scones, and seasonal pastries served inside an interior that commits fully to its own point of view. The cocktail menu leans playful without being precious.
Location
The Whitby Bar · The Whitby Hotel
18 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019
About The Whitby Hotel
Fifty-sixth Street sits in the middle of Midtown's corporate machinery, but step inside and Kit Kemp's signature color and pattern make that world disappear. Commissioned art crowds every wall, bold fabrics claim every chair — the effect is less hotel-as-decoration and more hotel-as-point-of-view, one that happens to sit two blocks from Central Park and across the street from MoMA.
Stay at The Whitby Hotel
Reserve a room, then explore bars, dining, and more on property—starting with this spot.