Sleep No More’s Rooftop: Gallow Green, What the Heck Is It?

Last weekend, hubby and I had date night. It was stupendous. We started at J-Bird on the Upper East Side. Such fantastic cocktails. Really well-balanced and delicious. I kid you not, the couple next to us called their drinks “transcendent.” They are really creative and delightful. So was the bar staff. So, anyway, I digress. You know that I’m obsessed with Sleep No More, we decided to check out Gallow Green, the Sleep No More Rooftop Bar(If you haven’t seen Sleep No More yet I highly recommend before it closes!).

What is Gallow Green?  Oh, I thought, I’ll google it! Great idea, Katie. No concrete results. Was it a show? Was it just a bar? We called and of course they cryptically told us to come check it out. Totally perturbed but nonetheless still curious we made reservations and headed completely across town to check out what Gallow Green really was.

Gallow Green is a bar. There is no show. Here is what you can expect (and I’m not ruining some secret so don’t worry).

Prepare yourself for a trip up to the rooftop in an elevator that is reminiscent of Disney World’s Tower of Terror. Staff stays in character, pretending you are really a guest of the McKittrick hotel. You are greeted by a dark and romantic ambiance with tiny twinkling lights and an overall vintage feeling. Nothing is done halfway here, there is just an obscene attention to detail. The rooftop is set in an enchanting garden but filled with dark dens and even an entire antique train car, which is covered in vines.

You may find yourself rubbing elbows with cast-members of Sleep No More, perhaps even getting a palm reading. The drinks are on fire. Literally. You can order a flaming Gallow Green punch, which is ladled with absinthe and set ablaze! My favorite part though of the Gallow Green experience was the big brass band. It’s like this old-timey, jazzy, funk band. They played quite an array of music but it really set the mood.

Cocktails are a little pricey ($15) but it’s an NYC rooftop, what do you expect? The wine menu though was pretty reasonable at $10/glass. The service was good but the staff all stays in character, which sometimes gets a little bizarre. We were sitting at one table and asked to move, which we didn’t really mind. In return we were offered the relish tray, which was essentially, cheese crackers, olives and nuts. It was pretty mediocre but we graciously accepted.

The only thing that left a slightly sour taste in my mouth was when he said, “Tell your friends it’s going to be very exclusive. VERY. EXCLUSIVE. We are just in previews but it’s going to be even harder to get in.”

Overall, it’s just a beautiful rooftop with decent cocktails. The band was the standout in my opinion. Come and see for yourself. Should you wish to journey to Gallow Green, you can make reservations here.