Strange places New Yorkers are partying at right now

If I told you that there's a bodega in the South Bronx where, every once in a blue moon, you can find sweaty girls in tank tops singing at the top of their lungs and men gyrating to Brazilian funk at 3 in the morning, you'd probably think I was describing an early 2000s J.Lo music video. That's kind of what MUNDO parties are giving, except the orange drinks here are spiked, and you have to know exactly when and where to look—or, as one alleged Bronx native would say, if you know, you know. 

Created by the legendary Bronx DJ duo Dos Flakos and their friend DJ Guari, these bodega raves are happening under a collective named MUNDO. Their mission? To put the Bronx back on the nightlife map.

On weekend nights, one particular newsstand on West 57th Street transforms into a portal to another world, glowing with rainbow-neon lights, operated by people in leather bodysuits and masks. From the outside, the newsstand is the only clue that there is a lot more going on in this unassuming corner of midtown Manhattan. A couple of doors down, full of psychedelic sculptures, karaoke booths, and burlesque dancers, is one of New York’s most unique new clubs: The Stranger.

Created by the owners of The Box and known on TikTok as Joe Jonas’ favorite club, The Stranger doesn’t give away too much online. On Google, it shows up labeled as a “coffee stand.” Its Instagram has only one photo, and its website has little but the page to buy tickets. For the crowd of people gathered around the newsstand on a Friday, the price is apparently worth it to experience this so-called “panoply of pleasures.” 

The spanking new Gitano at the Seaport sprawls across a 13,605 square-foot space and plans to bring its signature fusion of jungle vibes, elevated design and clubbing—this time, with prime views of the Brooklyn Bridge. The debut of the flagship location will come at the heels of the opening of GITANO Dubai and a series of pop-ups and activations across the globe that have increasingly cemented the brand's name in the international entertainmentscape. What makes this a strange place to party? The Seaport space features a ballroom-like dining room with 30-foot ceilings where—allegedly—New York City's biggest disco ball hangs. There are also hydraulic glass doors opening onto the water and an exclusive nightclub on the second floor designed to feel like you're being transported to the insides of a massive disco ball.

There was a time in New York, sometime in the mid-2010s, when the craziest parties you could go to happened in the most unexpected places—we had club nights at dim-sum restaurants, raves inside half-emptied malls, and A$AP Rocky performing at art galleries no one's ever heard of. Third Floor Sounds is bringing some of that back. It's a gathering that happens every couple of months at different secret locations throughout New York City. The party format is simple: you fill out a form requesting to be invited. If you’re accepted, you’re sent an address, a date and time. All you have to do is show up. You can go to Third Floor Sound's big one-year anniversary at Elsewhere on April 4.

An offshoot of the Michelin-starred steak house Cote, COQODAQ is like a younger, sexy sibling who stays out till 2am on a school night. I was there on a Wednesday and there was a palatable buzz when I walked in, the chatter of people clearly glad to be on the guest list. The crown jewel of the space are the lit-up arches that end in a mirror reflecting them back, creating an endless tunnel effect in the middle of the restaurant. On COQODAQ’s menu are items like “golden nugget,” a chicken nugget topped with your choice of trout roe, caviar or truffle. Their drink menu includes a selection of champagne served by the glass or bottle, as well as the restaurant’s interpretation of a martini, which has mezcal in addition to vodka. The night I was there, I was told that Nas, who is friends with the restaurant’s owner and also an investor, was there. We didn’t see him, since he was hanging out in the private sound-proof karaoke room at the back of the restaurant.