Quick answer: New York City has 80 cigar lounges across the boroughs, with The Carnegie Club, Casa de Montecristo, and SoHo Cigar Bar leading the pack. NYC's 2003 Smoke-Free Air Act limits indoor smoking to grandfathered cigar bars and members clubs. Davidoff of Geneva Madison Avenue is the city's luxury retail flagship.
The first time I walked into The Carnegie Club on a Tuesday night, the room was full and a four-piece band was halfway through a Sinatra set. I had a Padron 1964 in my coat pocket and a $25 corkage in my wallet. The host pointed me to a leather chair near the fireplace, the bartender poured a Glenmorangie 18 without asking, and nobody noticed I was reading a book through three bowls of saxophone. That is what NYC cigar smoking looks like when you find the right room.
The New York Cigar Scene at a Glance
New York City has 80 active cigar lounges in the CigarFinder lounge directory, concentrated in Manhattan (Midtown, Midtown East, Financial District, SoHo, West Village) and growing in Brooklyn (Williamsburg, Crown Heights, Bensonhurst). The 2003 NYC Smoke-Free Air Act outlawed indoor smoking in most venues, but a small group of cigar bars that had operated before 2002 with at least 10 percent of revenue from cigars retained grandfathered status and can still allow indoor smoking. Members-only clubs like The Carnegie Club operate under similar exemptions. Outside those rooms, indoor smoking is illegal across NYC. The luxury anchor is Davidoff of Geneva at 515 Madison Avenue. The cigar lineage runs through Cuban diaspora at hand-rolling shops like Martinez Handmade Cigars in Chelsea and historic tobacconists like Barclay Rex in the Financial District, open since 1910. Brooklyn rounds out the scene with the late-night Davidoff cigar bar in Williamsburg and grandfathered neighborhood lounges across Crown Heights and Bensonhurst.
Top Cigar Lounges in New York
These eight lounges are not ranked best to worst. Each is the top pick for a specific kind of visit. Click any lounge name to see hours, photos, and reviews on the CigarFinder lounge directory.
The Carnegie Club
- Address: 156 W 56th St, Midtown Manhattan, NY 10019
- Vibe: Grandfathered cigar bar with live jazz on most nights. Leather chairs, fireplace, dim lighting calibrated for conversation.
- Hours: Evenings, typically 5 PM to 2 AM. Live music Tuesday through Saturday.
- What to know: One of the few NYC venues with full indoor smoking rights. Reserved seating recommended on weekends. Strong scotch program. Members and walk-ins both welcome; members get priority on busy nights.
- Best for: Date nights, post-dinner drinks, an introduction to NYC cigar bar culture. Rated 4.6 by 1,045 Google reviewers.
Casa de Montecristo Cigar Lounge
- Address: 1016 2nd Ave, Midtown East, NY 10022
- Vibe: Sprawling 2,000-plus-square-foot lounge with 120 humidor lockers, 6 TVs for sports, and a humidor that runs the length of the back wall.
- Hours: Open daily, late hours weekends.
- What to know: Carries the Altadis portfolio (Montecristo, Romeo y Julieta, H. Upmann) plus most boutique brands. Member lockers fill quickly; ask about availability if you smoke in NYC weekly.
- Best for: Sports nights, group meetups, longer sessions where you want a locker and a TV. Rated 4.6 by 981 Google reviewers.
SoHo Cigar Bar
- Address: 32 Watts St, SoHo, NY 10013
- Vibe: 1920s speakeasy interior. Plush leather, art deco accents, low lighting. Grandfathered status keeps indoor smoking legal.
- Hours: Evenings, typically 4 PM to 2 AM Friday and Saturday.
- What to know: Long cocktail program, walk-in friendly, popular with downtown locals. Smaller room means weekend nights fill fast.
- Best for: Pre-dinner drinks, downtown date nights, anyone who wants the Prohibition aesthetic without the kitsch. Rated 4.6 by 848 Google reviewers.
Hudson Bar and Books
- Address: 636 Hudson St, West Village, NY 10014
- Vibe: Library-style bar with 200-plus single malts and a tight cigar list. Quieter than Carnegie or SoHo. Cigar bar status with full bar.
- Hours: Evenings, typically 6 PM to 1 AM.
- What to know: Leans whisky-first; the cigar program rotates and is curated rather than encyclopedic. Excellent for one cigar paired with one specific whisky.
- Best for: A single-cigar evening with a thoughtful pour. Rated 4.4 by 444 Google reviewers.
Davidoff of Geneva Madison Avenue
- Address: 515 Madison Ave, Midtown Manhattan, NY 10022
- Vibe: Luxury retail flagship. Walk-in humidor with the full Davidoff lineup, private appointments, and brand events.
- Hours: Mon-Wed 10 AM-8 PM, Thu-Fri 10 AM-10 PM, Sat 10 AM-6 PM, Sun 12 PM-6 PM.
- What to know: Retail-first, not a smoking lounge in the cigar bar sense. Member program offers indoor smoking access in a private room. Carries Aniversario, Royal Release, Special Editions, and limited drops.
- Best for: Luxury retail experience, gift purchases, brand visits. Rated 4.7 by 250 Google reviewers.
Martinez Handmade Cigars
- Address: 171 W 29th St, Chelsea, NY 10001
- Vibe: Family-owned Cuban-style shop. Pedro Martinez and family hand-roll cigars on-site Tuesday through Saturday. Quiet, working tobacconist energy.
- Hours: Mon-Fri 7 AM-7 PM, Sat 10 AM-6 PM, Sun 10 AM-5 PM.
- What to know: The hand-rolled house line uses Dominican and Nicaraguan long-fillers; ask Pedro for the daily blend. Limited indoor smoking; this is primarily a retail shop with rolling table.
- Best for: Hand-rolled cigars, Cuban-diaspora craft, anyone who wants to watch a master roller work. Rated 4.8 by 308 Google reviewers.
Barclay Rex Pipe Shop
- Address: 126 Pearl St, Financial District, NY 10005
- Vibe: Historic tobacconist founded in 1910 by Vincent Nastri. Walk-in humidor, pipe collection, business-meeting atmosphere two blocks from Wall Street.
- Hours: Mon-Fri 10 AM-9 PM, Sat-Sun 11 AM-7 PM.
- What to know: Retail-first; smoking happens nearby (Battery Park, Stone Street outdoor patios) since the FiDi shop is not a grandfathered bar. Excellent staff knowledge across premium brands.
- Best for: Wall Street smokers, anyone visiting the Financial District, history buffs. Rated 4.7 by 211 Google reviewers.
Davidoff of Geneva Brooklyn
- Address: 156 Broadway, Williamsburg, Brooklyn, NY 11211
- Vibe: Cigar bar with full bar service in a Brooklyn-modern space. Late hours, Williamsburg crowd, walk-in friendly.
- Hours: Mon-Wed 10 AM-12 AM, Thu 10 AM-12 AM, Fri-Sat 10 AM-1 AM, Sun 11 AM-11 PM.
- What to know: Distinct from the Madison Avenue retail flagship. This Brooklyn location is the cigar bar. Full Davidoff line on premises plus rotating boutique selections.
- Best for: Brooklyn nightlife, late sessions, anyone who wants Davidoff cigars in a bar setting rather than retail counter. Rated 4.8 by 340 Google reviewers.
How to Find More Cigar Lounges in New York
The eight above are curated picks. NYC has 80 plus active cigar venues across the CigarFinder lounge directory. Three ways to find more on the site:
- Tap the location pin in the search bar. It uses your phone's GPS to pull lounges within a few miles of where you are standing. Best when you are walking Manhattan or Brooklyn and want the closest legal indoor spot.
- Filter the New York directory. You can filter by borough (Manhattan, Brooklyn, Bronx, Queens, Staten Island), type (cigar bar, cigar shop, cigar lounge), Open Now, and amenities like full bar, lounge seating, or humidor lockers. Switch the sort to Most Reviewed to surface heavyweights like The Carnegie Club (1,045 reviews) and Casa de Montecristo (981 reviews).
- Toggle Map view. Any directory page has a List / Map toggle near the filters. Map view plots every lounge by location so you can pick by proximity to your hotel or restaurant.
Headed elsewhere in New York State or the Northeast? The full New York State directory covers Long Island, the Hudson Valley, Albany, Buffalo, and the rest. The main lounge directory covers every US city for cross-country trips.
What Makes a New York Lounge Worth Visiting?
Four things to evaluate before you walk in:
- Indoor smoking status. Grandfathered cigar bars (The Carnegie Club, SoHo Cigar Bar) and members clubs are the only legal indoor venues. If a lounge does not advertise this, ask before lighting up.
- Walk-in vs members-only. Most NYC lounges accept walk-ins. A few (private member clubs not listed here) require paid annual membership of $1,000 to $20,000.
- Drink program. Whisky depth varies. Hudson Bar and Books leads on single malts. Carnegie Club's scotch shelf rivals it. Smaller bars often have a tight rather than deep selection.
- Ventilation. Even in grandfathered bars, the smoke load varies. The Carnegie Club's HVAC handles a full house; smaller rooms can get heavy on busy nights.
Visiting Tips for New York
- Avoid Friday and Saturday after 8 PM at premium spots if you want a seat. Monday through Wednesday evening is the sweet spot.
- Subway access is good across the boroughs. Most lounges sit within a five-minute walk of a subway stop.
- Bring your own cigar OR buy from the lounge. Corkage runs $20 to $35 at most cigar bars. The Carnegie Club enforces it; some smaller lounges waive it for first-time guests.
- Tip the server and the cigar steward separately. Standard 20 percent on drinks, $5 to $10 to whoever cuts and lights your cigar tableside.
- Members-only? Call ahead. Some clubs let walk-ins in for a guest fee; others do not.
Can You Smoke Cigars Indoors in New York?
The 2003 NYC Smoke-Free Air Act prohibits indoor smoking in restaurants, bars, and most workplaces. Two exemptions apply to cigar smokers:
- Grandfathered cigar bars. Venues that operated before December 2001 with at least 10 percent of revenue from on-premise cigar sales kept their indoor smoking rights. The list is small and closed; no new venues can join.
- Members-only clubs and tobacconists with private smoking rooms. Some retailers (Davidoff Madison Avenue) operate private member rooms exempt from the public-place rule.
Outside these venues, indoor smoking is illegal. Outdoor smoking on private patios, terraces, and most sidewalks is legal. The legal smoking age in New York State is 21 for all tobacco products.
Where Can You Buy Cigars in New York?
The eight lounges above all carry retail. For the deepest selection, Davidoff of Geneva Madison Avenue and Casa de Montecristo carry their full house brands plus boutiques. Martinez Handmade Cigars is the only NYC shop that hand-rolls on-site. Barclay Rex Pipe Shop carries pipe tobacco alongside the premium humidor.
If you cannot get to a lounge or want better pricing, codes for Famous Smoke and Cigars International often run 10 to 15 percent off NYC retail. Browse single cigars or compare prices on the home search to land specific Padron, Davidoff, or Liga Privada vitolas before your next NYC visit. Need a broader lounge guide? The find a good cigar lounge cornerstone covers evaluation criteria for any city.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best cigar lounge in NYC?
The Carnegie Club at 156 W 56th St is the most-reviewed NYC cigar bar with 1,045 Google reviews and a 4.6 rating. It pairs grandfathered indoor smoking with live jazz and a deep scotch program. For the largest lounge floor, Casa de Montecristo at 1016 2nd Ave runs over 2,000 square feet with 120 humidor lockers. For SoHo speakeasy aesthetic, SoHo Cigar Bar at 32 Watts St.
Can you smoke cigars indoors in New York City?
Generally no. The NYC Smoke-Free Air Act of 2003 prohibits indoor smoking in most venues. Grandfathered cigar bars (operating before December 2001 with at least 10 percent of revenue from cigars), members-only clubs, and private smoking rooms inside tobacconists are the only legal indoor venues.
How much do NYC cigar lounges cost?
Walk-in cigar bars charge for the cigar plus drinks plus a $20 to $35 corkage if you bring your own. A typical evening at a place like The Carnegie Club runs $80 to $150 with one cigar and two drinks. Premium members clubs charge $1,000 to $20,000 in annual dues for indoor smoking access and amenities.
Are NYC cigar lounges still legal?
Yes, the grandfathered ones. Specific cigar bars that had operating histories before 2002 retained the right to allow indoor smoking. The list is closed; no new venues can register as grandfathered cigar bars under current law.
Where can tourists smoke cigars in NYC?
Walk-in friendly options for visitors: The Carnegie Club (Midtown), SoHo Cigar Bar (downtown), Hudson Bar and Books (West Village), and Davidoff of Geneva Brooklyn (Williamsburg). All four take walk-ins without a membership and welcome out-of-towners.
How many cigar lounges are in New York?
The CigarFinder lounge directory lists 80 active cigar lounges and shops across NYC's five boroughs, with most concentrated in Manhattan (40-plus), Brooklyn (15-plus), Bronx (15-plus), and smaller numbers in Queens and Staten Island. Browse the full list at the New York lounge directory.
Are Brooklyn cigar lounges different from Manhattan?
Yes. Brooklyn lounges tend to be more neighborhood-focused, more affordable, and less formal than Manhattan luxury venues. Davidoff of Geneva Brooklyn (Williamsburg) is the borough's flagship cigar bar; smaller cigar bars in Crown Heights and Bensonhurst serve their immediate neighborhoods.
What is the oldest cigar shop in New York?
Barclay Rex Pipe Shop at 126 Pearl St in the Financial District has operated since 1910 under the Nastri family. It is the oldest continuously running cigar and pipe shop in New York City.
Join the Deal-Hunting Community
Share your cigar deals and steals with fellow enthusiasts:
