Soho Cigar Bar: Cigar Lounge With Late Thursdays, NYC

Soho Cigar Bar, at 32 Watts Street on the edge of SoHo and Hudson Square, is one of the few places in Manhattan where you can legally light a cigar indoors with a cocktail in hand. It opens at 5 pm every day, stays open until 3 am Thursday through Saturday, and sells its own house cigars from $16. Formerly called Circa Tabac, it has been pouring whisky beside the humidor on this short block since 1998, which makes it one of the city's oldest cigar bars still trading.

Lee Ringelheim opened the bar on Watts Street in 1998, according to Cigar Aficionado, which marked its twentieth anniversary in 2019. For years it traded as Circa Tabac, and the name lives on in the house cocktail. Today the bar calls itself Soho Cigar Bar and describes the space as one of New York's oldest cigar bars and lounges.

The reason it can still allow smoking is legal rather than nostalgic. New York's smoke-free laws grandfathered a small number of existing cigar bars, and the menu explains that, to keep the exemption that permits smoking indoors, the bar must charge a cutter fee on any cigar not bought on the premises. That rule is why the house humidor matters so much here.

A recent renovation turned the space into something close to a 1920s speakeasy, with plush leather furnishings and an Art Deco inspired interior. A new ventilation system keeps the air moving, and flat-screen TVs are hidden behind framed photography, revealed for Saturday and Sunday football, screenings and premieres. The layout splits into a front room around the bar and a back room for groups.

One small, practical detail stands out. Cigar Aficionado noted a coat rack with full-length plastic garment bags so your coat does not soak up the smoke while you sit, which is exactly the kind of thing you appreciate on a cold January night.

The bar's own line is the best value in the humidor. The Rubio robusto, 5 x 52, costs $18, as does the Matador toro at 5.5 x 54. The Niño perfecto, 5.5 x 42, costs $16 and is the right size for a single drink. For a longer session, the Jefe box-pressed torpedo, 6 x 52, costs $22, and the El Rey presidente, 7 x 60, costs $24.

If you want a name brand, the list runs from the Acid Blondie at $17 to a Liga Privada No. 9 Robusto at $34, a Padrón 1926 80th Anniversary at $45 and an Arturo Fuente Opus X Perfecxion No. 2 at $60. Our recommendation for a first visit: start with the Matador and spend the difference on a better pour.

The menu sells ready-made pairings, which are the easiest order if you are unsure. The Gavel costs $47 and puts My Father The Judge beside Lagavulin 16. Cloud Nine costs $65 and pairs a Liga Privada No. 9 Robusto with Dalmore Cigar Malt. The Top Hat costs $50 and matches a Montecristo No. 2 Torpedo with a Michter's bourbon Manhattan.

Whisky drinkers can order The Smoking Jacket, a $30 flight of Laphroaig 10, Bunnahabhain 12 and Talisker 10, or the Tour of Japan for $50 with Toki, Yamazaki 12 and Hibiki Harmony. The Circa Tabac cocktail, $17, mixes Monkey Shoulder with lemon and orzata. Single pours range widely, from Macallan 12 at $18 and Lagavulin 16 at $24 up to Macallan 25 at $225.

The kitchen keeps things simple and smoke-friendly. Edamame costs $8, curly wedge fries cost $9, and scallops wrapped in bacon cost $17. The filet mignon on a croissant with tarragon and garlic, $18, is the most substantial plate, while the flatbreads at $15 are built for sharing across a table.

End with the warm chocolate lava cake and vanilla ice cream for $12. Chocolate and a dark maduro wrapper share the same cocoa notes, so if you ordered the El Rey or a Liga Privada, save the last third of the cigar for dessert. A neat pour of Lagavulin 16 alongside turns it into the richest finish on the menu.

The bar takes reservations for groups of four or more and holds tables for 15 minutes, so call if you are running late. For same-day bookings, phone the bar directly. A 20 percent gratuity is added for parties of six or more. Bringing your own cigar is allowed, but each one carries the $10 cutter charge, so buying from the humidor is usually the better deal.

The bar is 21 and over. Weeknights from 5 pm are the calmest, while Thursday through Saturday after 10 pm is when the room is at its fullest and the 3 am close keeps the energy going. If you arrive to a full house, Hudson Bar and Books in the West Village is a short ride north and also allows smoking indoors.

Watts Street is a short block between Sixth Avenue and Thompson Street, close to the Holland Tunnel approaches, and it is quieter than the shopping streets a few blocks east. Before your cigar, catch an independent film at Film Forum on West Houston Street, one of the city's best-loved art-house cinemas.

Afterwards, walk west to The Ear Inn on Spring Street, a Federal-style house dating to 1817 that has long served as a bar, for a pint in one of the oldest drinking rooms in Manhattan. The Canal Street station on the A, C and E lines is a few minutes' walk from the bar.

Address: Soho Cigar Bar, 32 Watts Street, New York, NY 10013, between Sixth Avenue and Thompson Street. Email: sohocigarbar@gmail.com.

Hours: Sunday 5 pm to 1 am, Monday through Wednesday 5 pm to 2 am, Thursday through Saturday 5 pm to 3 am.

Group packages: the basic party package with one drink token and one cigar token costs $65, the premium package with two drink tokens and one cigar token costs $85, and a premium open bar costs $80 per person per hour.