Anthony Bourdain Once Called This His 'Favorite Bar On Earth'

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You're in Midtown Manhattan. You step underground and into a room that would be best described as a cave, awash in purple-red light. None of the furniture matches. There are Christmas lights up (it's not December), and there's a bar, but no bathroom. Feel like a drink? Hopefully, you brought cash. Welcome to Siberia, the late Anthony Bourdain's favorite bar.

Siberia (yes, the same name as the tundra-covered region of Russia) was Bourdain's pre-fame New York City haunt. The original location opened in 1996 in the 50th St subway station of the Hell's Kitchen neighborhood. Following true speakeasy style, Siberia didn't have any signs. The IMDb page for the 2008 documentary, "Life After Dark: The Story of Siberia Bar," sums it up as, "New York's most famous, dirty, and dangerous dive bar." Naturally, Bourdain, who craved authentic experiences and visited politically complicated and dangerous regions for his shows "No Reservations" and "Parts Unknown," was drawn to Siberia.

Bourdain once said it was his "favorite bar on Earth" (via Secret NYC). That's a lot coming from a man who drank across the world, but it included several elements that Bourdain considered a great bar to have. He described his affection for Siberia by saying: "You never know who's going to be draped over couches or listening to live bands in the dungeon-like cellar–rock-and-rollers, off-duty cops, drunken journos, cast and crew from 'Saturday Night Live,' slumming fashionistas, post-work chefs, kinky politicos, out-of-work bone breakers, or nodding strippers. It's heaven." 

The original Siberia closed in 2001, reopened at a different location, then shuttered again in 2007. Maybe the third time's a charm — Siberia was revived in 2025 and now sits on 57th Street, inside the Columbus Circle subway station. Sadly, Siberia will be missing one of its devoted customers this time around. 

The bar seems to have brought the original concept to the new location, with a commenter on the r/FoodNYC subreddit describing it as, "It sort of feels like if the TV show 'Cheers' took place in a psychedelic dive bar." Right after opening, another Reddit user wrote, "It has the vibe of the original Siberia except since it's only been open a month it's still clean." Further feedback on the Reddit thread has been positive, with one comment reading, "Place is super chill. Weird, cool location. Good vibe. Cash only. Super happy it's back!"

As Siberia's tradition goes, there are virtually no marketing efforts made to promote the bar. Siberia doesn't have a website or much of an online presence, just an Instagram account with a little over 200 followers. It's open from 4:30 pm to 4 am Monday through Saturday, and maintains its signature colored lighting, jukebox, and a Sharpie-scrawled, paper plate menu duct-taped to the wall. If you manage to stay at the bar until closing, consider heading uptown to Bourdain's favorite breakfast spot, Barney Greengrass, once day breaks.