Patent Pending

"What It Is: A speakeasy behind a coffee shop in Nomad Perfect For: Date Night Patent Pending is a coffee shop in Nomad that turns into a speakeasy around 5pm. It’s a dark little space with a bar and a row of booths, and it feels like a cave full of candles, where there are also good cocktails. It was pretty packed when we stopped by, and they only take reservations for large parties, so you should have a backup bar in mind in case there’s a wait. The Verdict: A great new place to drink, as long as you can get in and don’t mind paying $17 for a cocktail. It’s going on our Bar Hit List." - hannah albertine, bryan kim, katherine lewin, hillary reinsberg, chris stang, matt tervooren

"During the day, Patent Pending is a coffee shop. But once the sun sets, and people stop caring about coffee, they open their hidden bar in the back. These people take their cocktails very seriously, serving a seasonal menu of complex signature drinks which tend to be strong, fascinating, and in the $20-$30 price range. The bar is mostly walk-in-only (with limited prix-fixe reservations), and there are only around 10 bar seats and a couple of booths in the dark, dungeon-like space, so anticipate a wait." - Bryan Kim, Matt Tervooren

"To get a craft cocktail delivered from this speakeasy bar in Nomad, DM them on Instagram or call 424-216-6945." - nikko duren

"One block up and a few steps down, Patent Pending is a speakeasy hidden behind daytime coffee shop Patent Coffee."

"Electrical inventor Nikola Tesla lived and experimented in Manhattan’s Gerlach Hotel in 1896. The landmark is now known as the Radio Wave Building, and it pays homage to Tesla’s influence through obvious means, such as its name and a commemorative plaque. It also houses a more latent tribute: the 34-seat, Tesla-themed speakeasy called Patent Pending. According to Patent Pending’s website, “This is the building in which Nikola Tesla lived and performed his experiments on radio waves, transmitting them to his laboratory near present-day Trinity Church in downtown Manhattan. The ‘waves’ which guided you here (GPS) and surround you now (WiFi) were envisioned by Tesla more than a century ago.” During the day, the building’s storefront cafe, Patent Coffee, serves pastries and espresso in plain sight. But at 5:00 p.m., the coffee shop becomes a front for a bar tucked behind the menu board wall. The walls, lighting, and menu design all reference Tesla, but Patent Pending’s craft concoctions, several of which include obscure ingredients, stand on their own.  Ring the doorbell. There might be a wait, but there are no pretenses. Anyone is welcome in, should they be confident enough to approach a dark coffee shop with no evidence of nightlife inside. Once situated, you’ll be guided by a Tesla-themed menu divided into the categories: energy, frequency, vibration, and descent." - ATLAS_OBSCURA