Poleng Lounge

Tea-infused cocktails and soju (grain alcohol) drinks are specialties at this Filipino-street-food restaurant that becomes a cool DJ lounge after 10pm, drawing scenester locals for underground hip-hop, rooted in late-‘80s, top-40, not gangster. Black Eyed Peas used to do a free weekly jam at Poleng years ago. Now it’s a hive of industry insiders – Rza, leader of the Wu-Tang Clan, hangs here. The front room is way sexier, with Asian statuary and water trickling down textured-concrete walls; the back room is for dancing (when it happens), but it’s little more than a box with kick-ass sound. No need to dress fancy.