Get in the Spirit with Holiday Spirits

Need a little help getting into the holiday spirit? You've come to the right place. At our house, we love all holidays and are always up for celebrating. Christmas is my favorite, while Craig absolutely loves Halloween. We always do the traditional holiday activities, like driving around to see Christmas lights and dressing up in costumes. But lately, our favorite way to celebrate has been to go to Holiday Pop-Ups. 

Over the past few years, we've started to see various bars and restaurants transform into Pop-Ups - a place to immerse yourself in themed music, decorations and drinks specific to the current holiday. There have been quite a few on Long Island, but we've shied away from those because they like to charge entrance fees. I am not the type of person that likes to have to pay to get into a bar or restaurant - I like to save my money for the actual food and drinks. I don't mind paying for a package that includes admission and beverages, but don't charge me just to get in the door please.

For that reason, the below guide focuses heavily on Pop-Up bars and restaurants in Brooklyn and Manhattan. One location in Long Beach graces the list as well. There are plenty more out there and I expect to see additional locations "pop up" - these are just the ones we've made it to so far.

Drink Up and Merry Everything!

Our Guide to Holiday Pop-Up Bars and Restaurants:

Sleyenda

Hosted By Leyenda

This past Christmas was the first year we went to this Pop-Up and we had definitely been missing out by not checking it out sooner. Not only were the drinks delicious, but the food was incredible as well. I dream about the chimichurri sauce that came on my steak more often than I care to admit. What I loved even more about Sleyenda was that every themed drink on their menu came in it's own special themed glass. And they definitely had a plethora of holiday cocktails to choose from. If you are feeling adventurous while you're there, I dare you to order based on glass instead of reading the menu and surprise yourself with a random cocktail. Every drink we tried was great and I couldn't get enough of that adorable little blue Santa mug. Sleyenda does not take reservations, so be sure to get there early if you don't want to wait for a table.

Miracle on Union 

Hosted By Thief

Miracle is hosted in multiple location throughout the city around the holidays, but we've only been to the Pop-Up at Thief in Brooklyn. Twice to be exact. We've gone the past two years and both times have had great experiences. Year 1 we went a little later in the day and had to wait on line for about 30 minutes before we could snag a table. We learned our lesson and this past Christmas we showed up right as the bar opened and were seated immediately. It did get crowded very quickly though and there was a line out the door when we left - they also don't take reservations. The decorations and the drink selection were the same each time we went, but, honestly, drinking from a Santa T-Rex mug never gets old. If you like the glasses as much as we did, they do let you purchase them to take home. 

Snowday in Brooklyn

Hosted By Sunday in Brooklyn

Sunday in Brooklyn is a very popular restaurant and because of that, the food is just as much an attraction at this Pop-Up as the Winter cocktails they offer. This is the one on the list I would suggest as a choice for both dinner and drinks - and you'll definitely need reservations in advance. The decorations here are a little bit more cozy, fancy and tasteful and provide more of an upscale holiday feel. The special winter cocktails each have a unique presentation that adds to that vibe and are served in more high-end themed glasses. They even make "milk" and cookies look fancy.

The Ho Ho Holiday Lounge 

Hosted By The Springs

This is the other Pop-Up we have visited two years in a row. We have found this one to be the least crowded out of all of the choices. They have a mix of tables and seating areas - some more comfy than others. They have a special holiday menu of cocktails that they serve, which includes both hot and frozen themed options. Both times we went they had a food truck in the back that you could order from and the waiter would bring your food right to your table for you. They do a really good job of decorating the entire space, without it feeling too overwhelming.

Papillon Holiday Decorations

Hosted By Papillon Bistro

I wouldn't consider Papillon Bistro a Pop-Up exactly, but it made the list because of their extreme holiday decorations. The restaurant is two floors and they have the entire thing decked out including the front door. If you look on Instagram you'll see that the staircase is the place to be for the perfect holiday photo. They don't have any special themed drinks or food - just their regular menu. I will admit we only ordered a cocktail at the bar so we could get through the door and see their decor.

 

Nightmare on Beach Street

Hosted By The Beach House

Nightmare on Beach Street was way more than your traditional holiday Pop-Up. It was a complete Halloween takeover - an experience that included actors and actresses in full costume and character, extreme decorations and spooky scenes and a themed Prix Fixe menu (there was skeleton in my food!). They offered a decent selection of themed drinks and served them with Halloween gummy candy and the staff took pride in getting a scream out of you. It was a extremely immersive Halloween experience and was worth the price for us ($60 per person). Just one thing to note - they definitely packed the people in, so it was a little loud between that and the themed music/sounds effects.

Coctelería de los Muertos

Hosted by The Garret Coctelería

The best part of our visit to The Garret for their Día de los Muertos Pop-Up was showing up in full costume without warning our friends Matt and Alanna that we were dressing up. The cocktails were a very close second. The drinks were very unique, strong and extremely tasty. They were so good, in fact, that we found ourselves ordering round after round after round. By the time we were finished, we had literally tried every single drink on the Pop-Up menu. It is a very small bar though, so make sure to book a reservation in advance. They also had a very limited food menu - basically tacos, guacamole and a couple of other small snacks. Nothing special, but enough to keep you satisfied while making your way through the cocktail menu. The drinks were definitely the star here. 

 

Haunted House of Hamburgers

Hosted by Haunted House of Hamburgers

If you love Halloween and want to celebrate Spooky Season all year round, then this is a place you should check out. This is a permanent holiday themed restaurant that opened up a few months ago in Farmingdale out on Long Island. The venue has some positives and some negatives and depending on how you feel about those, you can decide if visiting is right for you. 

 

Positives: Haunted House of Hamburgers does an excellent job with the decor and sticking to the Halloween theme. Everywhere you look, there is a new spooky thing to see - on the walls, on the ceilings, and even outside when you are walking in. They also have some special features that you can experience with free 3D glasses they hand out when you arrive. The menu items (food and drinks) have themed names and you can pay extra to have your drink smoking. Even the bathrooms are themed - with skull toilets and Halloween scented hand soaps. 

Negatives: The food was mediocre at best and a little bit pricey for what you received (room temperature fries, for instance). The inside of the restaurant was much smaller than I thought it would be from the outside and they crammed as many people and tables in as they could, so it felt a bit crowded. Even going in March with a reservation, we still had to wait 20 minutes for a table and they originally tried to split our group of 4 into two tables.  

Overall, we enjoyed our night here because an atmosphere is just as important to us as the food is sometimes. That being said, once was enough and we don't feel the need to go back.

Bonus: Philadelphia Christmas Pop-Up

Hosted by Craftsman Row Saloon

If you happen to find yourself in Philly around the holidays, then I would suggest checking out the Christmas Pop-Up hosted at Craftsman Row Saloon. We had to make a reservation a few weeks in advance to secure a spot, but we were rewarded with a cute alcove table for two.  The restaurant went all out with their decorations - every inch exuded holiday cheer and I especially loved the Santa Hat seat covers. And not only did they have delicious holiday themed cocktails on the menu (St. Nick's Milk and Cookies was amazing!), but they also had special holiday themed food items and milkshakes for adults and kids. We got a cute Christmas "wreath" made of pigs in a blanket to snack on. 

Pro Tip - Visit the week after Christmas to cut down on the crowds. They have the decorations up and special menu items available through New Years.