VIBE

They may be slightly cramped and a touch dated (not much has changed since the place opened in 1989), but the six screening rooms of this underground (as in literally under-the-ground) indie cinema are continually packed with film school grads and bohemians looking for their fix of documentaries and foreign films. On the other hand, the spacious lobby café/lounge has been scrubbed up to reveal charming vintage features from the Beaux-Arts building's past like gleaming hardwood floors and tiered chandeliers; a fiercely bespectacled crowd of cinephiles gathers here to munch on the decadent snacks and pontificate about all things film.

GO HERE WITH

Cinephiles and aspiring filmmakers; hipsters; friends; a date

WHY WE LIKE IT

It’s an NYC classic, with a deliciously vintage 1980s feel. Sure, the screening rooms have sticky floors and not-so-comfy seats, but that’s all part of the experience. Plus, the awesome lobby lounge area (you MUST try the popcorn) and the excellent selection of indie films make up for it.

WHAT WE WOULD CHANGE

The screens are small, pretty much every seat is at a bad angle, you can often hear subway trains rumbling by…and yet the prices are about the same as at more modern theaters.

GOOD TO KNOW

Doors usually open about 10 minutes before the screening, so if you’ve already booked tickets online, there’s no need to get here until shortly before the film starts. Angelika also has locations in Dallas and Plano, Texas, and is affiliated with the Tower Theater in Sacramento, California, and the Village East Cinema in New York.

CLOSEST COMPS

Film Forum (New York); ArcLight Cinemas (Los Angeles)

Click here for our full-form mobile travel guide, The Purple Passport to New York City.