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Marx Realty launches speakeasy at 10 Grand Central – 6,000 s/f
April 13, 2026
Manhattan, NY Marx Realty (MNPP) has entered a partnership with the downtown speakeasy Please Don’t Tell (PDT), to introduce Highball Ltd. at its 10 Grand Central office tower in Midtown. The new bar – grounded in the glamour of the era of Jazz Age New York and Art Deco skyscrapers – will further elevate the building’s hospitality-infused repositioning while introducing a food and beverage destination to Midtown. Highball Ltd. is the newest project from Jeff Bell, managing partner of the East Village speakeasy PDT, and his partners, Apres Cru Hospitality.
“Highball Ltd. represents the next chapter in our mission to provide an exceptional experience that blurs the lines between workplace and luxury hotel,” said Craig Deitelzweig, CEO of Marx Realty. “By partnering with Jeff Bell and ApresCru, we are creating an authentic, design-forward speakeasy experience that pays homage to the architectural history of the building and its location near Grand Central Terminal. We are not only setting new benchmarks in workplace design, but transforming 10 Grand Central into a true social destination – and our tenants are already enamored with the concept.”
Highball Ltd. will be within The Meeting Galleries space, an amenity suite featuring four spaces: Highball Ltd. (formerly known as The Bar Car), a pre-function space appointed with Baccarat barware, artwork and a floor-to-ceiling bronze fireplace; The Grand Gallery, a 200-person town hall space; The Podcast Gallery, a recording studio equipped with technology; and, The Screening Gallery, a theater with stadium seating and a 150-inch screen beneath a constellation-inspired ceiling reminiscent of Grand Central’s celestial dome.
“The proximity to Grand Central is an exciting entry to Midtown for us,” said Jeff Bell, managing partner of PDT. “The beautiful space reminds me of a luxury pullman car and provided a lot of inspiration for the menu. There is such a rich history to draw from with the overlap in the golden age of cocktails and the golden age of train travel.”
After finding the hidden entrance on Third Ave. (look for the red light), layered wayfinding, and the freight elevator, guests are transported to a cocktail oasis on the 11th floor. Highball Ltd. fuses the timeless glamour of the building’s 1930s-era Beaux Arts design with distinct design nods to the golden age of luxury train travel. Highball Ltd. will tap the demand for a simple, yet upscale, cocktail experience in a part of Midtown long defined by office towers and now increasingly energized by new food and beverage openings.
Beginning with a repositioning at 10 Grand Central that added a sophisticated lounge and terrace amenity in 2018 – marking the early expression of Marx Realty’s now widely recognized hospitality-infused workplace strategy – the firm recently added an 11,000 s/f space known as The Meeting Galleries. Located on the 11th floor at 10 Grand Central, Highball Ltd. is now part of that space and celebrates craft cocktails and elevated food. While some seats will be held for walk-ins nightly, reservations are encouraged.
The name, Highball Ltd., has a double meaning: a nod to the classic whiskey cocktail and the historic “highball” railroad signal, by which a ball raised to the top of a pole indicated that the track ahead was clear, allowing the train to proceed at full speed. The concept complements the luxury train-inspired design of the space and will appeal to a diverse audience while addressing the rising demand for social experiences combining a food menu with crafted cocktails. The beverage menu includes Dom Perignon Champagne alongside vintage spirits, Japanese whiskey and a mix of house highballs, signature cocktails and classics like a martini and negroni.
The partnership with Marx Realty brings the PDT team to Midtown for the first time in a reimagined experience tailored to appeal to the diverse mix of Midtown professionals, residents and visitors. PDT pioneered the modern speakeasy movement in 2007 when it opened its original location hidden behind a telephone booth inside Crif Dogs in the East Village. Bell and PDT have been behind numerous bar and hotel experiences including the Waldorf Astoria in New York, the Mandarin Oriental Hong Kong, and the new jetBlue lounge at JFK. Bell has also developed a line of cocktail mixers, currently served in jetBlue’s Mint Class. In July 2025 he opened Mixteca, an agave-focused bar in the West Village, and six months later Kees, a sophisticated cocktail lounge that channels the glamour of mid-century New York, located downstairs from Mixteca.
“High quality cocktail ingredients are now mainstream,” said Bell. “Guests are focused on better spirits and mixers even for simple cocktails like a Gin + Tonic. With our version, we stay true to the formula but add a layer of complexity with kabosu and shiso. It’s still a refreshing and sessionable drink.”
Velvet seating, brushed brass accents and softly arched architectural details evoke 1930s luxury railcars throughout the space, while mood lighting, bespoke millwork and a signature scent deliver Marx Realty’s well-known hospitality-infused ambiance. The result is a swanky and refined members-only atmosphere that feels both clandestine and glamorous, an unexpected counterpoint to Midtown’s corporate core.