When the line to get into East 53rd Street's popular Tomi Jazz is too long, No Work Allowed just a few doors down is a great back-up. But this little subterranean jazz club could just as easily be the main event too. It's a Thai-Japanese spot where—seven nights a week—jazz heads, early-in-the-game dates, and out-of-town visitors play air piano along to live bands. There's a random rotary phone in a corner, a light fixture framed to look like a saxophone, and bathrooms plastered with old Easyriders covers, but unlike cobwebbed and cluttered Tomi, No Work Allowed looks like it's just starting its tchotchke collection. Come primarily for the vibes, the music, and the fact that they don't charge a cover—just a two-drink or $25 food minimum. Though your drinks won't include hard liquor, they've got plenty of sake, shochu and wine-cocktail options, plus creamy Suntory Premium Malt’s pulled from a Japanese tap. But if listening to the guy improvising on his coronet a few feet away is making you hungry, don’t hesitate to grab some fusion-y izakaya food too. Grazing options include things like purple sweet potato fries, edamame, or fried squid legs, and there's plenty here for a more substantial dinner too: rosy slices of ribeye with nutty khao soi, grilled mackerel over noodles with Isan spices, even mango sticky rice for dessert. It's all priced for a nice but not too crazy night out.