Can’t stomach canned trip-hoppy lounge music any more? Then seek refuge in this eccentric wine bar that plays classical music with baroque and Middle Age tunes thrown in the mix. Situated on a narrow medieval street in the 1st district, Santo Spirito serves good wines and Italian antipasti. Whimsical elements from antiquity decorate this establishment but it is the golden “holy spirit” dove hovering above the bar casting a dramatic shadow on the ceiling that lend the ultimate camp flair to a Gregorian chant. (It used to be a real stuffed gilded dove.)

As the night progresses, the music soars to ear-splitting levels with opera videos projected onto the walls. No surprise that Santo Spirito is a preferred after-show dive of classical musicians. Just imagine how interesting it gets when cabaret divas and drag performers pop in after their shows—Santo Spirito has been a gay favorite since it opened in 1980.