There are not many places out there where a “night out” begins with an air of mystery — especially not around the North Shore — but for a place that does not advertise, the mystique that comes from word-of-mouth exposure is key to fueling the legend of The Hidden Door.
When searching for the destination becomes as exciting as eventually being in the actual place itself, it culminates into an experience unlike anything of its kind for those who manage to find it. There’s no large neon sign saying “ENTER” or some massive bouncer looming outside the entrance waiting for his cover fee. Instead, a much more investigative approach is needed.
Once you find the false entrance behind a white picket fence — which bears the resemblance of a little real-estate office — you encounter a small room with only a bookshelf and a staff member, who will almost always get a huge kick out of watching people confusedly trying to find their way inside. From there, you pull a secret lever and drag the bookcase open, revealing the hidden passageway.
After that, visitors are transported to a different era, a bygone time when the allure of gathering in secret places created a sense of elite exclusivity. Past the hallway, the venue opens into a vibrant speakeasy with a huge L-shaped mahogany bar with a dim, cozy aesthetic, accentuated by a stone fireplace and plush curtains that hang on the wall behind the booths.
According to Todd Horvath, who owns The Hidden Door with his wife, Victoria, the idea that sparked the creation of the speakeasy was a culmination of different things. “There were a lot of things that inspired us (Horvath and his wife, Victoria), but a lot of it had to do with the COVID-19 pandemic,” Horvath said. “It came down to wanting our own bar, and the space was available but dilapidated, so there were a lot of things wrong with it, but also I knew I could fix it.”
Horvath noted that the location not being directly on the street led them to the idea of having the bar be a speakeasy. “We started thinking about it in 2019, and the twenties were coming,” he said. “So, we realized those themes were in our head.”
He said that once the pandemic began to slow the process down, he and his wife found themselves immersed in the art of creating cocktails. “It gave us a lot of time to really hone in on what we wanted people to experience when they walk in,” Horvath said.
Horvath said The Hidden Door first opened back in November 2023.
What it came down to, Horvath said, was getting people to feel like they’ve teleported somewhere else entirely. “We don’t want them to know they’re in Marblehead, we don’t want them to know what year it is, we just want to make a space where you can take a deep breath and feel comfortable,” he explained.
The Hidden Door offers not just a lengthy list of intricate cocktails but spectrum that spans from complex mixed drinks to Coors Light in a can, which Horvath said was to offer something for everyone.
He added that it was a purposeful move not to include any screens or windows inside to help nurture that immersive experience. “We’re here to create a space where you sit down and enjoy a drink with friends.”
During a time of division amongst people, Horvath hoped The Hidden Door would create a respite from daily life.
Horvath spoke on how the speakeasy balances the mysterious allure with trying to connect with a larger customer base. “One of our concerns was that we wanted it to have a mysterious and exclusive feel, but we also very much wanted it to be inclusive,” he said. “As long as you come in and you’re respectful to everyone, we want more people to come in.”
He continued, “We’re trying to run the gamut of making everyone feel comfortable but also balancing that kind of secrecy that people love about The Hidden Door.”
Horvath said that when he first built the speakeasy, he expected a small outcome. “I thought my friends would just come down, but the internet had sort of taken care of everything else,” he said. “It really took on a life of its own.”
He added to that point by explaining that The Hidden Door rarely seeks the attention of the press. Instead, Horvath and his wife let word-of-mouth lead the way, which he said has been a major part of getting people inside.
“We live in a world where people sort of do it for you, as long as they dig what you’re doing.”
