22 Best Bars in New York City
There are all sorts of reasons to travel to New York—the museums, the shows, the bagels, and the city’s bar scene is among the world’s best. Friendly dives sit alongside brewpubs, wine bars, and destination cocktail dens that can dictate drink and design trends for years to come. In a city where apartments are comically small, bars are where New Yorkers go to meet friends, toast milestones, complain about their boss or ex, and engage total strangers in conversations about art, culture, sports, and whether the G train is running that weekend. Whether you’re thirsty for a boilermaker, glass of natural wine, or inventive cocktail unlike anything you’ve ever imagined, you’ll find it here. These are the best bars in New York City.
Read our complete New York City travel guide here.
This gallery has been updated with new information since its original publish date.
Courtesy DantebarDante
$$$This century-old watering hole is a welcome break from the comedy club-hawking flyer guys of Greenwich Village, Dante was established in 1915, and after a century it snagged new owners and a faded grandeur vibe that conjures its famous regulars—Patti Smith, Hemingway, Anaïs Nin—of yore. There are aperitivi and Bellinis, obscure Amaro and bitters, and a “Martini Hour” menu (each of which is only $10 between the hours of 3:00 and 6:00 p.m.) for which its fans flip.
Courtesy Joanna LinbarMartiny's
In early 2022, Takuma Wantanabe, the Tokyo-born head bartender of cult cocktail den Angel's Share, opened this intimate spot in an 1800s townhouse. The elegant space has three floors of carefully crafted cocktails, including a lower-level private event venue. Martiny's pours intricate, often cerebral drinks with top-shelf ingredients and prices to match. One standout is the Caprese cocktail, a refreshing combination of tomato water, whiskey, grapefruit juice, basil, and milk that pours crystal-clear. No matter how busy the bar, the staff is unfailingly attentive. Want to sit alone with a fancy drink and stare blankly into your phone or the middle distance? They'll give you your space. Curious about a bottle of rare Japanese whisky or the makings of one of the more complicated cocktails? A bartender will gladly share the details.
Courtesy Brent HerrigbarMusette Wine Bar
This cozy wine bar and restaurant sits on a Central Harlem corner next to its sibling bottle shop, Pompette, a neighborhood favorite since 2015. The space has exposed brick walls, a slim bar, and fresh flowers on every table, making it equally popular among well-dressed locals, second dates, and wine geeks. In addition to beer and cocktails, the bar pours nearly 100 wines by the glass and bottle, and the list is organized not by region or grape, but rather by reds, whites, sparkling, orange, and "Black AF," or an array of Black-owned wine labels including New York City's own B.Stuyvesant. Expect to fall in love with your drinking companion, a well-priced glass of pet-nat, or both before you leave.
Courtesy Izzy LeungbarBaby's All Right
At this 5,000-square-foot bar and performance venue in South Williamsburg, drinks flow freely while independent bands, drag shows, and other acts grace the stage. Drinks include the usual suspects like Espresso Martinis and Rye Manhattans, as well as Miller High Lifes and a specialty boozy slushy. In the evenings, the kitchen sustains the party with a solid if unremarkable array of nachos and tacos. It shines brighter at Baby’s popular weekend brunch, serving house cocktails alongside brioche French toast and arugula- and Sriracha-aioli-topped breakfast sandwiches. Check the onsite calendar to reserve tickets since shows often sell out weeks in advance, and previous acts have included everyone from SZA to Billie Eilish.
Courtesy Emmanuel RosariobarDouble Chicken Please
Named North America’s best bar in 2023, Double Chicken Please houses two distinct concepts in one snug space on an industrial-looking stretch of Manhattan’s Lower East Side. The walk-in-only front bar is modeled after the neighborhood’s early-20th-century soda shops and serves draft cocktails, called “taptails," as well as the excellent titular fried chicken sandwiches. Seats in the more formal rear bar, The Coop, can be reserved up to six days in advance, and are privy to a menu of pricier, made-to-order cocktails like Mango Sticky Rice, a beautifully balanced combination of Bacardi Reserva Ocho, mango, pu’erh tea, and coconut. The more formal food menu in back includes plates of chicken liver mousse.
Al RodriguezbarThe Long Island Bar
$$The lights over the booths are intimate and old-timey, and the decades-old bar itself—note the quadruple-paneled mirror by the cash register—is stunning. Folks throw on their nice pair of jeans, or some good earrings, to come here. Co-owner Toby Cecchini (who, incidentally, invented the Cosmo at The Odeon many years ago) has a following, and his cocktails are known around the city, so it’s a bit of a see-and-be-seen along the bar. The menu sports a short list of slightly twisted classics—a martini made with junmai daiginjo sake, a gimlet with ginger-lime cordial, a white negroni sbagliato. Pick one off the menu or list a mix of flavors you like; you’ll end up happy either way.
Daniel KriegerbarBar Goto
$$$Come here—a minimalist shelter from the storm of Lower East Side partiers—for okonomiyaki, sleek Japanese design, and excellent highballs. Kenta Goto, owner and barman, was once at the dearly departed Pegu Club, and has retained that famous bar’s excruciating attention to detail. It shines in his highballs and the delicate coupe cocktails, such as one made with a rosy cherry blossom, sake, gin, and maraschino. The food here is not an afterthought. The okonomiyaki—that killer izakaya drinking standard of fried cabbage and kewpie mayo, dancing with bonito flakes and stuffed full of pork belly, rock shrimp, and squid that will transport you to Tokyo—is some of the best in town.
Courtesy 67 Orangebar67 Orange Street
Since 2008, this Harlem jewel box has been serving some of the city’s best cocktails. The stylish crowd includes early-in-the-game dates, locals grabbing after-work drinks and snacks, and multigenerational friend groups discussing world events and craft cocktail culture, and vibing to a soundtrack of jazz classics, hip hop, and Latin tracks. An impressive cocktail list spans classic Sazeracs and inventive creations like the Umegroni, made with gin and ume liqueur, and a large-format Brazilian Rum Punch. Weekday happy hours from 5-7 p.m. include cocktails, tilapia tacos, and crispy chicken sliders; the kitchen also serves plates of flash-fried Brussels sprouts or panko-crusted mac and cheese.
Courtesy Nicholas Lee Ruiz/Dead RabbitbarThe Dead Rabbit
$$$Sometimes, the beverage program at hyped bars starts to rest on its laurels. This is not the case at Dead Rabbit, a tri-level Financial District destination which offers an impressive mix of classic and house cocktails, a devoted list of Irish Whiskey drinks, draft beers, and non-alcoholic creations. Food menus vary by floor, with some overlap. Try Irish-accented pub grub like Guinness-braised burgers and chicken pot pie in the lower-level taproom, and smoked salmon deviled eggs and lamb chops in the upstairs Parlor Room.
barJune
$$It takes just two steps to get from street level to Henry Rich and Tom Kearney's June Wine Bar, but what a difference those two steps make: This is a transportive, intimate space, complete with warm, romantic lighting and a design that nods to vintage Paris. June is a natural wine bar, so if you're looking for a bottle from Jura or several skin-contact options, you won’t be disappointed. Perhaps the only downside here is that the wine list is so long it can overwhelm a novice; thankfully, the well-selected staff is happy to help. Start the night off with one of the menu's small plates, like ricotta toast with lemongrass and tomatoes, before decamping for a heartier meal elsewhere.
Courtesy Death & Co.barDeath & Co.
$$Unless you show up right when they open, you'll want to make a reservation, lest you end up on a a very long list. Death & Co. cropped up on New Year’s Eve, 2007, and made one hell of a splash. The drinks were so precise, containing instant classics now mimicked nationwide (and now available nationwide, too), that it lured talent who have since opened their own famous bars. Look for riffs on classic cocktails like the Jungle Strut, which substitutes the traditional Jungle Bird’s rum, Campari, and pineapple juice for sotol, clairin, and watermelon. Things get much more esoteric than that, though, so flip through the huge book to see what you might want.
Courtesy LeyendabarLeyenda
$$Walking down Brooklyn’s bustling Smith Street, it’s hard not to notice Leyenda, with its large, arched windows and red-tile overhang, which wouldn't look out of place in parts of Latin America. From esteemed NYC bar professionals Julie Reiner and Ivy Mix comes this lively spot that leans deep into the spirits of that region as well as the Caribbean's, including rum, tequila, and mezcal. Try them in cocktails like the Tia Mia (mezcal espadin, Jamaican rum, orange Curacao, lime, and orgeat); or sip them on their own, preferably alongside the Latin-accented small plates. Hardly standard bar grub, the kitchen turns out tuna ceviche, pupusas churrasco skirt steak nightly, and at its popular weekend brunch.
Courtesy The BeekmanbarThe Bar Room
$$$When some of New York City's elite publishing companies moved downtown, their new neighborhood required great hotel bars for those with expense accounts and a story to tell. Thank goodness for the Bar Room at the Beekman. Grab a seat at the bar—a gorgeous number with teal stools and a green-and-gold motif—and you might find yourself next to a Vogue designer, investment banker, or tech millionaire in town from Dubai. This is a proper cocktail spot with a changing, seasonal menu that seems to always fit the weather outside; also look for the extensive amaro list that seems to suit the glimmering, low-light decor.
Paul WagtouiczbarPorchlight
$$$A serious cocktail bar alongside the High Line, Porchlight is a treasure in a part of town where overpriced dive bars still dominate. Surprisingly spacious, with dark brick-lined walls lending an air of coziness, this Danny Meyer joint has his signature hospitality in spades. Most people roll in for the cocktails, which at $18 a pop, which may seem like it's on the high end of normal, even in NYC, but classic cocktails are just $11 at the 3-7 p.m. daily happy hours (all day on Sunday).
Melissa HomactivityThrees Brewing
$$Gowanus's Threes Brewing is one of those rare New York City taprooms that can please almost everyone. There are booths, a stellar backyard, a large bar, and beers that will impress hops nerds as well as folks who simply want a glass of something cold on a hot summer day. As the name implies, it's a functioning brewery, and the menu shows off not only the house-made beers but a rotating cast of brews from producers like Allagash, Suarez Family Brewery, and Other Half, a Brooklyn favorite. Each is listed beside its flavor profile, and many come in a range of pour sizes. There’s a small list of wines and cocktails, too.
Photo by Don RiddlebarBemelmans Bar
$$$At Bemelmans, Ludwig Bemelman's illustrations—you might remember them from the Madeline books—adorn the walls. In one panel, a bunny smokes a cigar in Central Park; in another, a man hands a boy a clutch of balloons. This is a bar where gawking is permissible. The cocktails here very much depend on who’s making them: an Old Fashioned might be a bit watery, a whiskey sour too tart. But often a dirty gin Martini is just perfectly executed. Everything is expensive—it’s clear why you’re here—so take the edge off that sensation by digging into the free, hearty snacks that float your way.
Courtesy No BarbarNo Bar
$$Angela Dimayuga, who blossomed into a darling of the culinary world back when she was running the kitchen at Mission Chinese New York, is the brains behind this queer bar at The Standard Hotel, where she’s also the creative director of food and culture. The drinks list is short and full of swagger, and includes specialties like the Say Gay, a blend of vodka, aquavit, tangerine, and lemon; bar snacks include crispy artichokes with lemon herb aioli and sweet potato tots with miso mustard. Swing by for a date or a themed evening (like a screening of RuPaul’s Drag Race).
Courtesy Maison PremierebarMaison Premiere
The little round marble bar and a whiff of New Orleanian dishabille catch your attention first. This Williamsburg standby is renowned for its cocktail program, oyster happy hour, and general Southern Gothic vibe. The light is made for Instagram, and you’ll see brunchers taking full advantage of it. Absinthe addicts, attention: This is your bar. There’s a whole separate menu devoted to absinthe cocktails, a real vintage drip in-house, and barkeeps who know what they’re doing with it all. Brews are mostly locally sourced and tasty, and the non-absinthe drinks shine, too.
Paul WagtouiczbarThe Rum House
$$Although it’s been popping up on tourist guides with increasing frequency, The Rum House still feels cozy and welcoming—a proper respite from the madness of Times Square. Rum, rum, and more rum: You want a “daiquiri your way” (classic, dark, pineapple-tinged or Hemingway-esque) or an extravagantly coconutty riff on the Piña Colada called “The Escape.” For fun, look for obscure rums, such as Samaroli from Guadeloupe. If you want to stick to your usual bourbon Old Fashioned or French 75, they have those, too.
Courtesy AttaboybarAttaboy
$$Inside the former Milk & Honey space where the modern cocktail revival began, the speakeasy vibe remains, and the bespoke cocktails served today would make Sasha Petraske proud. If there’s a beer or wine list at Attaboy, it’s irrelevant. Everyone has a cocktail in hand—a pricey one. This is a menu-free environment, so bring your inner cocktail nerd and any questions you might have. Sam Ross, founding co-owner, invented the Penicillin, and if you haven’t tried that combo of ginger, lemon, and Scotch before, let today be the day.
Courtesy Middle BranchbarMiddle Branch
$$$Most of the city’s serious cocktail scene lives south of 14th Street. Middle Branch, located in a two-story townhouse in Murray Hill, is a delightful exception. The menu here has you covered if you’re looking for something classic, but if you’re even slightly adventurous, opt for the Bartender’s Choice. And with its proximity to Midtown, Middle Branch is close enough to the office or theater to make stopping by without much warning easy.
GettybarJimmy's Corner
$That a bar in the heart of Times Square is so tourist-free is one of many mysteries at Jimmy’s, a boxing memorabilia-saturated spot once dominated by the Midtown media set. In one snapshot, the late longtime owner and former boxing trainer Jimmy Glenn poses with the late Muhammad Ali. Especially if you have visiting out-of-towners in tow who, bless their hearts, really only want to see Times Square. It’s a way to sneak them a little bit of Real New York. They’ll be grateful.
_3.%2520Penny%2520Williamsburg_Suite_Credit%2520Alice%2520Gao.jpg)
