18 Best Bars in Midtown West, New York City

Located mid-block on the pedestrian corridor that is 6½ Avenue, this sophisticated lounge pours more than 40 by-the-glass and 200 by-the-bottle wines. Aldo Sohm, considered one of the world's top sommeliers, also oversees the wine program at legendary Le Bernardin around the corner. Enjoy a delicious small-bite lunch and dinner selection that, in this case, pairs with the wine menu (not the other way around). Better still, sip varietals while gazing at this bar's original works by Keith Haring, Jean-Michel Basquiat, and other New York artists.

Delight awaits at this uncommonly large (for Times Square) and flamboyantly decorated bar, with nearly every square inch covered in old English art and sculpture. Don't be thrown off—the cocktails here are inventive and expertly made, as is the tasty, filling pub fare. Consider a table reservation if you're dining around pretheater hours. Lillie's also shares its friendly brand of Victorian charm in its Union Square location.

Among the glittering lights of Broadway theaters, the Rum House is a libation destination thanks to its attention to the craft of mixing cocktails. Tucked like a tasty gem inside the Hotel Edison just off Times Square, this bar often has live piano music and always pours both creative and classic cocktails. See if you can figure out where Michael Keaton sat during scenes from the Oscar-winning 2015 film Birdman.

This place gets its name from saxophone great Charlie "Yardbird" (or just "Bird") Parker, so expect serious musicians such as John Pizzarelli, the Dave Holland Sextet, jazz guitarist Frank Vignola, and the famous Afro-Cuban Jazz Orchestra (on Sunday night). There's a $20 food minimum, and the dining room serves moderately priced Italian, and American fare with a Cajun accent.

Expect to find established and rookie comics taking the stage at this busy, long-running club, with three rooms on two floors, and multiple shows nightly. Plenty of big names have performed here, including Wanda Sykes, Brett Butler, and Sarah Silverman. It's best to buy advance tickets, arrive early to snag good seats, and get your two-drink-minimum orders flowing before comedians start dishing out the laughs.

This high-gloss club presents established names as well as comedians on the edge of stardom. Janeane Garofalo, David Alan Grier, and Colin Quinn have all headlined, and sometimes their sets are recorded here for TV and streaming shows.

Underneath the Bryant Park Hotel—and dramatic arched ceilings—is one of the more unexpected and spectacular spaces in Midtown, thanks to its Moroccan decor and Mediterranean-inspired cocktail and light-fare menus. Expect to sip herbally aromatic craft drinks while international pop music plays and fashionistas and media types unwind in style.

This spacious, family-owned, tri-level Irish pub often hosts live music including Irish bands, both traditional and with a modern edge. Daily happy hours (11 am--3 pm) cover beer, wine, and well drinks. Full Irish breakfasts are served all day long, for a taste of Dublin just off Times Square. FYI, Connolly's has a second location on East 47th Street near Rockefeller Center.

Composer-lyricist hopefuls and established talents show their stuff until 2:30 am nightly at this convivial Theater District cabaret. Extroverts will be tempted by the piano bar's open-mic policy as well as by the other showroom's singers, comedians, and drag acts. As with many NYC cabarets, there's a two-drink minimum and cash is king. The attached restaurant Kitchen 46 ( www.kitchen46nyc.com) serves refined American and Italian dishes and creative cocktails.

This longtime favorite LGBTQ+ bar draws fun queer crowds starting from its 6 pm–9 pm daily happy hours to its wee-hours last call (usually 4 am). Industry's long bar is always hopping, as are its lounge and dance spaces, stage, and pool table nook. Programming is full of sparkly fun, so expect to find special events like RuPaul's Drag Race viewing parties, live shows, DJ nights, and the wildest, most flirtatious crowd in Midtown.

Cozy and subterranean, this jazz venue is a sure bet for big-name talent like Chuck Mangione, the Eddie Daniels Band, the David Murray Black Saint Quartet, and pianist Michael Wolff. The sight lines are good, and the sound system was designed with the help of Les Paul, inventor of the solid-body electric guitar (Paul played here every Monday night for years). Small bites and entrées are on the menu here, along with a robust beer, wine, and cocktail selection.

Relax at the bar before or after a show at this "old reliable" tavern on boisterous Restaurant Row, celebrated in the musical version of All About Eve. You might even spot a Broadway star enjoying a classic cocktail or tipple from its robust scotch and whiskey menus. One of Joe's standout features is not the show crowd but the hilarious "flop wall," adorned with posters from musicals that bombed, sometimes spectacularly. (Check out the ones for Paradox Lust, Got Tu Go Disco, and Dude, the unfortunate sequel to Hair.)

Among Hell's Kitchen's gay lounges, Posh offers an array of special party nights and drag shows, ample room for flirting and dancing, plenty of neon decor (plus artwork by local artists), and long hours to suit any schedule, from 2 pm to 4 am. Daily happy "hour" from 2 to 9 pm draws a steady clientele.

At this effervescent Hell's Kitchen gay hot spot, crowds put on the ritz every night for bargain happy hours (4 pm–9 pm) and late-night dancing on two floors 'til 4 am. Expect extra-packed weekend fun, with crowds flocking here for drag-queen DJs, women's nights, male go-go dancers, all-night drink specials, and weeknight variety shows.

If you're feeling inspired by the music and musicals of Broadway, don't miss a visit to Manhattan's most eclectic karaoke bar. The subterranean space has a lively bar that serves youthful songbirds, plus 17 private rooms, each decorated individually by theme and with an array of vintage items and posters. Karaoke fans will especially love that many of the huge selection of songs show lyrics over the original music videos. At ground level, pop into RPM Vinyl to browse the wild assortment of old- and new-school records, with a few weirder ones for sale in the bargain bins out front.

This block of 52nd Street knows some serious vodka drinking. The Vodka Room features a casual front room with live piano and jazz music, a more sumptuous back room, a 4--7 pm daily happy hour, and an impressive variety of infused vodkas. A vodka tasting menu is available, as are culinary standards like caviar and borscht. For those ready to compare flavors, Russian Samovar ( www.russiansamovar.com) across the street has similar style, including nightly live music and bold, house-infused vodkas from cherry to ginger to horseradish.

With slate floors, wood-paneled walls, and a small stone-filled pond, the design at this spacious lounge in Hell's Kitchen is as upscale as its mostly male clientele, which includes older uptown professionals and the twentysomething hipsters who love them (and vice versa). Hungry? There's a solid menu of small dishes.

Head to this Broadway institution to drink in vintage Midtown Manhattan at the compact bar, surrounded by caricatures of theater, film, music, and TV stars past and present.