48 Best Bars in New York City, New York

Famed for its enormous and iconic whimsical angel mural on the wall, this popular and beloved subterranean cocktail bar is also well-known for its rules: only parties of four or fewer people are allowed to enter, no split parties, no reservations, and there is no standing and drinking allowed—just seated revelry, please. That said, once you obey the rules of this 65-seat Japanese cocktail bar, you're likely to stay awhile, sipping on one, two, three of the 27 signature cocktails on the menu, many of which have been mixed with Japanese ingredients.

In the space that was once home to the legendary cocktail bar Milk & Honey, Attaboy continues the tradition of serving exemplary cocktails to an ultratrendy crowd. The "Penicillin" cocktail, a spicy-smoky mix of Scotch, honey, and ginger, is a must here—it was invented by Sam Ross, one of the current owners. Hint: there's no sign but look for the door marked with "AB." 

The Victorian-style lounge brings a touch of downtown chic to the sometimes suburban-feeling UES with candlelit tables, high tin ceilings, a mahogany bar, red velvet drapes, and a marble fireplace. This setting makes for a great date night spot. However, keep in mind that wearing real fur or baseball caps are not allowed. If you find yourself downtown on the Lower East Side, check out its sister bar, a speakeasy called The Back Room, once frequented by gangsters like Lucky Luciano and Meyer Lansky.

From the sultry red interior with jewel-toned furnishings and quirky chandeliers to the Asian-fusion menu, every detail within this cocktail bar on Restaurant Row was designed by James Beard award--winning executive chef Serena Bass (the woman behind the Chelsea Hotel's once-star-studded Serena lounge). The sexy setting serves as a playful backdrop for the well-curated drink selection, including the fan-favorite Lychee martini, and tasty bar food, like the roast duck spring rolls and Japanese yam tempura with an addictive ginger dipping sauce. Cozy up with a date on the plush, custom-made aquamarine couches and terra-cotta chairs or peep the adorable heated patio in the back. If you happen to be around on a Thursday, swing by for their weekly live music events featuring local artists. On Saturday, DJs can often be found playing into the wee hours.

For exquisite cocktails in a quintessentially old–New York locale, venture to the tip of Manhattan for a night of Irish hospitality in a 19th-century-inspired saloon. The ground-floor taproom serves craft beers and whiskeys of the world, while a warren of upstairs parlor spaces shakes and stirs craft cocktails, many putting Irish whiskey to excellent use. If the drink menu isn't doing the trick, challenge one of the ace bartenders to mix up something special for your palate. The Dead Rabbit is always lively and unpretentious, and isn't hung up on dress codes or door policies typical of some New York cocktail dens—though it's still a good idea to reserve a table. There's also a solid food menu built on Irish faves, guest chefs, and occasional live music.

Inventive cocktails, decadent bar bites, and a sultry, upscale atmosphere attract those with a thirst for finely crafted drinks at not completely outrageous prices. You can order classic cocktails, but this is the kind of place where you can try something new and inventive and know that the flavor profiles are spot on. All patrons are seated, so there can be a wait to get in, but the host outside will log your name and text when something opens up.

Greenpointers flock to this favorite neighborhood bar, named after a play by Mae West, with speakeasy vibes, creative concoctions, and oysters served daily. Its dimly lit, art deco aesthetic sets the mood, whether you settle into a booth or cozy up to the bar, for seasonal cocktails categorized as either "shaken" or "stirred." In the warmer months, the pleasant backyard is open for outdoor enjoyment.

The dark bartop with cozy wooden booths at Dutch Kills—a cocktail den with a nod to the neighborhood's historic roots—serves finely crafted drinks for $18 each. Try Tokyo Tea, made with red oolong tea gin, creme de cassis, and lemon juice, or Tommy's Margarita, with your choice of tequila or mezcal. Expect precisely chiseled chunks of ice and skilled bartenders who, with a few queries into your preferences and curiosities, can create a concoction just to your taste. Not just drinks, but entertainment, too, the Queens cocktail bar recently opened Debbie's, a live music venue just upstairs.

Housed in a former corner market, this easygoing neighborhood craft beer and cocktail bar, led by head bartender Patty Dennison, changes their cocktail roster seasonally, each with funny names to go along with the season's quirky theme. The kitchen keeps up, preparing light bites to pair with them. 

Located in historic Central Harlem, Harlem Nights is a cozy neighborhood bar set in a relaxed lounge atmosphere. With live entertainment ranging from open-mic nights on Monday to comedy shows on Saturday and weekend DJs, there’s something for everyone. At their daily happy hour, you can enjoy craft cocktails at a discounted price until 8 pm. The food menu is fairly straightforward, with offerings like fish sandwiches, burgers, and apps like mozzarella sticks and fried pickles, but they have a decent, fairly priced cocktail list, and specials like a lager and a shot of Jameson for just $12. The main draw here is the music, so grab a drink and a bite, and stay awhile, as Harlem Nights is open until at least 2 am every night.

It's easy to miss the unmarked entrance to this cocktail bar on Berry Street, but head to the entrance on North 9th Street and you'll feel whisked away to an old-world parlor. Despite the name, this isn't a hotel, though the owners were inspired by lobby bars. Patrons imbibe cocktails around marble-top tables or at the curved bar, where bartenders blend fresh fruit and homemade syrups into classic and original libations. Jazz and dim lighting make the place feel intimate.

Housed behind an unremarkable door in the stairwell of the subway station at the southeast corner of 7th Avenue and West 28th Street, this 600-square-foot speakeasy-like cocktail bar has enough room for 30 lucky people. The dimly lit space pops with blue and purple hues, as a DJ plays funk and electronica. The experience will quickly make you forget you're drinking a nicely made (but somewhat pricey) cocktail in a subway station.

If you're looking to sip a classic cocktail in a space that harkens back to a bygone, old New York era, point yourself to the legendary Chelsea Hotel. The Lobby Bar, which opened in 2022 after the hotel was fully renovated, is vintage to the nth degree. Think: opulent chandeliers, a marble-topped bar, high ceilings, wood-paneled walls, and plush vintage furniture. And of course, there's a menu of classic libations, including re-created drinks from around the world. Pro tip: go for the ultrachilled Dukes Martini from the Dukes Hotel in London.

A multitime World's Best Bars honoree, this 8th Street cocktail bar is the stronghold of French mixologist Nico de Soto where he crafts inspired libations using unorthodox ingredients in a sleekly designed, dimly lit atmosphere. Things like dates, black sesame, pine nuts, corn puree, and something called "Champagne acid" are all likely to find their way into your glass. And it will taste fantastic. For nonexperimental drinkers, there are plenty of classic cocktails on the menu, too. 

Transport yourself to New Orleans in this dimly lit, yet lively cocktail and oyster bar, known for an extensive absinthe selection, a menu spanning light fare to hearty braised beef cheeks, and above all, an impressive selection of oysters hailing from both coasts. Cozy up at the horseshoe-shape bar or dine at a cast-iron table inside—or in the back garden on warm days.

When the women behind hit NYC cocktail bars Clover Club and Leyenda took over the old Milady's dive bar, they kept its predecessor's name, but elevated its decor, drinks, and bar bites. Their inventive cocktail menu now offers “cheeky” minipours and “full-figured” libations, all listed with their ABV, so you can go strong or light.

High up on Floor 64 of the historic 70 Pine tower is this suave splurge-worthy cocktail lounge, where guests come as much for the views and polished service as they do for the high-end, deliciously creative libations. Pass through the fine dining room that is Saga on your way up a flight of stairs, into oval-shape Overstory, which occupies the former A.I.G. board room and whose Art Deco furnishings suit this 1930s-era skyscraper. The wraparound balcony has seating, though lofty winds may limit outdoor time to just long enough for a few marvelous skyline photos. Reservations are highly recommended.

Amid varnished wood and exposed brick that reinforce the cozy vibe, the Penrose fancies itself "the Upper East Local" and has something for everyone. There are nearly endless choices of spirits and specialty cocktails, including many types of whiskeys, a cold-brew espresso martini, and several nonalcoholic options. The bar offers breakfast corn dogs and other treats at its popular weekend brunch, and a colossal fried chicken sandwich at dinner. A late-night menu is served daily until 2 am; and even live jazz, blues, and folk music are performed on Sunday nights at 7 (no cover charge).

There's no phone number or big sign for this speakeasy; just ring the bell to enter. Wood-burning fireplaces, deep banquettes, and curtains for privacy all contribute to the intimate vibe—perfect for a date or small group gathering. The little candlelit garden out back is lovely and put to use: herbs grown here are used in the carefully crafted cocktails. You can make reservations through the website but walk-ins are welcome.

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.

A popular Tokyo cocktail bar, Sip&Guzzle's New York City outpost is arguably better than the original. This bi-level bar has a split personality: Guzzle, the ground-floor bar, is for walk-ins and slightly more raucous than Sip, the much more sedate and refined half of the establishment. Whether you're in the G or the S, you're guaranteed to have some expertly mixed and creative cocktails and equally excellent and inventive bar snacks to boot. To experience the downstairs Sip, make a reservation.

A sleek, smart, and dimly lit cocktail bar, Agency of Record is an ad-agency-theme drinking spot. The seriously retro late-'50s/early-'60s vibe of the place will give you a yen for sipping a classic cocktail like a dirty martini or a grasshopper, as DJs spin vintage tunes and the kitchen cooks up sliders, Japanese-style fried chicken, and charred carrots. 

Tucked away down a winding lane deep in Chinatown (look for the "Chemist" sign), this cocktail apothecary is a surprising but happy find in a neighborhood known more for soup dumplings than creative tipples. Influenced by the 19th-century absinthe parlors of Paris, this bar is all about drama and presentation, but the results (described as "prescriptions" on the menu) are a delicious feast for all the senses. They also offer cocktail classes.

This former speakeasy during Prohibition is once again serving cocktails. To find the Lower East Side bar, look for the gate with the toy shop sign, descend a staircase, walk through a dark alley, up another set of steps, and through a door that opens onto an ornate lounge.

At this stylish spot from an alum of the Pegu Club, one of the city's foremost cocktail dens, you can expect high-quality, innovative concoctions that make use of the Japanese theme: the Sakura martini is made with sake, gin, maraschino, and cherry blossom, while the Kyoto old-fashioned incorporates rice vodka, gin matcha, and sencha. Small plates to accompany your drinks include miso-slathered wings and savory cabbage pancakes.

If you woke up this morning and thought: I'd really like to drink a cocktail in 1920s Japan, you're in luck. This stylish bar, whose name is the Japanese equivalent of a "flapper," shakes up classic American cocktails using Japanese spirits and ingredients. The food menu is equally unique as it focuses on yoshoku cuisine, Western-influenced dishes that were created when Japan ended its 2½-century isolation and opened up to the West in 1868—sort of a time-warp cuisine that marries perfectly with the ethos of this bar.

The same year that the Brooklyn Bridge opened (1883), the Temple Court building welcomed its first visitors—though back then it was an office tower, not the lushly restored hotel it became in 2016 (The Beekman). The Bar Room is among the neighborhood's highlights, a splendid ground-floor lounge where libations are priced as much for the landmark setting and elegant furnishings as for their quality. Nevertheless, there's no other hotel bar in New York where you can gaze up a nine-story atrium lined with ornate ironwork while sipping a tipple; just reserve prime seats in advance.

New Yorkers love a speakeasy. Hidden behind a clandestine door inside jewel box–size Stone Street Coffee, 1920s-esque Bathtub Gin is a dark, brooding yet sleek spot for elevated and creative libations using unlikely ingredients like quail eggs, salt-and-vinegar potato chips, and graham crackers. Not surprisingly, the bar stocks an impressive array of gin, but cocktails are also made with rum, vodka, whisky, and other spirits. There's a food menu of bar bites like chicken sliders and charcuterie.

Not to be confused with Botanica Bar in Manhattan, this classy, dimly lit yet casual cocktail bar got its name because it's in a space that used to sell face creams with botanicals. As the tasting room of the Widow Jane small-batch distillery next door, bartenders not only serve whiskey tasting flights, but mix their spirits with other ingredients to make inventive cocktails. Bar snacks are available, albeit on the light side; however, outside food is welcome.

The most important book in this exquisite wood-paneled "library" is the leather-bound menu listing hundreds of brandies and single-malt scotches. The bottles are on handsome backlighted shelves, though, and you can learn what makes each of them special by chatting with the spirit sommelier—or by buying into one of the lounge's "Spirit School" tasting classes. This bar is decidedly sophisticated, with house rules prohibiting loud or vulgar talking.