NYC’s Best Bars, From Haute Hotel Lobbies to Intimate Listening Rooms

Skip to main contentAbove all else, New York is a drinking town. Here's where locals go for a tipple.EavesdropAsk 10 New Yorkers to name their favorite bar, and you’re likely to hear at least as many answers—few debates are more heated than which bar is the best in New York City.That’s because, on any given night, a thousand versions of New York are unfolding at once: Artsy types are listening to a jazz trio in Bed-Stuy, while across the river, a group of friends is deciding which bottle of Pet Nat to split in Chinatown. A couple is ordering their second round of date night martinis at a swanky cocktail bar in the West Village, while Japanese whisky cocktails are poured over hand-chipped ice in Greenpoint.There’s a compelling case to be made that NYC is the best bar city in the world—a place where a million people could be having entirely different nights, but still feel the same connective electric hum.With a list of bars at least as long as the Empire State Building is tall, narrowing the options down is no small task. That’s why we scoured the city for you to find its most exciting destination for drinks right now. Below, our favorite bars in New York City.Read our complete New York City travel guide here, which includes:The Best Restaurants in NYCThe Best Sushi in NYCThe Best Steakhouses in NYCThe Best Jewish Food in NYCHow we choose the best bars in New York CityEvery bar on this list has been selected independently by Condé Nast Traveler editors and reviewed by a local contributor who has visited that business. Our editors consider both high-end and affordable options and weigh stand-out drinks, dishes, location, and service—as well as inclusivity and sustainability credentials. We update this list as new restaurants open and existing ones evolve. Additional reporting by Devra Ferst.Lei Wine BarNeighborhood: Chinatown, ManhattanAnnie Shi, the former beverage director of King and Jupiter, spent two years hunting for the right space before landing this 28-seat wine bar on Doyers Street, Chinatown's short, curved, and colorful pedestrian-only stretch. It's Shi's first solo venture and a deeply personal one, named for her late sister, Hannah, whose Chinese name was Lei. The wine list is 350 bottles deep and ranges from Burgundy and Champagne to Portugal, Greece, and China. Ask their knowledgeable staff for help picking a bottle to pair with hot and cold dishes from their curated menu, which features farmer’s market ingredients and inventive Chinese cuisine and can certainly be made into a full dinner. Cherry-toned mahogany tables, rush-woven chairs, and domed sconces give the room a warm glow at night. Reservations open 14 days out at 9 a.m., but walk-ins are welcome nightly, so arrive on the early side unless you’re prepared to wait.Read Full ReviewBar ChuchoNeighborhood: Two Bridges, ManhattanNamed for a sotol-and-osha-root drink from northern Mexico, this buzzy new bar in Two Bridges is proof that a Michelin star doesn’t have to mean a stuffy bar program. Instead, the team behind Corima and its Park Slope tortilleria, Vato, wanted a casual, late-night hang for friends, and that’s exactly the energy at this walk-in-only, two-story spot. Here, beverage director Edward Hardebeck keeps things loose but skilled: multiple Michelada options from the surefire classic to a fruity mango option, a sotol margarita cut with Granny Smith apple and cilantro, an Irish twist on a caraijllo with whiskey from the Emerald Isle, as well as Guinness. It’s open until 2 a.m. on weekends, two hours later than its usual 12 a.m., making it one of those rare bars that works just as well on a weekday after work as it does for your Saturday nightcap.Read Full ReviewOverstoryNeighborhood: Financial District, ManhattanLocated a whopping 64 floors up 70 Pine Street, Overstory can be found via its own dedicated elevator in an Art Deco tower, and just one floor above neighboring two-Michelin-starred Saga, a seasonally focused restaurant with a tasting menu. Patrons are not playing—they're here for serious cocktails and great ambiance. Here, a curated bar program delivers cool boozy concoctions like the Easy Money, featuring vodka, coconut, yuzu, lime leaf, and soda; the Velvet Green with sotol, green tea, Sauvignon Blanc, grass, and lime; and the aptly named In the Clouds, featuring whiskey, Earl Grey, vanilla, Champagne, and clarified milk. Brought to you by the Crown Shy team, the service at Overstory is almost unparalleled, with a keen eye for detail. Needless to say, the views from Overstory are almost as worth a visit as their cocktails, providing patrons with a unique bird’s-eye view of the Big Apple.Read Full ReviewDanteNeighborhood: Greenwich Village, ManhattanAlmost a century after this Greenwich Village watering hole was established in 1915, Dante snagged new owners and quickly became a global cocktail destination. The MacDougal Street original maintains a stylish vibe that conjures its famous regulars—Patti Smith, Hemingway, Anaïs Nin—of yore. There are aperitivi and Bellinis, obscure Amari and bitters, and a 15-cocktail-long "Negroni Sessions" menu that's available for $10 each between 3:00 and 5:00 p.m. daily. Dante's footprint also continues to grow. A second outpost, Dante West Village, opened in 2020 with a focus on spritzes and martinis. The team has since added Dante Accademia, which hosts mixology classes and guest residencies, and Dante Aperitivo, an all-day seafood-and-aperitivo spot on Bank Street.Read Full ReviewSip & GuzzleNeighborhood: West Village, ManhattanFew bars anywhere have climbed ranks as fast as this West Village-based multi-concept cocktail destination. After winning Best New U.S. Cocktail Bar at the 2025 Spirited Awards, Sip & Guzzle jumped to the coveted number one spot on North America's 50 Best Bars list in 2026, with three more Spirited Awards nominations to follow. Globe-trotting drinks innovators Shingo Gokan (Angel Share, SG Club Tokyo) and Steve Schneider (Employee's Only) only debuted it in January 2024. Downstairs, Gokan helms Sip, the sleek subterranean bar with a rotating cast of inventive cocktails that includes Doctor Green, a tequila cocktail cut with a vibrant mix of green apple, tomatillo, and a shiso horseradish blend, and a melon and gyokuro-infused Negroni in the Shade. Street-level Guzzle pours highballs and classics like the Yuzu Mugirita and Spicy Paloma. Impress a date by ordering their Wagyu sando, served in a golden takeout box at Sip, and don’t forget to cap your experience with their entirely addictive Hokkaido Milk Soft Serve.Read Full ReviewBemelmans BarNeighborhood: Upper East Side, ManhattanAt 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. It's the final boss of hotel bars, tucked as it is inside The Carlyle. 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.Read Full ReviewBar ChimeraNeighborhood: Midtown ManhattanIt’s no surprise that a dedicated cocktail bar by the founders of Cote, the highly revered Korean steakhouse, would be gorgeous. One could never have guessed, though, that it would be tucked inside the Philip Johnson-designed 550 Madison, and feature three distinct bars occupying one soaring, 60-foot atrium. Bar Chimera’s unofficial mascot, a Norfolk pine tree, stands over 20 feet tall in the midst of a convivial wine bar up front, a mirrored martini bar staffed by white-jacketed bartenders, and a whiskey library where bottles climb nearly to the ceiling. We’re partial to the martini bar, where guests can watch their glasses get flash-chilled with liquid nitrogen, the resulting smoke then tossed back into the air with a flourish. Every martini is made with specifically filtered and re-mineralized ice, with a choose-your-own-adventure option of a base spirit and garnish, as well as inventive options like the citrusy, herbaceous Evergreen Alaska, featuring Fords Gin, Komasa Tangerine Gin, Yellow Chartreuse, and Thai basil.Read Full ReviewSugar MonkNeighborhood: Harlem, ManhattanSlip through the unmarked door after ringing a doorbell to enter this Harlem cocktail sanctuary, and you’re immediately transported back to the jazz era. The vibe here is dark and moody, and the space being so tiny makes it feel very intimate. Stylish and low-key, with a mix of local creatives grabbing a drink after a show at the nearby Apollo Theatre and couples on a romantic date, make up the crowd here. The cocktail program here leans avant garde, with each menu entry reading as a chapter in a book, and incorporating housemade infusions, rare spirits, and herbal elements. Some cocktails even incorporate spirits from their own microdistillery, Atheras Spirits, in Industry City.Read Full ReviewThe Museum Bar + Gift ShopNeighborhood: Bushwick, BrooklynA T-rex skull as decor, dino nuggets on the menu, and a (delicious) Negroni made with ants and crickets: welcome to Bushwick’s strangest, most delightful new bar. Co-founder Misha Chavez credits a lifelong love of nature and a childhood spent glued to documentaries for the concept, which is separated into a cafe-style “Gift Shop” up front and a more serious cocktail bar in the back. To enter, walk through the gift shop and then down the “Exhibition Hall” featuring cases of natural curiosities (crystals, fossils, and the like) pulled from the team’s own collections, and enter a space both moody and playful. Dim lighting sets the scene for a Permanent Collection of cocktails such as the Insectarium with honey gin, fig, black ants, wormwood, and crickets, and Birds of the World, a crushable highball which lead bartender Bobbi Adler built based on seeds and fruits birds actually love to eat, such as sunflower, guava, and pineapple. We’ll be returning regularly for their limited-time special exhibits, the first of which, of course, centers around dinosaurs.Read Full ReviewMartiny'sNeighborhood: Gramercy, ManhattanIn 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.Read Full ReviewMusette Wine BarNeighborhood: Harlem, ManhattanThis 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.Read Full ReviewDouble Chicken PleaseNeighborhood: Lower East Side, ManhattanNamed 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 have access to a menu of pricier, made-to-order cocktails—many of which are inspired by savory dishes. The Japanese Cold Noodle is a fan favorite for a reason, made with Bacardi Superior, pineapple, coconut, lime, and sesame. The more formal food menu in back includes plates of chicken liver mousse and an array of fried chicken sandwiches, including one on an out-of-this-world spicy mochi donut.Read Full ReviewThe Long Island BarNeighborhood: Cobble Hill, BrooklynThe 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, especially if you pair your drink with a burger.Read Full ReviewBar GotoNeighborhood: Lower East Side, ManhattanA minimalist shelter from the storm of Lower East Side partiers, Bar Goto has sleek Japanese design, attentive service, excellent highballs and bar food. Kenta Goto, owner and barman, was once at the dearly departed Pegu Club, and has retained that famous bar’s warm service and exacting 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.Read Full ReviewThe Dead RabbitNeighborhood: Seaport, Financial District, ManhattanSometimes, 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.Read Full ReviewPortrait BarNeighborhood: NoMad, ManhattanIt goes without saying that the city has its fair share of hotel bars, but Portrait Bar in the Fifth Avenue Hotel sets itself apart, thanks to an invitingly cozy atmosphere and a top tier cocktail list, among other superb attributes. Designed by Martin Brudnizki (the brain behind other handsome NYC spaces like Fouquet’s), the Flatiron-based space features dark wood paneling, red velvet seating, and, you guessed it: an array of portraits adorning the walls. Sidle up next to the fireplace to enjoy one of their internationally inspired beverages dreamt up by Bar Director Darryl Chan, from a rum and scotch clarified cocktail that nods to Cebu Island in the Philippines with notes of calamansi (a Southeast Asian citrus) and Bay Leaf, to a star anise and yuzu-infused take on a whiskey sour reminiscent of Kochi, Japan. A solid menu of Parlor Snacks—comté gougères, mini tuna tartare tacos, a fois gras tartine—seals the deal on Portrait Bar’s position as a perfect after-work, pre-dinner go-to, or perhaps a third date you really want to impress.Read Full ReviewDeath & Co.Neighborhood: East Village, ManhattanUnless you show up right when they open, you'll want to make a reservation, lest you end up on a very long wait 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.Read Full ReviewLunÀticoNeighborhood: Bed-Stuy, BrooklynAin’t the band swingin’? That’s what you’ll be asking your friends during an experience at Bed-Stuy’s LunÀtico, in a mid-Atlantic accent (of course), right after suddenly donning a pair of tiny round sunglasses and a pageboy cap. They’ll be startled, but will have to reply with resounding sounds of agreement. A jazz club, cocktail bar, and restaurant, LunÀtico is the kind of place that makes you feel like you’ve stepped back in time. Maybe it's the artfully weathered walls (and ceiling), or maybe it's the lively, unpretentious undercurrent of energy that only grows with the coaxing of a saxophone, bass guitar, and bacanora fizz—a take on the classic gin fizz with bacanora (a Mexican agave spirit), honey, lemon, orange cream citrate, orange blossom water, and egg white. The space here is narrow and typically packed, and reservations don’t exist. Neither do cover fees, though they do suggest bringing a $10 cash donation for the band. If you want to guarantee yourself a spot, especially if you’re hungry for dinner and craving their roast chicken with a black pepper orange zest béchamel, plan on arriving on the early side.Read Full ReviewMaison PremiereNeighborhood: Williamsburg, BrooklynThe 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.Read Full ReviewBotanica at Widow JaneNeighborhood: Red Hook, BrooklynThere's something satisfying about drinking a bourbon cocktail a few feet from where its star ingredient was made. That's the pitch at Botanica, tucked inside the working Widow Jane Distillery on Conover Street, steps from the Red Hook waterfront. Exposed brick and warm, low light set the tone for a cocktail program built almost entirely around the house's own bourbon and rye. Order their simple yet impeccable 10-Year Bourbon Old Fashioned, which highlights what Widow Jane does best, and is sweetened with Demerara and finished with orange peel. Alternatively (or in tandem) work through a whiskey flight to taste the range by the ounce. Pro tip: Start your experience with a tour of the distillery before getting cozy at the bar. Not too cozy, though, that you miss a stroll along the waterfront for prime views of Lady Liberty.Read Full ReviewJimmy's CornerNeighborhood: Midtown ManhattanThat 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 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. Recently, Jimmy’s has been getting some pretty serious attention for an ongoing legal battle with its landlord over an attempted eviction. The judge has temporarily halted proceedings, meaning the bar is open as usual for now, but consider this extra incentive to stop by sooner rather than later.Read Full ReviewHarlem HopsNeighborhood: Harlem, ManhattanIn 2018, three HBCU (Historically Black Colleges and Universities) grads and craft beer lovers opened this cozy beer bar in a Harlem storefront with a twinkling backyard. Longtime neighborhood denizens, young professionals meeting for happy hours, and craft beer pilgrims from all five boroughs convene to drink from any of sixteen taps that offer everything from IPAs to pilsners to sours and beyond, with a focus on beers made by Black and POC brewers. There's also canned beers and ciders starting at $5 each, and a full bar for cocktails like the Uncle Nearest Old Fashioned, made with Uncle Nearest Tennessee Whiskey. The best menu items are the three bratwursts (one vegan), which are perfectly snappy and served on pretzel buns alongside handfuls of kettle chips.Read Full ReviewRhodora Wine BarNeighborhood: Fort Greene, BrooklynYou’d be hard-pressed to find a Fort Greene local who doesn’t know about, and love, Rhodora. The cozy wine bar from the Oberon Group was opened in 2019 and quickly became somewhat of an institution in the leafy neighborhood. Its indoor and outdoor tables (especially coveted when the weather is good) are always bustling with groups catching up over bottles of all-natural, low-intervention wine from a list curated with an eye toward small-farm producers. Service at Rhodora is equally low-intervention: walk-in only and counter service. We also love that its rustic, welcoming atmosphere makes it equally as attractive to stop in for an impromptu glass or two in any season.Read Full ReviewThrees BrewingNeighborhood: Gowanus, BrooklynGowanus'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.Read Full ReviewTigreNeighborhood: Lower East Side, ManhattanReserve in advance to visit this swank Lower East Side cocktail lounge. Brought to you by the team behind Maison Premiere (another of our other favorite bars in NYC), there's a compulsory but complimentary coat check and dress-to-impress door policy, neither of which hampers the high spirits in the space. New York's bright young things fill the candlelit tables and banquettes and eight-person, U-shaped bar, requesting custom combinations off of the "Martini by Ratio" menu. The Cigarette Martini, made with Truman vodka and a juniper spirit from Copenhagen's Empirical, is among the most popular. Tigre also pours wine, spirits, and a tightly curated selection of retro and modern cocktails, with 1970s throwbacks like the Screwdriver alongside inventive drinks like the Mister Softee, named for the ice cream trucks that roam city streets in the summertime and made with Singhani, the Bolivian eau-de-vie.Read Full ReviewSunken Harbor ClubNeighborhood: Downtown BrooklynTucked into the second floor of a landmark Brooklyn building, above the swish Gage & Tollner dining room, this nautically themed bar feels simultaneously transportive and deeply grounded in New York cocktail culture. Stylish Brooklynites and quite a few who made the trek over from Manhattan fill the nooks and crannies of the dimly-lit space. Some are longtime friends and fans of co-owner St. John Frizell, who introduced the bar concept as a pop up at his now-shuttered Fort Defiance, a Red Hook cocktail institution. Sip the shiso-infused Special Daiquiri, an impressive array of tropical non-alcoholic concoctions, or find a friend to share the large-format Shattered Skull, a two-person affair made with Barbadian and Jamaican rums. There's also a short but smart selection of wine and beer.Read Full ReviewAttaboyNeighborhood: Lower East Side, BrooklynInside 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. As of December 2025, Attaboy has also doubled its famously tight footprint, expanding next door into the space once occupied by its short-lived sister bar, Good Guy's. Now guests can find a second, mirrored bar top that finally allows for a handful of reservations, along with the occasional pop-up and cocktail class.Read Full ReviewTALEA Beer Co.Neighborhood: Williamsburg, BrooklynHailed as New York City's first female- and veteran-operated brewery, TALEA is named for its owners, Tara Hankinson and LeAnn Darland. The two former homebrewers opened this 9,000-square-foot space in 2021 and now have three other taprooms across the city. Locals fill the tables at the airy Williamsburg flagship, meeting for birthday parties, afternoon hangs, or the chance to try one of the new drafts on the sours-heavy rotating tap list. TALEA is best known for its sour beers, like the pleasantly briny Watermelon Splash and Fan Fan Tart Deco, a sour IPA named for beloved Brooklyn bakery Fan Fan Donuts. There are also light lagers, pilsners, hazy IPAs, and non-alcoholic beers, as well as wine and cocktails from a full bar.Read Full ReviewSunny’sNeighborhood: Red Hook, BrooklynSince 1890, this unapologetically quirky institution has been serving drinks near Brooklyn's windswept Red Hook waterfront. It became Sunny's in the 1990s and has since cultivated a loyal community of people who self-identify as poets, teamsters, painters, or all of the above. Expect friendly banter among the locals and various performers who come to play live music every night except Mondays. While this isn't the place to go for an elaborate custom cocktail, the full bar serves skillfully-made Negronis, Manhattans, and other classics, as well as an array of craft and macro beers, natural wine, and non-alcoholic drinks.Read Full ReviewSuperbuenoNeighborhood: East Village, ManhattanThis Mexican American cocktail destination on a busy corner of Manhattan's East Village always feels like a party. Its warm energy and creative drinks are hallmarks of co-owner Ignacio "Nacho" Jimenez, formerly of ground-breaking agave bar Ghost Donkey. Its tables and barstools are almost always packed with local loyalists, cocktail nerds, well-dressed people on second dates, and raucous groups whose happy hours inevitably turn into late nights. The free-wheeling drinks menu has a culinary bent and includes everything from a mezcal margarita and green mango martini to a large-format tepache cocktail made with shochu, yuzu, and chile de Arbol. Non-alcoholic drinks, like the guajillo-infused Chamoy y Soda, are similarly impressive, as is the bar food (Ensada-style fish tacos, potato flautas, and a crowd-pleasing birria grilled cheese to name a few.)Read Full Reviewschmuck.Neighborhood: East Village, ManhattanThe fancy cocktail bar format can quickly feel repetitive, but East Village’s Schmuck presents something a bit different. Rather than two tops galore and moody lighting, the space functions as a sort of cocktail house party—separated into two rooms referred to as The Living Room and The Kitchen Table. Groups are sat together, or stand in mingle-friendly areas while sipping cocktails and listening to the upbeat house music that blares from the speakers overhead. The design here feels eclectic and playful, like your coolest friend who lives in Williamsburg (even though Williamsburg isn’t cool anymore). Their cocktail elements are eyebrow-raising as well, with elements such as parmesan cheese in the clarified Strawberry & Cheese, and toasted oats that lend themself to a Muesli cocktail alongside bourbon, honey, and raspberry. Don’t be intimated, though, as the finished products are surprisingly approachable. Pair one or two with a dish from Schmuck’s curated menu of “Lobb Food,” from a satisfyingly cheesy white bean cacio e pepe to a puff pastry pizza.Read Full ReviewMidnight BlueNeighborhood: Gramercy, ManhattanA Japanese-inspired jazz and cocktail bar in Gramercy Park from the team behind Martiny’s? The description alone is more than enough to sell it. Another selling point: its approachability. Firstly, walk-ins are encouraged, and the space itself feels distinctly lived-in despite having opened in summer 2024. Note that Midnight Blue charges a reduced cover fee of $10 to enjoy their nightly jazz performances (7 p.m., 8:45 p.m., 10:15 p.m.) on Tuesdays through Thursdays, with a $30 minimum spend per person. You have to hand over a Jackson per person on Fridays and Saturdays, along with a higher $50 minimum per person. Cabaret-style tables dot the area in front of the stage, but the bar is the place to be if you’re solo or with just one other person. Not only can you (kind of) still hear your companion, but you also get to chat with the skilled bartenders and witness them at work as they craft Toki highballs with a grapefruit twist, an Old Fashioned riff with osmanthus-infused Hibiki whisky, and a Wabi-Sabi sour featuring spicy wasabi and tart apple.Read Full ReviewSwan RoomNeighborhood: Lower East Side, ManhattanPart time swanky lobby bar, part time historic architectural marvel, Swan Room at Nine Orchard in the Lower East Side (a sub-area some now refer to as Dimes Square) is truly something to behold. Neo-Renaissance details, from vaulted ceilings featuring intricate crown moulding to walls clad in pink Tennessee marble, set the scene for a martini- and negroni-dominant cocktail menu that includes inventive riffs on the classics—an Evergreen Martini with Chartreuse and pickled kumquat, a mushroom gin “Umami” negroni with white soy, as well as a large format Martini Service that sets a group of 3-5 back $125. Martini and negroni haters need not despair, for Swan Room also offers a selection of signature cocktails, as well as a refreshingly extensive non-alcoholic menu. Those coming hungry can enjoy a Nine Orchard Burger or nosh on a selection of elegant small bites and desserts.Read Full ReviewParadise LostNeighborhood: East Village, ManhattanAny cocktail bar that markets itself as a “tropical hellscape” is immediate grounds for a visit, and the pure kitsch that is Paradise Lost fortunately delivers on that off-the-wall promise. The experience starts in East Village with a doorbell to ring, and quickly leads to a faux-foliage-filled madcap descent (figurative, not literal) into a tiki bar decked out head to toe in wood paneling and artfully placed trinkets. Cocktails here are split into three categories: The Ancients (tiki classics), New Acolytes (creative concoctions with spooky names), and Behemoths (scorpion bowls). For a cocktail with a show, try Lilith’s Bacchanal, a spicy sipper which combines rum with coconut gin, carrot, buzz button peppers, and the piece de resistance—a flaming lime on top. Besides the sneaky strength of the cocktails, heed this warning about the “press me” buttons in the bathroom stalls. All we will say is that those who are afraid of the dark (or glowing skulls) should pass on the offer.Read Full ReviewLobby Bar at The Hotel ChelseaNeighborhood: Chelsea, ManhattanIt's hard to imagine the elegant space that houses Lobby Bar as mere storage, but that is exactly what it functioned as until 2022, when an 11-year remodel of the historic Hotel Chelsea finally ended. Today, the multi-room cocktail bar and lounge is the perfect reflection of the timeless bohemian spirit of the Chelsea—filled with character, from the ketchup and mustard checkered tile in the solarium to vintage chandeliers and lamps, which illuminate an inlaid ceiling and velvet sofas in the bar room and beyond. There are no reservations here, so landing a seat is the first hurdle you’ll have to jump, with the second challenge presenting as what to order from their extensive (and expensive) cocktail list. They are perhaps best known for an 1884 Martini, which nods to the year the building was constructed, with gin, lemon, vetiver, and olive oil, but there are unique ingredients to be found across the board—like fig leaf and pecan in their Cowboy Mouth 3.0, or Oakmoss and a Rhubarb Amaro, which feature in a drink called Naked Lunch.Read Full ReviewEavesdropNeighborhood: Greenpoint, BrooklynFor those not yet indoctrinated into the world of the listening bar, Eavesdrop might just be your gateway drug. The concept of a listening bar is far from new (it first took root in post-World War II Japan), the format of an intimate, vinyl record-spinning watering hole has been experiencing a modern revival in New York and beyond. At Eavesdrop in Greenpoint, they take their sound just as seriously as they take their cocktails, but that doesn’t mean a thumping bass or a raucous crowd. Instead, it’s more a blonde wood-filled place for audiophiles and high-minded imbibers to enjoy Japanese-inspired libations such as the Mr. Plum, with Hakuto Matsui gin, umeshu (Japanese plum liqueur), umeboshi (salted Japanese plums), ginger, honey and citrus, while a DJ spins R&B records in the background. Eavesdrop also has dinner, and it’s quite good, with fusion-style dishes that fortunately don’t feel gimmick-y.Read Full ReviewAldo Sohm Wine BarNeighborhood: Midtown ManhahttanLe Bernardin sommelier extraordinaire Aldo Sohm opened this chic wine bar in 2014, and it maintains one of the best wine lists in Midtown Manhattan. A respite from the corporate-leaning restaurants on its surrounding blocks, the space has low-slung sofas, graphic art, and glittering pendant lamps. The effect is akin to drinking in a very elegant friend's living room. Expect a mix of wine professionals and deep-pocketed executives from nearby Midtown offices, many of whom can rattle of the names of preferred vintages and intricacies of vineyard classification systems like their own phone numbers. There are 40 wines by the glass and 200 bottles on offer at any given time, spanning $15 pours of approachable Southern Italian white wines and expense-account-worthy cult bottles of Burgundy.Read Full ReviewAusta Somvichian-Clausen is a journalist, published author, and hospitality entrepreneur based in New York City. Her written work spans topics ranging from travel and hospitality to fine fragrance and interior design, and has appeared in numerous national print and digital publications, including National Geographic, Travel + Leisure, Robb Report, and ... Read MoreAll of our best hotel, restaurant, and activity recommendations in one place.