When you’re at the perfect bar, every drink seems perfect. Your dive’s beer is cold, rooftop spots take you to the clouds, and cocktail spots shake and stir a lot of different ingredients into perfectly sized glasses that you don’t have at home.
There are a lot of choices; the ice is better, and you’re not just drinking; you’re at the place. Sip on classic cocktails, craft beer, and expert wine selections at these new drinking destinations and longtime favorites.
New Yorkers like a good drink, which might be why bars here are open until 4 a.m. They have an open mind, so they like dive bars, wine bars, and cocktail joints all the same. But since this is one of the best bars in New York in all of these categories, they do what they do best, but to the fullest.
That high-end cocktail bar will use ingredients you’ve never heard of, and the stools at that dive bar will be stickier than you thought was possible in a 21st-century bar. But you’ll see that every sip is worth it.
Read on for our picks of the best bars in New York City, where you can get a carefully made Martini, a locally brewed IPA, a fresh, fruity cocktail, or, perhaps even better, a fresh scene.
Check out these best hotels in New York City, and the best places to visit in New York City so that you must plan your vacation to this exciting city.
These are our favorites and one of the best bars in New York City right now. If you enjoy our blogs, make sure to follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
13 Best Bars in NYC
Above all else, New York is a drinking town. Here, where the locals go for a tipple. The bar lottery has been won by visitors to New York City! All you have to do now is choose one. Tripononline has created a list of the best options to choose from to help you make the most of this important decision.
The following are the top 13 best bars in NYC that are worth a visit.
1. Glady’s
Glady’s is a restaurant, not a bar. However, with beverage director Shannon Mustipher in charge, the drinks at this Caribbean restaurant in Crown Heights are just as popular as the food.
Mustipher is also the author of Tiki: Modern Tropical Cocktails, so you can expect expertly made tiki drinks like the Ride or Die, which has overproof Jamaican rum, sorrel, passionfruit, lime, and bitters, and the house Mai Tai, which has Guyanese and Jamaican rums, arrack, orgeat, falernum, and lime.
Soak it all up with one or two items from the short menu. It has some of the best Caribbean food in the city, like jerk chicken, goat stew, and whole fish. It has one of the best drinks in New York City.
2. The Bar Room
When some of the best publishing companies in New York City moved downtown, the area needed great hotel bars where people with expense accounts and stories to tell could hang out. Thank goodness for the Beekman’s Bar Room.
Because it’s in a hotel, you might find yourself sitting at the bar between a Vogue editor and a tech millionaire from Dubai. The bar is beautiful, with teal stools and a green-and-gold theme. One of the most beautiful bars in NYC.
This is a real cocktail bar with a menu that changes with the seasons and always seems to match the weather outside. Look for the vintage fernet, which seems to fit the low-light, glimmering décor.
3. Dante
This 100-year-old watering hole is a nice break from the comedy club flyer guys in Greenwich Village.
Dante opened in 1915, and after a century it got new owners, one with a lot of experience making cocktails (Naren Young), and a faded grandeur vibe that makes you think of Patti Smith, Ernest Hemingway, and Anas Nin, some of the famous people who used to hang out there.
There are aperitivi and Bellinis, rare Amaro and bitters, and a $10 “Negroni Sessions” menu that people go crazy for.
4. BlackTail
It’s funny to think that two guys from Northern Ireland could make me feel like I’m in Cuba with Hemingway. A waitress greets you with a tiny frozen daiquiri, there are lots of ferns, and a beautiful stained glass panel shines in the ceiling.
There are a lot of people here, but BlackTail and its famous sister bar The Dead Rabbit have some of the best cocktails in downtown. Take your time with the big menu. One of the most beautiful bars in NYC.
It has every texture, fruit, and flavor you could want, from the spicy Ventriloquist (made with a habanero chilli shrub) to a strongman of an El Presidente made with mezcal, two vermouths, rum, and Curacao.
5. NoMad Bar
Hotel bars are nothing new, but the NoMad Bar, which is right next to the NoMad Hotel on Broadway, takes the bar to a whole new level. The two-story space has dark wood and soft leather seating, just like the hotel, which makes you feel like you’re drinking in someone’s old library.
The menu is more low-key, with bar snacks like truffle-topped hot dogs and a delicious dry-aged burger. Make sure to order one of the famous cocktails, which range from the classic (a refreshing, old-fashioned Pimm’s Cup) to the extravagant (a $175 Sazerac made with rare Sazerac rye and Cognac). One of the best places to drink in NYC.
6. Porchlight
This is the only place to get a drink after watching the sun set from the High Line. It’s a gem for this part of town, where Irish dives are still the most popular place to go.
This Danny Meyer place is surprisingly big, and the dark brick-lined walls give it a cozy feel. It also has a lot of his trademark hospitality. Most people come here for the cocktails, which cost $18 each.
This may seem high, even for New York City, but keep in mind that this is a “no tipping” bar, so take that into account. It has one of the best drinks in New York City.
7. Maison Premiere
First, you notice the small round marble bar and the smell of New Orleans trash. This Williamsburg favorite is known for its cocktails, oyster happy hour, and overall Southern Gothic feel. The light is perfect for Instagram, and brunches will make the most of it.
Attention, people who like absinthe: this is your bar. Absinthe cocktails have their own menu, a real vintage drip, and bartenders who know what they’re doing. The local beers are tasty, and even the drinks that don’t contain absinthe stand out.
8. The Rum House
Even though it’s been showing up in more and more tourist guides, The Rum House still feels warm and cozy—a nice break from the chaos of Times Square.
Rum, rum, and even more rum: You want a “daiquiri your way” (classic, dark, with a hint of pineapple, or “Hemingway-style”) or “The Escape,” a Pia Colada variation with a lot of coconut flavor. Look for rums that are hard to find, like Samaroli from Fiji.
You can also get your usual bourbon Old Fashioned or French 75 if you want to. One of the best places to drink in NYC.
9. Bar Goto
Come here for okonomiyaki, sleek Japanese design, and great highballs. It’s a minimalist refuge from the Lower East Side party crowd. The owner and bartender, Kenta Goto, used to work at the now-closed Pegu Club, and he has kept that famous bar’s painstaking attention to detail.
It shines in his highballs—anything with yuzu—and his delicate coupe cocktails, like one made with a rosy cherry blossom, sake, gin, and maraschino.
The food here isn’t just a bonus. Some of the best food in town is the okonomiyaki, which is filled with pork belly, rock shrimp, and squid and made with fried cabbage, kewpie mayo, bonito flakes, and kewpie mayo. It tastes like you’re in Tokyo.
10. The Office NYC
The Office NYC is like a Matryoshka doll because it has a bar inside a bar inside a hotel. This Prohibition-style speakeasy is hidden behind The Aviary NYC and is run by the same people. It is a hidden gem in the Mandarin Oriental in Columbus Circle.
The famous bartender Micah Melton makes sure that the drinks here are strong and put together well. There is a long list of vintage liquors, as well as drinks like gimlets, milk punches, and old fashioneds (reimagined with banana and miso, of course).
The small menu is also decadent, with things like caviar parfait, fondue with truffled mushroom duxelle, and oysters. On a cold night, don’t miss the mussels, which are topped with bacon, leeks, and roasted garlic.
11. Bemelmans Bar
Ludwig Bemelman’s illustrations, which you may remember from the Madeline books, are on the walls at Bemelmans. In one panel, a rabbit is smoking a cigar in Central Park, and in another, a man is giving balloons to a boy.
This is a bar where you can look around. Who makes the drinks here has a lot to do with how they taste. An Old Fashioned might be too watery, while a whiskey sour might be too sour. But sometimes a dirty gin Martini is made just right. You can grab one of the best drinks in New York City.
Since you’re here, it’s clear that everything is expensive, so take the edge off by eating the free, hearty snacks that float your way. Bemelmans Bar is one of the best bars in NYC.
12. No Bar
Angela Dimayuga, who became a star in the food world when she ran the kitchen at Mission Chinese New York, is the brains behind this queer bar at The Standard Hotel, where she is also the creative director of food and culture.
Head bartender Simone Goldberg’s menu is short and full of swagger. Her drinks include the Call Me Daddy, which is a mix of rum, Campari, hibiscus, pineapple, and lime. Chef Max Blachman-menu Gentile’s has bar snacks for adults, like schmaltz popcorn with togarashi and lime, onion dip with brined potato chips, and a burger.
Stop by for a date, a themed night (like a showing of RuPaul’s Drag Race), or a Slather, which is billed as “the hottest weekday lez night”. No Bar is one of the most beautiful bars in NYC.
13. Panorama Room
Many of the best views in New York City are free, but they’re even better with a cocktail. On the 18th floor of the Graduate Roosevelt Island hotel, the Panorama Room has amazing views of the New York City skyline through its walls of windows and from its wide terrace.
Panorama Room promises to have a great menu, which is something you’d expect from a rooftop bar. One of the best bars in New York City.
All of it will be led by women— Red Rooster Harlem’s executive chef Megan Brown, who used to work at The Standard and Ace Hotel, and beverage director Estelle Bossy will offer “brilliant updates” to classic drinks that are similar to martinis, such as a lychee martini, an apple martini, and a draught espresso martini.
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FAQs About Best Bars in NYC
What part of NYC has the best bars?
Here are the top eight:
Lower East Side – 11%
Meatpacking District – 8%
Midtown – 6%
Williamsburg, Brooklyn – 6%
SoHo – 5%
Hell’s Kitchen – 5%
Chelsea – 4%
Tribeca – 4%
What are the best bars in NYC?
Does NYC have good nightlife?
The nightlife in New York City is well-known. Whether it’s classy cocktail bars, friendly dive bars, or dance clubs with bottle service only, the City’s nightlife is just as exciting as it’s always been. Find out where to drink, dance, and listen to music all over the five boroughs in this section.
Why is Dante famous?
Dante is thought to be the best Italian poet. His epic poem The Divine Comedy is one of the most important pieces of writing in the world. The three parts of the poem tell the story of a man, who is usually thought to be Dante, as he goes to Hell, Purgatory, and Heaven.
Is there a dress code for Bemelmans Bar?
Even though there is no dress code, that everybody in smart attire. It’s a nice place with lovely people.
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