A cocktail night in Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill →
3 stops, all within a short walk
1
< 0.1 mi
5:30 PMDinner
2
0.1 mi
7:00 PMCocktails
3
8:30 PMSomething sweet
← New YorkDate night guide · New York
Best cocktail bars for a date in New York
A proper drink between dinner and dessert.
226 spots · Jump to the list
These are bars you go to for the drinks themselves — a considered menu, careful technique, a bartender who can make you something that isn't on it. They sit best in the middle of a night: after dinner, before dessert, or as the nightcap. Restaurants with a strong bar are on the restaurant lists instead.
This guide ranks 226 cocktail bars in New York, from Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill to East Village / LES and Midtown Manhattan. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.
Nights people planned here
Published date nights with a stop on this list.
romantic
Make a night of it
Routes around the top spots on the list, with the best-rated places nearby for the rest of the evening.
A cocktail night in Midtown Manhattan →
3 stops, all within a short walk
1
< 0.1 mi
5:30 PMDinner
2
0.2 mi
7:00 PMCocktails
3
8:30 PMSomething sweet
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating.
Barely Disfigured
5.0(26)Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill · $$
Monkey Thief
5.0(23)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Baretto
5.0(23)Midtown Manhattan · $$$$
Bar Francis
5.0(13)Fort Greene · $$
Clemente Bar
5.0(10)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$
56709
5.0(9)Astoria / Long Island City
Pineapple Club
5.0(9)East Village / LES · $$
Cocteleria Perla Negra
5.0(9)Harlem · $$
Botanica at Widow Jane
5.0(6)Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill · $$
Blueprint
5.0(6)Park Slope / Gowanus · $$
Clover Club
4.9(17)Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill · $$$
The Rockwell Place
4.9(17)Fort Greene · $$
The Dancer
4.9(16)East Village / LES · $$
Bar Snack
4.9(15)East Village / LES · $$
Subject
4.9(10)East Village / LES · $$
Dear Irving Gramercy
4.9(10)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$
Elsa
4.9(7)Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill · $$$
Jungle Bird
4.9(7)Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen · $$$$
Social Drink & Food
4.9(7)Midtown Manhattan · $$
Entwine Cocktail Bar
4.8(25)West Village / Greenwich Village · $$
Mess Hall
4.8(24)Harlem · $
Vacations BK
4.8(23)Bushwick / Ridgewood · $$
Congress Bar
4.8(22)Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill · $$
Cedar Local
4.8(22)Lower Manhattan / FiDi · $$
Showing 1–24 of 226 spots
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is Barely Disfigured in Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill, rated 5.0 out of 5. Monkey Thief and Baretto round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best cocktail bars?
- Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill (5), East Village / LES (4) and Midtown Manhattan (3) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in New York?
- Yes — Barely Disfigured, Bar Francis and Pineapple Club are all $$ or under.
- What should we do before or after?
- Make it a cocktail night: dinner, then cocktails, then something sweet. The plans on this page pair each top spot with the best-rated places within about a 20-minute walk.
Cocktail bars by neighborhood
Midtown ManhattanEast Village / LESFlatiron / GramercyWilliamsburgWest Village / Greenwich VillageSoHo / NoHo / NolitaCarroll Gardens / Cobble HillBushwick / RidgewoodChelsea / Hell's KitchenPark Slope / GowanusTribecaFort GreeneUpper East SideAstoria / Long Island CityHarlemUpper West SideChinatown / Two BridgesLower Manhattan / FiDi