← Best cocktail bars in New YorkDate night guide · New York

A cocktail night in Harlem

A proper drink between dinner and dessert.

4 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 4 cocktail bars in Harlem. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.

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.

Around Cocteleria Perla Negra

2 stops, all within a short walk

1
0.7 mi
5:30 PMDinner
Lucille's Coffee and Cocktails
Lucille's Coffee and Cocktails

Restaurant

26 Macombs Pl, New York, NY 10039, United States

Harlem

5.0

2
7:00 PMCocktails
Cocteleria Perla Negra
Cocteleria Perla Negra

Bar

3454 Broadway, New York, NY 10031

Harlem

5.0

Around Mess Hall

2 stops, all within a short walk

1
< 0.1 mi
5:30 PMDinner
BIXI
BIXI

Cocktail Bar

2164 Frederick Douglass Boulevard, New York City, NY 10026

Harlem

4.9

2
7:00 PMCocktails
Mess Hall
Mess Hall

Bar

2194 Frederick Douglass Blvd, New York, NY 10026

Harlem

4.8

Around The Honeywell

2 stops, all within a short walk

1
< 0.1 mi
5:30 PMDinner
Harlem Public
Harlem Public

Restaurant

3612 Broadway, New York, NY 10031

Harlem

4.4

2
7:00 PMCocktails
The Honeywell
The Honeywell

Cocktail Bar

3604 Broadway, New York, NY 10031, USA

Harlem

4.5

Cocktail bars in Harlem

Editors' picks first, then by rating.

Good to know

What's the best cocktail bar in Harlem for a date?
Our top pick is Cocteleria Perla Negra, rated 5.0 out of 5. Mess Hall and The Honeywell round out the top 3.
Are there affordable cocktail bars in Harlem?
Yes — Cocteleria Perla Negra, Mess Hall and The Honeywell 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.

More nights in Harlem

Cocktail bars in other neighborhoods