Best cocktail bars for a date in New York
A proper drink between dinner and dessert.
224 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 224 cocktail bars in New York, from Midtown Manhattan to East Village / LES and Williamsburg. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating.
Monkey Thief
4.7(23)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Baretto
4.7(23)Midtown Manhattan · $$$$
Deux Chats
4.7(20)Williamsburg · $$
Sunken Harbor Club
4.7(17)Fort Greene · $$
The Terrace
4.7(16)Harlem · $$
Cellar 36
4.7(14)Chinatown / Two Bridges · $$
Amor y Amargo
4.7(14)East Village / LES · $$
The Woo Woo
4.7(14)Midtown Manhattan · $$
Bar Francis
4.7(13)Fort Greene · $$
Mo’s General
4.7(12)Williamsburg · $
929
4.7(11)Midtown Manhattan · $$
Motel No Tell
4.7(11)East Village / LES · $$
Haswell Green
4.7(11)Midtown Manhattan · $$
The Hidden Pearl
4.7(10)Greenpoint · $$
Clemente Bar
4.7(10)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$
Honey’s
4.7(9)Bushwick / Ridgewood · $$
56709
4.7(9)Astoria / Long Island City
Pineapple Club
4.7(9)East Village / LES · $$
Cocteleria Perla Negra
4.7(9)Harlem · $$
Brandy's Piano Bar
4.7(7)Upper East Side · $
Pokito
4.7(7)Williamsburg · $$
Botanica at Widow Jane
4.7(6)Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill · $$
Blueprint
4.7(6)Park Slope / Gowanus · $$
The Cabinet Mezcal Bar
4.6(26)East Village / LES · $$$
Showing 25–48 of 224 spots
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is Monkey Thief in Midtown Manhattan, rated 4.7 out of 5. Baretto and Deux Chats round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best cocktail bars?
- Midtown Manhattan (5), East Village / LES (4) and Williamsburg (3) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in New York?
- Yes — Deux Chats, Sunken Harbor Club and The Terrace 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.