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 East Village / LES to Williamsburg 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.
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating.
Layla
4.6(25)Williamsburg · $$
Bar Americano
4.6(23)Williamsburg · $$
Raines Law Room at The William
4.6(21)Midtown Manhattan
Golden Ratio
4.6(21)Fort Greene · $$$
Bar Milagro
4.6(20)Williamsburg · $$
Book Club Bar
4.6(20)East Village / LES
The Wallace Lounge
4.6(19)Upper West Side · $$$$
The Owl's Tail
4.6(18)Upper West Side · $$
Clover Club
4.6(17)Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill · $$$
The Rockwell Place
4.6(17)Fort Greene · $$
Maggie Hall’s
4.6(16)Astoria / Long Island City · $$
The Dancer
4.6(16)East Village / LES · $$
Bar Snack
4.6(15)East Village / LES · $$
Bar Goto Niban
4.6(15)Park Slope / Gowanus · $$
Subject
4.6(10)East Village / LES · $$
Dear Irving Gramercy
4.6(10)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$
Bar Goto
4.6(9)East Village / LES · $$
sourmouse
4.6(8)East Village / LES · $$
Brandy Library
4.6(8)Tribeca · $$$$
Please Tell Me
4.6(7)Williamsburg · $$
Elsa
4.6(7)Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill · $$$
Jungle Bird
4.6(7)Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen · $$$$
Social Drink & Food
4.6(7)Midtown Manhattan · $$
The Raines Law Room
4.6(5)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Showing 49–72 of 224 spots
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is Layla in Williamsburg, rated 4.6 out of 5. Bar Americano and Raines Law Room at The William round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best cocktail bars?
- East Village / LES (6), Williamsburg (4) and Midtown Manhattan (3) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in New York?
- Yes — Layla, Bar Americano and Bar Milagro are all $$ or under.
- Do I need a reservation?
- It depends on the spot. Bar Snack, Bar Goto Niban and Bar Goto take walk-ins.
- 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.