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 Flatiron / Gramercy to Midtown Manhattan and East Village / LES. 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.
Barlume Downstairs
4.7(19)Flatiron / Gramercy
Mace
4.7(18)West Village / Greenwich Village · $$
The Roxy Bar
4.7(17)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $$
The Lab at Patent Pending
4.7(16)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$
Daintree
4.7(15)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Fig. 19
4.7(14)East Village / LES · $$
The Broken Shaker
4.7(12)Flatiron / Gramercy
Hidden Lane Bar
4.7(9)Flatiron / Gramercy · $
Bar Fiori
4.7(6)Midtown Manhattan · $$
Bitter Monk
4.7(6)Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill · $$
Lantern’s Keep
4.7(6)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
OffCity
4.6(23)Astoria / Long Island City · $$
Thyme Bar
4.6(21)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$
Bathtub Gin
4.6(20)Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen · $$
The Empire Rooftop
4.6(19)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Blinky’s Bar
4.6(15)Williamsburg · $$
Apotheke Chinatown
4.6(15)Chinatown / Two Bridges · $$
Mommy's Cocktail Bar
4.6(14)Williamsburg · $$
Mother’s Ruin
4.6(11)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $$
The Penrose Bar
4.6(11)Upper East Side · $$
Westlight
4.6(9)Williamsburg · $$$
Paint N Pour Lower East Side
4.6(9)East Village / LES · $$
Foxtail
4.6(8)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $$
Bateman's
4.6(7)East Village / LES · $$
Showing 49–72 of 226 spots
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is Barlume Downstairs in Flatiron / Gramercy, rated 4.7 out of 5. Mace and The Roxy Bar round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best cocktail bars?
- Flatiron / Gramercy (5), Midtown Manhattan (4) and East Village / LES (3) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in New York?
- Yes — Mace, The Roxy Bar and Fig. 19 are all $$ or under.
- Do I need a reservation?
- It depends on the spot. Fig. 19, Bitter Monk and Mother’s Ruin 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.