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 West Village / Greenwich Village and Flatiron / Gramercy. 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.
Entwine Cocktail Bar
4.5(25)West Village / Greenwich Village · $$
Abe's Pagoda
4.5(24)Bushwick / Ridgewood
Mess Hall
4.5(24)Harlem · $
The Richardson
4.5(23)Williamsburg · $$
Vacations BK
4.5(23)Bushwick / Ridgewood · $$
Ophelia Lounge
4.5(23)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Congress Bar
4.5(22)Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill · $$
Cedar Local
4.5(22)Lower Manhattan / FiDi · $$
The Campbell
4.5(21)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Osamil Upstairs
4.5(20)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$
Skylark
4.5(20)Park Slope / Gowanus · $$
Katana Kitten
4.5(20)West Village / Greenwich Village · $$$
Death & Company
4.5(19)East Village / LES · $$$
Due West
4.5(18)West Village / Greenwich Village · $$
Bar Kabawa
4.5(17)East Village / LES · $$
BABA on Withers
4.5(17)Williamsburg · $$
Waiting On A Friend
4.5(17)East Village / LES · $$
The Raines Law Room Chelsea
4.5(16)Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen · $$$
Undercote
4.5(16)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$
Sweet Polly
4.5(12)Park Slope / Gowanus · $$
Donna
4.5(12)West Village / Greenwich Village · $$
The Tusk Bar
4.5(11)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$
Mister Paradise
4.5(10)East Village / LES · $$
Oldies
4.5(8)Sunset Park · $$
Showing 73–96 of 224 spots
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is Entwine Cocktail Bar in West Village / Greenwich Village, rated 4.5 out of 5. Abe's Pagoda and Mess Hall round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best cocktail bars?
- East Village / LES (4), West Village / Greenwich Village (4) and Flatiron / Gramercy (3) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in New York?
- Yes — Entwine Cocktail Bar, Mess Hall and The Richardson 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.