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 East Village / LES to Midtown Manhattan and Park Slope / Gowanus. 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.
Bar Bayeux
4.5(26)Park Slope / Gowanus
Saint Tuesday
4.5(25)Tribeca · $$$
Folk
4.5(24)Park Slope / Gowanus · $$
Superbueno
4.5(23)East Village / LES · $$
Attaboy
4.5(20)East Village / LES · $$$
Employees Only
4.5(13)West Village / Greenwich Village · $$$
929
4.5(11)Midtown Manhattan · $$
Motel No Tell
4.5(11)East Village / LES · $$
Kingston Hall
4.5(11)East Village / LES · $$
Haswell Green
4.5(11)Midtown Manhattan · $$
Blueprint Cocktail Bar
4.5(8)Park Slope / Gowanus
Banzarbar
4.5(8)East Village / LES · $$$$
Medusa Bar
4.5(6)Williamsburg · $$
Witching Hour
4.5(4)Bushwick / Ridgewood · $$
The Honeywell
4.5(4)Harlem · $$
LunÀtico
4.4(26)Bushwick / Ridgewood · $$
Bar Nena
4.4(25)West Village / Greenwich Village · $$
Maracuja
4.4(20)Williamsburg · $$
Deux Chats
4.4(20)Williamsburg · $$
Sunken Harbor Club
4.4(17)Fort Greene · $$
Randolph's Bar & Lounge
4.4(17)Midtown Manhattan
The Terrace
4.4(16)Harlem · $$
Cellar 36
4.4(14)Chinatown / Two Bridges · $$
Amor y Amargo
4.4(14)East Village / LES · $$
Showing 73–96 of 226 spots
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is Bar Bayeux in Park Slope / Gowanus, rated 4.5 out of 5. Saint Tuesday and Folk round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best cocktail bars?
- East Village / LES (6), Midtown Manhattan (3) and Park Slope / Gowanus (3) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in New York?
- Yes — Folk, Superbueno and 929 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.