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 Flatiron / Gramercy and Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen. 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/code NYC
4.4(13)Midtown Manhattan
All Blues
4.4(12)Tribeca · $$$
Mother’s Ruin
4.4(11)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $$
The Penrose Bar
4.4(11)Upper East Side · $$
Tigre
4.4(9)East Village / LES · $$$$
Art Bar
4.4(9)West Village / Greenwich Village · $
Hotel Chelsea (Lobby Bar)
4.4(7)Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen · $$$
The Skylark
4.4(7)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
B’artusi
4.4(7)West Village / Greenwich Village · $$
The Portrait Bar
4.4(5)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$
George Bang Bang
4.4(5)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$
Nothing Really Matters
4.4(5)Midtown Manhattan · $$
Long Island Bar
4.3(25)Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill · $$
The Molly Pitcher Club
4.3(24)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Lamonte
4.3(22)Williamsburg · $$$
Thyme Bar
4.3(21)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$
Bathtub Gin
4.3(20)Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen · $$
Weather Up
4.3(20)Tribeca · $$
Overstory
4.3(19)Lower Manhattan / FiDi · $$$$
The Empire Rooftop
4.3(19)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Apotheke Chinatown
4.3(15)Chinatown / Two Bridges · $$
Jackdaw
4.3(15)East Village / LES · $$
The Broken Shaker
4.3(12)Flatiron / Gramercy
Lady Blue
4.3(12)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Showing 121–144 of 224 spots
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is bar/code NYC in Midtown Manhattan, rated 4.4 out of 5. All Blues and Mother’s Ruin round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best cocktail bars?
- Midtown Manhattan (6), Flatiron / Gramercy (4) and Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen (2) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in New York?
- Yes — Mother’s Ruin, The Penrose Bar and Art Bar are all $$ or under.
- Do I need a reservation?
- It depends on the spot. Book ahead for Tigre, while Mother’s Ruin takes 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.