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 Midtown Manhattan to Williamsburg 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.
Midnights
4.1(17)Williamsburg · $$
Gair
4.1(16)DUMBO / Brooklyn Heights · $$$
320 Club
4.1(16)Williamsburg · $$
bar/code NYC
4.1(13)Midtown Manhattan
Pearl Box
4.1(11)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $$$$
Art Bar
4.1(9)West Village / Greenwich Village · $
Hotel Chelsea (Lobby Bar)
4.1(7)Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen · $$$
The Skylark
4.1(7)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
B’artusi
4.1(7)West Village / Greenwich Village · $$
Long Island Bar
4.0(25)Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill · $$
The Roof at Public Hotel
4.0(24)East Village / LES · $$$
The Molly Pitcher Club
4.0(24)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Lamonte
4.0(22)Williamsburg · $$$
Weather Up
4.0(20)Tribeca · $$
Overstory
4.0(19)Lower Manhattan / FiDi · $$$$
Jackdaw
4.0(15)East Village / LES · $$
Lady Blue
4.0(12)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
The Hidden Tiger
4.0(11)East Village / LES · $$
Sunrise/Sunset
4.0(8)Bushwick / Ridgewood · $
The Garret (West Village)
4.0(8)West Village / Greenwich Village · $$
The Portrait Bar
4.0(5)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$
Nothing Really Matters
4.0(5)Midtown Manhattan · $$
King Cole Bar
3.9(11)Midtown Manhattan · $$$$
Arlo Williamsburg
3.8(14)Williamsburg · $$$$
Showing 145–168 of 226 spots
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is Midnights in Williamsburg, rated 4.1 out of 5. Gair and 320 Club round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best cocktail bars?
- Midtown Manhattan (6), Williamsburg (4) and East Village / LES (3) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in New York?
- Yes — Midnights, 320 Club and Art Bar are all $$ 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.