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 Midtown Manhattan 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.
HiLot
4.0(5)East Village / LES · $$
Patent Pending
4.0(5)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$
Chapel Bar
4.0(4)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Lovers of Today
3.8(25)East Village / LES · $$
Darling Rooftop Bar
3.8(25)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Pearl Box
3.8(11)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $$$$
The Roof at Public Hotel
3.7(24)East Village / LES · $$$
The Mulberry Bar
3.4(17)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $$$
Champagne Problems
3.4(7)East Village / LES · $$
Joyface
3.0(25)East Village / LES · $$
The Highwater
Lower Manhattan / FiDi · $$$
The UES
Upper East Side · $$
Azul on the Rooftop
3.0(1)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita
The Overlook Bar
Flatiron / Gramercy
Secret Pour
Bushwick / Ridgewood · $
Madame George
Midtown Manhattan
The Ready Cantina
Flatiron / Gramercy
Flûte Champagne Bar
Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Sandbar Rooftop
Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen
The Library
East Village / LES · $
Yawning Cobra
East Village / LES · $$$
Jia
Brooklyn Safehouse
Williamsburg · $
The Crown
Tribeca
Showing 169–192 of 224 spots
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is HiLot in East Village / LES, rated 4.0 out of 5. Patent Pending and Chapel Bar round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best cocktail bars?
- East Village / LES (7), Midtown Manhattan (4) and Flatiron / Gramercy (3) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in New York?
- Yes — HiLot, Lovers of Today and Champagne Problems are all $$ or under.
- Do I need a reservation?
- It depends on the spot. Book ahead for The Mulberry Bar and The UES, while HiLot 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.