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 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.
The Fleur Room
Flatiron / Gramercy
The Rooftop at The Manner
SoHo / NoHo / Nolita
Vue 180 Rooftop Bar & Lounge
Midtown Manhattan · $$
Bar 54
Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Basement
Tribeca
Rory's Rooftop Bar
Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen
Bookmarks Rooftop Lounge
Midtown Manhattan
Good Behavior
Flatiron / Gramercy
Le Bain
Bar Cima
Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Walker Rooftop
Voco RoofBar
$$$
Room 207
Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$
Opera House
Tribeca · $$
JIMMY
SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $$$
Nubeluz
Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$$
Unlisted
East Village / LES · $$$
Cello Wine & Cocktail Bistro
Midtown Manhattan · $$
Father’s Study
West Village / Greenwich Village · $$
Ms. Alice
East Village / LES · $$$
Shaken Not Stirred
Upper East Side · $$
Ascent Lounge
Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Up on 20 Rooftop Lounge
Flatiron / Gramercy · $$
SkyLawn Bar
Midtown Manhattan · $$
Showing 193–216 of 224 spots
Good to know
- What's the best cocktail bar in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is The Fleur Room in Flatiron / Gramercy. The Rooftop at The Manner and Vue 180 Rooftop Bar & Lounge round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best cocktail bars?
- Midtown Manhattan (7), Flatiron / Gramercy (5) and East Village / LES (2) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable cocktail bars in New York?
- Yes — Vue 180 Rooftop Bar & Lounge, Opera House and Cello Wine & Cocktail Bistro are all $$ 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.