Best activities for a date in New York
Something to do first, then dinner to talk about it.
150 spots · Jump to the list
Doing something together beats sitting across a table, at least to start: a shared activity gives you something to react to, and it takes the pressure off the conversation. This list runs the whole range — a gallery or a show, a kayak or a climbing wall, a comedy set, the zoo — and every one of them sets up dinner afterwards. Check hours and booking before you go; the popular ones sell out on weekends.
This guide ranks 150 activities in New York, from Midtown Manhattan to Bushwick / Ridgewood 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.
Museum of Modern Art (MoMA)
4.4(5)Midtown Manhattan
The Garden Bar & Grill
4.3(229)Williamsburg · $$
Nuyorican Poets Cafe
4.3(26)East Village / LES · $
Beer Culture
4.3(17)Midtown Manhattan · $$
Talon Bar
4.3(14)Bushwick / Ridgewood
Break Bar
4.3(14)Midtown Manhattan · $$
Bryant Park’s Winter Village
4.3(13)Midtown Manhattan · $$
Young Ethel's
4.3(13)Park Slope / Gowanus · $
Kick Axe Throwing Brooklyn
4.3(12)Park Slope / Gowanus · $$
THE GALLERY by odo
4.3(11)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$
Bobbi’s Italian Beef
4.3(10)Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill · $
Marian's
4.3(4)Bushwick / Ridgewood · $
Karaoke Boho
4.3(4)West Village / Greenwich Village · $
Brooklyn Beer Garden, Bushwick
4.2(25)Bushwick / Ridgewood · $$
Abe's Pagoda
4.2(24)Bushwick / Ridgewood
Bar Great Harry
4.2(24)Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill
The Hack Shack
4.2(24)Midtown Manhattan
The Richardson
4.2(23)Williamsburg · $$
Galerie Bar
4.2(22)Tribeca · $$$$
High Dive
4.2(18)Park Slope / Gowanus · $
Full Circle Bar
4.1(23)Williamsburg · $
The Ditty
4.1(23)Astoria / Long Island City · $$
Lawn Club
4.1(21)Lower Manhattan / FiDi · $$
Buttermilk Bar
4.1(17)Park Slope / Gowanus · $
Showing 73–96 of 150 spots
Good to know
- What's the best activity in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in Midtown Manhattan, rated 4.4 out of 5. The Garden Bar & Grill and Nuyorican Poets Cafe round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best activities?
- Midtown Manhattan (5), Bushwick / Ridgewood (4) and Park Slope / Gowanus (4) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable activities in New York?
- Yes — The Garden Bar & Grill, Nuyorican Poets Cafe and Beer Culture are all $$ or under.
- What should we do before or after?
- Make it a night out: something to do, then dinner, then nightcap. The plans on this page pair each top spot with the best-rated places within about a 20-minute walk.