A night of live music in Astoria / Long Island City →
3 stops, all within a short walk
1
0.7 mi
5:30 PMDinner
2
0.1 mi
7:00 PMThe show
3
8:30 PMNightcap
← New YorkDate night guide · New York
Best live music venues for a date in New York
Eat early, catch the set, stay for one more.
88 spots · Jump to the list
Live music takes the pressure off a date: there's always something to react to, and nobody has to carry the conversation. The list runs from jazz clubs to bars with a band in the corner. Check the lineup before you go, eat beforehand, and leave time for a drink afterwards to talk about the set.
This guide ranks 88 live music venues in New York, from Harlem to Astoria / Long Island City and Bushwick / Ridgewood. Editors' picks come first, then the rest by rating, and the plans below build a whole evening around the best of them.
Nights couples planned here
Published date nights with a stop on this list.
adventurous
romantic
Make a night of it
Routes around the top spots on the list, with the best-rated places nearby for the rest of the evening.
A night of live music in SoHo / NoHo / Nolita →
3 stops, all within a short walk
1
0.9 mi
5:30 PMDinner
2
0.9 mi
7:00 PMThe show
3
8:30 PMNightcap
The list
Editors' picks first, then by rating · the top 24 of 88.
Cocktail BarOffCity
4.9(23)Astoria / Long Island City · $$
Cocktail BarFoxtail
4.9(8)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $$
Jazz BarBar Bayeux
4.8(26)Park Slope / Gowanus
BarDejavu
4.8(23)West Village / Greenwich Village · $$$
Jazz ClubPatrick's Place
4.8(19)Harlem · $$
Jazz ClubBill's Place
4.8(12)Harlem · $$
Dive BarSunny's
4.8(5)Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill · $
Cocktail BarLunÀtico
4.7(26)Bushwick / Ridgewood · $$
RestaurantTsion Café
4.7(24)Harlem · $$
Cocktail BarBaretto
4.7(23)Midtown Manhattan · $$$$
Art GalleryAngel Orensanz Center
4.7(19)East Village / LES
RestaurantFavela Grill
4.7(17)Astoria / Long Island City · $$$
Jazz ClubOrnithology Jazz Club
4.7(12)Bushwick / Ridgewood · $$
BarMotel No Tell
4.7(11)East Village / LES · $$
BarHaswell Green
4.7(11)Midtown Manhattan · $$
Piano Bar & Cocktail BarBrandy's Piano Bar
4.7(7)Upper East Side · $
RestaurantLucille's Coffee and Cocktails
4.7(6)Harlem · $$
BarNuyorican Poets Cafe
4.6(26)East Village / LES · $
BarPete’s Candy Store
4.6(25)Williamsburg · $
RestaurantDiWine
4.6(23)Astoria / Long Island City · $$
ClubPurgatory
4.6(21)Bushwick / Ridgewood
Piano BarThe Wallace Lounge
4.6(19)Upper West Side · $$$$
Jazz ClubMezzrow
4.6(19)West Village / Greenwich Village · $$
BarYoung Ethel's
4.6(13)Park Slope / Gowanus · $
Good to know
- What's the best place for live music in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is OffCity in Astoria / Long Island City, rated 4.9 out of 5. Foxtail and Bar Bayeux round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best live music venues?
- Harlem (4), Astoria / Long Island City (3) and Bushwick / Ridgewood (3) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable live music venues in New York?
- Yes — OffCity, Foxtail and Patrick's Place are all $$ or under.
- What should we do before or after?
- Make it a night of live music: dinner, then the show, then nightcap. The plans on this page pair each top spot with the best-rated places within about a 20-minute walk.