Best live music venues for a date in New York
Eat early, catch the set, stay for one more.
98 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 98 live music venues in New York, from East Village / LES to Astoria / Long Island City and Harlem. 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.
MoMA PS1
4.7(14)Astoria / Long Island City · $
OffCity
4.6(23)Astoria / Long Island City · $$
Valerie
4.6(22)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Bathtub Gin
4.6(20)Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen · $$
The Empire Rooftop
4.6(19)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Apotheke Chinatown
4.6(15)Chinatown / Two Bridges · $$
Chelsea Living Room
4.6(14)Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen · $$$
Foxtail
4.6(8)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $$
Bar Bayeux
4.5(26)Park Slope / Gowanus
Saint Tuesday
4.5(25)Tribeca · $$$
Dejavu
4.5(23)West Village / Greenwich Village · $$$
Gold Sounds
4.5(21)Bushwick / Ridgewood
Patrick's Place
4.5(19)Harlem · $$
Gutter Bar
4.5(13)Williamsburg · $$
The Back Room
4.5(12)East Village / LES · $$
Bill's Place
4.5(12)Harlem · $$
Motel No Tell
4.5(11)East Village / LES · $$
Haswell Green
4.5(11)Midtown Manhattan · $$
LunÀtico
4.4(26)Bushwick / Ridgewood · $$
The Django
4.4(25)Tribeca · $$$
Tsion Café
4.4(24)Harlem · $$
Angel Orensanz Center
4.4(19)East Village / LES
Favela Grill
4.4(17)Astoria / Long Island City · $$$
sourmouse
4.4(8)East Village / LES · $$
Showing 25–48 of 98 spots
Good to know
- What's the best place for live music in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is MoMA PS1 in Astoria / Long Island City, rated 4.7 out of 5. OffCity and Valerie round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best live music venues?
- East Village / LES (4), Astoria / Long Island City (3) and Harlem (3) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable live music venues in New York?
- Yes — MoMA PS1, OffCity and Bathtub Gin 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.