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 Astoria / Long Island City to Harlem and Midtown Manhattan. 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.
Cafe Paulette
4.4(21)Fort Greene · $$
Experimental Cocktail Club
4.4(21)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$
The Roxy Bar
4.4(17)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $$
So & So's
4.4(16)Midtown Manhattan · $$
Red Rooster
4.4(15)Harlem · $$$$
MoMA PS1
4.4(14)Astoria / Long Island City · $
Swift Hibernian Lounge
4.4(9)East Village / LES · $
Pig Beach BBQ Queens
4.4(5)Astoria / Long Island City · $$
Public Records
4.4(5)Park Slope / Gowanus · $$$$
The Red Room KGB Bar
4.4(5)East Village / LES · $$
Ginny's Supper Club
4.4(5)Harlem · $$$
The Victoria
4.3(25)Harlem · $$$
Valerie
4.3(22)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Don’t Tell Mama
4.3(22)Midtown Manhattan · $$
Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden
4.3(20)Astoria / Long Island City · $$
Bathtub Gin
4.3(20)Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen · $$
Cellar Dog
4.3(20)West Village / Greenwich Village · $
The Empire Rooftop
4.3(19)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
The Red Lion
4.3(17)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $$
Apotheke Chinatown
4.3(15)Chinatown / Two Bridges · $$
Chelsea Living Room
4.3(14)Chelsea / Hell's Kitchen · $$$
Barawine
4.3(11)Harlem · $$$
Saint Tuesday
4.2(25)Tribeca · $$$
LIC Bar
4.2(21)Astoria / Long Island City · $
Showing 49–72 of 88 spots
Good to know
- What's the best place for live music in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is Cafe Paulette in Fort Greene, rated 4.4 out of 5. Experimental Cocktail Club and The Roxy Bar round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best live music venues?
- Astoria / Long Island City (4), Harlem (4) and Midtown Manhattan (4) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable live music venues in New York?
- Yes — Cafe Paulette, Experimental Cocktail Club and The Roxy Bar 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.