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 Bushwick / Ridgewood to Midtown Manhattan and Upper West Side. 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.
Brandy's Piano Bar
4.4(7)Upper East Side · $
Sunny's
4.4(5)Carroll Gardens / Cobble Hill · $
Nuyorican Poets Cafe
4.3(26)East Village / LES · $
Blue Note
4.3(24)West Village / Greenwich Village · $$$$
The Flatiron Room
4.3(19)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$$$
The Wallace Lounge
4.3(19)Upper West Side · $$$$
Mezzrow
4.3(19)West Village / Greenwich Village · $$
Young Ethel's
4.3(13)Park Slope / Gowanus · $
Ornithology Jazz Club
4.3(12)Bushwick / Ridgewood · $$
The Ear Inn
4.3(11)SoHo / NoHo / Nolita · $
Smoke Jazz Club
4.3(7)Upper West Side · $$$
Marian's
4.3(4)Bushwick / Ridgewood · $
St. Mazie Bar & Supper Club
4.2(25)Williamsburg · $$
Brooklyn Beer Garden, Bushwick
4.2(25)Bushwick / Ridgewood · $$
Tomi Jazz
4.2(23)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
1803 NYC
4.2(19)Tribeca · $$$
Ashford & Simpson’s Sugar Bar
4.2(19)Upper West Side · $$
Radegast Hall and Biergarten
4.2(18)Williamsburg · $$
Frida Midtown
4.2(15)Midtown Manhattan · $$$
Baby's Alright
4.1(23)Williamsburg · $
Experimental Cocktail Club
4.1(21)Flatiron / Gramercy · $$
The Victoria
4.0(25)Harlem · $$$
Don’t Tell Mama
4.0(22)Midtown Manhattan · $$
Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden
4.0(20)Astoria / Long Island City · $$
Showing 49–72 of 98 spots
Good to know
- What's the best place for live music in New York for a date?
- Our top pick is Brandy's Piano Bar in Upper East Side, rated 4.4 out of 5. Sunny's and Nuyorican Poets Cafe round out the top 3.
- Which New York neighborhoods have the best live music venues?
- Bushwick / Ridgewood (3), Midtown Manhattan (3) and Upper West Side (3) have the most spots in the top 24.
- Are there affordable live music venues in New York?
- Yes — Brandy's Piano Bar, Sunny's and Nuyorican Poets Cafe are all $$ or under.
- Do I need a reservation?
- It depends on the spot. Book ahead for Smoke Jazz Club and Experimental Cocktail Club, while Tomi Jazz takes walk-ins.
- 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.