Cocktails, wine bars and dives: drinking in New York City for grown-ups.
Cocktail bars, wine bars, dive bars and gastropubs: drinking in New York City for grown-ups.
Death & Co on East 6th Street has set the East Village cocktail benchmark in New York City since 2007. Order the oaxaca old fashioned. At 433 East 6th Street.
DrinkOaxaca Old Fashioned
FoodSnacks and bar bites
TipWalk-ins only; the door takes names from 18:00. Wait at Hi-Fi next door for the text; it usually runs 90 minutes.
Attaboy on Eldridge has poured bartender-choice cocktails in the Lower East Side, New York City since 2013. No menu, no door bell, ring for entry.
DrinkPenicillin
FoodNone
TipRing the unmarked grey door. Order by mood and base spirit; the bar does the rest. Cash, card, no reservations.
Sean Muldoon and Jack McGarry's three-floor Financial District bar in New York City sits high in the World's 50 Best list. Order the irish coffee.
DrinkIrish Coffee
FoodPub food and oysters
TipThe downstairs Taproom takes walk-ins; the Parlor upstairs needs a booking. Order Irish Coffee at the Taproom counter.
Employees Only on Hudson Street has poured classic cocktails in the West Village, New York City since 2004. White-jacketed bartenders, late kitchen.
DrinkGinger Smash
FoodBar bites and full kitchen
TipThe back dining room runs walk-ins; the front bar fills by 21:00. Order the Ginger Smash and the chicken liver mousse.
Dutch Kills in Long Island City Queens runs Milk & Honey's tradition of bespoke cocktail-making in New York City. Order the dutch kills old fashioned.
DrinkDutch Kills Old Fashioned
FoodNone
TipRing the bell; the door is unmarked. Tell the bartender what you have been drinking lately and let them choose.
Double Chicken Please on Allen Street has run the city's most ambitious flavour-led cocktail program in New York City since 2020. Located in Lower East Side.
DrinkCold Pizza
FoodFried chicken sandwiches
TipFront Room walk-in; Coop in the back takes reservations on Resy. The Cold Pizza is the showpiece, the Pina Colada the runner-up.
Temple Bar on Lafayette Street has reopened the 1989 NoHo cocktail room in New York City. The espresso martini revival in 2022 happened largely in this room.
DrinkEspresso Martini
FoodCheese, charcuterie, snacks
TipThe bar runs walk-ins from 17:00. Order the espresso martini at the bar, not the tables; the bartender pulls the shot.
Kings County Imperial on Skillman Avenue in Williamsburg runs Chinese American food alongside tea-infused cocktails in New York City. At 20 Skillman Avenue.
DrinkGenmaicha Mai Tai
FoodChinese American kitchen
TipThe garden out back is open April to October. The egg roll and the Mai Tai pairing is the editor pick.
Old Town Bar near Union Square has poured Bass Ale from a 55-foot mahogany bar in New York City since 1892. Order the bass ale draught. Booking recommended.
DrinkBass Ale draught
FoodBurgers and pub food
TipSit in the upstairs dining room for the burger; the bar is for the draught and the bar food. Cash preferred.
White Horse Tavern on Hudson Street has poured Guinness in the West Village, New York City since 1880. Dylan Thomas drank 18 whiskeys here in 1953.
DrinkGuinness draught
FoodBurgers and pub food
TipSit in the front room; the back is reserved for diners. The burger is the second order after the first pint.
Amor y Amargo on East 6th has poured bitters-forward cocktails in the East Village, New York City since 2011. Order the all-bitters cocktails.
DrinkAll-bitters cocktails
FoodSnacks
TipTell the bartender you want a base spirit; they build around the bitter. Two drinks is the right ration.
Jimmy's Corner near Times Square has poured cheap beer and bourbon to off-Broadway crowds in New York City since 1971. Boxing photos on the walls, jukebox.
DrinkCheap beer and bourbon
FoodNone
TipCash only. The bar takes Bud, Bass and Bourbon orders. Sing along with the jukebox.
Ear Inn on Spring Street has poured pints to dockworkers in SoHo, New York City since 1817. The B in BAR fell off in the 1970s and stayed off.
DrinkDraught beer
FoodPub food, oysters
TipSunday afternoon jazz from 14:00. The room is small and loud; the oysters are surprisingly good.
Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle Hotel has poured cocktails under Ludwig Bemelmans's Central Park murals in New York City since 1947. Located in Upper East Side.
DrinkOld Cuban
FoodHotel-bar snacks
TipWalk-ins after 18:00 carry a $35 minimum per person music charge. Earlier visits skip the charge but miss the piano.
KGB on East 4th Street runs a Soviet-themed second-floor bar in the East Village, New York City. Free reading series Mondays and Tuesdays, red walls.
DrinkRussian Standard vodka
FoodNone
TipReading series start at 19:00. Climb to the third-floor speakeasy The Red Room for the bar without the readings.
El Quijote at the Hotel Chelsea has poured Spanish drinks since 1930 in New York City. Order the spanish gin and tonic. At 226 West 23rd Street.
DrinkSpanish gin and tonic
FoodSpanish kitchen
TipThe bar takes walk-ins; the dining room needs Resy. The Iberico ham and the gin and tonic on the bar is the pre-dinner combo.
Maison Premiere on Bedford Avenue has poured absinthe and shucked oysters in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, New York City since 2011. James Beard winner 2016.
DrinkAbsinthe service and house Sazerac
FoodRaw bar with 30+ oyster varieties and seasonal plates
TipOyster happy hour 16:00-19:00 weekdays is the way in; the garden opens April through November and books weeks ahead.
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