New York invented the cocktail bar as we know it, and the current generation of rooms is as good as it's ever been. These are the bars worth planning a night around — from no-menu speakeasies to the Carlyle's piano-bar perfection.
01$$$Cocktail Bar
Lower East Side, Manhattan
No menu, no sign — just tell the bartender what you like. The Eldridge Street den that carried the Milk & Honey torch remains the city's benchmark for bespoke cocktails. Ring the buzzer at the unmarked door; seats go quickest before 8pm.
Quick InfoMap134 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002
02$$$Cocktail Bar
East Village, Manhattan
The East Village original that helped define the modern cocktail era. Dark, loud, and still turning out some of the most inventive drinks in the country. Arrive at opening or leave your name — the room fills within the first hour.
Quick InfoMap433 E 6th St, New York, NY 10009
03$$$Cocktail Bar
West Village, Manhattan
A psychic in the window, bartenders in chef whites, and a late-night kitchen. EO is the rare cocktail institution that's also a genuinely great hang. The kitchen serves a full menu deep into the night, a rarity in this city.
Quick InfoMap510 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014
04$$Cocktail Bar
Greenwich Village, Manhattan
A 1915 Village caffè reborn as a world-beating aperitivo bar. The Negroni menu alone is worth the visit; the garibaldi is mandatory. Once named the World's Best Bar, and the aperitivo hour still earns it.
Quick InfoMap79-81 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012
05$$Cocktail Bar
West Village, Manhattan
Japanese-American highballs, a toasted-sesame boulevardier, and the friendliest room in the West Village. Serious drinks without a drop of pretension. The toasted-sesame boulevardier and the katsu sando make a perfect pairing.
Quick InfoMap531 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014
06$$$$Cocktail Bar
Upper East Side, Manhattan
Ludwig Bemelmans' murals, a live piano, and white-jacketed service at the Carlyle. The martini costs what it costs; the room is priceless. Go on a weekday afternoon to skip the cover and have the murals mostly to yourself.
Quick InfoMap35 E 76th St, New York, NY 10021
07$$Cocktail Bar
Lower East Side, Manhattan
Cocktails engineered like dishes — the Cold Pizza really does taste like one. The back room books out; the front room's chicken sandwich is its own destination. The front room is walk-in only, so come early even if the back is booked.
Quick InfoMap115 Allen St, New York, NY 10002
08$$$$Cocktail Bar
Financial District, Manhattan
Sixty-four floors above the Financial District with a wraparound terrace and drinks that live up to the view. Book ahead and time it for sunset. Reserve the terrace at golden hour; the skyline does the rest.
Quick InfoMap70 Pine St, New York, NY 10005
09$$$Seafood
Williamsburg, Brooklyn
A New Orleans-inflected oyster and absinthe den with a garden out back. The happy-hour oysters and a Sazerac make a perfect Williamsburg evening. Happy-hour oysters run weekday afternoons, and the garden seats are the prize.
Quick InfoMap298 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211