Editorial
Awards season bars are a distinct category, and most people are doing it wrong. We have spent years tracking down the spots where the screen is large enough to matter, the cocktail menu holds up under scrutiny, and the crowd treats ceremony nights as a serious occasion rather than an excuse to shout over the action. These 10 bars across New York and Los Angeles represent our definitive picks for the best bars for awards season viewing.
New York takes awards ceremonies with the solemnity they deserve. The better hotel bars and cinematic cocktail lounges set up dedicated screens for the Oscars, the BAFTAs, and the Golden Globes, and the crowd tends to dress for the occasion.
Los Angeles has a complicated relationship with the awards it mints. The industry crowd tends to watch from home or at private parties, which means the public bars that lean into ceremony nights do so with genuine enthusiasm. These 4 picks deliver on the promise.
For the Oscars and the Emmys, book at least two weeks out at any bar on this list. The Globes and the BAFTAs are easier to walk into, but the best spots still fill up in the hour before showtime. Dress as if the ceremony matters, because the bars on this list attract crowds that do the same.
If you are watching with a group larger than 4, call ahead regardless of whether the bar technically requires reservations. Every bar listed here has handled it before and will accommodate a larger party more graciously if they know you are coming.
James has covered New York's bar scene since 2010. He has strong opinions about which Midtown bars are worth entering and writes the awards season guide every year because he attends every major ceremony viewing from a bar stool.