New York's bar scene has been the global benchmark for two decades. The 10 below aren't necessarily the most photographed; they're the rooms our New York editor visits when he's not working. Each one earns its place by what it does with the liquid and how the room makes you feel at 11 PM on a Tuesday. The full New York guide has more — but if you're in town for one night, start with one of these ten.
Part of our 50 Best Bars in the World listThis article is one chapter in our larger global guide. See the full pillar with every featured city.
Read the world list
The 10 best bars in New York right now
01 · New York
East Village
$$$
Dim · Velvet booths
Still the reference point for the modern American cocktail bar. The pedigree that came out of this room — Phil Ward, Brian Miller, Joaquín Simó — reshaped global drinking culture. Sit at the back bar if you can.
Order: Oaxaca Old Fashioned
02 · New York
Lower East Side
$$$
Speakeasy · No menu
Sasha Petraske's last room. There's no menu — you tell the bartender what you like and they build it from there. Knock the metal door at 134 Eldridge.
Order: Penicillin
03 · New York
Greenwich Village
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All-day café-bar
Voted World's Best Bar in 2019. Works equally well at noon and at midnight. The Garibaldi alone earns the visit; outdoor seating on MacDougal is the move.
Order: Garibaldi
04 · New York
Upper East Side
$$$$
Hotel piano bar · Murals
Inside The Carlyle. The Ludwig Bemelmans murals were painted in 1947 in exchange for a year's lodging. Live piano, dark, formal, unbeatable for a martini.
Order: A martini, served properly, while the pianist plays Gershwin
05 · New York
West Village
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Japanese highball bar
Masahiro Urushido brought Tokyo bar-craft to Hudson Street and won World's Best Bar in 2020 for it. The highballs are flawless; the snack menu is genuinely good.
Order: Toki Highball, served the proper way
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06 · New York
Brooklyn (Cobble Hill)
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Belle Époque · Plush
Julie Reiner's flagship. Brooklyn's longest-running serious cocktail bar. Dark wood, brass, drinks that respect classical structure.
Order: Clover Club (gin, raspberry, lemon, egg white)
07 · New York
Financial District
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Irish-American saloon
Three floors. Taproom for pints, Parlor upstairs for the seasonal cocktail menu. Awarded everything worth awarding.
Order: Irish Coffee — best in the city
08 · New York
West Village
$$$
Lab cocktails
Don Lee and Dave Arnold's tech-forward cocktail bar. Clarified milk punches, rotovap-distilled spirits, force-carbonated drinks. The room for liquid science.
Order: Tropicál (clarified piña colada, frozen)
09 · New York
East Village
$$$
Phone booth entry
You enter through a phone booth inside Crif Dogs. The trick is famous; the drinks are still excellent. Reservations recommended.
Order: Benton's Old Fashioned
10 · New York
West Village
$$
Late-night · Tarot reader
West Village mainstay since 2004. Late-night kitchen until 3:30 AM is one of the city's most underrated post-shift secrets.
Order: Provençal (gin, vermouth, lavender)
More New York bars by categoryCocktail, rooftop, hidden gem, sports — the full New York index by occasion.
See the full list
Where to drink in New York if you only have one night
If it's date night, Dante or Bemelmans. If you want the technical-bartender show, Death & Co or Existing Conditions. If you want to see what the no-menu format looks like at its best, Attaboy. If you want a piece of the city's literal cocktail history, the Dead Rabbit or Bemelmans. New York rewards visitors who pick a neighbourhood and stick with it — bar-hopping is fine, but the rooms above are best when you commit.
