New York · Upper East Side
The Upper East Side runs quieter than downtown, but the rooms reward the trip. From a mural lined hotel bar with nightly piano to a Yorkville gastropub that started the area's cocktail run, the picks below cover the range. Each one is a real, currently open room with its own profile on the site.
COCKTAIL BARS · $$$$
Bemelmans Bar at the Carlyle Hotel keeps the original 1947 Ludwig Bemelmans murals and books live piano nightly. The Old Cuban is the order and the cover charge applies once music starts. Go early to beat the line and the music fee.
COCKTAIL BARS · $$$$
Bar Pleiades inside the Surrey Hotel reopened in 2024 with a Chanel-inspired black and white room. The seasonal cocktails and Champagne service suit a quiet date or a nightcap. The marble bar seats about ten, so reserve a table on weekends.
COCKTAIL BARS · $$
The Penrose on Second Avenue brought cocktails to Yorkville with reclaimed wood booths and a long bar. The kitchen runs a brunch worth the walk and the room fills after work. Good for a relaxed neighbourhood night rather than a scene.
WHISKEY BARS · $$
Caledonia is an Upper East Side whisky bar with more than 250 bottles from Scotland, Japan, Ireland and the United States. Eight rotating taps back up the drams. Best for a Scotch flight with friends who care about the pour.
CRAFT BEER · $$
The Jeffrey sits under the Queensboro Bridge with rotating craft taps, an espresso bar and a global bites menu. The room works for coffee by day and beer by night. Good for a casual pint before or after the tram to Roosevelt Island.
SPORTS BARS · $$
Brother Jimmy's on Third Avenue pairs a barbecue kitchen with a big game day floor. The BBQ Pitcher and the screens pull a crowd for college football. Good for a loud afternoon with food and a group.
Use this guide as a route through the Upper East Side or as a checklist for a weekend in New York. Reservations are flagged where they matter. For the wider picture, see the full New York bar guide, the city's best cocktail bars, and the best whiskey bars in New York.