5 Best Nightlife in New York City, New York

Knowledgeable bartenders mix drinks from a multipage, Roaring ’20s–style cocktail menu at this bar that takes pride in reinventing old staples with local themes, such as the Manhattanite and a Crown Heights negroni made with local Sorel liqueur. It also offers a small menu of snacks like stuffed dates and smoked trout on toast points. The staff are friendly and solicitous, and the backyard is open in summer.

A classy speakeasy-style bar with an unmarked door and an amber-lit interior framed by subway tile, Weather Up is an excellent date spot. Good drinks come to those who wait, and on a busy night it can take a few minutes for your painstakingly well-crafted cocktail to arrive. The list changes seasonally, and the leafy backyard opens in summer.

This sizable, stalwart neighborhood spot does double duty as both a local watering hole and a casual, New Orleans–style eatery whose offerings could be termed pub-menu-plus (gumbo, chicken and dumplings, shrimp po’boy). Weekend brunch draws families and couples for a stick-to-your-ribs menu, while the nighttime crowd is solidly local and unpretentious, whether enjoying the game on TV or shooting the breeze over a bite.

Unabashed geeks flock to this cocktail bar–cum–performance space known for live music, cozy banquettes, a vaguely steampunk theme, and the Dr. Who–style Tardis bathroom (seriously). The actual barroom is small but welcoming, and you can bring your cocktail over to the ample side room to watch everything from local folkies to burlesque.

With more than a dozen taps and many more bottles and cans, the rotating craft-beer selection is one of two major attractions at this friendly pub. The other is its large, concrete beer-garden space out back—ample summer seating for you, a slew of friends, and a bag of takeout (there is no kitchen, but outside food is welcome).