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New Yorkers are fond of the "work hard, play hard" maxim, but the truth is, Gothamites don't need much of an excuse to hit the town. Any day of the week could easily be mistaken for a Friday or Saturday; the bottom line is that when the the mood strikes, there are always plenty of choices in this 24-hour city. Whether it's raising a glass in a historic saloon, a dimly lit cocktail den, or a swanky rooftop lounge; checking out the latest band; or laughing it up at a comedy show, it isn't hard for visitors to get a piece of the action.
The nightlife scene still resides largely downtown—in the dives and speakeasies of the East Village and Lower East Side, the classic jazz joints and piano bars of the West Village, and the Meatpacking District's and Chelsea's "see-and-be-seen" clubs. Midtown, especially around Hell's Kitchen, has developed a vibrant scene, too, and plenty of upscale hangouts dot the Upper East and Upper West Sides. Brooklyn and Harlem are go-to destinations for in-the-know locals.
Keep in mind that when you go is just as important as where you go. A club that is packed at 11 pm might empty out by midnight, and a bar that raged last night may be completely empty tonight. Time Out New York magazine has a good list of roving parties (www.timeout.com/newyork), as does Urban Daddy (www.urbandaddy.com/new-york). Scour industry-centric websites, too, like Eater and Grub Street, which catalog the comings and goings of many a nightlife impresario. New York magazine and the New York Times have listings of cabaret and jazz shows, the latter mainly in its Friday and Sunday Arts sections. Bear in mind that a venue's life span is often measured in months, not years. Phone ahead or check online to make sure your target hasn't closed or turned into a polka hall (although, you never know—that could be fun, too).
Practically the official bar of the High Line park, the Standard Biergarten is a sprawling, bustling space complete with table tennis, bench tables, and big steins of beer. For food, there's a grill that churns out all manner of Teutonic-accented sausages; other kitchen offerings include giant soft pretzels, crispy wings, and Berlin street food favorite currywurst.
This craft brewery proudly produces and serves 100% New York beer, sourcing all of their malts and hops from around the state of New York. As the giant flagship location, it's also a huge communal venue to showcase local creatives, from painters to poets. Some nights there's open mic or live music. Outside, the waterfront sitting area is prime for watching the sun set down the Hudson River with the Statue of Liberty.
At a glance, this dive bar may conjure up images of drunken sailors and dockworkers, the way it once might have been, having been around since the 1890s. Now called Sunny's Bar—named after the late owner Sunny Balzano who transformed the old saloon—it's not just a lively watering hole, but a community space for local artists and a venue for live music. Stop in to watch many talented local musicians playing blues, jazz, and bluegrass every night (except Monday).
If Condesa in Mexico City and the East Village collided it would look and taste a lot like this "super good" corner bar, which opened in 2023. The man behind the bar is Ignacio "Nacho" Jimenez, a Mexico native who has been shaking up cocktails in New York for a few decades. Now he has his own bar and what a vision it is: bathed in magenta lights with walls bedecked with lucha libre masks, this lively spot serves up a Negroni made with mole fat-washed mezcal and a tequila-spiked green mango martini, among other creative cocktails.
This unpretentious lounge is high on the sweet factor and luckily low on the vicious attitudes, which helps explain why it's been consistently popular since it opened in 1998. There's a lovely back garden that's more private than the sceney bars you might otherwise hit in SoHo and NoLIta.
In 2021, two female beer aficionados in Brooklyn founded Talea Beer Co. a brewery that puts an emphasis on fruit-flavored beer in the hope they could get non-beer drinkers to love this hoppy beverage. It worked. At least enough for them to open a small handful of taprooms around the city. The West Village outpost has 20 brews on tap, including crisp Vienna-style pilsners, IPAs, and fruity brews, of course. There is a small menu of beer-friendly fare, such as plus-size Bavarian pretzels, but you can also bring pizza slices from L'Industrie next door and eat it while you sip the sudsy stuff.
This two-room spot is one of the best wine bars in the Village, thanks, in part, to the fact that it offers over 100 different wines by the glass. So you can spend an evening here switching up your libations and locations, going from Napa to Rioja to the Republic of Georgia to even Slovakia. Tasty snacks include beef meatballs, cacio e pepe cheese puffs, and Calabrian chili-topped deviled eggs.
When The Ten Bells opened back in 2008, the unusual wine list attracted people in the wine industry and wine nerds, as well as locals who loved the $1.50 oysters and $20 carafes of wine at happy hour (still a thing) and tapas-style food. Now that natural wines have become trendy, the dark cozy space is busier than ever.
A true charmer, this second-story haven for blues lovers is a cozy Greenwich Village club surprisingly short on NYU students (unlike other places in this neighborhood). Everyone from great national acts like Buddy Guy to local R&B artists graces the stage year-round.
A neighborhood favorite, this relaxed fine wine bar is impressive to oenophiles and welcoming to everyone thanks to an extensive list that includes well-priced options by the glass, bottle, or sizable tasting pours. The bar is easy to walk right by on charming Harrison Street, but once inside you will find seats at the bar for wine-centric conversations with the sharp staff or more private nooks for a romantic evening of wine and cheese (or more substantial dishes). Don't miss daily 4–6 pm, and 10 pm–closing time happy hours.
With slate floors, wood-paneled walls, and a small stone-filled pond, the design at this spacious lounge in Hell's Kitchen is as upscale as its mostly male clientele, which includes older uptown professionals and the twentysomething hipsters who love them (and vice versa). Hungry? There's a solid menu of small dishes.
The group behind the beloved Brooklyn absinthe-themed cocktail bar Maison Premiere opened this speakeasy-style lounge on the Lower East Side in December 2023 and it instantly became the place to sip cocktails that straddle the line between classic and creative, as well as bespoke martinis (in which guests can request the ratio of vermouth and gin). The gold-accented decor invites '80s-style debauchery among the twenty- and thirtysomething revelers who frequent the place. Make a reservation to ensure you can get in.
In the heart of TriBeCa, this diminutive three-story town house dates all the way back to 1810. The ground floor is home to a restaurant with a wood-burning fireplace in the back, and food is served until late; upstairs, a pressed-copper bar provides an intimate place for cocktails and snacks. This is prime date territory, and Tiny's old-fashioned ambience is perfect for a romantic predinner cocktail.
As the name suggests, Tom and Jerry's is pretty much an every-person's bar, a casual mainstay on the New York scene that caters mostly to locals who come for everything from casual afternoon beers to late-night cocktails. There's seating at the long bar or at picnic tables under the windows.
Distinguished, mature men from the Upper East Side meet younger would-be versions of themselves at this "gentlemen's club" and piano bar. The attire is "uptown casual" if not fancier (though jackets are not required), and there are daily happy hours, $2 off from 4 to 8 pm, plus weekly special events.
A fun find for LGBTQ+ travelers and allies, Uncle Charlie's is a second-floor haven for happy hours, piano singalongs, and quiet breaks on the back outdoor patio. It's a casual scene with flirty regulars and attentive bartenders pouring 'til the wee hours (from 4 pm to 4 am nightly). The daily happy hour special consists of $2 off any cocktail or spirit, from 4 to 8 pm, and open-mic night happens from 8 pm to 2 am daily except Sunday.
A former pool supply store is now a funky multiroom venue, complete with a bar serving beer and simple cocktails, a photo booth, DJs, and a backroom for up-and-coming music acts. It's been around for over two decades, and is still a popular spot on the Friday-night circuit, especially for late-night revelry. Permanently parked in its walled outdoor patio is a taco truck.
The 30th-floor penthouse rooftop lounge atop The Kimberly Hotel offers cocktails amid aerial views of Midtown Manhattan year-round. You may even catch a glimpse of the Chrysler Building, and can opt to sip on a drink named for the famous Art Deco skyscraper itself. A selection of small plates round out the rest of the menu, with such popular orders as charcuterie or cheese boards and Kobe beef sliders. A retractable glass ceiling, heated floors, and outdoor fireplace make this bar perfect for any season.
Tucked away from the street, the "Belgian Beer Bar" (as everybody calls it) features a European-style, enclosed outdoor courtyard and a cozy interior, all red light and shadows. NYU grad-student types come for the mammoth selection of beers on tap as well as the fries, which are served with Belgian flair in a paper cone, with an array of sauces on the side.
You can get a solid Negroni or Manhattan at this exposed-brick watering hole, but where the bar really shines is in its bespoke cocktails. Fight for a seat at the bar if possible to watch the sharply clad barkeeps whip up house specialties, or simply give them a few descriptive words ("spirit-forward," "something with bourbon," "light and refreshing") and let them create a cocktail on the spot to match your thirst.
Despite the cutesy name reflecting its location, Warren Peace is a sophisticated, compact lounge pouring a balanced selection of signature and classic cocktails. There's also a long menu of local and international ales, a nice assortment of wines, and an uncommon list of soft drinks like rose lemonade and ginger beer. The food menu has grown from small shareable bites to include entrées, but instead of dining, most locals head here for a romantic vibe and creative concoctions.
Few bars can rival the harbor views of this festive Seaport spot occupying Pier 15. Watermark is an all-season bar that's open-air most of the year (with pop-up igloos and chalets through winter). Thirsty patrons enjoy breezy weekday happy hours, prix-fixe drinking-dining events, and deals on wine, beer, cocktails, plus daily and seasonal specials like Wine-Down Wednesday and Oktoberfest. A variety of bar food and weekend brunch balances out the robust drinking options.
This stalwart of the lower Manhattan bar scene—as about a classic an East Village watering hole as you'll find—is technically called WCOU but everyone refers to it as the "Tile Bar," and you should too. Bartenders are friendly, yet no-nonsense, and the drinks are potent and cheap—especially at the daily happy hour 'til 8 pm when well drinks are a measly $4.
This 144-year-old tavern got a revamp in spring 2019. The new White Horse has a cleaned-up interior and a much more inspired gastropub menu to boot. Prices went up, too. The burger, now a whopping $28, is still good, though. Poets and history buffs should make a point to have a pint here: according to New York legend, writer Dylan Thomas drank himself to death in this watering hole in 1953. When the weather's nice, try to snag a seat at one of the sidewalk tables for breezy people-watching—just don't overdo it on the whisky like Thomas.
Combine the cozy atmosphere and frothy pints standard at Irish pubs with a well-heeled West Village crowd and you get Wilfie & Nell, a candlelit bar full of communal tables for making new friends. This perpetually crowded neighborhood go-to, with its low ceilings and locally sourced food, is a popular singles spot as well as a good match for night owls: food and brews are usually served until midnight.
Head to this Broadway institution to drink in vintage Midtown Manhattan at the compact bar, surrounded by caricatures of theater, film, music, and TV stars past and present.
