The Best New Bars in NYC Right Now
Jazz bars, piano bars, country bars—there’s something for everyone.
One thing is for sure: The bar scene in New York City is unmatched. Because when it comes to shaking cocktails and stirring up a great vibe, local watering holes aren’t cutting any corners. From a secret poet’s club-inspired speakeasy to a western bar with its own mechanical bull, every night out in NYC is like an immersive experience.
When you’re not hitting up singles bars, clubs, and LGBTQIA+ bars, these newcomer bars are where to be. Here are 12 of the most exciting new spots to grab a drink and celebrate the fact that you’re in the city that never sleeps, at least not until you finish that glass.
Best new bars in Manhattan
Lower East Side
When Contra closed last year, people mourned the departure of the edgy, tasting menu. But owners Jeremiah Stone and Fabian von Hauske Valtierra took it as an opportunity to create something more approachable in its place: a bar. Now funky cocktails and one-bite snacks like Montauk Scarlet Prawns and Fresh Tofu (caviar, chives, buckwheat) are the stars of the show. On a stool at the long bar or in an olive-green upholstered booth in the back dining room, work your way through the drinks menu, from the Acid Granny (apple gin, tarragon, green apple, orange syrup) to the frozen Sea Witch (aquavit, grapefruit, herbal liqueur, lemon).
NoHo
Following previous hits like The Nines and Deux Chats, Golden Hospitality teamed up with Paradise Projects to enter the wine bar world with Elvis. In the space that once held the storied Great Jones Cafe, the spot features tangerine-colored walls, white-and-red rattan seating, and a glittering expanse of wine glasses dangling above the bar. Orange wine lovers will be delighted by the surprisingly robust list of amber-hued varieties. During the warmer months, guests can enjoy bluebird days outside courtesy of European-inspired sidewalk seating—similar to that at its Lower East Side sibling Le Dive.
Lower East Side
For longtime friends Michael McIlroy and Sam Ross—the duo behind the trailblazing, craft-cocktail destination Attaboy—Good Guy’s was a way to combine their two favorite things: the tapas culture of Barcelona and the wine bars of Paris. The compact spots does indeed allow imbibers to cosplay European evenings through sips of chilled reds or spritzes and bites from shared plates of Smoked Trout Dip, tinned Spicy Marinated Mussels, and Boquerones. Expect a walk-in-only policy and a consistently impeccable playlist courtesy of the owners’ expansive vinyl collection.
Gramercy Park
The team behind Martiny’s strikes again with an equally swanky, romantic spot. Midnight Blue provides a thoroughly artistic experience from the interior design to the expert bar program and top-tier music. Upon entering, guests are ushered into a whisky library dubbed Bar Neat, which functions as a front waiting room—but the back room is where the action is. Here, there’s a spotlit stage, bartenders in Canadian tuxedos, and an intimate smattering of tables. While bopping along to one or all three jazz sets per evening—starting at 7, 8:45, and 10:15 pm every night—delve into the bespoke beverage menu of highballs and sours created by Takuma Watanabe (Angel’s Share, Martiny’s).
Chinatown
After tenures at Sake Bar Decibel, Shintaro Cho and Yuri Itakura have branched out with their own Japanese rice wine concept called Sake Bar Asoko. Hospitality is of the utmost importance here, so don’t be worried about where you land on the sake literacy scale. Guests can pour glasses of sake from family heirloom glassware, sip on shochu cocktails like the All Nighter (a coffee-infused shochu cocktail with orange peel and Pocky garnish), and nibble on Furikake Edamame. Nightly vinyl spinning is the owners’ nostalgic ode to their adolescence in Japan’s early Heisi period (1990s to mid 2000s).
Hell’s Kitchen
If a piano bar and supper club had a baby, you’d get So and So’s. Set within the Romer Hotel Hell’s Kitchen, the sultry, cherry red- and navy-hued lounge offers nightly live entertainment to enjoy alongside stiff drinks. Cocktail standouts include The Big Apple (vodka, gin, St. Germain, brandy, eucalyptus) and Bodega Cat (tequila, herbal liqueur, coconut milk, espresso, vanilla, cinnamon, coconut foam). As for the entertainment, you never know what you’re going to get here—and that’s a good thing. The space showcases an eclectic swath of talent from jazz trios to drag performers.
Chinatown
Once upon a time, Time Again was just called Time. Back then, it was a sushi spot. These days, the rebranded spot operates as a frills-free bar and current hotspot for many Dimes Square regulars. Nights here consist of large crowds leisurely loitering in the makeshift courtyard out front and fruitless attempts to secure one of the coveted primary-colored stools. There are $9 glasses of wine and $13 spritzes, which is an amazing deal in NYC.
Best new bars in Brooklyn
Clinton Hill
A playful, modular aesthetic is one of the first things you’ll notice about Clinton Hill’s Casanara. There’s lime green walls, pink velvet booths, brushed cement floors, an architectural back bar, and, of course, a disco ball. The drink menu leans tropical with choices like the Sea Plane (gin, suze, guava, lime), Cosmonaut (butterfly pea flower-infused vodka, clementine, St. Germain, lime, prosecco), and the frozen Cafe Painkiller (rum, cold brew liqueur, pineapple, coconut cream, orange). When the budget is tight, head over for happy hour when there’s $3 Budweiser and Presidente and $6 well drinks.
Williamsburg
Giddy up, cowboy. We’re on our way to ride the mechanical bull at a country bar. Following in the footsteps of its Los Angeles predecessor, the East Coast outpost of Desert 5 Spot has long lines every weekend for a reason. A nondescript exterior gives way to a playful Western interior, complete with a vintage-Chevy truck DJ booth, Dolly Parton homages, saloon doors, cowhide rugs, a cowboy boot disco ball, and, of course, the aforementioned mechanical bull. Order a signature cocktail like the Ring of Fire (mezcal, green poblano liqueur, prickly pear, lemon, ginger honey) or try out a large-format Cactus margarita pitcher. On weekend nights, the music oscillates between DJs and live bands.
Bushwick
You might already know the name Irene Yoo, perhaps because you’ve seen her videos giving lessons on soju and other Korean delicacies to her 80,000 Instagram and 56,000 TikTok followers. Yoo recently broke free from a solely virtual presence and is now giving her passion for Korean rice liquor a brick-and-mortar outlet via Orion Bar. In honor of her Korean American heritage, Yoo uses soju to recreate classic cocktails like the Negroni (jujube-infused soju, gin, vermouth, ginseng) and Martini (soju, kelp, shiitake, vermouth, lemon oil). If you’re feeling peckish, you can’t go wrong with comfort classics like Shin Ramyun and Spam Musubi.
Best new bars in Queens
Ridgewood
Chef Yara Herrera (Sobre Masa, Bar Tulix) and the team behind the popular wood-fired restaurant Rolo’s have partnered on a new venture dubbed the Hellbender Nighttime Cafe. The Southwestern-inspired joint’s unique name is funnily sourced from the elusive and giant Hellbender salamander, which is found in bodies of water across North America—and on the cafe’s neon sign. Margaritas are the bar’s main beverage focus, with variations that include thrilling ingredients like strawberry brandy, club soda, and green chartreuse. Outdoor seating is slated to drop as the weather warms.