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Sure, there are still bars where you’re lucky to score a bowl of peanuts or a bag of potato chips just to keep your stomach from growling.
But you can push back that sad bowl of picked-over pretzels; you won’t be needing it. These 17 spots pay just as much attention to the food as they do to the drinks, from a Bolognese-inspired fried chicken sandwich at Double Chicken Please to “dirty martini” oysters at The Hotel Chelsea’s Lobby Bar and crave-worthy burgers at Long Island Bar. The end result: a golden age of bar food — and a reason to linger for maybe just one more round.
Newly Added: Deux Chats, Forsythia, Good Guy’s, Hana Makgeolli, Ray’s Hometown Bar, and WEST10WEST.
WEST10WEST
West Village
The bar section at this moody, dark-academia-style spot has to be our favorite place to sit, preferably sipping on a glass from their wine list that changes weekly. When everything goes right in our lives, you’ll also see us sharing bread and cultured butter, seared octopus, and beet gnocchi with ricotta with someone handsome.
Good Guy's
Lower East Side
Good Guy’s is right next door to its more famous sibling, Attaboy. And if you know anything at all about Attaboy, you’ll know that the cocktails here are something special. Order accordingly — they specialize in all things spritz, plus they have a large variety of small bites. Think conservas, pan con tomate, and crackly crème brûlée.
Deux Chats
Williamsburg
This Francophile-friendly spot has food that can stand toe to toe with their cocktails, and here that’s a big deal since the cocktails are truly superb. Go for the house martini, with celery and manzanilla, and turn it into a “martini fountain” that serves 13 if you’re feeling frisky (and you brought lots of friends to share with). To go with all of that, opt for the grand seafood tower, piled high with oysters, shrimp, lobster salad, and more, or the brioche buttons with seaweed-sesame butter.
Hana Makgeolli
Greenpoint
One of our favorite spots in the city for some of the city’s most exceptional pop-ups also has its own standby menu of Korean anju (drinking foods) that is not to be slept on. We repeat: Do not overlook the anju from Hana Makgeolli. Their scallion and garlic chive pajeon (pancake) is perfectly crackly and savory, with a balanced spicy and tart dipping sauce. The dubu kimchi is an ideal companion for any of Hana Makgeolli’s sool options — though we’re partial to the floral, light-bodied Hwaju 12. And the fried chicken, mala cream pasta, and pork belly suyuk are more than satisfying. And for cocktails? We can’t recommend the Evergreen enough.
Forsythia
Lower East Side
One of the city’s premier destinations for handmade pasta has a menu of bar-only sandwiches you don’t want to miss. The menu changes monthly, but for March, they’ve got an outstanding Italian dip that’s worth seeking out: ciabatta stuffed with braised short rib, onion, and mozzarella, served with dipping jus. The sandwiches, and the pasta, are perfect pairings for their cocktails (we like the fennel Mezcal Negroni) and their lovely by-the-glass wine list. Walk-ins are always welcome, but you can also reserve a spot at the bar, too.
The Golden Swan
West Village
Enjoy a night at the bar in supreme style with The Golden Swan’s plush stools, gilded bar top, and green tile backsplash at the downstairs Wallace Room. Go all out (why not?) with an order of Osetra caviar served with wafer-style potatoes, French onion dip, and chives; or a steak tartare with brown butter emulsion. You’ll be thirsty after all that indulgence, so make sure to grab one or two of their cocktails. We’re partial to the Golden Swan Martini, made with Mezcal and chile.
11 Tigers
East Village
The former home of Pouring Ribbons (RIP, we miss you) on Avenue B remains a speakeasy, albeit now it also serves some exceptional Thai and Japanese dishes, too, from hand rolls and tom yum ramen to takoyaki and Thai-style oysters. 11 Tigers likewise infuses its cocktails with an array of Japanese and Thai ingredients; you don’t want to sleep on the Knockout Tiger, made with pandan house ya dong that’s smoked to order, or the Pink Panther, made with lychee-infused vodka, sala syrup, yuzu, and citrus zest.
Ray's Hometown Bar
Greenpoint
Bar Goto Niban
Prospect Heights
Whether you’re headed to the Lower East Side original or the newer Bar Goto Niban outpost in Prospect Heights, the go-to order (see what we did there?) involves the miso wings or okonomiyaki (savory cabbage pancakes). Pair them with one of owner Kenta Goto’s thoughtful drinks showcasing Japanese ingredients, like the signature cherry blossom-garnished Sakura Martini made with sake and gin.
Walk-ins only.
Dante West Village
West Village
Compared to the landmarked original Dante, the West Village location has more sprawl, in terms of both the physical space and the menu options, too. You won’t miss the pasta when you have access to all the goods emerging from the wood-fired oven, from roasted branzino to baby lamb chops, or crispy baked potatoes topped with creme fraiche and osetra caviar. All the Italian aperitivos are here and then some, including an expanded Spritz selection.
Bonnie's
Williamsburg
Come for the umami-laced MSG Martini, stay for chef Calvin Eng’s inventive takes on Cantonese American fare, from tinned dace fish dip with saltines to the char siu “BkRib.” The bathroom, with its flashing colored lights and rave vibe, has its own fan base, too. We’d argue that there’s no better seat in the house (aside from the round table in the front with a lazy susan) than the bar here.
The Coop at Double Chicken Please
Lower East Side
As the name suggests, of course you’ll find fried chicken sandwiches galore, from hot honey to a Bolognese grilled cheese variation (and a smaller popcorn chicken “side” too). But there’s also more in the form of shiitake mushroom poppers and a rich chicken liver mousse, too. All of it pairs beautifully with the inventive cocktails inspired by favorite dishes, such as French Toast (vodka, roasted barley, brioche, coconut, milk, le syrup, egg). Cue the joke about having your cake, and drinking it, too.
We’d also be remiss not mentioning the front room of the bar, which is now known as Free Range at Double Chicken Please. It’s got its own distinct cocktail menu, inspired by classic cartoon characters, from Winnie the Pooh to Doraemon, and its own eclectic food menu. Standouts include beetroot monakas with crème fraiche and yuzu and chicken wings stuffed with sticky rice and Thai basil, glazed with Taiwanese three-cup sauce.
P.S. We know getting in here isn’t the easiest, so we’ve got you covered here.
Grand Army
Boerum Hill
Lobby Bar at The Hotel Chelsea
Chelsea
Just when we thought old-school glamour was dead, this elegant bar opened on the ground floor of the historic, newly renovated Hotel Chelsea, just right for fancy date nights. The stiff $26 Dukes Martini, named for the iconic version perfected at London’s Dukes Bar, gets all the attention, but the baked-to-order chocolate chip cookies and dirty martini oysters topped with gin and manzanilla olive granita deserve love, too.
No reservations for parties of up to five guests. For larger groups, email events@hotelchelsea.com to reserve.
Bonus: If you’re already there and in the mood for Spanish food, we highly suggest heading to the bar at El Quijote for an El Presidente and some chipirones.
Martiny's
Gramercy Park
Located in a former carriage house, Angel’s Share alum Takuma Watanabe is making elaborate drinks in the style of Japanese cocktail bars: think impeccable hospitality, artful glassware (like martini glasses with extra-thin, extra-elongated stems) and more than a little theatricality. The “snacks” — small plates by Masa and Eleven Madison Park alum Wayne Cheng of Michelin-starred Joji — also impress, like kingfish crudo pickled radish, black plum, and wasabi oil, or creamy burrata with smoked trout roe and yuba chips.
The Long Island Bar
Cobble Hill
Bar pro Toby Cecchini rescued and re-imagined this bar, first opened in 1951, lavishing attention on the art deco fixtures (we love the “No Dancing” neon in the back) and some of the best cocktails in the city. But it’s also a great place to linger over dinner, especially if you can score one of the diner-style booths. Fried cheese curds nod to Cecchini’s Midwestern roots, and the burgers, made with single or double dry-aged beef patties and “fancy sauce,” will satisfy heartier appetites.
Walk-ins only.
Shinji's
Flatiron
One of the rare spots where a seat at a table is just as good as a stool at the semi-circular bar — maybe even better, thanks to a small fleet of tableside carts. Sink into a blue velvet banquette; before long, the bartender is pouring a super-chilled Dirtiest Martini direct from a bottle emblazoned with a James Bond label, adding just a dropperful of olive oil infused with gold powder, for extra shimmer. Next up, the chef arrives to wrap dollops of caviar within hand rolls, then wheels the cart to the next lucky table.
