The 9 Best Cocktail Bars in NYC (2026)

1. Double Chicken Please — Lower East Side, Manhattan

Cocktails that taste like dishes — one of the world's most acclaimed bars.

Double Chicken Please on Allen Street has two sides: a casual front room and the Coop in the back, where drinks are inspired by dishes — a cocktail that tastes like a Waldorf salad, or cold pizza. It has ranked among the very top of the World's 50 Best Bars list.

The fried chicken sandwiches are excellent too.

Good to know: Reserve the back room for the full menu.

115 Allen St, New York, NY

Google Maps Website

2. Dante — Greenwich Village, Manhattan

A century-old Village café turned world-famous Negroni bar.

Dante has occupied its MacDougal Street corner since 1915 and was reborn as an Italian-inspired cocktail bar that topped the World's 50 Best Bars list. Its Negroni Sessions and Garibaldi (Campari with fluffy fresh orange juice) are famous.

It works for brunch, aperitivo or a late drink.

Good to know: Order the Garibaldi.

79 MacDougal St, New York, NY

Google Maps Website

3. Attaboy — Lower East Side, Manhattan

No menu — tell the bartender what you like.

Attaboy, on Eldridge Street, occupies the space of the pioneering Milk & Honey bar and is run by its alumni. There is no menu: bartenders make a drink to suit your taste.

It is small, dim and often has a wait — ring the bell.

Good to know: Name a spirit and a mood, and let them improvise.

134 Eldridge St, New York, NY

Google Maps Website

4. Death & Co — East Village, Manhattan

The East Village bar that shaped the modern cocktail revival.

Death & Co opened on East 6th Street in 2006 and became one of the most influential cocktail bars in the world, with a long, inventive menu and a dark, moody room.

It has since expanded to other cities, but the original is the one to visit.

Good to know: Put your name down early in the evening — it fills up fast.

433 E 6th St, New York, NY

Google Maps Website

5. Please Don't Tell (PDT) — East Village (St. Marks Place), Manhattan

The speakeasy you enter through a phone booth in a hot dog shop.

PDT is hidden behind a phone booth inside Crif Dogs on St. Marks Place, and it helped spark New York's speakeasy craze. Inside, it is a small, polished cocktail bar — and you can order hot dogs from next door.

Reservations are strongly recommended.

Good to know: Order a Crif Dog with your cocktail.

113 St Marks Pl, New York, NY

Google Maps Website

6. Employees Only — West Village, Manhattan

A buzzing West Village classic, open late, with a psychic at the door.

Employees Only, on Hudson Street, combines serious cocktails with a lively, late-night atmosphere and a kitchen serving until the small hours. A fortune teller often sits by the entrance.

It is a favorite of bartenders after their own shifts.

Good to know: Go late — it is at its best after 11pm.

510 Hudson St, New York, NY

Google Maps Website

7. Katana Kitten — West Village, Manhattan

A Japanese-American highball bar with a playful two-level room.

Katana Kitten, on Hudson Street, blends Japanese bar culture with American cocktails: perfect highballs, inventive drinks and Japanese bar snacks, in a fun, unpretentious space.

It has featured on the World's 50 Best Bars list.

Good to know: Start with a Toki highball.

531 Hudson St, New York, NY

Google Maps Website

8. The Dead Rabbit — Financial District (Water Street), Manhattan

An award-winning Irish pub and cocktail parlour downtown.

The Dead Rabbit, on Water Street, is an Irish bar with a sawdust-floored taproom downstairs and a cocktail parlour upstairs. It has won a string of international awards, including World's Best Bar.

The Irish coffee here is a must.

Good to know: Order an Irish coffee in the taproom.

30 Water St, New York, NY

Google Maps Website

9. Superbueno — East Village, Manhattan

Mexican-American cocktails with energy — one of the city's newest stars.

Superbueno, in the East Village, celebrates Mexican-American flavors in cocktails like its green mango martini, alongside tacos and snacks, in a lively room.

It quickly earned a place on international best-bar lists.

Good to know: Try the house martini variations.

Website