New York City’s reputation as the City That Never Sleeps is well-deserved, with hip nightlife spots throughout its Manhattan and Brooklyn boroughs offering unique drinks, exclusive lounges, and vibrant dance floors open all throughout the night.
Lantern’s Keep
Lantern’s Keep is a luxury cocktail bar near Bryant Park that has been recommended by Forbes’ Travel Guide and Conde Nast Traveler as one of the city’s top nightlife spots. The chic lounge recreates the splendor of turn-of-the-century East Coast hotel cocktail bars, located within the lobby of the Iroquois New York boutique hotel. Classic and reserve cocktails offer modern twists on traditional drinks such as the Old Fashioned and the Manhattan, while a draft beer list highlights local craft brewery favorites. Sparkling, red, white, and rosé wine options are also available, along with an upscale bar bites menu serving elegant dishes such as beef tartare, escargots, bison sliders, and raw oysters on the half shell.
49 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036, Phone: 212-453-4287
Bua
Bua occupies the former St. Marks Place home of legendary club Sin-é, best known for launching the careers of musical artists such as Jeff Buckley. Today, the bar retains its Irish character, named for the Gaelic word for “victory,” and attracts frequent crowds of arts students from NYU’s Tisch School for the Arts. The restaurant’s simple, satisfying bar menu offers favorites such as house burgers, pulled pork sliders, and vegetarian BLTs, with shareable appetizer plates also available. A clever cocktail menu is offered, along with draft beer selections and cauldrons of housemade sangria. On the weekends, a full brunch menu features comfort food such as chicken and waffles, along with carafes of mimosas or breakfast cocktails such as The Wake Up Call, a blend of spiced rum, espresso, and creme de cacao.
122 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10009, Phone: 212-979-6276
Holiday Cocktail Lounge
Holiday Cocktail Lounge originally opened in the early 20th century and became known as one of the city’s most classic dive bars, a frequent haunt of music industry celebrities such as Frank Sinatra and the Ramones. In 2012, the East Village staple shut its doors and nearly closed for good, but after a purchase by Robert Ehrlich, best known as the creator of Pirate’s Booty corn snacks, the bar reopened under new management. Today, its space has been completely renovated into a more upscale bar, though signature elements such as its iconic red awning still remain. Craft beer is available on draft or by the can, along with a clever menu of staff favorite cocktails. A limited menu of bar bites is also available, including charcuterie plates, spiced almonds, and vegetarian Reuben sandwiches.
75 St Marks Pl, New York, NY 10003, Phone: 212-777-9637
Flora Bar
Flora Bar was opened within the Met Breuer in 2016 by Thomas Carter and Ignacio Mattos, the pair behind city favorites Estela and Café Altro. The atmospheric Upper East Side restaurant and bar takes cues from European cafes, serving a playful menu emphasizing seafood and vegetable dishes such as East and West Coast-style oysters, Nova Scotia sea crab, and lobster and crab dumplings. An extensive drink menu is offered, including cocktails with exotic ingredients such as yuzu, peri peri, and wild bee pollen. On the weekends, brunch selections include favorites such as shakshuka. The restaurant is also home to the Flora Coffee cafe, which offers classic coffee shop beverages, homemade pastries, and sandwiches to museum patrons.
945 Madison Ave, New York, NY 10021, Phone: 646-558-5383
Slate NY
Slate NY is a multi-level nightlife spot located within the heart of Chelsea, offering upscale bar, lounge, and club areas that attract top celebrities and New York City business types. The sleek club offers 16,000 square feet of entertainment space, including a wide variety of bar games throughout the venue, from ping-pong and billiards to giant Connect Four, Jenga, and chess boards. Two high-definition video walls support DJ sets and live concerts, which are presented on a regular basis. An upscale bar menu offers a wide variety of American pub favorites, including clever sliders, thin-crust artisan pizzas, and appetizers such as chicken wings confit.
54 W 21st St, New York, NY 10010, Phone: 212-989-0096
Don't Tell Mama
Located on legendary Restaurant Row in New York’s theater district, don’t tell mama is one-of-a-kind – it’s a nightlife venue with four individual unique spaces: a restaurant, a piano bar, and two cabaret showrooms. Since it opened in 1982, this famous entertainment destination has hosted endless number of great names such as Liza Minnelli, Joan Rivers, Paul Newman, Bette Midler, Chita Rivera, Rosie O’Donnell, Kathy Griffin, Audra MacDonald, Cuba Gooding Jr., and many others. The don't tell mama restaurant is popular with the theater-going crowd, and it serves New American Cuisine, a great selection of wines, and an upscale, elegant atmosphere. The legendary don’t tell mama Piano Bar opens at 4:00pm for Happy Hour. A pianist plays soft cocktail music until 9:00pm. After that the singing waiter/bartender staff joins the wizard at the keyboard and the party goes on until wee hours.
343 W 46th St, New York, NY 10036, Phone: 212-757-0788
809 Sangria Bar and Grill
809 Sangria Bar and Grill’s name is a reference to the area code of the Dominican Republic and is a Latin American cultural hub within New York’s Inwood neighborhood, showcasing paintings by prominent Dominican artists on its walls. The upscale first-floor restaurant serves a variety of gourmet traditional Spanish dishes, including seafood-focused entrees such as coconut-crusted Chilean sea bass, shrimp and mussel-stuffed lobster tails, and plantains filled with lobster and salt cod. Upstairs, an intimate lounge pours cocktails and serves as an event venue for exciting performances by Latin American artists. The upstairs lounge may also be rented for private special events, including custom birthday party packages.
112 Dyckman St, New York, NY 10040, Phone: 212-304-3800
Bar 54
Bar 54 is located within Times Square’s stylish Hyatt Centric hotel, which offers convenient access to the city’s Theater District. The bar’s name is a reference to its location on the hotel’s 54th floor, making it Times Square’s tallest rooftop bar. Stunning floor-to-ceiling windows offer unparalleled views of lower Manhattan sights such as the Chrysler Building, perfect for relaxing after spending the day seeing the city’s sights. Cocktails highlight farm-to-table fruit and herbal ingredients such as watermelon, cilantro, and ancho peppers. A fine wine list is also available, along with light gourmet bar bites. Downstairs, a full menu of globally-inspired fare is served at the hotel’s T45 Restaurant.
135 W 45th St, New York, NY 10036, Phone: 646-364-1234
Bembe
Bembe is a tropically-inspired nightclub in trendy Brooklyn neighborhood Williamsburg, setting itself apart from the neighborhood’s hip industrial style with a vibe comparable to top nightlife spots in Miami and Latin America. The club straddles the line between a dance-friendly bar and a proper nightclub, featuring a lively dance floor that stays active all night long. A fun cash-only drink menu highlights beach-style favorites such as mojitos, alongside the bar’s housemade rum punch served within watermelon shells. Guest DJs and live drummers provide accompaniment for casual Latin dancing from a diverse crowd, furthering the bar’s spring break party feel. Special event nights highlight Afrobeat, reggae, salsa, and other music genres, with performance and party schedules available on the bar’s website.
81 S 6th St, Brooklyn, NY 11211, Phone: 718-387-5389
Birdland
Birdland is a historic Theater District jazz club, originally opened near West 52nd Street by Irving and Morris Levy and Oscar Goodstein in 1949. During its initial tenure, the club attracted top jazz performers such as Harry Belafonte, Dizzy Gillespie, Thelonious Monk, and Miles Davis and served as the recording site for a number of iconic Live at Birdland compilations. Several incarnations later, the club occupies a space within the former New York Observer building, serving a full supper club menu and offering performances by top regional and national jazz artists. Theatergoers can receive half off admission to late-night shows by presenting their Broadway ticket stubs at the bar.
315 W 44th St, New York, NY 10036, Phone: 212-581-3080
Black Flamingo
Black Flamingo is a self-described hangout for “midlife millennials” looking for something slower-paced than Brooklyn’s ragers, raves, and dives. The taqueria and danceteria was opened by Bryce David in 2015 and offers lush Miami-esque theming with indoor palm trees and exposed brick walls. All menu items are vegan, including gourmet street tacos, burrito bowls, and Latin American favorites such as flautas and arepas. Simple, traditional cocktails such as ginger caipirinhas are served, along with draft and bottled beer and a variety of South American wines. Downstairs, a dimly-lit 70-patron dance cave keeps house-inspired tunes spinning all night long.
168 Borinquen Pl, Brooklyn, NY 11211, Phone: 718-387-3337
Death and Company
Death and Company is credited with the mid-2000s revitalization of the craft cocktail bar, opened in its original East Village location on New Year’s Eve 2006. The bar has been the recipient of the coveted Best American Cocktail Bar award at the Cocktail Spirited awards and has become a world leader in the cocktail bar industry, renowned for its widespread influence on how modern mixologists craft their concoctions. Notable drinks include oversized martinis served in iced carafes, Oaxaca Old Fashioneds with top-shelf Mexican liquors, and a large selection of international spirits. The bar has opened a second location in Denver’s River North neighborhood and is looking to expand its brand throughout the United States in the coming years.
433 E 6th St, New York, NY 10009, Phone: 212-388-0882
Good Room
Good Room is a Brooklyn nightclub built by music fans, for music fans, opened in the borough’s hip Greenpoint neighborhood in 2014. The club was named as New York’s best nightclub in 2015 in New York Magazine’s Best of New York Awards and serves as a hip underground reprieve from Wythe Avenue’s more traditional nightlife scene. The diverse, inclusive venue strives to be a safe space for concertgoers of all identities, offering ample room for dancing at all of its trendy shows. Regional and national artists perform in a variety of genres, along with sets by a full lineup of resident DJs. Happy hour drink specials are offered on Wednesdays and Thursdays, which typically highlight sets from local bands.
98 Meserole Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11222, Phone: 718-349-2373
Groove
Groove is a Greenwich Village institution that serves as the city’s prime spot for funk, soul, and R&B concerts. The bar takes its roots from jam sessions at the city’s legendary 101 Bar and today remains one of the neighborhood’s most authentic music spots, featuring nightly performances by local and regional artists in a variety of eclectic genres. Outdoor seating is offered seasonally, with a full menu of casual Cajun-influenced fare served, including po’boy sandwiches, steak frites, and remoulade fish tacos. Advance tickets are recommended for shows presented on Friday and Saturday evenings, and an upscale casual dress code is enforced, prohibiting casual attire such as sleeveless shirts.
125 Macdougal St A, New York, NY 10012, Phone: 212-254-9393
House of Yes
House of Yes was the creative vision of artists Anya Sapozhnikova and Kae Burke, who originally opened a studio in Bushwick to teach aerial circus work. In 2015, the pair acquired a former laundromat space within the neighborhood and transformed it into the city’s most unique performance art club, known for its experimental, immersive weekend parties, which require patrons to attend in elaborate themed costumes. Burlesque and cabaret shows are offered other nights of the week, along with poetry, spoken-word, and other performance art presentations, including pieces intentionally blurring the line between audience and performer. The versatile space is thoroughly transformed for each piece, with elaborate installation art adorning its walls. Food is served by Middle Eastern caterers Queen of Falafel, and nightly tarot card readings are available at a low rate.
2 Wyckoff Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11237
Kettle of Fish
Kettle of Fish is a classic Greenwich Village bar that was opened in 1950 and was once known as a hangout for writers and musicians such as Jack Kerouac and Bob Dylan. The bar is open in its current incarnation today along Christopher Street, retaining its bookish dive bar spirit and Wisconsin roots. It has been the city’s favorite spot to watch Green Bay Packers games since its takeover by Patrick Daley in 1998, serving classic Wisconsin fare such as Usinger’s brats and Oshkosh sausage on game days. Pinball and Pac Man machines are offered for entertainment, along with dart boards, board games, and one of the city’s best jukeboxes.
59 Christopher St, New York, NY 10014, Phone: 212-414-2278
Mehanata Bulgarian Bar
Mehanata Bulgarian Bar is an infamous party spot in Manhattan’s Lower East Side, earning a reputation over the past two decades as one of the city’s most outrageous nightlife spots. The hip Bulgarian club is a favorite of Hollywood celebrities such as Elijah Wood, Macaulay Culkin, and Scarlett Johansson, known for its famed Ice Cage, a glass box offering true Russian drinking experiences challenging visitors to down six shots of vodka in two minutes. It is credited as the birthplace of the recent resurgence of gypsy punk music, known as the site of Gogol Bordello’s breakout performance. A hookah bar is also featured, along with a dance floor known for spinning diverse world hits.
113 Ludlow St, New York, NY 10002, Phone: 212-625-0981
Swing 46
Swing 46 is an iconic jazz supper club in Manhattan’s Restaurant Row, located along 46th Street between 8th and 9th Avenues in the Theater District. The venue was opened in 1997 by Judith Lalor, who wished to recreate the lively, cultured vibe of famous dance clubs of the 1940s and 1950s. Today, the club is managed by John Akhtar and offers nightly dinner, cocktails, and dancing opportunities, with live band performances and swing DJs presented every night. A restaurant menu serves modern American fare crafted with locally-sourced ingredients, with all items made in house. Dance lessons are offered nightly at 9:00pm nightly, led by a professional swing dancing instructor.
349 W 46th, New York, NY 10036, Phone: 212-262-9554
Terra Blues
Terra Blues is a Southern blues-style bar and nightclub located near New York University, offering views of Greenwich Village’s Bleecker Street from its second-story windows. For more than two decades, the club has hosted top innovators within the blues genre, including artists such as Edgar Winter, Little Milton, Magic Slim, and Hubert Sumlin. Autographed headshots line the walls of the candlelit bar, which serves an extensive selection of national and international bourbons and scotches. A two-drink minimum is enforced during sets, and limited seating keeps the club intimate and exclusive. Two nightly sets are offered, including early acoustic performances and later band sets.
149 Bleecker St, New York, NY 10012, website, Phone: 212-777-7776
The Carnegie Club
The Carnegie Club is one of New York’s most exclusive cigar bars and lounges, exuding an air of historic class and sophistication. The club is decked out in hand-carved bookcases that evoke the Victorian era, with design touches such as a stone fireplace creating an intimate atmosphere. Cigars may be purchased for smoking alongside drinks such as top-shelf single malt scotches, or visitors may bring their own cigars into the establishment. A light bar fare menu is also offered for snacking at both nightly live performances, which showcase regional and national jazz acts. A two-drink minimum is enforced at shows, along with a strict business casual dress code.
156 W 56th St, New York, NY 10019, Phone: 212-957-9676
The Living Room at W
The Living Room at W is located on the seventh floor of New York’s W Hotel, located within the heart of Times Square. The vibrant, posh lounge pays homage to Midtown Manhattan’s history with decor touches such as a brass-dichroic disco ball that evokes Times Square’s famed New Year’s ball drop and a large mural depicting the city’s arts and music scenes throughout the 20th century. Gotham-inspired cocktails are served, highlighting unique ingredients such as habanero vermouth and grapefruit bourbon. Nearby, full lunch and dinner menus are served at the hotel’s Dos Caminos and Blue Fin restaurants.
1567 Broadway, New York, NY 10036, Phone: 212-930-7444
48 Lounge
48 Lounge is the premium flagship location of the City Nights Hospitality and has been awarded the prestigious Concierge Choice Award as New York City’s best bar and lounge. The club is located within Rockefeller Center two blocks south of Radio City Music Hall, conveniently near top attractions such as Madison Square Garden and the hotels and theaters of Times Square. Its high-energy environment caters to an elite professional crowd, serving as a prime spot for events such as wedding parties and corporate events. An innovative cocktail menu highlights fresh-squeeze juice ingredients, while an extensive champagne and wine list offers varietals to please novice and seasoned wine fans. Gourmet appetizers and small plates are served, and full catering is available for private special events.
1221 Avenue of the Americas, 48th Street, New York, NY 10020, Phone: 212-554-4848
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