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The Smith
(Photo: Todd Coleman) |
Upper West Side
More than just wine bars.
Apéritif:
The Smith
1900 Broadway, at 63rd St.; 212-496-5700
Ease into the night slowly at this East Village institution’s second uptown location, where a jovial postwork, pretheater crowd gathers around a slick 50-foot zinc bar.
Drink this: the Sonata No. 5 ($13), made with elderflower cordial, sparkling wine, and local honey.
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(Photo: Agaton Strom) |
Main Attraction:
Dakota Bar
53 W. 72nd St., at Columbus Ave.; 212-787-0700
Put away a stiff cocktail beneath a chandelier fashioned from brass instruments at this moody retreat owned by former Jordache model Jennifer Klein.
Drink this: the ginny, lemon-juiced, jasmine-infused Love Potion Number Wine ($14).
Nightcap:
78 Below
380 Columbus Ave., nr. 78th St.; 212-724-7800
Drown out the rest of the evening with a 10 p.m. jazz, blues, or funk set at this breezy subterranean tavern.
Drink this: Goose Island IPA on tap ($6).
South Williamsburg
As hungry as it is thirsty.
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(Photo: Courtesy of the bar) |
Apéritif:
Bia
67 S. 6th St., nr. Berry St.; 718-388-0908
The cavernous Vietnamese restobar has a Williamsburg Bridge–hugging rooftop and the kind of stick-to-your-ribs food (pork buns, chicken-curry soup) that’ll serve you well during a long night of boozing.
Drink this: the Bia Bloody Mary, made with V8, wasabi, and Sriracha ($10).
Main Attraction:
OTB
141 Broadway, nr. Bedford Ave.; No phone
This racetrack-themed brasserie from the Post Office crew tempts the young and lively with comfy booths and unusual bar fare like escargot and frogs’ legs (turned out by a former Brooklyn Star chef).
Drink this: a classic Bee’s Knees, amped up with Dorothy Parker gin ($10).
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(Photo: Courtesy of the bar) |
Nightcap:
Rosamunde Sausage Grill
285 Bedford Ave., nr. S. 1st St.; 718-388-2170
When the late-night munchies strike, a grilled wild-boar sausage on a French roll from the first New York outpost of San Francisco’s mightily celebrated, open–till–4 a.m.-Thursday-through-Saturday sausage hut hits the spot.
Drink this: rum with housemade cola ($5).
Lower East Side
First-date Arcadia.
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(Photo: Courtesy of the bar) |
Apéritif:
Eastwood
221 E. Broadway, at Clinton St.; 917-284-4514
Start off with a friendly game of backgammon at this Middle Eastern– and Scottish-inspired beer, wine, falafel, and fish-and-chip bar—the neighborhood’s prettiest new drinking spot.
Drink this: a glass of Hans & Franz Grüner Veltliner ($8).
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(Photo: Courtesy of the bar) |
Main Attraction:
Two Bit’s Retro Arcade
153 Essex St., nr. Stanton St.; 212-477-8161
Nearly 40 classic games—Donkey Kong, Ms. Pac-Man, a foosball table, and pinball among them—inspire flirtatious ribbing at this Barcade-esque beer-and-wine parlor.
Drink this: a Colt 45 ($9.75), just for kicks.
Nightcap:
Attaboy
134 Eldridge St., nr. Delancey St.; no phone
There’s far less worry of being turned away in front of a date at Milk & Honey’s chiller, more democratic, walk-ins-only cousin, founded by two M&H vets. Just find the door marked “AB” and you’re in.
Drink this: Tell your bartender what you’re in the mood for, and he’ll create a cocktail ($16) on the spot.
Upper East Side
Bring your friends.
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(Photo: Courtesy of the bar) |
Apéritif:
JBird
339 E. 75th St., nr. First Ave.; 212-288-8033
Get a communal vibe going over a large-format, shareable cocktail, designed by Death & Co.’s Jason Littrell and author-barman Marshall Altier, at the Upper East Side’s most downtown watering hole, open since last January.
Drink this: rummy Tiki Oasis Punch ($26).
Main Attraction:
The Penrose
1590 Second Ave., nr. 83rd St.; 212-203-2751.
Mingle with neighborhood millennials at this 2,500-square-foot gastropub, heavy on the wood, brick, and nineteenth-century salvaged décor. Two bars and numerous tables are ideal for large groups.
Drink this: housemade Earl Grey lemonade splashed with gin or vodka ($9).
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(Photo: Courtesy of the bar) |
Nightcap:
The Pony Bar
1444 First Ave., at 75th St.; 212-288-0090
The menu is composed exclusively of American craft beer and, save for Budweiser, all are available on tap. Beer barrels serve as tables, and every glass costs $6, simplifying the 4 a.m. drunken check-splitting debate.
Drink this: Carton’s G.O.R.P., Sixpoint’s Mad Scientist Gruitbeer, or whatever looks good on the rotating drafts.
South Slope
Patios, pinball, and Mad Men.
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(Photo: Courtesy of the bar) |
Apéritif:
Prospect
545 Fifth Ave., nr. 14th St.; 347-599-1087
Whiskey and American craft beers are the focus at this 2,900-square-foot bar. Prepare to be seduced into an alfresco tipple by the sprawling bilevel patio.
Drink this: Brooklyn Brewery’s Brooklyn Local 1 ($18) or Southern Tier’s Hop Sun ($6).
Main Attraction:
The Owl Farm
297 9th St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 718-499-4988
Think of this as the twentysomething version of dog-friendly Slope staple Mission Dolores (they share the same owners, after all). Grab a pint (from $4) and make a beeline to the pinball machines in back.
Drink this: Nebraska Brewing’s Menage à Trois ($12).
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(Photo: Courtesy of the bar) |
Nightcap:
The Monro
481 Fifth Ave., at 11th St.; 718-499-2005
A nautical theme, taxidermied animals, nineties jams, and Mad Men on Sundays keep this classic Irish pub young.
Drink this: a can of Young’s Double Chocolate Stout ($6) or the Blue Monday ($8), a combination of vodka, blue Curaçao, and peach schnapps.
