An upscale cocktail bar on the Upper East Side, open until 1 AM most nights and 2 AM on Fridays and Saturdays. Reviewers come for the drinks, mention friendly service, and suggest it for a date.
452 rated cocktail bars
Best Cocktail Bars in Manhattan, NYC
The best cocktail bars across 36 Manhattan neighborhoods, ranked by star rating and how many reviews back it.
Moodap lists 452 rated cocktail bars in Manhattan, spread over 36 neighborhoods. Shaken Not Stirred in Upper East Side leads the list with a 4.9-star rating, and Midtown has the most to choose from (49).
Prices run from $$ to $$$$. Common vibes include intimate, trendy, sophisticated, craft, and electric. A perfect score from a handful of reviews doesn’t outrank hundreds of strong ones, so the places at the top are ones many people rate highly.
Top 10 Cocktail Bars in Manhattan
Rank 1 Rank 2 An upscale cocktail bar in Chelsea, open until 2 AM most nights. Reviewers praise the service, say it handles big groups, and suggest it for an afternoon.
Rank 3 An upscale cocktail bar in SoHo, open until 1 AM most nights. Reviewers single out the staff, come for the drinks, and describe a cozy room.
Rank 4 A mid-priced cocktail bar in the East Village. Reviewers describe it as a local find, single out the drinks, and suggest it for an evening out. Known for its BBQ Pulled Pork Slider.
Rank 5 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 6 An upscale cocktail bar in Midtown. Insider tip: 21+ only.
Rank 7 An upscale cocktail bar in Chelsea, open until 2 AM most nights. Reviewers mention friendly service and describe it as calm. Insider tip: Arrive early to avoid long waits for groups; a bit crowded from 6pm onwards. Known for its Two Dylans cocktail.
Rank 8 A mid-priced cocktail bar in the Meatpacking District. Reviewers call it quiet and relaxed, mention coming in small groups, and describe a cozy room. Known for its Slow Motion.
Rank 9 An upscale cocktail bar in Tribeca. Reviewers single out the drinks, praise the service, and describe it as calm. Known for its Beef Tongue.
Rank 10 An upscale cocktail bar in the East Village. Reviewers single out the drinks, mention friendly service, and describe a laid-back café feel.
Lower East Side
11 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 2 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 3 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 4 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 5 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 6 - Intimate
- Electric
- Trendy
Rank 7 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 8 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 9 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 10 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 11 - Intimate
- Trendy
- Creative Cocktails
East Village
5 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 2 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 3 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 4 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 5 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Midtown
5 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 2 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 3 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 4 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 5 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Hell's Kitchen
4 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 2 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 3 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 4 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Upper East Side
3 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 2 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 3 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Alphabet City
3 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 2 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 3 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Chelsea
2 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 2 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Tribeca
2 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Rank 2 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
SoHo
1 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Gramercy
1 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Meatpacking District
1 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
East Harlem
1 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Koreatown
1 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Lincoln Square
1 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
NoHo
1 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Washington Heights
1 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Murray Hill
1 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Hudson Yards
1 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Two Bridges
1 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Harlem
1 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Financial District
1 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Times Square
1 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
West Village
1 spots
Rank 1 - Intimate
- Sophisticated
- Trendy
Frequently asked questions
What are the best cocktail bars in Manhattan?
Ranked by rating and number of reviews, the top cocktail bars on Moodap are Shaken Not Stirred in Upper East Side (4.9 stars), Tara Mor | NYC in Chelsea (4.9 stars) and Soso's in SoHo (4.9 stars). The full top 10 is at the top of this page.
Which Manhattan neighborhood has the most cocktail bars?
Midtown has the most, with 49, followed by Lower East Side (41) and East Village (33).
How does Moodap rank cocktail bars?
By star rating, weighted by how many reviews back it: a place with hundreds of strong reviews ranks above a perfect score from a handful. Places with few or no reviews come after well-reviewed ones. Not sure which fits your plans? The Mood Match quiz picks one for your mood in about 25 seconds.
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