If you’ve ever been on the Internet before (which, judging by the fact that you’re reading this, you have) then you’ve definitely read at least a handful of guides which insist they know the “Best Bars in Manhattan.” There’s two things wrong with that claim:
- New York is a lot more than just Manhattan. What about LIC? Astoria? Brooklyn!? (Jay Z is disappointed)
- They can’t possibly list the best bars, because we’ve just done that and that would be plagiarism. Did you learn nothing in college?
Here at Vimbly, we know our bars and liquor a little too well, and have perfected a system for judging their general awesomeness (guess and test) in what might have been the funnest instance of field work ever recorded. And now, we’re here to impart that wisdom onto you, young grasshopper.
Here are New York’s Best 50 Bars for 20somethings as classified by ‘hood, vibe, and proximity to drunk food — just like your mom would have wanted. Use it wisely.
This isn’t amateur hour, this is happy hour. Respect that.
Chill Bars for 20somethings in NYC
Chill: These bars don’t pretend to be anything they’re not. You don’t come here looking for glitz and glam. You just want a comfortable place to hang out with your friends and a good beer selection, and the bar delivers both. The music is good, but not invasive, since you mostly just came here to talk. Chill bars are great for mid-week meetups and your less intense weekends.
The Belfry | East Village
$5 Picklebacks. Every day. All. The. Time.
Highlight: The cheap drinks
Drunk Food: Halal Guys
Spin | Flatiron District
Can’t tell if ping pong is fun or I’m just drunk.
Highlight: The ping pong
Drunk Food: Shake Shack
Pig ‘N’ Whistle | Midtown East
A great place to drink away work day stress and be among a crowd of people doing the exact same thing.
Highlight: The culture
Drunk Food: Ray’s Pizza
Frying Pan | West Side
You just can’t beat drinking on a docked boat on the Hudson in the middle of the summer.
Highlight: The sunshine
Drunk Food: Rin Thai
The Whiskey Brooklyn | Williamsburg
The epicenter of all hipster-B&T crowd relations. Here there is no war between these two species; hey, they peacefully coexist.
Highlight: The music and games
Drunk Food: El Diablo Taco Truck
Drop Off Service | Alphabet City
Cash only or Amex, but with $3 20 oz pours from 12-8 daily, cash is an extremely viable option.
Highlight: The craft beer selection
Drunk Food: Artichoke Basille’s Pizza
Croxley Ale House | Alphabet City
Sunday, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday; $0.20 cent classic wings. Seriously.
Highlight: The cheap wings
Drunk Food: Snack Dragon Taco Shack
*Our Stand Out Sunday Bar: $0.10 boneless and $0.20 classic buffalo wings (all day and night)
The Strand Smokehouse | Astoria
A great place to kick back with some brews and BBQ.
Highlight: The brunch
Drunk Food: El Rey Del Taco Truck
Whiskey Tavern | Chinatown
ProTip: Jenga gets 10x more fun and 100x harder when you add whiskey.
Highlight: The boardgames
Drunk Food: 69 Chinese Restaurant
McSorleys | East Village
The floor is covered in sawdust, because authenticity.
Highlight: The history
Drunk Food: Pommes Frites
LIC Bar | LIC
Great craft beer and a little backyard section provide the perfect escape from the concrete jungle.
Highlight: The live music
Drunk Food: Corner Bistro
Pioneers | Midtown West
Giant board games to satisfy the GIANT kid in you. Great happy hour prices to satisfy the lack of money in your wallet.
Highlight: The games
Drunk Food: Famous Amadeus Pizza
*Our Stand Out Tuesday Bar: Karaoke Night 9pm-1am
The Dead Poet | Upper West Side
The specialty drinks are all named after dead poets, and are strong enough to leave you feeling ahem inspired.
Highlight: The signature drinks
Drunk Food: Pizza by La Grolla
Art Bar | West Village
A wonderfully less-than-pretentious lounge to hang out at with close friends.
Highlight: The specialty drinks
Drunk Food: Rocky’s Brick Oven Pizza
Crown Victoria | Williamsburg
Satisfy your city cravings for a real backyard BBQ.
Highlight: The backyard
Drunk Food: Just eat here, BBQ is great!
Trendy Bars for 20somethings in NYC
Trendy: These bars may be flashes in the pan, but oh, will they burn bright. Spend your night dancing to tunes spun by the hottest DJs, drinking expensive, top-shelf cocktails, and trying to slyly snap pics of celebrities. You’re not sure which is more fun: the bar itself, or name dropping all the elbows you rub.
The Park | Chelsea
A lot of different rooms with a LOT of different dance floors guarantee an interesting night.
Highlight: The options
Drunk Food: Artichoke Basille’s Pizza & Bar
Gallow Green | Chelsea
An enchanting rooftop with an even more enchanting cocktail list.
Highlight: The rooftop
Drunk Food: Ovest Pizzoteca
Dead Rabbit | Financial District
A REALLY cool bar with an authentic 1920’s speakeasy vibe.
Highlight: The cocktail selection
Drunk Food: Shorty’s
230 Fifth | Flatiron District
Do it for the Instagram.
Highlight: The rooftop
Drunk Food: 28th & Madison Halal Stand
Press Lounge | Hell’s Kitchen
Take any first time NYC visitor here. The awestruck look on your friend’s face will almost be better than the view…almost.
Highlight: The view
Drunk Food: Empanada Mama
No Fun | LES
Whoever named this place sits on a throne of lies. A more apt title would have been SO Fun.
Highlight: The dancing
Drunk Food: Los Perros Locos
Beauty & Essex | LES
This drunch turns into an all day dance party. Prepare yourself. This place is classsssic.
Highlight: The brunch
Drunk Food: The Meatball Shop
Hotel Chantelle | LES
A nice boozy rooftop brunch with a classy touch of jazz.
Highlight: The food
Drunk Food: Lucky’s Famous Burgers
*Our Stand Out Saturday Bar: Rooftop brunch with $3 Mimosas, Bloody Mary’s, Bellinis
Penthouse 808 | LIC
A rooftop without a guestlist and sushi that will have you saying de-lish. That look on your face is priceless.
Highlight: The view of the bridge
Drunk Food: Corner Bistro
Employees Only | West Village
Any place voted the World’s Best Cocktail Bar deserves a try.
Highlight: The mysterious ambiance
Drunk Food: Bleecker Street Pizza
Preppy Bars for 20somethings in NYC
Preppy: Button downs, khakis, and sperrys — yuppies unite! If you’re interested in spending a night out raging with these thriving members of society, get ready ’cause these rich guys and gals know how to party. Drink high quality draft beer, interesting cocktails, and mingle with the elites of the elite at these preppy bars. Encounter drinking bets based on who had the highest stock dividends this week as you dance to today’s Top 100 hits. So bourgeoise!
Galway Pub | Midtown East
An ever so perfect place for post-work happy hours.
Highlight: The secret backroom
Drunk Food: Pocha 32
The Gin Mill | Upper West Side
A little part of you never wanted to leave college. And here? That’s A-okay.
Highlight: The cheap beer
Drunk Food: Famous Original Ray’s Pizza
*Our Stand Out Wednesday Bar: 1/2 Price Bar
Jake’s Dillema | Upper West Side
Every once and a while you need to let out your inner frat star. This is just the place to do it.
Highlight: The feeling of let go
Drunk Food: Pizza by La Grolla
*Our Stand Out Monday Bar: $1 Domestic Drafts
Houston Hall | West Village
Save the air fare to Munich and just celebrate Oktoberfest here. Prost!
Highlight: The feeling of community
Drunk Food: Masala Times
Divey Bars for 20somethings in NYC
Divey: Dive bars are an ever growing, ever changing breed. On one end of the spectrum, you’ve got the original dive: $2 PBRs, $3 shots of an unidentified whisky, cash only. Then there’s the new dive bar: All of the ambiance (or lack thereof) of a neon-signed underpass-covered hole in the wall, but with higher caliber alcohol. You’ll usually find a well priced, high quality range of whiskies, a decent beer selection, and some experimental cocktails, all probably served in plastic cups. Pass the night away in eclectic surroundings with eccentric people. You might find the walls lined with vintage erotica, or stumble upon a celebrity-themed pinball machine. Drink easy knowing that your dollars are working hard.
Mama’s Bar | Alphabet City
Cheap drinks, cool bartenders, good music. Oh, and there’s giant brass boobs hanging in the bathrooms
Highlight: The PBR and shot special
Drunk Food: Snack Dragon Taco Shack
Crocodile Lounge | East Village
Come for the pizza, stay for the skee ball (and more pizza).
Highlight: The skeeball and photobooth
Drunk Food: Free pizza with literally every drink purchase.
*Our Stand Out Thursday Bar: Bingo Night @ 8:30
Rudy’s Bar & Grill | Hell’s Kitchen
A favorite bar amongst Nathan’s Coney Island Hot Dog Eating Contest enthusiasts.
Highlight: The free hot dog
Drunk Food: The FREE hot dogs
169 Bar | LES
This jazzy production brings a Big Easy vibe to the Big Apple.
Highlight: The culture
Drunk Food: Congee Village
Fat Cat | West Village
“Everything you need in one epic fun filled night with your group of awesomeness-spewing friends.” – A wise, accurate, and anonymous Yelp User
Highlight: The board games
Drunk Food: Wogies
Greenpoint Tavern | Williamsburg
Styrofoam cups for $4 bucks, to keep the mind at ease while lungs can breathe.
Highlight: The styrofoam cups
Drunk Food: Two Boots
Hipster Bars for 20somethings in NYC
Hipster: Take it all in through your non-perscription, thick rimmed glasses. I know it’s hard to believe, but EVERY person in here knew about this bar before it was cool. Crack open a local craft brew, or two, to a soundtrack that’s deeper underground than magma, and unite with a cool crowd through your mutual conformity to non-conformity. Go ahead and rage, as long as it’s against the machine.
Washington Commons | Crown Heights
Outdoor seating + Bring Your Own Food = an alcohol serving picnic that we’d love to attend.
Highlight: The outdoor feel
Drunk Food: Mayfield
Torst | Greenpoint
This hipster haven has a TON of beers on tap (but you’ve probably never heard of them before).
Highlight: The tap beers
Drunk Food: God Bless Deli
Good Company | Williamsburg
Corn-hole and ping-pong and darts, OH MY.
Highlight: The drinks and the games
Drunk Food: Pies-n-Thighs
Brookyln Bowl | Williamsburg
Great music, bowling, fantastic live shows. Oh, and ?uestlove DJs here. This is NYC nightlife.
Highlight: The bowling and the feeling of letting loose
Drunk Food: Carmine’s Original Pizza
Romantic Bars for 20somethings in NYC
Romantic: What’s the hardest part about being at a bar with someone you’re dating? The music. The loud, perpetually obnoxious music. Fortunately, there are romantic bars that actually take your level of enjoyment into account. Here, no loud Katy Perry songs will roar into your ear and ruin your wooing. On the contrary, sweet and romantic music will elevate the mood, deepen the ambiance, and delicious cocktails will help to keep your minds and hearts in sync.
Please Don’t Tell | Alphabet City
You enter through a secret phonebooth inside of Criff Dogs. Do you really need more incentive to go?
Highlight: The speakeasy feel
Drunk Food: Crif Dogs
Death and Co | Alphabet City
Swanky, candle-lit, and intimate, a real first date triple threat.
Highlight: The experience
Drunk Food: Veselka
The Crow’s Nest | East Side
Views, booze, and mellow tunes? Check.
Highlight: The breeze
Drunk Food: Ali Baba
Raines Law Room | Flatiron District
Feels like being in your own living room, if you had more money and could make better drinks.
Highlight: The cocktails and ambiance
Drunk Food: 2 Bros Pizza Plus
Rose Bar | Flatiron District
The epitome of high class ambiance.
Highlight: The chance to wander aimlessly
Drunk Food: Maoz Vegetarian
Dutch Kills | LIC
An awesome speakeasy vibe, minus any pretensions.
Highlight: The bartenders
Drunk Food: Kitchen Door
The Rum House | Midtown West
A comfortingly nostalgic reminder that it’s okay that you’re not okay with being a part of this lesser generation, Mr. Caulfield.
Highlight: The happy hour
Drunk Food: Carve
Hype Bars for 20somethings in NYC
Hype: Every now and then, when dancing in front of the mirror just isn’t enough to satisfy your desire to “turn up,” there are hype bars that help get the best — or worst — of you. You dance uncontrollably, rage your face off, accidentally leave your bar tab open, and wake up with a gruesome hangover and an insurmountable amount of drunk texts, obnoxious (confusing, sweaty) Instagram pictures, and an overwhelming feeling of relief that you made it back home safely. Here’s to you!
M1-5 Lounge | TriBeCa
Leave your cutesy dance moves at home, it’s time to get ugly.
Highlight: The dancing
Drunk Food: Hot Fresh Pizza 99c
Bowery Electric | East Village
CAUTION: Dancing and debauchery lie ahead.
Highlight: The club downstairs
Drunk Food: Mamoun’s Falafel
Fat Baby | LES
Waking up in the morning feeling like you need a Tetnus shot has never been so worth it.
Highlight: The dancing
Drunk Food: La Margarita
Studio Square NYC | LIC
One of the only sports bars you’ll come across where solid enthusiasm is a valid replacement for knowledge of the game.
Highlight: The sport events
Drunk Food: Boston Pizza & Subs
With great power comes great responsibility. Now that you know the absolute best bars in New York, it is your responsibility — nay, your duty — to bequeath this knowledge to your friends and engage in some drunken debauchery and/or shenanigans. Have fun! But not too much fun. Definitely have too much fun.
For thousands of other fun things to do in NYC for 20somethings, click here and start exploring!