Bedtime? Fuhgeddaboudit! New York’s best hotel bars for 2026 will awaken your inner night owl with their decadent concoctions, atmospheric interiors and boogie-beckoning soundtracks. Whether you’re seeking a dimly lit drink or a champagne-fuelled knees-up, these Empire State sipping spots are worth staying up for.
FOR LOW-LIT DATE NIGHTS…
Casa Cipriani New York
The Pickering Room at Casa Cipriani New York, Financial District
When young American traveller Harry Pickering was cut off from the family funds while in Italy, Venetian barkeep Giuseppe Cipriani lent him thousands of lire. When Harry eventually repaid him, there was enough interest to fund the opening of Cipriani’s own establishment, which he named Harry’s Bar after his new friend. The rest is history, and one that’s well documented on the walls of The Pickering Room at Casa Cipriani, where guests can raise a tipple to the storied duo in an elegant setting, replete with rich wood and mirrored ceilings.
Make ours a… prosecco-laced Bellini, of course, Giuseppe Cipriani’s peach-perfect signature.
Open till midnight daily
The Bowery, East Village
Sultry velvets and a candlelit glow best define the atmosphere in The Bowery hotel’s lobby bar, a destination de rigueur for the city’s A-list residents to visit. Among its visual feast of mounted stag heads, high-backed leather armchairs, carved wooden panels and mix ’n’ match rugs, you’ll find a menu of creative concoctions shaken and stirred from behind a zinc bar. Our top tip? Nab a sofa beside the fireplace from which to take it all in.
Make ours a… a playful Rummy with almost a full deck of spirits: rum, vermouth, Grand Marnier, mixed with Angostura bitters.
Open from 5pm till 2am Sunday to Wednesday, and 5pm until 4am Thursday to Saturday
Little Ned at The Ned Nomad
Little Ned has its own entrance on 28th Street and within its quite the sophisticate, with its dark-wood panelling, deco lighting and dressed-for-an-occasion staff. If this is your meeting point, hop up at the bar to sip away any awkwardness; or — if it’s going well — squirrel yourself away to one of the invitingly squishy sofas that add comfort to the bar’s upmarket elegance.
Make ours a… Champagne martini with caviar bumps to nail that first impression.
Open from 5pm till midnight, Monday to Wednesday; till 2am from Thursday to Saturday. Little Ned is closed on Sundays
FOR DESIGN-LED DRINKING…
The Manner
Aman New York, Midtown
The Aman hotel group is known for a soul-soothing approach to interior design, and the brand’s New York arm is no exception. The interiors, overseen by Belgian-based designer Jean-Michel Gathy, lift spirits with carefully feng shui-ed window walls, symmetrical layouts, and — at the 14th-floor lounge bar (open to hotel guests only) — an extensive list of cocktails, craft beers, spirits and fine wines. Throw in double-height ceilings framing classic panoramas, giant charcoal columns and a swinging Peter Gentenaar sculpture, and you’ve got a spot primed for magic Midtown moments.
Make ours a… crisp glass of white wine. Like good design, don’t overcomplicate it.
Open till midnight daily
The Lobby Bar at Ace Hotel Brooklyn
It’s practically law that a hotel in hipster homeland Brooklyn has to be dressed the part, but the Ace group are continually ahead of the curve. This outpost’s lobby bar has a wood-and-concrete base, softened by sage-velvet couches and round-edged, sculptural chairs and tables — catnip to those slamming their Macbooks shut and packs of the borough’s cool kids.
Make ours a… Negroni, which comes in various guises here. The lobby’s white Negroni includes green-apple-infused gin, and there’s a spirit-free take, too. And divert to Lele’s restaurant for their Baby Negroni offering, where you’re served one regular and two twists on the classic.
Open Sunday to Thursday from noon till midnight, and till 2am, Friday and Saturday
FOR BIG APPLE VIEWS…
1 Hotel Brooklyn Bridge
Bar Blondeau at Wythe Hotel, Williamsburg
Think of Bar Blondeau as the lovechild of New York’s industrial age and Parisian café culture; a place where Crittall windows and exposed brick sit harmoniously next to rounded sage booths and panels of blonde wood. Set on the sixth floor of Wythe’s century-old Williamsburg home — what was once a barrel- and rope-making factory — this sultry spot is full of modern, Gallic charm. But unlike La nouvelle république, there are no crumbling châteaux in sight — just unobstructed views of the Big Apple’s cloud-poking silhouette.
Make ours a… glass of natural, organic Sons of Wine ‘Soulographie’ white from the Alsace region. The ‘Les Martinis’ menu is mightily tempting too.
Open from 5pm till midnight on weekdays, and from 2pm and 1pm, respectively, on Saturdays and Sundays
Darling at Park Lane New York, Upper East Side
Since the 1970s, Park Lane New York has shared its Billionaire’s Row address with some of the city’s most prestigious hotels. But its refreshingly vibrant makeover by Yabu Pushelberg gave this uptown girl its edge; and unlike its buttoned-up neighbours, the hotel has a vibrant nightlife scene, too. Darling, the glitzy rooftop bar-slash-restaurant is a 47th-floor showstopper that keeps the city’s glitterati up all night with unparalleled views over Central Park, dazzling design and pulsing DJ sets.
Make ours a… Roll the Dice: a bespoke blend for your inner daredevil.
Open Tuesday to Thursday from 5pm till midnight, until 1am on Friday and Saturday, and closed on Sunday and Monday
Jimmy at ModernHaus Soho
Jimmy at ModernHaus Soho is 18 floors up and privy to all-star views: Midtown’s skyscrapers, Wall Street, the Hudson River, the East River… Many punters ride on up to take in the sights as they float in its glamorous pool, but it’s cool on chillier days too, with its blue-leather furnishings and fine-tuned ambience. With a warming fireplace, carefully curated playlists and just-low-enough lighting, Jimmy will make you feel right at home.
Make ours a… Drama on the Rocks — a sultry-sweet combo of Glenfiddich whisky, apple brandy, cinnamon and black-walnut bitters. Pair with plates of truffled cheeseburger sliders and chicken empanadas.
Open from 5pm each day except Monday when Jimmy is closed. It closes at midnight on Tuesdays and Sundays, 1am on Wednesdays and 2am from Thursday to Saturday
The Rooftop at The Rockaway Hotel
The main reason why you’d leave Manhattan is to get a better view of the city at large. It’s why you might venture out to Queens, where, from the sixth-floor, rooftop bar at The Rockaway Hotel you’ll see skyscrapers scrolling along the skyline, the blue expanse of Jamaica Bay and the Atlantic beyond. There’s 6,000 square metres of socialising space including a terrace, where you should secure your spot for sundown.
Make ours a… cocktail with a worldly feel. Perhaps the punchy Shark Bite with ghost-pepper-infused tequila as a base, Sake Spritz or can’t-go-wrong Irish Coffee.
Open Friday and Saturday from 6pm till 10pm
CLUBBY BARS FOR CARD- AND KEY-HOLDERS…
Soho House New York
Soho House New York, Meatpacking District
Behind the black, smoked-glass doors of Soho House New York, you’ll find a who’s who of Downtown denizens rubbing shoulders in the sixth-floor members’ space. Here, industrial hallmarks of exposed brick, concrete and metal are made cosier with leather armchairs, a central fireplace and impressive collection of contemporary artworks by the likes of Catherine Opie and Sadie Barnette. When the sun is out, take your tipples to the rooftop, where you can swim in between sips, then retire to a day-bed.
Make ours a… signature Picante, of course.
Open till midnight on Sunday to Tuesday, till 1am on Wednesdays Thursdays, and until 2am the rest of the week
The Twenty Two New York, Union Square
I don’t know about you, but we’re feeling Twenty Two — The Twenty Two New York, that is, a turn-of-the-century mansion, which follows in the footsteps of its London sister. This NYC newcomer is full of heritage glamour, and Levantine eatery and bar Cafe Zaffri is its social hub, dressed in warm tones, with arches and intricate tiling — and plenty of pride-of-place artworks. By day you’ll gather here for oysters with pomegranate and sumac, fried Syrian cheese and lamb Wellington with labneh and za’atar; by night cocktails with kaleidoscopic flavour profiles call.
Make ours a… botanical Superbloom with vodka, plum, aromatised wine, sumac and orange blossom. Savoury sorts should try the Lost Weekend in Zahlé, where arak is mixed with cucumber, coriander and tarragon, with a squeeze of brightening lime.
Drinks are poured until midnight daily
FOR LIVE MUSIC…
Roxy Hotel
Roxy Hotel, Tribeca
The Roxy Hotel comes alive at night, when its trio of bars crank up the sound. Soulful sippers should make a beeline for The Django, an otherworldly jazz club where vintage lamps, peeling paint, vaulted ceilings and cocktails laced with whiskey and gin make for a foot-tapping feel. Upstairs, the Roxy bar’s brick-backed lounge stage hosts a nightly roster of bands and unplugged acts — follow with a late-night show at Paul’s Cocktail Lounge downstairs, where DJs spin till the early hours and staff are dressed by none other than local ‘it’ girl Chloë Sevigny (after all, the Paul in question is her brother).
Make ours a… Passion Pit-inspired Sleepyhead, a lulling mix of yuzu vodka, chamomile, honey, lemon, and a dash of sparkling wine. There’s a generous range of non-alcoholic cocktails, too.
The Django is open till 2am every day except Sunday when it closes at 1am. The Roxy Bar opens till midnight Sunday to Wednesday and till 2am Thursday to Saturday; and Paul’s Cocktail Lounge parties until 4am each night
Rosevale Cocktail Room at Civilian Hotel, Hell’s Kitchen
If you know your Tony from your Maria then the Rosevale Cocktail Room at the Civilian Hotel is the place for you. It’s a low-lit tribute to Broadway, with an impressive collection of original set-design pieces and costumes displayed in floor-to-ceiling glass cabinets. Don’t worry if you’re more kick back than kickline, though: the bar purportedly has one of the most extensive vermouth selections in the world (book a tasting session to work your way through a few), regular live jazz sessions, and a generous happy hour each evening from 7pm to 9pm.
Make ours an… Irish coffee done right: whiskey, a glug of French apple brandy, chai, cider-doughnut cream and a liberal grating of chocolate on top. With the option to add tequila if you’re feeling a bit extra that day.
Open from 5pm till 11pm Monday to Sunday, midnight on Tuesday and Wednesday, and until 2am Thursday to Saturday
THE LEGENDARY HOTEL BAR COCKTAIL CRAWL
For a Manhattan
Most believe this classic cocktail can be traced back to a 19th-century inn on Broadway. And while we’re no historians, we do know that the Manhattan at Little Branch, a speakeasy-style bar in the West Village, is something to write home about.
For a Martini
Wet, dry, dirty, or with a twist: the humble Martini has come a long way since its 1912 inception at Midtown’s Knickerbocker Hotel. Today, the gin and vermouth continues to flow at its 4th-floor Martini Lounge.
Yearning for more Manhattan magic? See our full collection of hotels in New York City. And for more destination drinking spots, see our guides to the best hotel bars in London and Paris