The best bars in NYC in 2026 are McSorley's Old Ale House for history, the Dead Rabbit for an Irish pub with world-class drinks, Bemelmans Bar for old-New York glamour, and the White Horse Tavern and Old Town Bar for classic saloons. In the outer boroughs, the Long Island Bar in Brooklyn and Bohemian Hall & Beer Garden in Astoria are the picks.
This list covers New York's classic bars and taverns. For cocktails, see our guides to cocktail bars and speakeasies; for views, rooftop bars.
One of the oldest bars in the city, pouring only its own light and dark ales.
McSorley's has sawdust on the floor, walls crowded with memorabilia and a menu of two beers — light or dark, served two mugs at a time. It has been on East 7th Street since the 1850s.
Good to know: Order 'one light, one dark' to try both; cash is the safe bet.
15 E 7th St, New York, NY 10003
An Irish pub downstairs and an award-winning cocktail parlor upstairs.
The Dead Rabbit's ground-floor taproom pours Guinness and Irish coffee, while the upstairs parlor serves an ambitious cocktail menu that has earned it international acclaim.
Good to know: Get an Irish coffee in the taproom — they make them by the hundreds.
30 Water St, New York, NY 10004
A jewel-box hotel bar with murals by the creator of Madeline.
Inside the Carlyle hotel, Bemelmans is lined with whimsical murals by Ludwig Bemelmans and has live piano and jazz most evenings — the most elegant drink in town.
Good to know: There is a cover charge once the music starts; come before it for a quieter drink.
35 E 76th St, New York, NY 10021
The 1880 tavern where Dylan Thomas drank, restored and reopened.
The White Horse Tavern is one of the city's oldest bars, a literary haunt for writers including Dylan Thomas and Jack Kerouac, with a wood-paneled room and a classic pub menu.
Good to know: Sit at the corner tables by the windows on Hudson Street.
567 Hudson St, New York, NY 10014
A tin-ceilinged 1892 saloon with wooden booths and a dumbwaiter for burgers.
Old Town Bar has barely changed in more than a century — long mahogany bar, high tin ceiling, wooden booths — and remains a relaxed place for a beer and a burger.
Good to know: Sit in a booth and order a burger; it comes down from the upstairs kitchen by dumbwaiter.
45 E 18th St, New York, NY 10003
A historic tavern near Gramercy Park with an O. Henry legend.
Pete's Tavern claims to be the city's longest continuously operating bar and restaurant; O. Henry is said to have written 'The Gift of the Magi' in one of its booths.
Good to know: It's especially atmospheric at Christmas, when the bar is decorated.
129 E 18th St, New York, NY 10003
Drink where George Washington bid farewell to his officers in 1783.
Fraunces Tavern combines a museum of Revolutionary War history upstairs with a series of pub rooms below, serving a long list of beers and whiskeys.
Good to know: Visit the museum first, then have lunch in the tavern.
54 Pearl St, New York, NY 10004
A restored 1950s diner-bar with neon, great cocktails and a famous burger.
The Long Island Bar revived a mid-century bar on Atlantic Avenue with its original neon sign and Formica, adding excellent cocktails and a well-known burger.
Good to know: Try the house Cosmopolitan — the bar's owner is credited with popularizing the drink.
110 Atlantic Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11201
The oldest beer garden in New York City, run by a Czech community association.
Bohemian Hall's big, tree-shaded garden has been pouring Czech pilsners since the early 20th century, with sausages and pierogi to soak them up.
Good to know: Go on a warm afternoon and grab a picnic table in the garden.
29-19 24th Ave, Astoria, NY 11102
Bars in New York City may serve alcohol until 4 a.m., though many neighborhood bars close earlier on weeknights.
21. Bring a passport or government-issued photo ID — bars routinely check, whatever your age looks like.