The NYC Bar Hit List: The Best New Bars In NYC

Lucy’s was the East Village’s favorite dive bar for over 40 years. Then it closed. Then the team behind sceney bars like Le Dive and The Nines took it over. Some people were worried. (Would they put caviar on the menu?) But the new Lucy’s is almost exactly the same—from the graffiti in the bathroom to the uneven flooring up front. The only noticeable differences are a neon pink sign out front, and the absence of Lucy, who is no longer behind the bar. Or at least, no longer behind the bar every night. But keep an eye out. She still comes around.

From the Electric Burrito team, which also operates late-night burger spot HighLife on this corner of the East Village, El Camino offers cocktails and tapas at first date-friendly prices. They focus on the classics, and the most expensive drink—a rye manhattan—is $17. The rest of the cocktails, like a coconut margarita, range from $13-16. It’s a small space, where dates at the bar chat over dirty martinis and some pretty great bar nuts, and dates at tables snack on sandwiches made with crunchy Balthazar bread and interesting fillings, like braised pork and olives. It's a great low-key choice next time you need to meet someone new in the area.

There are bars, there are clubs, and there are bars where you can dance. Damballa belongs to that last and hardest-to-track-down category. At this Bushwick bar from the team behind Cafe Erzulie across the street, you can pair a rhum-based Summer Sorel cocktail with a plate of yuca fries in the evening, and then dance to a DJ. Start with a few Spicy PB&J cocktails and then settle in. Damballa is worth a long hang, and sets often go until 4am. Keep an eye on their Instagram for upcoming events.

In the old bar area of Momofuku Ko, this tropical bar has the lively but precise 4/4 energy of a soca band. Servers in tie-dye aprons dance around a center table, and bartenders vigorously shake daiquiris, which are perfect for slow sipping. Sip other cocktails too, like a simple yet effective green coconut for two, spiked with rhum agricole. The food—a preview of the forthcoming, full-fledged restaurant next-door—is worth trying. Grab a patty at the long bar for walk-ins (the epicenter of fun), or reserve a seat at one of the high-tops and make dinner out of a few of those, plus some seafood snacks.

Schmuck comes from the duo who formerly ran Barcelona’s Two Shmucks (one of those bars that makes it to global must-visit lists), but their East Village spot is more of a relaxed living room than a European party destination. Sink into a plush leather love seat while a server asks you how you’re doing, listens carefully, and then recommends something appropriate, like a refreshing, peanut-forward Larb Gai with cognac. This place is buzzy and you’ll need a reservation, or to line up half an hour before they open. But the effort is worth it for a date fueled by martinis that comes with a dropper of olive oil, some cacio e pepe beans and maybe a chocolate mousse.

Need somewhere to cosplay as a vampire navigating life in modern day NYC? Head to Monsieur, where the windows are stained glass, the tapestries are medieval, and the swords are safely attached to the wall. The East Village bar, an unlikely collaboration between director Baz Luhrmann and the people behind The Nines, is kitschy in a fun way, with fine-tuned, uncomplicated cocktails and a bunch of little tables that are perfect for dates.

At Liar Liar, a bottle of red and a plate of steak frites will run you $69, and a fried chicken sandwich plus a glass of bubbles is $25. Don’t do the math, just take our word for it—in the world of $100 steaks and $26 glasses of wine, those are some excellent deals. But even if you just need a glass or two of wine in Gowanus before or after dinner elsewhere, this spot from the team behind Bed-Stuy’s Bad Luck Bar is a great choice, with a long bar and snug booths perfect for knocking knees with someone under the table.

Move over teeny martini’s—there’s a new undersized cocktail in town. At Bar Snack, a relaxed cocktail bar in the East Village, you can enjoy a seasonal snaquiri (or a full-sized daiquiri), which is currently a refreshing spiced clementine concoction. The cocktails are well-mixed and cap out at $18, there’s a glossy little bar with high-backed stools, the soundtrack is permanently stuck on ’70s radio, and this spot is open all week. We’re guessing it might get crowded on weekends, so come by after work sometime, and grab a $10 hot dog loaded with pickles and caramelized onions while you’re at it.

It’s a bar, but a Basque-style one. So when you show up to this Two Bridges spot, be ready to consume, at the very least, a pintxo or two alongside your albarariño. Bar Oliver is a long, candlelit room with light fixtures sourced from a Madrid flea market and a menu inspired by San Sebastian. Most of the space is saved for walk-ins, but if you want to eat a full dinner, there are a few tables you can book and a couple of entrees, like a juicy wagyu hanger, to choose from. Breakfast and lunch are coming soon, and, yes, that’s a 10-foot Julian Schnabel painting on the wall.

If you’re looking to cross Eleven Madison Park off your list, the best way to do it is by not going at all. Clemente Bar is a new cocktail lounge hidden up a set of stairs past the restaurant’s foyer, and it offers a snapshot of the EMP experience at a more affordable (but still expensive) price. Sit on a funky stool in the small, carpeted room that looks like a speakeasy brought to you by MoMA, and try a perfectly balanced Negroni/piña colada mashup paired with a fried tofu dog wearing a thick blanket of shaved black truffle.