The Best First Date Spots In NYC

Like other great first date bars, Layla is a little sexy and the soundtrack is usually some combination of funk and Khruangbin. The menu has plenty of wine, but we prefer their cocktails. One sip of "Layla’s Juice," a crushable mixture of tequila, Aperol, yuzu, pineapple, and ginger, and you’ll be thinking about future beach vacations with the person across from you. The bar also has a nice back patio for all of your outdoor date needs.

A wine bar is a tried-and-true first date choice. The difference between Entre Nous in Clinton Hill (from the Fradei people) and every other place serving gamay is that their French food is great. Stick to something fishy, especially the $36 seafood platter. If you’re looking to fill up a little more, snack on the provided La Bicyclette baguette, and order the smoky and sweet tartiflette croquettes made with allegedly smuggled-in reblochon cheese.

When you’ve lost faith that you’ll find a West Village bar that isn’t overcapacity, turn to St. Jardim. The place only has seven-ish tables and a small bar—behind which you’ll see a record player and a collection of obscure spirits—but it’s usually easy to find a few seats. Get pasta or tuna crudo, or stick to their straightforward, perfectly executed cocktails like the classic sidecar.

A diner date sounds chill, and Kellogg’s—the movie-set version, with shiny chrome trim, beige-pink booths, and 24-hour service—is a good choice. The cocktails and desserts are a little fancier than your average greasy spoon’s, but everything from the baby back ribs to the texas french toast is comforting and large enough to share. Worst case scenario, the date doesn’t go well and you’re right off the G and L trains for a quick retreat.

Not to be crass, but Doris, Bed-Stuy's premier first date spot, is for a very specific type of first date. It's for the first date after a series of bad first dates, when you'd much rather make out with someone in a candlelit corner than do any more small talk. By 12am (even on a weeknight) everybody's making out at Doris, so you'll never feel self-conscious for just doing what you want to do. If all else fails, and that person is definitely not as into vinyl as they said they were, finish that margarita, order a serviceable grilled cheese for the road, and then part ways forever.

Margaritas, fried Oaxacan cheese, a stuffed life-size jaguar—Hellbender checks every box for a romantic evening in Ridgewood. Think restaurant, but with the soul of a bar. Grab a few stools and get some crackly lamb tacos and piña coladas, or sit in a booth and eat a full meal. Ordering anything with tortillas is a good idea, like the strip steak with roasted onions and ancho brown butter.

This Basque-style spot in Chinatown works well for any first date scenario that calls for vermouth on tap and chunky tortilla española heaped onto a little white plate. Reservations aren't tough to snag, but there are also plenty of bar seats for walk-ins if that's more your style.

North of Madison Square Park, offices and Lenwich locations start to replace nice date spots. But Tusk Bar in the bottom of a 27th Street hotel is a great option. The place has a Jazz-Age feel, with couches and potted palms, and you can make a reservation to guarantee yourself a seat. Eat some fried olives and scallop crudo, and try one of the house martinis, like the tangy Mignonette Gibson. A mini version is available for $12.

Frog Wine Bar is useful for something more toward the casual end of the first date spectrum. It’s a little spot in Bed-Stuy where you can play pool, chat over a glass of something orange, and lounge in a backyard that looks like a modest but well-maintained park in Paris. The bad news: There’s no food menu. But they often host pop-ups, and you can check their Instagram to see what’s coming up.

If you take cues from the romantic path of Ryan Gosling and Emma Stone in La La Land, then Saint Mazie is just about the perfect spot for a first date. It’s a low-key Williamsburg bar on a quiet street with live jazz almost every night. They have a section of aperitifs on the menu and a cocktail list that stays under $15. Maybe you’ll learn quickly that jazz isn’t for you. But maybe, just maybe, the quaint backyard or smoky downstairs “night club” will have you hooked.

At this Spanish seafood bar in Greenpoint, you’ll see plenty of things to discuss with someone you just met, like the transistor radio playing indie music in the bathroom, the cartoon poster of a wine-drunk penguin, and all the neighborhood people wearing glasses and baseball caps seated in tiny wooden booths. In addition to a curated list of wine, sherry, and amari, El Pingüino also serves an impressive raw bar selection and small plates, but you never get the feeling that you're required to have a full meal.

Are you looking for a spacious room that’s bright enough for you to see if your date is writing down your personal details in order to steal your identity? Try Talea. The West Village taproom of the Brooklyn-based brewery is as casual as a coffee shop and done up in light pastels, with a long bar and a bunch of little tables spread throughout. Order a flight of beers if you need something to keep you present and engaged, or get a cocktail, glass of wine, or non-alcoholic draft.

A casual bar in Queens with a backyard garden, picnic tables, and umbrellas. We shouldn't really need to sell this place anymore than that. Start the night off with one of their dirty pickle martinis or a spicy margarita. If you make it through the first round of drinks and things are going well (enough), order cheese fries.

This Fort Greene standby works for pretty much any kind of date, from coffee meetups to sunset dining. Our preferred method: order a strong cocktail, oysters, and a burger. That’s all you need for a good time at Walter’s. And, since it’s right across the street from Fort Greene Park, you can go for a walk after your meal for the full rom-com effect.

We can’t really think of a more natural ice breaker than flaming beverages. Find them at Sugar Monk, a tiny cocktail lounge in Harlem with green velvet chairs, tropical wallpaper, and heavy curtains on the windows. Sugar Monk makes tasty and complicated drinks containing things like eucalyptus, sage, and lemon balm. Most of the cocktails are in the $19-$22 range, but if you’re looking for an impressive spot where you can have a conversation, this place is worth it.

If you’re open to the possibility of staying out until 12am, go to Mister Paradise. On the earlier side, this East Village bar is a casual place to get some great cocktails—like a martini with bay leaf and pickled jicama—but later in the night, it becomes crowded with people who get their morning coffee from Aimé Leon Dore. At some point, you’ll probably want to order a cheeseburger as you sit in your big plush booth.