{"id":96122,"date":"2026-01-11T00:08:30","date_gmt":"2026-01-11T00:08:30","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/96122\/"},"modified":"2026-01-11T00:08:30","modified_gmt":"2026-01-11T00:08:30","slug":"30-best-bars-in-nyc-to-drink-at-right-now-january-2026","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ny\/96122\/","title":{"rendered":"30 Best Bars in NYC to Drink at Right Now, January 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"

Every drink seems\u00a0ideal when you’re at the perfect bar. Your\u00a0dive\u2019s<\/a> beer<\/a> is frosty, rooftops<\/a>\u00a0send you soaring toward\u00a0the clouds and\u00a0cocktail destinations<\/a> shake and stir myriad ingredients into ideally calibrated glassware\u2014leaps above what you try to craft at home. The options are unending, the ice is nicer and you aren\u2019t just drinking, you\u2019re at the spot.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Whether you’re dabbling in\u00a0low-ABV libations<\/a>,\u00a0making your way through dedicated martini menus<\/a>\u00a0or collecting passwords for pseudo speakeasies<\/a>,\u00a0there is an ideal location for every taste, tolerance and occasion. Find them among\u00a0the 50 best bars in NYC right now.<\/p>\n

Best NYC bars at a glance:<\/p>\n


\nFor a taste of old New York – The Dead Rabbit –\u00a0One of New York’s best cocktail bars continues to serve up the smoothest pours of Guinness and one of the best Irish Coffees, period. (Financial District)
\nFor a boozin’ and a bite: Bar Snack\u00a0– Excellently fun cocktails with snacks like pickled dusted cheese curds and spice bags (Chelsea)
\nFor a late-night croon and swoon: Saint Tuesday\u00a0– A well-hidden bar found several flights underneath the Walker Hotel Tribeca (Tribeca)

\nFor Korean snacks, sips n’ such: Sunn’s\u00a0\u2013 Sunny Lee’s banchan-based bar is a welcome find in Chinatown for natty wines and close quarters. (Chinatown)
\nFor tiki anytime of year: Sunken Harbor Club\u00a0– The speakeasy above Gage & Tollner didn’t stay secret for long. And how could it? Their range of tiki cocktails make for some seriously boozy nights. (Downtown Brooklyn) <\/p>\n

Updated January 2025:\u00a0Happy New Year, everyone! You may be reading this, still hot off a boozy holiday run. If you prefer to take the year slow and start with a Dry January (or even a Damp January), I applaud you and welcome you. If you don’t, that’s just as good.\u00a0Lucky for us, many New York bars\u00a0are meeting\u00a0drinkers where they are, offering non-alcoholic and low-ABV selections to suit any sipping style. As someone who is also participating in Dry January this year (as I did last year<\/a>), I plan to take stock of our sinless scene and\u00a0will report back in February.\u00a0But if you see any exciting sippers along the way (sans booze, of course), feel free to shoot me an email<\/a>. I’m always on the hunt, and always thirsty.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

But for now, I’ve updated our list for the season, making sure to pepper in the city’s best\u00a0speakeasies<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0underground bars<\/a> to visit while we wait out the winter chill. A welcome addition in that regard is Hudson Square’s sleek Nordic cocktail lounge, Kabin, which is new to the list. And for those of us who are drinking, I’d pay special attention to our new number one in the city: Bar Snack. We also removed Panorama Room as it has closed.\u00a0<\/p>\n

And as always, if you think that we are missing your favorite cocktail bar or drinking haunt, give me a shout<\/a>.\u00a0For\u00a0more on our editorial policies and ethics, feel free to check out\u00a0how we review at Time Out<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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