11 Best Nightlife in New York City, New York

New Yorkers love a speakeasy. Hidden behind a clandestine door inside jewel box–size Stone Street Coffee, 1920s-esque Bathtub Gin is a dark, brooding yet sleek spot for elevated and creative libations using unlikely ingredients like quail eggs, salt-and-vinegar potato chips, and graham crackers. Not surprisingly, the bar stocks an impressive array of gin, but cocktails are also made with rum, vodka, whisky, and other spirits. There's a food menu of bar bites like steak tartare and fried olives.

This sprawling space, with its own taproom and backyard, is as good a sign as any that the Bronx’s time has finally come. It's a true local gathering place, too—one that brings in DJs, hosts basketball tournaments, and acts as a home base for the Bronx-founded Empanology, serving innovative empanadas and sandwiches. The brewery's expansive list of beers created in-house include a mix of year-round and seasonal. They've since opened locations in Manhattan's East Village and Hudson Yards.

It's a restaurant. It's a bar. It's a winery. But above all the new-ish location of City Winery at Pier 57 is a music venue, attracting top-notch artists and comedians. The 350-seat auditorium is an intimate spot to catch a show. Singer Rufus Wainwright, comedian John Mulaney, and musician Norah Jones have graced the stage. Even the late, great Prince put on unannounced shows at City Winery. The in-house eatery serves everything from burgers to seafood to flatbreads and the bar has 12 different wines on tap.

At this intimate supper club, an integral part of Jazz at Lincoln Center, you can enjoy jazz, dinner, and drinks along with stellar views of the Manhattan skyline and Central Park. The food is hearty and Southern-inflected (catfish po'boy, gumbo), but the top-notch music provides the main attraction. There are two sets; the late-night sessions are ideal for after-dinner nightcaps of classic drinks with new twists.

With its art deco light fixtures, marble-top tables, and cute leather banquettes, this cocktail bar elevates itself from a neighborhood hangout to a destination. Here, sample creative concoctions based on the classics. While charcuterie boards are available, the spicy PB&J on the snack menu surprisingly pairs nicely with boozy vanilla shakes or espresso martinis.

Awarded New York Brewery of the Year two years in a row, Grimm certainly knows how to make a good brew. Fans of IPAs, sour beers, and goses (warm fermented beers) will definitely appreciate a session here; many of their beers lean in those realms of the beer spectrum. Some nights at the taproom feature DJs sets—except Wednesdays when it's BYOV (Bring Your Own Vinyl) and the music vibe is in the beer drinkers' hands.

Launched by three graduates of Historically Black Colleges, this cozy pub specializes in “beer, booze, bites, and beats." Bites on the casual menu include a Bavarian soft pretzel, craft beer bratwurst, and a variety of spicy guma pies (similar to a flaky samosa or empanada), and everything pairs well with an accessible selection of innovative small-batch beers. A second location is opening at Pier 57 in Hudson River Park.

Think of Nowadays as a club with a conscience. This sprawling, indoor/outdoor space on the border between two neighborhoods (Bushwick and Ridgewood) in two boroughs (Brooklyn and Queens) and right next to a huge cemetery is up for just about anything. You'll find it packed during daylight hours with families enjoying drinks, Asian-inflected bites and ramen at picnic tables, or pulsing in the evenings with civic-minded Brooklynites taking in a lecture or documentary screening before dancing the night away. Sunday is the most popular here, with an all-day outdoor DJ dance party called Mister Sunday that draws a diverse crowd.

The vibe can be boisterous at this sprawling beer hall, where plenty of communal tables foster a convivial atmosphere. The Central European beers on tap pair well with hearty foods like schnitzel, goulash, and giant pretzels from the kitchen, or brats and currywurst from the grill. There's free live music for the brunch crowd on weekends.

Head to this low-key club that lends a stage to both aspiring comedians and veteran comics who pop in to polish their material. Catch a preshow drink in the front bar, then join the laughter in the back room for the price of a ticket from $10 online; $25 in-person and on weekends) plus a two-drink minimum ($18). FYI to parents: the comedy showroom is open to guests 16 and up, as long as those under 18 are with a guardian. There are free shows on Monday (one drink minimum).

It may have all the fixings of a typical sports bar, but this new spot on the corner of 120th Street is far from average. Decked out with chic, striped wallpaper, black and white photos of sports stars, and a modish quartz bar top and stainless steel tabletops, The Fox caters to locals with impossibly delicious small bites, beer on tap (plus weekly happy hour), and high-quality cocktails. Try the refreshing hibiscus-infused gin and the angus beef blue cheese sliders while you catch the game (they also show women’s sports, lacrosse, and cricket) on any one of the nine flat screens around the bar.