The Top 100 Bars in New York
The Top 100 Bars in New York (2026 Rankings)
New York is the most famous bar town in America, and it is easy to see why. You can drink a perfectly stirred Manhattan in a hidden Lower East Side room, throw axes at a digital target on Long Island, sip cider in the Finger Lakes, or catch live jazz inside a SoHo hotel, all in the same weekend. Ask ten people for the best bar in New York and you will get ten passionate, completely different answers.
That is exactly why we built this ranking. Instead of relying on a single star rating or whichever bar has the loudest marketing budget, BusinessRate pulled real Google review data from bars across New York City and the rest of the state and ran it through our proprietary Benchmark Score, a 0 to 300 scale built from three separate factors. The result is a ranking of the top 100 bars in New York based on what guests are actually experiencing, not what a business is willing to pay for visibility.
Below, we explain how the Benchmark Score works, spotlight the highest ranked bars in the state, give a shoutout to five more right behind them, and list the full top 100 so you can see exactly where your favorite spot landed.
How We Ranked Them: The Benchmark Score
Every bar on this list was scored using the BusinessRate Benchmark Score, which combines three components pulled from public Google review data.
Endurancemeasures how long a business has been earning positive reviews and how consistent that reputation has been over time. A bar that has kept its regulars happy for years is a very different business from one riding a few months of buzz.
Momentummeasures the direction a business is trending right now. Are new reviews still coming in steadily and staying positive, or has the energy faded? Momentum is what separates a bar that peaked two years ago from one that is getting better today.
Review Qualitylooks past the star rating and into the substance of what guests are actually writing. Detailed, specific, and consistently positive reviews carry more weight than a pile of short, generic ones.
Each of these three factors is scored independently and combined into a single Benchmark Score out of 300. The higher the score, the stronger and more consistent a bar's reputation is across all three dimensions, not just one.
We built the score this way on purpose. A single star average tells you almost nothing useful. A bar with 900 reviews averaging 4.6 stars over eight years is a very different place from one with 70 reviews averaging 4.6 stars over the last three months, even though they would look identical on a typical review site. By separating out how long a reputation has been built, whether it is trending up or down, and how substantive the feedback is, we get a much more honest picture of who is earning trust right now.
A quick note on how this list reads. Some businesses operate more than one location, and each location is scored on its own reviews. That is whyNY Axe Throwing Rangeappears three times in the top four, once each for its Brooklyn, Selden, and Huntington locations, and whyStout NYCappears twice further down. We have left every listing in place so the ranking mirrors the underlying data exactly.
The Top 5 Bars in New York
1, 2 and 4. NY Axe Throwing Range (Brooklyn, Selden and Huntington)
Three locations of the same brand claim three of the top four spots, which says a lot about how consistent the experience is.NY Axe Throwing Rangepairs real axes and real wooden backstops with digital projected targets, so a lane can switch from a classic bullseye to an interactive game in seconds. Every group gets a dedicated coach, which keeps first timers confident and keeps the energy up. The Brooklyn location scored 289, the Selden location also scored 289, and the Huntington location scored 288. The brand has grown to five locations across Long Island and Brooklyn, and guests at the Selden spot can enjoy beer and wine between throws. When three separate locations all land at the top of a statewide list, that is not luck. That is a system that works.
3. IYKYK
Tucked away in Downtown Flushing,IYKYKis a speakeasy built around a 1920s Shanghai inspired look, craft cocktails, and Asian inspired small plates. It opened in 2025, which makes a score of 289 even more impressive. Newer bars usually need years to build the kind of review history that earns a top three spot.IYKYKdid it fast, and the Momentum component of its score shows why. If you want proof that Queens is a serious cocktail destination, start here.
5. San Antonios
On the Lower East Side,San Antonioshas turned a small room into one of the most talked about Latin bars in the city. The formula is simple and wildly effective: affordable margaritas, a loud and welcoming crowd, a reggaeton heavy party calendar, and a rule that lets guests bring their own food. It scored 284, and it does it with personality instead of polish. This is the bar you go to when you want the night to turn into a story.
Also Worth Watching: 6 Through 10
Just behind the top five, five more New York bars scored high enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with the leaders.
Rough Draft Bar & Books(6) in Kingston is a bookstore, bar, and cafe in one historic building, serving draft beer, cider, and wine alongside books, Counter Culture coffee, and savory pies. Since opening in 2017 it has become a cultural hub for the Hudson Valley, and a score of 283 proves that a bar does not need to be in Manhattan to rank among the best in the state.
Foxtail(7) hides inside the Arlo SoHo hotel as a speakeasy style cocktail den with weekly live jazz. It scored 282 on the strength of craft drinks and a mid century glamour vibe that feels like a secret even in the middle of SoHo.
Bar Mario(8) is a cozy Red Hook corner bar and kitchen with Piedmontese and Tuscan inspiration, and its score of 281 reflects how loyal its neighborhood following has become.
DRINK33(9) in Murray Hill is a tattoo studio by day and a high proof cocktail bar by night. It is a genuinely unusual concept, and guests clearly love it, earning a 281.
Tara Mor(10) brings contemporary Irish hospitality steps from Madison Square Garden and Penn Station, with elevated cocktails, serious Guinness, and a lively crowd on game nights. It also scored 281.
The Full Top 100
Here is the complete ranking of bars in New York, based on Benchmark Score.
NY Axe Throwing Range - Brooklyn
NY Axe Throwing Range - Selden
IYKYK
NY Axe Throwing Range - Huntington
San Antonios
Rough Draft Bar & Books
Foxtail
Bar Mario
DRINK33
Tara Mor
The Ragtrader & Bo Peep Cocktail and Highball Store
The Attic
Live Axe
Brickyard Craft Kitchen & Bar
Third Time's the Charm
Le Vin Coeur
Daintree
Sadie's Ward
Center Bar
The Horny Ram
Paraiso Bar
Pete's Candy Store
Sake Bar Asoko
Bar Chimera
Motel No Tell
Close Up
Copper & Oak
sUBteXt
Sugar Mouse NYC
The Infamous
Central Park Tavern
Cayena Lounge
Continental Sports Lounge
TØRST
Turtle Bay Tavern
Greenpoint Comedy Club
Tavern 157
Condor Five Golf
Doublé
Saisonnier
New Scotland Spirits Tasting Room
Avoca
The Dead Rabbit
Burp Castle
OSB Ciderworks/Original Stump Blower Ciderworks
StEight (behind KUNIYA HAIR)
Last Run Tavern & Grill
Jia
Accidental Bar
BARZAKH CAFÉ
The C List Cocktail Bar
ART SoHo (Arlo Soho)
AUX Karaoke Box
Night School home of Deep Fried Beers
Three Lives
Garvey's Irish Pub
Maloney's Cafe
The Westbury
Delaware Supply
Sour Mouse
Top Of The Park
Why Knot Tiki Bar at Swan Bay Resort
Florist Bar Co.
The Flying Cock
The Cipher Room
Yesterday's
L'Wren
Grand Street Social
Trails End Taphouse @ Greenwood Lake Garden and Farm Market
Mary's
Blazers Sports Bar
Crown Alley
Cafe Skye LES
Milly's Neighborhood Bar
The Greats of Craft - Midtown East
Copperhead Club
The Yard: Sports Bar & Hatchet House
The Museum Bar + Gift Shop
The Factory 380
Trove Wine Bar & Kitchen
All Night Skate
Whiskey Tavern
Jameson's Bar & Grill
The Se7en
Wonderville
Bar 369 MIROKU
Sorry, Charlie
Shaka Shaka Tiki
Voco RoofBar
Queue Beer
Stout NYC
Tipsy Turtle Bar and Cafe
Moondog HiFi
Bad Seed Cider Taproom
Westland Roe
Silver Light Tavern
Stout NYC
Fattey Beer Company
Kick Axe Throwing BROOKLYN
Mr. Melo
What This List Tells Us About New York's Bar Scene
The first thing that jumps out is how far this ranking stretches beyond Manhattan. Brooklyn and Queens are packed into the top 25, but so are Kingston, Albany, Lake Placid, Syracuse, Athens, Highland, Peekskill, Smithtown, and Hauppauge further down. New York's best bars are not clustered in one trendy corridor. They are spread across the entire state, which means a great night out is rarely more than a short drive or train ride away.
The second thing is how much variety sits side by side. Axe throwing lanes, arcade bars likeWondervilleandThree Lives, craft cideries likeOSB CiderworksandBad Seed Cider Taproom, karaoke rooms likeAUX Karaoke Box, tiki bars, sports bars, Irish pubs, and hushed Japanese speakeasies likeSake Bar Asokoall earned their place. The traditional neighborhood bar is alive and well, but New Yorkers are clearly rewarding bars that give them something to do besides drink.
It is also worth noticing how many of the highest scoring bars are small, owner operated rooms. A big marketing budget does not appear anywhere in the Benchmark Score. A consistent, memorable night does. That is a useful reminder when you are choosing between a viral spot with a line around the block and a quieter place down the street that has been getting it right for years.
A Note on Pay to Play
BusinessRate does not accept payment in exchange for ranking placement, and no business on this list paid to be included or to be ranked higher than a competitor. Every score is generated from public Google review data run through our Benchmark Score model. Businesses that appear on this list may choose to purchase a physical award plaque, a digital badge, or a media package after the fact to celebrate their placement, but that purchase happens after the ranking is calculated and has no effect on the score itself or on a business's position in the list. We publish this disclaimer on every ranking we produce because we believe trust in the data is the entire point of BusinessRate.
Frequently Asked Questions
How often is this ranking updated?BusinessRate rankings are refreshed periodically as new Google review data becomes available. Because our Momentum score is time sensitive, a bar's position can shift over time even if nothing else about the venue has changed.
Why isn't my favorite bar on this list?There are a few possible reasons. A bar may not have enough Google review volume yet to produce a reliable Benchmark Score, or it may have scored just outside the top 100 in this pull. You can look up any business's Benchmark Score directly at businessrate.com.
Why does the same bar appear more than once?Some bars operate multiple locations, and each location is scored on its own reviews.NY Axe Throwing RangeandStout NYCboth appear more than once for that reason.
Can a bar pay to improve its ranking?No. Ranking placement is generated entirely from public review data. Paid products like award plaques and digital badges are available after a business is recognized, but they do not influence the underlying score.
What does the 0 to 300 Benchmark Score actually mean?The scale combines three separately scored components, Endurance, Momentum, and Review Quality, into a single number. A higher score reflects a business with a longer track record of positive reviews, a healthy or improving trend in recent activity, and consistently detailed, high quality feedback from guests.
How do I nominate a bar that isn't on this list?Reach out through businessrate.com and tell us which bar deserves a closer look. As long as it has enough public review data, it can be scored and considered for future rankings.
Final Thoughts
New York is too big and too varied to sum up in one sentence, and that is exactly what makes ranking its bars so interesting. This list exists to cut through the noise and point you toward the places that are earning real, sustained trust from the people who actually walk through the door, whether that is a decades old pub or a speakeasy that opened last year.
Whether you are a lifelong New Yorker looking for a new regular, a visitor trying to find where locals actually go, or just someone who wants a better answer than "somewhere with a good vibe," the full list above is your starting point. Bookmark this page for the next time someone asks where to go tonight.
Want to see how your bar compares, or think a spot deserves a second look? Look up any New York bar's Benchmark Score at businessrate.com.
