At considerable cost to my liver and wallet, I’ve earned a hard-won savvy of the full spectrum of New York City’s watering holes. I’ve sipped libations engineered with the precision of Patek Philippe movements at Schmuck, Superbueno, and Sip & Guzzle. Many a hazy night has found me knocking back $3 Yuenglings beside cops, white-shoe attorneys, and bachelorettes from Minneapolis at dives like Jimmy’s Corner and Rudy’s. Distilleries, pop-ups, speakeasies, dinner clubs—I’ve seen the Big Apple’s whole boozy rodeo, son.
When out-of-town friends hit me up for bar recommendations, I steer them toward the rooms where New York’s pulse beats loudest: classic hotel bars. High ceilings, burnished brass, white marble glowing under amber light. Martinis like chilled rocket fuel. All around, a glittering menagerie—debonair barflies, stilettoed models, hedge-fund cowboys. The city’s best hotel bars distill New York glamour to Navy-strength proof.
Below, ten exceptional hotel bars that pair fine spirits with the spirit of New York.
The Tusk Bar – The Evelyn Hotel New York
The Tusk Bar exudes old-guard Manhattan elán—the sort of room that could have doubled as a private clubhouse for the Vanderbilts and Rockefellers. The name is a wink to the Gilded Age fascination with exotic taxidermy, and the polished brass trim, elegant marble counter, and stuffed ostrich overlooking the salon would make any louche Robber Baron chortle into his Champagne flute.
The food and the cocktails salute the sea. The Oceanside Vesper, a martini infused with nori, is so dirty it ought to be X-rated. The Mignonette Martini is a booze bomb garnished with shallot vinegar, cracked black pepper, and pickled onions—one of my favorite savory cocktails anywhere. Light bites like fresh oysters, tuna tartare topped with caviar, and scallop crudo are highlights. For heartier fare, order the hanger steak with fries.
Bazaar Bar – Ritz-Carlton New York, NoMad
The resplendent Ritz-Carlton NoMad was the first North American Ritz-Carlton built from the ground up in over a decade. The lobby bar, Bazaar Bar, unites the creative genius of world-renowned interior designer Lázaro Rosa-Violán and Spanish super-chef José Andrés. With lavish art, sculptural lighting, and Art Deco flourishes, Bazaar Bar matches the splendor of the skyline views from the hotel’s guests’ suites.
José Andrés’ gives free rein to his flair for molecular gastronomy in the Margarita de Graná, a marg crowned with salt foam. As you would expect from the great Spanish culinary ambassador, his selection of sherry and Iberian wines dazzles. If you’re still peckish after dinner at Zaytinya, the hotel’s renowned Levantine restaurant, nosh on small plates like jamón ibérico carved to order, gildas, and savory croquetas.
elNico – The Penny Williamsburg
ElNico, the penthouse restaurant at The Penny Williamsburg, is my Williamsburg stalwart for taking out Tinderella. The bar pairs panoramic city views with a just-right Goldilocks noise level.
The fare is Mexican with a dash of pan–Latin eclecticism. Standouts include guacamole brightened with chive oil and volcano salt, carne asada tacos slicked with smoky poblano salsa, and tender birria wrapped in a blue-corn quesadilla. The tres leches, cream-soaked sponge cake crowned with tiny chocolate pearls, is rich but light.
For agave devotees, elNico is Atizlán—heaven in Aztec cosmology. Start with a neat pour of rare tequila before a playful cocktail like the Tomatillo Gibson—cold gin laced with bright tomatillo brine—or the Horchata Highball, a creamy, cinnamon-dusted cocktail made with Abasolo Mexican whiskey.
Warren Street Bar & Restaurant — Warren Street Hotel
Bedizened with extravagant wallpaper, bespoke stoneware, and handsome bookshelves, Warren Street Bar & Restaurant feels like the dining room of an eccentric London gentleman. The hotel itself, intimate and art-filled, is a visual feast for design nerds.
For appetizers, order the beef tartare topped with a cured egg yolk and the tea tower, a delicate stack of cucumber sandwiches, warm scones, and pastel macarons. The Sunday Roast—slices of roast beef, crisped potatoes, and pillowy Yorkshire pudding—is the supreme British comfort food. Desserts are gloriously old-school, especially the lemon tart and the apple strudel à la mode.
Pen Top – The Peninsula New York
Alpine wonder meets Manhattan swagger at Pen Top, the crow’s nest of the historic Peninsula Hotel. In winter, gaze into the glittering skyline from the terrace’s heated chalets—timbered cocoons of wool, fur, and gemütlichkeit.
The menu is designed for comfort on chilly evenings. Molten raclette draped over crisped potatoes. Bubbling pots of fondue. And, in a sly high-brow/low-brow wink, wagyu hot dogs. Pen Top quietly boasts one of the deepest lists of Swiss wines in New York—a thoughtful roster of rare vinos like Petite Arvine, Fendant, and austere Pinot Noir from the steep terraces of Valais and Vaud.
Through March 21, Pen Top is hosting Chesa, a winter wonderland pop-up. The menu is designed for comfort on chilly evenings. Molten raclette draped over crisped potatoes. Bubbling pots of fondue. And, in a sly high-brow/low-brow wink, wagyu hot dogs. Pen Top quietly boasts one of the deepest lists of Swiss wines in New York—a thoughtful roster of rare vinos like Petite Arvine, Fendant, and austere Pinot Noir from the steep terraces of Valais and Vaud.
MAD Bar & Lounge – NH Collection New York Madison Avenue
MAD Bar & Lounge channels Madison Avenue’s intoxicating glitz—the sort of polished bar where Don Draper and Roger Sterling would hold court over a three-martini lunch, or bring their new flames for a night of live jazz and covert canoodling. The décor is charmingly mid-century, with warm woods, burnished brass, and a wash of amber light.
Like Don Draper’s wardrobe, the cocktails are unapologetically classic. Icy Martinis in sparkling couples. Old Fashioneds without flaw or frill. For a more unusual tippler, order Aly’s Dirty Martini, an umami elixir with muddled olives and salt water.
Parker’s — Thompson Central Park
A tower overlooking Central Park, The Thompson is one of Midtown’s most majestic perches. Parker’s, the lobby bar, is a swank refuge for pre-theater bites. At the sleek onyx bar, savor a flight of New York-distilled whiskeys beneath a canopy of hanging greenery, surrounded by dapper businessmen and Broadway cognoscenti.
If you stay overnight, Parker’s breakfast is worth setting an alarm for. The Eggs Royale Benedict trades pork for lox, crowned with mounds of trout roe over silky hollandaise. The Bananas Foster French toast, brioche, and flambéed bananas coated in a rum reduction, is a dessert masquerading as breakfast.
Peacock Alley – Waldorf Astoria
The Waldorf Astoria has long been a palace of Manhattan glitterati, a hotel that has hosted presidents, royalty, and generations of power brokers. Its flagship bar, Peacock Alley, is a room where the ghosts of Astors and Vanderbilts seem to hover under the chandeliers.
Sample as many of the clever riffs on the martini as your hepatic fortitude allows. As with the room’s ambience, the fare is luxurious and timeless—fresh oysters on ice, proper steak tartare, and the Waldorf salad, invented here in 1896.
