Best blind date spots at bars and cafes in New York

Ensure that your blind date goes smoothly by planning to meet at one of these casual NYC bars or cafés.

By Anna Davies Tue Jan 29 2013

Blind dates involve enough guesswork—will the person look like his or her dating-site profile photo? will we actually have anything to talk about?—without having to pin down the perfect venue. Use this guide to the best blind-date spots to make your life a little easier: Bars like Alphabet City Beer Co. or Pacific Standard are laid-back and cheap, so you can linger if things go well (or make a break for it if they don’t).

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Photograph: Filip Wolak

Best blind date spots at bars and cafes in New York

Cocktail Bodega
Photograph: Jonathan Aprea

Best blind date spots at bars and cafes in New York

Alphabet City Beer Co.
Photograph: Dominic Perri

Best blind date spots at bars and cafes in New York

Pacific Standard

Photograph: Filip Wolak

Best blind date spots at bars and cafes in New York

Cocktail Bodega

Sip an alcoholic smoothie at Cocktail Bodega

Price band: 1/4

Once the initial inspection is over, suss out whether you and your date’s tastes are simpatico by ordering a make-your-own cocktail ($11), combining your choice of liquor and fruit or veggie juices. Or calm your jitters by ordering one of the specialty drinks ($13), such as the Energy Memory Punch, which mixes rum with pineapple and orange juices, mango nectar and fresh mint.

205 Chrystie St, (at Stanton St), 10002

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Bliss out with a beer nerd at Alphabet City Beer Co.

Price band: 2/4

This laid-back East Village beer bar and shop offers 12 frequently rotating taps, which often include brews from local outfits (such as Rockaway Brewery), along with Alphabet City’s own Easy Blonde ($6). If you’re picking up a bad vibe, order a half-pint ($3–$3.50) to save time, calories and cash. And if it goes really poorly, console yourself by choosing from the more than 350 bottles available to make a custom six-pack ($8–$14). You deserve it.

96 Ave C, (between 6th and 7th Sts), 10009

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Keep things low-key at Pacific Standard

Price band: 2/4
Critics choice

When it comes to suggesting a suitable meeting spot, easy access to transportation and plenty of seating are essential. This Park Slope bar, five blocks from the Atlantic Ave–Barclays Ctr subway station, has both, along with enough beers to satisfy craft-brew fanatics and those who just want to ease into first-date chitchat. Sip on an Anchor Liberty ($6) and let the alt-rock–leaning soundtrack prompt questions about your favorite bands.

82 Fourth Ave, (between Bergen St and St. Marks Pl)

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Plan to meet cute at One Girl Cookies

Price band: 1/4

Can’t decide between meeting for coffee or drinks? This Dumbo bakery—an offshoot of the Cobble Hill original—lets you opt for both. Choose from a rotation of six wines and five beers, or go for caffeine over alcohol with a cappuccino ($3.75). When it starts getting dark, the manager dims the lights; come in the late afternoon and grab a seat by the counter, where the immense windows provide a romantic view of the neighborhood at dusk.

33 Main St, (at Water St)

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Sample sweet treats at Ivy Bakery

Price band: 1/4

Assess your possible connection with a clear head by grabbing dessert at this bakery, which has romantic low lighting and cozy tables. Start a conversation while snacking on sweets like the shop’s famous buttermilk pie ($5.75); if it goes well, linger over a cappuccino ($3.75) and play a board game like Battleship or Trouble. The shop is open late—until 10:30pm during the week, and until 1:30am on weekends—so there’s no need to rush.