Bars near the Empire State Building

The team behind Dear Irving and Raines Law Room opened the second outpost of the former in midtown. Dear Irving on Hudson is a bi-level cocktail bar that takes up the 40th and 41st floors of the Aliz Hotel in Times Square. While the bustling location is worlds away from the quiet block of Irving Place, the founders are sticking to some familiarities. Most noticeably, a handful of cocktails and a "time travel" theme, with one floor akin to 1960s James Bond and another decked out in Art Deco finishes. The vibe: It feels like a rooftop lounge on top of a schmancy hotel in Times Square, which isn’t a bad thing–it’s just that everything feels highly curated because it is. Different corners each have their own vibe ranging from 70s living room to retrofuturistic afterparty.  The food: The menu is eclectic–lobster guacamole next to steak au poivre next to spiced nuts. All of it tastes nice but none of it stands especially proud. The drink: There’s a small selection of beers and some wines, but this place is all about cocktailing. There’s a big variety on the menu, such as a smokey, spicy Xantolo featuring reposado, mezcal, and spiced pineapple.Time Out tip: The place was designed for you and a date to locate the perfect nook.

Stout first opened in 2005, and its locations in some of the city’s busiest hubs bring laid-back public house energy to nine-to-five New Yorkers and international tourists alike. They’ve moved their Stout Penn Station location to a new spot just two blocks from Macy’s Herald Square and Madison Square Garden, so you can join the throngs of sports fans and Swift-wedding-crawlers to soak up a pint or two before or after the action. They even open early for every Garden game and concert, so you’ll always have a place to escape the throng of Midtown.  Classic pub fare still reigns here, with prime beef burgers (made “Angry” with Buffalo hot sauce or Oklahoma-style with griddled onions) and house-cut French fries, fish and chips and chicken wings on the menu. The cheddarwurst sausage, which is also served rinkside to the ice skaters at Bryant Park, is available here year-round, dripping with honey-bourbon braised onions and earthy Düsseldorf mustard. On the weekends, you can stop by for breakfast burritos and bottomless brunch, where two hours of unlimited bloodies, rum punch, mimosas, screwdrivers and select draft beers will run you $25 when you purchase a brunch entrée.  Over 70 cans, bottles and drafts are on offer day and night, from crowd-pleasers like $7 Miller Lites and peach High Noons to harder-to-find suds like Lawson’s Sip of Sunshine and more cult-favorite IPAs. If you’d like to try a few from their extensive list, draft beers are available in half pints or flights;...

Only incidentally one of NYC’s latest speakeasy concepts, Nothing Really Matters aims only to be “the best cocktail bar in the universe,” rather than a late-arriving throwback. But it still fits the bill better than many of its contemporaries by virtue of its recessed entrance in a midtown subway station alone. Find your way downtown-bound to see whether the style tracks.  The vibe: Vaporwave. The decor is like a piece of polished obsidian; dark but glistening in all the glowing neon. The back bar looks like a crystal altar.  The food: Chips, nuts, popcorn, olives, and caviar with crem fraiche if you feel like taking that plunge. Pizzas are available to order to the bar Tuesday - Saturday 5pm-11:40pm, but there’s no kitchen. The drink: There’s a few wines and beers, but the name of the game here is inventive, fun, seasonal cocktailing so the menu could be completely different depending on when you read this.  Time Out tip: If it’s busy, don’t ask the bartender to decide which cocktail you should drink–they’re there to make a living, not to please you, so be a grownup and make a decision on your own. If it’s slow, call a liquor and let the bartender do what they do. If you don’t feel like rolling the dice, try Cyllan’s Rum Punch–rum, pineapple, mango, passionfruit–it can get you in some trouble but, if you’re worried, refer to the bar’s name. With Julien Levy

Linden Pride and Nathalie Hudson—the couple behind Dante—always had a soft spot for the corner pocket found on West 4th and Bank Street. Its brass-heavy finishes and pressed-tin ceilings housed the beloved Nat's On Bank and the Riddler, a short-lived Champagne Bar from San Francisco. And while the two weren't initially planning an expansion (minus the coming Dante on Elizabeth Street), they couldn't say no to the opportunity when the property came on the market. A little zhuzh-up later—including the brand's iconic black-and-white flooring—Dante Aperitivo was born.  The drinks: In true Dante fashion, cocktails are the highlight. But unlike the laundry list of Negronis at its main locale, this spot keeps it light with lower-ABV options for easy drinking (if that wasn't already apparent from the name). It's easy to glide between classic Americanos, made even sweeter with soft strawberry and tomato notes, and Palomas, with fluffy heads that waft the fruit's sharpness to the nose but not to the mouth. Of course, that isn't to say that you can't find a Negroni here; it is Dante after all. The classic 'tail is always available, as are riffs on the former, including a spiced fig and pear rendition and the tropical version with toasted coconut and mango Negroni with nutty flakes sitting over ice.  The food: Dante puts the large basin by the bar to good use, filling it with ice and chilling all manner of seafood and bottles of Champagne. We recommend snacking over indulging,...

The 25th-floor rooftop bar in midtown is dedicated to Elsie de Wolfe, the 20th-century actress, socialite and interior decorator. The team behind the Refinery Hotel decked out the indoor/outdoor space in a glam aesthic of 18th-century French style. Chef David Burke created a menu of elevated American plates, while the cocktails are named after Elsie's tony life (The Windsor, The Colony Club).

A recent addition to 2021’s new rooftop bars and viewstaurants slid in just under this year’s late summer wire. Daintree, on the top floor of midtown’s Hotel Hendricks, is the latest venture from Parched Hospitality, the group behind another recently opened chic rooftop lounge, The Sentry Flatiron, among other NYC venues. And, just like Parched's last opening, Daintree is notable for its Manhattan skyline views.  Take an elevator up to the hotel’s 29th floor and you’ll enter a 180-seat space packed with leafy potted plants, tumbling vines and walls of windows. The flora, color scheme and vistas all bring the outside in, while a 70-seat terrace does the reverse. The south-facing vantage point has a clear line to the Empire State Building with plenty of possible snapshots from myriad angles. Each space has its own full-service bar.  The drink menu is authored by beverage consultants Tristan Brunel and Gates Otsuji, the latter of whom recently spoke with Time Out about the future of drinking in NYC. Martinis take the spotlight, with five options prominently featured (all $18), followed by “Everything Else,” which mostly includes cocktails, but also a dare or two. The “Oh Behave” for example, is a bottle of Champagne, a dozen oysters and a room for the night ($1,000).  Snacks absent propositions include caviar and chips ($48 for 12g), uni deviled eggs ($19) and complimentary chicken salt seaweed popcorn with another winking note to “just ask for more.”  The vibe: Almost like a...

The Art Deco-styled bar and restaurant evokes a bygone era with touches like antique smoked mirrors, intage murals of burlesque dancers and a ceiling covered in Chesterfield-inspired cushions. Some drinks also skew to theme, with recipes from Prohibition and an entire menu page focused on European-style gin-and-tonic service. If you're more thoroughly modern, try the signature cocktails made with ingredients like coffee-pecan bitters and tomatillo-infused mescal. The vibe: It almost feels like a beautiful Parisian train concourse bathed in golden light. Downstairs is duskier, tres cool millennial The food: Sort of a gastropub brasserie hodgepodge upstairs. An assemblage of snacks downstairs, with some Asian-inspired dishes. The drink: Upstairs can handle any classic cocktail with aplomb, but they specialize in a variety of Gin and Tonics. Downstairs, the drinks are whackier and more nouveau, like the Nighthawk cocktail featuring brown butter, Cynar, and coffee whiskey. Time Out tip: Choose your own adventure, but doing dinner upstairs and then continuing with drinks downstairs feels right.

The Woo Woo is an adults-only speakeasy close enough to Times Square that any New Yorker will get the ick. But if you can get over yourself, you ring a doorbell, speak the password (which you can find on their site), and then you’re almost there. You first have to pass through the shop, which is, to be clear, a sex shop replete with sex toys. All this before anything resembling a drink happens. If you’re bashful, this place isn’t for you.  The transition is the whole gag: a graffiti-lined descent, a red curtain, some neon light and that little thrill of being a wee bit daring and naughty. It’s supposedly '80s Times Square themed. I didn’t find it to be that exactly, but I get what it’s trying to evoke, and I appreciate it. Not everything we remember fondly was actually good. The schtick here is indeed fun to inspect and will definitely garner some giggles. Once you’re actually inside the bar, things do tone down. There’s a bunch of little tables to sit at, some lounge seating, and a bar with stools that have backs. It’s low-lit and comfy, campy fun, a gaze back at the Deuce from a safe remove. Yeah, it’s whitewashing and romanticizing the shit out of a time and place. But what is history if not grist for the mill? This is what Times Square would look like in an alternate universe wherein Disney still took over but retained the existing businesses/working people and just kind of spruced it all up. The staff keep it moving with a straight face and a light touch, which is...

Midtown office workers can fill up on German suds and sausages at this sprawling beer garden, from Willy and Keith Reichenbach (Hop Devil Grill, David Copperfield's). The 5,000-square-foot hall—outfitted with communal tables, handcrafted stools and iron chandeliers—honors the beer-loving siblings’ German heritage. Nab a seat at the wood-paneled bar for a Deutsch-leaning selection of 14 drafts (Spaten Oktoberfest, Hofbrau Original and a house pale lager), along with a rotating selection of schnapps and European wines. Drawing from childhood meals at their grandparents’ house, the Queens-born duo put together a menu of traditional bierhaus bites, including cheese-stuffed sausages and a giant soft pretzel paired with chicken-liver mousse and obatzda (a cheese-and-beer dip). Make a reservation on Resy here.

In a city where many waterfront restaurants build the cost of the view into their $28 cocktails, Anable Basin keeps a straightforward shorefront vibe with $6 hot dogs and buckets of six beers for $42. Who needs fancy seafood towers or fussy caviar-topped potato chips when you’ve got the skyline glittering in front of you for free? The vibe: Laidback and casual, it brings the staycation energy without having to spend $199 for a one-day pool pass at a hotel. It’s a huge bar with plenty of picnic tables, but don’t be surprised to see it fill up fast on a beautiful day. The view of Midtown from Long Island City is well worth the price of admission, which happens to be $9 for a beer.  The food: Easy eating like burgers, shrimp rolls and kielbasa served with pita, mustard and sauerkraut can all be had for $20 or under. There are salads for a little something lighter, or a $25 snack plate with hummus, olives, veggies and pita bread to share with your increasingly rowdy friends.  The drinks: 16 beers can be had for $9 a pop, or put into a bucket; hard seltzers and ciders are also on the menu. A handful of bottles of wine are around $60, and summertime faves like Moscow mules, margs and Aperol spritzes are $15. Time Out tip: You can’t reserve the picnic tables, so roll up early (they open at 3pm on weekdays and noon on weekends) to save a seat.