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The Penrose
Photograph: Paul Wagtouicz

The very best bars on the Upper East Side

From neighborhood pubs to smart cocktail bars, these are the best Upper East Side bars in New York City

Written by
Christina Izzo
,
Alyson Penn
&
Time Out contributors
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It's not all penthouse apartments, Ralph Lauren shops and tiny dogs in the pricey uptown neighborhood. The best bars on the Upper East Side range from craft beer bars to laid-back wine bars, plus some of the best cocktail bars in the city. After checking out a museum or restaurant in the area, check out these spots for a perfectly poured drink.

RECOMMENDED: The full guide to the Upper East Side

Best Upper East Side bars in NYC

  • Bars
  • Gastropubs
  • Upper East Side
  • price 1 of 4

The Penrose—named for a neighborhood in Cork, Ireland, where two of the owners grew up—brings a bit of the indie-chic East Village to Gossip Girl territory. Operated by the gastropub specialists behind the Wren and Wilfie & Nell, the joint would be run-of-the-mill farther downtown, where the trifecta of reclaimed wood, craft pours and pedigreed pub grub long ago joined the ranks of food-world clichés, but it’s a welcome change up here.

Sugar East
  • Bars
  • Cocktail bars
  • Lenox Hill
  • price 3 of 4

Tucked away on an aggressively average block in the doorman-less part of the Upper East Side, a set of red-velvet ropes leads to a heavy black door. The underground speakeasy seems like a seductive bachelor pad from the 1960s, where the attentive staff serves gussied-up drinks for the parties of overlapping limbs and fused-together faces.

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  • Bars
  • Café bars
  • Lenox Hill
  • price 1 of 4

The Alewife team opened this Upper East Side hangout. A custom draft system for the beer controls the pressure for optimal fizz. To pad the boozing, the chef will dole out elevated bar snacks, while keg pallets and lighting fixtures fashioned from plumbing parts decorate the space, including a 65-seat biergarten.

  • Bars
  • Lounges
  • Lenox Hill
  • price 4 of 4

Choice acts keep New York’s most dapper nightspot on the map, while the steep cover charge and white-jacketed service makes sure riffraff doesn’t scuff up the bar’s most valued draw: original Ludwig Bemelmans murals. Not to be missed, spiffy (and pricey) cocktails preserve the bar’s classic character. 

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  • Bars
  • Pubs
  • Upper East Side
  • price 1 of 4

Upper East Side regulars can get a taste of the Highlands at this Scottish tavern, pouring 180 varieties of Scotch and other whiskeys. Along with dark spirits, Scots suds are on offer at the glossy wood bar. If the maps and tartan flags hanging on the walls don't drive home the pub's Scottish pride, the menu of sausage rolls and Scotch eggs should do the trick.

  • Bars
  • Lounges
  • Upper East Side
  • price 1 of 4

Dangling chandeliers, pressed-tin ceilings and a fireplace decorate this Victorian-inspired spot. On weekends, a 25-and-up policy keeps out the young'uns; cozy up with a date on the red velvet couches or chat with pals over rounds of draft beers and mixed drinks.

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  • Bars
  • Gastropubs
  • Lenox Hill
  • price 2 of 4

The more refined side of British booze culture is reflected at this UES gastropub, helmed by veterans of Orsay and Raines Law Room. English brews share tap space with Belgium suds and a proprietary lager made by Red Hook's Sixpoint Craft Ales. Wine drinkers can explore a number of vino-based cocktails, along with regular glasses.

Bar Pleiades
  • Bars
  • Lounges
  • Lenox Hill
  • price 4 of 4

The luxe setting and monied crowd at Daniel Boulud’s Deco beauty might seem a little stiff—but barkeep Cameron Bogue’s drinks are so delicious and exquisitely executed, you won’t mind sharing your banquette with a suit. All of this refinement will cost you: Canapés (snacks are made at Café Boulud next door) are $28 for four people, and cocktails top out at $20.

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