The 15 best bars in midtown

What is it: Upstairs, The Ragtrader restaurant kicks out well-realized, crowd-pleasing neo-gastropub fare to soak up the fast-ball-down-the-middle drinks menu. Downstairs is Bo Peep, a more intimate affair with more creative cocktailing and Jazz.

Why we like it: Upstairs/downstairs twofer with vastly different experiences in each, both well-tuned.

Time Out tip: You can more or less walk into Ragtrader whenever and find a seat–it’s huge. That is a double edges sword though as the din is noticeable. Downstairs almost certainly requires a reservation for one of the two nightly seatings: 5:30pm or 8pm.  

Address: 70 West 36th Street

Opening Hours: Ragtrader: Monday - Thursday, 11:30am - 1am; Friday - Saturday, 11:30am - 2am; Sunday, 11:30am - midnight. Bo Peep: Sunday & Monday, 5:30pm - midnight; Tuesday - Saturday, 5:30pm - 1am

Expect to pay: At Ragtrader, everything other than the mains hovers around $20 and mains average $35. Cocktails go for somewhere around $17, beers for about $9, and wine for around $16/glass and abouut $60 bottle. Bo Peep’s food is about $20 a plate and its cocktails are about the same. The beer/wine prices are comparable to upstairs.

What is it: Famously formerly an erstwhile magnate's private office, it became a bar in 1999, with ownership shifts and aesthetic updates in the interim.

Why we like it: If you were just passing through town and only had a couple of hours to lounge, The Campbell (née, The Campbell Apartment) in Grand Central Terminal is one of the finest places to do so. 

Time Out tip: This place is more about drinking in this room than the drinking itself–you could wander into the specialty cocktails, but you’re probably going to be better served by ordering an expertly-tuned classic. Their Vesper, for example, is beautifully balanced.

Address: 15 Vanderbilt Avenue (Upstairs at Grand Central Station)

Opening Hours: Daily, noon-2am

Expect to pay: Bites range from $8 for salted nuts to $95 for caviar. Beers are around $12, most cocktails are $22, and the wine hovers around $20 per glass. Bottles may go for about $70 but can be considerably more expensive.

What is it: No frills neighborhood bar.

Why we like it: It has a ton of character, friendly bartenders, and inexpensive drinks. It’s been called “America’s greatest dive bar.”

Time Out tip: As your coach, We’d advise you to stay nimble; rather than throw haymakers all night, stick and move with a beer and shot, vodka-soda, cider on ice–one-two combos that may not be fancy but get the job done.

Address: 140 West 44th Street

Opening Hours: Monday - Wednesday, 11:30am-2am; Thursday & Friday, 11:30am-4am; Saturday, 12:30pm-4am; Sunday, 4pm-2am

Expect to pay: Almost nothing costs more than $10 and most is considerably less.

What is it: A Russian bar/lounge featuring Ruskie victuals and a huge selection of vodkas.

Why we like it: This is one of those singular, wonderfully odd rooms in New York City where, after an ice-cold vodka martini, one can’t help but wonder how exactly life landed them (of all people) here (of all places).

Time Out tip: If you’re an aspiring vodka person, this is where you should come to understand the finer points. You can do a flight of the stuff, but a martini here is really to-notch. Take good care of bartender and bartender take good care of you.

Address: 265 West 52nd Street

Opening Hours: Monday - Wednesday, 4pm-1am; Thursday - Saturday, 4pm-2am; Sunday, 4pm-midnight

Expect to pay: Wine by the glass is around $14, beer is between $10 and $12, and vodkas range from $7 up to $16. Cocktails start at $12 but can go up to $22. Small plates of food are about $15 to $20 and mains are around $28.

What is it: The barroom attached to fine-dining establishment The Modern attached the Museum of Modern Art.

Why we like it: For anyone who doesn’t want to drop a small fortune for the full fine dining experience, this is a great way to sample The Modern’s soigne styling.

Time Out tip: A full meal (starter, main, dessert, drinks and wine) makes less sense here than it does at The Modern, where for about the same price you’ll be privy to Chef Thomas Allan’s full creative powers. To that end, we suggest doing drinks and sharing some starters with a companion. 

Address: 9 West 53rd Street

Opening Hours: Daily, 11:30am-3pm; Monday-Saturday, 5pm-9:30pm

Expect to pay: Starters average $28, mains $42, desserts $19. Snacks go from $8 for olives to $38 for caviar hot dogs. Wines by the glass vary, but expect to pay no less than $20 per. Beer is about $16. Cocktails are $20 apiece.

What is it: Super cool cocktail bar in a subway station.

Why we like it: Compared to the hokey, gimmicky, one-trick-pony “hidden” bars, Nothing Really Matters is legitimately cool. It’s not trying to be hidden, its location is merely off the beaten path.

Address: Inside the downtown 1 (Broadway-7th Ave Local) subway station at 50th St.

Opening Hours: Monday - Saturday, 4pm-2am. Closed Sunday.

Expect to pay: Cocktails are about $20, beers $10, wine around $17/glass and $60/bottle

What is it: A bar atop the Hotel Hendricks.

Why we like it: Sweeping skyline views featuring the Empire State Building.

Time Out tip: The place is open year-round but feels geared to the warmer months. Thing is, the terrace isn’t super spacious, so as cool as the views are, you’re probably going to view them through windows anyway. Why not forego the hubbub and come on a rainy night or in cooler weather? The Empire State Building looks cooler then, anyway.

Address: 25 W 38th Street

Opening Hours: Monday & Tuesday, 4pm-10pm; Wednesday - Saturday, 4pm-midnight. Closed Sunday.

Expect to pay: Cocktails are $18, beer is $10, wine is around $16/glass and $60/bottle. Small plates of food/skewers are all below $20 apiece. 

What is it: Chic, art deco-ish two-story penthouse bar/lounge atop the Aliz Hotel smack dab in Times Square.

Why we like it: The views are dramatic and the space itself is stylish. The cocktails are nice. 

Time Out tip: The place was designed for you and a date to locate the perfect nook.

Address: 310 W 40th Street

Opening Hours: Monday, 5pm-midnight; Tuesday - Thursday, 5pm-1am; Friday, 4pm-2am; Saturday, 4pm-2am; Sunday: 4pm-midnight

Expect to pay: Cocktails run about $20 as do glasses of wine. Beers are $10. Food goes as high as $24.

What is it: Rooftop bar on top of the Beekman Tower with a wraparound terrace.

Why we like it: Besides the views, the place is beautiful in its own right and the cocktail program is nice to boot.

Time Out tip: This is the kind of place you want to go when the weather is nice. The terrace is where you want to be, without question.

Address: 3 Mitchell Place, 26th floor

Opening Hours: Monday - Wednesday, 5pm - 11pm; Thursday: 5pm - midnight; Friday - Saturday, 5pm - 2am; Sunday, noon - 11pm

Expect to pay: Cocktails average $23. Small plates averages about $21, big ones around $35. Beer goes for about $13, wine about $20/glass and about $70/bottle.

What is it: The iconic, one and only.

Why we like it: It’s got a ton of history and it’s an architectural wonder.

Time Out tip: Go early, before 5pm, sit at the counter or bar and you can get a sandwich. Oyster Po Boy, Crab Cake Sandwich, Lobster Roll, etc.

Address: Grand Central Station: 89 East 42nd Street

Opening Hours: Monday - Friday: 11:30am-8:30pm; Saturday & Sunday: Closed

Expect to pay: The food menu is huge and varied and market dependent, so there’s no clear zone–you can get away with paying a lot or a little. Wine is similarly varied but a glass averages $15. Oysters tend to go for about $4 apiece. Cocktails are $15-ish, beers about $10.

What is it: A long-standing dive that serves free hot dogs with every drink. This was one of Anthony Bourdain’s favorite spots.

Why we love it: A long-standing dive that serves free hot dogs with every drink.

Time Out tip: Cash only. It’s an unapologetic dive bar in midtown, so maybe don’t come here on a first date? (Unless you know for a fact that the person is real cool and loves hot dogs). Free wifi!

Address: 627 9th Avenue

Opening Hours: Monday - Saturday, 8am-4am; Sunday: noon-4am

Expect to pay: As inexpensive as it gets in this city with $5, $6, $7 beer/shot combos. Regular beers range from $4 to $9. No judgment on any score, but if you go here looking for wine or cocktails, I’m not sure what to tell you. 

What is it: A wine bar offshoot of fine-dining juggernaut, Le Bernadin.

Why we like it: It’s in conversation with the experience at Le Bernadin (directly across the galleria) but it’s more casual overall.

Time Out tip: Get a reservation, bring a group. The food is delicious and surprisingly affordable for what it is, so don’t be afraid to plan dinner here.

Address: 151 West 51st Street

Opening Hours: Monday - Thursday, noon-11pm; Friday, noon-11:30pm, Saturday, 4pm-11:30pm; Closed Sunday

Expect to pay: Wines range vastly in price, so there’s really no good way to say. Food-wise, shareable plates range from $14 for some olives up to $26 for oyster chowder. Mains are about $28. Cheese and charcuterie can be ordered a la carte, but an assortment goes for around $67.

What is it: Big, beautiful art deco cocktail bar. Downstairs is a mostly-autonomous lounge called Madame George.

Why we like it: It has style for days and, considering the two different bar experiences, a lot of variety. 

Time Out tip: Choose your own adventure, but doing dinner upstairs and then continuing with drinks downstairs feels right.

Address: 45 West 45th Street

Opening Hours: Monday, 11:30am-midnight; Tuesday - Friday, 11:30am-2am; Saturday, 11am-2am; Sunday, 11am-midnight.

Expect to pay: Valerie: Small plates range from $13 to $27. Mains are in the $35 range. Cocktails are mostly around $19 but their martinis are about $28. Madame George: Cocktails are about $20 and plates of food are around $25