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Chapel Bar
Photograph: Courtesy Chapel Bar

The best places to be cozy as f*ck this winter

Be warm and toasty without sacrificing your social life at these hotels, book shops, and dining spots that are cozy AF

Shaye Weaver
Written by
Time Out contributors
&
Shaye Weaver
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It's so easy to stay inside when it's freezing outside, but this is New York City! There are far too many places where you can be cozy as f*ck without sacrificing the fun. From thoughtful outdoor dining options to the lobbies of chic New York hotels and cafes with some of the best hot chocolate you’ve ever had, we’ve rounded up our favorite joints to snuggle up inside. Summon your pod and get ready to enjoy a cozy night out!

RECOMMENDED: Full guide to things to do in winter in NYC

Best places to be cozy as f*ck

  • Restaurants
  • Drinking

The members-only Chapel Bar is set inside of a historic landmark 19th-century chapel and open exclusively to patrons of the museum Fotografiska or members of NeueHouse. It's "a place to worship art, photography, fashion and music in a chic setting, surrounded by creative and curious individuals,” says Josh Wyatt, CEO of Fotografiska and NeueHouse. The cozy bar is super unique with a VIP “Confessional” room with experiential cocktail service, floral installations by Floratorium and a photography installation by Miles Aldridge which coincides with his Fotografiska exhibition, "Virgin Mary. Supermarkets. Popcorn. Photographs 1999 - 2020."

 

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  • Restaurants
  • Cafés
  • Chelsea
  • price 1 of 4

Hang out at the 23,000-square-foot multi-level space from Starbucks, which has the largest working coffee roasting plant in Manhattan. There is plenty to do— the Arriviamo Bar, a 60-foot bar on the mezzanine, is where bartenders serve cocktails made with coffee and tea. The layout includes a 10-foot, 2,000-pound copper siren sculpture, subway-inspired "symphony pipes" along the ceiling funneling freshly roasted beans, a take-home scoop bar with 14 rotating beans from around the world and a fireplace—perfect for warming up with.

Archestratus
  • Shopping
  • Bookstores
  • Greenpoint

Let Archestratus bookstore ease you with its wide selection of culinary texts from all over the world as well as specialty cookbooks. At Archestratus you can find chef biographies, vintage cookbooks, local cookbooks and much more. Stop by the cafe in the back for a selection of beer, wine, teas, coffee, house-made cookies and savory snacks. Their specialty is the pistachio lace cookie, which contains a layer of chocolate and pistachio.

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  • Restaurants
  • Drinking

City Winery's winter pop-up at Rockefeller Center is back for the season with heated domes seat up to eight guests at once and offer full-service dining inside. You'll also be able to warm up with the mulled wine, spiked cider and hot chocolate on offer alongside City Winery's iconic menu of signature wines on tap and snacks. Food-wise, we suggest you order some hummus, of course, but also try the Greek couscous salad and the ciliegine mozzarella and pesto tomato salad. Consider the outing the perfect pre-game before a lavish meal at one of the best restaurants in New York, perhaps? 

  • Comedy
  • Comedy

A modest storage room at Bushwick's Tiny Cupboard has been transformed into a psychedelic comedy room dedicated to booking female, BIPOC and queer comics. "The Mushroom," which seats only about 22 people making it the tiniest comedy room in NYC, just had its grand opening on Friday within The Tiny Cupboard—an already small DIY comedy space on Cooper Street. The space boasts an Instagrammable aesthetic with a trippy mural on the wall, colorful lighting, including black lights.

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  • Restaurants
  • Drinking

This huge 7,500-square-foot waterfront venue on Pier 15 will whisk you through a beautifully illuminated tunnel before you enter one of the many cozy private glasshouses, which you can reserve right here.  In addition to the phenomenal views of Brooklyn, Manhattan and the Williamsburg bridges, guests will delight in trying out the delicious cheese fondue, perhaps, or order the build-your-own-s'mores dish. We do also suggest warming up with the spiked hot chocolate or some cider.

  • Restaurants
  • Drinking
The art-deco inspired cocktail lounge, Ophelia, has a Snow Globe in the Sky experience, on the 26th floor of the historic Beekman Tower in Midtown East (3 Mitchell Place at 49th & 1st Avenue). Dripping with crystal and sparkling snowflakes, Ophelia's wintery over-the-top decor creates glamorous holiday experience with unobstructed panoramic views of the city skyline all the way to Brooklyn. Garlands with thousands of crystals and sparkling snowflakes hang from the 17-foot ceiling in the main bar area, and also in the 360° greenhouse terrace. It may look frozen but it's actually cozy. White sheepskin throws cover all of the velvet furniture, and golden candelabras line the tables and walls. Ophelia's cocktail menu features reinventions of classic cocktails inspired by the glory of the lounge during its heyday in the 1920s and 30s, as well as some signature cocktails catering more to 2021 trends. 

Looking to be cozy with hot chocolate?

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