The 50 Best Bars In NYC: A Statistically Accurate & Definitive List
Jan. 16, 2014, 2:10 p.m.
From seedy dives to haute mixology dens, here are the best watering holes in this hooch-loving city.
Sunny Balzano, owner of Sunny's, with Lillie Haus, formerly of Lillie's Bar in Red Hook.
Determining a list of the best bars in sodden old New York isn't easy; the sticky floors of a dive may be a turnoff for some, while the fastidious mixology lounge can be cause for painful eye-rolling to others. But certain saloons have that elusive something that makes them special regardless of your preferred style of boozing, and we set forth to determine the top 50 in our hooch-loving city. It's a living.
As he did when finding the city's best restaurants, Steven Melendez used data that encompasses a variety of bar styles, plus some general lists of great NYC bars overall. Here's how he worked it out:
- 1/15th of a point for each Zagat point (up to 30)
- Thrillist's Best Bars in NYC (1 point)
- Time Out New York's Best Bars in NYC (1 point)
- Travel Channel's Best New York Bars and Clubs (1 point)
- New York Magazine's Visitor's Guide to the Top 25 New York Bars & Clubs (1 point) and Toasts of the Town (1 point)
- Village Voice's Best of 2013 (1 point) and Best Dive Bars (1 point)
- First We Feast's Best Bars in NYC (1 point)
- Grub Street's Best Dive Bars (1 point)
- And of course, Gothamist's Best Cocktail Bars (1 point) and Best Happy Hours (1 point)
Below, Gothamist's Statistically Accurate List of the Best Bars in NYC with tips straight from the sources about why each watering hole deserves a visit.
Steven Melendez is a Brooklyn-based independent journalist who was previously a full-time member of WNYC's Data News Team.
With Kelly Weill
