The Lower East Side has some of New York's most distinctive bars: a no-menu speakeasy where bartenders build to your taste, the lychee martini birthplace, a cocktail bar that treats drinks like science experiments, and the neighborhood's largest outdoor beer garden.
Lower East Side · 134 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002
The speakeasy that actually deserves the hype. No menu necessary—just tell the bartenders what you like and let them work their magic. The space is tiny, the drinks are flawless, and the whole thing feels like a secret,…
Lower East Side · 169 E Broadway, New York, NY 10002
A neon-soaked Saigon acid trip where a leopard-print pool table, a fish tank, and a metal cage (purpose still TBD) all coexist in chaotic harmony. It’s rowdy, unpolished, and exactly the kind of LES grit that’s disappea…
Lower East Side · 115 Allen St, New York, NY 10002
A bar that treats cocktails like a science experiment and chicken sandwiches like fine dining. The front is all casual fun—beer, highballs, fried chicken. The back is where things get wild, with drinks inspired by food …
Lower East Side · 7 Rivington St, New York, NY 10002, USA
The outdoor garden is the largest heated one on the Lower East Side, which matters roughly six months of the year when it fills up with pretzels and German lager. Inside, the decor rotates seasonally — Oktoberfest-heavy…
Lower East Side · 245 Eldridge St, New York, NY 10002
An intimate Lower East Side cocktail nook that feels like you wandered into a Tokyo haunt without the jet lag — amber light, minimalist wood, and bartenders who treat every pour like a quiet ritual. Early evenings are c…
Lower East Side · 247 Broome St, New York, NY 10002
Natural wine by the glass, low lighting, and one of the better happy hours on the Lower East Side—a combination that keeps Ten Bells busy from the minute the doors open. Oysters and tinned fish anchor the food menu, whi…
Lower East Side · 139 Chrystie St, New York, NY 10002
Tucked behind a Chinese apothecary storefront, this cocktail lounge fuses Irish whiskey with Asian ingredients in original and inspiring ways — the Chrysanthemum Collins nods to Hong Kong juice boxes, and the Ca Phe Ail…
Lower East Side · 35 Clinton St, New York, NY 10002, USA
The marble bar and deep whiskey list tell you everything before the first round arrives — this is a proper pub on Clinton, not a bar trying to be one. Low-key enough to actually hear your friends, lively enough to stay …
Lower East Side · 151 Rivington St, New York, NY 10002
A basement bar on the LES where frozen Dole Whips go down hard, the crowd only half expects to dance, and the mix of cocktails is as slick as the vinyl playlist behind the bar. It’s equal parts dive and boutique cocktai…
Lower East Side · 110 Rivington St, New York, NY 10002, USA
The bar that invented the lychee martini — they've served over 1.5 million of the signature Vietnamese drink since 2001, and it's still the thing everyone orders first. Seventeen-foot ceilings and minimalist decor make …