The Lower East Side's neighborhood bars know how to make an evening worth starting early. From a wine bar pouring style="overflow-x:hidden;width:100%;max-width:100%" oysters to one of the city's most acclaimed Japanese cocktail bars, these locals' picks make 5 PM the best part of the day.
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 · 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 · 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 …
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 · 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 · 18 Spring St, New York, NY 10012
A narrow Nolita cocktail bar with worn-in brick, pressed-tin ceiling tiles, and the kind of energy that lands just on the right side of buzzy. The bartenders lean creative — past slushy-machines, daily board specials, a…
Lower East Side · 48 Spring St, New York, NY 10012
A relic of NoLita’s past that refuses to dress up, Spring Lounge is the kind of dive you drink at when you don’t need to impress—exposed brick, weathered wood, a semi-circular bar, and enough character to make the smell…
Lower East Side · 14B Orchard St, New York, NY 10002, USA
Narrow Orchard Street spot where a raw bar shares the room with whoever's playing jazz that night — East and West Coast oysters arrive at a dollar each and the cocktails rotate seasonally without making an announcement.…