The bars in every guidebook are fine. This is not that list. We've put together the places where New Yorkers — actual, rent-paying New Yorkers — go when they want a drink without performance. From Red Hook waterfront dives to Lower East Side wine bars that only opened two years ago and already have a regular crowd, these are the addresses that don't appear on tourist maps.
Waterfront & Deep Brooklyn
01
Sunny's Bar
Red Hook, Brooklyn
$
A Red Hook institution, open since 1890, still owned by the same family. Closed most of the week; open Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The jukebox is legendary. There are no cocktails. Order a beer and a shot and sit on the dock if the weather allows.
Order: Beer & Shot
02
Ear Inn
SoHo
$
Operating since 1817, the Ear Inn doesn't make lists because it doesn't try to. The regulars are locals who've been coming for 20 years; the staff have been here longer. Order a pint of whatever's on draft.
Order: Pint of Draft Beer
03
Clover Club
Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn
$$$
Opened in 2008 and still ahead of most bars that opened after it. The Carroll Gardens address keeps the bridge-and-tunnel crowd away. Order the house Gimlet or one of their rotating seasonal sours.
Order: House Gimlet or Seasonal Sour
04
Beauty Bar
East Village
$
A former beauty salon converted into a bar, complete with old drying chairs. Manicures on Friday nights. Order a gin and tonic and marvel at the clientele. Cash only on most nights.
Order: Gin & Tonic
05
Attaboy
Lower East Side
$$$
No sign, no menu. Tell the bartender what you're in the mood for and they'll make it. One of the most-copied bar formats in the world, and still the best execution of it. Expect a line on weekends; go on a Tuesday.
Order: Tell the Bartender
Brooklyn Neighbourhoods & Hidden Gems
The outer boroughs contain some of New York's best drinking. Brooklyn in particular has a concentration of neighbourhood bars that the Manhattan scene can't match for authenticity or value.
06
Long Island Bar
Cobble Hill, Brooklyn
$$$
The Long Island Bar looks like it hasn't changed since the 1960s and that's entirely deliberate. The cocktail program is excellent; the food is better than you expect. Regulars are local professionals from the surrounding brownstones.
Order: House Cocktail or Food
07
Iona Bar
Williamsburg
$
Named after a Scottish island, dark and narrow with a vast whisky selection and no attitude. The Williamsburg crowd here is not the rooftop-bar crowd. Order a dram of Islay Scotch and stay for two hours.
Order: Islay Scotch Dram
08
Featherweight
Bushwick
$$
A narrow Bushwick bar with exposed brick, a curated natural wine list, and a cocktail menu that changes monthly. Popular with artists and creative workers from the nearby studios. Order the Aperol-adjacent house spritz.
Order: House Spritz
09
Elsa
Lower East Side
$$$
A serious wine bar that looks like someone's living room. The Lower East Side address means it's not in every guidebook yet. The staff actually know about wine. Order whatever the sommelier recommends by the glass.
Order: Sommelier's Recommendation
10
McSorley's Old Ale House
East Village
$
Only two beers (light and dark), operating since 1854. Women weren't allowed in until 1970. The sawdust on the floor is genuine, not decorative. Order the house dark ale and a plate of crackers and cheese.
Order: Dark Ale & Crackers
The Rule of Thumb
The best local bars in New York are never on the main drag. They're on the cross street, or around the corner, or in a neighbourhood that requires three stops on the G train. If a bar is fully lit and has a doorman, locals aren't there. Follow the half-open doors and handwritten signs.
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