Date night bars in Manhattan

The most convenient date night bars in Manhattan are a few minutes' walk from a station on both of your lines. Pick the area by where each of you starts, then the bar by how long you want the night to last. Maybe one of you leaves work downtown, the other starts uptown, and you both need a train home.

This post suggests eight bars in Midtown, Lower Manhattan, the West Village and the Upper West Side. Then it covers booking, late trains and planning it together. It is part of our guide to New York.

Which date night bars in Manhattan are easy for both of you to reach?

Each of these eight bars is within a 6-minute walk of a subway entrance, and each card names its station and lines. Pick one on a line you can both ride without changing trains.

Our picks in New York

Chosen by the Where2Meet team. Photos, ratings and addresses load live from Google Maps.

• The Rum House

  A cocktail bar on West 47th Street, about a 2-minute walk from the 49 St station on the N, R and W. Google lists it as moderately priced and not taking reservations, so you can walk in. It's open until 1 a.m., or 2 a.m. on Fridays and Saturdays.

• King Cole Bar

  A bar in the St. Regis hotel on East 55th Street, about a 3-minute walk from the 5 Av/53 St station on the E, and the F on weekdays before 9 p.m. It's open from 4 to 11 p.m. every day, which suits a first drink before dinner.

• Overstory

  A cocktail bar on the 64th floor of 70 Pine Street, about a 3-minute walk from the Wall St station on the 2 and 3. Google lists it as taking reservations, so you can book ahead. It's open until midnight, or 11 p.m. on Sundays.

• Bar Room at the Beekman

  A cocktail bar at the Beekman on Nassau Street, about a 2-minute walk from the Fulton St station on the 2, 3, 4, 5, A, C and J. Google lists it as taking reservations but shows no hours, so check them before you book.

• Employees Only

  A bar on Hudson Street in the West Village, about a 5-minute walk from the Christopher St-Stonewall station on the 1. It's open from 6 p.m. to 4 a.m. every night, so it works as a late second stop. Google lists it as taking reservations.

• Dizzy's Club

  Jazz at Lincoln Center's jazz club at Columbus Circle, about a 1-minute walk from the 59 St-Columbus Circle station on the 1, A, B, C and D. Google lists it as moderately priced and taking reservations, so plan the evening around a set.

• Bin 71

  A bar on Columbus Avenue, about a 6-minute walk from the 72 St station on the 1, 2 and 3. Google lists it as moderately priced and taking reservations. It closes at 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, so it suits an early date.

• Smoke Jazz & Supper Club

  A jazz supper club on Broadway, about a 3-minute walk from the 103 St station on the 1. Google lists it as very expensive and taking reservations, and it's closed on Mondays and Tuesdays. Save it for a planned night with dinner and music.

Google Maps

Lower Manhattan works when one of you comes from Brooklyn or New Jersey. Trains from Brooklyn stop at Fulton St, and PATH trains from New Jersey stop at World Trade Center. Midtown suits a date straight from the office. The Upper West Side suits a date near home, with the 1 under Broadway from Columbus Circle to 110th Street.

For cafes and dinner as well as bars near Union Square, see where to go on a date near Union Square. For a daytime date uptown, see our weekend hangout spots on the Upper West Side.

Should you book a table or walk in?

Book the bar you're crossing town for, and walk in where a short wait won't spoil the plan.

Google lists every bar here except the Rum House as taking reservations, but the St. Regis dining page offers no booking for the King Cole Bar. Book the others on their sites or by phone.

Dizzy's Club needs a ticket and lists its set times on its own page. Arrive before the set starts. A set also gives a first date a fixed length. When it ends, either of you can call it a night or suggest a second stop.

Check the dress code too. The St. Regis lists smart casual for the King Cole Bar on its dining page.

How late can you stay out and still get home?

Check the closing time and the late-night trains together. Some of these bars close at 10 or 11 p.m., and some lines don't run late at night.

When the first bar closes early, plan a second stop. In Midtown, the King Cole Bar closes at 11 p.m., and the Rum House stays open later.

Late at night, fewer trains stop near these bars:

• The 1 runs all night, so Employees Only, Dizzy's Club, Bin 71 and Smoke all keep a train home.
• Near Overstory, the Wall St station on the 2 and 3 has only the 2. At Fulton St, near the Beekman, the 2, 4, A and J keep running.
• At 49 St, near the Rum House, the N and Q stop, but the R and W don't.
• At 5 Av/53 St, near the King Cole Bar, only the E stops.

The MTA's late-night subway map shows every line that runs overnight, and its service changes page shows weekend track work.

How to do it in Where2Meet

Where2Meet lets you choose the bar together from one shared link.

1. Open Where2Meet, choose the Date night chip, and set the day and the time you'll meet.
2. Send the link to your date. Neither of you needs an account.
3. Each of you adds where you're starting from. An approximate area is enough if you'd rather not share an address.
4. Search for bars around you both, or look one up by name. Compare each person's travel time by transit, walking, car or bike, and see the routes on the map.
5. Vote on the bars you like. The organizer picks the final one, and you both see it without a refresh.

Common questions

Is a bar a good first date spot?

It is when the trip is easy for both of you. One drink can end the night or turn into dinner, and a bar near a shared line makes leaving simple.

Where should we meet if one of us lives in Brooklyn and the other in New Jersey?

Try Lower Manhattan. PATH trains from New Jersey stop at World Trade Center, and the 2, 3, 4, A, C and J at Fulton St run to Brooklyn. The 2, 4, A and J also run all night.

Which corner should we meet at?

Name a corner, not just a station. Fulton St and 59 St-Columbus Circle each have many entrances, so say which street you'll come up on, or meet at the bar's door.