7 Best Bars In New York City For A Solo Date Night

Many women who travel to New York will have to ask the daunting question we all do when we travel anywhere: Is New York safe for women? While safety is subjective, I’ve lived in NYC for over 10 years and have taken myself out on many solo date nights. Some places are just better equipped for ensuring you’ll have a great while out alone, and that the drinks will be top-notch. After plenty of field research, these are my top 7 bars for a New York City night out on the town, party-of-one.

1. Gottino Enoteca e Salumeria

Gottino tops this list for good reason. I love a good Italian wine bar, especially one that serves classic Italian bites like acciughe e burro (anchovy and butter) toast, roasted carciofi (artichoke), and a wide selection of cured meats and cheeses. Gottino is a quaint wine bar located in the hopping area where Greenwich Village meets West Village, typically filled with late-night crowded frat-boy atmospheres. Step away from it all and head into Gottino for a perfect date night, party-of-one, with the accompaniment of a glass of Chianti and some prosciutto and gorgonzola.

• Address: 52 Greenwich Ave, New York, NY 10011
• Fashion Tip: Wear a little black dress while you sip wine and eat cheese.

2. Pebble Bar

Fairly newly opened is Pebble Bar, located close by to Radio City Music Hall and Rockefeller Center. Anyone who has ever lived in or even traveled to New York knows it’s hard to find a good spot in this very popular tourist area, but Pebble Bar provides a step away from the chaos. The bar itself is the last-standing brownstone on 49th Street, which explains its unique setup. The first floor is where visitors enter, the second floor is where the main bar is, the third floor is the main dining area, and the fourth floor is Pebble Bar’s “private event” space, and also home to an upright piano. Sip on boozy cocktails and snack on some seafood goodies like smoked trout and caviar, and definitely save room for dessert for their Pebble Cup.

• Address: 67 W 49th St, New York, NY 10112
• Fashion Tip: Wear a classy dress to match the classy aesthetics of Pebble Bar.

3. Royalton Rooftop

If there’s one type of bar I’m particular about in New York, it’s rooftop bars. Most of them are overpriced, overhyped, and despite vivacious views of New York’s never-ending beauty, they just usually aren’t my thing. However, there’s one rooftop bar I’ll make the exception for time and time again: Royalton Rooftop at the Royalton Park Avenue Hotel. Royalton Rooftop makes a damn good dirty vesper, with celery-infused Grey Goose and their innovative White Negroni might look like water, but it’s quite the opposite (pure booze). Royalton Rooftop also has an amazing food menu, and maybe it’s me, but their shrimp tacos just feel best enjoyed while sitting by their pool which is open year-round.

• Address: 420 Park Ave S, New York, NY 10016
• Fashion Tip: Wear a sequin jumpsuit to shine as bright as those New York City lights.

4. Slava

Yet another fairly new bar is Ukrainian cocktail lounge Slava. Home to where esteemed Pegu Club once was, Slava is on West Houston Street right off of West Broadway. Slava was originally slated to be a Russian cocktail bar, but when the Russia-Ukraine War broke out in early 2022, the owners didn’t feel right moving forward with a Russian bar. They adapted to the worldly changes and made the bar Ukrainian-forward instead. Slava is not your Ukrainian grandma’s cooking, and instead, you can find elevated SoHo-Ukrainian dishes on the menu. There are bacon, egg, and cheese varenyky, with an optional add-on of freshly shaved black truffles. There are innovative cocktails such as the Borscht martini, which consists of house-made borscht (sans the beef), is double-strained, and then vodka and a dash of heavy cream are added. The drink is garnished with a fresh sprig of dill.

• Address: 77 W Houston St, New York, NY 10012
• Fashion Tip: Soho is a fashionable neighborhood. Show ’em who’s boss by wearing something like this two-piece pink getup.

5. Arlene’s Grocery

For those looking for some live music and a night out on the town, Arlene’s Grocery is a great option, especially for solo date nights! It’s in the Lower East Side, so grab dinner beforehand at one of the neighborhood’s many eateries before heading off to Arlene’s to see some local bands play. There is typically a cover charge for the back room which is where the music is, but if you don’t want to pay, you can always hang out in the main bar area, where musicians and their audiences typically hang after a show. I’ve been to Arlene’s Grocery a countless number of times, and I’ve not once had a bad experience there.

• Address: 95 Stanton St, New York, NY 10002
• Fashion Tip: Arlene’s is a bit of a dive, so wear something retro and cool.

6. Amor y Amargo

Amor y Amargo is a unique bar that has no mixers; just liquor, liqueurs and bitters. This might sound dangerous for a person to go alone: am I going to get sloshed? However, the menu has cocktails listed with their respective ABV, so choose carefully and, of course, keep your wits about you. Amor y Amargo makes this list because they are one of the establishments in New York City that added a special drink to their menu once abortion rights were under attack in the US. They offer an “$8 shot” where all proceeds go to Planned Parenthood. That alone made me feel safe as a woman to visit this spot on a solo date night.

• Address: 95 Avenue A, New York, NY 10009
• Fashion Tip: Amor y Amargo feels like stepping back into time. Wear a cute cocktail dress.

7. The Up & Up

For those who find themselves on chaotic MacDougald Street, where drunk gaggles of young adults are flooding the streets, there’s a quiet little haven that has become my safe space every time I’m in these parts of town: The Up & Up. This cocktail bar is an underground spot, and it feels like a secret escape from the noise that ensues just right upstairs. Their drinks are not to be messed with: the bartenders know how to make a proper, stiff one. Though a bit pricey (drinks average around $20 a pop), it is one of my favorite places to go to as a solo lady for a night out on the town. Their menu specifically instructs men to not approach women, and says that if they do and the woman shows any sign of discomfort, the man will promptly be kicked out. Now, that’s some allyship I can get behind!

• Address: 116 MacDougal St, New York, NY 10012
• Fashion Tip: Located in the hip neighborhood of Greenwich Village, wear something that’ll make head turns like these gold wide-legged pants.

DISCLAIMER: I might make a small commission from some of the links throughout this article, but the price is the same for you. This helps keep my business running so I can continue to provide free travel tips!