New York Magazine

A cramped, gimmicky midtown drinkery that suffices as an after-work spot.

Aussie brews, televised cricket matches, and kangaroo cuisine in a wood-paneled midtown setting.

Strewn rose petals, Persian rugs, and tapestries worth an Arabian prince’s ransom make this sumptuous space as moneyed as it is Moroccan.

International executives loosen designer ties before and after dinner at this cozy, dim hotel bar.

The third addition to the mini-chain offers the signature books, top-shelf, and stogies, in a slightly more formal setting (bring a jacket, ditch the sneakers).

The Met Life Building's after-work watering hole for chatting up the cutie from the next cubicle.

Classic old New York is alive and kicking at this former speakeasy.

A gimmicky-drink-promo aficionado’s nirvana, as nearly every night of the week offers some special.

Suitable for a place aspiring to emulate nearby Smith & Wollensky's, Blackstone's attracts young professionals and their office crushes.

At this deli-dive, the beers cost less than the smoothies in this part of town.

This Midtown hotel bar favors the buck over the book despite its corporate-literary aesthetic.

A ubiquitous Tokyo scene that’s rare in NYC: Japanese salarymen slumped over bowls of wasabi trail mix while watching satellite feeds of variety shows.

The young, the well-heeled, and the well-to-do inside take considerable time getting ready for a night out on the town.

Southern-fried beer-and-BBQ nightspot filled with bingeing post-grads.

A Belgian wonderland of fancy, delicious beers (and all-you-can-eat mussels!) in a midtown wasteland.

Tucked away above Grand Central, this classy lounge is the restored private office of early twentieth-century tycoon John W. Campbell.

Harken back to the days of indoor cigar-smoking (the aroma, the ambiance, the falling ashes) at this elegant and jazzy lounge.

A standard wine bar doing its best to signify “rustic European charm.”

The platonic ideal of an inoffensively bland midtown Irish pub, saved by its commitment to televising the world’s favorite game.

A standard sports bar and restaurant in every functional way, but it boasts none of the well-worn vets, homey poolrooms, or stale, smoke-starved air that hangs around so many of the city’s innumerable McPubs.

The lounge adjacent to Amalia offers similar high-design, but with sexier overtones.

A mellow bar in a historic hotel that serves platonically ideal cocktails.

An intimate rooftop bar with a bit of breathing room.

From the owners of Philippe comes this swank lounge with an aesthetic that’s all “Wall Street” extravagance.

A lush Midtown lounge decorated with velvet wallpaper, snakeskin leather walls, alligator-tufted ceilings, antique books, Chinese swords, and masks from Bali.