Best Beer Bars in NYC
The 10 best beer bars in NYC, from Harlem's first Black-owned craft bar to Brooklyn's most hyped IPA taproom and beyond.
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- 1Carroll Gardens · $$ · Smith-9 Sts (F G) · 195 Centre St, Brooklyn, NY 11231
The original 2014 taproom of one of New York's most obsessed-over IPA breweries, on Centre Street in Carroll Gardens. Can releases here have drawn lines around the block since the hazy-IPA boom began.
Few beers in the city inspire the devotion of a fresh Green City, and drinking it steps from where it was brewed is the ideal.
Order Green City double dry-hopped IPA
Follow their account for can-release drops and arrive early on release days; the best stuff sells out fast.
@otherhalfnyc ↗Other Half Brewing
From @otherhalfnyc on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 2East Williamsburg · $$ · Grand St (L) · 990 Metropolitan Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11211
A design-forward East Williamsburg taproom known for mixed-culture saisons, hazy IPAs and barrel-aged sours. It has been named New York State Brewery of the Year multiple times, including 2026.
The range here, from funky saison to plush hazy IPA, is the most consistently excellent lineup any single New York brewery pours.
Order Grimm mixed-culture saison
Ask what barrel-aged sour is on; the rotating funky pours are the real reason to make the trip.
@grimmales ↗Grimm Artisanal Ales
Loads from Instagram
From @grimmales on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 3Harlem · $$ · 135 St (2 3) · 2268 Adam Clayton Powell Jr Blvd
Also No. 10 on Best of Harlem →
New York's first Black-owned craft beer bar, a James Beard-recognized Harlem room spotlighting beers from Black- and minority-owned breweries alongside local NYC brewers. Small, warm and mission-driven, with a rotating draft list.
A tight, welcoming bar pouring beers you cannot find anywhere else, with real purpose behind every tap, is exactly what a great beer bar should be.
Order Rotating flight of Black-owned brewery IPAs
Ask the staff to build you a flight of the Black-owned brewery pours; it is the whole reason to come.
@harlemhops ↗Harlem Hops
From @harlemhops on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 4Ridgewood · $$ · Fresh Pond Rd (M) · 78-01 77th Ave, Ridgewood, NY 11385
A Ridgewood brewery and taproom running since 2014 and rated among the highest on the East Coast. Expect experimental hazy IPAs and barrel-aged stouts in a laid-back, unpretentious room.
Quietly one of the best breweries in the region, Finback keeps innovating without ever getting precious about it.
Order Farmstead double dry-hopped IPA
The barrel-aged stout releases are worth planning around; check the taproom list before a special drop.
@finbackbrewery ↗Finback Brewery
From @finbackbrewery on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 5Upper West Side · $$ · 79 St (1) · 340 Amsterdam Ave
A long-running Upper West Side beer bar with 25 to 30 rotating taps that lean Belgian and hard-to-find. This is a classic guest-tap beer bar rather than a brewery, with a full kitchen and a neighborhood-pub feel.
On a stretch of the city short on serious beer, this is the reliable multi-tap room where the Chimay is always on draft.
Order Chimay on draft
Check the current tap list on Untappd before you go; it turns over often and the Belgian pours are the strength.
@amsterdamalehousenyc ↗Amsterdam Ale House
From @amsterdamalehousenyc on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 6Astoria · $$ · 30 Av (N W) · 19-33 37th St, Astoria, NY 11105
Also No. 5 on Best Hangouts in Queens →
A rock-and-roll-themed Astoria brewery and taproom founded in 2012 that helped put Queens on the craft beer map. Vinyl, pinball and guest taps round out a lineup built on crisp lagers and hoppy ales.
Loud in the best way, SingleCut pairs genuinely great beer with a record collection and a pinball machine, and it works.
Order Billy Full Stack IPA
The lagers are the underrated move here; do not sleep on them just because the IPAs get the attention.
@singlecutbeer ↗SingleCut Beersmiths
From @singlecutbeer on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 7Garment District · $$ · 42 St-Port Authority Bus Terminal (1 2 3 7 A C E N Q R S W) · 300 W 40th St
One of Manhattan's biggest beer bars, with 80 to 90-plus taps and a rooftop patio near Port Authority. It is the go-to for sheer selection in a part of town otherwise starved for good beer.
When you want maximum choice within stumbling distance of the bus terminal, nothing else in Midtown comes close to that tap wall.
Order Flight of 4 from the 90-plus tap wall
Head up to the rooftop level, which most tourists miss, and build a four-pour flight to navigate the huge list.
@beerauthoritynyc ↗Beer Authority
From @beerauthoritynyc on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 8Prospect Heights · $$ · Clinton-Washington Avs (C) · 556 Vanderbilt Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11238
A one-of-a-kind Prospect Heights bar pairing a curated craft tap list with a 4,000-plus record vinyl collection and DJ nights. Open since 2017, it treats beer and analog sound with equal seriousness.
Great craft beer with a DJ spinning deep cuts off wax makes this the most distinctive beer bar in the city, full stop.
Order Craft pilsner paired with a vinyl DJ set
Come on a DJ night and sit near the decks; the vinyl program is as carefully curated as the taps.
From @bierwax on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 9Kingsbridge · $$ · 238 St (1) · 216 W 238th St, Bronx, NY 10463
Also No. 4 on Best Hangouts in the Bronx →
The Bronx's go-to craft beer destination for over a decade, in Kingsbridge. A deep rotating tap list is chalked across beer boards throughout the space, backed by solid pub fare.
In a borough underserved by craft beer, this is the dependable neighborhood alehouse doing it right, year after year.
Order Rotating Bronx-brewed IPA
Scan the beer boards for local Bronx and NYC brews; the staff will happily point you to what is freshest.
@bronxalehouse ↗Bronx Alehouse
From @bronxalehouse on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.
- 10Tompkinsville · $$ · 40 Minthorne St, Staten Island, NY 10301
Staten Island's own production brewery and taproom, established in 2014 and a genuine point of borough pride. It sits steps from the ferry terminal, making it an easy first or last stop on a Staten Island run.
A short walk from the ferry, this big, friendly taproom is the best possible reason to actually get off the boat.
Order Flagship Lemon & Lime Gose
Time your visit around the ferry schedule and make it your first stop off the boat; it is that close to the terminal.
@flagshipbrewery ↗Flagship Brewing Company
From @flagshipbrewery on Instagram, shown through Instagram's own embed player.