Best Wine Bars in Manhattan
The 10 best wine bars in Manhattan, natural wine, classic French, by-the-glass focused. Picked by locals, sourced from Eater, Wine & Spirits, Time Out. No paid placement.
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- 1Nolita · $$$ · Canal St (6 J N Q R W Z) · 249 Centre StMap ↗verified 10w ago
A Nolita basement French wine bar, Centre Street entrance, low-lit, French-classical-leaning by-the-glass program with one of the deeper Burgundy bench in downtown Manhattan.
Because Compagnie des Vins runs a genuinely serious by-the-glass list with old-vine producers from the Cote d Or that the rest of the borough only pours by the bottle, and the somm staff actually pours blind tastings if you ask.
Order Sancerre by the glass, plate of charcuterie, cheese flight to share.
Sit at the bar at 5 p.m., the room fills for dinner by 7, but the bar at the open hour is empty and the staff has time to walk you through the by-the-glass program.
@lacompagniecentrestreet ↗Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels
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- 2Lower East Side · $$ · Delancey St-Essex St (F J M Z) · 247 Broome StMap ↗verified 10w ago
A Lower East Side narrow-format wine bar on Broome Street, chalkboard list above the counter, oysters at the bar, French-natural-wine-leaning since 2008.
Because The Ten Bells was the first Manhattan wine bar to seriously commit to natural wine before the category was fashionable, and the chalkboard format means the list rotates faster than any printed menu in the borough.
Order Whatever Loire white is freshly open, dozen East Coast oysters.
Order whatever the bartender just opened, the chalkboard updates as bottles open and close, and the freshly-opened pour is usually the most generous.
Photo: b.frahm (Britta Frahm), CC BY 2.0 Photo: b.frahm (Britta Frahm), CC BY 2.0 - 3Lower East Side · $$ · East Broadway (F) · 37 Canal StMap ↗verified 10w ago
A skinny corner room on Canal where Eli Sussman and team built one of the LES's most-photographed wine-and-pissaladière bars, Provençal accents, an all-French by-the-glass list, dim sconce lighting that flatters at midnight.
Because Le Dive nails the unfussy Paris-cafe register Manhattan keeps trying and missing, wines you can drink three of without grinding through a 200-bottle list, snacks (the pissaladière, the anchovies on butter) that arrive in five minutes flat.
Order Pissaladière, glass of Beaujolais, anchovies on cultured butter.
Sit at the counter, not a table, the bartenders pour bigger and the people-watching out the corner window is half the point. Get there before 7 or after 10 to dodge the door wait.
@ledivenyc ↗Le Dive
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- 4Chinatown · $$ · Canal St (6 J N Q R W Z) · 15-17 Doyers StMap ↗verified 10w ago
A 28-seat wine-first hideaway on Doyers Street where regional Chinese homecooking is built to pair with a constantly changing global cellar.
Because the by-the-glass list is destination-worthy, the kitchen cooks like somebody's home, and there is zero wine snobbery at any seat.
Order Hand-rolled noodles with braised lamb, plus whatever Annie Shi is pouring by the glass.
Walk in early on a weeknight, 28 seats go fast once Doyers Street wakes up.
@lei.wine ↗Lei
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- 5Lower East Side · $$$ · Delancey St-Essex St (F J M Z) · 142 Orchard St
Also No. 6 on Best of the Lower East Side →
A Lower East Side small-format restaurant from the Contra team, natural wine, small-plates kitchen, neon-lit dining room, opened 2015 and still one of the most influential rooms downtown.
Because Wildair is the room that essentially defined the modern Manhattan natural-wine-and-small-plates format and the Loire-and-Jura by-the-glass picks are still the deepest curated list south of Houston.
Order Glass of Jura chardonnay, fluke crudo, marrow toast.
Skip the dinner rush and go at 10 p.m. on a weekday, the late-night second seating is loose, the kitchen is still firing, and the by-the-glass program has been pruned to its best three or four bottles.
@wildairnyc ↗Wildair
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- 6
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Tribeca · $$$ · Chambers St (1 2 3) · 94 Chambers StMap ↗verified 10w agoThe Tribeca outpost of the Paris natural-wine bar, Chambers Street storefront, French kitchen with a serious natural-wine cellar imported from the original Paris program.
Because Racines NY is the closest Manhattan equivalent to drinking at a Paris natural-wine bar, the cellar is imported through the same network as the original, and the kitchen pairs French classics rather than small-plates.
Order Prix-fixe pairing menu, three courses with three wines.
Reserve a table for the prix-fixe pairing menu rather than the a-la-carte, the pairing course is the kitchen at its best and the by-the-glass markup makes the prix-fixe a value play.
@chambers.nyc ↗Chambers
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- 7Tribeca · $$ · Franklin St (1) · 24 Harrison StMap ↗verified 10w ago
Paul Grieco's Tribeca location of the original Terroir mini-chain, Italian-Austrian-German-leaning, irreverent by-the-glass list with handwritten descriptions.
Because Terroir Tribeca was the original Manhattan wine bar that took Riesling and Lambrusco seriously when both categories were still ignored, and the German-Austrian bench is unmatched in the borough.
Order Glass of dry German Riesling, board of cured meats, pretzel.
Order from the glass-pour list rather than asking the bartender for recommendations, the handwritten descriptions are deliberately weird and reading them is half the experience.
@terroirny ↗Terroir Tribeca
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- 8East Village · $$$ · 2 Av (F) · 125 E 7th StMap ↗verified 10w ago
A 7th Street East Village wine bar from the Estela alumni, Mediterranean-leaning kitchen, mostly natural-wine cellar, opened 2017 and still one of the East Village date-night canon.
Because Ruffian runs a tightly-edited natural cellar from Eastern European producers nobody else in Manhattan stocks, Slovenian orange wine, Czech pet-nat, and the bar food kitchen actually cooks rather than just plating.
Order Slovenian orange wine, pickled mussels, sourdough with cultured butter.
Get the chef's tasting at the bar counter, the bar tasting is set up for two and the kitchen tweaks the dishes to the wines you have already chosen.
@ruffian_nyc ↗Ruffian
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- 9SoHo · $$$ · Prince St (R W) · 70 Greene StMap ↗verified 10w ago
A SoHo Greene Street basement room, younger sister to the Nolita Compagnie des Vins flagship, focused on contemporary French growers and a more aggressive natural-wine bench.
Because La Compagnie SoHo is the spillover room when the Nolita flagship is fully booked and the somm team is the same, same buying program, same blind-pour philosophy, less pretentious basement vibe.
Order Three-glass natural-wine flight (chosen by bartender), gildas.
Walk in alone for the bar counter, the bar at La Compagnie is one of the better solo-drinker bars in SoHo and the staff will pour you a tasting flight unprompted.
- 10Hell's Kitchen · $$$$ · 7 Av (B D E) · 151 W 51st StMap ↗verified 10w ago
Aldo Sohm's Midtown wine bar adjacent to Le Bernardin, somm-led format, deep classical European cellar, designed for serious pre-and-post-Lincoln-Center drinking.
Because Aldo Sohm is the most credentialed wine director in the borough (Best Sommelier in the World, 2008) and his Midtown room is where you go to drink Burgundy by the glass without booking the next table over at Le Bernardin.
Order Sommelier's flight (three glasses), gougeres, plate of Comte.
Order the somm's tasting flight rather than picking solo, Sohm's team rotates the flight weekly and they typically pour one bottle that is not on the printed list at all.
@sohmbar ↗Aldo Sohm Wine Bar
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Good to know
- What is the best wine bar in Manhattan?
- Our current #1 reflects a blend of editorial sourcing from Eater, Wine & Spirits, and Time Out, plus live community votes. The list re-ranks as votes come in — what is first today may not be first tomorrow.
- Where can I drink natural wine in Manhattan?
- Several spots on this list are natural-wine-leaning — typically a Loire-and-Jura-heavy by-the-glass list, with occasional Italian and German producers. The Lower East Side and East Village have the deepest natural-wine bench.
- Are wine bars in Manhattan reservation-only?
- Most are walk-in friendly with a small reservation list — the bar counter is usually first-come, the few tables typically book a week ahead. Show up at 5 or 6 p.m. for the easiest seat.
- How much does a glass of wine cost at a Manhattan wine bar?
- Most by-the-glass programs run $13 to $22 per pour. Higher-end Burgundy and Champagne by the glass climb to $30 to $50. Bottle markups at the better wine bars are typically 2 to 2.5x retail rather than the 3 to 4x of restaurants.
- What food do Manhattan wine bars serve?
- Most run a small plates menu — charcuterie, cheese, anchovies on toast, gildas, deviled eggs. A handful of spots on this list have full kitchens with seasonal entrees designed for pairing.