The Top 11 Wine Bars In NYC, Ranked
In a buzzing cityscape filled with seemingly infinite nightlife options, wine bars are making a comeback across New York City. A Vine Pair article states that exciting things are happening in the food and wine scene: "[W]ine bars that popped up in the first wave of the natural wine boom have switched things up with new chefs and more elevated menus." That means great wine, delicious food, and even better vibes all in one place.
Wine bars have often carried a high-and-mighty stigma, but it's not just for the rich anymore. New York City is successfully demolishing the wine bar stereotype with a wide selection of venues that cater to every personality and style.
Whether you are a seasoned wine savant seeking to expand your repertoire, a novice ready to embark on a journey of discovery, dressed up to celebrate a special occasion, or want to casually sip some wine after a long day, there are plenty of wine bar options to fit your mood in The Big Apple. And if you prefer dive bars, there's also a NYC wine bar for you on this list.
11. The Ten Bells
The Ten Bells' claim to fame is its popular $1 oyster happy hour, which it declares is the best in NYC. The Ten Bells wine bar has been around since 2008 and now has two locations, one in the Lower East Side and the other in Bushwick. It strives to offer unique and natural wines, often made with organic or biodynamic grapes from lesser-known small winemakers, and serve Spanish tapas-style food. But the main pull for many is its happy hour, which occurs every day until 7 pm, where you can get $20 carafes of red, white, or rosé wine and all-you-can-eat $1 oysters.
The Ten Bells' extensive wine list focuses on natural wines from France, as well as a few other European countries. Most options are by the bottle, with prices ranging from $35 to $990 per pop, but you can also order about 30 different wines by the glass, with the cheapest costing just $10. Plus, the casual atmosphere of exposed brick and dim lighting provides "an intimate, sexy ambiance," according to one Yelp review. The only reason this wine bar is at the bottom of the list is that it averages about 3.5 stars on Yelp, as it seems like the service can be hit or miss.
10. Gem Wine
Gem Wine is a newer wine bar located on the Lower East Side that bravely opened in 2022, just 2 years after the pandemic shut-down. There is nothing fancy about Gem Wine, its mission is to have the look and feel of your "local neighborhood wine bar," according to its website. Mission accomplished. We like how unpretentious this wine bar comes across.
1The interior feels like a rustic cabin or an old library. Before placing your order, instead of browsing a wine list — it doesn't offer one — Gem Wine encourages you to peruse the bookshelves filled with its wine bottles. And if you're not quite sure what to order, the well-educated staff are more than ready to help you decide.
Instead of individual tables, the seating options encourage a communal vibe; just pull up a chair at one of the several large dining tables. It's the perfect set-up to help cut the tension from an awkward first date. Its food menu, which is always changing, offers classic small plates like gouda cheese or warm bread and butter and more lavish, hearty dishes like smoked mussels, confit albacore, or roasted chicken with salad. Gem Wine is closer to the bottom of our list simply because it doesn't have many reviews — yet.
9. Place des Fêtes
If you're looking for a traditional wine bar, then look no further than Place des Fêtes, also a newer wine bar that opened in March 2022. Nestled in Clinton Hill, this joint embodies the wine bar stereotype, serving up high-priced wine and extravagant food. This is the place to go when money isn't a problem, and you want to impress your companions. Wine is not served by the glass here, and most bottles cost around $100, although you can find one white wine and several sherry wines under $50.
The food menu is pricey and small, while the dishes themselves are snack-sized but delicious. Served by the chef featured at Oxalis, a flashy bistro focused on showcasing unique and experimental American cuisine, the Place des Fêtes menu is impressive and expensive. If you don't want to leave feeling hungry, you might need to order everything on the menu. For that reason, and because some reviews found this place to be a bit overrated, Place des Fêtes is a little lower on the list. This wine bar is best utilized as a pregaming stop for fantastic appetizers and tasty wine before moving on to your dinner reservation.
8. June Wine Bar
June is a cute, cozy neighborhood wine bar in Cobble Hill. It opened in the Summer of 2015, and the owners boast on the website that it was the first natural wine bar in Brooklyn. June is all about ambiance. The interior is small but thoughtfully decorated with modern art; the lighting is romantic and just right; and the outdoor patio is quaint, completely covered, and framed with string lights and heaters if needed. Its wine list is well-curated and lengthy, featuring natural wines from all over the world and a large selection of skin-contact wines. Honestly, pick any bottle, and you won't be disappointed, as long as you expect to spend some good money on good quality wine.
The food menu is short and sweet, designed to be appetizers paired with wine and not necessarily a main course meal. With over 200 reviews on Yelp, June averages about 4 stars, which is not bad. According to one Yelp reviewer: "I would recommend this spot for anyone who, like me, might be looking to have a special dinner that's not too flashy. Would be perfect for a date night, or for meaningful conversations with friends over a glass of wine." Just be sure to have dinner plans after.
7. Claud
Unlike other wine bars, Claud is a spot in the East Village where you can go to get both amazing wine and a fantastic dinner, all in one place. The atmosphere is welcoming and modest, which is hard to believe after a quick glimpse of the menu. You'll see both high heels and sneakers here.
Claud lives up to its European-style reputation, with dinner menu items like foie gras terrine with walnuts and honey vinegar or the chicken liver agnolotti. The wine options are also mostly European-based, with many unique choices, and you can order both by glass and bottle. Depending on your budget, you can invest in an exorbitant bottle or find a great glass for under $20.
Be sure to plan your visit to Claud well in advance to snag a reservation, as it fills up quickly. Most reviewers were blown away, saying that dinner at Claud was one of the best meals they had in 2022. However, with almost 100 reviews, it still comes in at an average of 4 stars.
6. Cherry On Top
When the weather is nice, we love a good patio. Cherry On Top, a natural wine bar in Bushwick, does not disappoint in this category. The open-air rooftop patio is decorated in all-white decor, amplifying its breezy, casual vibes. It's covered with minimal but sleek shade cloth for those hot summer days, framed with a white criss-cross wood fence and string lights, and the classic wrought iron patio tables and comfy white chairs add a nice touch to round out the patio theme. It also recently added an entirely covered outdoor section, complete with heaters and sexy seating. And if sitting outside isn't your thing, the indoor dining is decorated with similar taste and comfort — which is no surprise, given that the owner is Cerise Zelenetz, a local designer and illustrator.
The wine price points are reasonable, with many glasses under $15 and bottles under $50. The menu even includes some orange wine options, like Anne Pichon Sauvage Orange 2021 from Côtes du Ventoux, Rhône, France. Plus, Cherry On Top offers happy hour every day until 7 pm with several different featured wines for just $8. It also has a small food menu of appetizers. The focus here is all on the wine and the atmosphere, which are both quite unforgettable. Be sure to check its Instagram for event updates, or you might accidentally stumble on a cumbia dance night or other celebrations.
5. Moonflower
Drink wine and be kind is the catchphrase of Moonflower, a newer wine bar that just opened up in 2022 in the West Village. The inside is small but cozy, best for a date night or a catch-up with a friend instead of a big birthday party. But even in such a small space, the decor is excellent. The atmosphere is a psychedelic daydream entirely Instagram-worthy. The fabulous, retro design will make you feel like a time machine just catapulted you to the 70s. The walls and some tables are covered in colorful murals and stained glass, the bar stools are bright green, and vibrant orange benches line the wall.
Moonflower focuses on offering its favorite wines from indie producers, which happen to be unique, natural wines mostly from France, but also from a few other European countries. It mostly offers wine by the bottle, with select wines available by the glass, fairly priced anywhere from $15 to $20. It also has a short but mighty menu that changes with the seasons, made from local food sourced from the Union Square Greenmarket.
4. Ruffian
Ruffian has been around since 2016 in East Village's Historic District. Indoors, this wine bar is small but chic, and the outdoor covered patio provides an open, airy atmosphere with modern decor and lots of plants. It offers over 250 different types of natural wines from small winemakers across the world, with over 35 unique orange wines. The menu rotates four times a year, "highlighting the cuisines and wine-making traditions of the oldest wine-making regions in the world," according to Ruffian.
This wine bar is high on our list because it has so many options for high-quality wine, and its French and Mediterranean-inspired menu caters to all diets with tasty and creative vegetarian, vegan, and gluten-free choices. It serves many a la carte dishes but also offers a four-course tasting menu — all vegan, gluten-free, by the way — paired with a wine for each dish. Plus, both TripAdvisor and Yelp give this spot 4.5 stars, with almost 300 reviews between the two websites.
3. La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels
La Compagnie des Vins Surnaturels, LCVS, is a sexy, dimly lit wine bar that creates a cozy and romantic feel without coming off too pretentious or fancy. The interior is small but classy — perfect for date night. Located in Lower Manhattan, which is dubbed New York City's Little Paris neighborhood, LCVS truly embraces its French-American theme. As a matter of fact, the first LCVS opened up in Paris and still remains an iconic wine bar there. The majority of the over one thousand wines that LCVS NYC's wine menu has are from France, and its food menu features French-style plates that are made to pair perfectly with specific wines.
LCVS also offers fun perks, like its Mystery Wine, where wine connoisseurs get a chance to taste and guess the region and year of a mystery glass — guess correctly, and you get the entire bottle for free. It also hosts Wine Boot Camp, which is a wine-tasting workshop that includes 4 different wine tastings and one food pairing, led by a sommelier instructor. This spot is fun, mysterious and has almost 5 stars on Yelp.
2. Vanguard Wine Bar
Vanguard is another French-style wine bar but with more of a dive bar look and feel. The open floorplan and casual decor scream boys' night out instead of date night. The crowd here is usually pretty lively and casual, making it a fun, laid-back place to grab a drink on your own or with a group. Vanguard is located in the Upper West Side, right next to the iconic Central Park, where you could take a lovely stroll after sipping on some really delightful wine.
It offers wine by the glass and bottle, with plenty of $10 glasses and bottles under $50. The food menu includes classic wine bar fare like marinated olives; meat and cheese plates; savory tarts; and French-inspired tartines, or open-face sandwiches. We love that this spot is welcoming to the casual crowd, offers a lot of affordable options, and still follows through with high-quality food and wine. Vanguard's overall rating on TripAdvisor is 4.5 stars, with one customer sharing: "one of the best wine bars I've ever been to anywhere in the world. I absolutely loved the atmosphere and ambiance—so inviting, charming, retro, and cozy."
1. Four Horsemen
The Four Horsemen is a tasteful spot that checks off all of the boxes in the classic wine bar category, which is why this venue lands at the top of our ranking. Its extensive wine list is an impressive 50 pages long, organized by type and region, and covers many skin contact and sparkling options. The wine menu is regularly updated and includes a new addition section, so if you become a regular, you will always get a chance to try something new. It serves up a full dinner menu every day from 5:30 to 11 pm, and the food is hardly an afterthought, with plenty of adventurous dishes to choose from. You can expect creative meal choices beyond your basic wine bar charcuterie, like yuzu kosho, mussel skewers with aioli, wagyu beef tartare, and more.
Even though the atmosphere is quite classy, you'll probably see more Converse sneakers than suits here, as it draws in a big population of the fashionably relaxed crowd. The Four Horseman is partially owned by James Murphy, a member of the band LCD Soundsystem, which brings in many fans hoping to catch a glimpse into the star's life. The Infatuation gives this spot an 8.6 out of 10, and Yelp is full of reviews raving about the wine, food, and stellar customer service. Just be sure to make a reservation well in advance, as it books up fast.