The best wine bars in New York City

This wine bar in the Lower East Side is exactly what you expect a 2024 wine bar to be like – decorated like a rich creative’s place in East LA, with natural wine and small plates. From the outside, Gem Wine looks welcoming and wholesome, with a red and white awning and a bright yellow exterior. Inside, you’ll find terra cotta floors, wooden rattan chairs, and earthy artwork.

If you come for the interior, you’ll stay for the wine. The 20-page wine list is hand-selected by 25-year-old Flynn McGarry, who’s been a key figure in the food industry since he was 11 (yes, that’ll throw you into an existential crisis). With daily by-glass white, rose, orange, and red, as well as a menu of small plates you’ll have to google under the table discreetly, it’s a sophisticated and warm space for an intimate event. Buyouts are available for up to 50 guests.

Parcelle is known for being an online wine retailer, which is so extensive that it offers a text hotline so you can chat with a sommelier to help you choose. They now have a wine bar in the Lower East Side, which is less a bar and more an exclusive lounge for wine-loving cool kids. You can order bottles from their inventory or choose from a changing selection of wines by the glass. You’ll find everything from old and rare bottles to splurge on to contemporary natural wines with Instagrammable packaging.

For such a small, wine-focused space, they have an impressive food menu: caviar sliders, burrata, and mushroom katsu are a few options. The seated space holds 30 for private events, and there’s standing room for 60. Private tastings are also available.

When we say Ruffian knows their wines, we mean it. They’ve gotten the Michelin Bib Gourmand four years in a row, and their selection of over 250 wine options will appease even the snobbiest of critics. The colorful bottles stand out against the white and stone of the interiors, highlighted by brick detailing and art posters, and everything is effortlessly mismatched. You can pair the wine with a selection of mostly vegetarian Mediterranean dishes à la carte, or enjoy a four-course tasting menu paired with accompanying wines from places like Austria, Georgia, or Macedonia.

Though it’s a small space, there are several options for private rent, from 50 guests in a full buyout to five in the snug street-facing alcove. An outdoor space can also accommodate larger parties, and you can wine and dine streetside.

You might think that mead lost its popularity before the US was even established, but it’s making a comeback – and not just at the renaissance fair. If you’re looking to try something new (or like, super old), Honey’s is the tasting room for Enlightenment Wines, a meadery using honey from local beekeepers upstate. There’s dandelion wine, tart cherry mead, and wild-fermented blackcurrant mead, to name a few. They are dry, unfiltered, and produced in small batches.

The space, both a meadery, tasting room, and cocktail bar, was once a restaurant equipment repair shop. The wooden booths are surrounded by cinder blocks and concrete, but somehow still look polished and stylish – maybe this is Bushwick-chic?

You can rent the entire space for up to 450 standing guests, or just the rooftop for 165.

This female-owned wine bar in Brooklyn was opened by an illustrator, and it shows. The interior feels almost like a page from her sketchbook, slightly wobbly and crafted with joy. Candy apple tables, custom playful cushions, and her own drawings make Cherry on Top a bright, cheery space to have a glass. A funky list of natural wines is unpretentious and affordable, with glasses under $15 and bottles under $50. One of the whites, City Nights, describes itself as tasting like “wet rock, straw, honey, and sea salt.” We’ll just leave that there.

A small food menu is inspired by all-day Parisian cafés, with charcuterie snacks like salami and pickles. Private events are encouraged, and the indoor space can hold 30 while the rooftop can accommodate an additional 70. Fun fact, the namesake is inspired by the owner’s name, Cerise, and the logo is a drawing from her childhood journal.

Midtown might be known for its skyscrapers and office buildings, but on the east side, you can find an intimate oasis: Sofia Wine Bar. The exposed brick and unembellished decor make it feel like you stumbled into someone’s kitchen. The intention behind Sofia is to allow for peace amongst the chaos (and to pop a cork or two). An enclosed and heated garden allows for a beautiful ambiance and offers private events for 30 to 50 people. What goes better with wine than pizza? Their Italian menu provides variations of classic comfort foods and pairs perfectly with any glass you’re craving. If you aren’t as familiar with wine, the staff is happy to suggest one of their internationally curated bottles.

What are some characteristics of your ideal wine bar? Would you like a garden? A retractable sunroof? Perhaps a spot with some history? Well, Bobo in the West Village truly has it all. This nineteenth-century townhouse was given a second life when it was transformed into a French restaurant and wine bar. The hospitality group behind Bobo treasures community and includes several shared dining spaces, as they do at their sister restaurants: Rosemary’s, Claudette’s, and Roey’s. And of course, the French know their wine, so you’ll find a wide range of curated wines to choose from, alongside a menu of cuisine classics like French onion soup, radishes with butter, and steak frites.

For private events, there are multiple rooms available for reservations or an entire buyout for up to 150 standing guests. No matter the occasion, Bobo will put you on cloud wine.

New York is famously full of unique people and places. One could argue that it’s hard to be shocked in this city. However, Lavaux Wine Bar has a backstory with enough character to impress even the most fastidious New Yorkers. Three wine enthusiasts left Lavaux, Switzerland, and its famous vineyards, with dreams of NYC. Two of these partners were skilled winemakers, the other a seasoned cheesemaker, and together they formed an ideal team to produce Lavaux Wine Bar.

Lavaux hosts a particularly special event each Tuesday- their Secret Message Party. At dinner, each table is given ample paper and pencils and encouraged to write notes to strangers around the restaurant. Lavaux Wine Bar promotes connection and storytelling, alongside a truly special wine menu curated with care and knowledge. For those looking to keep this spot to themselves, the entire venue can be reserved for up to 89 standing guests.

Aptly named, Nine Cases offers 9 white wines, 9 red wines, and 9 small plates. They only order one case per wine, enforcing an ever-changing menu so each customer can have a unique experience, whether they’re on their first or ninth visit. For wine snobs or beginners, this spot uncomplicates your vino experience. Each item on the menu is cautiously picked out and expertly advised, so everyone goes home happy. Nine Cases is tucked away within a hub of eateries, making it the perfect place to start or end your night. For those looking for an intimate and effortless place to host an event, Nine Cases can accommodate 35 seated guests or up to 50 standing.