The Finest Bars for Drinking in TriBeCa

Squeezed into a three-story TriBeCa townhouse that dates back to 1810, Tiny’s exudes a wonderful warmth and coziness thanks to brick walls, tin ceilings and custom banquettes. On the first floor, there’s a bar and back dining room, replete with a wood-burning fireplace; upstairs houses more seats, filled with guests sipping negronis and bourbon on the rocks.

This wine bar is often brimming with New Yorkers itching to sample French-only wine from its 250-bottle menu. Fifty of those labels are by the glass and often rotate, so there’s always something new to try. Pick from wines made in Savoie, Rhône, Corsica and Provence, then prop yourself at a table for a bit of food: escargot swimming in garlic butter, melted brie drizzled with honey and warm chocolate cake crowned with whipped cream.

Some of the things you’ll find at this all-American dive are cheap beer, darts, nachos, whiskey shots, bras hanging from the ceiling and some good old-fashioned honky-tonk on the jukebox. Beer is served by the pitcher, and the predominantly female bartenders have a penchant for handing out free shots.

You’ll have to pack yourself into Smith and Mills to snag a seat at the bar or the white banquettes. After all, the place is undeniably small: it used to be a carriage house, but these days it’s been repurposed as a bar and restaurant. The bartenders can quickly stir together an Aperol spritz or a Pimm’s cup brightened with lime juice and mint, or you can choose from a small selection of beer and wine. If you’re hungry, spring for a charcuterie or cheese plate, or pop back some East Coast oysters.

This dark lounge is a haven for craft beer and wine. The bar is on the small side, but that’s OK; in the warmer months, people spill out onto the sidewalk, clutching steep pours of wine and sudsy glasses of beer. If you’re after cocktails, head elsewhere: Anotheroom doesn’t serve liquor.

Flanked by shelves stacked with bottles of wine, Terroir attracts an after-work crowd, along with wine connoisseurs looking to try a new label. The thick wine list is rife with options from Bordeaux, the Loire Valley, Burgundy, Spain and Italy, plus a smaller selection of beers, spirits and cocktails. As you sip and swirl, nosh on house-made potato chips, crispy chickpeas and asparagus toast with goat’s cheese.

The brown leather banquettes, red Formica tabletops and vintage road signs hanging on the wall give Belle Reve an old-world vibe, but the drinks say otherwise. Let the bartenders craft tipples with cheeky names for you: Macho Chacho is created from mezcal, Chacho, orange juice, lime and agave, and Disco Billy is shaken with vodka, tea, falernum and ginger ale. You can get a shot and a beer every day from 12pm-8pm for a mere $8, and the daily happy hour gets you $1 off drinks, dollar oysters, and a burger and a narragansett for $15.

The cocktails are certainly a good reason to come to Weather Up – think bourbon swirled with applejack, maple syrup and orange bitters – but it’s hard to pass up the $1.50 oyster happy hour every Monday-Saturday from 5pm-7pm. Guests lounge at cozy booths or belly up to the bar, walking away with heavy-bottomed glasses and small plates like butternut squash crostini and beef tartare.

You have to be in the know to find Shigure, a cute unmarked sake bar on Church Street. Once inside, you can choose from sake flown in from Japan while feasting on sushi rolls, pork katsu don and yellowtail carpaccio. To continue the evening, head downstairs to B Flat, the unrelated jazz bar, for a bit of live music.

This corner tavern is outfitted with a wood-paneled bar and stools, tiled floors and patrons knocking back cups of beer. The bar offers 13 draft beers, bottled beers and a trim selection of wine as people congregate around the TVs to watch sports. Drop by for lunch and you’ll be rewarded with a sandwich from SoHo standby Alidoro, or come after 5pm and pull apart a pepperoni pizza. Happy hour extends to both lunch and dinner hours, with $3 domestic beers at lunch and $5 wine at dinner.