A Beer Tourist’s Guide to…New York City Part 1: Manhattan
Yeah, we went there. Sue me if you don’t like the list (US law is not applicable here in the UK so you will lose).
New York City is probably the stupidest place to write about when it comes to indie beer, given there are as many bars serving good beer as there are bars serving…well, bad beer. NYC has had something of an odyssey over the past decade; in our many visits since 2011, it has been a delight to see even the divey-est of bars progress from Coors Light, to Lagunitas, to Brooklyn Brewery, and finally to serving beer from the closest independent brewery to them.
In an ideal world, NYC would get a neighbourhood-by-neighbourhood set of guides like what we provide for London, but the world ain’t ideal. Instead, we have produced one monster summary-style guide with neighbourhood sections, detailing the top places to drink independent craft beer in NYC and designed especially for visitors to the city. You locals already know your shit and don’t half brag about it. We’ll be dropping the guide in three parts, with this the first part: Manhattan, baby. For Brooklyn, click here.
Warning: This list may cause debate, even fury. One thing’s for sure: There Will Be Hops.
West Village/Greenwich Village
Blind Tiger: This pub is kind of the NYC craft beer OG and should be your starting point if it’s your first time in the city, or your first time drinking. Unlike many bars in the city, you’re allowed to stand, which you may need to do given how busy it gets most evenings. A huge selection, including rare beers, a bit of food on offer, and typically unfriendly service cos it’s New York, Baby!
Carmine Street Beers: A chill, intimate locals-focused shop with tonnes of cans and bottles for takeaway and a handful of seats for drinking in.
124 Old Rabbit Club: A subterranean speakeasy with US and foreign indie beer. The selection is ok, it’s more about the edgy vibe, though beware – it is a little pricey, even by NYC standards.
Keg and Lantern Brewpub: A pretty, shiny, lounge-like new taproom from the Brooklyn-based brewery with good food and something on tap for everyone – though the beer itself is brewed down in Red Hook, Brooklyn. It’s $10 a beer, which could feel a little steep given it’s their own stuff, though everything is $8 during a 3-6pm weekday happy hour.
Hell’s Kitchen
As Is: Up there with Blind Tiger for selection, this is a spacious, busy bar with an amazing array of sumptuous beers from around the US, popular with the post-work midtown crowd. Pro tip – $3 off all beer in their 4-6pm Happy Hour is one of the best offers around and will help you feel less like you’ve spent your life savings just by going outside.
Valhalla: Chill, unusually friendly (again – by nyc standards) and rustic-feeling bar with an eclectic selection of beers, a tasty food offering and some nice booths to sit in.#
Simple Brewing Company: New for 2025, this is a tiny, very edgy cafe inside a community centre that pours 3-4 of their own beers, brewed elsewhere but done to a high standard. It is pricey, even by Manhattan standards, but there is a local essence that makes it hard to resist.
Beer Culture: A busy bar near all of the transport hubs in and out of the city. The selection is decent but not worth going out of your way for – it is easily the best option pre-train/bus, however.
The Food Emporium & Amish Kitchen: Slightly odd giant supermarket with an absolutely massive selection of cans and bottles downstairs, at very competitive prices. Note that some of the beer will be a little on the older side, so if ultra-freshness is something you care about, check the dates.
Chelsea
Beer Run: This is a miniscule, dark, quiet bar, one of those ones where the fridges are making more noise than the patrons. The beer selection is unbelievable, with hard-to-find beers from the US East Coast on tap and a very large selection of similarly rare beers nestled in those cacophonous fridges.
Milk & Hops: On the list because it has some good beers on tap and a really nice wine bar adjoining, this is a little bougie and has prices to match. Don’t go out of your way, but a dependable option for a beer nerd if you’re travelling with losers people who want wine.
Crown Alley: Hopping spot for local Gen Z-Millenial cusp drinkers to hang out and chitchat. Certainly on the more sociable side of the NYC beer bar scene, the selection is just fine and it has a fantastic happy hour featuring cocktails and oysters along with the beer.
East Village
Fool’s Gold: File in the iconic section, this is an extremely rowdy pub with an absolutely huge selection of amazing beer from around the US, including some really rare – and expensive – bottles in the cellar if you need to prove yourself for some reason. It is loud, it is open late, and the bartenders will talk to you as if you just spat in their drink, yet will also give you tasters – New York in a nutshell. A must-visit.
Augurs Well: This tiny, cosy, very easy-going bar is all warm vibes, a frequently rotating selection of 10 taps and a nice $2 off happy hour. A perfect escape from the intensity of the Manhattan streets.
Alphabet City Beer Co: Edgy bar-shop combo with a nice back garden (they call it a yard fyi) and owners who are up for a chat. It’s a little out of the way, but if you want to see a different kind of Manhattan neighbourhood, this is a nice detour.
Proletariat: This is a sleek, upscale bar, expensive even by NYC standards, that nevertheless has some fantastic beers on tap. If shiny-bougie/”I just came into a big inheritance” is your aesthetic, go for it.
Drop Off Service: The literal opposite of Proletariat, this is a classic dive bar, lots of wood panelling, with a diverse beer list including some macro classics to satisfy your friend who “just wants a Bud”. A very cheap happy hour for their house beer and consistently bustling without being too messy.
Marshall Stack: Down into the Lower East rather than the East Village, this is a pleasingly divey, late night bar with a selection of your more mainstream US indie beer. This is definitely one of the better options in the strangely quality beer-sparse Lower East Side, for the jukebox feel and friendly bartenders.
Murray Hill and Midtown
Other Half – Rockefeller Center: Ok, here we go – if you’ve ever used UnTappd to seek out NYC’s best beer, Other Half is the undisputed champ. More on the brewery itself in part two (Brooklyn), this is their outpost in Midtown Manhattan, and it’s small and slick – exactly like their tiny pour, high alcohol beers.
City Beer: This mid-sized bar has an appropriately corporate sheen, decent if you are stranded in Murray Hill (likely if you are visiting for work but aren’t down in Wall Street).
The Greats of Craft: A suave, counter-oriented café-bar fusion with many a tap and a cute room at the back for working if you are around in the daytime. You can alternate your beer with coffee, which is only recommended in New York City.
The Jeffrey Craft Beer & Bites: A tiny doorway leads to a slightly intense, narrow and dark bar area, but have the courage to move through it and you’ll be greeted with a much larger, open space along with a beer garden out the back too for the 3 months a year it’s not either too hot or too cold. The beer selection is really excellent and the “bites” in the title is accurate – their happy hour snacks (4-7pm) are a great deal for the area.
Upper East Side
The Pony Bar: Right in the heart of the Upper East Side, this is a cute, old school bar with some sticky floors, a great selection and lively energy. The happy hour is top notch too, which may be needed if you’re hanging out in this part of town.
Vinyl Beer: The kind of local bar that will make you wish you lived here. Vinyl is a tiny space with 10 seats around a bar, 10 taps of exquisite, hard to find stuff behind that bar, and a large fridge selection for takeaway just opposite that bar. The prices are fair and the vibes are immaculate – stop by and don’t be afraid to unleash your beer nerdistry – the regulars are here for it.
City Swiggers: In between the two above is this shop that has a very large takeaway offering, a few taps of decent indie beer and a low key feel. It’s a good stop, though without quite providing the eccentricity of Pony or the cosy, “everybody knows your name” nature of Vinyl.
Upper West Side
Gebhard’s Beer Culture: Whoever or whatever Gebhard was, they sure knew a thing or two about beer. A nice selection on draft plus regional favourites in the fridges, all complemented by a rustic, subterranean atmosphere reminiscent of a multi-roomed Belgian beer pub.
The Hoptimist: Tiny, shiny and minimalist beer bar with just a handful of seats and ten taps that traverse a multitude of styles.
George Keeley: Just like Gebhard above, Mr. Keeley sure liked good beer. Same sort of feel as Gebhards, though bigger and laid out much more like a British (or whisper it quietly – Irish) pub.
Craft + Carry: This mini-chain has seven outposts around the city, including in previously mentioned neighbourhoods – we wouldn’t recommend prioritising it in those parts, whereas in the UWS, options are more limited. A little overpriced (even by NYC standards) and a little cold (also even by NYC standards), this is one of the larger stores. It is open from Midday and certainly delivers on beer quality if you need something niche and there is nothing else around.
Harlem
Harlem Hops: The stalwarts of indie craft up in Harlem, this is NYC’s first black-owned indie beer bar. It’s bigger than it looks, a warm environment with a mix of table and bar seating, an incredible rotating tap selection and a fridge full of rare beers.
Arts and Crafts Beer Parlor: Better known for their now-closed West Village location, this sits just below the main Harlem hub and is a dark, cosy, neighbourhood bar with a lot of heart and even better beer selection.
Soho and Financial District
Good luck. There is no delicious indie beer to speak of around either of these areas, though Fool’s Gold from the East Village section above is on the Soho border. If you’re thirsty in FiDi, head to Barcade, newly opened for 2026 with a reasonable beer list to sip on while you play Ms Pac Man and Pinball, or The Dead Rabbit, downtown’s most famous Irish pub where the beer is average but the vibe is extraordinary.
Click here for Part Two, which covers the other side of the tracks: Brooklyn.