The best cocktail bars in Chelsea, NYC

Want to go out for drinks with friends but also miss being a kid? Porchlight combines cocktails with classic games, live music, and a cocktail book club. The southern charm of a homey porch is a reminder to enjoy the little things, like crushing your best friend in a board game while having a few drinks.

There are four spaces: the bar (max. 150 guests), game room (max. 40 guests), porch (max. 20 guests), and backyard (10-60 guests), and it all adds to the Southern family aesthetic, just like different parts of a house. But no home in North Carolina or Georgia has as extensive a drink menu as this Chelsea cocktail bar. Sippers, guzzlers, boilermakers, and classics. There’s a drink for everyone, like the Porchlight Spiked Seltzer, which is large enough to split between 2 to 5 friends.

With liquid courage flowing, we recommend you challenge your friends to some games and do so at the beginning of the week. Music Mondays range from genres like bluegrass, jazz, and country, and who doesn’t love friendly competition and live music?

Although fictional, many of us would jump at the opportunity to attend one of Jay Gatsby's luxurious parties, and there is a place that simulates this era: Bathtub Gin. This Chelsea speakeasy, hidden behind the back door of Stone Street Coffee, transports you into the roaring 20s with live music, burlesque, and a DJ.

The dim lighting, gold-detailed ceilings, and fabric chandeliers capture the prohibition era. Offerings include ten different gin and tonics, cocktails like the Silver Screen Martini, and various small bites. Full buyouts are available for up to 300 people, and furniture is moveable depending on needs.

Of course, the space wouldn't be complete without an old-fashioned tub in the center of the room. As Bathtub Gin says, "Everything is better in the tub."

You enter what you think is the study as Mrs. Peacock, narrowing down your suspects, but then you realize there are way too many flowers, and you’re not in a real-life version of Clue; this is The Fleur Room.

The 35th floor of the Moxy Chelsea is home to this glass-enclosed lounge, decorated with deep emeralds and maroons with leather and suede detail, looking out at Manhattan's skyline. Not to mention the bright flowers displayed throughout, which give the room a whimsical atmosphere.

After-work cocktails are after 5 pm Tuesday through Friday, including small plates and floral-inspired signature drinks; the space then turns into a nightlife destination. This Chelsea cocktail bar's North and South sides can accommodate 100 guests individually or a combined 200.

Cooper’s Craft and Cocktails is a straightforward Chelsea cocktail bar where you and your friends can get food and drinks without much fuss. Simple string lights are hung from the ceiling, and everything is wooden, from the tables to the bar stools to the roof. But in a city as extravagant as this one, sometimes simple is needed.

The extensive drink menu carries draft and house cocktails, locally sourced craft beer, wines, and agave spirits. There is something for everyone, and while you can come just for a drink, the food menu has everything from brunch to late-night bites, sharables, sandwiches, and everything in between.

Cooper’s can accommodate large parties of over 10 for semi-private and private events.

Located in The McKittrick Hotel is the Manderley Bar, a cozy cocktail lounge that is open for small concerts and during its iconic Sleep No More theatrical performances. The dark room, filled with the smooth sounds of jazz and small round tables facing the stage, encapsulates the dynamic allure of this Chelsea cocktail bar.

While transported to the 20s by The Nightingales, the resident band, guests can choose between wine, beer, non-alcoholic options, and specialty cocktails like the Sleep No More, Old McKittrick, and Manderley Renewal. You can book private events for up to 150 people standing and 60 seated. Just be careful – you may lose track of time getting caught up in the music.