Your Plan — New York City
Oct 11, 2026.Sunday, October 11, 2026.
In this issue: guides, reviews & the latest plans ↓
The Index — Guides
See all ⟶Citywide
Bars With Backyards for a Late-Summer Date
12 places
The rooftop was a trap in July. By August the fix is a level down and out back — a real backyard, after the sun sets and the city finally cools. These twelve have walls, trees, and seating you can settle into for hours: oyster gardens, beer halls, a tiki yard, a rose garden under glass. Good for a second date, an anniversary, or a Tuesday in August when you want to be outside without performing it.
Citywide
Dates Without a Drink
12 places
At some point "let's grab a drink" stops being a plan and starts being a reflex. Maybe one of you doesn't drink, maybe it's Dry July, maybe you just want to remember the date in the morning. These twelve places give you somewhere to sit, something to do, and no bar tab — a sober bar, tea rooms, board games, bookstores, and ice cream. Good for a first date, a fourth date, or a Tuesday when you'd rather not.
Citywide
Dates for a Heat Wave
6 places · Jul 2026
Some dates are ruined by weather and some are rescued by it. In July the whole city is outside, sweating through a rooftop reservation, pretending the view is worth it. These six rooms are cold, dark, and worth the trip — an oyster bar, a cinema, a library, a bathhouse, a marble house on Fifth, and a tiki bar with no windows. Good for a second date, an anniversary, or a Thursday when it is 96 degrees and you would like to be somewhere else.
The Index — Reviews
See all ⟶NoHo · Cocktail bar
Yawning Cobra
Reviewed October 2026
Down a staircase on Bowery, through a serpent-knobbed door, into forty-two seats and a cocktail menu that reads like a video game designed in Tokyo. Matcha whiskey, banana truffle, parmesan. Get a reservation. The counter is a fallback, not a plan.
Chelsea · Cocktail bar
Jungle Bird
$$ · Reviewed October 2026
A two-story Chelsea cocktail bar named after a 1970s tiki classic — golden peacock taps, leather banquettes, Southeast Asian bar snacks, and the eponymous drink on tap. Loud, fun, zero pretense. The kind of place a first date feels easy.
Upper East Side · Wine bar
Bar Florine
$$ · Reviewed October 2026
Twenty-six seats, candlelight, and a wall-sized mirror chalked with the day's pours. Julie Bramowitz — the Carlyle's former wine director — named this place after a painter. The list earns it: rare Old World bottles, rotating by the glass, nothing predictable.
East Village · Italian restaurant
Il Posto Accanto
$$ · Reviewed October 2026
A mom-and-pop Roman enoteca on a quiet East 2nd Street block, open since 1999 and still run by the same two people. All-Italian wine list, housemade pasta every night of the week, meatballs that earn their reputation. Book ahead.
The Index — Lately
See all ⟶- Date
Champagne, Steak, and Ice Cream, Meatpacking
Meatpacking District
The Champagne & Caviar Bar at RH Guesthouse New York → Crane Club → Aubi & Ramsa
- Date
Craft Cocktails, Pasta, and a Nightcap in Prospect Heights
Prospect Heights · Romantic · $$$
Weather Up → Wayward Fare → Bar Francis
- Date
Cocktails, Pasta, and a Park, Fort Greene
Fort Greene · Fun & Playful · $$
Fritz → Belli Ristorante & Bar → Café Paulette
- Date
Manhattan Views and Pisco Sours, LIC
Long Island City · Chill
Blend on the Water → Jora → Gantry Plaza State Park
- Date
Clams, Crème Brûlée, and a Disco Ball, Williamsburg
Williamsburg
BABA on Withers → La petite joie → Patisserie Tomoko