This month we decided to dedicate our must-try bars to Queens. Specifically, cocktail bars in Queens, because there are so many awesome cocktail bars and we feel like being classy this month.
According to a recent study by the roommate finding app, Roomi, Astoria is now the #1 most popular neighborhood in NYC for millennials.
So are you thinking about moving to Astoria? Or do you live there already because you are so cool that you lived there before you were cool? Grab some friends or plan a date night in Queens!
Whether you're looking for something swanky and intimate, crowded and poppin', indoor, outdoor, live entertainment included, WHATEVS, we've got you covered.
Who knew Queens had so many cool bars?! I guess most of you did, since so many millennials live there... WHATEVS, WE GET IT NOW, QUEENS IS DOPE #YQY!!!!
1. Dutch Kills (27-24 Jackson Avenue)
You would probably walk right past Queens' #1 cocktail bar if you weren't looking for it. The no frills dive-y cocktail bar is unmarked save for a sparse neon 'bar' sign out front.
Dutch Kills offers reasonably priced considering the quality (averaging around $13), and if you've got the munchies they serve savory pies and other treats from the nearby M.Wells Steakhouse.
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Best of all, it's right by MoMA PS1, so it's the perfect post-museum date spot.
2. Sweet Afton (30-09 34th Street)
What's our favorite thing and rhymes with smack & please? That's right MAC & CHEESE. Sweet Afton is famous for their amazing mac & cheese, so that should sell you on this place right there.
They've also got a rockin' whiskey list, reasonably priced cocktails, and a solid selection of craft beers for the non-cocktail drinkers.
Sip your beverage of choice in their awesome outdoor garden if you're out enjoying the arrival of spring, and check out the live music several nights a week!
3. Mar's (34-21 34th Avenue)
Looking for the perfect oyster happy hour spot? Look no further! Mar's is known for their incredible seafood, especially their oyster bar, and they make a mean cocktail to boot.
This cute and classy gastropub makes for the perfect date night, whether you're looking for a full dinner (we hear the lemon burger is insane), or just cocktails and a lil' oyster aphrodisiac action. ;)
4. The Standing Room (4738 Vernon Blvd)
How about cocktails and a show? The Standing Room in Long Island City is the little sister to Gramercy's famous comedy club The Stand, and you can catch New York's best comics performing nightly.
That would probably be enough but this place is also randomly one of the city's COOLEST cocktail bars! The menu was curated by award-winning Japanese mixologists, and it's reasonably priced considering how dope these drinks are.
Each item has a simple name (Ginger, Flower, Tomato, etc.), but the cocktails themselves are anything but simple. The Flower, for example, is served in a lightbulb. That's lit.
5. The Strand Smokehouse (25-27 Broadway)
Barbecue might not be the first thing you think of when you're looking for a good cocktail bar, but The Strand Smokehouse offers up a Bourbon list so dope we couldn't leave it out.
Not only is this one of the most authentic and delicious BBQ joints in the city, but they've mastered the perfect whiskey cocktail. They even have 'Moontails'—cocktails made with actual moonshine. Yeehaw, can't get more southern than that!
Stop by on a Sunday afternoon for some bluegrass tunes.
6. Cabana Restaurant (10710 70th Road)
Can you say mojito Monday? Or any day of week, honestly, we love mojitos.
And people can't stop raving about the mojitos at Cabana! In addition to serving up some of the most delicious Cuban food in the city, the restaurant makes some irresistibly, fresh cocktails.
If you're with your crew and not in a mojito mood, snag a pitcher of red sangria (we hear the one with the rum is the way to go).
7. The Astor Room (35-11 35th Avenue)
Cocktails and jazz go together like rama lama lama ka dinga da dinga dong. Or like PB&J, for you non-Grease fans.
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Located in the Kaufman Astoria Studios, The Astor Room has live music every night (except Monday, cuz they're closed) and Sunday brunch!
Soak up the old-time-y Hollywood glamour while you sip on a signature or classic cocktail, enjoy some complimentary candied bacon(!!!!!), and bop along to world class Jazz musicians doing their thang.
Pro-Tip: Come during happy hour and sit at the bar for free appetizers!!
[Feature Image Courtesy The Standing Room]