The Hardest Cocktail Bar and Speakeasy Reservations in NYC

New York's hardest cocktail reservations belong to a specific kind of room: intimate speakeasies and wine bars that seat a few dozen people and fill the moment tables post. Every bar in this guide books through Resy, so it ranks the hardest cocktail bar and speakeasy tables in the city, how each one takes reservations, and the realistic way into each room, including the ones that hold bar seats for walk-ins. DinnerElite tracks these rooms and emails you the moment a table opens, so you can plan the nightcap instead of refreshing the app.

Which cocktail bars are hardest to book in NYC?

The toughest cocktail books in the city run from Financial District rooms like Overstory and East Village speakeasies like Please Don't Tell at the top, through wine bars like The Four Horsemen and Elvis, down to Gramercy and Greenwich Village rooms like Dear Irving and Analogue that keep the door open for walk-ins. Every one takes reservations on Resy, so the strategy is the same shape each time: catch the table when it posts, or catch the cancellation before service.

1. Overstory (Financial District). The Financial District cocktail bar is among the hardest cocktail books in the city, and it reserves on Resy. Weekend slots vanish quickly, so the live calendar and cancellation alerts are the two realistic doors. Its drop-time page tracks live availability.

2. Please Don't Tell (East Village). The East Village speakeasy books on Resy, and its weekend tables book up fast, which makes a cancellation alert the surer plan. Its drop-time page tracks live availability.

3. The Four Horsemen (Williamsburg). The Williamsburg wine bar books on Resy, and its weekend tables are some of the hardest in Brooklyn to land. Guide: what to order at The Four Horsemen.

4. Temple Bar (NoHo). The NoHo cocktail bar books on Resy and fills its prime evening slots early. Its drop-time page tracks live availability.

5. Raines Law Room (Chelsea). The Chelsea speakeasy-style lounge books on Resy, and its weekend seatings go early. Its drop-time page tracks live availability.

6. The Mulberry (Nolita). This cocktails-and-caviar bar on Mulberry Street books on Resy, and if the calendar looks full you can walk in for the bar and standing room until 10 PM. It is 21 and over. Its drop-time page tracks live availability.

7. Elvis (NoHo). The Le Dive team's roughly 30-seat NoHo wine bar books on Resy but keeps a walk-in wine-bar culture, so an early arrival for a bottle and small plates often beats hunting a prime slot. Guide: what to order at Elvis.

8. Dear Irving Gramercy (Gramercy). The Gramercy cocktail bar takes Resy reservations but holds most of its seats for walk-ins, except Friday and Saturday, so an early weeknight arrival at the bar is a genuine plan. Its drop-time page tracks live availability.

9. Analogue (Greenwich Village). The Greenwich Village cocktail room takes a limited number of reservations each night for parties up to six, on Resy or by phone, and welcomes walk-ins around them, with live jazz on a weekly night. Its drop-time page tracks live availability.

10. The Up & Up (Greenwich Village). The Greenwich Village cocktail bar books on Resy and sits a step below the marquee rooms in difficulty, which makes it a good fallback when the speakeasies are full. Its drop-time page tracks live availability.

Which cocktail bars keep seats for walk-ins?

Several of the hardest rooms deliberately hold space at the bar, which is the quiet way in when the Resy calendar looks full. Dear Irving Gramercy holds most of its seats for walk-ins except Friday and Saturday. Analogue takes only a handful of reservations a night and seats walk-ins around them. The Mulberry keeps its bar and standing room open until 10 PM. Elvis runs a walk-in wine-bar culture where an early bottle often beats a booking. For the wider list of rooms that keep seats open, see our guide to NYC restaurants that take walk-ins.

How do you actually get into these rooms?

Two plays cover the whole list. First, catch the table when it posts: every bar here books on Resy, and weekend slots go fast, so booking at the release beats hunting leftovers. Second, watch for cancellations, which reappear on the Resy calendar in the day or two before service, where alerts earn their keep. And where a room keeps a walk-in valve, like Dear Irving, Analogue, The Mulberry, and Elvis, an early weeknight arrival at the bar is the softer entrance.

Frequently asked questions

What is the hardest cocktail bar to get into in NYC?

By most measures the intimate speakeasy rooms are toughest: Overstory in the Financial District and Please Don't Tell in the East Village both book on Resy and fill their weekend calendars fast. Wine bars like The Four Horsemen in Williamsburg run close behind on weekends.

Do NYC speakeasies take reservations?

Most of the well-known ones do. Every bar on this list, including Please Don't Tell, Raines Law Room, and Overstory, books through Resy. Several also hold seats at the bar for walk-ins, so if the calendar is full you often still have a first-come option.

Which NYC cocktail bars take walk-ins?

Dear Irving Gramercy holds most of its seats for walk-ins except Friday and Saturday, Analogue seats walk-ins around a handful of reservations, The Mulberry keeps its bar open until 10 PM, and Elvis runs a walk-in wine-bar culture. Our walk-ins guide lists more rooms that keep seats open.

When do cocktail bar reservations open in NYC?

It varies by room, and most of these bars publish no fixed release window, so the live Resy calendar matters more than a set drop time. Tables tend to post in advance and get claimed fast, with cancellations reappearing close to the date. Each tracked room's live pattern is on its DinnerElite drop-time page.

Does DinnerElite book the table for me?

No. We send alerts and you book the table yourself. The one exception is our Expert plan, where a human concierge books on your behalf.

Watching all of these books at once is exactly what DinnerElite does: it tracks when each cocktail bar releases tables and emails you the moment a cancellation opens up, starting free with one watched restaurant. For the hardest tables across every cuisine, see our full hardest reservations in NYC ranking.