Where to Drink Wine Right Now in Downtown Manhattan
When isn’t downtown Manhattan having a serious wine bar moment? From Chinatown to the West Village, new spots keep opening, older ones keep getting better, and once the weather warms up, the crowds spill out onto the sidewalks and stay there well into the night. Some places are impossible to get into after a certain hour; others you can still slip into if you time it right. Either way, below 14th Street is where the city’s most stylish wine aficionados—and those who want to be around them—are drinking.
From a hip, hidden gem with a “No TikToks, No Assholes” door policy and a rotating natural wine list to a candlelit Chinatown wine bar pouring rare bottles and serving up Chinese home-cooking-style plates—there’s no shortage of places to drink in downtown Manhattan right now. We’ve narrowed it down to the wine bars actually worth your time. You’re welcome!
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Look for the retro red-and-white striped awning on historic Doyers Street in Chinatown and slip into Lei, a 28-seat Chinese American wine bar opened in summer 2025 by restaurateur Annie Shi. This candlelit, mahogany-drenched room draws serious wine lovers and downtown scenesters alike. Rare bottles are everywhere you look—lining the walls, stacked to the ceiling—from grand cru Burgundies and Champagnes to bottles from Japan, Germany, and Greece. The menu, rooted in Chinese home cooking, is designed to pair beautifully with whatever’s in your glass. Standouts include the chilled celtuce with red vinegar, the cat’s ear noodles with cumin-braised lamb, and the flaky shao bing with cold butter. Reservations at this perma-packed joint open 14 days in advance, but walk-ins are welcome nightly.
15–17 Doyers St
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Feeling social? Make your way to Cellar 36 in Two Bridges, a walk-ins-only wine bar and one of downtown’s most reliably good hangouts. Co-owners Nodar Toronjadze and Fernando Martinez—both Ten Bells alums—have put together a wine list that goes well beyond the obvious, with organic and biodynamic bottles from Georgia, Slovakia, Australia, and beyond. The candlelit exposed-brick interior, with its communal long tables and bar seating, is prime people-watching territory, and the small plates—think duck rillettes, boquerones, pâté de campagne, and cheese and charcuterie boards—are excellent. Whatever you do, don’t miss happy hour, daily from 5–7 pm, where you can score $1 oysters and $20 carafes. Come summer, the sidewalk fills with downtown creative types smoking and drinking the night away, often as a DJ spins.
36 Market St
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Stars opened in the East Village in December 2025, and the hype hasn’t died down since. After all, the jewel-box-sized wine bar is helmed by Chase Sinzer and Joshua Pinsky, the superstar team behind Claud and Penny, both beloved East Village restaurants. Sinzer, named Michelin Guide’s New York Sommelier of the Year in 2024, and wine director Julia Schwartz have put together an extraordinary 1,000-plus bottle list spanning everything from Georgian orange wines to Japanese sake, with by-the-glass pours starting at just $11. The walk-ins-only, cedar-paneled 12-seat space is anchored by a horseshoe-shaped zinc bar lined with custom mahogany stools and bathed in the warm glow of table lamps. Bar snacks—think deviled eggs, marinated vegetables with chorizo, and griddled shrimp toast—play a supporting role, but wine is unequivocally the star here.
139 E 12th St
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A bona fide East Village institution since 2016, Ruffian is an ideal setting for a date night or a casual catch-up with friends over a bottle or two of natural wine. The narrow, cozy spot earned a Michelin Bib Gourmand and a New York Times Critic’s Pick, and for good reason: it boasts a 250-plus bottle list focused on some of the world’s oldest wine regions, including Georgia, Greece, Austria, and Slovenia. When the sun’s out, try your best to snag one of the coveted sidewalk seats out front and settle in for an evening of downing bottles. The veggie-forward, Eastern European-inflected small plates change seasonally—but you’ll never go wrong ordering whatever pickled vegetable situation they’re offering that day—and everything pairs beautifully with whatever the knowledgeable staff steers you toward. Happy hour here is a magnet for in-the-know locals. Wines by the glass and food are $5 off Monday through Friday from 4 to 6 pm and on weekends from 3 to 5 pm.
125 E 7th St; T. (347) 674-1618
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One of the West Village’s most reliably buzzy hangs since opening its doors in early 2024, Demo feels like a chic, classic New York restaurant that’s been on Carmine Street for decades. Helmed by Wildair alums Chef Quang “Q” Nguyen and beverage director Jacob Nass, the moodily lit spot is outfitted with veined red marble countertops, leather banquettes, and framed black-and-white photography. The small but mighty restaurant serves inventive European-inspired small plates alongside a carefully curated list of low-intervention wines. No reservation? No problem. Pull up a stool at the front bar for drinks and snacks, or snag a seat at the chef’s counter in the back for the full experience. Don’t sleep on the arroz a la plancha, the lobster au poivre, or the showstopping banana pudding, served in a silver coupe and topped with torched bananas and toasted almonds. Consider stopping by in the morning, too, when the front of the restaurant doubles as a sunny neighborhood cafe and market stocked with tinned fish, olive oils, and fresh flowers.
34 Carmine St
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Opened in fall 2024 on Forsyth Street on the edge of Chinatown, Lai Rai is a 22-seat Vietnamese natural wine bar born from a collaboration between Mắm next door and the team behind Greenpoint’s Đi Ăn Đi. Butter yellow walls, a marble bar, and aged brass mirrors give the room a warmth that feels worlds away from the Chinatown bustle outside. The wine list spans French, Italian, and Portuguese naturals alongside rice wines from Vietnam, Japan, and Brooklyn, with bar snacks like giò thủ head cheese, prawn crackers, and chicharrones to nibble on. The mouthwatering showstopper, though, is the homemade ice cream, served in little metal coupes with a constantly rotating lineup of flavors like fish sauce caramel, avocado, chrysanthemum, and more. Order one of each, obviously.
76 Forsyth St
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The Ten Bells isn’t your average wine bar. When it first swung open its doors in 2008 on Broome Street, it helped usher in New York City’s natural wine scene, and it’s been going strong ever since. Unpretentious and always buzzing, this dimly lit LES drinking den features tin ceilings, a wraparound bar, and an old New York feel, along with a long list of organic and biodynamic bottles from small producers around the world and a selection of killer tapas, including papas bravas, chorizo empanadas, and a pan cristal sandwich with jamón bellota. Happy hour runs daily from opening until 7 pm, where $1 oysters and $8 glasses make it one of the best deals downtown.
247 Broome St; T. (212) 228-445
WORDS Alex Catarinella