17 Best NYC Restaurants And Bars To Celebrate NYE In 2022

New York City on New Year's Eve can overwhelm even the most ardent of locals with all the different options. We believe there's no one right way to celebrate another turn around the sun. But, embracing the glitz or cutting it up on the dance floor can help shake up the start of a new year. After all, who doesn't love a clean slate? We find going out on New Year's Eve might also deliver a bit of cheese (even if it's just in the form of a charcuterie plate) — and expectations sometimes run a little high. We've taken out some of the guesswork with a roster of options across the boroughs for a range of vibes and tastes.

Yes, celebrating the ball drop might mean glitter falls from the sky (and don't forget about a Champagne toast!). We also appreciate a decadent, comforting meal without the need for a hefty entry fee. This city is known for the Times Square ball drop, but you don't have to be out in the cold to celebrate the clock striking midnight. Take a peek at some of the best N.Y.C. restaurants and bars to celebrate New Year's Eve.

Ring in the new year in Greenpoint's Ponyboy – it is a strange and alluring sort of restaurant and dance space. It feels part bar, part chic living room, part fishbowl until bodies gather to dance — the elevated booths that surround the dance floor in the back are available to reserve if you'd rather start as a watcher than be an early adopter. You can also arrive for dinner before 10 p.m., just make sure to secure a reservation and know the eclectic menu is not the main draw here. The bar will very likely keep you elbow-to-elbow with fellow revelers.

This New Year's Eve at Ponyboy will feature "disco-infused" DJ sets from 10 p.m. until they kick you out. Music will be curated by Martín Y Corazón, known for bending genres and rhythmic, heart-pounding beats. Feel free to get a chuckle out of the disco ball (guilty!), but once the DJ gets started, you won't be alone in keeping in step with the beat. Ponyboy is known for its signature cocktails, including a stylized take on a margarita called the Forgetmenot, as well as $5 canned beers. Translation, expect a good time — and a line at the door.

Not all New Year's Eve festivities need to involve shots and bottle service. Sampling craft beer from some of the best brewers in the boroughs might be more our speed. We recommend a class bar crawl in Long Island City to ring in another year with friends and loved ones. Start at Transmitter Brewing at the Brooklyn Navy Yard for a gold ale, mango sour, or spruce tip saison. Transmitter has an outdoor garden (weather permitting) and is open until 8 p.m., so it's the perfect taproom to start the evening.

From there, head to Big Alice Brewing — one of the best breweries in the state — for an autumn rye or Queensbridge IPA. The Queens brewery is open until 10 p.m. on Saturdays for a pint or two in the barrel room. Finish the evening at Fifth Hammer Brewing with a New Year's Eve toast and jam session — in the form of watching the ball drop and noshing on a jam and toast buffet without the need for a cover or tickets. Live music will help keep the vibes right, as will a 1 a.m. closing time.

Treat yourself to a 17-course omakase sushi dinner located inside an unmarked hotel suite in Hotel 32|32 in NoMad. That's right, Sushi Suite 1001 offers what is likely the world's first hotel room turned restaurant experience with a simple four-seat sushi counter and chef Takeshi Sato for a 60-minute meal. When you arrive at Hotel 3232, you'll check in at the front desk and receive your room key to unlock one of the more unique dining options in the city. Arrive early to enjoy cocktails at the suite's private terrace bar.

Chef Takeshi's sushi features a signature ratio of rice to fish taught him by his old Master, Chef Yasuda. He focuses on hyper-seasonal selections of Japanese fish. Options could include anago sea eel, which is cooked in a broth made from its own bones, a Hokkaido scallop that is topped with uni sourced from the same waters, and firefly squid in a sweet miso sauce. Reserve a slot at Sushi Suite 1001 on NYE at $150 per person.

Kokomo in NYC is a Caribbean restaurant and bar that exudes decadence through dark wood detailing, crushed velvet seating, a winding raw-edge bar, and an exciting and modern approach to dining. The attention to detail, such as a sculptural chandelier to draw the eye up toward the high ceilings, is enough to feel festive on any given visit. We highly recommend arriving hungry due to the menu's ability to please a range of diets and offer a welcome spin on craft cocktails. Plus, we find that it's hard to choose which of the signature dishes sounds the best: Highlights include plantain pancakes with berry compote, yardie shrimp flatbread, slow-braised oxtail from New Zealand, and caviar lentil meatballs in a Trinidadian coconut curry sauce.

The location is near Hurricane Point in Williamsburg but will easily transport you to the tropics. The restaurant also offers a full brunch service on weekends. Kokomo will be open on New Year's Eve and New Year's Day for brunch and a special dinner menu will be in the mix. Can't wait? Kokomo's holiday pop-up menu on Tuesday to Friday from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m. will keep you satiated now through January 13 — whiskey decanter for two included.

The Rumpus Room is the ideal spot for true club kids to dance the night away. This Bowery nightclub is a media darling for its DJ sets and '80s aesthetic with palm wallpaper, zebra accents, and plenty of neon to help smooth out the details on any new acquaintances. For New Year's Eve, the bar and lounge is hosting a ticketed event with upwards of five hours of an open bar.

If five hours of premium booze sounds like too much of a good thing, you can also purchase a two-hour open bar ticket for $99 or $49 for after-midnight admission. The evening festivities will start at 9 p.m. and include the obligatory Champagne toast at midnight. Dancing all night away can take on new meaning thanks to the 4 a.m. closing time.

Events produced by House of Yes are basically a nightlife must if you live in New York City. The company hosts themed events year-round (costume lewks are highly encouraged) as a queer and inclusive venue and event company. This year's NYE Garden of Cosmic Delights presents extraterrestrial extravagance through a pre-fixed menu and live performance of circus acts and cabaret for $200 per ticket. This a collaboration between House of Yes and Fandi Mata, the popular Williamsburg Mediterranean restaurant where the event will take place. 

If you're more of an early riser — or don't feel like going home — Seize the Day at House of Yes starts at 5 a.m. on January 1 with bubbles, bass, and a come-as-you-are dress code. The New Year's Day separate celebration will be at House of Yes in Bushwick. Keep in mind, the event starts serving alcohol at 10 a.m. (blame local liquor laws) and will run until 5:30 p.m. that evening.

The McKittrick Hotel can always be counted on for an elaborate and theatrical event. We can attest that the multi-level dance party delivers multiple performances on the main stage, as well as in nooks found by wandering through the winding hotel-turned-event space. If you love to dance and have appreciated the voyeuristic Sleep No More show inspired by Shakespeare and the 1920s (or have always wanted to do so), the epic annual McKittrick New Year's Eve celebration is likely to impress.

This year's theme is sort of golden decadence, paying tribute to dapper dans and Golden Age starlets. Dress accordingly in fringe, plumes, and diamonds, if you're so inclined. Ticket prices are also decadent, but do include an open bar.

The Knickerbocker Hotel, a five-star property in Times Square, celebrates with another New Year's Eve experience on the St. Cloud rooftop. Instead of standing shoulder to shoulder in streets, you can stand shoulder to shoulder on an outdoor terrace a mere 150 feet below the famous sphere itself. St. Cloud at 6 Times Square offers unparalleled views of the skyline from one of the venue's sky pod booths. Plus, you can enjoy a seasonal small bites menu and a full bar.

This is truly a premium event with tickets starting at four figures per person. You'll gain access to a communal seating buffet at Charlie Palmer at The Knick restaurant, an open bar, passed hors d'oeuvres, and a DJ. This isn't your ordinary event, but just might be the kind of opulence you're looking for to ring in 2023.