Skip to content

Your Plan — New York City

Sep 6, 2026.

I’d like a date somewhere good.

Occasion
Neighborhood
Vibe
Budget
Time

In this issue: guides, reviews & the latest plans ↓

See all ⟶
  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

See all ⟶
  1. DUMBO · Art school

    Creatively Wild Art Studio

    Reviewed September 2026

    DUMBO's original art school since 2009 — great for kids' camps and birthday parties, solid for an adult paint-and-sip if you plan ahead, but the room runs on children's energy all day, and the date math doesn't quite work out in your favor.

  2. Williamsburg · Wine bar

    BABA on Withers

    $$ · Reviewed September 2026

    A female-owned wine bar that runs on natural bottles, Marseille-inspired small plates, and a disco ball over a heated backyard. Come for the little neck clams and the $9 happy hour. Stay until the lights drop and the music gets louder.

  3. West Village · French restaurant

    Bobo

    $$$ · Reviewed September 2026

    A historic West Village townhouse with no sign out front, four rooms across three floors, and a year-round garden. Coq au vin, steak au poivre, champagne at the Den bar. Bobo has been the right answer on a Friday night for nearly two decades.

  4. Bushwick · Cocktail bar

    Palmetto

    $$ · Reviewed September 2026

    Palm-tree murals, a record player that never stops, and a seasonal cocktail list that actually earns its ambition. Palmetto is the kind of Bushwick bar you come to for one drink and leave two hours later, slightly surprised by how good the Jakarta-Colada was.

The Index — Lately

See all ⟶
  1. Hangout

    Little Branch to Bobo, West Village Sorted

    West Village · Fun & Playful · $$

    Little Branch → Bobo → Van Leeuwen Ice Cream

  2. Date

    Negronis, Lobster, and Merveilleux, West Village

    West Village · Romantic · $$

    Aria Wine Bar → Alice → Aux Merveilleux de Fred

  3. Date

    Meringues and Candlelight on Cornelia, West Village

    West Village

    CARTA Wine Bar New York → Palma → Aux Merveilleux de Fred

  4. Date

    Cocktails, Pizza, and Pinball in Bushwick

    Bushwick · Fun & Playful · $$

    Palmetto → Rosie Pizza Bar → Birdy's

  5. Date

    Natural Wine and French Garden, Bushwick

    Bushwick · Romantic

    The Ten Bells Brooklyn → Mominette Bistro → Circo's Pastry Shop