East Village First Date Ideas

Q: East Village date vibes

Cool without the crowd. Walkable, low-pressure, with backup options everywhere. If she's into dive bars and good vibes, she'll love it here. Ten Degrees and Yuca Bar keep it casual, Lovers of Today separates the cool from the basic.

Q: How much will this neighborhood set me back?

Definitely one of the cheaper neighborhoods to have a fun night out. Plenty of happy hours, cheap eats, and great flavors. If you start with either a Ten Bells or Yuca for HH, you can get out with a $60 tab. Follow it up with dinner at a taco stand like Zaragoza Mexican on Ave A, and you're in/out for less than $100. Even if you do a sit down, you're still not breaking $150 unless you go crazy.

This neighborhood used to belong to druggies, pimps and prostitutes (true story, my uncle lived on the 3rd floor of 529 E 13th St and the local cocaine kingpin was a puerto-rican grandmother who lived on the floor below him, lead to a guys throat being slit right outside the apartment). Today however, that's all been replaced by NYU gender theory majors exploring their bisexuality while walking to class wearing white sox and bass weejun loafers. Still fun spots that appeal to the young NYC crowd, managing to survive on a pitiful $3k/mo from their trust fund + a few hostess shifts.

Best First-Date Bars in East Village

Ten Degrees – perfect first drink spot, happy hour goes till 8 and you have a plethora of great bars + restaurants nearby to bounce too
Yuca bar – happy hour everyday till 8pm! Classic latin cocktails all $9, perfect spot to grab a ceviche and another round
Sophie's Bar – true classic East Village dive, great vibes, cheap beer and I'd never order a mixed drink w/ more than 2 ingredients
Buenos Aires – Argentinian steakhouse, reasonable for a steak spot, keeps you in the neighborhood with really fun bars across the street
Lovers of Today – hardly a secret at this point, get there early to get in. Nice way to cap off a classy date night.

Be wary soldier, it's a first date

Casual first drink 🍸

★★★★★ Juanita Ramos

"I celebrated my birthday here yesterday and had a great time. My friends and I went for happy hour (2x1), and the staff ..."

Ten Degrees: Website

Address: 121 St Marks Pl

Happy Hour: No HH

Expected Check: $50-70 (2 drinks each)

Reservations: Not necessary

Move to light bites? 🥟

★★★★★ Andrew V. Pestano

"I had a great time! Pablo el Dominicano was a great bartender. I had the happy hour sangria and the Causa Limeña. Honest..."

Yuca Bar: Website

Address: 111 Avenue A

Happy Hour: Daily 1-8pm

Expected Check: $70-90 (1 drink/pp + apps)

Reservations: OpenTable

Ditch 'n Drink 🍺

★★ Patrick Deery

"This would be a 5 star dive bar if it weren’t for that one bartender on a power trip. I go to this bar often and if that..."

Sophie's Bar: Website

Address: 507 E 5th St

Happy Hour: No HH

Expected Check: $40-60 (2-3 drinks each)

Reservations: Not necessary

📍 Venue Locations & Walking Directions

Hinge match out of my league, step it up

Fancy dinner 🍽️

★★ El Joni

"I’ve been here several times and always enjoyed it, great food, great service, no complaints there. But on my last visit..."

Buenos Aires: Website

Address: 513 E 6th St

Happy Hour: No HH

Expected Check: $120-180 (dinner + drinks)

Reservations: Recommended - Resy

Seal the Deal

★★★★★ Fred L0

"Lovers of Today is the definition of a hidden gem. Dimly lit, super cozy, and full of character. Their cocktails are cre..."

Lovers of Today: Website

Address: 132 1/2 E 7th St

Happy Hour: No HH

Expected Check: $100-150 (dinner + drinks)

Reservations: Recommended - Resy

📍 Venue Locations & Walking Directions

Walkable First-Date Flows

HH Flow: Start at Ten Degrees (HH till 8) for first drinks → bounce to Yuca bar or one of the plethora of great bars + restaurants nearby if you want to keep it going.
Upscale Flow: Dinner at Buenos Aires (Argentinian steakhouse) → walk across the street to the fun bars, or cap it off at Lovers of Today (get there early to get in).
Dive Flow: Sophie's Bar for cheap beer and great vibes → keep it simple with 2-ingredient drinks max.

🔮 East Village date vibesCool without the crowd. Walkable, low-pressure, with backup options everywhere. If she's into dive bars and good vibes, she'll love it here. Ten Degrees and Yuca Bar keep it casual, Lovers of Today separates the cool from the basic.

💸 How much will this neighborhood set me back?Definitely one of the cheaper neighborhoods to have a fun night out. Plenty of happy hours, cheap eats, and great flavors. If you start with either a Ten Bells or Yuca for HH, you can get out with a $60 tab. Follow it up with dinner at a taco stand like Zaragoza Mexican on Ave A, and you're in/out for less than $100. Even if you do a sit down, you're still not breaking $150 unless you go crazy.

East Village First Date Ideas

Best First-Date Bars in East Village

Be wary soldier, it's a first date

📍 Venue Locations & Walking Directions

Hinge match out of my league, step it up

📍 Venue Locations & Walking Directions

Walkable First-Date Flows

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